It had been more than a year since the two friends last met.

Their reunion was a warm one, and they chatted for a long while.

Seeing that it was about time, Luke had Carol play with Dawn in the backyard.

He and Lorna sat on the back porch. On the table were biscuits and coffee which Carol had just made.

Luke poured coffee for himself and Lorna before he asked, “Have you thought it through?”

After Lorna and Marcos split up, Luke told her to think about what to do next, and had suggested two paths for her.

Lorna had said that she wanted to think about it, and Luke had said that he would wait until they got here.

He usually didn’t stay long – it was only because he wanted to pay Carol a visit that he hadn’t left immediately.

Luke returned to Shackelford every now and then, but he didn’t want Big Dipper to appear at the same time.

Carol was very concerned about her savior, Big Dipper, and had mentioned several times that she would treat him to a taste of her cooking when he had the time.

It was killing two birds with one stone for the three of them to have dinner together.

Drinking his coffee leisurely, he didn’t rush the uncertain Lorna.

She was already 21, and was the mother of a three-year-old. It was normal for her to be more worried.

On the way here, she had been anxious and couldn’t make up her mind.

Luke didn’t use his mental abilities to influence her.

A person who was forcibly hypnotized could easily turn around and stab him in the back.

Unless their names were bright red in the system, Luke just went with the flow.

Lorna watched Dawn, who was playing in the backyard. After a long while, she said uncertainly, “I still want to grow up with Dawn, so…”

Luke hummed and waved his hand to cut her off.

He wasn’t in a hurry to ask anything of her. It was good enough to know what her thoughts were.

“Okay,” said Luke. “But you have to at least meet the minimum requirements for your studies in the future.”

Lorna: “Huh?”

Thinking about the study courses which covered all sorts of things, she was a little scared.

Luke took a sip of his coffee. “This isn’t revenge.”

Lorna pursed her lips and looked angry but didn’t dare say anything. This was clearly saying that she was uneducated!

Since he had the time, Luke didn’t mind explaining it clearly. “If you choose to join us, you’ll have to do well in your studies, and even excel in some subjects.”

He glanced at her with a faint smile. “So, you’re right to choose not to join us. This indeed isn’t something just anyone can do.”

Lorna’s mouth dropped open. “Are you kidding?”

She wasn’t interested in studying, but she remembered the list of courses very clearly.

There were so many courses – how could someone do well or even be outstanding in all of them?

More importantly, this was just the basic requirement for joining the Bat Squad. Were all the members of the team monsters? Hm… they did seem unusual!

Lorna suddenly felt better. Why compare herself with a bunch of extraordinary monsters?

Sensing her emotions, Luke chuckled. “They didn’t know everything when they joined, but they worked hard to improve themselves. At most, they learned less if they didn’t like it. They’re not lazy.”

Frustrated, Lorna lowered her head. Wasn’t he saying that she was lazy?

Luke said, “They are still working hard, even in their thirties or forties. Are you going to give up when you’re only in your early twenties?”

Lorna was lost for words.

Luke snorted. “You’re just getting by because nobody is minding you.”

Lorna kept her head down and rubbed her toes on the wooden floor, like a weak student who had been asked to stay back by a teacher.

But Luke’s goal wasn’t to beat her down, so he changed the topic. “In the future, I’ll find a private tutor to start teaching you middle school subjects. You can take your time studying. When the time comes, you can contact a suitable university. As a person, you should study more so that your mind isn’t blank.”

Lorna turned around in shock. “What? I have to study?”

Luke looked at her disdainfully again. “Of course! Are you going to be illiterate forever?”

Lorna opened her mouth and moved her mouth several times, but couldn’t say anything.

She couldn’t say, “Yes, I like being illiterate!”

Luke continued to talk reason. “You love Dawn, right?”

Lorna subconsciously nodded.

Luke said, “You’re willing to provide her with the best, and you definitely won’t stop her from going to college in the future, right?”

Lorna nodded again.

Luke said, “In another decade or so, when Dawn goes to college, will the both of you have nothing in common to talk about then?”

Lorna was stumped.

How much in common could a college student have with someone like her, who hadn’t even gone to high school?

There would be a huge difference in their way of thinking; it was hard to have anything in common.

Even ignoring the communication barrier that might be caused by age, Lorna hadn’t even gone to high school. If her daughter encountered a problem at school, how was she supposed to help her? Throw all the students, parents, and teachers into the sky?

If that happened, it would be strange if the mother and daughter could still communicate smoothly after that.

Luke wasn’t lying.

In his previous life, he had been able to communicate with his nephew and niece because he lurked online for a long time, and knew all the behavior and lingo of the younger generation.

Most of the time, his nephew and niece’s parents could only exhort them to study or work hard, and take care of their health.

Under this constant nagging, the children weren’t willing to share their thoughts, and their parents didn’t know what their children were thinking.

Lorna clearly didn’t want that.

Listening to Luke’s warning (con), she finally felt a sense of urgency.

It wasn’t like she expected her daughter to be as close to her once she grew up, but it couldn’t be to the point of having nothing to say to each other!

Sensing her emotions, Luke knew that this was enough.

If he pressed further, Lorna would be utterly crushed, and it would take a lot of effort to lift her up again.

If it wasn’t for the fact that Lorna’s ability was a huge cheat and she had the potential to become an important trump card, he wouldn’t have bothered to say so much.

At that point, Luke simply got up and left to chat with Carol, leaving Lorna alone to think.

In early April, Dawn’s cheerful shrieks of laughter rang out amidst the backyard greenery on a Texan afternoon.

Lorna sat on the porch in a daze as she watched Dawn pull Big Dipper along to play. The little girl wasn’t afraid of his poker face at all.

It seemed that her daughter was closer to him than to her. Was this the charm of education? Lorna was at a loss.

If Luke knew what she was thinking, he wouldn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

How could education compare with a superpower? He could use Mental Communication to convey friendly feelings to Dawn, and the little girl would naturally approach him.

This had nothing to do with his poker face at all!

That night, the little girl went to bed early, and Carol and Lorna saw Luke off.

Looking at the reluctant Carol and the complicated expression in Lorna’s eyes, he hugged Carol with a smile. “Don’t let yourself suffer too much. You’ve already done very well.”

Carol blushed and nodded silently.

Luke looked at Lorna again.

The arrogant young mother looked away.

He hugged her and patted her head. “You’re not a kid anymore. You should work hard for yourself and Dawn.”

Lorna’s eyes were a little hot, and she could only lower her eyes to hide them.

She heard a deep, stern voice. “Don’t slack off anymore! I’ll be watching you.”