SUP Chapter 31: Panicked! I Won't Say Who!

Ian would attend class today.

Mostly because he needed to find a backup plan here. Yes, the boy he had met in the cafeteria before, Ian had recalled last night who he was.

Sam Winchester.

A character comparable to Homelander or Hannibal, an interloper in this world.

He likely came from an old American TV show called Supernatural, with over ten seasons of plot that could be summed up easily: Sam and his older brother Dean started by hunting ghosts, then moved on to slaying demons after encountering them, followed by angels after demons, and when angels weren’t enough, they ended up taking down God himself.

Maybe the brothers in this world weren’t that ferocious, but Ian was certain their family held the knowledge he needed, the ultimate answer to preventing his father’s death at its source.

“If you’re running a fever, I suggest taking some cold medicine,” Sam said, snapping out of his shock, his gaze toward Ian filled with a strange look, as if staring at a lunatic.

The overly young Winchester clearly hadn’t built up his courage yet.

“I’m genuinely asking for help,” Ian said.

He glanced at a girl nearby, chatting and laughing with her friends. “If you help me find the method I want, I’ll tell you how to get what you want.”

He had come prepared.

A true top student never takes a test unprepared.

“I… I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Sam stammered, his eyes suddenly darting away, his face flushing red to his ears, a true teenage blush far more genuine than any confession.

“You’re smart enough to know what I mean, and… you should also know what I can do,” Ian said, trying to mimic the big-shot negotiation tactic from TV shows, wielding both carrot and stick.

The cup he was shaking held Coca-Cola, and his smiling lips still had traces of sweet-and-sour ketchup, hardly exuding the aura of a big shot.

Sam wasn’t that old either and was indeed shaken.

“You! You can’t do that!” he said, slamming the table in a panic, fire in his eyes, knuckles white, though he looked more flustered than intimidating.

“Why not? This is the land of the free, America,” Ian said, tilting his head, intending to express that he, too, had the right to pursue the girl Sam liked.

“My dad’s a man! You can’t accuse him of molesting you! The cops won’t believe you!” Sam’s thought process was clearly more unhinged than Ian’s.

“…”

Ian was stunned by Sam’s wild imagination.

After a long pause.

“Not a bad idea, worth a try,” Ian said, giving a thumbs-up to Sam’s “suggestion,” realizing he wasn’t cut out to be a threatening villain.

“Damn it! You’re too despicable!”

Sam, hearing this, grew even more panicked, defeated by his own suggestion. “I’ll go look into it for you! Don’t drag my family into this!”

“They’re innocent!” For some reason, Sam’s reaction was intense. He stormed off angrily, leaving Ian, who felt the situation had spiraled far beyond his predictions, still sitting there.

Gulp~

Ian took a sip of his Coke.

He finally understood why Sam couldn’t win over the girl he liked.

“We’re both family-first heroes, why so hasty to turn on each other… such a strong reaction, this guy’s definitely a fellow nutcase,” Ian muttered, shaking his Coke cup while taking a bite of tomato-smothered pork tenderloin.

He let out a heartfelt sigh.

Then he forked the untouched chicken drumstick from Sam’s abandoned tray onto his own.

Food is innocent.

…

The afternoon classes were as dull as ever, with the teacher droning on. Ian, slumped over his desk, tilted his head, fiddling with the pendant Madison gave him while staring at her nonstop.

“What’s up?”

Feeling uneasy under his gaze, Madison blocked Ian’s eyes with her textbook.

“You’re not seriously thinking about dating me, are you?” Madison’s tone was skeptical. She felt Ian was acting weirder today than ever before.

“You can’t even make a million a year, don’t have 36D, aren’t genuinely devoted to me, won’t cling to me relentlessly, or buy me a Lamborghini. Why would you think I want to date you?” Ian’s tone was genuinely puzzled. He’d been furious earlier after his leveling practice was interrupted, but now, full and satisfied, his mood had stabilized.

“?????”

Madison was stunned by his words. Seeing Ian wasn’t joking, she paused, her expression odd, then gave him a heartfelt thumbs-up of admiration.

So, when a man decides to be shameless, women really have no chance.

“Can we act normal? What are you staring at me for?” Madison sighed helplessly, feeling like a rookie in front of Ian.

“I’m just wondering if you’re an awakening superhero and I’m the ordinary NPC in your origin story, forced to suffer heavy losses,” Ian said, gazing at his character panel with a sigh.

Indeed, running into a carefree Lucifer, then buying a mysterious pendant from a street vendor on the way back, these events didn’t seem like things a normal person would encounter.

“Jade Wave Girl, no, Wonder Nanny… damn it, I clearly have a knack for writing!” Ian tried to come up with a title for Madison but struggled to find a good one.

Healing all ailments with a single touch, should she be called Touchy Lady? Self-Touch Girl? For nearly the entire class, Ian felt exhausted that his talent wasn’t fully shining. Facing Ian’s harassment, Madison stayed silent all morning, while Ian spent the morning speculating about her situation.

“First, I don’t have superpowers. Second, my dream is to be a Hollywood star, not to fly around in spandex. In your fantasy story, I’m flying like Superman, right?” Madison denied Ian’s guesses while showing an odd competitive streak.

“Being a star and a superhero aren’t mutually exclusive. Funny enough, my dream is to be a big capitalist, opening a company that sends superheroes to fight for justice and make me money.”

“Come work for my company, you can be both a star and a hero… a triple win for us,” Ian teased, though he was actually considering whether to create a comic based on The Boys. Since returning from the nightmare world, he’d been thinking about how to activate the [Dormant Occupation] from Homelander.

“Open a company that commands superheroes?” Madison found it hard to imagine such a niche dream, but she had to admit it was very much a capitalist’s mindset.

“And why a triple win?”

Madison’s curiosity was piqued.

“Because you win once, I win twice, and together that’s three wins,” Ian replied flawlessly, his confidence silencing Madison once again.

“Oh, by the way, how about Wonder Girl for your title?” Ian perked up, trying again to name Madison, only to get her eerie response.

“You’re so blatantly copying, have you asked Wonder Woman if she agrees?” Madison seemed to have been drawn in, actually considering copyright issues.

“It’s not like I can’t ask her.”

“You’re killing me. If you know Wonder Woman, then I’m Superman’s fling!”

“Uh, that’s actually not okay.”

The two whispered, engaged in heated discussion.

Since their voices were low and didn’t disturb others, the teacher, as usual, pretended not to notice. Just as the bell for the end of class was about to ring…

Ding~

The bell started.

Then abruptly stopped.

Ian noticed everything around him freeze, just like last night, the world splashing with makeup remover, rapidly losing color.

To this, Ian wasn’t surprised, instead letting out a quiet sigh of relief. The Metropolis Gambling God had struck again, letting him confirm one more thing from last night’s odd events.

If he didn’t panic.

Someone else would.

[NEXT CHAPTER]