That night...
At Xavier's Institute, Heisenberg's projection drifted off to sleep beneath the moonlight.
All right, he was just lying there pretending to sleep.
Meanwhile, Gannata...
She had been in her room for less than half an hour when she heard a knock at the door.
Gannata climbed off the sofa and opened it.
"Surprise!!!"
Amid the cheers of a group of little girls, countless streamers and paper snowflakes flew onto Gannata in the blink of an eye.
Gannata was startled by the barrage. She had nearly summoned the Particle Analysis Cannon to show these flashy young punks what a real fucking surprise was.
Fortunately, when Gannata spotted Jean Grey among the crowd, she swiftly restrained herself.
As she widened her eyes and pulled the streamers off her head, Gannata put on an expression of pure delight.
"Wow, I really didn't expect you to welcome me like this.
Is this the surprise you prepared for me? I'm so happy!"
"Haha, there's something even happier still to come. Ta-da~~~."
Accompanied by Jean's gentle yet unmistakably excited voice, several girls stepped out from behind her.
They held a modestly sized cake and presented it to Gannata.
"To welcome you, Kalena specially made some pastries. We haven't really tasted the cakes sold in outside shops, though, so we don't know whether the flavor is any different."
As Jean explained, she secretly glanced around.
Then she took Gannata's hand and whispered.
"Also, we brought something especially good, but we need to talk about it inside.
Gannata, do you mind if we come in?"
"Of course not! Come on in!"
Beaming, Gannata took the cake and welcomed the five girls led by Jean into her room.
Before long, the girls had gathered on Gannata's bed, moving as quietly as they could.
As she sat down,