章節 15: Worried Clark

The sky was as blue as velvet, with bright sunshine illuminating the campus while a soothing spring breeze rustled the cherry blossom branches.

Cherry blossom petals danced in the air, creating a beautiful display of colors. Students bustled around, their arms laden with books, gathering in small groups to chat.

David and his companions strolled through the school, with Clark by his side wearing a worried expression. He occasionally glanced at David, concerned about his younger brother.

Just as parents are always afraid that their children will learn bad things, As an older brother, Clark felt responsible for guiding David and ensuring he didn't lose his innate kindness or succumb to darkness, especially considering David possessed extraordinary powers.

Clark had pondered this question the previous night, contemplating how to steer David away from the brink of becoming arrogant and bad morally.

"Choosing to beat people into a vegetative state without any remorse or guilt is no longer a normal moral inclination," Clark thought to himself.

He felt that David's thoughts and understanding of the world were teetering dangerously close to the edge of a cliff. Taking one more step would lead to moral corruption and an arbitrary sense of superiority over others which may lead him to do bad things.

David, however, was at a loss for words when he realized Clark's concern and his eager attempt to act as his life mentor.

[Worry from Clark +6, +5, +7...]

However, since yesterday, Clark has been showering him with emotional points, and it seems that he has been thinking about him since yesterday.

"At this speed, I may soon be able to complete the complete integration and start the next template."

"At this rate, I might soon achieve complete integration and move on to the next template," David thought, pleasantly surprised by the unexpected progress.

He wondered what the next template held in store. Would it be weaker, comparable to the Thanos template, or even stronger?

As they entered the school building, Pete couldn't help but whisper narcissistically, "Why is everyone staring at us?"

The students in the corridor occasionally cast curious and surprised glances at their group.

"Have they finally realized that being short doesn't hinder my charm?" Pete chuckled.

"Forget it, Pete," Chloe replied, raising her head from her newspaper. "They're clearly looking at Clark and David, particularly David."

She also wondered why so many people were paying attention to the two.

Although David lacked Clark's super hearing, his heightened senses didn't make it difficult to grasp the cause of the commotion through snippets of whispered conversations.

"As the locals often say, in Smallville, a town that is not much bigger than a bottle cap, something will spread quickly."

For instance, someone witnessed a group of high school jocks attempting to bully Clark, only to be swiftly dealt with by David.

A look of helplessness flashed across Clark's face. He overheard the rumors too.

The older brother was helpless and was pushed to the ground and bullied. The younger brother rescued him effortlessly teaching the bullies a lesson.

"Lana seems to be headed our way, Clark," Pete nudged his good friend. "Better wipe that frown off your face."

Pete's gesture was so obvious Seeing Lana, with her beautiful and gentle appearance and black hair, approaching at the end of the corridor, Clark cleared his throat, cursed silently, and discreetly straightened his posture.

Lana looked sad, likely from a fight with her boyfriend, and likely hurried over to apologize to Clark, so her voice was soft and hoarse after crying.

"I'm sorry, Clark. I didn't realize Whitney would be so foolish as to harass you only based on a few words from me."

Upon hearing the rumors circulating on campus, Lana immediately confronted Whitney, hoping for a denial. However, her boyfriend, who was ashamed, angrily admitted to confronting Clark because of Lana's different attitude towards Clark.

"I'm actually fine, Lana," Clark reassured her with a smile. "Don't blame Whitney."

I can't accept that he lied to me. It's evident that he went after you willingly and lost the necklace I gave him," Lana said, her sadness deepening. "But he told me that someone at the bar provoked him while he was intoxicated. I think I need to reconsider my relationship with Whitney."

Looking at Lana's sad and mournful expression Clark, who had never encountered such a situation before, scratched the back of his head, flustered and didn't know how to comfort her, he just kept talking back and forth and made excuses to tell Lana not to cry.

"I ran into Whitney at the bar, maybe he was drunk and acted so irrationally."

Clark, do you want to hear what you're saying? As long as the mood of the person you have a crush on improves, you excuse your rival?

David shook his head secretly, feeling that he was hopeless.

Even without kryptonite, it was impossible for Clark to get together with the cheerleader according to his current personality.

"David."

Clark winked at David, reminding him to return the meteorite necklace to Lana as promised.

If the necklace that was lost is recovered, maybe Lana could stop being sad.

"David, I'm sorry."

Thinking of something, Lana wiped away her tears, turned her head, and said seriously to David.

"Because of me, Whitney also caused you trouble."

"It's alright," David calmly replied, not considering it a burden. He retrieved the necklace from his pocket and handed it to Lana. "This is your necklace. Clark found it that day and asked me to keep it safe."

Clark had wanted to give Lana the necklace himself. However, he believed it would be best if David handed it over, as he feared another clumsy accident that would lead to embarrassment

"My necklace."

After receiving the necklace, Lana had a surprise in her eyes and a smile on her tear-stained face.

"Thank you, David...and Clark."

Lana seemed to have misunderstood something. If Clark had found the necklace, why didn't he return it to her personally?

Lana thought that David was intentionally trying to set her up with his brother, Clark.

Upon handing over the necklace, David maintained a reserved attitude, unlike others on campus. He glanced at Lana and then discreetly shifted his gaze, leaving space for Clark to engage in conversation with her.

For some reason, Lana found herself stealing glances at David more frequently.

Like Clark, he didn't actively participate in sports. She occasionally spotted him sitting alone in a corner of the campus, engrossed in a book. He was tall but didn't have any visible muscles, how had he managed to defeat Whitney and his teammates?

Clark, who had been closely observing Lana, then shifted his gaze towards his brother. An unsettling premonition gripped his heart.

"Lana!"

Whitney, filled with anger and regret, realized his mistake, and raced after her, desperate to salvage their relationship.

"David, Clark, I'm going ahead," Lana said, her expression changing. She bid farewell to Chloe and Pete and hurriedly departed, not wanting to encounter Whitney at that moment.

Whitney, as he rushed past, cast an unnatural glance at David, his eyes filled with shame and anger.

David paid little attention to his reaction.

In a secluded corner near the staircase, a figure observed everything with detached indifference. Its eyes flickered between David and Clark, akin to those of a cold-blooded creature.