Kiana's voice wasn't actually that quiet. Sin's departing steps paused. The next moment, Kiana didn't hesitate, turning and running with the blankets.
"Who did you say—?"
Sin had just lifted her foot. When she turned around, Kiana was already gone.
She hadn't even finished her sentence, and she was frozen in place, having lost her target.
Looking at Shu and Mei's innocent faces, Sin didn't even know if she should still be angry.
Shu waited until Sin had gone into the room before turning to look in the direction Kiana had run, sighing helplessly.
---||---
Night fell. After Sin's shouts urging everyone to sleep echoed through the hallways, the entire orphanage fell into silence.
There were no birds chirping in the night, no insects calling. The night was quiet, devoid of even the presence of people...
The environment here was quite nice. Each double room had its own independent bathroom. The rooms were spacious enough for two people to live in. For Shu, this kind of room was already very good.
Shu reached out and gently touched the green plant on the windowsill. Seeing its somewhat withered edges, his gaze softened.
Every corner of this place showed Cocolia's painstaking efforts. The obviously personalized facilities must have been tailored to the living habits of the two occupants of this room.
Here, the children lived happily.
He glanced at the darkness in the distance, then reached out, closed the window, and drew the curtains.
---||---
In the bathroom, Frélle stood under the shower, feeling the water stream hit her face, flow down her hair, neck, and body, and finally land on the floor by her calves.
She closed her eyes, contemplating her current situation.
She knew very well that every single thing that had happened in these short two days could become a turning point in her future life. Her every move, even her every word, could have unimaginable consequences.
So every night, she would summarize her actions for the day and reflect on every word she had said.
And such a word-for-word reflection was a huge burden for an ordinary person. But for someone from the Călugăru family, it was a near-innate ability.
An ability that had to be possessed... whether by nature or nurture.
She liked the feeling of the comfortable water temperature flowing over her skin. It was like a gentle hand, washing away her fatigue from the day and giving her a short but precious period of personal time.
Frélle was actually very dissatisfied with her performance today. Three months of unrestrained living had made her lose some of her capital, causing her to make some incorrect decisions.
How could she have dared to show Shu that smile with a hint of showing off and teaching?
Regardless of whether Shu would have any prejudice against her because of that smile, Frélle believed she shouldn't have made such a provocative move towards someone who could decide her life, death, and future.
But she had already made this foolish move, so all she could do was think of a solution.
It... probably won't be a big deal... right?
Thinking back on the Shu she had seen these past two days, he didn't talk much usually and seemed to always be putting on a front. For such a person, her offense today, if he were even slightly petty, would have changed his opinion of her.
But was he really a proud person who cared so much about his own image? Frélle couldn't be sure, but she didn't think so...
The front Shu put on was more like a "persona" he had to maintain, like those entertainment industry stars in front of the camera, acting according to a personality that wasn't their own.
Just like that fake smile that had triggered her show-off behavior. Although it was obviously fake to her, if it weren't for his occasional restraint and suppression, that fake smile wouldn't have been so bad.
---||---
Ten minutes after stepping into the bathroom, Frélle precisely turned off the faucet. After quickly drying herself with a towel, she reached for the clothes that had been prepared for her.
Looking at the smirking yellow rabbit pattern on them, Frélle frowned slightly.
Was this some widely circulated IP?
Many of the clothes Shu had found for her had this rabbit element on them. Was it because Bronya, who had provided the clothes, liked it, or was it Shu's own preference?
Regardless, she had to find out more about this yellow cloth rabbit...
She remembered it was called... Homu?
The moment she stepped out of the bathroom, Frélle's face reverted to its frail appearance. Her face was slightly flushed. She looked up but found that Shu wasn't even looking at her. He was just leaning against his bed, scrolling through his phone.
Looks like I'll have to find a way to get a phone...
Frélle didn't say much. After blow-drying her hair with a silent hairdryer, she climbed into her bed and lay down.
Not long after she lay down, the lights automatically went out. Frélle remembered that the lights here had to be turned off manually. She pulled the covers up and breathed a small sigh of relief.
See... Shu's true nature is indeed gentle.
She closed her eyes. Before long, her breathing in the darkness gradually became steady.
In the darkness, Shu glanced at Frélle out of the corner of his eye, then returned his gaze to his phone screen.
They had already learned about the current state of the [Spark] network from Seele. Shu, who had been offline for a long time, was now quickly catching up with the world.
So he had no time to care whether Frélle was really asleep or just pretending.
A day's summary, of course, couldn't be finished in a ten-minute shower. Lying in bed, Frélle was still constantly analyzing the current situation.
Shu and the others had made it clear that they were going to take everyone in this orphanage with them. Frélle believed that the so-called negotiation was just a formality. Regardless of whether that person named Cocolia agreed or not, everyone here would be taken away.
And Frélle didn't think she had any reason to refuse.
So next, it would be her and the people from the orphanage on the train. That Sin was not an easy person to get along with. The noble traces on her were obvious. The Mal family's precepts were not a joke.
But... that was all that was left of her... traces...
Looking at her arrogant demeanor, Frélle's heart actually felt a little... envious.
She should have felt contempt, disgust, and alienation towards those who were born noble but lacked noble demeanor, because that was an act that destroyed the very name they relied on for survival.
The teachings she had received absolutely did not allow for such a situation. Even the envy in her heart was not allowed...
So without the shackles of family, even someone born noble can become like that?
But why am I... still like this?