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*****
X Academy.
Principal Charles?
Charles—as in his Charles?
Clark's thoughts froze for a moment. He stared intently at the news broadcast, and when he saw that familiar face, he instinctively scratched his head.
Yep, it was that kid.
Even though he now wore a gentle expression, looking every bit the refined scholar—calm, reliable, and polished—it was still that same mischievous, dramatic troublemaker from his own family.
Principal of X Academy, a school for mutants? What was going on?
And what about Erik?
What the hell had happened? Why was he completely in the dark?
No—he had to call his father and find out what was going on.
Just then, his food was brought to the table.
Clark paused for a moment, deciding to eat first and make the call afterward.
He devoured his meal at nearly lightning speed, then paid the bill, asked the owner for directions to a nearby inn, and left the restaurant.
An hour later, Clark had checked into a small inn. After taking a long hot shower, he stretched out comfortably on the bed. Only then did he pull out the phone he hadn't used in a long time and dialed a familiar number.
The call connected...
Clark: "Dad!"
Voice on the other end: "Hello?"
It was a young, unfamiliar voice.
Clark blinked, confused. Had he dialed the wrong number? He quickly checked the screen.
Nope. That was definitely his dad's number.
Clark: "Who are you?"
He couldn't help but ask.
Voice: "I'm Gwen. Who are you looking for?"
Clark: "I'm looking for Mike. Mike Kent!"
Gwen: "Looking for Dad?" Gwen sounded a bit puzzled. Then she turned and shouted toward the kitchen, "Daddy, someone's looking for you!"
Mike (in the distance): "Who is it?"
Clark heard his father's voice, but his expression turned completely blank.
Wait—what did she just say?
Dad?
Mike, who had been busy cooking in the kitchen, walked out quickly and took the phone.
Seeing the familiar number on the screen, he raised an eyebrow—and a smile tugged at his lips.
Mike: "Clark."
Clark: "Dad!"
Hearing that familiar voice, Clark burst out, unable to hold back, "What the hell is going on?"
Mike: "What do you mean, what's going on?"
Mike frowned slightly.
This kid never could speak in a straight line.
Clark: "Who answered the phone just now?"
Mike: "Your sister."
Clark: "…"
Clark froze. "Since when do I have a sister?"
Had he forgotten something? Had too many years passed?
He glanced at the date—no, he hadn't messed that up.
Then suddenly, a realization flashed across his face.
Could it be...
Was this some long-forgotten romantic entanglement from his dad's past?
Did someone show up years later with a child?
And now suddenly—wife, kid, happy home?
Hiss—
Clark sucked in a sharp breath.
That would be... actually kind of amazing!
Mike: "What nonsense are you imagining now? Gwen's a child I adopted."
Mike, who knew Clark all too well, immediately recognized that sharp intake of breath. That boy had clearly gone off the rails in his imagination again.
Clark: "Ahem."
Clark cleared his throat and said, "Oh, so that's what happened."
He nodded, then suddenly asked, "When did this happen? How come I didn't know about it?"
"It was during the time we couldn't get in touch with you."
Clark slapped his forehead. "So everything with Charles happened during the time you couldn't reach me too?"
"Yeah."
"What exactly happened? And what about Erik?"
Mike paused, then filled Clark in on what had happened with both of them.
After hearing everything, Clark fell silent.
Doing something for the mutant community?
That's... a pretty noble goal.
A smile appeared on his face. He was genuinely happy that his two younger brothers had found their paths in life.
"And what about you? When are you coming home?" Mike asked.
Clark thought for a moment, then replied, "This is the last area I need to cover. After this, I'll be heading back. Shouldn't take much longer."
"Good." Mike nodded. "Alright, I won't keep you. I need to go make dinner for Gwen."
Before Clark could respond, Mike hung up the call.
Clark froze for a second, then muttered, "Better wrap things up soon and head home…"
He was starting to feel disconnected from his own family.
…
"Daddy, who was that on the phone just now?" Gwen asked curiously. She had liked the voice she heard on the other end and couldn't help but ask.
"That was your brother."
"Brother?" Gwen blinked. "You mean Charles?"
"No, the other one."
Mike reached out and patted her on the head. "That was Clark. He hasn't been home in a long time. But once he's back, you're going to love him."
"Oh!" Gwen's eyes lit up with excitement.
Clark had to be better than Charles. At least he probably wouldn't steal her candy.
"Alright now, read your book while I make something tasty."
"Okay!"
Gwen nodded happily.
The Evolution of Life – Children's Edition.
Mike's eyebrow twitched when he glanced at the book Gwen had beside her.
This little girl didn't like literature or music, but instead had a strong interest in biology, chemistry, and physics...
Still, she needed to pick up some kind of hobby.
Piano, dancing, singing, painting—any of those would be fine.
But he'd have to ask Gwen what she preferred and let her choose for herself.
With that thought in mind, Mike headed into the kitchen.
There were a lot of dishes to prepare.
More than enough for just two people.
He couldn't help but wonder what kind of expressions Charles and Erik would make when they saw him show up tonight.
He was looking forward to it.
Half an hour later, Mike had finished preparing dinner and stored several dishes inside a dimensional pocket.
After dinner, he watched Gwen wash up and go to bed. Once she was fast asleep, he returned to his room.
Finally—he could head out.
"Wait a minute…"
Mike paused and looked toward Gwen's room, rubbing his chin with concern. "What if a thief shows up while I'm gone?"
Hmm…
After a moment of thought, he dug into his card inventory, pulled out a Barrier Card, and activated it to secure the house.
Only then did he take out a Long-Range Teleportation Card.
The card dissolved into glowing particles, and Mike vanished from his home, reappearing in Charles's office.
Sure enough, Charles was still there.
The moment Mike appeared, Charles sensed it. His telepathic powers instinctively flared up—but when he saw it was Mike, he paused in surprise and then smiled.
His psychic scan swept the area out of habit, and after confirming nothing was amiss, he quickly stood up.
"Dad? What are you doing here this late?" Charles asked, trying to hide how tired he looked.
Mike gave him a concerned look. "Don't overwork yourself. Staying up too late leads to hair loss."
Charles's smile froze on his face.
"By the way, you know where Erik is, right?"
"Yeah." Charles nodded, then asked curiously, "Why? Are you looking for him?"
"I made some late-night snacks. Thought the three of us could eat together."
"Late-night snacks?" Charles lit up, then hesitated. "Maybe we should just eat here. What if we get discovered…"
Earlier today, he had just—
"We won't. We're eating at home."
Mike chuckled and held up several cards, waving them in front of Charles. "We'll just teleport."
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(End of Chapter)