Rin had thought she could finally relax. After all, the Avengers had disbanded for now, Thor and Loki had returned to Asgard, and the city was in the process of recovering from the Battle of New York.
She was wrong.
"For the last time, no, I am not going to let you dissect me!" Rin huffed, holding a pillow defensively in front of her as Tony Stark loomed over her with a tablet in one hand and a gleam of scientific curiosity in his eyes.
"It wouldn't be a dissection! More of a... non-invasive analysis. Bruce, back me up here."
Bruce Banner, who had been quietly sipping his tea in the corner, glanced up with a raised brow. "If by non-invasive you mean bombarding her with every test imaginable, then no, Tony, I'm not backing you up."
Rin sighed and plopped onto the couch, rubbing her temples. "I knew this would happen the moment you got interested. Look, my magecraft isn't something you can quantify through science. It works on a fundamentally different set of principles."
Tony waved his hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah. 'Magecraft follows rules, magic doesn't,' I got that speech yesterday. Still, you can't blame me for wanting to poke at the rules a bit."
Pepper, walking in at that exact moment, sighed. "Tony, don't harass the girl."
"Harassment is a strong word—"
"No, it's the perfect word," Rin interjected.
Pepper sent her an understanding look before dropping a stack of files onto Tony's desk. "Besides, shouldn't you be focusing on your company instead of bullying your new houseguest?"
Tony groaned, running a hand through his hair. "Ugh, responsibility. Fine, I'll give it a rest. But if you ever decide to let me scan you—"
"Not happening."
Bruce chuckled into his tea.
With Tony finally distracted, Rin took a moment to take in her situation. Staying in Stark Tower wasn't the worst outcome—at least she wasn't stuck in some SHIELD facility being interrogated. But still, she wasn't exactly comfortable here either.
Not yet, anyway.
"So what's your plan?" Bruce asked casually, setting his mug down. "You're obviously not from around here. You've got a mission, right? Or are you just waiting to see what happens?"
Rin exhaled. "A bit of both, really. Zelretch sent me here for 'experience,' but he didn't exactly hand me a roadmap. I'm mostly playing it by ear. That said… I have a feeling trouble is going to find me whether I like it or not."
"Welcome to our world," Bruce said dryly.
Pepper glanced at her watch and shot Tony a look. "You have a meeting in ten minutes."
Tony groaned again but stood up, grabbing his tablet. "Fine, fine. But this conversation isn't over, kid."
"It is."
"Nope."
As Tony left, Rin allowed herself to relax slightly. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. Maybe she really would get six months of peace before things kicked off again.
Or maybe that distant feeling of unease in her gut was warning her otherwise.
Something was coming.
And she had a feeling she wouldn't be able to sit this one out.
The next morning, Rin woke up—well… barely. She drowsily stumbled her way to breakfast, rubbing sleep from her eyes as she entered the kitchen.
Pepper was already there, looking unusually serious. She held a package in her hands, a wooden cuboidal box with no labels or markings.
"Morning, Rin," Pepper greeted, but there was an edge to her voice. "This was on the doorstep. Addressed to you."
Rin blinked, confusion quickly turning to wariness. "That shouldn't be possible. No one apart from the Avengers and Fury knows I'm here."
"That's what we thought," Pepper said. "And more importantly, it bypassed all of Tony's security measures."
Rin frowned. "Okay, that's concerning. Except… Tony's security gets bypassed all the time."
"True," Pepper admitted. "But it still means someone with extraordinary skill or knowledge sent this." She paused before correcting herself. "Actually, you should be the one to narrow it down. You're the only one here familiar with people capable of this."
Rin sighed. "Let me guess: either Zelretch or a certain time-voyaging, soul-selling bald lady who refuses to give her age."
Pepper raised an eyebrow at the odd description but didn't press. "Tony ran every scan he could think of. It's not a bomb. But beyond that, nothing. No readings, no energy signatures. Just an unassuming wooden box."
Rin stared at the box, a bad feeling creeping up her spine. "That's even worse."
Deciding to deal with it head-on, she reached for the box. But the moment she did, she felt an overwhelming sense of dread.
With an ominous hum, the box burst open on its own.
And out floated a long, elegant staff, its ruby-like gemstone glinting ominously. An ornate, mystical appearance that Rin would recognize anywhere. A small note was attached to it, written in a familiar, cursive script.
For my precious disciple—Zelretch.
Rin's eye twitched. Her hands clenched. A furious groan escaped her throat as she resisted the urge to scream.
"Rin?" Pepper asked, looking between her and the staff. "Why do you look like you just saw your worst nightmare?"
Because she had.
Hovering in front of her was the Kaleidostick Ruby, the cursed Mystic Code (as far as Rin was concerned) that had a horrifying tendency to force impressionable young girls into becoming magical girls.
And it was greeting her in its usual, unbearably cheerful voice.
"Good morning, Rin! It's been too long! Ready to be a magical girl again?~"
"NO!!!" Rin shouted, recoiling in horror.
As if responding to her outburst, the supposed Kaleidostick suddenly burst into a shower of shimmering confetti. In its place, suspended in midair, was a crystalline, rainbow-hued dagger—Zelretch's Jeweled Sword.
A small note dangled from the hilt, written in the same infuriatingly familiar cursive handwriting:
One-time use only.