The two boys' crying sounded like they were competing with each other, their wails rising and falling in turn.
Soren was starting to feel overwhelmed.
He was still trying to comfort little Eddie in his arms, but now the blond-haired boy, Garcia, who had caused the accident, was crying even louder than Eddie.
With a sigh, Soren took the ice pack from Billy and quickly said, "You go calm down Garcia."
Billy reluctantly stepped forward.
He was still a kid himself, so he didn't really know how to handle a crying child.
He awkwardly crouched down and clumsily dabbed Garcia's tears with a napkin, "Stop crying… we know you didn't mean it…"
"Waah waah waah!! I made Eddie fall down! Waah, hic waah, I did something bad, and the Authority's going to come and take me away, waaah!!" Garcia wailed, barely able to catch his breath.
Billy frowned, "You didn't do anything bad. You just accidentally knocked Eddie over. The Authority's not going to come for you, we only catch bad guys."
That was the wrong thing to say.
The moment Billy mentioned "we," Garcia's fear escalated.
He thought Billy was one of those undercover agents his parents always warned him about—the kind who worked for the Authority in secret.
Garcia almost cried himself into a faint. "Waaah, don't take me, don't take me away! Please, I'll apologize to Eddie! Waaah waaah!!"
Billy was now struggling to catch his own breath.
Frustrated, he tried again to explain, "The Authority only arrests criminals—"
"But who has the right to decide what's a crime, or what justice even means?" Soren suddenly chimed in from the side.
The sobbing from Eddie had already quieted down.
His tears were replaced by soft sniffles as he hiccupped now and then.
Soren placed the ice pack gently on Eddie's forehead, patting him on the shoulder.
In a calm and soothing voice, he said, "Eddie, Garcia wants to apologize to you. Do you want to accept his apology?"
Brave and magnanimous little Eddie nodded firmly.
Though his lips were still pouted and tears clung to the corners of his eyes, his expression was earnest, "I know Garcia didn't mean to push me. It wasn't his fault."
He looked up at Soren with a hint of fear and asked in a small voice, "Will the Authority really take Garcia away? I… I won't let them. I'll explain everything to them…"
Soren, feeling a pang of sympathy, gently patted Eddie's head.
Holding his hand, he led him over to where Garcia was still sobbing, "Garcia, don't be afraid. Did you hear that? Eddie says he's willing to accept your apology. All you have to do is say sorry, and you two will be friends again."
Garcia, with both little fists wiping away tears in a messy fashion, sniffled and, with his red-rimmed eyes, stammered, "E-Eddie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to knock you over. Does your head still hurt?"
Eddie shook his head, "It doesn't hurt anymore. You… you don't have to be scared. I won't let the Authority take you away!"
With his forehead still sporting a red bump, Eddie grabbed Garcia's hand, trying his best to comfort his distressed friend.
"Alright, Garcia, stop crying now," Soren said, crouching down to their level, "Eddie's already forgiven you, and you two are still best friends, right?"
Both round, chubby faces nodded their heads in agreement.
Garcia finally stopped crying and, with a bit of embarrassment, turned around to Billy, "Am… am I still a good kid? Will the Authority mark me as a bad kid?"
Billy bit his lip, his face pale, and raised both hands, "...Don't worry, Garcia, you're a good kid."
Only then did Garcia finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Soren stood up.
He noticed Billy's expression but chose not to comment on it.
Instead, he asked Billy to help pick up the DVDs scattered on the floor.
They worked together to place the DVDs back on the shelves, and once the boys' parents came to pick them up after work, Soren and Billy handed them over to their families.
Only after that did Soren pull down the bookstore's shutters and walk back to the Justice League headquarters with Billy.
Since the incident, Billy had been unusually quiet, looking down at the ground as he walked, tugging at the strap of his messenger bag.
The dark-haired boy followed silently behind Soren, seemingly deep in thought, as though some part of his belief had been shaken.
When they arrived at the Justice League, they found an unusual sight.
A number of key members had gathered in the meeting room, watching a holographic recording projected on the large screen.
Soren and Billy exchanged confused glances.
Unsure whether they should walk into the meeting, they instead crouched behind a pillar, peeking into the room curiously.
Clark was seated in his tall-backed chair, his elbow resting on the armrest as he propped his chin on his hand.
His eyes were obscured by the shadow of his brow, making it impossible to read his expression.
Standing beside Clark was the dark-armored Batman, whose icy, disapproving gaze had already locked onto them the moment they peeked around the pillar.
Both Soren and Billy felt a chill run down their spines simultaneously.
"Do you ever feel like Batman's glare is terrifying?" Soren whispered.
Billy nodded vigorously, agreeing completely, "Barry wasn't kidding. 'Batman's disapproving look' really is the scariest thing in the world."
Soren suddenly realized something, "...So that's what they call it—'Batman's disapproving look!' Hmm, that's a good name…"
Meanwhile, on the holographic screen, a young man in a red combat suit and black cape was addressing the camera with a solemn expression.
"I, Kong Kenan, officially announce that from today, we will cooperate with the Avengers to form a united front and jointly overthrow Superman's tyranny..."
Everyone's expressions shifted at once.
They all instinctively looked toward the center of the hall, where the ruler sat.
The tyrant that Kong Kenan had just declared war against sat in that cold, unyielding armchair, his lashes casting a shadow over his eyes.