The next morning.
When Adam woke up and saw Juno leaning against him, sound asleep, Karen shot him a sharp glare.
Adam spread his hands innocently.
Last night, they had rely kept watch together. After talking for most of the night, Juno eventually succumbed to exhaustion—unlike Adam, who had more endurance.
Adam had tried to persuade her to go to bed.
She refused.
Helpless, Adam ended up draping a blanket over the drowsy Juno, letting her lean on him as she slept.
As for himself, he stayed awake all night, keeping watch until morning.
Any lingering thoughts of righteousness or chivalry had long disappeared when he saw Juno standing guard with a gun.
What remained in his heart was gratitude… and a bit of exasperation.
Above all, he was relieved. After what had happened at the hospital with the legally bloodthirsty little girl, he had co to his senses—letting go of his ridiculous fear of Juno and Karen, which ultimately led to the system recognizing their friendship.
If not for that, even if he didn't actively avoid Juno and Karen, he wouldn't have gone out of his way to invite them over.
And without that, he wouldn't have had the chance to understand Juno better and be deeply moved by her.
This left Adam with a profound realization.
In the past—whether it was Sheldon, Leonard, Ted, Matthew, or the six friends from *Friends*—it had always seed like he had built friendships with them, even earning the system's acknowledgnt.
But those friendships always felt like they were floating in the air, never quite grounded.
Because Adam was a transmigrator, he always maintained a subconscious sense of detachnt and analysis when interacting with people. That distance prevented him from fully imrsing himself in those relationships.
Now, he felt he should be more invested.
Because relationships are reciprocal—the more you put in, the more you get back.
This was his life now. It wasn't so TV show or novel. There were no walkthrough guides, no ga strategies—only the everyday reality of life.
If you keep treating life like a ga, sooner or later, it will trip you up.
And when that happens, you'll realize—there are no save points, no do-overs.
Karen stepped forward, scooping Juno up along with the blanket and carrying her back to the bedroom, ignoring Juno's groggy complaints.
Adam put the rifle away, then checked on Heather. She was still fast asleep, a faint smile on her lips. Not wanting to wake her, he turned and left the room.
After settling Juno in, Karen started making breakfast.
"I'll help you," Adam offered, deciding to start his newfound emotional investnt with Karen.
"No need," Karen replied as usual.
"Juno and I just kept watch last night, that's all…"
Adam wasn't discouraged and continued with a smile.
"I know," Karen said, glancing at him sideways.
Adam twitched at the clear implication in her eyes.
That look clearly said: *If that weren't the case, do you think you'd still be standing here unhard?*
"So… you and Juno, huh?" Adam pressed on.
"Huh, what?" Karen's sharp tone was nothing like the gentle and reserved deanor she usually had around Juno. "Everything you wanted to know, I already told you back at the high school graduation dance. Beyond that, there's nothing more to say between us."
"I know, I know."
Adam chuckled wryly. "Juno is like a sister to , and you're my friend. I'm rooting for you two—nothing more."
Karen studied Adam for a mont, then nodded. "Since you're Juno's good buddy, that makes you my friend too. I forgive you."
"Forgive ?" Adam was taken aback.
"Jennifer," Karen reminded him.
"Oh, oh!"
Images of a sunset, a hillside, and *Transforrs* flashed through Adam's mind. Thinking about Jennifer and her connection to Karen, he suddenly understood.
No wonder Karen had been so cold and even slightly hostile toward him before.
Turns out, she had been holding a grudge against him all this ti.
It was true—only by investing more emotionally could one receive a deeper response.
"Growing up, Juno never had many friends. In fact, you're probably the only one," Karen said as she gestured for Adam to help with breakfast. As she worked, she continued in a quiet voice, "She's always so relaxed and happy around you. If she's happy, then I'm happy. So I hope you'll always keep her that way."
"Don't worry," Adam said seriously.
Karen nodded and, for the first ti, smiled at him.
Adam was montarily stunned—her smile was breathtaking.
"What, is Heather not enough for you?"
Karen imdiately retracted her smile, her tone turning cold with a hint of acidity. "Didn't Juno say her figure was even better than mine? You should know that better than anyone."
"Heh…"
Adam forced a dry laugh. "It's not the sa, not the sa."
Karen gave him a disdainful look.
Not the sa?
One you've personally asured, the other you can only look at?
"So, Juno and I both plan to beco doctors in the future," Adam quickly changed the subject. "What about you, Karen? Any plans?"
"My first choice is becoming a chef," Karen said after so thought. "Second choice, a nurse."
"Why not a weather reporter?"
Adam blurted out, "You have a real talent for it!"
"You want
to stand in front of a cara, lying to the entire audience with a straight face?"
Karen sneered.
"No, no," Adam hurriedly denied. "You could just… prepare the forecast at ho and then relay it to the audience."
"Not interested," Karen shook her head. "I don't need the money, and I wouldn't be a full-ti chef—I just want to cook good food for Juno and have ti to take care of her. As for nursing, it would let
help Juno in her career."
"…"
Adam was speechless. After a long pause, he sighed. "You really care about Juno. She's all you ever think about."
"Isn't that normal?"
Karen looked at Adam in confusion.
Adam lowered his head in sha.
Jennifer had once described Karen as a "crazy person"—and now Adam understood why.
Because only crazy people and geniuses display such intense focus. Once they decide on sothing, they give it their all.
Take Sheldon, for example—his world revolved around science. He had accumulated so much unused vacation ti that the university had to *force* him to take a break.
Penny believed her struggling acting career was due to her part-ti job as a waitress, so she quit on impulse—without consulting Leonard.
Leonard outwardly supported her but would occasionally grumble that she shouldn't have quit without a solid plan, wasting her savings.
That was a reasonable and mature perspective.
But Sheldon? Sheldon *genuinely* supported Penny's decision.
Because when he chose theoretical physics, he burned all his bridges—no backup plans, no distractions. He believed that total commitnt led to true success.
Karen clearly wasn't a genius—otherwise, the system would have recognized it.
Which ant, with her singular devotion to Juno, she could only be… a crazy person.
And yet, strangely, being the focus of this "crazy person's" attention, Adam didn't feel fear for Juno.
Instead, he kind of… envied her.
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