On the weekend, by a lake on the outskirts of Metropolis.
Kara was starting to regret believing Jay. She was beginning to feel like this was a traditional "meeting the parents."
Today, she had chosen to appear as Kara Kent, since Supergirl seemed rather out of place at a picnic. When she showed up in a bright shirt and short skirt, wearing those square-framed glasses, Mr. Reynolds's jaw nearly dropped.
"You're... Ms. Grant's assistant?" he asked in astonishment.
"Yes, I'm Kara Kent. It's nice to meet you."
Mr. Reynolds shook her hand blankly, unable to recover from his surprise for a moment. That was understandable. Kara, Ms. Grant's personal assistant, had given everyone the impression of being a clumsy, honest, somewhat silly girl. It was hard to connect her with the image of Supergirl. He carefully looked Kara over again and realized that the only thing making her look foolish was those bulky glasses. Behind the thick lenses were a pair of clear, bright blue eyes.
After studying her for a long while, Mr. Reynolds commented, "You look like a completely different person from her."
"Then it worked." Kara smiled. "Superman once told me I'd be surprised by how effective a pair of glasses could be as a disguise. I didn't really believe him then."
And so, they naturally began chatting. It was a pretty good start. At first, they all seemed a little reserved. Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds had never met a real superhero at such close range, while Kara... well, she had no idea why she was nervous.
But that phase passed quickly. Jay was glad to see that Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds seemed to be having a pleasant conversation with Kara. At first, they asked about her life as Supergirl. They showed great interest in Superman's and the other superheroes' lives outside of being heroes. When they heard the little stories about Superman's upbringing, they were thoroughly astonished.
When Kara mentioned that Superman had come from an unremarkable farm in Kansas, Mrs. Reynolds could not help asking in surprise, "My God, he was a farm boy from Kansas?"
"Smallville. That was the town's name," Kara added. "He invited me to his home before."
Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds looked even more surprised. They exchanged a glance, and then Mr. Reynolds said, "My God, Jane, you and Superman are from the same hometown!"
Mrs. Reynolds immediately looked pleased with herself, seemingly quite proud that her hometown had produced such outstanding people. Mr. Reynolds pondered for a moment and said, "That sounds... quite reasonable, but I suppose none of us ever thought of it that way. Fixed ideas made us all take it for granted that Superman should descend from the sky to help people, and when he wasn't helping people, he was floating behind some cloud in the sky, looking down on the world like a god. But he grew up on Earth, so naturally he should have a life of his own."
Mrs. Reynolds suddenly thought of something and interrupted him. "Right, what about his parents? Are they still around?"
"Yes." Kara nodded. "They've always lived on the farm in Kansas. They're really wonderful people. I often visit them during holidays. They're like the only family I have left."
"Maybe we can go together next time," Jay interjected. "I'd like to meet them too."
"Of course." Kara smiled. "They'll definitely be happy to meet you."
They set up the grill and began preparing lunch. Mrs. Reynolds asked a few more questions about Kent Farm, but before long, her interest shifted to Kara herself—and that was the beginning of Kara's disaster.
Mrs. Reynolds began asking whether Kara had ever had a boyfriend. Kara answered awkwardly that she had, but that had been a while ago. Then she asked about Kara's personal interests. It felt like an interrogation into her family background, making Kara quite uncomfortable.
Seeing that things seemed to be heading in the wrong direction, Jay stepped in at once. "Uh, I think I left some ingredients in the car. Would you mind coming with me to get them?"
As if she had seen a savior, Kara quickly said, "I'll go with you."
The two walked halfway around the lake to the parking area. Jay opened the trunk and began searching through it. To his surprise, he actually found an overlooked tote bag in a corner of the trunk. Kara leaned against the car in frustration and said, "You lied to me. I don't think I can ever trust you again."
Jay spread his hands innocently. "When did I? I said dad just wanted to meet the superhero who saved his life, and that was the truth. I never guaranteed mom wouldn't ask unnecessary questions."
When Kara thought about it, that really was true. So she had misunderstood?
Still, the more she thought about it, the more she felt as though she had been tricked. She gave a petulant snort. "Anyway, I'm angry. You have to make it up to me."
"Fine, fine, I lied. I was wrong." Jay raised his hand with an extremely solemn expression. "Then tell me how you want me to make it up to you."
That stumped Kara again. She had only been complaining casually and had not actually thought about what she wanted. Tilting her head as she considered it, she said, "I haven't decided yet. Can I tell you after I figure it out?"
Their eyes met by accident, and they suddenly realized that they had unconsciously moved a little too close. Jay abruptly felt as though an indescribable magic shone from her azure eyes, firmly capturing his gaze and leaving him unable to escape.
In an instant, the lush green forest and clear lake around them blurred in Jay's vision. Even the blue sky and white clouds faded until they nearly vanished. It seemed as if the entire world contained only the beauty before him. Even the silly glasses perched on Kara's nose suddenly looked adorable.
He did not know what he was thinking at that moment, or perhaps, more likely, he had stopped thinking altogether. He let his superbrain idle temporarily and allowed instinct to guide him as he slowly, boldly moved closer to Kara's delicate face. She kept those beautiful eyes open and showed no intention of avoiding him. For a brief moment, Jay felt his senses break free beyond his control. He could clearly hear Kara's gentle breathing growing faster and heavier. He could hear her heartbeat quickening in her chest, as though it were setting a thrilling rhythm. Oh, and his own heartbeat too—it was likewise slipping out of control and losing its balance.
They were closer than ever. The two shadows cast across the grass by the sunlight had merged into one. Jay could smell her uniquely fragrant breath and found himself unconsciously drawn toward her lively emerald eyes.
But at the very moment when something seemed about to happen, an out-of-place sound pierced through the layers of bushes and reached both their sharp ears. They sprang apart, seeing a trace of embarrassment in each other's eyes, then tacitly turned their attention toward the bushes that had made the noise.
What happened next was completely beyond anything one might expect at a family picnic. Neither of them could have imagined that a woman would suddenly stumble out from the rustling bushes by the tranquil lakeside. She wore what looked like a factory worker's uniform, with incongruously long black rubber boots on her feet. Her steps were unsteady, her face pale, and her eyes hovered between consciousness and unconsciousness, as though she might collapse at any moment.
Crawling out of those bushes seemed to have exhausted all the strength she had left. She dropped helplessly to her knees, and the two hurried forward to support her before she could fall.
Jay felt that she looked somewhat familiar. Perhaps they had met somewhere before.
But Kara cried out in disbelief, "Lois!?"
Jay instantly remembered where he had seen this woman before—on a photograph mounted in an elegant frame on the wall of The Daily Planet. She was Lois Lane, The Daily Planet's legendary reporter.
She was the heroine of Superman's story.
Before you continue