Afterward, Principal Frederick Vale spoke with Luna Blaze for a long time and officially restored her name to the recommended admission list. During the conversation, Luna glanced at Max several times with an awkward expression, but Max shook his head slightly each time.
Max had already made up his mind. Since he could coast through life with the system, he would stay behind the scenes and play the role of the ultimate hidden boss. Finding loyal talent might be a bit troublesome, but he had already recruited two outstanding people on the very first day: his childhood friend,close enough to share a pair of pants, and the school beauty Luna, who had regained her confidence and drive.
Their loyalty was unquestionable.
Even if someone betrayed him in the future, Max had a solution. The system had already informed him that he could reclaim a recruit's abilities at any time, though it would permanently cost one recruitment slot. Max considered that price trivial.
After all, he could soon expand his recruitment capacity to fifty people for just ten thousand points. In the long run, he would never have to worry about slots again.
After saying goodbye to the principal, the three of them walked out together.
On the way, Max told Luna about Zenitsu Agatsuma's Thunder Breathing techniques from the anime he remembered from his previous life.
As she listened, Luna's eyes sparkled with excitement, as if an entirely new world had opened up before her. She looked at Max with open adoration.
It was only when they had to part ways that Luna reluctantly waved goodbye.
The school was in the northern district of Ironvale City, so all three headed south after leaving. However, Luna lived in the southeast while Max and Chris lived in the southwest, which was why they separated.
It was worth noting that Max and Chris not only lived in the same residential complex but also in the same building and on the same floor. They were next-door neighbors.
They had been neighbors since childhood. Because Max's parents were often busy, only a nanny took care of him and his younger sister at home. Zara was not his biological sister, but only the family knew that. Even the nanny was unaware.
The two siblings often went to Chris's house for meals, so the three of them had always been extremely close. Chris had even once tried to become Max's brother-in-law, though Zara had shown zero interest in him.
As for whether the siblings were rich kids experiencing ordinary life… of course they were. Only Chris remained in the dark about it.
While walking, Max's phone suddenly rang. It was his mother calling him home for dinner. She mentioned it was a rare family gathering and that an important guest would be joining them, so he should hurry back.
Max turned to Chris. "My mom is calling me home for dinner, so I won't be heading back with you."
"Okay." Chris knew his friend had another residence, but he had never been invited there. After all, Max rarely went himself.
Max walked in the opposite direction toward the city center. After passing through several streets, he arrived at an upscale villa complex in the most prosperous area of Ironvale City. Only the wealthy and powerful lived here.
A pleasant female mechanical voice sounded as he approached the largest villa. "Verification successful. Identity recognized as the eldest young master of the Steel family. Welcome home."
Hearing the words "eldest young master of the Steel family," Max's face flushed slightly. Thinking of his sister Zara, he nodded to himself. It was time to discipline that girl a little.
The moment he stepped inside, a girl with beautiful long hair rushed over and hugged him tightly, rubbing her small head against his chest. "Brother~ Cuddles~"
Max stroked her head dotingly, completely forgetting his earlier plan to scold her.
The girl was none other than his non-biological sister, Zara Steel.
His mother smiled warmly at the sight. Nothing brought her greater joy than seeing her family together and happy.
Zara looked up at Max. She would never forget that cold winter day when a small boy had appeared like a ray of warm spring sunlight in her life.
At the time, she had gone three days without food and was shivering in the freezing wind. Her thin clothes offered no protection against the biting cold. Just as despair began to swallow her, a small, warm hand held out a rice ball. "Eat. You need it more than I do."
That gentle voice had struck her soul. Starving for three days, she had only one thought: to eat. She grabbed the rice ball and devoured it. To her, it tasted better than any delicacy in the world.
As she ate, tears began streaming down her face. The boy panicked. "Why are you crying? Is it bad?"
She shook her head. Seeing her cry, the boy seemed to make up his mind and turned to his mother. "Mom, can I have a little sister?"
His mother smiled, perhaps testing his resolve. "We should go home and discuss it with your father first."
The boy firmly took the girl's hand and declared, "Zara Steel. From now on, she is my sister, Zara Steel."
Her tears fell even harder. At that moment, she only wanted to leave her painful past behind and follow him. The boy then asked her gently, "Are you willing to be my sister?"
She looked up with a radiant smile and nodded vigorously. "Mhm!"
His mother chuckled. "Then let us take our precious daughter home."
The boy stared in shock. "You agreed?!"
"Why wouldn't I?" his mother replied with a warm smile.
On the way home, the boy gave her his coat while he shivered in the cold. In Zara's heart, that was the happiest day of her life.
Unfortunately, she fainted before they reached the house. A hospital check later revealed the rice ball had been too much for her starving body.
That boy was Max Steel, and the girl clinging to him now was Zara. More than ten years had passed in the blink of an eye, yet she still clung to him at every opportunity, never forgetting that rice ball or the boy's determined expression.
"Alright, go wash your hands and eat. We have a guest," Max's mother said.
"Let's go, Zara. We will eat first. I will probably stay here for a few days this time," Max said, looking at her fondly.
"Yay! That is great!" Zara cheered. Ever since she started high school, she had lived separately in the villa. It was closer to the girls' academy, and it was more convenient for their mother to train her.
The family was far from ordinary. Both parents were famous powerhouses and important pillars of the Kingdom of Valoria. How else could they afford such a luxurious villa?
The five of them sat down at the large dining table. Max looked at his father, whom he had not seen in a long time. "Father."
Then he turned to the important guest seated on his right.
The guest appeared middle-aged with jet-black hair. His eyes were deep and calm, as if they contained the movement of stars and invisible flows of power. One glance was enough to tell he was no ordinary man. Compared to him, Max's father seemed almost ordinary.
But since the two men were on friendly terms, could it be that his own father was also a hidden powerhouse who simply preferred to live modestly?