For the next two weeks, Adam frequently invited Max to study.
Max admired hardworking students the most, so she naturally agreed without hesitation.
During breaks in their schedules, Adam, using his knowledge of psychology, subtly guided Max into venting about her past and present.
More than just studying, he wanted to help this girl, who had barely reached adulthood yet was already emotionally and physically scarred.
But this kind of help had to be given subtly, like gentle rain nourishing the soil.
Otherwise, given her personality, she would absolutely resist it.
She had already developed the habit of relying solely on herself—unwilling to depend on others, even afraid to.
After all, the last person she relied on was her mother.
And that had been a nightmare she'd rather not revisit.
This personality of hers had both advantages and drawbacks.
The upside was that she accepted Adam's views on relationships more easily than Caroline or Heather.
The downside was that she had a hard time opening up, and once she did, it was difficult for her to close back up again.
This was where Adam's skills would be put to the test.
He wanted to help her walk a completely different path and achieve her dreams.
At the same time, he needed to maintain enough distance—making sure she understood their boundaries and didn't fall too deep.
Heather's departure had made him realize something about himself.
Deep, exclusive love was definitely not for him.
Nora, Caroline, Heather, Max… They were all just parts of his journey.
Maybe one day, he would settle down and start a family—but that day was definitely not now.
For the next ten, maybe even twenty years, he would remain a wanderer.
This was yet another example of how the Miller family tradition had shaped his worldview.
Iron Man was like that, wasn't he?
A reckless playboy in his youth, then one day, after some deep self-reflection, he reformed, settled down, and won it all.
Adam liked that template.
As a protagonist of his own story, he was no worse than Iron Man!
In fact, if he were to compare, his quality of life far exceeded Iron Man's.
Because the reason Iron Man reformed wasn't just that he matured or wanted emotional fulfillment—there was also the fact that he physically couldn't keep up the lifestyle anymore.
After all, with that giant hole in his chest and a youth of reckless indulgence, his body had broken down by middle age. If he didn't settle down, what was he supposed to do? Follow the path of Japanese sci-fi or *The Big Bang Theory's* Howard, relying on armor and robots for *assistance*?
That would've been the ultimate irony—turning himself into a literal cyborg.
No way he would ever go for that.
So, naturally, settling down and reforming had been the best choice for him.
Adam, on the other hand, had no such concerns.
With his constantly improving abilities, his physical condition would only get stronger.
If he ever chose to start a family in the future, it would be out of emotional need—not because his body forced him to.
---
"…I'm currently a sophomore at Green Lawn Community College. I'll be graduating this year."
After an intense study session, Max felt fulfilled and relaxed. Under Adam's subtle guidance, she started sharing her story.
"Why did you choose art?" Adam asked.
"Don't laugh at me, okay?" Max warned. "After graduation, I want to find a job in illustration—ideally in children's books. When I was little, my favorite book was *Mechanical Doll.* She lived in a loving and happy family.
"I knew it was fake, just a lie for kids, but I still thought it was a good kind of lie. At least it helped me get through the hardest times…"
"That's a great dream. I believe you can achieve it," Adam said sincerely.
"Don't try to comfort me. Even if you did, it wouldn't work. I only relax for real under *very* specific circumstances—unless you like lifeless corpses."
Max, being Max, dropped a bombshell of a comment. "I heard that some people are into that. Especially doctors like you. You see bodies all the time, so you must get bored of them, right? Only the extreme stuff excites you anymore."
"…"
Adam's mouth twitched.
TV shows had seriously ruined doctors' reputations. He wasn't sure if some screenwriter had once been mistreated at a hospital or was just bitter about medical bills, but they seemed determined to slander doctors at every turn.
Then again, given that this world was a mix of American TV shows and movies, he couldn't even argue against it.
Because, knowing this world, Max *probably* wasn't wrong…
---
"So, how do you feel about Green Lawn Community College? Have you thought about transferring to another university?" Adam asked, changing the subject.
American colleges weren't just divided into public and private institutions; there was also a distinction between community colleges and full universities.
Community colleges were somewhat similar to technical schools in the East, but with some differences.
There were often no age or academic restrictions—if you wanted to learn something and paid the tuition, you could enroll.
Low barriers to entry, affordable tuition, flexible schedules—community colleges were a common option for those who couldn't attend a full university.
Sheldon's older brother, Georgie, and his twin sister, Missy, both attended community college. Even Penny, later on, took classes there in an effort to close the educational gap between her and Leonard.
But it hadn't helped much.
Penny's papers were a disaster, and Leonard couldn't stand it—so he rewrote them for her. In the end, the only thing left unchanged was the title.
Penny, deeply wounded in her pride, chewed Leonard out. But in the end, through her *own* efforts, she miraculously earned a B+.
She had been thrilled, slamming the paper onto Leonard's face in triumph.
But as soon as she got home, she turned around and threatened Bernadette and Amy—who had secretly written her paper—not to spill a word.
Bernadette and Amy eagerly agreed, actually excited by the whole thing. In their school days, they had never been close to a *queen bee* like Penny.
After that, Penny got ambitious, hoping to get an A on her next paper so she could flex even harder.
And then… nothing happened.
Not because Bernadette and Amy couldn't get her an A, but because they had to intentionally hold back. If her grades jumped too much, it would be suspicious. After some careful balancing, they landed on a *believable* B+.
Penny thought about it and ultimately gave up on her dream of straight As.
Because if she ever actually got an A, Leonard might be even prouder than she was. And if he bragged too much, and someone asked about her work and she couldn't answer, she'd end up embarrassing herself instead.
---
That was community college.
A two-year program.
If you performed exceptionally well, you *could* transfer to a full university, with your community college credits counting toward your degree.
It was a relatively flexible system.
But opportunities were scarce, and a lot depended on whether your community college had connections with full universities.
Max was set to graduate this year, hoping to land a job in illustration with just a community college degree.
That wouldn't be easy.
This was probably the point where she had completely given up hope.
Dreams were beautiful, but reality was harsh.
She wasn't the type to give up on herself, yet reality kept hitting her harder and harder.
No matter how tough she was, no matter how strong her defenses were, constant blows like that wore her down.
Eventually, she just gave in—became indifferent to everything.
At some point, she stopped dreaming and started just *existing.*
And isn't that what most people do?
She was just becoming part of the majority.
(End of Chapter)