Marvel Cybernetic Girl

— Night, Rhodes Industries HQ Café —

The workday had come to an end. Employees of Rhodes Industries had already clocked out and left for the day.

Most of the superheroes who had come to assist in the defense of the New York Sanctum—Captain America, Iron Man, Dr. Banner, and the others—had also turned in for the night, aside from a few stationed at the Sanctum for guard duty.

The café located in the heart of Rhodes Industries HQ was now quiet and still.

Behind the counter, Cortana dressed in a maid outfit—gracefully wiped down the tableware, continuing to personally serve the café's last remaining customer.

(Normal services, mind you—none of those weird ones!)

'Ding ding!'

The bell above the door rang.

"Welcome. How unusual to have a customer this late—what a surprise…" Cortana said warmly, lifting her gaze. "Oh, my apologies. It's you, Master."

Kagura stepped inside, gesturing for Cortana not to fuss over her.

She glanced around the café, then focused her eyes on the only person still seated.

"Dr. Strange. So this is where you were. I couldn't find you in your room or anywhere upstairs. I was starting to get a little worried," she said, approaching Stephen Strange and taking a seat across from him with a gentle smile.

"What's on your mind, Mr. Sorcerer Supreme? You look like someone deep in thought."

"Ahhh…" Stephen Strange let out a heavy sigh. "It's not exactly anything pressing… I'm just… a little lost."

"Lost?"

"That's right." Strange nodded. "Today at the New York Sanctum, I was going through the artifacts again, hoping to find something else useful."

"Maybe something we could weaponize or deploy in battle. In the end, the only thing that really resonated with me… was that flying red cloak."

He gave a short laugh, then his voice softened. "And suddenly, a strange thought crossed my mind…"

"What kind of thought?"

"…What the hell am I doing?" Stephen Strange lifted his head, his eyes filled with confusion and conflicted emotion.

"Kagura… I was just a neurosurgeon. I got into dimensional magic out of a mixture of pride and stubbornness, and I've somehow ended up here, of all places."

"I understand. With power comes responsibility. Since I possess these abilities, I have a duty to protect the world as the Sorcerer Supreme. But still…" He sighed again.

"I'm a doctor. When I first chose this path, I swore an oath never to harm others. My mission was to save lives, to help those in need. But now…"

His gaze drifted into the distance.

"What am I now? A sorcerer? A killer? A soldier? A warrior?"

"Sometimes I wonder… maybe I never should have accepted your invitation under that ever-blooming cherry blossom tree."

Kagura remained silent for a moment before speaking softly.

"Dr. Strange… all of us started out as ordinary people—you, me, Captain Rogers, Mr. Stark… none of us were born superheroes."

"Even someone like Vision, who was created rather than born, still made a choice—of his own free will—to become a hero."

She reached out and gently placed a hand over Strange's.

His hand was smooth and unblemished—surprisingly delicate for a middle-aged man.

It looked more like an elegant work of art than a surgeon's hand, completely free of scars or past injuries.

The Extremis Virus treatment had really worked wonders—truly a revolutionary breakthrough in medical science.

"No one's forcing you to do this," Kagura said gently. "No one's making you be a hero, or the Sorcerer Supreme."

"If you feel like this isn't the right path for you, you're free to walk away—right now."

Her golden eyes shimmered with calm conviction.

"But I want you to remember something: being a doctor means healing the sick and saving lives. But you're different now."

"You're the Sorcerer Supreme. You have the power… to heal the whole world."

"…To heal the world, huh?" Strange chuckled softly. "You know, when you put it that way, I suddenly feel kind of impressive."

He murmured to himself, "Yeah… it doesn't sound half bad. Even if this road is probably a lot rougher than being a neurosurgeon."

"No doubt about that!" Kagura smiled. "After all, the 'diseases' you'll be fighting are cosmic in scale."

"Nope, nope, that's way too terrifying! Can I go back to operating rooms and scalpels instead?" Strange laughed, the weight lifting from his heart.

"Dealing with interdimensional monsters and eldritch horrors? Neurosurgery sounds like a piece of cake in comparison."

"Like I said, you're always free to step back," Kagura said with a grin. "And if you do, I'll carry the burden you leave behind… and keep pressing forward."

"…Kagura," Strange tilted his head slightly, looking at her fair face with curiosity.

"What kind of person are you, really, that you'd willingly carry such a heavy responsibility without hesitation?"

"Haha… maybe I'm just a fool," Kagura replied, a bit self-mockingly.

"I don't really know why I work so hard. I just… want to do what I can to make sure good people can have happy endings."

"And to carve out a little happiness for myself in this world, too." She paused, then grinned. "After all… I am the superhero known as Flashblade!"

"So you're Flashblade! I've been wondering—your combat gear did remind me a lot of hers!"

Stephen Strange looked genuinely shocked. "So it turns out… you're actually Flash Blade?! No wonder you're such a beast in a fight."

"You beat me half to death with just a dagger…"

"Hahaha, you just figured that out now?" Kagura laughed lightly. "Well, a superhero's true identity is supposed to be a top secret, you know?"

"…Kagura." After the laughter died down, Stephen's tone softened. He reached out and gently brushed her cheek.

"Thank you… really. If it weren't for you, I don't think I'd have found a direction again. I was so lost—trapped in my own selfish haze. But you pulled me out of that."

Kagura smiled. "There's no need to thank me, Doctor Strange. That's just what I do."

"Um…" Stephen hesitated, then tentatively reached toward her lips. "Do you, uh… have a boyfriend? I mean, look at me—"

'SMACK!'

"Ow! What the hell!" Stephen recoiled, clutching his face like he'd been zapped.

"Why'd you slap me out of nowhere?!"

"To slap some sense into you!" Kagura pouted, arms crossed. "Just because we spent a year together in the mirror dimension doesn't mean we're suddenly close enough for that kind of touching!"

"Come on! You seriously didn't catch any feelings in all that time?! I swear I'm practically in love with you here!" Stephen threw up his hands in disbelief.

"What is it? Am I not charming enough or something?"

"Hmph!" Kagura crossed her arms tighter, turning away while blushing. "Now it's not the time for such thing!"

"Tch… Man, this is brutal… The Sorcerer Supreme, completely rejected." Stephen hung his head dramatically. "Why…? Am I losing my edge? People used to say I was quite the catch!"

"They worked for you, didn't they?"

"…Yeah."

"Well, there you go." Kagura sighed, exasperated. "If you can't even tell when people are just flattering you, you're honestly a little hopeless, Doctor Strange."

"Ugh…" Stephen looked like he'd taken a critical hit.

"All right, enough with the flirting—or whatever that was." Kagura straightened up, her tone becoming serious. "So, Doctor Strange… have you found your answer?"

"Yeah." Stephen nodded firmly. "I'll keep fighting. For myself, for you… and for this world. I'll stand as the Sorcerer Supreme—the man who can heal the entire planet."

"That's what I wanted to hear." Kagura smiled, her golden eyes steady.

"Now, let's talk strategy. We need a plan to deal with the Ancient One and Dormammu… No, actually, what we really need—" She leaned forward, voice low and serious. "—is a way to take on the entire Dark Dimension itself."

"This might be…" Stephen's eyes narrowed, the weight of the moment sinking in.

"…our only chance to win."