"Yvette, you’re here."
"..."
The girl named Yvette Grant fell silent for a moment, her gaze shifting back and forth between Lance Blue and her father, Grant.
Meanwhile, Lance Blue was still thinking, So this is Grant’s daughter, Yvette Grant?
She felt a little unapproachable.
Strange... why were her emotions so inconsistent with her facial expression?
Lance Blue looked at Yvette Grant’s wildly excited emotions, then at her expressionless face with his lake-blue eyes.
Is this what a genius is like...?
"Dad!"
Yvette Grant called out, her voice clear and bright.
She quickly descended the last few steps, her gaze landing on Lance Blue before swiftly moving away again as she looked at Grant. "The message you sent earlier said there would be a guest today. So it’s..."
She tried hard to keep her tone steady, but Lance Blue could clearly sense her emotional fluctuations, like the surface of a lake suddenly disturbed by a tossed pebble.
"That’s right. This is Lance Blue—Hero Miracle."
Grant introduced him with a trace of barely perceptible amusement in his voice. "Lance, this is my daughter, Yvette."
Lance Blue nodded. "Hello."
Yvette Grant stopped where she was, clasping her hands behind her back and straightening her spine slightly, as though this were some sort of formal meeting.
There was still little expression on her fair face, but her golden eyes looked earnestly at Lance Blue, carefully examining him—from his distinctive blue hair to his ordinary blue hoodie, before finally settling on the faintly glowing terminal on his wrist.
"Hello," she replied clearly. After a pause, she added, "Hero Miracle."
After saying that, her gaze shifted slightly aside toward the living-room floor, and the tips of her ears seemed to turn faintly red.
Lance Blue sensed the emotions within her becoming even more active. He could even feel certain words echoing through his mind.
"I’m meeting him in person."
"What should I say?"
"He looks a little different from how he did in the reports."
The rapidly flashing thoughts were like a school of fish in the sea, leaving Lance Blue a little overwhelmed.
Are geniuses’ minds really this quick...?
Suddenly, someone coughed.
"Yvette has been preparing for her exams recently. She’s under quite a bit of pressure."
Grant spoke at just the right moment, breaking the somewhat delicate atmosphere. "Lance has only just been discharged from the hospital, and he’s never attended school. He may need to catch up a little in his academic subjects."
"I thought perhaps the two of you could exchange ideas?"
Yvette Grant immediately turned back toward her father, her eyes widening slightly.
"Exchange ideas?"
"Mm."
Grant nodded. "Aren’t you very interested in the theoretical application of hero abilities? Lance’s practical experience may be able to offer you a different perspective."
"And in return, you can help him with foundational theory and academic subjects."
Yvette Grant’s gaze fell on Lance Blue again, lingering this time for a little longer.
"All right." She nodded.
"I can adjust my study schedule. I can set aside time every afternoon from three to five."
"We can do it in the study. It’s quieter there, and the materials are complete."
Having said that, she looked at Lance Blue as though awaiting his confirmation.
Yet the fingers behind her back unconsciously pinched the hem of her clothes.
Lance Blue looked at Grant, then at the white-haired little genius before him, who was clearly feeling quite agitated inside but insisted on putting on a calm and composed front. He suddenly found it a little amusing.
"All right," he agreed. "Sorry to trouble you."
"It’s no trouble," Yvette Grant replied quickly.
Then, as though feeling that sounded too stiff, she added, "We’ll improve together."
The atmosphere became more normal.
A smile appeared on Grant’s face.
"Then you’ve gotten acquainted today. Yvette, why don’t you take Lance to see the study? I’ll go speak to Mrs. Zhang about something."
Yvette Grant nodded and turned toward the stairs. After taking two steps, she stopped, looked back at Lance Blue, and gestured for him to follow.
Lance Blue followed her upstairs.
Several certificates of merit and a city map marked with complicated symbols were displayed on the wall along the staircase.
The second-floor corridor was short, with a door on either side.
Yvette Grant pushed open the door on the left.
The study was not large, but it was arranged with extreme neatness.
One wall was covered by a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf, crammed with thick books and folders, all categorized with labels.
Against the other wall stood a broad desk. Apart from a computer and a desk lamp, it held only several open exercise books and notebooks. There were many books, but no clutter.
The window was open, letting in the afternoon sunlight. The air carried a faint scent of paper and ink.
"Here."
Yvette Grant walked over to the desk and pointed at a chair beside it that looked newly added. "You can sit here."
"If you need any books, you can look for them yourself, or tell me."
After saying that, she went to the bookshelf, skillfully pulled out several volumes of different colors, and carried them over to place before Lance Blue.
