Day One, Follow the Law; Day Two, Rob a Bank! (Please read on!)

Gwen’s lips parted slightly. She stared in wonder at the dust, still clinging to the shape of the punching bag under the refracted sunlight, slowly drifting away at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The heavy sword has no edge; true skill appears effortless!

Hawk stood still, slowly exhaling a breath of stale air before turning around.

At that moment, Gwen shifted her gaze back to him.

Their eyes met.

Gwen looked at Hawk, his forehead glistening with sweat, dressed in a white tank top that accentuated his powerful muscular frame, his hands wrapped in bandages. A strange, indescribable feeling stirred within her.

Hawk, in turn, was somewhat surprised to see Gwen there.

“Is something the matter?”

“Nothing.”

Gwen shook her head, placing her hands behind her back as she approached Hawk, taking in the environment of this old gym she hadn’t visited since the new one was built. “The new gym even has air conditioning. Why not go there?”

Hawk pondered for a moment.

“It’s quieter here.”

“Indeed, it is quite quiet.”

Gwen nodded in agreement with his explanation.

Hawk watched as Gwen walked over to the bench where he had placed his bag and sat down without hesitation.

“Is there something you need, Gwen?”

“No.”

Supporting herself on the bench, Gwen smiled gently and said, “I was just bored, so I came to enjoy watching my friend boxing.”

Hawk raised an eyebrow.

He looked at Gwen’s smiling face and felt as if there was an unspoken meaning behind her words.

But…

Never mind, boxing was the priority.

Hawk shook his head, withdrawing his gaze from Gwen and returning it to the punching bag before him, ready to complete his daily goal of ten thousand punches.

After all, he was nearly finished when Gwen arrived.

Great.

Now he had to start all over.

Hawk thought this to himself, adjusted his breathing, and chose not to use his inner energy but relied solely on his physical strength to complete his daily ten thousand punches.

As for Gwen?

If she wanted to watch, so be it. After all, this was a public gym; he couldn’t very well stop others from entering.

No reason to.

Soon, with another punch from Hawk, the heavy, rhythmic sound of blows echoed once again throughout the old gym.

Only this time, compared to his previous pace, Hawk instinctively quickened his rhythm to finish the task sooner.

Punch after punch after punch.

Then…

A blur of fists appeared.

Gwen, sitting on the bench, felt her vision blur and suddenly saw what seemed like a storm of flying fists right before her eyes. She stared dumbfounded.

What was going on?

I didn’t even blink.

Gwen thought, instinctively pulling her phone from her pocket and aiming it at Hawk.

Hawk, focused on his punches, caught this in his peripheral vision.

“Don’t record.”

“...Oh.”

Hearing that, Gwen blinked uncertainly, wondering if she had imagined it, but she put her phone away nonetheless.

After a while, the whirlwind of fists gradually disappeared, Hawk stopped his movements, and the old gym fell silent once more.

Hawk then pulled the punching bag down from the chain, swung it with one hand, and tossed it back into the corner. Under Gwen’s watchful eyes, he walked over to the bench, took a towel from the outer pocket of his bag, and looked at Gwen sitting nearby.

He thought for a moment and asked again, “Are you sure you’re okay, Gwen?”

Gwen nodded.

“I’m fine.”

“...”

A faint twitch appeared at the corner of Hawk’s mouth.

But Gwen noticed it.

She smiled.

However, she didn’t tease him further and instead revealed the real reason for her visit. “The school’s annual dance is starting to count attendees. Are you going this year?”

Though Midtown High was a private elite school, it held all the usual dances and parties—the welcome dance, masquerade ball, and the annual grade dance.

Gwen asked Hawk every year if he would join.

But Hawk had never once attended.

He was a lone wolf, preferring quiet over noisy crowds.

That was the diplomatic way to say it.

The real reason was simple.

He was broke. No money to buy a dance outfit, no car, not even a driver’s license. He certainly couldn’t be expected to walk his date home after the dance.

Most importantly,

He didn’t have a date.

Why would he go to a dance alone to watch couples flaunt their affection in front of him?

This year was no different.

“I’m not going.”

Hawk shook his head without hesitation.

Compared to attending dances, he much preferred to stay on his apartment rooftop and watch the stars.

Quiet.

Most importantly,

Free.

Money to save, money to spend—that was his new reality. Having become financially independent ahead of time without government aid, and with this week’s rent and supplies already draining his savings, his funds were running dangerously low.

Hawk even thought that his recent impulse to buy a car had been a bit rash.

So he’d given up on that idea.

Better to keep some money in reserve.

Besides, the school provided free shuttles to Bridge Park Station. Who needed a car?

He didn’t even have a driver’s license.

Even if he bought one, he couldn’t drive it.

Damn it.

Maybe he should consider robbing a bank. After all, meteoric materials cost money.

Wait.

If he was going to rob something, why not just rob meteorites directly instead of a bank?

He couldn’t very well rob a bank and then use the stolen money to ask wealthy collectors to sell him meteorites.

That would be insane.

Hawk’s mind drifted as he contemplated the feasibility of robbing meteorites outright.

After all, vibranium from Wakanda definitely wouldn’t be handed over willingly.

It would probably come down to a heist.

If robbing vibranium was a robbery, then robbing meteorites was no different. If he robbed both, then robbing a bank wouldn’t seem like such a big deal.

Gwen noticed Hawk’s eyes glaze over as he lost himself in thought after declining the dance invitation.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Robbing a bank.”

“...”

Gwen raised an eyebrow.

Hawk snapped back to attention and instinctively looked at her.

Their eyes met once more.

The next moment,

Gwen’s expression turned thoughtful, a smile playing on her lips as she said, “Then where do you plan to rob? I recommend the Pacific Bank under the jurisdiction of Precinct 19.”

Hawk frowned slightly.

“Is Pacific Bank easy to rob?”

“No,” Gwen replied brightly. “But my dad is the chief of Precinct 19.”

Hawk fell silent.

After a moment,

He looked at Gwen seriously and said, “I’m joking.”

He had decided that if he were to rob a bank, he would never target one under Precinct 19’s jurisdiction.

Gwen smiled brightly and stood up from the bench, just as her phone rang in her pocket.

“Mrs. Snow…”

“Hawk?”

“Okay.”

“I know where he is.”

Soon after ending the call, Gwen turned to Hawk and said, “Let’s go. Mrs. Snow is looking for you.”

Hawk: “...”