[Charm +10], [Skin Quality +5] …
In the library, Mike absorbed the glowing orbs Karen had left behind. After straightening his clothes, he was ready to head out.
Then his eyes landed on Little Sheldon, who was sitting there with a troubled look on his face.
"Something bothering you, Sheldon?" Mike walked over and asked.
After spending so much time together, Mike already thought of the Cooper family as his own.
To him, Little Sheldon wasn't just a great source of stat boosts—he was also a kid brother who needed looking after.
Little Sheldon looked up at Mike and asked seriously, "Do you want to eat my lunch?"
"No, I already ate," Mike said, shaking his head.
"Oh. Then never mind," Little Sheldon replied like a tiny adult, carefully packing up his food and getting ready to leave.
Off to the side, Dan had been staring at Mike with pure admiration ever since he showed up.
"Do I have something on my face?" Mike asked with a grin.
Dan had originally wanted to snoop into Mike's private life, but once Mike looked straight at him, he suddenly felt nervous for no reason. After his eyes darted around a few times, Dan finally worked up the courage and pointed near his own ear.
"Y-you've got a lipstick mark right there…"
"Really? Thanks," Mike said calmly. He grabbed a napkin from in front of Little Sheldon and wiped behind his ear.
Then he left the library together with Sheldon, who was already packed up.
Dan poked at his curry rice, watching Mike leave with envy.
---
During afternoon study hall, Mike sat next to Lina again like nothing had happened.
Over the hour, Lina kept sneaking glances at Mike's handsome profile and made a firm decision in her heart:
I'll be the one to protect this handsome face!
Later, during outdoor training, with Sam no longer causing trouble, Mike's physical training went smoothly.
After a full day of school, Mike took a refreshing shower and walked off campus with Georgie.
Suddenly, Georgie nudged him. "Look over there—it's Katie…"
Mike turned his head. Sure enough, it was Katie.
She was walking alone, lagging far behind. When she noticed Mike looking at her, she turned her face away.
Georgie brightened up and was just about to wave her over—
When a pink convertible pulled up right in front of Mike.
Inside sat three gorgeous blonde girls.
The flashy car and beautiful girls completely hijacked Georgie's attention, leaving his mind blank for a moment.
Regina held the steering wheel with one hand and leaned over flirtatiously.
"What a coincidence. We meet again. Want a ride?"
She stared straight at Mike and casually flipped her hair.
Mike looked past her and noticed Karen winking playfully at him.
"Sure," Mike said. He waved goodbye to Georgie and hopped into the convertible without hesitation.
Laughter rang out as the car sped off, leaving behind a cloud of exhaust.
Georgie was left standing there, full of envy.
Then it hit him—Katie was nearby. She must've seen all of that.
Worry crept in.
In his heart, he still thought Mike and Katie were the perfect match.
But when he turned around, planning to explain things on his friend's behalf, he realized Katie—who had been just behind them—was already gone.
"Whatever… why am I stressing about this?" Georgie shook his head and headed home alone.
A guy who'd never even held a girl's hand really didn't need to be worrying about Mike's love life.
Behind a utility pole, Katie finally stepped out after the convertible had been gone for a while.
She didn't even know why she'd hidden from Mike.
But seeing how glamorous Regina looked only strengthened her resolve to take back the title of Queen Bee.
And in a corner no one noticed, another girl had also seen Mike get into the sports car.
…
---
The wind blew through Regina's hair, sending her blonde locks fluttering like ribbons.
Confident as ever, Regina asked, "So, how's the joyride?"
Mike grabbed the mischievous hand messing with him from behind.
"Not bad."
"Heh~" Regina chuckled softly, convinced she had him wrapped around her finger.
"So, where do you want to go? I can drop you off."
"Hm…" Mike thought about Little Sheldon's condition at lunch.
"Do you know where there's a comic book store? You can drop me off there."
