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*****
The arrival of the summer holidays brought a sense of leisure and relaxation, but it also brought a fair share of boredom. With the weather being so stiflingly hot, Fini had no desire to go out and sell his fried chicken rolls. After all, he couldn't just summon his equipment at will, and hauling a stall around in this heat was out of the question.
As for his cultivation, it was a process of steady, incremental progress. You couldn't become a "fat man" in a single bite, and he couldn't possibly spend every waking moment of his day training.
Just as Fini was debating whether or not to attend a party hosted by a few of his female classmates, his friend Billy called him out of the blue with an unexpected invitation to the opening ceremony of the Stark Expo.
During the summer break, Billy had somehow managed to pull some strings and land an internship at Stark Industries. It was likely that the sheer scale of the Expo required a massive amount of temporary staff, which was how he had managed to wedge himself in.
"Well, what do you think? These are tickets to the opening ceremony of the Stark Expo! I'm being a real pal here, right? Regular people can't even get their hands on these," Billy bragged over the phone, his tone full of self-importance as if he had accomplished some legendary feat.
"It's too hot, I don't want to go," Fini replied lazily.
In reality, given his relationship with Pepper Potts, as long as he didn't mind the risk of exposure, getting invited as a guest of honor would have been a trivial matter. Furthermore, Fini didn't believe for a second that Billy would suddenly be so kind as to gift him such 'rare' tickets without an ulterior motive.
"Big brother, help me out!"
Sure enough, as soon as Fini refused, Billy immediately started pleading and confessed his true intentions. "I actually made a date with two beauties, but I have to finish some work during the launch event. I need you to help me keep an eye on them."
"As soon as I'm done with work, I'll come find you guys immediately," Billy added. Then, with a tone of heightened vigilance, he warned, "Let's get this straight in advance: you have to leave at least one for me. Otherwise, don't blame me if our brotherhood ends here!"
"Pah!"
Fini spat toward the phone in mock disgust. He didn't even know what the girls looked like yet, but Billy was talking as if Fini were already planning to take them both for himself.
After a moment of hesitation, Fini eventually agreed to Billy's request. He didn't have much else to do, and deep down, he was still somewhat curious about the Stark Expo.
The next day at 7:00 PM, after finishing his morning training and tidying himself up, Fini arrived at the designated meeting spot. He found Billy already there, busily playing the attentive host to two gorgeously dressed young women.
"Billy!"
Fini walked over and greeted him, taking a moment to observe the two girls. While they weren't breathtakingly beautiful, with the help of their stylish outfits and makeup, they were certainly attractive enough.
"Fini! There you are! Girls, this is the best friend I was telling you about, Fini Halsey," Billy introduced them quickly. "Fini, this is Hela, and this is Lisa. Their safety tonight is in your hands for now."
While Billy was making the introductions, the two girls were secretly sizing Fini up. When they saw his handsome face and the upright, fit physique he had developed through long-term training, their eyes lit up slightly.
"Hello, I'm Hela. Billy mentioned that you're only seventeen?"
The girl who shared a name with Thor's sister was the first to speak up. she stepped toward Fini, introducing herself while asking with a look of genuine curiosity.
Fini glanced at Billy, who was pretending to look elsewhere. He knew Billy had mentioned his age to try and dampen the girls' interest in him, but Billy had clearly forgotten that they lived in a society where looks reigned supreme.
"That's right. I guess I just look a bit more mature than my age. Most people can't tell the difference," Fini said, spreading his hands with a 'helpless' expression. This earned him a round of giggles from the two girls, causing Billy to grit his teeth in the background; he had been working hard for a long time and hadn't managed to make them laugh like that once.
"Alright, alright," Billy stepped in to interrupt their chat. He gave Fini a meaningful look and said, "You guys go ahead and walk around inside with Fini. I still have some things to take care of, but I'll join you shortly."
He then pulled Fini aside and whispered a frantic instruction: "I saw Hela first. You're not allowed to make a move on her."
Hearing that name made Fini feel a bit uneasy. He couldn't help but wonder if the actual Hela from Asgard would run Billy through with a sword if she heard him speaking like that.
However, Fini was only there because he was bored; he didn't have any other intentions. He replied crossly, "Don't worry, you can have them both!"
"I knew you were my best brother!" Billy beamed, clapping Fini on the shoulder in delight. The reason he hadn't asked anyone else was because, besides their friendship, he knew Fini never lacked for female attention and wouldn't be desperate.
Fini looked at Billy with amusement, shrugged off his hand, and said impatiently, "Just hurry back. If you're too late, I can't guarantee anything."
"I'll be back in a flash!" With a final wave to the two girls, Billy rushed off toward his duties.
Fini then led the two women into the Stark Expo. As they chatted and laughed along the way, he was genuinely surprised by the massive scale of the crowd; Iron Man's popularity was truly staggering.
The opening ceremony wasn't scheduled to officially begin until 8:30 PM, but the area around the central stage was already a sea of people. Left with no choice, Fini led the two girls to a slightly more secluded spot to wait.
"I heard Tony Stark is going to show up in person tonight. I really want to see him with my own eyes," Lisa said, her voice tinged with disappointment. Their current position was quite a distance from the stage; unless one had exceptional eyesight, Tony would likely be nothing more than a blurry silhouette.
"Yeah, and that iron suit... I'd love to reach out and touch it," Hela added in agreement.
Listening to them, Fini silently rolled his eyes. He had seen both the man and the suit up close, and in his opinion, it wasn't that big of a deal. He was actually more interested in the various technology booths scattered throughout the Expo.
However, the two girls clearly weren't interested in looking at hardware, so he didn't want to spoil their fun. He planned to explore the exhibits properly once Billy returned.
The three of them spent the time chatting as they waited for the show to begin.
Suddenly, fireworks lit up the sky. A streak of iron with a long trail of flame descended onto the stage, where a row of girls was performing a dance routine. The entrance sent the entire venue into a frenzy.
Fini's eyesight was excellent. He could clearly see the trademark smirk on Tony's face as he stepped out of the armor. Quite the showman, Fini thought.
The cheers of the crowd were deafening and constant. Fini heard many people screaming Tony's name in excitement; the fanatical atmosphere actually made him feel a bit out of place. Even the two girls beside him were standing on their tiptoes, necks craned, hoping to get a better look at Tony.
While fame comes at a price, it certainly has its perks, Fini mused to himself. Although Tony had always been famous, it had never reached this level of hysteria. This was the direct result of his public declaration that he was Iron Man.
Fini listened somewhat boredly as Tony began his speech. It was a typical ego-driven monologue, perfectly in line with his character. He spoke about the impact he had made and the overarching purpose of the Expo.
Toward the end, Tony took a moment to thank his father. Because of Fini's prior intervention in his life, Tony's words of gratitude were noticeably more sincere and heartfelt this time around.
(End of Chapter)