Seeing Orion, Bronya appeared very excited, but also a little wronged: "Didn't you say you'd never come here again? Why did you…"
Orion didn't answer directly, casually saying: "I just thought of you and came to see you."
He handed the soda ice mountain in his hand to Bronya.
"Here," Orion said, "I bought it especially for you."
Bronya was completely stunned.
She looked at the exquisite, mountain-like item in the cup, then at Orion.
"This is…?"
Orion paused slightly, then realized that, indeed, for the children of the Orphanage, having a piece of bread that barely filled their stomachs, or a bowl of thin porridge, was already immense happiness.
They probably hadn't seen such an elaborately made dessert, which was meant for enjoyment rather than sustenance.
Orion briefly introduced the soda ice mountain to Bronya, telling her it was a dessert made from a mixture of dark bread, ice, and soda, and it tasted very good.
"It's delicious, try it quickly," Orion encouraged.
Bronya cautiously took the cup, and the cold touch made her shiver.
She pulled out the small wooden spoon from the cup, hesitated, then scooped a tiny bit of ice into her mouth.
The cold, sweet taste instantly exploded in her mouth, a wonderful sensation she had never experienced before.
Bronya's eyes widened sharply, and a look of surprise instantly bloomed on her face.
That smile was like a flower suddenly blooming in the ruins, so bright that one couldn't look away.
This was the first time Orion had seen her smile so happily since he came to this world.
"Delicious…"
Bronya exclaimed, then eagerly scooped another spoonful.
She ate the ice mountain in small bites, curiously asking Orion: "Where did you buy this? Why is it so delicious?"
Orion sat beside her, gently swaying the swing, answering patiently.
"I bought it from a small stall in the town center; it's very expensive, but it's fine as long as you think it tastes good."
He didn't hide the price; instead, he wanted her to know how precious this item was.
"Really? Is it very expensive?" Bronya stopped her spoon, looked up and asked, "How much?"
"Hmm… fifty Credits," Orion replied.
"Fifty?"
Upon hearing this, Bronya tilted her head.
Orion looked at her innocent yet confused eyes, knowing she had no concept of money.
He thought for a moment and rephrased: "Roughly… it's equivalent to four or five days of your meals."
The Orphanage's food had probably not been very good recently, so this amount of money was about right.
Bronya's eyes widened sharply; she looked at Orion, then at the soda ice mountain in her hand, which she had only eaten a few bites of, and her small face was filled with shock.
This little bit of something actually cost several days of her meals?
She froze for several seconds, her gaze moving back and forth between Orion and the ice mountain.
Orion was about to ask her what was wrong when suddenly, Bronya raised the spoon in her hand, scooped a large amount of ice mountain, and quickly shoved it into Orion's mouth!
The cold, sweet taste instantly melted in Orion's mouth, with hints of milk and soda.
He was stunned by this sudden action but instinctively swallowed it.
"What are you doing?" Orion asked, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
Bronya smiled at him: "Such a good thing, Brother Orion must eat it too!"
She then lowered her head, eating her portion in small bites, occasionally looking up at Orion, seemingly hoping he could also experience this deliciousness.
Her pure eyes and simple action gently touched the softest part of Orion's heart.
This child…
At this moment, Orion saw the hopscotch pattern drawn with chalk on the ground ahead, now somewhat blurred from children stepping on it.
He pointed there with his finger: "Bronya, do you still remember how to play? Before, when I taught you hopscotch, you always couldn't do it well and would stomp your feet in frustration."
Bronya's cheeks were slightly flushed from the cold stimulation: "I remember, you also mocked me for being clumsy… But now I can do it, look!"
As she spoke, she put down the ice mountain, stood up, and lightly hopped a few times; although her movements still had a child's clumsiness, she was indeed much more skilled than before.
"Not bad," Orion praised.
Bronya sat back down and picked up her ice mountain again.
