Luke didn't think much of it. "Carol and I haven't seen each other in a while. If you don't mind, the two of us can catch up on the side first."

The girl frowned.

Carol, however, didn't hesitate. She took Luke's hand and smiled at him. "It's fine. I trust him."

They sat down in another corner of the fast food restaurant.

A waitress had just cleaned up the table next to them, and she asked casually, "What would you like?"

Luke said, "A cup of coffee. How about you?"

Carol said, "Hot chocolate."

The waitress nodded and left with her notebook.

A moment later, the coffee and hot chocolate arrived, and Luke paid for them.

As they sat opposite each other, Carol couldn't help but ask, "Are you here for me?"

Luke said, "I transferred to NYPD at the end of last year, and I'm on an outing with my girlfriend."

Carol couldn't help but look out the window, and could vaguely see Elena.

She was a little disappointed as she looked away, but then realized that she had been overthinking it.

The world was so big, and she and Luke didn't have any special relationship. Why would he look for her?

Luke, however, said, "I'm sorry, Carol."

She was stumped for a moment. "Why?"

Luke scratched his head. "I checked a lot of information after I came here, but I didn't find Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters."

Stunned, Carol burst out laughing. "That's it?"

Luke said, "You look fine now, but I pointed you in the wrong direction. I'm sorry."

Carol immediately shook her head. "No; without you, I would've been caught a long time ago. Also, your reminders helped me avoid a lot of danger. I must thank you."

Luke was relieved. At least he hadn't dragged the girl down.

Thinking that, he couldn't help but smile happily. "Then how are you now?"

After a brief hesitation, Carol nodded. "I'm alright."

How could she hide her uncertain expression and tone from a detective?

Luke frowned. "You're in serious trouble."

As he spoke, he glanced at the girl, who was secretly paying attention to them. "She threatened you?"

Carol was shocked.

She remembered how Luke had sent her flying with a kick in Houston. She didn't think that he was as harmless as he appeared.

Also, she was well aware that Luke was a detective.

She didn't want to mess with government people.

It was only because Luke had let her go once and had helped her escape that she trusted him.

She shook her head quickly and leaned in close. "She's my partner. That kind of 'partner,' you understand?"

Luke calmed down.

He had seen plenty of people with superpowers, so it didn't matter if another one appeared.

He simply nodded. "I won't ask her what's going on. I just want to know what trouble you're in. Tell me, and I'll take care of it for you."

Carol's eyes widened. She suddenly felt that she didn't recognize the boy anymore.

Looking at her expression, Luke was amused. "I gave you the wrong information last time, and I feel uncomfortable if I don't make up for it. So, tell me; as long as you're not a terrorist, I'll do my best to help."

Carol's face darkened, and she didn't say anything.

Luke asked suspiciously, "You didn't really join some terrorist organization, did you?"

If that really did happen, he would arrest her and the girl without hesitation.

It was fine if they didn't kill innocents, but if they acted against civilians, he couldn't let them go.

Carol immediately shook her head. "N- no."

She raised her head, only to see Luke frowning at her. She panicked and said in a low voice, "We're not doing anything. We've just been running. But the people who want to catch us said that we're terrorists, and have been chasing us."

Luke turned serious and finally activated Elementary Pheromone Control.

He regarded Carol as a friend. At the very least, those who had given him their abilities out of gratitude could be considered friends.

Also, Carol hadn't done anything bad before she escaped, which was why Luke hadn't used this ability so far.

But now, he needed a concrete answer.

"Are you telling me the truth?" he asked softly.

Carol immediately replied, "Yes."

Luke asked, "The girl over there hasn't done anything bad either?"

Carol hesitated, before she said in a low voice, "At least, after she saved me, I don't think she's bad, except…"

"Except what?" Luke immediately asked.

Carol lowered her head. "We saved some of our comrades. While we were escaping, she used her ability and injured some of the people who wanted to catch us."

Luke asked, "Did she kill anyone?"

Carol shook her head quickly. "No, she just injured them. I didn't see anyone die."

Luke chuckled inwardly. I have a Knee Breaker at home who can keep a man alive after destroying all five of their limbs.

However, under Elementary Pheromone Control, Carol's words were very trustworthy.

He stopped feeling conflicted and changed the topic. "So what problem have you run into now?"

Carol said, "It's just that people from Sentinel Services have been looking for us, and want to put us in a special prison."

Luke narrowed his eyes. "Sentinel Services? Do they specialize in catching people like you?"

Carol nodded and trembled a little. She couldn't help but hug herself in fear. "Yes. I also heard that they perform experiments on people like us after they catch us. It'll be worse than death."

Luke wasn't surprised to hear that.

Although Phil Coulson didn't say it outright, it was clear that this country wasn't very friendly toward superhumans.

SHIELD would take action if superhumans were detected, and Flegg's Joint Advanced Research Unit would also come to arrest them. Now that this Sentinel Services or whatever had shown up, it wasn't a surprise.

Pondering for a moment, he asked, "So, you're hiding?"

Carol nodded.

Luke said, "Have you ever tried hiding overseas? Somewhere like Mexico, Canada, or Venezuela?"

Carol shook her head quickly. "No. I heard that those places are even more dangerous. Here, those people still worry about exposing themselves, but elsewhere, we could die and nobody would know."

Luke nodded and thought for a moment before he asked, "If I can help you go into hiding, will your partner be willing to go with you?"

Carol subconsciously looked at the girl and said, "I don't know. Lorna's a little stubborn."

Actually, that was an understatement.

The girl called Lorna had a stubborn temper.

Carol wasn't confident she could convince her to accept Luke's help.

Luke, on the other hand, was confident, but he needed to make sure that she was worth helping.