Last year, although Kara and Bruce were classmates, they remained just that—classmates. Even though some of their club activities overlapped, they didn't interact much. This was mostly because Kara was always in a hurry, constantly moving from one place to another. It wasn't that she was particularly mysterious, but she was involved in nearly every class, including open courses and electives, in addition to her mandatory ones.
It wasn't until later, during her involvement with the news club, that she probably found out why Bruce left school, based on a story brought by Perry White.
There had recently been a hearing in Gotham City, and the reason Perry White brought Kara along was because a prisoner, who had been in jail for fourteen years, was seeking parole.
That prisoner was the man who had shot and killed Thomas Wayne, president of Wayne Enterprises, and his wife, Martha Wayne, fourteen years ago.
They were Bruce's parents.
But Kara quickly dismissed the news and casually asked Perry White, "You don't think this has anything to do with me, do you? Or should I call Bruce to comfort him? Please, I don't even have his phone number."
Even though she understood why Bruce was in such a state—always wearing a melancholy expression and carrying a deep sadness in his eyes—he wasn't even in Gotham. Instead, he had transferred to Metropolis University.
However, Kara didn't dwell on it.
That was Bruce's issue to deal with. He had his own problems to solve.
Kara, on the other hand, had her own goals—seizing the moment to absorb as much knowledge as possible. Eventually, she even joined the Kung Fu club, which had started as more of a joke.
In just one year, Kara had achieved the highest ranks in both Taekwondo and Karate. She had even applied for an official evaluation, ultimately earning two black belts, including a tenth-degree black belt.
This was already the supreme level, signifying mastery.
In Taekwondo, her kicks and punches were precise and powerful, and in Karate, she had nearly knocked out a professional master and even came close to killing a cow with a single blow.
While she didn't exhibit any superhuman strength, her physical abilities were far beyond those of ordinary people.
Now, Kara could only participate in the Kung Fu club, learning from them and occasionally watching martial arts movies to mimic the movements.
She knew this was ridiculous but couldn't help herself. She couldn't just abandon everything and travel the world to find a master—at least, not yet.
As time passed, Kara became more familiar with her relationships with Jennifer and Dani.
She still had two or three years of university ahead of her and was almost obsessive about cramming all the knowledge from Metropolis University's library into her mind.
Even if she didn't fully understand it now, she memorized everything.
This included observations and estimates of the Milky Way in astronomy, as well as information about other galaxies in the wider universe. She also kept track of biology, physics, mathematics, engineering, geography, theology, history, criminology, law, computer science, chemistry, and more.
Bruce had come close to earning a degree in many of these subjects, even if he didn't officially graduate. Kara, however, didn't care. She was determined to learn everything.
She was even eager to explore the differences between red sunlight and golden sunlight and why, for Kryptonians, the former was a fatal weakness while the latter made them nearly invincible.
Beyond that, Kara wanted to study Kryptonite—the rare mineral from Krypton and the most lethal threat to Kryptonians.
Kara really wanted to use Earth's knowledge to find a solution. Was it truly impossible for Kryptonians to resist Kryptonite's weakening effects?
Apologies to Jennifer and Dani, but Kara had been too busy. Last year, she had completely forgotten to return home, especially in the last semester when she didn't go home at all.
Later, Jennifer and Dani had to cover her living expenses.
Before they knew it, Kara was 24 years old, and it was time for her to graduate from university.
Clark, who was ten years younger than her, was now 14 and would be starting high school the following year.
At some point, Kara had begun wearing glasses. Others assumed it was from too much studying and vision problems, but only Kara knew the truth—she was preparing for the future.
It was a method of disguise, much like Clark's.
By combining it with psychological suggestion and hypnosis, she could alter her appearance enough that people wouldn't recognize her.
So, despite Superman's lack of a mask, no one recognized him when he wore glasses. There were reasons for that.
Soon after, Kara took her graduation exam. The process was straightforward and easy. Her credits far exceeded the required amount, and she could even apply for postgraduate studies if she wished.
However, Kara decided not to stay. After receiving her graduation certificate, she quickly left Jennifer and Dani without a trace.
Even Jonathan, Martha, and Clark only heard from her occasionally through messages updating them on her current whereabouts.
Sometimes she would say she was visiting the South Pole or North Pole, while at other times she was in a bustling city or a desolate place like Mount Everest. She even climbed to its peak and was curious about visiting the Ancient One.
However, this was the DC universe, and the Ancient One was the Sorcerer Supreme of the Marvel universe. Meeting him was out of the question.
To many people, Kara seemed insane. Some villagers even believed she had lost her mind from too much studying.
But only Kara knew what she was really doing.
Three years after graduating, she had not only learned nearly every language on Earth but also traveled the world, experiencing countless cultures and traditions.
Kara had "visited famous mountains" and had become proficient in nearly every fighting style in existence, including Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Israeli Krav Maga, Sambo, Systema, Savate, Wrestling, Kickboxing, Fencing, Filipino Stick Fighting, Taekwondo, Karate, Kyokushin Karate, Judo, Aikido, Sumo, Ninjutsu, Kendo.
Even styles like Sanda, Wing Chun, Jeet Kune Do, Tai Chi, Shaolin Kung Fu, Bajiquan, and other forms of Chinese martial arts.
Some might think it was an exaggeration.
However, Batman Bruce Wayne achieved similar feats, and it was Bruce who Kara had coincidentally met during her travels (definitely not by accident). He even gave her some advice.
But they parted ways after sharing a drink, each continuing their own journey.
Kara was walking the same path Bruce had once walked.