"Are you in love with Louise?"
Eric asked Clark directly.
"Louise?"
Hearing Eric say that name, Clark also looked surprised.
He couldn't understand why Eric would associate him with Louise.
Although he had a good impression of Louise, he hadn't thought of her as a potential girlfriend.
In other words, he wasn't interested in Louise.
Louise, who would become his soulmate in the future, was just a compatible friend to the current Clark.
"It's not Louise, then?"
Eric asked him, slightly astonished.
"No, of course not. I don't have any romantic feelings for Louise, and I always feel she's overly neurotic. Do you know what Louise told me a few days ago?"
Clark said to Eric, "She said she's been dreaming lately about a guy in red underwear flying around in the sky."
"Hmm."
Eric nodded. "It seems you two have some kind of mutual attraction."
"Eric, the main point I'm talking about right now isn't Louise, but Alicia Baker."
A slight smile appeared on Clark's lips. "We met in a broken elevator. The elevator malfunctioned, trapping us inside for an hour. We talked a lot and found we had many similarities."
As soon as Clark talked about this girl, his words were full of joy.
"Later, the elevator lost control and fell directly from a tall building. To protect her, I accidentally exposed my abilities."
Clark said something that surprised Eric.
Not noticing Eric's expression, Clark continued, "But when I finally supported the elevator, I found that Alicia, who was originally trapped in the elevator, was gone. In fact, Alicia isn't an ordinary person either!"
"She has the ability to teleport, and she doesn't hide her abilities from me at all. We found that we are both the kind of people who painstakingly guard their secrets from being discovered."
"We have similar destinies."
Clark said with a slightly excited tone.
"Destiny?"
Eric exhaled and looked at Clark.
"Perhaps you should figure out the difference between love and shared suffering, Clark."
Clark explained to Eric, a little embarrassed, "Sorry, my words just now might have been a bit exaggerated. I don't doubt that I'll fall in love with her; I just think she's a very good girl."
As Clark was speaking, a blonde girl suddenly walked from the other end of the corridor.
The tall girl's eyes immediately lit up when she saw Clark.
"Hey, Clark, what a coincidence! I didn't expect to see you here."
The girl with a sweet smile immediately walked over to greet Clark.
"Hey, Alicia!"
Clark heard the girl's voice and immediately turned his head to greet her.
"I came to visit a friend of mine. I didn't expect you to be here too."
The girl greeted Clark gracefully, a surprised expression on her face.
"My father is hospitalized, so I'm here taking care of him."
Clark said to the girl.
"Eric, this is Alicia."
Clark introduced her to Eric.
He hadn't expected that they had just been discussing Alicia, and then she suddenly appeared before them.
"Hello!"
Alicia smiled and extended her hand to Eric.
After scanning her body, Eric extended his hand and shook Alicia's.
Just as he was about to say something, his phone suddenly rang.
After nodding slightly to them, Eric left the two of them.
"Bart, I thought a fast guy like you would never use a slow, boring communication tool like a phone."
The one calling him was Bart, the Flash.
"Normally, I'd use my speed instead of a phone for socializing, but when I can't pinpoint the location of the target I'm looking for, I use tools like a phone."
Bart said to Eric, "Jenna and I have made time to investigate that guy called 'Avenging Angel' tonight. Does this count as the Justice Society's first mission?"
"No, because you're not Justice Society members yet."
Eric turned around and looked at Clark, who was chatting happily with Alicia.
"If you find anything, contact me directly. You don't know the depths, and Jenna's abilities are insufficient. Neither of you are guys who inspire complete confidence."
Hearing Eric's evaluation of himself and Jenna, Bart looked dejected.
"I didn't expect you to think of me that way, Eric. From what you're saying, I sound like a very reckless guy, but I'm actually a very careful person. I once helped you uncover the secret of Devourer of Heaven."
Eric ignored his statement and said, "If you were careful enough, you wouldn't have almost gotten your leg broken. Don't shift the topic to a discussion of your intelligence. Once you find any information about 'Avenging Angel,' tell me directly!"
After hanging up the phone, Eric watched Clark and Alicia laughing and walking towards the other end of the corridor together.
Had Clark temporarily stopped his feelings for Lana and started to develop an interest in another girl not named "Louise," to the point of starting his first relationship?
He hoped him good luck!
Eric shook his head and walked towards Jonathan's ward.
