Kara didn't know much about Gotham.
She only knew Arkham Asylum had a huge reputation, housing many mentally unstable metahumans. It was both a prison and a hospital, and someone with Ian's mental state should probably check in for a few days.
"Huh? Auntie has connections with Arkham Asylum?" Ian frowned, suspecting Kara wanted to boost her stats by admitting him and then collect kickbacks from Batman in Gotham.
"I just want you to be normal!" Kara felt Ian's suspicious gaze and smacked her own forehead, her expression very complex.
"I am normal. And law-abiding. I bet at least eighty percent of Americans aren't as respectful of the law as I am." Ian's voice brimmed with confident certainty.
He knew he was telling the truth.
"Hold on, you 'appropriated' a criminal's car, then sold that car through illegal channels to a gang member... You do realize that's also a crime, right?"
Kara's voice jumped an octave, her expression one of utter disbelief at Ian's confidence. Honestly, even given a hundred years, she doubted she could have conceived of such a sequence of actions.
Violating multiple laws consecutively.
And then... no one actually profiting?
What was the point of that?!
"I didn't rob the car. I just drove the robber's car away. How is that not a form of emergency avoidance?" Ian channeled an aura of pure, clueless innocence, blinking like a pure white flower.
"It's still a crime!"
Kara sighed helplessly.
"Oh, so that counts as a crime... Well, hey, I'm just a kid, what do I know?" Ian scratched his head (which wasn't itchy) and then flashed a sunny-boy smile.
That expression made Kara want to punch him.
"Looking at you now, I'd say you clearly knew your actions were wrong!" While sometimes naive herself, Kara could still tell Ian was blatantly not being truthful.
Faced with his aunt's blunt exposure,
Ian just spread his hands, his smile growing even sunnier.
"Relax, a jury wouldn't see it that way. Besides..." He pulled out the crumpled doctor's note again and waved it. "...I have this."
It truly was the ultimate trump card.
The confident boy believed no mental asylum in Metropolis could hold him.
"You... you..."
Kara flushed bright red.
She couldn't find the words to respond for a long moment.
Damn it!
Why was Clark raising a kid like this?
Could it be...
That she didn't actually understand Clark's true personality? Ian had rendered her speechless so many times that she was starting to question Clark's basic decency.
For a kid to turn out like this,
Kara couldn't believe Clark had zero responsibility.
"Just... come inside..."
Kara didn't want to argue about this anymore. To avoid a Kryptonian high blood pressure crisis, she decided to pretend she'd never heard this story from her newly found naughty nephew.
Click~
Kara opened her apartment door and stepped inside. Warm white light flooded the space as Ian followed, greeted by the faint scent of lavender laundry detergent.
It was a typical studio apartment layout. As an assistant secretary, Kara's salary wasn't high, and being able to afford this place was a decent financial situation.
The open kitchen counter gleamed spotlessly; two upside-down mugs sat beside a stainless steel kettle. Two pots of pothos sat on the windowsill, their leaves gently swaying in the breeze from the balcony outside.
The entire living room was small but meticulously tidy. A grey blanket was neatly folded on a beige fabric sofa. A few minimalist landscape prints hung on the walls. On the TV stand sat a small photo frame—Kara in casual clothes, flashing a peace sign in front of some scenic landmark.
The sofa itself was slightly messy, and the coffee table held a remote control and a few fashion magazines.
Of course.
In the blink of an eye before this one,
Ian had distinctly seen items of intimate items like bra and panties on the coffee table. But in the very next blink, they had vanished. All that remained was his young aunt suddenly giving him an awkward smile.
"..." Ian felt ruthlessly insulted by his relative. This Kryptonian had just bullied his high IQ with super-speed and then pretended he wouldn't notice.
"Auntie still likes pink lions, huh?"
Ian's visual processing speed was much faster than a normal human's. So, even though Kara had moved at lightning speed, he could still vividly recall what he'd seen in that single, frozen "frame" of his blink.
"I have no idea what you're talking about!"
Kara's denial was transparent.
She tried to frown in confusion, but under Ian's silent, knowing gaze, her eyes visibly betrayed her guilt. She resorted to looking pointedly towards the windowsill instead.
"Disney merchandise does sell well, that's true. It gives me ideas... I should sell merch too after my novel blows up." Ian mused thoughtfully, as if discovering a new way to make money.
"You write novels?"
Kara looked at Ian with genuine surprise.
She'd never met a fourteen or fifteen-year-old who dreamed of being an author and actually pursued it. Regardless of the quality, Kara felt such a hobby deserved encouragement.
"Yeah. It's about my Superman father." Ian answered honestly, telling the truth but not necessarily the whole truth.
"Your father lets you write stories about him?" Kara sounded genuinely shocked. She knew all too well how thoroughly Clark separated his Superman life from his ordinary one.
"It's a self-therapy method recommended by my psychiatrist. I think Dad's pretty supportive of my writing. He's gotten quite flushed in the face with excitement several times after reading my drafts."
Ian employed the ancient tactic of clever misdirection.
And the trusting Kara swallowed it whole.
"Well, sounds like you're writing something pretty interesting then."
She even grew curious about Ian's novel.
"Definitely. Please be sure to buy a few copies when it comes out, Auntie. I actually submitted it to a publisher on the way here today. I have zero doubts it'll get published and be a huge hit."
Ian spoke with brimming confidence.
"No problem."
Kara agreed without a second thought.
Not only that.
"You know, if you haven't finished writing it yet, you could even add me in... Of course, don't write about my real identity or anything like that."
"Just write about the interactions between Supergirl and Superman." She even volunteered herself, hoping for a cameo role in Ian's novel.
Honestly,
What a great aunt.
Willing to sacrifice for Ian's literary career. Ian greatly appreciated his aunt's ability to recognize talent. However, after a moment's consideration, he decided to decline her kind offer.
"That might not be a good idea."
Ian sighed with a touch of regret.
"Huh? You think Supergirl isn't famous enough compared to your father? Worried she won't attract readers?" Kara flopped onto the sofa, her voice thick with dissatisfaction.
"No, that's not it."
Ian shook his head.
"It's just that... my story's style is rather unique. So... including you, Auntie, might raise some ethical concerns. I'm afraid it wouldn't pass censorship, and that would slow down my money-making."
He gave his answer with earnest sincerity, his body radiating a genuine sense of disappointment.
"?????"
Kara heard this.
First, she froze.
Then, as if struck by lightning, her eyes nearly bulged out of her head.
No!
Super-brain!
Do NOT engage! Do NOT think about anything! The brave Supergirl found herself not only afraid to speak but even terrified to think anything.
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