"Phew... let’s call it here. See you tonight."
Evenson wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Instead of his usual clothes, he was wearing a tracksuit.
He’d just finished his morning run.
Claire, dressed similarly, smiled brightly.
"Deal. But tonight we’re finally clearing Stage Six."
"You’ve been stuck there forever."
"No excuses."
Evenson laughed.
"It’s a promise."
Claire suddenly stepped forward into a dramatic stance, extending a fist.
"Say it..."
Evenson instinctively mirrored the pose.
"...and mean it."
Their fists met.
"This is my ninja way!"
They shouted the line together.
A little boy passing by stopped in his tracks.
He tugged on his mother’s sleeve.
"Mom..."
"What are those people doing?"
Without hesitation, his mother pulled him protectively to her side.
"This is why you study hard."
"If you don’t..."
"...you’ll grow up like them."
The child stared at Evenson and Claire with wide, thoughtful eyes.
Then he nodded solemnly.
"I’ll study really hard."
"I never want to become crazy."
...
The words weren’t exactly whispered.
Evenson and Claire froze.
They exchanged an awkward smile.
"...See you tonight."
"Yeah."
"Tonight."
Each quietly retreated to their own shop.
Sarah was already waiting.
"So?"
"How was your morning workout?"
The moment Evenson stepped inside, the cheerful expression he’d worn outside evaporated.
"I need a shower."
"And then I need another four hours of sleep."
He slumped onto the counter.
"I’m never getting used to this."
Evenson had dealt with government officials, billionaires, master spies, and supernatural horrors.
But when it came to dating...
His experience rounded neatly down to zero.
Over the past several days he’d visited Claire constantly.
Helping her close the shop.
Watching anime together.
Playing single-player games late into the night.
His gaming rank had climbed impressively.
Their relationship...
Hadn’t.
Not really.
What was he supposed to do?
Take Sarah’s advice?
Confess aggressively and hope for the best?
No thanks.
He wanted a memorable romance.
Not to become the headline of tomorrow’s crime section.
So he’d devised another plan.
According to highly reliable intelligence supplied by Habus...
Claire went jogging every morning.
After a lengthy internal battle, Evenson had reached a painful decision.
Fine.
I’ll start running too.
It was a tremendous sacrifice.
Watching anime?
Easy.
Playing games?
He’d happily do that all day.
But asking a lifelong homebody to wake up at dawn and voluntarily exercise?
That bordered on cruel and unusual punishment.
Worse still...
He had to summon every ounce of willpower he possessed to avoid looking in Claire’s direction whenever she ran.
It was torture.
Actual torture.
After showering, Evenson was just about to crawl into bed when his phone rang.
He glanced at the screen.
His shoulders immediately sagged.
There went his nap.
"Director."
"Yes, it’s me."
"I understand."
"I’ll head over immediately."
Nick Fury rarely called personally.
When he did...
Ignoring him wasn’t an option.
Besides, Evenson still technically owed S.H.I.E.L.D. a year’s worth of contractual service.
As for paying back the salary advance now that he actually had money?
Absolutely not.
Money that had entered his account had achieved permanent residency.
Getting it back out was someone else’s problem.
With a sigh, Evenson changed clothes, climbed into his car, and drove toward S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters.
Melinda May was waiting for him, as usual.
The moment she saw him, she asked,
"So."
"I hear you’re dating someone."
Evenson stared blankly.
"...What?"
"Oh, don’t pretend."
May smiled knowingly.
"You open her shop every morning."
"You close it every evening."
"You spend hours at her place."
"You don’t even put that much effort into your own business."
She folded her arms.
"And don’t tell me you’re just being neighborly."
Evenson blinked.
"...I thought S.H.I.E.L.D. stopped monitoring me."
"We stopped the dedicated surveillance."
May shrugged.
"We still keep track of your general activities."
"You’re one of our consultants now."
Internal observation had always been standard practice within S.H.I.E.L.D.
At least in theory.
In practice...
The organization somehow managed to miss the genuinely dangerous people while collecting endless trivia on everyone else.
"I still don’t see why everyone’s making such a big deal out of this."
May smirked.
"Do you remember something Coulson said when we first met you?"
Evenson frowned.
"He said a lot of things."
"You’ll need to narrow it down."
"’We don’t have a complete file on you.’"
She gave him a hint.
"So?"
"Our investigation showed something interesting."
She looked sideways at him.
"In twenty-one years..."
"You’ve never dated."
Evenson blinked.
"...And?"
"That’s unusual."
She tried not to laugh.
"In America, a twenty-one-year-old man who has never had a romantic relationship is statistically... uncommon."
"And Natasha mentioned something else."
"During your last mission, she deliberately tested your reactions."
"You barely responded."
May finally lost the battle against her own amusement.
"I was starting to wonder whether you had..."
She coughed delicately.
"...a medical issue."
Evenson’s eyes widened in horror.
"A medical issue?"
"My dignity is under attack here!"
"I just didn’t date in high school!"
"Is that illegal?"
"I was busy studying magic!"
"I’m an academically dedicated man!"
"And Natasha is the Black Widow!"
He threw both hands into the air.
"Name one man who’s gotten involved with her and lived a peaceful life."
"I’d like to stay alive a few more years."
May nodded thoughtfully.
"Those are surprisingly reasonable arguments."
She paused.
"...I still think you’re better suited to being single."
Evenson narrowed his eyes.
"Oh?"
"You’re one to talk."
"A divorced cavalry officer."
Silence.
Instantly...
He knew he’d made a mistake.
Those two words were effectively forbidden around Melinda May.
Her smile vanished.
A suffocating pressure settled over the hallway.
She slowly turned toward him.
"Let’s spar."
The smile returned.
It somehow became even more terrifying.
"You should learn hand-to-hand combat."
"As your instructor..."
"I’ll personally teach you."
"And to ensure quality training..."
"No magic."
Evenson nearly broke into a cold sweat.
"...Maybe another day."
"The Director’s waiting."
"We shouldn’t keep him."
May stared at him for several seconds.
Then she snorted softly.
"...Lucky for you."
She resumed walking.
Professionalism won out.
This time.
They entered Fury’s office together.
Unlike previous visits, May remained inside instead of leaving.
Whatever this meeting concerned...
It involved both of them.
Nick Fury looked up from behind his desk.
His expression was completely serious.
He folded his hands.
Then, without any warning, he asked,
"So."
"I hear you’re dating someone."
Evenson stared at him.
"...Seriously?"
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