The next day.
After being discharged from the ward, Betty walked towards the activity room of Metropolis University.
Following the address on the flyer, she easily found the Eric Kent Fan Club's activity room.
"Hi!"
Betty greeted the girls in the activity room.
The girls gathered around a round table turned their heads and looked at her.
Several girls wearing black Batman masks, with strange glints in their eyes, looked at her.
Seeing the Batman masks that had appeared in the sorority dormitory again, Betty almost screamed in fright.
"You look a little scared!"
Seeing Betty, who was full of terror and retreating, one of the girls wearing a Batman mask took off her mask.
Hanna, the president of the Eric Kent Fan Club, who was half Chinese, said to Betty, "If you're scared by this kind of mask, I'm sorry, this place might not be suitable for you!"
"I..."
Betty took a deep breath and readjusted her emotions.
As someone who inherently advocated logic and behavioral analysis, she easily guessed that these girls in front of her were imitating Eric's die-hard fans by wearing masks, and they should all be freshmen.
"I want to join the Eric Kent Fan Club."
Betty stated her purpose.
"Uh-huh, it doesn't quite look like it, because you're acting very calm right now. If you were a loyal fan of Kent, you wouldn't be so rational upon entering this room!"
Hanna said, looking at the wall.
Betty followed Hanna's gaze and found that all the paintings hanging on the wall were portraits of Eric.
"My idol is Agatha Christie, so I can view things around me with a rational eye."
"Is that so?"
Hanna took a step closer to Betty, stared into her eyes, and said, "You don't seem to be a completely rational person!"
She then turned around, casually grabbed a piece of paper, and handed it to her. "This is a basic test. If you can pass it, it means you're not a bored woman just looking for fun!"
Taking the test paper from Hanna, Betty felt a very strange sensation inside.
Why did it suddenly feel like chasing a star required proving herself to be a seasoned fan?
However, Betty, who came prepared, quickly finished filling out the test paper.
She felt that if this were an exam, she would get a perfect score.
"Not bad, but you still need to go further. Swear allegiance to Kent's 'Representative of Evil Will'."
"Representative of Evil Will?"
Betty didn't know what she was talking about.
When Hanna took out Eric's illustration about cthulhu, Betty was immediately stunned.
This was the "Representative of Evil Will"?
Although it looked evil, how was it connected to a representative of will?
Are you guys, these chuunibyou crazy fans, really okay?
Although she really wanted to complain, in the end, for the sake of her great undercover mission, she could only swear to Eric's artwork.
After passing the initial application, further assessment was still required.
But Betty's current task was over.
Hanna told her to go back and wait for notification.
After leaving the activity room, Betty didn't leave immediately. Instead, she stood outside the activity room, wanting to eavesdrop on what mysterious things these crazy fans of Eric Kent were discussing.
With a hint of curiosity in her eyes, she pressed her ear against the outside of the activity room, careful not to make a sound.
"It was Lex's actions that caused Eric's father to suffer a sudden heart attack."
Hanna spoke with extreme resentment, "The endless and bottomless attacks on political opponents are the culprits that caused everything to happen. No matter what, we must avenge Eric!"
"Making Lex pay the price is what we must do now!"
As soon as Hanna finished speaking, the remaining girls immediately nodded in agreement.
All of them were core members of the fan club, not only Eric's book fans but also morbidly attentive to Eric's every move.
"Killing him is the best way to avenge Jonathan Kent!"
A girl wearing an Owl mask, with coldness in her eerie eyes, said as she pulled a dagger from her embrace!
"No matter what happens, we must not betray our oath!"
The girl holding the dagger lightly cut her wrist with it, and a gush of fresh blood emerged.
"If anyone tries to betray our oath, then let her pay with blood!"
"Phew!"
Betty, who was eavesdropping outside the door, was immediately terrified when she heard the crazy actions the girls inside were discussing.
Note:
Happy Lunar New Year 2026!
First of all, I want to express my sincere gratitude to all of you for always being by my side and supporting me throughout this journey.
To ensure the quality of upcoming stories, I've decided to take a week off during the Lunar New Year (February 15th to 22nd) to rest and spend time with my family.
I will return on February 23rd, 2026. During this break, I will prepare many new chapters to post regularly upon my return. So please look forward to it!
Wishing you a warm, joyful, and wonderful holiday season!