But Rian had already stood up from the stone seat, stepping back three quick paces.
"Hey, hey… don't pinch me," he said, raising both hands in surrender. "We can always repeat that moment anytime… no promises, though."
Claire huffed in irritation. "Annoying. Such a narcissist."
Meanwhile, Rani just stared at the two of them with innocent eyes—completely clueless about what was actually going on.
Then a single conclusion suddenly formed in the little girl's mind.
With a serious expression, Rani tightened her hug around Claire, as if trying to shield her from the handsome man standing not too far away.
"Don't bother Claire," Rani said, giving Rian a sharp glare.
Rian let out a small laugh, not offended in the slightest. "Sorry, sorry, little sis. It's just… Claire was way too priceless just now."
Claire let out a long sigh and turned her face away. But the sharp look she shot at Rian was more than enough to show how annoyed she still was.
After his laughter faded, Rian looked at Claire with calm yet firm eyes.
"Claire," Rian said quietly, "I'm planning to form some sort of organization. Maybe a task force, maybe a volunteer network… but whatever it becomes, I'll be the one funding everything."
He pointed at the Interface-lens still resting on Claire's face.
"You're the second person after Luis whom I've trusted with that device. That Interface is also the key access to my facilities. If you ever need to know where they are, just ask—Sister will show you the way."
With his usual light smile, Rian added, "Whether you want to join or not, that's your right. I won't force you. The Interface is still yours regardless."
His voice lowered slightly, but remained honest. "You can think about it first. Though… I do think it would be pretty cool if you joined."
Without waiting for an answer, Rian turned around. His coat fluttered lightly as he walked away, leaving Claire with a mind suddenly filled with far too many thoughts.
***
Time flowed swiftly, like pages of a book turning on their own.
That afternoon, Rian sat comfortably in the living room of the underground laboratory beneath Eden's northern area.
Next to him, Fear was happily munching on a rice cracker, completely indifferent to the atmosphere.
Across from them sat a village girl in a simple white dress. Her bright blonde hair fell loosely to her shoulders, left to sway naturally.
Her eyes were a soft blue-gray, and her height matched Fear's—around 140 cm.
Even so, the girl was actually 19 years old.
Due to certain biological factors, her physical growth had been stunted.
Her name was Sherly Birkins.
Sherly Birkins was the only daughter of two Umbrella Corporation scientists—William and Annette Birkin, both central figures in the development of the G-Virus.
Born into a world of experiments and secrets, Sherly grew up in a cold, sterile laboratory environment, far removed from the childhood most kids her age experienced.
But everything changed when the tragedy of Raccoon City unfolded. (After the events of RE 2–3).
At nine years old, Sherly was caught in the chaos of a biohazard outbreak, becoming a target for kidnapping due to the unique genetic markers in her body—remnants of William Birkin's G-Virus experiments.
She nearly lost her life when her father, William, mutated into a monster born of his own creation and even attempted to use Sherly as the next vessel for the G-Virus.
Saved by Leon S. Kennedy, a rookie police officer, and Claire Redfield, a college student searching for her brother, Sherly survived that nightmare.
Sherly's emotional bond with Claire became the turning point of her life—transforming her from merely the daughter of two scientists into a living witness to Umbrella's corruption.
After the incident, Sherly was taken under the custody of the U.S. government, living under tight surveillance due to the lingering traces of the G-Virus embedded in her body.
Sherly's childhood may have ended among the ruins of Raccoon City, but her existence remained an enigma: a precarious balance between biological danger and the hope of healing a broken world.
Sherly's presence here wasn't the result of a request, a legal transfer, or anything remotely official.
It was the result of Rian's intervention.
Rian had ordered Alice to use the Mind Stone—one of the most dangerous assets in his possession.
With the Mind Stone, Alice subtly manipulated the minds of several authorities who held legal power over Sherly's status.
Through careful, almost imperceptible influence, they "agreed" to transfer Sherly's custody and access rights… directly to Rian.
Of course, none of them were actually aware of what they had done. On paper, everything looked legitimate. Everything sounded reasonable.
But the reality was far from it. This was a silent abduction. No struggle. No witnesses. No blood.
Now, the girl sat stiffly, her face pale, her eyes restless after touring Eden—especially its Northern Sector, where the most dangerous viruses were stored and monitored.
