The sky was as blue as blue velvet.
Bright sunlight spilled down, and a gentle spring breeze rustled the branches of the cherry blossom trees on campus.
Cherry blossom petals drifted down, beautiful and colorful.
Students carrying books walked to and fro, chatting in groups of two or three.
David and a few others walked through the school, Clark beside him with worry etched between his brows, glancing at David from time to time.
Just as parents always feared their children turning bad, Clark felt that as an older brother, he also had a responsibility to prevent his younger brother from losing his innate goodness in the process of experiencing the world, becoming cold or even evil.
Especially after discovering that David possessed strength far beyond that of ordinary people.
Clark had spent all night thinking about this problem, how to pull David back from the brink of falling into darkness.
"Beating someone into a vegetative state so casually, without any burden, this is more than just a tendency to go bad,"
Clark thought.
He felt his brother's thoughts and perceptions were standing on the dangerous edge of a cliff.
One more step would be the beginning of his downfall, placing himself above others at will.
Sensing Clark was eagerly trying to find an angle to step in as his life mentor, David didn't know what to say about it.
[Worry from Clark +6, +5, +7...]
However, starting from yesterday, the rate at which Clark gave him emotional points had suddenly surged. It seemed like he had been thinking about him constantly from yesterday until now.
"If this rate continues, I might be able to complete the full fusion and unlock the next template soon."
He hadn't expected such a bonus. David was in a good mood.
He wondered what the next template would be. Would it be weaker, comparable to the Thanos template, or even stronger?
They entered the building.
"Why are they all looking at us?"
Students in the hallway kept casting curious and surprised glances at the group, Pete whispered narcissistically.
"Have they finally realized that being short doesn't hinder my charm?"
"Save it, Pete."
Chloe, engrossed in a newspaper, looked up to observe.
"They're obviously looking at Clark and David, more at David."
She was also a bit puzzled as to why so many people were looking at the two of them.
David didn't have Clark's super hearing, but his enhanced senses made it easy for him to learn the reason from people's whispers.
"As the residents of this small town often say, in Smallville, a town no bigger than a bottle cap, news travels fast."
For example, when someone saw some of the most popular high school football team members in the town at a bar, wanting to bully someone, but they ended up getting beaten up.
A look of helplessness flashed across Clark's face.
He had heard it too.
The older brother, who was only taller, was bullied and pinned to the ground, and his younger brother witnessed it, easily taking down several school bullies.
"Lana seems to be heading towards you, Clark."
Pete nudged his good friend Clark with his arm. "Quick, get rid of that loser look on your face."
Did he seem that obvious?
Seeing the beautiful and gentle person with black hair walking towards them from the end of the hallway, Clark coughed, muttered to himself, and secretly straightened his back.
Having just had a big argument with her boyfriend, Lana walked over with a sad expression, apologizing to Clark in a soft voice, slightly hoarse from crying.
"I'm sorry, Clark.
I didn't know Whitney was so childish, going to find trouble with you just because I spoke a few words to you."
Upon learning about what had spread through the campus, she had gone to Whitney for confirmation immediately, hoping to get an answer from her boyfriend that it was just a rumor.
But Whitney, feeling greatly humiliated, angrily admitted, with a hint of accusation, that Lana had subtly shown a different attitude towards Clark, and it was because he couldn't control his anger at that moment that he went to find Clark.
"I'm actually fine, Lana."
Clark smiled. "Don't blame Whitney."
"I can't accept him lying to me. He was the one who initiated the trouble with you, and lost the necklace I gave him."
Mentioning this made Lana even sadder, her eyes reddening, and her voice low. "But he said someone at the bar was drunk and provoked him."
"I think I need to re-examine my relationship with Whitney."
Seeing Lana's sad and mournful appearance, Clark, who had no experience with this situation, scratched the back of his head, flustered and not knowing how to comfort her, only repeating over and over for Lana not to cry.
"I ran into Whitney at the bar. Maybe he was drunk at the time and acted so irrationally."
Clark, do you even hear what you're saying? You'd make excuses for your love rival just to make the person you secretly like feel better?
David shook his head inwardly, feeling he was hopeless.
Even without Kryptonite, given Clark's current personality, he wouldn't have been able to catch up to the cheerleader anyway.
"David."
Clark secretly signaled David, urging him to take out the meteorite necklace that was so important to Lana and return it to her, just as they had agreed yesterday.
Perhaps if the necklace was found, Lana would stop being sad.
"David, I'm sorry."
Remembering something, Lana wiped her tears, turned to David, and said earnestly.
"Whitney caused trouble for you guys because of me."
"It's nothing."
He didn't think it was trouble. David replied casually and pulled the necklace out of his pants pocket, handing it to her.
"This is your necklace. Clark found it that day and asked me to keep it."
Clark really wanted to hand the necklace to Lana himself.
But he felt that if he didn't want to take out the necklace and simultaneously perform a pratfall, landing on the ground and being unable to get up for a long time, making an even bigger fool of himself, it would be best to let David hand it over.
"My necklace."
Upon receiving the necklace, surprise appeared in Lana's eyes. A smile bloomed on her tear-streaked face.
"Thank you, David... and Clark."
She seemed to have misunderstood something.
If Clark had found it, why didn't he return it to her personally?
Lana assumed David wanted to set her up with his older brother, Clark.
Seeing David's indifferent attitude towards her, unlike others on campus whose gazes shifted elsewhere after returning the necklace, leaving space for Clark and her to talk.
For some reason, driven by an unknown force, she secretly glanced at David twice more.
Normally, like Clark, he didn't participate in any sports. Occasionally, she saw him sitting in a corner of the campus with a book. He was tall but didn't have bulging muscles. How did he manage to defeat Whitney and his teammates?
Clark, who had been intently watching his goddess, not missing her every frown and smile, looked at Lana, then at his younger brother.
His heart sank. Why did he have a bad feeling?
Stomp, stomp!
From the corner of the hallway, the sound of footsteps suddenly approached.
"Lana!"
Whitney, who had been angry and furious, regretted his actions. Realizing he shouldn't have acted that way, his face tensed as he tried to catch up and win back his girlfriend.
"David, Clark, I'm leaving now."
Lana didn't want to see him at this moment. Her expression changed. She greeted Chloe and Pete again and quickly turned to leave.
Whitney, who had caught up, passed by David. A flicker of awkwardness crossed his face, and he left with a look of shame and anger in his eyes.
David paid no attention to this.
From the corner of a nearby staircase.
A figure coldly watched everything, their gaze like that of some cold-blooded creature, shifting between David and Clark.
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