Adrian sat across from Hanna, his gaze steady as he studied her expression, which had shifted between curiosity and unease.
"This is the world I see," Adrian said, his voice measured as he looked at her.
"Fragile and extremely shallow. I restrain myself because a single careless mistake could cause it to collapse. In my perception, the world is like this. I control my actions because I am always aware that I could destroy everything around me, even though that restraint has cost me a great deal."
He leaned back slightly, his fingers idly rolling a pen across the table as he continued.
"And humans, in my eyes, are even weaker. Far weaker than insects."
"Humanity has not even reached the point where it can leave its own solar system. A light-year is nothing to me, but for people on Earth, it is an unreachable gap. And the solar system itself, when compared to the universe or even just the Milky Way, is nothing more than a speck."
The pen rotated smoothly between his fingers as he spoke, his tone never rising.
"To me, even I am insignificant in the grand scale. Gods are only gods in the eyes of those who are smaller. Everything depends on perspective."
Hanna swallowed, her hands tightening slightly on her lap as she processed his words.
"So Adrian," she asked carefully, "do you dislike human women? Or do you only like someone like Wonder Woman?"
The mention of Wonder Woman made Adrian pause briefly.
After a moment, he replied, "Wonder Woman does not belong to humanity. Strictly speaking, she is a demigod."
Hanna tilted her head, curiosity sharpening her tone.
"Then would you use your X ray vision, or something like that, to look at Wonder Woman?"
Adrian went silent for a second, clearly taken aback by the direction of her question.
"Sometimes I would. Sometimes I would not," he answered evenly.
Hanna narrowed her eyes slightly, refusing to let the answer pass easily.
"So in your eyes, even Wonder Woman's body, if viewed in detail, would just be like landscapes or something you can't properly look at? Like she becomes something distant, almost like insects to you?"
Adrian frowned slightly.
"That is not the point. Wonder Woman is not human, so she cannot be measured by human standards."
"But she is still a woman, isn't she?" Hanna pressed, adjusting her glasses as her eyes reflected a quiet determination.
There was something different in her tone now. Less cautious, more direct.
"I joined your fan club back then because I admired you," she continued. "Even after everything that happened, that feeling did not disappear. That is why I left college and became your personal secretary."
Her voice softened slightly, but she did not step back.
"My parents were strongly against it. They wanted me to become a doctor or a lawyer. They expected me to take over the family business, not work under someone like this. But I chose this anyway."
She exhaled, then added with growing confidence, "So I think your view of humanity is not as absolute as you say. You have never truly acted like you are above humans in every way. Even if you try to appear detached, there are details in your behavior that do not fully match that claim."
Hanna stepped a little closer.
"I might not always understand everything, but I do not think I am wrong about this. You are still human, Adrian. And you have never truly rejected that."
Adrian looked at her quietly, his eyes studying her face as if trying to determine the source of her certainty.
"Is that so?" he said at last.
"Yes," Hanna replied firmly. "You do not treat people as insects. Even if you do things others consider strange, you are not someone without boundaries."
She took another step forward.
"This is why I am here. You are not the kind of person people claim you are."
"Are there different kinds of bad people?" Adrian asked, slightly intrigued.
"Yes," Hanna said immediately. "There are those without limits, those who do not care about consequences at all. And you are not that kind."
She hesitated, then added, "Betty thinks so too. We all do. People around you support you."
At the mention of Betty, Adrian's expression shifted slightly.
Betty, known among certain circles as the "Agatha Christie Detective Queen," was currently serving as a government spokesperson within the system Adrian had established. In her free time, she had developed a habit of writing, often blending detective fiction with unsettling cosmic horror concepts she had studied in her early years.
Adrian had not seen her much lately.
He recalled her curious expression and slightly chaotic energy and shook his head faintly.
"She is not mature yet," he said.
Hanna blinked.
"Not mature?" she repeated, then stepped closer again with unexpected confidence.
"Are you talking about women being mature?"
"More or less," Adrian replied casually.
"Then I am already mature," Hanna said without hesitation.
There was a brief silence.
Adrian stood up slowly.
He moved closer until the distance between them narrowed significantly. His gaze locked onto hers, calm but intense enough to make the air feel heavier.
Hanna's breathing subtly quickened.
For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.
Then Adrian leaned in slightly.
Hanna instinctively tilted her head back, her body reacting before her thoughts could fully form, stopping him from closing the distance completely.
The moment broke.
Adrian straightened, stepped back, and returned to his seat without a word.
"It seems you are not ready yet," he said simply.
Hanna stood frozen for a moment.
"…."
Eventually, she turned and left the room, clearly frustrated and embarrassed.
After she left, Adrian's gaze dropped to the table.
A small chocolate cake sat there, its cream surface reflecting soft light and carrying a faint, pleasant aroma.
He picked it up, took a bite, and chewed slowly.
A slight bitterness mixed with sweetness spread across his tongue.
He nodded once in quiet approval.
Meanwhile, Hanna walked out of the building, her expression tense. She pulled out her phone almost immediately and dialed a familiar number.
"Betty," she said as soon as the call connected.
"Hanna?" Betty's voice came through.
"I need you right now," Hanna said quickly. "I am not in a good mood. Can you come out? I want to drink and clear my head."
There was a brief pause.
"Right now?" Betty replied.
On the other end, Betty was seated on her sofa, papers scattered around her as she worked on drafts of her writing. The television in the background displayed breaking news from Metropolis.
The anchor reported that a major alien threat had been neutralized. The report emphasized that Superman had played a decisive role in stopping the invasion, while government forces were now clearing remaining traces of the incident across multiple cities in the United States.
The broadcast quickly shifted to citizens expressing relief and admiration for Superman's actions.
Betty sighed, picked up the remote, and turned off the television.
She stretched slightly, then returned to the call.
"I am not exactly free at the moment," Betty said. "Even though I have stepped back from my spokesperson duties, I am still working on something important."
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