[Narrator POV]
The hallway of the Xavier Institute stood quieter than usual, its stone and wood architecture basking in a calm, Ritsuka Fujimaru and Hakuno Kishinami found themselves standing near the central hall, the distant sound of muted footsteps of xavior and voices echoing faintly in the background.
"I guess we're alone," Hakuno remarked, brushing her bangs to the side with a faint sigh. "Karna and James went off to do some shopping, right?"
"Yeah," Ritsuka nodded, folding his arms. "I gave them enough money, so they should be fine. I mean… I don't want them relying on illusions and magic disguises every time they walk into school. It's awkward when Karna's armor flickers under everyone eyes but no one knows"
Hakuno chuckled. "He does glow like a divine Christmas tree."
The pair began walking toward the direction of the classrooms, but midway through the corridor, they were intercepted by a breeze of wind or rather, by the woman who could command it. Ororo Munroe, also known as Storm, rounded the corner at a brisk pace, looking surprised to see them.
"Oh, you two came early," she said, her white hair flowing like silk behind her. "Class is cancelled today."
Hakuno blinked. "Huh? Wait, is it some national holiday or something?"
Ororo exhaled softly, half-smiling. "I wish. No, today is special. The rest of our team ... the professors who were on a mission ....they've returned. The President sent them out for something classified. Now they're back, so… we're celebrating."
Ritsuka nodded slowly. "Like soldiers returning from a campaign."
"Exactly," Ororo said with a brief, but meaningful glance. "So, yeah ....it's a party tonight. You'll meet the rest of the extended staff and senior mutants."
"Wait, party time?" Hakuno's eyes lit up with excitement.
"Yes," Ororo smiled. "And sorry, where are James and Karna again?"
"They won't be around tonight," Ritsuka said.
"Too bad. Mr. McCoy.... Beast .... would've loved to meet James," Ororo said, adjusting the tablet in her hand. "Well, I have more things to prep. Don't be late tonight!"
With that, she vanished down another hallway, her footsteps echoing behind her.
The moment passed, and the sunlit corridor felt warm again.
Ritsuka turned to Hakuno. "Did you get any dresses while shopping last time?"
Hakuno gave a sheepish grin. "Nope."
She leaned in with a smile, her brown eyes playful. "Guess this makes it our second date then."
Ritsuka blinked, a small smile forming on his lips. "Guess it does."
They walked toward the garden, planning to head to the shopping district .... only to hear the unmistakable rumble of a car pulling into the driveway. A sleek black convertible came to a stop, and from it stepped Scott Summers and Jean Grey.
Scott raised a hand. "You two need a ride?"
Ritsuka glanced at Hakuno, then nodded. "Sure."
They slid into the back seats. Hakuno leaned forward immediately.
"Hey, Mr. Sunglasses Indoors," she teased Scott. "Still trying to brood your way into a Shakespearean tragedy?"
Scott smirked. "If you keep throwing those serious jokes at me, I might nominate you for drama club president."
"Only if you let me rewrite the script," Hakuno winked.
He chuckled, adjusting his visor. "You've got one hell of a boyfriend, by the way. Never thought a human could change my view that quickly."
Hakuno beamed with quiet pride. "He does that."
Ritsuka gave an embarrassed cough and leaned back against the seat. "We're heading to the shopping district. Need some formal wear."
Scott nodded. "Jean and I are going to pick up food supplies. We'll drop you off."
As the car rolled through the streets, conversation drifted to small things — favorite foods, weird mutant parties, how Jean once tried to control six frying pans at once and nearly burned the kitchen.
Then, in a low voice, Hakuno leaned close to Jean.
"Be honest… do you have feelings for Scott?"
Jean glanced toward the front, then back at Hakuno, lowering her voice. "No. Not, He's… a friend I guess. A good one."
At the same time, Ritsuka leaned toward Scott, his voice low.
"You and Jean… any feelings still there?"
Scott's hands tightened on the wheel for a moment. "No. She's family in X-Men now. Not that way."
The car came to a gentle stop in front of a bustling shopping center.
"Thanks for the ride," Ritsuka said, stepping out.
"Next time, I'll not use pepper spray on you," Hakuno added, smirking.
