Melissa couldn't shake off the strange tension lingering in the air. Something about the interaction between these two felt off. Did they know each other? Was she overthinking it? Questions swirled in her mind, each one more persistent than the last.
To be honest, this wasn't the first time Melissa had searched for a tutor. In fact, it had become something of a routine. Every tutor she had hired so far had either left or been dismissed within a short period. She wasn't naive—she understood her son's learning capabilities better than anyone. Lin Mei was no ordinary child.
Natasha, on the other hand, had an entirely different agenda. She wasn't here merely to teach; she was here to investigate. The events of the previous night still loomed in her mind, and Lin Mei was at the center of it. When she saw Melissa recruiting yet another tutor, she saw an opportunity and took it without hesitation. If there were secrets to uncover, especially those hidden by a child, there was no better place to start than his room.
"Mr. Kobayashi, let's begin. How about starting with your math homework?" Natasha's voice was smooth, calm, and inviting, but her sharp gaze was anything but. She was trained to see through facades, to detect the slightest flicker of emotion that betrayed a person's true intentions. Her instincts were honed to perfection, and right now, they were telling her that Lin Mei was no ordinary student.
A playful smile tugged at the corner of Lin Mei's lips. He nodded, but his mind was already at work, crafting a strategy. This wasn't just a tutoring session—it was a game, one where he had to outmaneuver his opponent without arousing suspicion.
"No problem, Ms. Natasha. Then, let's go to my room."
Natasha's eyes glinted with intrigue. She hadn't expected access to his room so easily. As an agent, she was used to prying into people's lives, peeling back layers to reveal their secrets. And children? Children were the easiest to read.
Melissa, however, wasn't convinced. Her son had never shown such enthusiasm for a tutor before. Was it because this one was particularly attractive? Or was it something else entirely? There was something about Natasha that put her on edge.
As she watched them head upstairs, she turned to the servant. "Go and bring a plate of fruit."
Meanwhile, inside Lin Mei's room, Natasha's sharp eyes scanned her surroundings. It was unnervingly neat for a child's room. No scattered toys, no computer, no gaming console. No instruments, no signs of hobbies or distractions. Everything was meticulously arranged, almost as if it were a showroom rather than a lived-in space.
She narrowed her eyes. Was this really the bedroom of a child under ten?
Lin Mei led her into a secondary space—a study room within his bedroom. A massive one.
Natasha raised an eyebrow. "This is your small study?" she asked, half in disbelief, half in amusement.
Lin Mei shrugged. "For me, yes."
She didn't know how to respond to that. Looking around, she noted the towering shelves filled with books. There were thousands of them, spanning subjects far beyond what a child should be able to grasp. This wasn't just an impressive collection; it was a statement.
Lin Mei, however, seemed indifferent to her scrutiny. To him, these books weren't just objects on a shelf. They were imprinted in his mind, stored using his near-photographic memory. He had read them all and could recall their contents at will using the method of the Memory Palace.
Natasha took a deep breath, composing herself. "Alright, Mr. Kobayashi, take out your textbook. Let's see where you are."
There was an unmistakable confidence in her tone. She had handled countless assignments, infiltrated high-security locations, and extracted critical intelligence from hardened individuals. Surely, tutoring an elementary school student wouldn't be a challenge.
But then Lin Mei pulled out a high school mathematics textbook.
Natasha blinked. Then, she blinked again.
Her mind reeled.
"What the—? High school mathematics?"
She stared at the book as if it were some ancient, arcane text brimming with sorcery. Surely, she was mistaken. This was just a joke, right? But when she looked up, Lin Mei's face remained calm, focused, and entirely serious.
"This… this kid… What the hell is this?" Her thoughts raced. "Why is he studying high school-level math? Am I dreaming? Or has the world completely lost its mind?"
She tried to regain her composure, but a bead of sweat rolled down her temple.
Lin Mei smiled slightly, watching her internal struggle unfold.
"Ms. Natasha, let's begin," he said smoothly. "I've already studied calculus on my own, but there are a few areas where I could use some clarification."
His words were casual, as if discussing the weather. But to Natasha, they were anything but.
The sheer absurdity of the situation hit her like a freight train. She had signed up to tutor a child, and now she was supposed to assist with advanced calculus?
A nervous laugh almost escaped her lips, but she swallowed it.
"Uh…"
Her brain scrambled for an escape route. "Wait a moment," she said abruptly. "I need to use the restroom."
Without waiting for a response, she turned on her heels and made for the door.
