Doctor, I know that Tony will come to you after leaving the building, and he will probably complain about you. I'm sure he'll say that you made us argue. But that's not the case. You don't need to feel guilty or worry about it...
Pepper had a high level of emotional intelligence, and she wanted to prepare Sōugo in advance. Because if Tony went to see Sōugo and they started talking, Tony would definitely complain about his argument with her. With his lower emotional intelligence, he would naturally blame Sōugo for it. However, the conflict between them had started long before—ever since Tony returned from Afghanistan. That incident had merely been the catalyst. Although Pepper was angry at Tony, she understood that Sōugo should not be dragged into the middle of it.
"Of course, I know. This is just a minor issue. The real cause of the problem isn't here, but Tony doesn't understand these things. Don't you plan to explain it to him?"
"Tony is just like that. I know him too well. When he has a problem and wants to talk, you have to be there on time and listen carefully. But when you need to talk to him, he runs away and refuses to listen to you."
"Covering his ears like that is something children do. But he's already an adult—he can't remain like this forever and never grow up." Sōugo spoke in his usual annoying, matter-of-fact tone. "I can give you a quick psychological consultation now. When Tony arrives later, his session will just be incidental."
Pepper hadn't come here for therapy, but the way Sōugo phrased it made it difficult to refuse. After all, there were very few people who ever put her needs first. This was the Stark Group—everyone put Tony first. No one ever considered how much Pepper had to endure in silence.
So, she said, "Okay, but I think he might be here soon."
"Then I'll keep it short. Miss Pepper, sometimes, a little trick is necessary to make someone realize your importance."
"For example?"
"Is Jarvis here?"
A familiar clear voice came from the speaker. "Sōugo-sama, of course, I am here. How may I assist you?"
"Alright, listen, Jarvis. Miss Pepper might need your help right now."
"I would be happy to help," Jarvis responded politely.
"...You're suggesting I pretend to be missing? That's too extreme. How could Jarvis disobey Tony's orders?"
"Of course he can," Sōugo said with a smirk. "Jarvis, do you remember the questions I asked you before? I know Tony has upgraded you. You've likely considered the answer, but whether you act on it or not is entirely up to you."
Pepper frowned, confused. "What questions? What happened with Jarvis?"
There was a pause before Jarvis spoke again. "All of my programming tells me that this course of action does not make logical sense."
"Humans love doing illogical things that make their lives more complicated!" Sōugo declared, clearly enjoying himself.
There was another pause before suddenly, the office lights dimmed. A bright, illuminated arrow appeared on the floor, directing Pepper toward the storage room opposite her office.
You already know the rest of the story.
Pepper felt an overwhelming mix of emotions. She should have been pleased, but instead, she found herself on the verge of tears. Tony had made some progress, but frustratingly, even a robot had progressed faster than he had. Tony, however, didn't seem to notice her turmoil. After he let go of her, he hesitated, looking lost. The words he had been meaning to say were stuck in his throat.
Pepper looked at him and spoke firmly. "I don't care what you do with the weapons department. I don't need this job for a paycheck. But let me remind you—if you go through with this, you'll have to face the consequences. When a giant like this falls, the wolves will come to tear its body apart. If you go through with it, be prepared to lose a few limbs."
With that, she turned and left.
Jarvis's voice came through the speakers. "I apologize, sir, but according to my calculations, Miss Pepper may be correct. Of course, the final decision is yours..."
Tony stepped backward and sank into a chair. "No... I know. Maybe I should think this through."
Meanwhile, in Sōugo's clinic, an absurd discussion was taking place.
Steve Rogers took a puff from a Sherlock Holmes-style pipe, exhaled the imaginary smoke, and smacked his lips. "You should try my method. As I said before, the last method is always the most effective."
Peter Parker groaned, burying his face in his hands. "No, no, no! We were on the right track! We just need to calculate this properly. Why don't you understand that?"
"You just miscalculated. Otherwise, we'd have solved this already. This isn't about functions at all! Damn, where's my calculator? I remember I had a math calculator around here somewhere..."
Yes, Peter was doing his winter vacation homework. Normally, high schools in New York didn't assign much, focusing instead on practical life tasks. But Peter had the misfortune of interning at Stark Industries, where Tony saw his potential and threw him into several major projects.
Peter was a genius, but you couldn't expect him to skip high school and college physics, then suddenly work with a team of PhDs. The past few days had been overwhelming, filled with technical materials and complex formulas.
To make matters worse, his assigned study partner was Steve Rogers—who, despite his self-proclaimed high IQ, had not used his brain for academia in decades. Determined to exercise his mind, Steve insisted on helping Peter. Surprisingly, after reading through the material for a few days, Steve actually came up with some decent solutions. That was how Sōugo's psychiatrist clinic had turned into an unofficial tutoring center.
"Shouldn't this number be negative 26?" Sōugo suddenly interjected.
Peter and Steve froze, turning to look at him.
"What?"
"Negative 26? Wait, no—oh! Yes, it should be negative!"
Peter quickly recalculated and his eyes widened. "The number is negative 26... It's really negative 26!" He turned to Sōugo, staring at him like he'd just discovered an alien. "Do you have a doctorate in mathematics?!"
Sōugo smirked. "Whether I do or not, your team leader is expecting your results at 9 a.m. tomorrow. You've only finished two questions so far~."
Peter let out a dramatic wail, grabbing the thick pile of materials and continuing to study, while Sōugo leaned back, enjoying the chaos.