Tricking Homelander

"Mmm..."

Homelander stood with his hands behind his back in the hallway, in front of a portrait of himself, grumbling to himself.

This one, that one, they all told me not to act rashly. None of them trust me. And Starlight...

Starlight only has eyes for her child. In her heart, I'm just a tool to make money, nothing more.

Homelander's eyes, looking through his own portrait in the hallway, watched Starlight constantly nursing her baby. He felt his throat go dry, and a fire burned in his chest.

"Good afternoon! Homelander."

Just as Homelander was watching Starlight through the wall and feeling the endless rage within him, a light voice entered his ears.

"Inhale~"

"Exhale..."

Homelander was very familiar with the voice echoing in his ears. He hated the owner of this voice. Half the reason he was so agitated right now was because of the owner of this voice.

"I'm warning you, don't provoke me!"

Homelander adjusted his breathing, turned around, and glared at the white-clad bastard walking towards him, roaring in anger.

"Whoa~"

"Are you mad?"

Jupiter, wearing a white, tight-fitting suit with a large 'F' emblazoned on the chest, looked at the agitated Homelander and gave an infuriatingly bright smile.

"F..."

Homelander clenched his fists, his eyes glowing. The orders from Vought Family superiors and his own emotions warred in his mind.

"Are you mad at me?"

Jupiter stood beside Homelander and asked with a smile.

"What do you think!?"

Homelander's breathing became rapid, his nostrils flaring as he inhaled deeply. He felt like he was about to lose control of his emotions.

"No, you're not mad at me."

Jupiter looked at the agitated Homelander, shook his head gently, and then, with his hands behind his back, walked to Homelander's portrait in the hallway.

"Then what do you think I'm angry about right now?!"

Homelander pointed his finger at Jupiter's face and roared in a low voice, looking at the composed Jupiter.

"..."

Jupiter looked at Homelander's outstretched right index finger and frowned. He remembered this finger. If Homelander weren't still useful, he would have broken this finger long ago.

"Haha..."

The dark cloud on Jupiter's face vanished in an instant. He calmly reached out, pushed Homelander's finger away, and then pointed to Homelander's portrait in front of him.

"It's never me who makes you angry. It's that woman inside, and those bastards on the eighty-second floor who make a lot of money from us just by flapping their gums."

Jupiter sounded indignant. He was implying that Homelander wasn't the only one angry at Starlight and the board members on the eighty-second floor.

"Our personas and relationships were never decided by us; they were decided by them..."

"You've seen my costume. I wanted to get closer to you, but they wouldn't let me..."

Jupiter indicated that his opposition to Homelander had nothing to do with his own will; it was all decided by the company.

"I saw it!"

Homelander looked at Jupiter's tight suit and cape and nodded. Their outfits were very similar. In his eyes, Jupiter's battle suit was clearly a copy of his own.

"F*ck! A bunch of ungrateful jerks! Don't they know who lets them enjoy piles of cash!? It's you, Homelander!"

Jupiter lowered his voice. His last sentence was a direct quote from Homelander. He wanted to close the distance between himself and Homelander.

"..."

After hearing Jupiter's words, Homelander's mouth opened slightly. He wanted to say something, but he found himself unable to utter a single word. Because Jupiter was right. Even more than Jupiter, what made him angry was that he had done so much for this damn Vought Company, yet these idiots showed no gratitude.

"You..."

Homelander looked at Jupiter, his mouth opening again. The anger on his face had completely vanished.

"You understand me so well, you really get me. You truly are my fan."

Homelander sized up Jupiter. Jupiter seemed much more likable in his eyes now.

"I'm your ancestor..."

Jupiter scoffed inwardly at Homelander's words. Homelander was just a kid with power and nothing else.

"I understand you better than you think."

"Listen, Homelander, we shouldn't be just mascots for Vought Company. Superpowered individuals should be something more iconic!"

"And you, as the strongest among all superpowered individuals, should step forward and become the leader of all superhumans in this world!"

Jupiter directly announced Homelander as the strongest superpowered individual, placing himself behind Homelander in status.

"You're right, I am the strongest."

Homelander nodded slightly. He didn't see any problem with Jupiter's statement; he was indeed the strongest superpowered individual, the natural leader.

"You should lead all those with power beyond mortals forward, not..."

Jupiter's expression grew troubled, as if what he was about to say was ominous.

"Not what!?"

Homelander frowned.

"Not... you know what!? Homelander, they all call you Starlight's little blonde boy in private."

Jupiter said with an exaggerated gesture.

"..."

Homelander's face turned ashen. He seemed to be provoked by Jupiter's words.

"I know what I said was harsh."

Jupiter said softly, looking at the enraged Homelander.

"No! It's that I appear too weak."

Homelander shook his head. He looked at Starlight, who was comforting a child behind the wall, and the anger in his heart burned. It was because he was too weak that Starlight, and the bastards on the eighty-second floor, didn't take him seriously.

"F*ck, you've saved enough people. Now, whoever angers you, you just... "

Jupiter became agitated, seemingly indignant about Homelander's treatment.

"I've said too much today. I can't stay here too long, or those guys will come looking for trouble again. But I really can't stand seeing my idol being treated so dismissively."

Jupiter looked at Homelander with a very helpless expression, as if their conversation was a luxury within the company.

"Do whatever you want. No one in this world can stop you, right?"

Jupiter finally patted Homelander gently on the shoulder and walked forward down the corridor.

"F*ck! What he said was f*cking brilliant."

Homelander watched Jupiter walk away. He realized he wasn't the only one with such thoughts. Perhaps he could find more people who agreed with him. He was the one who should be leading everything.

"..."

Jupiter cast a deep look at Homelander. His next step was to find the media and continue leaking damaging information about Homelander, constantly pressuring him to move towards more radical ideas. He just needed to subtly guide Homelander with his words, and Homelander would eventually become the person he wanted him to be.

"It's about time."

Jupiter glanced at his watch and realized the time was almost up.

Having prepared everything, Jupiter entered the hall of the superhero Seven in advance.

"Haha..."

Just as Jupiter settled into his seat in the Seven's hall, the door suddenly opened, and a man and a woman entered, chatting and laughing.

"This is the hall of the superhero Seven. Welcome, Starlight!"

As the door opened, a man exuding the aura of a salted fish, along with a blonde sweetie dressed like a high school cheerleader, walked into the room.

"Ooh~ This is the Seven's hall!?"

"The place I've always dreamed of..."

The blonde sweetie looked around the room with a radiant smile.

"Of course, here we... uh..."

The salted fish followed the blonde sweetie's words, but suddenly saw the figure inside the room, smiling brilliantly at him. His body instantly stiffened.

"Welcome to the superhero Seven's hall. Welcome to the superhero Seven, Starlight."

Jupiter stood up and walked towards the blonde sweetie and the salted fish beside her.

"..."

The salted fish felt a chill run down his spine as he looked at Jupiter. He regretted bringing Starlight here. He should have just found a staff member to guide Starlight after the press conference.

"The Deep, I recall you have another mission, right?"

Jupiter asked, looking at The Deep.

"Oh! Right! You're right, I have a mission..."

The Deep nodded repeatedly and fled the Seven's hall without looking back.