Scott gave a short laugh as Jean rolled her eyes. "Have fun," he said, pulling away with a light wave.
As the car disappeared down the road, Ritsuka looked at Hakuno.
"They really don't know, huh?"
Hakuno folded her arms. "Definitely. They say there's nothing between them, but the way they look at each other? It's all over their faces."
Ritsuka gave a small, understanding smile. "They probably don't even recognize the feeling for what it is."
Hakuno adjusted her sleeves like a girl preparing to stir the pot. "Guess I'll have to give Jean a little push in the right direction."
Ritsuka chuckled, following her into the shopping plaza, the sunlight glinting off glass doors ahead..
---
[Ritsuka Fujimaru's POV]
We'd been shopping for… what, five hours?
Honestly, I lost track.
Time just blurred ... melted into flashes of sunlight on store windows, the swish of changing room curtains, and the sound of Hakuno-senpai laughing at my stunned reactions when she stepped out in yet another outfit.
She looked good in everything. No .... she looked beautiful in everything.
And yet, I found myself more focused on her expressions than her clothes. The way her eyes lit up when she saw something she liked. The way she tilted her head when she looked at me, maybe wondering what I was thinking or maybe already knowing.
It felt like all I did was look at her.
And time… slipped away like it always does when you're happiest.
It was only later, when we were walking together... her arm wrapped around mine, our shadows trailing behind us in the soft golden light ... that I felt a twinge in my chest. Familiar. Gentle. Painful.
Love. I knew this feeling. I've carried it for a long time.
But… I never said it.
Not once, I never told to my servants with whom I want to tell.
Not after everything we went through. Not after Chaldea. Not even after she told me — teasingly or not — that she liked me.
Maybe I was scared. Maybe I thought it would be selfish, like laying the weight of my feelings on someone who's already carried too much.
Maybe I thought it was selfish for me to love anyone, To Share my burden so I never said to anyone who I loved.
Or maybe… I just kept making excuses to not say it aloud.
But that can't go on. Not anymore.
Today… I'm going to tell her. No matter what happens.
I just… I need a gift. Something small. Something honest. Something that says what I can't yet voice.
We were walking hand in hand through the street her fingers interlaced with mine like it was the most natural thing in the world when I saw it.
An old bakery.
It stood out, surrounded by polished storefronts and glowing holograms. This one had a faded wooden sign, flowerpots that hadn't been watered in a week, and a smell that wrapped around my heart before I even stepped in.
I stopped without thinking.
Hakuno tilted her head. "You wanna go in?"
I nodded. "Let's try it."
The bell jingled as we entered, the place nearly empty save for one old customer quietly sipping coffee in the corner. The interior was simple — rustic, even but warm. Like stepping into a memory.
Behind the counter, a woman in her late forties gave us a kind smile. But it was the man at the other end of the shop who caught my attention.
He looked like someone who'd lived a dozen hard lives. His face was lined, his eyes tired not from lack of sleep, but from life itself. He moved with a certain heaviness, like every step cost something. But his smile… it was genuine. Kind.
The nametag read Flint Marko.
{A/N: sandman entered the story, my friends. He still didn't become crime like in Spiderman movies.}
There was something about him like a mirror, maybe. Someone just trying to do right. Someone trying to keep moving.
I didn't know it then, but one day… he'd become someone else. Something else. A man made of regret. But today, he was just a baker.
A tired man with flour on his apron and kindness in his hands.
I pointed to a slice of strawberry cake.
"Understood, dear customer," Flint said with a soft chuckle, and I could tell — he took pride in this.
I sat with Hakuno by the window, her hand still in mine, and waited.
When the cake arrived — handed to me by the old lady — I took a single bite.
And then…
Time stopped again.
It was… perfect.
Soft sponge soaked with fresh cream, strawberries so vibrant they tasted like spring itself. The texture, the balance of sweetness not too much, not too little. Every bite told a story. A story of practice, of care, of love poured into flour and sugar and time.
My hands trembled slightly as I took the second bite. I wasn't eating, I was experiencing.
As if my dream, the one I locked away in some far-off corner of my heart between singularities and timelines, had found its voice in this cake.
