The meeting at Avengers Headquarters was still ongoing.
"Our top priority now is to locate the missing Mind Scepter and prevent Hydra from using it to wreak havoc," Kagura summarized.
"Although S.H.I.E.L.D. was completely destroyed in the process of wiping out Hydra's infiltration, there are undoubtedly still Hydra cells operating elsewhere in the world."
"A lifelong nemesis," Nick Fury remarked, his tone heavy. "S.H.I.E.L.D.'s destruction is a debt I intend to make Hydra pay in full."
"Well, take a number and get in line," Tony Stark quipped. "Barton, Rogers, Rhodey... there's a whole crowd ahead of you itching to settle scores with Hydra. Honestly, they attract more enemies than I do."
"Pfft, so you do realize you're a magnet for grudges, Mr. Stark!" Kagura chuckled behind her hand. "Come to think of it, you're responsible for about half of the villains in the entire Marvel Universe."
Tony Stark, a certified villain-production machine.
Starting with Ivan Vanko, nearly every major enemy he faced was either directly created by him or a consequence of his past actions.
Even in the future, many of his "historical messes" would be left for up-and-coming heroes like Spider-Man to clean up.
The man was basically a walking villain generator, a factory of antagonists.
Somewhere out there, Whiplash, Killian, Vulture, and Mysterio were all nodding in agreement.
"Listen, HItomi," Tony patted Kagura's shoulder in a mock-senior tone.
"Once you become famous, all sorts of weird problems just start showing up. You'll understand when you're older."
"I'm not a kid! By age, I'm already twenty-four!" Kagura pouted. "Stop treating me like a child!"
"Oh? Twenty-four already? Then it's about time you found a good family to settle down with. Can't have you running around all the time, you'll waste your best years."
Kagura: "???"
Tony let out a long sigh, shaking his head. "Year after year, every time there's a crisis, you're always running from place to place, never taking a break. Even workaholics have limits, you know."
Kagura: "??????"
"Tell you what, leave the Mind Scepter to the Avengers. You should take a break for a while." Tony ruffled her hair. "And maybe, just maybe, consider your future a little?"
"W-What are you even talking about?!" Kagura's face turned red as she puffed up in frustration. "Ugh! I don't care about that! Are video games not fun enough? Are my 2D waifus not cute enough?!"
"Time is money, HItomi."
Tony continued in his ever-so-wise tone. "So it's decided! You don't need to worry about the Mind Scepter anymore. The Avengers and I will handle it."
"Ugh..." Kagura eyed him suspiciously. "You better not mess things up again."
"Trust me, I'm Iron Man." Tony smirked. "I don't screw up on promises. Especially not to the lovely Miss Kagura."
"Fine... I'll trust you this once." Kagura crossed her arms, nodding slightly.
If Tony Stark was taking on the mission to recover the Mind Scepter, that was the perfect excuse for her to take it easy.
Based on her knowledge, the Scepter should currently be in the small Eastern European country of Sokovia.
The Avengers would soon confront Hydra's Baron Strucker there and reclaim it.
When the time came, she could step in and secure the Scepter herself—maybe even complete her current task in the process.
[Objective: Obtain an Infinity Stone / Reward: 20QP]
Whoa, now this was a big deal!
Was it finally happening?
The Mad Titan... the Infinity War... the ultimate battle that would decide the fate of this world...
Ahem. It was still 2014. Thanos wouldn't be making his move on Earth for a while yet.
Still, Thanos was a formidable enemy. It was never too early to prepare.
If, when his fleet finally arrived, Rhodes Island Industries had built weapons strong enough to rival them even space warships to counter his invasion, the entire outcome of the Infinity War could be rewritten by Kagura.
After all, Thanos was likely to gather multiple Infinity Stones. But if she could secure even one or two in advance, their chances of victory would skyrocket.
While Thanos was undoubtedly the most experienced wielder of the Infinity Stones in the universe, Kagura, with her extensive MCU knowledge, was confident she could match him in skillful usage.
With that settled, her new objective was clear: everything would now revolve around securing the six Infinity Stones.
Space Stone: Encased in the Tesseract, currently stored in Asgard.
Time Stone: Held by the Ancient One within the Eye of Agamotto.
Power Stone: Likely in Star-Lord's possession.
Reality Stone: Sealed in the depths of the universe in its "Aether" form.
Mind Stone: Embedded in the Mind Scepter, currently with Hydra.
Soul Stone: Locked away on Vormir, guarded by a mysterious ancient force.
This was knowledge from the MCU.
Whether the Infinity Stones in this world followed the same logic was uncertain, but securing the ones she could would still provide a significant advantage against Thanos.
As for that so-called vacation Tony mentioned…
Hmmm, now that she thought about it, it really had been a long time since she last stayed home and played games properly.
Kagura didn't fight to protect the world out of some lofty ideal, nor did she see herself as Earth's destined savior. All she wanted was to live in peace.
So, if the world was stable for now, then taking it easy was her top priority!
Thank you, Tony Stark, for getting me out of this superhero hassle!
Time to slack off!
To slack off to my heart's content!
The long-awaited, peaceful days of a shut-in girl were finally back!
———————————————————————
In the Depths of the Universe
It was the year 2014.
Or at least, that was how insignificant humans measured time.
On a grander scale, Earth's year 2014 was a pivotal moment.
This was the year when, across the vast stellar network surrounding the cosmic structure known as Yggdrasil, the World Tree, the Nine Realms would experience a once-in-thousands-of-years event.
The phenomenon known as the Convergence of the Celestial Bodies...