"Uh... heh, of course."
Homelander had been asked exactly the right question. Like a child who'd finally gotten the treasured gift he'd been crying for, he proudly announced to everyone:
"He's my son!"
"Wow!!!"
Host Cameron feigned surprise, exclaiming repeatedly, "This is incredible. I mean, we had no idea Homelander had a child."
"And such an adorable, handsome boy, too."
"Oh my goodness, this is definitely the most shocking interview I've done all year! Homelander, why don't you tell us a little more about him?"
Homelander gazed at Ryan affectionately, then followed the script. "Son, everyone wants to know who you are. Why don't you tell them yourself?"
"Okay."
Ryan nodded lightly and answered, a little timidly.
His nervousness was plain to see. Everyone seeing him for the first time, whether in the audience or watching on television and online, couldn't help wondering:
Homelander's son didn't seem very brave. He looked like a timid kid who got bullied at school.
Could a son like that inherit Homelander's immense power and protect this country?
Was he worthy?
The question had barely arisen when Ryan seemed to gather his courage and speak.
"I-I'm Ryan."
Ryan paid no attention to the scattered murmurs in the studio. At that moment, he was completely immersed in this rare performance.
Ryan knew perfectly well that his real strength had never been the superpowers he could level up. It was the acting skills he'd honed on set in his previous life, and the foundation he had now—his Best Actor System.
That was why he treasured every chance to perform and put his heart into it.
He looked straight past the camera, giving the audience a clear hint, then recited, "I have a daddy..."
"Sorry, I don't know that word!"
Ryan blushed shyly and turned his head, a little embarrassed. "Daddy, c-can I talk without looking at those words?"
"Whoa—"
The studio erupted in an uproar.
The audience could see the teleprompter behind the stage, facing away from them. People were used to it; no one thought there was anything wrong with using one.
So, had there been a mishap on the show?
Without the teleprompter, what would Homelander's son say? Could there be some juicy gossip?
Homelander froze onstage, then hesitantly asked, "You can...?"
Cameron swiftly picked up the conversation with a reassuring smile. "After the show, I'll definitely protest to the production team. Why didn't they consider that we have an eight-year-old with us when they prepared the prompts?"
Cameron tactfully blamed the situation on an oversight by the production team.
Just as she was about to hand the conversation back to Homelander and steer it away from Ryan, preventing him from saying something outrageous and disrupting the planned flow, a directive came through her earpiece.
"Cameron, let the boy speak!"
"Ratings are climbing again, and the internet is going wild. Everyone's waiting for him to talk!"
"Give Ryan the floor!"
The sudden instruction made her pause. She adjusted the words she'd been about to say slightly, then raised a hand and asked, "So, Ryan, what would you like to say?"
"You don't need to look at the prompt. It's just the show's schedule. Go ahead and say whatever you like."
As she finished speaking, the whole studio fell silent.
Homelander had recovered from his initial surprise, but the composed expression he put on was once again marred by a slight frown. He'd heard.
"Thank you, Cameron."
Ryan thanked her politely.
He'd heard the director's instructions in the host's earpiece, too, but didn't show the slightest sign. Everything was going exactly as he'd expected.
What did the American public like?
It certainly wasn't some ordinary superpowered kid who followed the rules and kept his head down. People needed a big moment, something exciting.
So...
Ryan would put on a show for them and tell them exactly what they wanted to hear.
"Actually..."
Ryan's clear, sweet voice echoed through the studio. "A little over a month ago, I didn't know I had a living dad."
A devastating opening blow!
Before anyone could even process it, Ryan continued, "If you ask me why, I don't really understand. Grown-ups' world is just so confusing."
"All I can tell you is that I love my mommy very much, and now I love my daddy very much, too."
He paused, his little face scrunching up. "It's just that they can't be together."
Cameron asked, "Did they have a fight?"
Ryan shook his head and sighed like a little adult. "It wasn't a fight. Some bad thing we don't understand separated them."
"I'm a little sad."
Cameron looked sad, too, and offered comfort. "Ryan, you're a good boy. You can try to help your parents defeat that bad thing."
"I can't. That bad thing is something we can't see."
Ryan spoke innocently, then abruptly changed the subject. "It's okay, though. Mommy is happy, and Daddy is happy, too."
"What about you, Ryan?"
"Hmm..."
He tilted his head in thought, then curled his lips into a smile, a faint glimmer of happiness in his eyes. "I'm happy, too. Mommy and Daddy both love me so much. That's already wonderful."
He swayed from side to side, his tone light and cheerful. "Even if they can't live together, whenever we see each other, everyone's happy. That's enough for me."
"Right, Daddy?"
Before Homelander could answer, warm applause spontaneously rose from the audience.
Ryan's simple happiness and pure, thoughtful nature had touched them. Some of the more sentimental viewers even shed tears of warmth and emotion.
His innocence reached people's hearts through the screen.
Perhaps having a son like Ryan wasn't so bad after all.
"Ryan... my baby..."
Becca wept uncontrollably as she watched her son sitting close beside Homelander on the show. She felt both regret and helplessness.
She regretted giving in to her greed, wanting both her husband and her son by her side instead of maintaining that fragile balance.
Now, she'd lost control of the situation and could do nothing about it.
"Becca, pull yourself together. Ryan's just been fooled by Homelander's fake affection."
Butcher spoke in a low voice. "You heard Hughie on the phone. Starlight has agreed to help us. When the time comes, we'll bring Ryan back."
"Butcher, promise me you'll help me bring Ryan back!"
Butcher nodded firmly.
Becca felt a little reassured, but another thought that had lingered deep in her heart still refused to go away.
Everyone else from The Boys was there, too, apart from Butcher and Becca.
Oh, no—Hughie was on a date, so the only ones there were Mother's Milk—Marvin Milk—Frenchie, and Kimiko, the only other superhuman.
The three of them glanced at one another.
Mother's Milk read the question on Frenchie's lips: Was the kid doing this on purpose?
He nodded, then shook his head.
It meant Ryan might be doing it on purpose, but he wasn't sure. They'd need to keep watching.
Kimiko looked from one to the other, bewildered and confused.
She didn't bother trying to figure it out. She simply turned her gentle gaze back to the television.
The boy's innocent words seemed to ease the grief of her younger brother's death a little. She was starting to like him.
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