Hakuno stared at me wide-eyed, surprised as if seeing a side of me that had always been buried under my role as the Last Master of Chaldea.
"Ritsuka…?" she whispered.
I didn't respond. I was too immersed too overwhelmed.
In that moment, I wasn't a Master. I wasn't a savior. I wasn't a time traveler or a puppet of the Alien God.
I was just me.
A boy who once dreamed of opening a bakery.
A boy who wanted to wake up early and knead dough. To feel the warmth of ovens. To bring people joy through something as simple and sacred as bread and cake.
The boy I used to be, the one Hakuno always tried to pull back out from under the ash and weight of what I became peeked out for the first time in what felt like forever.
(Narrator POV)
Ritsuka rushed through the narrow hallway of the old bakery after eating the cake, past the kitchen door, his heart pounding not from battle, but something much simpler.
Hope.
There, behind the counter, stood Flint Marko, Tired. Honest. Working in a forgotten bakery with his wife.
Ritsuka stood in front of him, breathless.
"I— Please let me work here."
Flint blinked. "What?"
Ritsuka bowed deeply. "I mean, I want to learn from you. That cake… it changed something in me. I— I don't know how to explain it, but I… I think I found my teacher."
There was a beat of silence.
Flint stared at him. Not in anger, but in a strange, quiet disbelief. Maybe even fear.
"I'm sorry, kid," Flint said, voice steady but firm. "But I reject your service. You can leave now."
The words cut deep.
Ritsuka, startled and a little ashamed at how rash he'd been, bowed again without saying anything else. He walked out, not looking back, hands curled tightly in frustration. The door creaked shut behind him.
---
Inside the Bakery Kitchen
The silence lingered until Flint's wife placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"He looked so passionate, dear."
Flint shook his head, letting out a long breath.
"I don't want a kid like that wasting his life here… not under someone like me."
He stared down at his flour-covered hands.
"You know my record. No one comes here because of who I used to be. Hell, I can't even buy a dress for you, let alone pay someone's salary…"
His voice lowered, bitter and sad.
"…and we still haven't paid for Sarah's treatment. Our daughter needs real help. Not more burdens."
His wife didn't say anything at first. She just looked at him with tired, enduring love — the kind that survives long winters and long regrets.
---
Outside the Kitchen
Hakuno Kishinami had heard everything.
The moment Ritsuka walked out, she approached him — his downcast eyes, his clenched fists. He opened his mouth, trying to stop her, but she placed a single finger on his lips and gave him a serious look.
"I'll talk to them," she said. "Stay here."
Before he could protest again, she was already walking toward the backroom.
Ritsuka just stared, helpless, as he watched her go.
---
Back in the Kitchen
The door opened with a soft creak.
Hakuno stepped in, dressed simply, but with the grace of someone who's walked through digital hellscapes, erased regrets, and stood beside gods and phantoms alike. And yet now, she bowed her head. Quiet. Humble.
"Please hire my boyfriend," she said gently.
Her words trembled.
"He's… he's been through so much. More than anyone should. I've never seen him act so normal… so human, until he tasted your cake."
She didn't lift her head. She feared rejection. Not for herself, but for him.
"He's not asking for a salary. He just wants to learn. Please, Mr. Marko."
Silence again.
And then, Flint's wife smiled softly.
"She has guts, this one. Strong girl. The boy's lucky."
Flint exhaled deeply and looked at Hakuno with something like pity, but also understanding.
"…She's close to be sister age to Sarah," he muttered. Then louder, "Alright. He can work here. But I'm not paying much."
Hakuno finally opened her eyes.
She beamed.
"That's fine! We both have a morning job anyway. Money's not a problem."
Flint raised an eyebrow. "Morning job?"
Hakuno tilted her head. "We, uh… sort of help the world development."
Flint stared for a moment before chuckling in disbelief. "Kids these days…"
He nodded toward the door. "Evening shift. Tell your boyfriend meet me right now."
---
Back in the Front of the Bakery
Ritsuka looked up as Hakuno came bouncing out of the kitchen. She ran straight into him and hugged him tight so tightly it stole his breath.
"You're hired!" she said, her face buried in his chest.
He blinked. "Wait, what?"
