[Third person POV]
Superman returned to the school grounds, flying in at high speed before landing discreetly behind a cluster of trees. His movements were so swift and precise that not a single person noticed his re-entry. With nothing urgent demanding his attention, Clark decided to check on Lala. She had been lingering in his thoughts ever since his conversation with her father just now. He couldn't shake the curiosity about how her tour was going.
Walking across campus, he eventually made his way toward the baseball field. His enhanced senses quickly picked up her voice along with another familiar one—Haruna's. He zeroed in on their location and calmly approached, his curiosity piqued when he noticed they were speaking with someone else. As he got closer, he saw the two girls standing with Motemitsu, the ace pitcher of the school's baseball team.
Just as Clark stepped within earshot, Motemitsu suddenly blurted out, full of bravado, "Have a match with me! If you can't hit my next pitch… then you'll have to be my girlfriend!!"
His words echoed through the field, drawing cheers and whistles from the surrounding baseball team members.
"As expected of Motemitsu-senpai! So bold!"
"He's already making a move on her! That's our senpai for you!"
Clark's eyes twitched slightly at the corners. He wasn't entirely sure why the scene bothered him so much, but watching someone flirt so openly with Lala triggered something uncomfortable inside him. His jaw tightened.
Suddenly, a shadow fell over Motemitsu. The confident pitcher paused, blinking in confusion. "Eh? Why is it suddenly so dark? Is it gonna rain…?"
He turned—and froze.
Standing behind him was Clark, towering like a mountain. His sharp, cold gaze bore into Motemitsu with an intensity that felt almost physical. The air grew heavy, and the confident smirk on Motemitsu's face slowly melted into uncertainty.
"Clark!" both Lala and Haruna exclaimed in surprise.
Clark didn't acknowledge them right away. His eyes remained locked on the trembling pitcher. "What do you think you're doing?" he asked, his voice quiet but firm—leaving no room for evasion.
Murmurs spread through the team.
"Whoa, this guy's huge… Is he a third year?"
"Nah, those two first-years seem to know him. He's probably a first-year too."
"Wait, wasn't there a rumor that the new transfer student was engaged? Could that be him?"
"Motemitsu-senpai's got guts. Asking out someone who's already taken? Mad respect!"
Motemitsu shook off the tension and tried to stand tall, puffing out his chest as he turned to Clark. He forced a cocky grin, doing his best to ignore the weight of Clark's presence. "What does it look like? I'm asking her to be my girlfriend."
A small tick formed on Clark's forehead. His lips curled in slight annoyance. "Are you now?" he replied, voice flat.
Haruna glanced nervously between the two boys, worried things might escalate. "Lala, please say something before Clark—" But her words trailed off as she turned and noticed Lala with her hands pressed against her cheeks, swaying slightly with a lovestruck expression.
"He's… jealous… Hehehe~" Lala giggled softly, her cheeks flushed a deep pink.
Haruna face-palmed and sighed. "Unbelievable…"
Then, with the boldness of someone who didn't quite understand when to stop, Motemitsu spoke again. "How about this? We'll have a contest! Whoever wins gets to have her—!"
Clark immediately stepped forward, cutting him off with a glare. "Let me stop you right there."
His voice was firmer now, his tone laced with disapproval. "First of all, Lala isn't a prize to be won. She's not some object we can stake a claim on. She's a person perfectly able to make her own decisions. The fact that you think you can gamble over her like she's a trophy is pathetic, and you should honestly be ashamed of yourself."
The field went dead silent.
Everyone turned toward Lala again. Haruna noticed her looking down, her hands clutching the fabric of her skirt. A cloud of steam seemed to rise from the top of her head as her entire face turned red.
"Wow… Clark is such a gentleman…" came a tiny voice from her head—Peke, disguised as her hairclip.
Haruna gave a wry smile. She understood Lala's reaction all too well. If she were the one Clark had defended so fiercely, she doubted she would've handled it any better. In fact, just imagining it made her own heart beat a little faster and her cheeks feel slightly warm.
