American comic book: My Father is Superman, am I just an NPC?

Chapter 8. Little brother! You need to be more restrained!
On the second-floor corridor late at night.

A faint sound of water flowing could be heard coming from the water pipe.

Jordan Kent, with his messy curly hair, carefully dried the "treasured artifact" he had just cleaned in his hands—his nightly adolescence toy.

After carefully applying dry powder to the Noble Phantasm and taking care of it, Jordan put it away in the box and quietly opened the bathroom door as if afraid of waking the other family members.

however.

The moment the door opened a crack, he was so startled he almost activated his Superman bloodline on the spot.

"Fuck-!"

Jordan instinctively gasped in surprise.

A thin figure stood silently outside the door, hunched over, with a sallow complexion and sunken eyes, looking as listless as if a sorcerer had drained all his energy.

If Jordan hadn't reacted quickly and recognized his brother standing outside the door, he would have almost smashed his "treasured treasure" right in the other person's face.

"Ian?"

Jordan swallowed hard, still somewhat shaken.

Ian slowly raised his head, his eyes unfocused.

"Um, I need to use the restroom." He spoke weakly, as if he might collapse and start over at any moment.

"What's wrong with you? Are you sick?"

Jordan had a strange expression as he hid his Noble Phantasm in his pocket while looking Ian up and down. He was still more concerned about his youngest brother.

"It's nothing, I'm just completely drained."

Ian's reply carried a hint of frustration. They say one has to be ruthless enough, and he had truly gone too far. He hadn't expected the [Self-Healing Frenzy] skill to consume so much of his physical strength.

He was recovering from his injuries, but his body's energy reserves were being depleted. Ian was so hungry that he could barely stand up straight, and he looked listless and emaciated.

"Forehead……"

Jordan clearly misunderstood Ian's meaning.

His expression was quite interesting.

Ultimately, it ended in an awkward situation of "I understand, but I shouldn't understand."

"..."

The atmosphere in the air felt slightly frozen.

"Uh...then...you go wash up first?" Jordan chuckled awkwardly, easing the tense atmosphere, and then stepped out of the bathroom to make room for him.

"Ok."

Ian shuffled into the bathroom, and just as he was about to close the door, Jordan suddenly reached out and blocked the door, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.

“Um… Ian.” He chose his words carefully, speaking with difficulty as if he were a mentor for the first time, “I… I know you may have unlocked the door to some new worlds.”

"But... as a person, especially as a man, you have to know how to be moderate. If you don't cherish your body now, you'll regret it later!" Jordan's voice was earnest.

He truly couldn't believe those words would come out of his own mouth. But there was nothing he could do; Ian's appearance was too terrifying, and the young older brother couldn't fathom how many times his little brother had slept in the bedroom.

It is clear.

Jordan was judging others by his own standards.

There were some misunderstandings between the two brothers.

"..."

Ian opened his mouth, wanting to explain, but didn't know what to say. In the end, he could only nod resignedly, force a smile, and slowly close the bathroom door.

Soon, the sound of running water coming from the toilet could be heard.

Ian was cleaning the knives he used to "get stronger," but in his older brother Jordan's mind, Ian was probably cleaning "tools" like his own used to train certain muscles.

"Ian is so precocious." Even a kid like Jordan couldn't help but exclaim. He clutched the treasure hidden in his pocket and planned to go back to his dorm to play a few more games.

but.

Just as Jordan reached the top of the stairs, he bumped into his father, Clark, who was coming upstairs. The father and son exchanged a glance, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward again.

Good evening, Jordan.

Clark, still wearing a wrinkled suit, was the first to break the silence.

"Ah."

Jordan nodded stiffly as a greeting, then turned to go back to his room. He was arguably the child in the entire family with the most strained relationship with Clark.

"and many more."

Clark called out to Jordan.

"Ian is in the bathroom?"

He looked toward the toilet that was making the noise.

Jordan paused, nodded, and acknowledged his father's question. Clark, however, had no time to try and change Jordan's somewhat distant attitude.

"Has something wrong with him lately?" Clark was most concerned about Ian's mental health these days. The way Ian had been self-harming in his room while laughing in a weird way had really worried him.

really.

Living too close to Gotham means you'll be influenced by that awful place—or maybe it's just my imagination, Clark always felt that Ian's behavior had a bit of a Gotham madman vibe.

This was completely contrary to Ian's usual image as a well-behaved, obedient child who only focused on his studies. Given this situation, Clark naturally had to consider the mental illness that Dr. Hannibal had mentioned.

Could it be... that Ian has really gone into a state of schizophrenia? Clark's expression became even more serious as he thought about this, and he tried to get some information from Jordan.

only.

"Is something wrong with Ian?"

Jordan's mind flashed back to Ian's face, which was "overindulgent," and his shocking statement that his "body was hollowed out." He hesitated for a moment but ultimately chose to keep his brother's "unspeakable secret" a secret.

In other words, it's a private matter that you can't tell your parents.

"What could be wrong with him? He gets good grades, teachers love him, girls wish they could fall into his arms ten times a day, and even those troublemakers who like to fight rely on him to sell 'exam practice questions' before exams... I dare say, even Jonathan wasn't as popular as him when he was in high school."

Jordan's tone was slightly sour. Was it jealousy? Maybe a little, but it was mostly envy, since he didn't have many friends due to social anxiety.

“Yes, Ian is practically a model student, perfect… but he’s too perfect, which is a bit worrying.” Clark mainly felt that Ian might be under pressure because of this.

but.

To Jordan, who was going through a rebellious phase, it sounded like his father, who was often away from home, was just making trouble for no reason.

“If there are any flaws, you have to lecture them; if there are no flaws, you're still not satisfied… Ha, parents these days.” Jordan rolled his eyes, bypassed his “nitpicky” father, and went straight back to his dormitory.

"Snapped!"

Jordan slammed the door shut very loudly.

It was as if she was venting her dissatisfaction with her father.

Clark sighed helplessly, withdrew his gaze from Jordan, looked at the closed bathroom door, hesitated for a moment, and then his eyes narrowed slightly.

next moment.

The superhero's expression suddenly became one of surprise and uncertainty.

His pupils flickered.

It was as if I had witnessed something unbelievable.

New author, new book! Requesting recommendation votes, monthly tickets, collections, and continued reading. If the results are decent, I'll write at least 10,000 words daily after release, with ten chapters on the first day!
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(End of this chapter)