Sherly Birkins, nineteen years old yet still carrying the wounds of her childhood encounter with the G-Virus, found herself facing something that went far beyond her worst fears.
Inside this facility were stored the T-Virus, G-Virus, Veronica Virus, Progenitor Virus, C-Virus, even the Plaga parasite and mutated NE-T Tyrant variants.
What made her skin crawl even more was the fact that all of these viruses were active—contained, monitored, controlled, yes…
But still real. Still alive. Still dangerous.
Vaccines existed for nearly all of them.
All except one: the C-Virus.
That one still had no cure.
Yet none of that compared to the tension of sitting across from the Director of Eden Laboratory himself—the man who owned all of this—watching her with a calm, unreadable expression.
"Sherry Birkin, right?" Rian asked with a friendly tone. "After the tour earlier… what do you think of my lab?"
Sherry fell silent.
Her eyes dropped, as if weighing her words carefully, trying to find a response that wouldn't offend the man in front of her.
"No need to be scared," Rian continued, voice soft. "Just say whatever's on your mind. Pretend you're talking to Claire… or Leon."
The moment those two names were mentioned, Sherry slowly lifted her head.
Her eyes shifted—there was a faint spark there, a hint of curiosity that hadn't appeared before.
"You… know Claire and Leon?" Sherry asked, genuine interest slipping through her voice.
Rian nodded lightly, noting how her expression had relaxed just a little.
"Yeah. This handsome guy is pretty close with them," Rian said casually as he puffed his chest out a bit, then leaned forward.
"Sherry, wanna know… the special nicknames they gave me?"
Sherry stared at him, clearly waiting for the continuation.
Rian simply smiled, leaning back into the sofa with an easy confidence before speaking:
"Claire Redfield," he said calmly, lips curling into a smirk. "To me, she's… the ideal future wife. And Leon? Hmm, Leon is Lancelot."
"E-eh?" Sherry blinked, stunned for a moment.
"Leon as Lancelot… o-okay, I guess that one still makes sense. It's reasonable enough if you're sticking to Knight-of-the-Round-Table themes."
She hesitated for a moment, then whispered softly, "But… 'ideal future wife'? Claire would definitely get annoyed if she heard you say that."
Rian crossed his arms over his chest, still radiating confidence. "Nope. She actually likes it."
Sherry frowned, giving him a look full of skepticism. "You're lying. Claire would not like that. Look at your face—you're grinning."
"Correct," Rian replied without missing a beat, still grinning. "And how do you know that?"
"I know Claire. And that sly smile of yours is proof enough. You're definitely making things up," Sherry shot back, pointing lightly at him with a serious expression.
Despite her challenging tone, her face no longer held the tension from earlier.
That small back-and-forth had melted the stiffness between them.
Sherry and Rian were now caught in a harmless debate, each defending their own side—and in her own way, Sherry finally seemed to feel safe.
After a few seconds of quiet, Rian leaned back in his chair. His gaze shifted, deeper and more serious now, staring straight at Sherry as if wanting to make sure his next words sank in completely.
In a calm yet unmistakably firm tone, he told her that starting today, Sherry was officially part of his family.
Sherry's eyebrows shot up, stunned.
And he didn't stop there. Rian went on to explain that he had already taken care of all the official adoption paperwork.
He had even prepared a completely new identity for her—complete with top-tier security systems designed to protect her. From this point on, the girl was a top priority.
As for her living arrangements, Rian had already decided from the beginning:
Sherry would not be staying in a cold laboratory unfit for her. She would be living in the Andromeda Mansion.
Hearing all of that, Sherry fell silent. Her eyes widened a little, as if struggling to process the flood of revelations coming at her all at once.
But the surprises didn't end there.
Rian also handed her a weekly allowance—
an utterly staggering amount: one million dollars.
Not only that—Rian also took out a pair of black sunglasses with a simple design.
They were identical to his own.
Not just an accessory, but a key that granted full access to all of Rian's systems and facilities.
Sherry could only stare at the item, eyes wide, almost in disbelief.
After explaining the adoption, the new identity, the security measures, the allowance, and the interface glasses, Rian added one more thing:
He was currently forming an independent organization—one that did not fall under any government.
An organization designed to confront the growing threat of bioterrorism in the future.