"T-That wasn't what I meant!" Motemitsu stammered, his face now a deep shade of red—not from boldness, but sheer embarrassment. "Of course I know she's her own person!"
Clark didn't blink. His eyes narrowed, and the shadows cast by his thick dark hair made his gaze even more intense, almost predatory. "No—but it is what you implied," he said coolly. "And I don't need to prove anything to you with some meaningless contest."
His voice dropped an octave, low and dangerous. "Know your place… or I will remind you."
Motemitsu stood frozen, trembling slightly. The weight of Clark's words—and his piercing stare—settled like cold iron on his chest. He couldn't move. Couldn't breathe.
Without offering so much as a second glance, Clark scoffed and turned away. "Lala," he said over his shoulder, voice casual yet laced with steel, "if creeps like these ever bother you again, you have my permission to beat them up."
Lala raised a hand and gave him a bashful thumbs up, a smirk tugging at her lips. Haruna, meanwhile, looked horrified.
"Wha—No! Lala, don't! You'll get in trouble!" she protested, waving her hands frantically. "Don't listen to Clark!"
Lala only chuckled in response, clearly not taking either of them too seriously. Clark walked a few steps before pausing and glancing back.
"Oh, right," he added, as if remembering something trivial. "I almost forgot. I spoke to your father earlier. He sends his greetings."
"What!?" Lala shouted in surprise. "You talked to ny father!?"
Before she could bombard him with questions, Clark simply ran a hand through his hair in frustration, letting out an irritated grunt as he clicked his tongue and kept walking. His pace picked up slightly, his shoulders tense.
'What the hell was that back there?' he thought, annoyed. 'Why did I act like that? That's not like me...'
He clenched his jaw, trying to reason with himself.
'I must still be irritated from talking to her father. Yeah. That's gotta be it.'
He shook his head, mentally brushing it off. As he continued walking through the school corridor, a familiar voice called out to him.
"Clark! There you are!" Lois Lane jogged up to him, a wide grin on her face. "I was looking all over for you!"
"Huh?" Clark raised an eyebrow.
"I came back to tell you something before I left," she explained, "but when I returned to the rooftop—you were gone. You disappeared out of thin air!"
Clark inwardly groaned. 'Damn it…'
"I, uh… went to the bathroom," he replied with a strained, half-hearted smile.
Lois squinted at him, unconvinced. "You didn't even pass me. How did you leave?"
Clark shrugged and answered with a straight face, "I jumped off."
"Huh?" Lois blinked. "Clark, the rooftop is six stories up."
"Yeah," he said flatly. "I didn't want to deal with seeing you again. So I figured jumping off and killing myself was a better option. Unfortunately, I survived."
Lois's eye twitched as she stared at him. "So you're saying… to avoid talking to me, your best option was suicide?"
"Yup," Clark answered with a casual pop of his lips.
"Okay—first of all, rude," Lois said, arms crossed. "Second, don't joke about suicide. It's not something to be flippant about."
Before Clark could offer a retort or apologize, Lois pulled something from her bag and shoved it into his chest. "Anyway. I wanted to show you this."
Clark took the paper and glanced at it. It was a club registration form—and already filled out.
With Lala's signature.
His brows shot up. "Huh? How did you even get this?"
Lois grinned proudly, her hands on her hips. "Oh, that? Easy. I told her you were already a member, and she agreed to sign."
Clark stared at her, stunned. "So you lied to her."
"No, no, no!" Lois waved her finger. "I didn't lie. I just… omitted the fact that you aren't currently a member. You will be eventually. So technically, I wasn't lying. I was just… future-proofing the truth."
Clark scoffed, rubbing his temples. "The lengths you go to for this stupid club are starting to genuinely worry me…"
"It's not a stupid club!" Lois pouted, stomping her foot. "It's a legacy I have to uphold! And I'll do whatever it takes to make sure that legacy survives!"
********************************************
Read More advance Chapters on: patreon.com/Shadow_D_Monarch3