Queens, New York – An Old Warehouse
It was nighttime when Kagura, led by Peter Parker, finally arrived at the entrance of an old warehouse after weaving through a maze of backstreets.
So this was it—the base of what Peter called the "Friendly Neighborhood Squad."
"Come on," Peter said, gesturing to the door. "It's a bit late, but Miss Lila should still be around."
He placed his hand on the electronic lock, scanning his fingerprint.
Then, removing his mask, he let the system scan his iris.
"We're teammates, so we just call each other by our names. Though honestly, I'm not even sure if Lila is her real name. She never tells us her last name."
The heavy door slid open automatically with a mechanical hum.
Whoa?
Hitomi's eyes widened with curiosity as she stepped into the repurposed warehouse.
Turns out this "Friendly Neighborhood" team was more legit than she expected.
They even had biometric locks installed…
Still, if Peter had said his teammate was someone like Gwen, she could understand.
But Lila… Who?
Hitomi was still full of questions.
Thinking it over, she frowned slightly.
'Hmm… if I had to guess… could it be Lila Barton?'
As the silver-haired girl followed Peter into the warehouse, her mind was busy piecing it together.
'Oh ho, now that would be interesting.'
Lila Barton—the daughter of Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye.
She made a brief appearance in the MCU around the time of Infinity War, back in 2018.
She had incredible archery talent and was nicknamed "Little Hawkeye" by her father.
But before she could even begin to shine, she was snapped out of existence by Thanos…
"Oh right, I forgot to mention something, Hitomi," Peter said, flipping on the warehouse lights. "Lila's an insanely good archer—and super cute, too!"
The warehouse was surprisingly spacious, split into two levels and divided into several functional areas.
Directly ahead was a large open workshop that connected both floors. It housed all of the "Friendly Neighborhood Squad's" equipment and maintenance gear.
Further inside, on the second floor, were several small rooms—likely the personal quarters and training spaces for the team members.
At the very back of the warehouse was a room filled with electronic equipment and rows of servers.
That was probably the team's command center.
From a distance, Hitomi could see that the lights were already on in the command room, casting a soft white glow that blended with the overhead lights Peter had just turned on.
"Big sister… Lila?" Hitomi asked, her tone laced with implication. "So… she's a superhero too?"
"Of course she is!" Peter said proudly, puffing out his chest. "She's one of the core members of the Friendly Neighborhood Squad! She's not quite on my level, but still a total superhero!"
"Hmmm~" Hitomi tilted her head, skeptical. "So… this 'Miss Lila' isn't secretly 'Lady Hawkeye' or something?"
"Nope. My codename is White Owl," a clear voice cut in.
A slender, blonde girl with blue eyes appeared before them.
"Peter," she said with a bit of irritation. "How many times have I told you not to go around casually revealing my name?"
"Oops! My bad!" Peter said with a sheepish grin. "But it's not like you didn't blurt out my name too just now."
He waved it off and quickly shifted gears. "Anyway, this is Neko Hitomi. She's a magical girl who can actually use real magic. She's officially joined the team, so she's one of us now!"
"Magic, huh?" Lila blinked, pouting cutely. "So, Hitomi, what kind of magic can you use? Just so we're clear—card tricks don't count. We're a serious superhero team, okay?"
'Wow, she's strict,' Hitomi thought with a mental chuckle.
She quietly activated her augmented reality UI to scan Lila from head to toe.
[Preliminary DNA analysis complete.]
[Probability of blood relation to Clint Barton: 99.999998%]
'Bingo.'
A faint smile curved across Hitomi's lips.
No doubt about it—the girl standing in front of her was none other than Hawkeye's daughter.
"What are you smiling at?" Lila narrowed her eyes, immediately picking up on it. "Got a problem with me?"
"W-what? Oh no, not at all!" Hitomi waved her hands innocently and offered a playful compliment. "Big sister Lila, you're so cool! Just like the legendary Hawkeye himself!"
"W-What?!" Lila's face turned bright red. "D-Don't go comparing me to Hawkeye!"
Flustered, she glanced down at her custom-made, lightweight combat suit.
Modeled after her father's tactical armor, the gear was made from a composite material that hugged her lithe frame, giving her a sleek, heroic silhouette.
As if on instinct, Lila ran her fingers through her long golden hair, cheeks still flushed.
"I-I'm not… I'm not on his level, okay? He's a real superhero. I… I'm still not there yet…"
'Haha, nailed it.' Hitomi smirked to herself.
'Mention her dad and she immediately panics.'
'I wonder what dear old dad would say if he found out his "Little Hawkeye" was running around New York as a full-blown superhero?
"Ahem! Anyway—" Peter coughed loudly to break the tension. "Don't worry, Lila. I've already seen what Hitomi can do. She's got some seriously amazing powers."
"I… I see," Lila said, finally calming her breath and returning to her usual self. "Well then, since you're a new member… welcome to the team!"
She extended her hand. "Neko Hitomi, glad to have you."
"Yes~!" Hitomi shook her hand cheerfully. "Thanks, Big sister Lila!"
"Alright, now that the introductions are done," Peter said, clapping his hands together, "let's organize everything we've gathered today and go over our progress on that alien weapons trafficking investigation."
"It's getting late, and if I don't get home soon, Aunt May and Uncle Ben are going to freak out."
"By the way, Neko Hitomi—what's your real name?" Lila asked.
"Neko Hitomi."
"No, I mean like your actual name. Like how my codename is White Owl, but my name is Lila. What's yours?"
"Neko Hitomi."
"That's clearly a codename. What do your parents call you?"
"Neko Hitomi."
Lila Barton: "…"
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