"Oh, right," Orion continued, "that whole glass marble we found in the yard earlier, I told you to keep it; where did you put it?"
That marble was a rare intact item they could find in the Lower District, smooth and round, shimmering golden under the light; for them, it was a small treasure.
Bronya's eyes flickered: "Hmm, that marble… I'm keeping it safe."
She slowed down her eating of the ice mountain, lowering her head, her small fingers unconsciously rubbing the rim of the cup.
After a moment of silence, she finally couldn't help but ask the confusion she had harbored for a long time:
"Brother Orion, why… haven't you been coming lately?"
Upon hearing this, Orion's movements paused.
"I've been busy with other things lately," he replied, "but, aren't I here now?"
"What's wrong, Bronya?"
Bronya didn't look at him, only softly, as if to herself, asked what was on her mind:
"I thought… you didn't come because you hated me…"
Orion looked at her lowered head, and a certain emotion surged in his heart.
He didn't hate her; he just hated this place.
"How could that be?"
Orion looked into Bronya's eyes and said seriously: "You are different in my heart, Bronya. You are very special."
When Bronya heard this, she suddenly looked up at Orion.
Her small face was slightly red, appearing a bit embarrassed, but her eyes sparkled with the joy of being affirmed.
Some other children were peeking from a distance.
They stopped playing, their eyes fixed on the incredibly delicious-looking ice mountain in Bronya's hand.
Someone whispered, showing envious, jealous, and hateful gazes.
"What is that? It looks so delicious!"
"How does Bronya have something like that? Did that brother next to her give it to her?"
"Isn't that the guy who didn't play with us last time?"
A few children who were usually naughtier and hungrier became more and more envious the more they looked.
A fifty Credits dessert, they couldn't even imagine it.
Jealousy grew in their hearts like a venomous snake.
Finally, one of the bolder children, a Freckled Boy, suddenly walked towards Orion and Bronya.
He was followed by two slightly younger children.
"Hey!" the Freckled Boy shouted, "You… what is that thing? Can I have a taste?"
Orion turned his head, looking at them with a puzzled expression.
That look made the Freckled Boy's footsteps falter.
"This is for Bronya; there's none for you."
Orion's face was serious, leaving no room for discussion.
As soon as these words came out, the Freckled Boy's face instantly turned red, feeling he had lost face.
"What?! Why do you only give it to her?!" another child yelled.
"Exactly! We don't get any!"
Orion didn't answer, just sat upright on the swing, radiating an unapproachable aura.
He didn't deliberately do anything, but perhaps it was due to experiencing life-and-death struggles, or some change brought by the system, he now gave off a completely different feeling than the little street vagrant he used to be.
The Freckled Boy became angrier and angrier, feeling more and more unfair.
Why could they only eat dry bread while Bronya, this unsociable fellow, could eat such good things?
"Orion… Oh, right, I remember, weren't you beaten by Huzai and those guys last time?"
The Freckled Boy suddenly remembered something and pointed at Orion, shouting.
Upon hearing this, Orion's eyes narrowed slightly.
Huzai and his three companions would occasionally come to this Orphanage for food; although they were street thugs, Natasha saw that they were quite well-behaved at the Orphanage, so she didn't drive them away and would give them food, only telling them to leave quickly after receiving it.
Huzai probably boasted and fabricated this story to those children; they really are a bunch of bad seeds.
"Get lost, none of your business."
Orion directly cursed angrily.
The Freckled Boy recoiled, frightened by Orion's gaze.
But he saw the cup of ice mountain in Bronya's hand, and the intense greed overcame his fear.
If he couldn't have it, he didn't want Bronya to have it either.
His eyes darted, and he suddenly bent down and grabbed a piece of broken stone from the ground.
"You won't let me eat it, huh! Then no one gets to eat it!"
He yelled viciously, raising his arm, aiming at the soda ice mountain in Bronya's hand, about to smash it!
Bronya gasped, instinctively trying to dodge.