"Ms. Natasha, wait a moment."
She stiffened slightly, then turned back with a forced smile. "Yes?"
Lin Mei pointed to another door within the study. "The bathroom is over there."
For a brief moment, Natasha froze. Then, she let out a short, nervous chuckle.
"Ah, thank you, Mr. Kobayashi," she said, before stepping into the bathroom and shutting the door behind her.
Inside, she exhaled slowly, gripping the edges of the sink. This mission was turning out to be far more complicated than she had anticipated.
Who exactly was Lin Mei?
At that moment, Melissa entered the room carrying a plate of freshly cut fruit, her sharp eyes immediately scanning the study just as Black Widow had earlier.
"Huh? Baby, where's the teacher?" she asked, her voice tinged with curiosity.
Lin Mei accepted the fruit plate from her and replied calmly, "Teacher Natasha went to the bathroom. Mom, do you need something?"
Melissa's gaze lingered on the bathroom door for a moment, suspicion flickering in her eyes. But after a brief pause, she simply said, "It's nothing, son. Just focus on your studies. If you need anything, call me."
Lin Mei nodded, but internally, he was just as puzzled by his mother's behavior. Why was she acting so strangely today?
Not long after, Natasha emerged from the bathroom, her long, loose hair concealing a pair of discreetly hidden earpieces. Lin Mei's sharp hearing picked up a faint murmur of sound—encrypted communication, perhaps? A silent conversation happening right under his nose.
Seeing the agent regain her composed and confident demeanor, Lin Mei smirked inwardly. "This won't be fun if she keeps this up," he mused.
For a moment, he considered escalating the challenge. Perhaps he should bring out some advanced college-level textbooks just to see how she'd react. But then again, S.H.I.E.L.D. had plenty of experts who could handle such subjects. It wouldn't be much of a punishment.
While Lin Mei toyed with ideas on how to further test Black Widow, an entirely different storm was brewing halfway across the world.
Deep in Afghanistan, terrorists scavenged the wreckage of Tony Stark's Mark One suit, piecing together the scattered remnants of its mechanical design. Among them was a surviving leader of the Ten Rings, who had managed to glean critical information from his subordinates.
Some of them had even risked their lives to capture footage of Lin Mei—his face, his presence, and the terrifying moment when he had unleashed magic powerful enough to destroy a dragon.
"Find him! No matter what it takes! Even if he's just a child, even if he wields sorcery beyond comprehension—he aided Tony Stark's escape, and for that, he must pay the price!"
At that moment, Melissa entered the room carrying a plate of freshly cut fruit, her sharp eyes immediately scanning the study just as Black Widow had earlier.
"Huh? Baby, where's the teacher?" she asked, her voice tinged with curiosity.
Lin Mei accepted the fruit plate from her and replied calmly, "Teacher Natasha went to the bathroom. Mom, do you need something?"
Melissa's gaze lingered on the bathroom door for a moment, suspicion flickering in her eyes. But after a brief pause, she simply said, "It's nothing, son. Just focus on your studies. If you need anything, call me."
Lin Mei nodded, but internally, he was just as puzzled by his mother's behavior. Why was she acting so strangely today?
Not long after, Natasha emerged from the bathroom, her long, loose hair concealing a pair of discreetly hidden earpieces. Lin Mei's sharp hearing picked up a faint murmur of sound—encrypted communication, perhaps? A silent conversation happening right under his nose.
Seeing the agent regain her composed and confident demeanor, Lin Mei smirked inwardly. "This won't be fun if she keeps this up," he mused.
For a moment, he considered escalating the challenge. Perhaps he should bring out some advanced college-level textbooks just to see how she'd react. But then again, S.H.I.E.L.D. had plenty of experts who could handle such subjects. It wouldn't be much of a punishment.
While Lin Mei toyed with ideas on how to further test Black Widow, an entirely different storm was brewing halfway across the world.
Deep in Afghanistan, terrorists scavenged the wreckage of Tony Stark's Mark One suit, piecing together the scattered remnants of its mechanical design. Among them was a surviving leader of the Ten Rings, who had managed to glean critical information from his subordinates.
Some of them had even risked their lives to capture footage of Lin Mei—his face, his presence, and the terrifying moment when he had unleashed magic powerful enough to destroy a dragon.
"Find him! No matter what it takes! Even if he's just a child, even if he wields sorcery beyond comprehension—he aided Tony Stark's escape, and for that, he must pay the price!"