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After sleeping for about three hours, Kevin woke up at 8 AM to the sound of his alarm clock reminding him to go to work.
Although he only slept for a few hours, Kevin didn't feel tired at all.
He had to admit that a Supe physique was truly amazing; if Kevin had such a physique in his previous life, he wouldn't have to worry about being late for work after staying up all night playing games.
Coming out of the bedroom, Kevin saw Kimiko sleeping soundly on the sofa.
And... Starlight busy making breakfast in the kitchen.
"You're up so early?"
Seeing Starlight busy in the kitchen, Kevin asked in surprise.
Starlight replied casually, "I didn't sleep at all. Could you hand me that plate over there?"
Kevin handed the plate to Starlight, watching her place the toasted bread and fried eggs inside, then looked at Kimiko sleeping on the sofa.
Noticing Kevin's gaze, Starlight knew what he was going to ask and explained, "While you were sleeping, I talked to her again, told her about her current situation, and warned her not to go out casually. I'll figure out a way for her to go back, and then I let her out."
Starlight said, placing the prepared breakfast on the table, "We can't keep her in a cage forever; that would be too much."
"But she can't stay at my place forever either!"
Kevin frowned upon hearing this.
He had originally thought of finding an opportunity to send Kimiko to The Seven, letting them handle this trouble for him.
But looking at Starlight, it seemed she wanted Kimiko to live at his house for a long time?
"Otherwise?"
Starlight said, "My mom occasionally visits me at my apartment in New York. If she sees Kimiko, how am I supposed to explain it?"
"Have you ever considered how I'm supposed to explain it if my friends come over and see Kimiko?"
"You have friends...?"
"?"
I @#@#¥...
Kevin had a vulgar word on the tip of his tongue, unsure whether to say it or not.
He had seen hurtful things, but never anything this hurtful!
Before transmigration, Kevin did have a few friends, but after transmigration, with his interpersonal relationships as The Deep, forget friends, he didn't even have colleagues he was slightly close to!
He did have a bunch of fish friends, like dolphins at the aquarium, squids in the sea...
But these things couldn't possibly visit Kevin's house!
Kevin felt that Starlight was doing it on purpose; his expression immediately turned very unfriendly, staring at Starlight for a long time without speaking.
"Uh... sorry, ahem... try the breakfast I made, although it's just simple bread and meat..."
Starlight knew she had probably hit a sore spot for Kevin and awkwardly tried to change the subject.
Kevin rolled his eyes, not bothering to argue with her, and sat at the dining table, continuing, "In short, she can't stay here long-term."
"I know. I'll find a way for her to go back before then, except for illegal immigration."
Illegal immigration wasn't entirely out of the question, but thinking that Kimiko was kidnapped and brought here precisely because of illegal immigration, Starlight felt that this path was too dangerous.
Kimiko couldn't speak, nor could she speak English, making communication very inconvenient. If the illegal immigrants had malicious intentions, even if Kimiko had superpowers, she would likely be in danger.
But speaking of that...
Starlight recalled her conversation with Kimiko before she fell asleep, and her expression suddenly became solemn: "The Deep, there's something I want to tell you."
"Kevin."
"Hmm?"
"My name is Kevin. You can just call me by my name in private from now on."
Given that Starlight made him breakfast and he didn't have to go out for fast food, Kevin didn't mind getting a little closer to Starlight.
Starlight blinked at Kevin, her lips curving slightly upward, and continued, "Okay, Kevin, there's something I want to tell you."
"Go on."
"Yesterday, I talked to Kimiko. She told me that her abilities aren't innate. Someone injected her with a blue serum, and she only gained her abilities after the injection."
Starlight paused here: "...So I think someone is experimenting on humans with a serum that can give people superpowers. We should..."
Kevin sighed inwardly, put down his fork, and interrupted seriously, "Annie, we shouldn't get involved in this."
Starlight froze, looking at Kevin with a somewhat bewildered expression:
"Why? Aren't we Superheroes?"
"We've never been Superheroes. We're just celebrities under Vought. So listen to me, if you want to stay in The Seven, forget about this matter."
Kevin earnestly advised Starlight.
The Compound V issue runs very deep. If they delve into it, not only Starlight but Kevin himself will be in danger.
Although Starlight in the original story did exactly that, that was the grown-up Starlight, not this little girl who still held hope for everything.
Kevin liked this beautiful quality in Starlight; being with good people made him feel happy and he didn't have to be on guard.
Moreover, since they were now considered friends, Kevin was willing to advise her and make her stop the investigation.
But... if Starlight gave up so easily, she wouldn't be Starlight.
"Kevin, someone is using a special... a special serum to create Supes! Kimiko is just one of them. If the people creating Supes continue to create new ones, and some of these Supes are criminals, then..."
"Then it will be handled by us 'Superheroes,' handled by Homelander."
"So why don't we solve this problem at its source?"
Starlight didn't understand; she simply couldn't comprehend what Kevin was thinking.
A terrible thing was about to happen, and they had the ability to find its source, yet Kevin didn't want to nip it in the bud, but instead let it continue to develop?
What kind of Superhero was that!
Kevin and Starlight looked at each other. Starlight's gaze was firm, not shifting in the slightest. She stared directly at Kevin, hoping to get an answer from him.
Kevin was the first to look away, his gaze dropping to the plate where only one bite of breakfast remained. He silently ate the last bit, then put down his fork:
"Are you sure you want to get involved in this?"
"I'm sure!"
Starlight answered without hesitation.
Kevin gazed at her deeply, pondering for a moment before saying, "Very well, then remember this: from now on, only you and I know about this. No matter how you investigate, you cannot reveal this to anyone."
"Not even Homelander?"
"Heh, Homelander?"
Kevin almost laughed at Starlight's foolish question. He didn't directly speak ill of Homelander but said, "If you're on good terms with Maeve, you can go ask Maeve what kind of person Homelander is. You don't need to listen to her answer; you just need to observe her reaction, and you'll know the answer you're looking for."
Hearing Kevin say this, Starlight vaguely understood something:
"Is Homelander also... an asshole, like Translucent?"
Calling Homelander an asshole was even a bit of an overstatement; he was more of an asshole than an asshole.
However, no amount of words would be as effective as Starlight seeing for herself. Once Starlight asked Maeve and confirmed Maeve's attitude towards Homelander, she would be able to guess what kind of person Homelander was.
Starlight was naive, yes, but she wasn't stupid.
"In short, that's how things are temporarily settled. Also, you'd best find a way to prepare a separate safe house for her; my place isn't a safe location."
Indeed, no one came to Kevin's house, but sometimes Vought would come to his house to film documentaries to reinforce his public image.
Kimiko staying there also carried the risk of being discovered.
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