While the men were talking, the women naturally weren't idle either.
Someone asked, "Skye, this is your final year of compulsory education in the United States, isn't it? Have you decided which high school you want to apply to?"
Everyone in the Hepburn family knew about the little girl Henry had adopted. Especially during last year's terrorist incident in New York City, they had all moved to the villa in Fenwick to take shelter.
A girl who could survive in a place like the underground world of the sewers was, in one way or another, quite the little schemer. So it hadn't taken her long to become familiar with everyone.
When the subject of school came up, someone asked, "Are you going to a private high school? Since it's our alma mater, it should be easy for us to recommend you."
Perhaps because of Henry, and perhaps because of Skye's age, everyone was quite enthusiastic about helping her.
But the suggestion made Skye shake her head vigorously.
"No thanks. I'd have to be completely out of my mind to attend one of those private boarding schools where the tuition is outrageously expensive and the discipline is practically like being in prison."
Catherine Hepburn, who was currently responsible for keeping the "tabby cat" Katie under control, said somewhat unhappily, "I've already told Skye that I can recommend her to some very good schools.
"Henry is also willing to pay her tuition, and he doesn't expect her to pay him back. But she refuses even that. So her only options are Standard High School and Midtown High School. She has to choose between those two public schools."
An elderly woman who was also old enough to be a grandmother asked, "Aren't there any other public high schools in New York City?"
"What kind of education do you think those other public high schools provide? Aside from teaching students how to avoid getting pregnant—and having plenty of them get practical experience anyway—they don't produce many good students.
"If Skye can't get into Standard High School or Midtown High School, she'll have to obediently attend the private academy I choose for her."
The girl being discussed puffed out her cheeks.
"Actually, I could just go straight to work."
"What are you talking about? In any case, there is no option for you to skip high school and enter society directly to work. If you want to live in my house, you have to accept my arrangements.
"Even if you ran away from home today, I'd have Henry find you and bring you back."
"Protest! I have human rights!"
"Protest denied." Catherine Hepburn spoke with a serious expression. "Unless your biological parents show up in person, you're staying here obediently."
In other words, no matter what happened, this girl was required to accept the arrangements of this domineering old grandmother!
Having long since accepted this reality, the girl's feelings were difficult to describe. She didn't know whether to feel relieved or bitter.
"I know, I know. Didn't I already seriously prepare all the application materials and submit applications to those two schools?"
"Two schools?" someone asked in confusion. "Why not decide which high school you want to attend first and then apply there?"
Catherine Hepburn complained, "Because Skye's academic record isn't exactly impressive. So she can only apply to both and go to whichever one accepts her."
Skye pulled a sour face.
"Anyway, some sucker is paying the application fees."
"Is Henry really that generous?"
"Not at all. He's incredibly stingy. Aside from things related to studying and basic necessities like food, clothing, and housing, if I want anything else, I have to earn pocket money by helping out around the house and then buy it myself."
"Isn't that how everyone lives?" someone said, clearly enjoying the spectacle. "I'll teach you a trick. If there's something you want, first find a way to connect it to some legitimate purpose. Then act cute and ask for it."
"Act cute with Henry?"
The girl hugged her upper arms and shuddered.
"That's terrifying. I can't do something like that. Working for pocket money is easier."
A group of old women surrounded the thin-skinned girl, laughing and joking.
As for the younger girls in the Hepburn family, they'd already experienced the terrifying power of this group of elderly ladies. They had wisely hidden themselves far away, afraid of being targeted.
New York City was a place where winter brought snow.
In particular, the winter from late 2002 to early 2003 was exceptionally cold. Influenced by the lake-effect weather, New York was hit by a snowstorm, and the winter was colder than usual.
Just how cold was it?
On April 7, New York City unexpectedly received another snowfall. The weather was even jokingly described by the media as a "Belated April Fools' Day," six days late.
That should give some idea of just how terrible the weather was.
The previous time New York City had experienced April snow had been twenty-one years earlier.
Through the window, they could see salt trucks hurriedly spreading salt over the snow-covered streets. Salt lowered the freezing point of water, allowing the snow and ice to melt more quickly.
This was an entirely ordinary sight during winter in New York City.
It just wasn't supposed to happen in April...
The old grandmother hadn't found this winter particularly difficult to endure, despite it being considerably colder than the previous few years.
The biggest reason was Henry, who was always nearby to help regulate her health and adjust her diet according to the circumstances.
Not only did he take precautions against any illness caused by the cold, but even if she developed some minor ailment, he could deal with it immediately.
This meticulous care was essentially a small test of the medical and caregiving techniques he had worked out himself.
Whether he'd done a good job or not was difficult to say.
But at the very least, Catherine Hepburn, a ninety-five-year-old woman, had made it safely through the entire winter without illness or disaster.
The only thing missing was going clubbing every day.
That performance should count as a passing grade, right?
At this moment, Skye, this wild little girl, was sitting beside the window just like Henry, staring out at the street and waiting to see when the mail carrier would arrive.
She still hadn't received her admission letter.
"Worried?" Henry looked at the irritated little girl.
"You should be worried. Just look at your grades. Are they even presentable? If I'd had the chance to go to school, I wouldn't have gotten grades like yours even if I took the exams with my eyes closed.
"Gwen is already so busy in college, yet she still tries to squeeze out time to continue tutoring you. As her student, is it really okay to make your tutor worry this much?"
Skye stuck out her tongue and pulled a goofy face.
"None of your business! I don't want to waste huge amounts of time studying every subject like Gwen does. It's better to pick a few useful subjects and specialize in them. It's just that the subjects I've chosen aren't tested in middle school."
Most children didn't come to this realization until high school or even college.
That was also why universities divided their studies into majors. High schools at most divided students into humanities and science tracks, while compulsory education covered everything.
In fact, the more comprehensively a university professor taught, the worse that university's education might actually be.
Wasn't it simply because they couldn't afford to teach specialized subjects, or because the students who entered couldn't handle anything in depth?
In any case, the girl who had once lived in New York's underground sewer world had figured out her area of specialization and future direction much earlier than children raised in ordinary families.
Henry considered that a good thing.
As for how much of it was simply because she wanted to spite him, the Kryptonian wasn't going to think about that.
He only hoped that when the girl eventually discovered what kind of people the "good friends" she'd met online really were, she wouldn't completely fall apart.
And besides...
If this girl really possessed Inhuman genes, would she be content with an ordinary life?
Even if her Inhuman abilities hadn't awakened yet.
At that moment, the doorbell rang.
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