That morning, after Susan learned that Daniel and Carol would be leaving soon, she felt genuinely disappointed.
After discussing it with Johnny, the two of them decided to throw a farewell dinner for Daniel and Carol that evening.
Later in the morning, when Daniel and Carol were planning how to spend their final day in New York, Susan told them about the dinner and specifically reminded them not to eat anything before coming back that night.
The two immediately agreed.
Their wallets happened to be running dry anyway. Why would they turn down a chance to eat and drink for free?
That afternoon, Susan sent Johnny to the supermarket to buy ingredients while she personally took charge of the cooking.
For once, Johnny agreed without any complaints.
Daniel had become a friend to him during the past few days. Now that his friend was about to leave, it was only right to do something for him.
Back in this era, communication wasn’t nearly as convenient as it would be in the future.
Sometimes, saying goodbye to a friend once could mean saying goodbye forever.
Because of that, people treasured their friendships even more.
Susan stayed busy in the kitchen from the afternoon until sunset.
She left the front desk entirely to Johnny. It was obvious how much effort she was putting into this meal.
Around six or seven in the evening, Daniel and Carol finally returned to the hotel after spending the entire day exploring the city.
The moment they stepped through the front door, a rich aroma drifted out from the kitchen.
"Wow... that smells amazing!"
Carol took a deep breath through her nose and sighed in delight.
The second she finished speaking, she disappeared into the kitchen.
Don’t get the wrong idea.
She wasn’t going in there to help.
Daniel simply shrugged and said to Johnny at the front desk, "That’s just how she is."
Before long, Susan pushed Carol right back out of the kitchen.
Apparently, she was getting in the way.
Honestly, Carol was being ridiculous.
The moment she entered, she started stealing food.
Just sneaking a few bites wouldn’t have been a problem. Susan didn’t really mind.
The problem was that Carol kept eating while simultaneously causing trouble.
She was slowing down the entire cooking process.
The two women had become extremely close lately.
They were comfortable enough with each other that there were hardly any boundaries left in their daily interactions, which was exactly why Carol had marched straight into the kitchen without a second thought.
The reason for their growing friendship was simple.
During one of their conversations, Carol had opened up about her dream of becoming a pilot.
Susan thought it was incredibly cool.
Not only did she approve, she enthusiastically supported the idea.
It was the first time someone had agreed with Carol so wholeheartedly.
Carol had been thrilled.
Even her own parents had questioned her dream at first. Only after years of persistence had they reluctantly begun supporting her.
After receiving Susan’s encouragement, the friendship between the two women grew stronger day by day.
At this point, they were practically sisters.
After being kicked out of the kitchen, Carol sat down on the sofa beside Daniel.
"So, we’re heading back tomorrow?" she asked.
"Not yet."
Carol’s eyes lit up.
"Then we’re spending another day here?"
"No."
Daniel shook his head.
"Do you remember what we talked about before? About enhancing your body?"
"I remember! Of course I remember!"
Carol nodded so quickly it looked like her neck might snap.
The truth was, when she asked whether they were going home, that wasn’t what she really cared about at all.
She’d been thinking about the enhancement the entire time.
"We’re going to Africa tomorrow," Daniel said.
"If everything goes smoothly, we should gain quite a lot."
Wakanda really did have plenty of valuable things.
Vibranium and the Heart-Shaped Herb went without saying.
Their technology was incredibly advanced too.
Things like their energy shields were ridiculously impressive.
Even those spears and shields that looked primitive at first glance were packed with cutting edge technology.
’I wonder how far Wakanda’s tech has progressed at this point,’ Daniel thought.
Back when he’d watched Avengers: Infinity War, he’d always found Wakanda a little strange.
Their technology was generations ahead of the rest of the world, yet some people still dressed like they were living in ancient times.
"How are we getting there?" Carol asked again.
She’d asked the same question last time too, but Daniel had mysteriously refused to answer.
"You’ll find out tomorrow."
Just like before, Daniel refused to tell her.
Keeping Carol in suspense was surprisingly entertaining.
Carol was naturally impatient.
Whenever she couldn’t get an answer, she felt as if a feather was constantly tickling her heart.
It drove her crazy.
And whenever she was unhappy...
Daniel was happy.
That was basically how the two of them got along.
Constantly bickering and teasing each other.
"You..."
Carol glared at him.
Daniel grinned and blinked at her.
The expression on his face practically said.
’Go ahead. Keep asking.’
’I still won’t tell you.’
Taking a deep breath, Carol squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth.
"You’re unbelievable."
