Tony Stark invited me on a family trip!
A family trip, of all things!
This is huge, a super big deal that cannot be ignored!
For someone like me, always busy with work and stressed out, this rare opportunity to take a break and go on a trip is a chance to fully relax and unwind.
Plus, the fact that Tony used the term "family trip" means he's truly seeing me as part of his family, no longer keeping any distance.
Wow! What an honor!
The girl was absolutely thrilled...
Since it's an invitation from family, I definitely have to prepare properly, enjoy myself, and make the most of it!
The morning of the trip, I was already rummaging through my room, sorting out my luggage.
"Underwear, shirts, coats, skirts, socks... hmm hmm..."
I carefully categorized all the clothes I wanted to bring, filtering through them to choose the best ones.
"...Lingerie? I don't think I need to bring that..."
Shaking my head, I tossed aside some weird thoughts. "Since New Mexico is a hot place, I should choose cooler clothes—skirts, tank tops, shorts, things like that..."
"Ugh, decision paralysis!"
With my closet full of options, I just couldn't decide. I almost wanted to pack the entire wardrobe.
Now I was kind of regretting buying so many things online without thinking.
"Wait, where did my home base shirts go? They were always right here..."
I scratched my head and stood up to search the upper shelves.
'Bam!'
"Ahh!"
I'd forgotten the wardrobe door was open and ended up hitting my head on it.
"Ughhh!"
I curled up on the floor, holding my throbbing head, trembling in pain. "Oww, that really hurts! QAQ!"
...
An hour passed, and I finally managed to stuff a suitcase full of clothes, then went into the bathroom to pick out the daily necessities to bring.
"Toiletries, towels, skincare products, makeup, combs, hairpins, hairbands…"
I counted everything as I complained. "Geez, the AI system can't keep up with me anymore. I really need to get myself a robot butler!"
"Why is it always so complicated for me?!"
I muttered to myself...
"Master, Tony Stark has sent a new message."
At that moment, Cortana reminded me.
"Tony's message? What's it about?"
"Reading message…"
"Message read."
"Kagura, the private plane from Rhodes Island Industries to Los Angeles was supposed to take off an hour ago, but the crew says they still haven't seen you. Did you oversleep?"
"Ugh, I know, I know! I'll hurry!"
I was tugging on the zipper of the suitcase, which had almost turned into a ball.
"Cortana, send a reply to Mr. Stark. Tell him I'm on my way."
"Lying is not a good habit, Master."
"I'm not lying! I really am on my way! I'm already out the door!" I argued confidently.
"Besides, if my private plane doesn't wait for me, then what's the point of having a private plane? If it leaves without me, then why would I even bother buying one?"
"That explanation is quite logical, Master." Cortana replied.
"Instruction confirmed, message sent."
"Good, I'm heading out!"
After finally organizing my luggage, I dragged the almost balloon-like suitcase and opened the door.
"Cortana, take care of things at the company and home while I'm gone!"
"Instruction confirmed. Have a pleasant journey, Master."
...
"The main participants in this family trip are Tony Stark, Pepper, me, the eternal driver Happy Hogan…"
While driving to the airport, I activated the automatic driving mode in the sports car and checked the trip's itinerary.
"The other participants and trip organizers include Miss Natalie... Wait, Natalie?!"
I gasped. "So Natasha Romanoff is behind this! Hah! I figured it out!"
I pouted in frustration. I had been wondering why Tony Stark suddenly invited me on a family trip, and why the destination was New Mexico.
Knowing Tony's usual style, a vacation should involve a beach resort, a luxury hotel, a beach, and beautiful women, right?
Although New Mexico's desert and oasis are known as a wilderness paradise, it just didn't seem like Tony Stark's type of place.
Now it all made sense—this was the work of S.H.I.E.L.D.!
I had been wondering how it was such a coincidence that Tony's invitation came just as Thor was about to drop from the sky, and the trip's destination was so close to where Thor would land.
If all of this were truly just a coincidence, it'd be too much of a coincidence.
The situation was now crystal clear: S.H.I.E.L.D. was tricking Tony Stark and me, two key figures in the "Avengers Initiative," into going to New Mexico to assist in investigating the alien artifact that had fallen from the sky.
A flash of lightning, a person, and a hammer.
The god who descended from the heavens would utterly change humanity's view of the universe and have a profound impact on the "Avengers Initiative."
Since the 1995 alien event, this would mark the moment when Earth once again interacted with extraterrestrial civilization, beginning Earth's role as a crucial part of the cosmic landscape.
On the other hand, now that it was certain that we'd likely encounter beings from Asgard, I had to start making preparations.
"Cortana, are you there?"
The new in-car AI system terminal connected directly to Cortana's main unit, and similar technology had been synced with my sunglasses, allowing me to communicate with Cortana anytime, anywhere.
"Always at your service, Master."
"Help me prepare an integrated equipment set in Los Angeles. I might need it."
I said, "By the way, now that the equipment technology is maturing, shouldn't I give it a name...?"
"Instruction confirmed. Any other requests?"
"How's the progress on the energy-neutralizing shield?"
Now that Rhodes Island Industries had developed energy-deflecting shields, they still lacked better defenses against pure energy weapons, heat, radiation, and high-energy particles.
In my mind, if we could develop a shield specifically for energy weapons, or even a full-on energy shield, my defense capabilities would be greatly enhanced.
"The energy-neutralizing shield generator is currently undergoing technical verification experiments. Immediate use is not recommended."
Cortana replied.
"I see. Speed up the development, then."
I said, "Although I hope I won't need it…"