That evening, as Kara looked at the table filled with all kinds of dishes, she hesitated and said,
"Lucas… don't you think you made a bit too much?"
Lucas poked his head out from the kitchen, glanced over, then continued cooking as he replied,
"No. It's still not enough."
"???"
Staring at food that could easily feed ten ordinary people to the point of bursting, three question marks practically appeared above Kara's head.
"It's fine," Elaine explained proactively.
"Both Carrie and Lucas are big eaters, so you don't need to worry."
"So that's how it is…"
Kara finally understood, but then her expression turned concerned.
"Then he has to cover both your living expenses and tuition as well—wouldn't that be very hard on him?"
At this moment, Carrie, who had been staring at the food the entire time, suddenly spoke up.
"My tuition used to be paid by Mom and Dad, but they've gone traveling recently."
Kara was briefly surprised, then hurriedly said,
"I'm sorry, Carrie. I thought only the three of you lived here."
Elaine interjected calmly,
"Actually, you don't need to worry about their livelihood."
She thought for a moment and decided to reveal a little to Kara.
Seeing Kara turn her gaze toward her, Elaine continued,
"With Lucas's abilities, even if their appetites increased tenfold, it still wouldn't be a problem."
"Is that so?" Kara asked softly, curiosity rising.
"Then… what exactly does Lucas do for a living?"
Elaine didn't answer right away. Instead, she picked up her glass and took a light sip of water, clearly trying to build some suspense.
"I know! I know!"
Unexpectedly, Carrie suddenly raised her hand and said in a lowered voice,
"My brother collects protection money from big corporations—even the President has to cooperate with him."
Pfft—
Elaine immediately sprayed out the water she hadn't yet swallowed.
Kara was startled by the scene, then laughed.
"Protection money? Haha, Carrie, that joke is really funny!"
"It's true, Sister Kara!"
Carrie looked anxious and quickly continued,
"I really heard it! Everyone paid my brother protection fees—tens of millions, even hundreds of millions of dollars!"
"I also heard names like Luthor, Stark, Kord, Hammer, Wayne, and Queen! And even the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and President Ellis!"
Kara's smile slowly faded. She looked at Carrie and realized she didn't seem to be joking.
She then turned to Elaine.
"Elaine… is what Carrie said true?"
Elaine glanced toward the kitchen, where Lucas was still cooking, then coughed lightly.
"Well… from a certain perspective, what Carrie said isn't wrong. But the actual situation is…"
As Elaine finished explaining everything, Lucas happened to bring the last dish out of the kitchen.
"What Elaine said is correct. That's basically how it went."
Lucas removed his apron and sat down.
"You're not angry, are you? If you don't like it, I can get the spaceship back and return it to you."
He was telling the truth.
If Kara said the word, he would retrieve the ship without hesitation.
After all, there was more than one alien spaceship on Earth—getting another one wasn't impossible.
Since Kara would find out sooner or later, it was better to tell her now.
However, Kara shook her head with a smile.
"Of course I wouldn't be angry. That ship was your spoils of war to begin with."
Only then did Lucas relax and continue,
"That's good. After all, it's something left behind by Krypton—so you do have the right to ask for it back."
Kara teased,
"Then what if Clark asks you for it?"
Lucas burst out laughing.
"Then he can go stand in line. I'm not that much of a good guy."
"The most troublesome thing about that ship," Lucas added,
"is that its control AI and systems all use Kryptonian script. Cracking it won't be easy. Hopefully those companies' scientists can make progress quickly."
Kara fell silent for a moment, then said,
"Lucas, I can help you break the system of the ship above your house."
"After all, none of you can read Kryptonian."
Lucas froze for a moment, then looked at her seriously.
"Are you sure? That doesn't really benefit you at all."
"I'm sure," Kara said with a gentle smile.
"Being able to help you is enough for me."
"Thank you," Lucas said sincerely.
"No need to thank me."
Kara's smile was beautiful—so beautiful that Lucas felt his heart stir even more.
Carrie quietly leaned over to Elaine and whispered,
"Elaine, can we start eating now?"
Elaine shook her head and continued to sit there with her eyes closed.
Carrie puffed out her cheeks and followed suit, closing her eyes as well.
The sight made both Lucas and Kara laugh.
"Alright, alright," Lucas said with a chuckle.
"You must be starving. Go ahead and eat."
---
After dinner, Lucas and Kara sat together on the grass outside, gazing up at the night sky filled with countless stars.
"Do you think Earth can always remain like this?" Kara suddenly asked.
"I doubt it," Lucas answered honestly.
"Too many forces have already set their sights on Earth. True peace won't be easy."
"Then… how about we work together to create it?" Kara asked suddenly.
Lucas's heart stirred.
Was she suggesting…?
"Are you afraid of trouble?" Kara asked when he didn't answer right away.
Lucas blinked.
"Of course I'm afraid. Afraid people will target you."
"We're not talking about ordinary criminals—these are powerful aliens. I'm worried about your safety."
Hearing that he was worried about her, Kara felt warmth spread through her chest.
Still, she said firmly,
"But I can't ignore it just because it's troublesome. Since we have this power, we should stand up."
Lucas thought for a moment, then replied,
"Alright. If it's aliens trying to invade Earth, or evil beings bent on destroying humanity, I'll step in."
"As for petty criminals, you can handle them however you like—as long as you're happy."
He had no intention of becoming someone who rescued cats stuck in trees.
"Deal! Then let's seal it with a pinky promise!"
Kara happily raised her little finger.
"Oh come on… you still believe in that?"
Lucas said helplessly, but still hooked his finger with hers.
"What should we call this alliance?" Kara asked excitedly.
Lucas suddenly thought of something.
"You're planning to pull Clark into this too, aren't you?"
Kara nodded.
"Of course! Clark is definitely stronger than me—he carries Krypton's ultimate legacy within him!"
Lucas couldn't be bothered with names like the Avengers or the Justice League.
"Alright then," he said casually.
"Let's call ourselves The Guardians."
Kara nodded enthusiastically.
"Deal! The Guardians it is. If I find any members I like, I'll let you know."
"Sounds good," Lucas replied.
Anyone Kara approved of should be reliable enough.
Soon, Kara stood up.
"Well, I have work tomorrow, so I should head back."
Lucas stood as well—but just as Kara was about to leave, he suddenly pulled her back with a firm tug.
Caught off guard, Kara lost her balance and fell straight into his arms.
…
After a long moment, their lips finally parted.
Kara said nothing.
Her face, red as an apple, she flew away into the night sky.
__
T/N:
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