After that, they only talked briefly about tomorrow’s trip before dropping the subject.
The three of them sat around chatting until dinner was finally ready.
Soon, Susan announced that everything was prepared.
The others immediately stood up to help carry the dishes to the table.
The meal was incredibly lavish.
The entire dining table was covered from one end to the other.
Seeing the spread, Carol’s eyes widened.
"Susan, you made all of this? How are we supposed to finish it?"
Before Susan could answer, Daniel calmly spoke from beside her.
"You can."
Carol nearly choked.
Susan and Johnny immediately burst into laughter.
At that moment, Carol genuinely wanted to punch Daniel.
The only reason she held back was because Daniel’s body had become ridiculously hard.
A long time ago, she’d already noticed that hitting him hurt her own hand more than it hurt him.
She had wondered for ages why his muscles felt like steel.
Now that she’d come to New York, she finally knew.
Her brother had mutated.
Before taking their seats, Carol walked over and hugged Susan, who had just changed into a fresh set of clothes.
"Thank you, Susan."
Susan smiled warmly.
"We’re friends, aren’t we?"
"Yes."
Carol hugged her tighter.
"We’re friends."
"Alright, alright."
Daniel’s voice immediately ruined the mood.
"Can we stop getting emotional and start eating? Susan’s cooking looks incredible."
Both Susan and Carol turned and shot him identical death stares.
Meanwhile, Johnny was trying very hard not to laugh.
Daniel had said exactly what he was thinking.
Susan hadn’t prepared a feast like this in a very long time.
It was fair to say she had poured every bit of her cooking skill into this dinner.
Johnny had been looking forward to it all day.
And now Daniel had completely shattered the emotional atmosphere they’d been building.
The sentimental mood vanished instantly.
The touching farewell moment disappeared with it.
Left with no choice, Susan laughed helplessly and said.
"Alright, let’s eat. Tell me what you think. It’s been a long time since I’ve made this many dishes."
The four of them finally dug in.
The moment the food entered her mouth, Carol’s eyes lit up.
"Susan, you’re practically a professional chef!"
She pointed excitedly downstairs.
"You know what? You should open a restaurant on the first floor of the hotel. With cooking this good, business would be amazing."
Daniel nodded in agreement from the side.
He thought it tasted fantastic too.
Susan smiled.
"Cooking takes too much time. Most days I just throw together something simple."
Johnny didn’t even bother joining the conversation.
He was too busy eating.
His mouth hadn’t stopped moving since the meal started.
Normally Susan only made simple meals.
Now that a feast like this had appeared, he intended to make the most of it.
...
The dinner passed in a warm and cheerful atmosphere.
The next morning, Daniel and Carol finished packing and carried their luggage downstairs.
"So," Carol asked, "can you finally tell me how we’re getting to Africa now?"
"Of course."
Daniel nodded.
"First, we’re leaving our luggage with Susan."
This had been part of his plan from the beginning.
He intended to return to New York later, so he’d already decided to leave their belongings at the hotel.
That was why he’d been completely unconcerned during last night’s dinner.
"...Fine."
Carol rolled her eyes.
After storing their luggage on the first floor, they explained to Susan that they needed to leave for a few days and asked her to watch their things.
Susan seemed delighted that they trusted her and happily agreed.
After leaving the hotel, Daniel led Carol through the city in search of a secluded location.
Finding one wasn’t easy.
Even with his super vision, it still took him over half an hour.
The entire way there, Carol kept asking what they were going to do next.
Daniel’s answer never changed.
"You’ll see in a minute."
It nearly drove her insane.
Finally, they arrived at an empty stretch of open land with nobody around.
Daniel suddenly grabbed her wrist.
"Get on my back."
Carol blinked.
"For what?"
She wasn’t thrilled by the idea.
She was supposed to be the older one here.
"Hurry up."
"...Fine."
After hesitating for a while, she reluctantly climbed onto his back.
"Hold on tight."
The moment the words left his mouth...
Daniel shot into the sky with Carol on his back.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
The sudden launch terrified her.
One second she was standing on the ground.
The next she was soaring through the air.
"I thought you liked the sky," Daniel shouted over the rushing wind.
"I thought you liked flying. So I’m taking you there myself!"
The wind blasted past them at incredible speed.
Carol could barely keep her eyes open.
Her hair whipped wildly in every direction.
Struggling against the wind, she managed to force out a question.
"So this... this is what you meant when you said you could go fifty-fifty with Captain America?!"
Daniel laughed.
"Can Captain America fly?"