Union History, Fundamental Mathematical Logic, Hero Ability Classification and Preliminary Application Theory...
Lance Blue looked at the pile of books, which were clearly far beyond his current level, and fell silent for a moment.
Yvette Grant seemed to notice his hesitation. Standing beside the desk, she explained,
"These are the most basic of the basics."
Her tone was serious, without any hint of condescension. She was merely stating a fact. "If you find them too difficult, we can start with something simpler."
"I have elementary-school textbooks over there."
Lance Blue picked up Union History and flipped through it. It was full of words.
He could not understand the math, and he knew even less about hero theory. History was the only subject he was somewhat interested in.
He closed the book and looked up at Yvette Grant.
"Let’s start with this," he said. "Can I ask you if there’s something I don’t understand?"
Yvette Grant nodded. There was still little expression on her face, but Lance Blue could feel a little more pride in her emotions.
"You can."
She sat down on the other side of the desk and took out her own exercise book and notebook. "Today, we’ll first get a general idea of your progress."
"You can begin with the first chapter. Mark anything you don’t understand, and you can ask me before five o’clock."
After saying that, she lowered her head and began concentrating on her own problems. The tip of her pen made a steady, light scratching sound across the paper.
Sunlight fell over her white hair, casting a faint halo along its edges.
Lance Blue opened his book as well.
Unfamiliar terms and concepts rushed at him, making his head ache a little.
He took a deep breath.
"Five years before the Union, the function of Trust Value was discovered..."
...
The study fell quiet.
There was only the sound of pages turning and pens writing.
Every now and then, Lance Blue would stop to frown in thought, or lift his head to glance at the girl across from him, immersed in her studies.
She solved problems very quickly, scarcely needing to pause. In the sunlight, her profile looked focused and tranquil; only her faintly fluttering eyelashes revealed a trace of liveliness.
...
The light outside the window gradually slanted westward, dyeing the room a warm orange.
Perhaps sensing his gaze, Yvette Grant lifted her head.
"Finished reading?" she asked.
"Uh..." Lance Blue stammered, unable to say anything.
"..."
Yvette Grant was speechless for a moment. She set down her own book, took Lance Blue’s, and opened it to the place he had marked.
"What don’t you understand?"
"Actually, it’s not a matter of what I don’t understand..." Lance Blue pointed to a spot in the book where some writing appeared, but it was not a script he recognized.
"Oh, those are special notes I wrote. Only I can understand them."
"I’ll explain it to you." She leaned closer.
As she explained, she was very close to him.
Lance Blue could smell a scent on her like books and sunlight. He could see her lowered white eyelashes and the focused, earnest look in those golden eyes.
Her emotions were steady and clear, wholly immersed in the act of imparting knowledge.
At that moment, Lance Blue suddenly felt that this genius girl who seemed somewhat hard to approach was, in truth, just a child earnestly trying to do one thing well.
The explanation came to a pause. Yvette Grant straightened and looked out the window.
"It’s about time. We’ll stop here for today. You need time to digest these concepts. We’ll continue tomorrow."
Lance Blue nodded and rolled his somewhat stiff neck.
Yvette Grant looked at him, hesitating for a moment.
Then she suddenly asked, "When you... became a hero, were you afraid?"
The question was somewhat abrupt.
Lance Blue froze for a moment.
"You mean...?"
Yvette Grant immediately looked away, her tone returning to its usual calmness. "I’m just curious."
"You don’t have to say if it’s inconvenient."
Lance Blue could sense the cautious probing hidden beneath that calmness.
In a daze, a great fire suddenly blazed around him, devouring everything nearby.
...
"I was afraid," Lance Blue answered simply.
The room fell quiet for a moment.
"But if I didn’t go, no one could save them."
She was silent for a long time before softly murmuring, "Mm."
"I’m going downstairs," Lance Blue said, standing up.
"All right." Yvette Grant stood as well. "I usually study at home and don’t go to school much. You can find me anytime."
Lance Blue walked to the door and glanced back. Yvette Grant was still standing by the desk, sunlight outlining her slender figure.
She nodded to him, then turned around and began gathering the books on the desk.
As he descended the stairs, Lance Blue heard Mrs. Zhang’s gentle voice coming from the living room, along with Grant’s low replies.
On the rug, Cyan was already lying facedown before a picture book, apparently asleep, one tiny hand still gripping a crayon.
He walked out of the house, and the evening wind blew toward him with a chill.
The terminal on his wrist vibrated softly, displaying a new message from Elliot asking when he would return.
Lance Blue sent back a few messages, then looked up toward the second-floor study window.
The light there was already on, silhouetting a blurred figure.
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