At the entrance of Sophia's apartment building.
Sophia hopped out of the car, holding the money Lucas had returned to her in one hand while waving sweetly with the other. "Thank you, Mrs. Wilson, thank you, Lucas, bye-bye!"
Sarah's face beamed with affection as she blew a kiss, "Bye-bye Sophia! Come visit auntie's house sometime!"
Sophia nodded firmly, "Okay!"
Then she sneaked a glance at Lucas, and seeing no reaction, added another, "Goodbye, Lucas!"
Sarah gently nudged her son, "She's saying goodbye to you."
Lucas sighed and raised his hand reluctantly, "See you tomorrow."
"Hehe."
Sophia was finally satisfied, her ponytail swaying happily.
As Sarah drove away, watching the tiny figure in the rearview mirror still standing there seeing them off, she sighed, "Luke, Sophia is such a sweet girl. Don't you dare bully her."
Lucas crossed his arms, refusing to speak.
Seeing his attitude, Sarah smiled indulgently, "Our Luke acts so grown-up and cool, no wonder you've got the little girl completely smitten. Tell mommy honestly, do you like her?"
[Oh no! Your mother has noticed your closeness with the young sorceress and is already thinking of matchmaking! Though the path of magic is lonely, having a companion can add color to the journey. While you missed such chances in your past life, it's not too late to make up for it now.]
Lucas's temple throbbed as he replied irritably, "Who would like a little kid!"
Sarah giggled, "Yes, yes, and of course our Luke isn't a little kid anymore."
Her tone shifted.
"But you know what, mommy's telling you - you have to catch the good girls early, or they'll all be taken by the time you grow up."
Lucas was speechless.
In any lifetime, his mom would always be his ultimate weakness.
...
The next morning.
Lucas found Sophia waiting by their usual spot.
This time she didn't have her large canvas bag, though there wasn't any stray dog either.
"What are you doing here?" Lucas asked, munching on his sandwich.
Sophia stood there with her little backpack, clasping her hands and just smiling at him without speaking.
Lucas found it bizarre and pinched her cheeks, "Gone silly?"
Sophia shook her head, "Not silly. Lucas, after I told my sister everything yesterday, she said we need to thank you properly."
Lucas grunted, "Not necessary."
Sophia grabbed his sleeve, her expression serious, "No, it is! Sister said after tomorrow's parent-teacher conference, she wants to invite you and your parents to dinner at our place."
She lowered her head, speaking softly, "Please... don't say no."
[Heavens! A hidden magic academy extends an invitation! Legends speak of countless magical treasures within, and while you're tempted, there seems to be some unknown danger lurking in this opportunity. Proceed with caution.]
Lucas finished his sandwich in two bites and released her cheeks, "Fine, I got it."
Sophia immediately brightened up and pulled out a box of milk from her jacket.
"Here, Lucas."
Lucas: "What for?"
Sophia chirped brightly, "This is my friendship fee!"
"Sister said good friends need to pay friendship fees."
"Sister also said to catch a boy's heart, you have to start with his stomach!"
Lucas: ?
What exactly is your sister teaching you?
[Another pure essence potion! The young sorceress's background truly runs deep, casually offering such treasures. Though similar potions have diminishing returns on your dragon vessel's recovery, it can still help nurture your life force.]
Seeing Lucas not taking it.
Sophia's face immediately turned pitiful, on the verge of tears, "Lucas, I thought we were already good friends..."
Lucas: ...
Great, he felt completely manipulated, but had no proof.
He took the milk and immediately stuck in the straw to drink.
[Life Force +1, Power +1]
Seeing this, Sophia instantly became cheerful again, "Lucas, can I pay you friendship fees every day?"
Lucas glanced at her.
She immediately lowered her head, stopping her giggling.
In the classroom.
After yesterday's events had spread, Lucas's feat of punching the fifth-grade bully had become legendary.
His classmates looked at him with even more awe.
Lucas didn't care about this and checked his system panel instead.
[Life Force: 10, Power: 10, Charisma: 8, Insight: 4]
Since the base Life Force value was 2, he still needed 2 more points to restore a trace of dragon power and activate an ancient rune.
He was purely curious about what this supposed rune would be.
Today was exam day, with results coming in the afternoon, followed by parent-teacher conferences tomorrow.
For Lucas, elementary school questions were child's play, requiring no thought to write perfect answers.
As a teacher's favorite student, this was also why even after beating up Blake,
Ms. Bennett, his homeroom teacher, only gave him a mild warning.
Honor students always had their invisible privileges.
At lunch break.
Sophia sat obediently beside him with her lunchbox, perfectly implementing her sister's teachings.
"Lucas, do you want this chicken leg? It's so yummy!"
"Lucas, I peeled the shrimp for you, want some?"
"Lucas..."
Sophia kept trying to feed him.
But Lucas noticed the system wasn't responding.
Strange, milk and sandwiches could trigger it, but these couldn't?
The standards were quite puzzling.
After finishing his experiments, Lucas rewarded Sophia with a knock on her head, "Shut up, kids shouldn't talk while eating."
"Oh."
Sophia covered her head and immediately became quiet, lowering her head to eat properly.
"Hey Lucas, here you are."
Just then, Blake suddenly appeared across from them with his lunch tray.
Sophia shrank back like a frightened quail.
She was still a bit scared of this tall boy.
But with Lucas beside her, she wasn't as afraid.
Lucas looked up, "What is it?"
Blake scratched his head, sat down opposite them, and got straight to the point: "Bro, can I follow you from now on?"
[As expected of you! Your dragon knight's presence is overwhelming, your charisma unmatched, even drawing the dark apprentice to willingly follow! You observe this youth's nature isn't bad, just led astray. Now that he turns from darkness to light, there's still hope for redemption.]
Lucas ate his lunch, responding flatly, "I'm not running a gang, what's there to follow?"
"Besides, you're older than me, calling me 'bro' isn't right."
Blake wasn't ready to give up. He carefully looked around, then mysteriously reached into his jacket and pulled something out, offering it to Lucas.
Lucas glanced at it, looked down.
Then looked again, freezing.
Because it was...
An Ultra Warrior transformation stick!
Yes, from the "Do you believe in light?" series.
Blake solemnly looked at Lucas and asked in a serious tone, "Bro, do you believe in light?"
"If you do, I'll give this to you, and you can accept me as your follower, how about it?"
He leaned in and whispered: "It's limited edition!"
[Amazing! A legendary artifact! This youth truly possessed a treasure! Though its glory has faded, it seems to hold hidden miracles. Perhaps one day, when you grasp it and infuse it with dragon power, shouting "Light, come forth!", a miracle will occur!]
Lucas: ...
...