Hakuno leaned back, grinning like the girl who had once changed the Moon Cell itself through her determination.
"You're working here now," she said. "You found your teacher, didn't you?"
Ritsuka looked at her, really looked at her.
This girl… this woman… who stood beside him when he Isekai to this world, She never gave up on pulling the normal Ritsuka out from beneath all the titles after coming to this world.
He smiled not the small, tired one he gave servants before battle. But something real.
He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly.
"Thank you," he whispered.
From inside the kitchen, Flint Marko and his wife watched the scene through the small serving window.
"…Maybe we did the right thing," she murmured.
Flint didn't respond immediately. He just kept looking, then finally said:
"Let's hope so. That kid… he's carrying something heavy. But maybe here, he can leave it at the door even for a little while."
---
[Nick Fury POV]
When I gave Coulson the mission to investigate that mess in Texas, I expected the usual mutant bullshit, someone with laser eyes or claws, maybe another pyrokinetic getting creative in the wrong ZIP code. You know, average motherfuckering Monday.
But deep down, my gut, it's never lied to me. That voice in my head? It said your peace is over, Fury. And I hate when that bastard's right. And on top of that, I'm getting same dream of my mom laughing at me. It's fucking frustrating.
We had reports of an antique shop going up in flames, taking a chunk of the surrounding block with it. At first glance? Looked like some backwater gas explosion. Nothing we haven't cleaned up before.
But that's the thing. There wasn't any explosion.
Coulson came back with a report and a face like someone just handed him the Book of the Dead.
"We didn't find explosive residue," he said, calm as ever. "No ignition point. No fire patterns. Just… a hole. A perfectly smooth, spherical hole in the ground—like some god reached down and scooped the damn thing out of existence."
I narrowed my eyes. "I was right, motherfucker."
He continued, "And we've got a potential suspect."
Coulson pulled up a series of high-res surveillance stills on the holotable.
And what do I see?
A Japanese kid. Mid to late teens. Dark black hair, sharp blue eyes, wearing a long black coat like he just walked out of a cosplay shoot or a TV Romance series. Handsome little bastard, too.
I raised a brow. "Why are you showing me model pics? This a new ad campaign or something?"
"He's the suspect, sir."
"…Wait, what?"
Coulson tapped the screen. "He showed up moments after the event. Security cam caught him emerging from the tree line, just outside the blast radius. He hijacked a car, ditched it twenty miles out, then vanished."
I looked closer. No panic in the kid's eyes. No fear. He walked like he knew what happened. Like he'd seen it before.
Coulson added, "We ran a global facial ID sweep. Every intelligence server, every civilian network. Not a single match. No passport, no birth records. It's like he just appeared out of nowhere."
I stared at the screen and let out a breath. "So this is the motherfucker who caused this mess… or he's tangled up in it deep enough to leave tracks."
Coulson nodded.
I smirked. "You sure this isn't some alien invasion I missed while I was sleeping?"
Dead silence.
Coulson blinked at me. Nothing.
Man didn't even twitch.
Does this motherfucker doesn't understand a joke?
"Right. Moving on."
I stepped back, voice low and sharp. "I want every scrap of intel on this kid. If he's got no records, then build them. Find where he's staying, what he's eating, hell—what kind of shampoo he uses. If he's on Earth, I want eyes on him before the week's out."
Coulson gave me that "I'm already five steps ahead" look. I liked that look. Made my job easier.
"And if you do find him," I added, walking toward the exit, coat billowing behind me like a dramatic cliffhanger, "don't bring the whole cavalry."
I paused at the door, just for dramatic effect.
"I want to meet the kid myself."
Door hissed shut behind me.
Because if this mysterious boy really did walk out of a crater like it was Sunday brunch and if he's got the power to erase matter itself then we're not just dealing with some underground psychic.
We're dealing with something new.
Something irregular.
And I hate IRREGULAR.
---
NOTE: How was the chapter?
In the original script, Flint got a job thanks to Ritsuka. But in this version, it's Flint who gives Ritsuka a job. I choose Bakery script again.
Also, Ritsuka is going to confess for the first time, so look forward to it!
I'm planning to include more romance development in the future.
And yes, more X-Men will appear in the next chapter!