Hey, Brooks, I think I need a bit of your advice."
"Brooks? Brooks?"
Click.
The door opened, revealing Kurumi dressed casually, and her movements exposed her delicate, alluring shoulders with a rosy tint. The flush accentuated her charm.
She approached the light projection screen, where Tony Stark's face was reflected.
"Hey, Brooks, you finally made it. Do you want to check the progress of the transformation machine? Or maybe get a glimpse of my new armour?"
Kurumi paid him no attention, simply pushed the spherical object projecting the light screen a bit farther away, and then made herself a cup of tea in the kitchen.
She nestled into the sofa; the bright light of the projection screen illuminated her delicate figure. In the darkness, even the steam rising from her cup was visible.
Sigh.
After taking a sip of tea, Tony Stark continued to talk incessantly like a fly buzzing around, but he hadn't left the topic of his new high-tech armour.
He resembled a child who wanted to show off his new toys.
"Stark," Kurumi's voice was cold and tinged with resignation. She wasn't particularly interested. "Are you in such a hurry? Yes, I share your excitement; this is undoubtedly a great moment. I'm ready to document it with my camera..."
"Oh," her voice elongated, "Mr. Stark, what time is it now?"
"What time?" Tony seemed momentarily puzzled. "Why does that matter? After all, great moments are always solitary, and the people who remember them even more so..."
"It's one-thirty in the morning right now."
Interrupted by this revelation, Tony didn't seem upset. He brushed it off, "There's still some time left before rest. But right now, I feel full of energy..."
"Well, you should find a girl to vent your energy, or you won't be able to sleep."
Tony's image on the screen showed his mechanical arms crossing and then stretching forward with a somewhat ambiguous expression. "Oh, you're quite the confidant. If you were a guy, I think we'd be good friends. But right now! There are more important things waiting for us, isn't there?"
Kurumi held the cup with one hand while her other rested on the edge of the sofa, her feet having already slipped out of her shoes, causing the soft couch to sink beneath her.
Her toes were like exquisite white pearls, each captivatingly alluring in the faint light. If any foot fetishists were here, they would probably have already knelt down, their tongues longing to feel the softness.
After taking another sip of tea, the projection screen showed Tony donning his "Mark" suit, just like in the movies, with the colors of red and gold intermingling. He had tested it several times before, but Kurumi needed to pay more attention.
"Zap!" The sound of electricity flashed, and Tony Stark's face was suddenly light-filled!
She might have thrown her water glass if Kurumi's heart hadn't been like a rock.
In front of that face, various virtual lights and shadows existed, apparently coming from the features integrated into his helmet.
"Hey, Brooks, why can't I see you? Does the call affect you?"
"No, I can see you just fine."
His words were as light as a breeze, smoothing out the wrinkles in her heart.
"So, am I handsome now?"
"I don't think so. All I can see is your face, which radiates stupidity everywhere, like I'm watching a horror movie."
"Oh, my goodness. So, in your eyes, I'm this kind of person? Miss, can I tell you that my face... well..."
Sounds of mechanical movement came through the earpiece, softened through two layers of processing so they weren't too harsh.
It seemed Tony was absentmindedly trying to touch his own face.
"Miss, maybe you're not at that age where you're attracted to men yet. Otherwise, I would want to avoid appearing in front of you. At that time, General Brooks might come to my house in a tank aeroplane to say hello."
And in the midst of lively chatter, he would calmly give orders and blow up my villa."
Kurumi smirked, "You have confidence in yourself."
"Hahaha." Tony was excited, "Of course, I have plenty of confidence, and many people imitate this face of mine, even hairstyles and beards. Do you know why?"
Kurumi maintained her expressionless face but didn't want to interrupt his enthusiasm, her rosy lips slightly parted. "Why?"
Tony raised his eyebrows, not quite frowning but with a naughty touch. "Because every change I make sets a fashion trend."
Kurumi propped her chin with her hand, took another sip of tea, and said, "So, Mr. Stark, can you start your performance now?"
"Oh," Tony seemed very pleased with this sentence. "Performance? Do you have any thoughts or comments for the first viewer, who is also the only viewer?"
"If you can break through the atmosphere, I wouldn't mind writing an article to commemorate the occasion."
Her ruby-red eyes smiled in a crescent shape, and even her words were playful.
Tony, on the other hand, didn't mind. "Admiration from an underage fangirl? My new fan, watch closely!"
Boom!
The sound that reached Kurumi's ears was a mere light bang. Tony's face, however, remained calm. He continued to stare at various virtual projections on the screen.
He had already taken off!
"May I ask where you came from?"
Tony instinctively glanced behind him. Jarvis immediately helped him adjust the distance and magnification... the vast hole in the mansion's wall caused by his impact.
"Cough, don't mind that. Let's move on to the next scene."
The screen switched to a night view of the city. Even though it was the early morning hours, the city was still brightly lit from above.
The screen slowly stretched out and split in the middle, revealing Tony Stark's face again.
"How is it? Isn't it much more comfortable now?"
"No!" Kurumi's mouth twitched slightly. "I'd rather see the scenery."
Tony hadn't broken the sound barrier within the city, but he was still flying at a considerable speed. Sometimes, even in major cities like New York, very few people looked up at the night sky at this time.
"Jarvis, prepare for adjustments. I'm going to gain a teenage fangirl fan."
"Sir, self-check complete. We're ready to proceed with the experiment at any time."
Tony raised an eyebrow; he knew Kurumi could see him on the screen. He wore a slightly amused expression. "You'll see, I'm quite confident in 'Mark'!"
"Jarvis, accelerate!"
Boom!
In an instant, 'Mark' broke the sound barrier. With the cityscape on the screen now out of earshot, even Tony himself was utterly focused, staring intently at various data on the projection.
"Sir, if you continue flying upwards, there's a risk of the suit freezing. Then..."
"Keep going, Jarvis!"