Mike knew that if no one intervened, Little Sheldon's "food aversion" could last a long time.
And if he wanted Sheldon to start eating solid food again, it would take something special.
Luckily, Mike knew that superhero stories in comic books gave Sheldon courage.
"You're sure you want to go to a comic book store?" Regina glanced at Mike doubtfully.
There was a hint of disdain in her eyes. To a Queen Bee like her, only hardcore nerds liked those tacky comics.
"Yes. I'm sure," Mike nodded.
With a roar of the engine, the pink convertible stopped in front of the town's comic shop.
After dropping Mike off, the car sped away like the wind.
Mike waved away the dust kicked up by the car and stepped into the comic shop, curiosity written all over his face.
After browsing for a while, he picked out two suitable superhero comics and left.
---
At dinnertime, Mike brought his "little gift" and went to the Cooper house with Meemaw Connie.
As expected, the Cooper family was worried sick about Little Sheldon not eating.
Seeing his completely untouched lunch, Mary anxiously wondered if she should take Sheldon to see a therapist.
"Don't make such a big deal out of it," George said, watching Mary fuss over him. "Let him go hungry for a couple days. He'll eat."
"Sheldon's still so young! How can he not eat? You don't care about this family at all!" Mary snapped, heart aching for her youngest.
As the two adults started arguing again over Sheldon, Georgie and Missy could only watch helplessly.
Little Sheldon stood between his parents, looking completely lost.
"What's going on here?" Meemaw Connie asked as soon as she walked in, sensing the tension.
She leaned down and whispered to Missy and Georgie.
"It's because Sheldon won't eat," Missy said, clearly unhappy with how much attention her parents were giving him.
Because of Sheldon's incredibly high IQ, Mary was especially proud of him—and naturally gave him extra care.
Compared to that, the other two kids often got unintentionally overlooked.
Not just Mary—even Meemaw sometimes focused more on Sheldon.
Looking at the two kids' expressions, Meemaw smiled.
"Want some ice cream? Grandma will take you to get some later. This time, we're not bringing Sheldon."
"Really?" Missy lit up.
Without realizing it, what she wanted probably wasn't ice cream—but attention.
Sixteen-year-old Georgie felt the same way.
After calming the two kids, Meemaw walked over to the table.
She didn't bother stopping Mary and George's argument. Instead, she grabbed the blender and dumped Sheldon's uneaten lunch into it.
Before long, a cup of blended sandwich-and-hot-dog smoothie was placed in front of Sheldon.
Sheldon was only afraid of food getting stuck in his throat again. He didn't resist liquid food.
Watching the little guy drink the special meal, Meemaw clapped her hands confidently.
Problem solved.
Mary finally stopped scolding George.
Taking advantage of the moment, Mike placed the comic books he'd prepared in front of Sheldon.
Then the family started dinner.
Having already finished his liquid meal, Sheldon soon noticed the comics.
While everyone else ate, he sank into the world of heroes.
In the comics, every hero had to endure countless hardships before succeeding, overcoming their own weaknesses along the way.
That was what made them heroes.
Imagining himself as a superhero, Sheldon began reflecting on himself.
In the end, he realized that if he wanted to be a hero, he had to overcome his fear of eating solid food.
After a fierce inner battle, his dream of being a hero defeated his fear.
Under everyone's stunned gazes, Little Sheldon grabbed a sauce-covered sausage with his bare hand, stuffed it into his mouth, and started chewing with all his might.
"Sheldon! What are you doing?!" Mary cried out.
"From now on, please call me The Chewing Hero," Sheldon said, still basking in his heroic revelation, a smug smile spreading across his face.
"He's definitely lost it…" Missy muttered, then immediately changed her tone and asked Mike,
"Hey, want to go get ice cream with me later?"
[Intelligence +1]
Mike collected the glowing orb that popped out of Little Sheldon and replied with a smile,
"Of course. I'll treat you to strawberry ice cream."