A Frightful Encounter and an Unexpected Meeting

Do you have any idea how terrifying it is to just appear out of nowhere like that? You nearly gave me a heart attack!

A flush of lingering fright coloring her cheeks, the black-clad girl stood with one hand on her hip, sternly pointing a finger at the timid little girl before her.

“I’m sorry…”

The little girl’s slightly dejected apology stirred a flicker of guilt within Xiu Lan, but then the embarrassing image of her own terrified scramble flashed through her mind.

Infuriated, she snapped, “If ‘sorry’ was all it took, what would we need the police for? If you’d truly scared me to death, your life would be over, do you understand? Now, quickly tell me where your parents are. I’m coming over to demand compensation for emotional distress.”

Ever since waking up in that wilderness house, she had been the one doing the scaring; never had she imagined being reduced to a terrified mess by a mere little girl. In retaliation, Xiu Lan resolved to inform the girl’s parents of her midnight escapade.

‘Heh heh, I’ll be sure to embellish the story. Hopefully, your parents will go easy on you then.’

A brief silence settled between them, and then, much to Xiu Lan’s growing unease, the little girl spoke: “I don’t have parents.”

‘You’re unstoppable, kiddo.’

Under the moonlight, Xiu Lan scrutinized the girl’s appearance.

She wore an oversized blue and white coat, a pair of futuristic headphones on her head, and two strands of deep blue hair fell softly against her cheeks. Her expression remained utterly serene, unaffected by Xiu Lan’s blunt questioning.

‘She doesn’t look like a street urchin at all.’

“Do you have any relatives or guardians nearby, then?”

Xiu Lan reached out, gently pinching the little girl’s cheek, and asked in the softest tone she could muster, “If you truly have nowhere to go, you could stay with me for a while.”

As an adult, she figured taking care of a little girl shouldn’t be too difficult… or so she hoped.

“Slap.”

The blue-haired girl swatted her hand away, and Xiu Lan sheepishly withdrew it.

‘This little one is surprisingly strong.’

Just as she was about to find another topic for conversation, hurried gasps and voices suddenly echoed from nearby.

“Is this where the scream came from?”

“Damn it, did something happen to someone?”

“Could it be that black-clad weirdo?”

“Over here, over here.”

‘It’s the Night Watchmen. We need to leave quickly.’

Like a mouse spotting a cat, Xiu Lan instinctively grabbed the little girl’s arm, ready to flee, only to find an immovable force on the other end, like a mountain standing firm.

As the footsteps drew closer.

Amidst the gray-haired girl’s panic, the blue-haired girl suddenly burrowed into her embrace.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa—don’t rub against there!”

“Quiet down, Big Sister.”

The blue-haired girl calmly responded to Xiu Lan.

From her pocket, the blue-haired girl produced a rectangular remote control with red, blue, and green buttons. She then pressed the central red button—and a highly futuristic light curtain emanated from the remote, spreading along the blue-haired girl’s arm and then over Xiu Lan’s body, cloaking both their figures in shadow.

‘Could this be an invisibility cloak?’

Leaning against the wall, the little girl held tightly in her arms, Xiu Lan dared not even breathe, watching as the Night Watchmen scurried past them.

‘Are we safe now?’

“Squeak~”

Suddenly, a small hand pinched a certain spot on her chest…

Fearing she would draw the Night Watchmen back, Xiu Lan suppressed her discomfort, her face beet red, and glared at the little rascal in her arms, whispering, “Stop that.”

Showing no shame for her audacious actions, the blue-haired girl withdrew her hand and then placed it around Xiu Lan’s waist, adopting an innocent expression as she murmured,

“Big Sister, why aren’t you wearing a bra? That’s not good for your health, you know.”

‘This little beast is definitely getting back at me for pinching her cheek.’

Watching the Night Watchmen continue their search right before her eyes, Xiu Lan simmered with silent fury, forced to endure the profound humiliation.

After another moment, the blue-haired child spoke:

“Big Sister, they’ve gone far away. You can put me down now.”

Only then did the two of them break their awkward embrace.

‘Damn it, I don’t even pinch myself like that.’

Stepping aside, Xiu Lan absently stroked the area that had just been handled, her mind filled with a jumble of thoughts.

“Big Sister.”

“Big Sister.”

“Big~ Sis~ter~, I’ve called you so many times.”

Snapping back to reality, she saw the pouting blue-haired girl calling out to her.

“What do you want…?”

The gray-haired girl instinctively recoiled a step, her heel hitting the wall.

With her peculiar attire, immense strength, and mystical gadgets, only a fool would continue to regard her as an ordinary little girl. Xiu Lan, believing herself to possess at least some sense, began searching for an opportunity to escape.

Alas, she was already cornered, left to tremble as the blue-haired loli approached and took her hand.

“Let’s go, Big Sister.”

“Where are we going?”

“Didn’t Big Sister say she’d take me to find my guardian?”

“Wait…”

Ignoring Xiu Lan’s protests, the blue-haired loli simply dragged her along the street, breaking into a run.

****

‘Why was I asked to meet here?’

The pungent smell of smoke wafting from the shop caused Chongyun to wrinkle his nose in annoyance as he sat on a street-side chair, pondering if he had perhaps come to the wrong place.

“What’s wrong? Not to your taste?”

The red-haired youth shoved a handful of skewers into his mouth, then looked up in confusion when he noticed the man opposite him hadn’t touched his food.

“This is the only place open around here at night. If it’s not to your liking, there’s nothing I can do.”

“Ti… *cough, cough*.”

Choking on the chili from the skewers, Chongyun broke into a series of sneezes. He gratefully took the drink offered by the red-haired youth and guzzled half the bottle before finally regaining his composure.

“My apologies, I didn’t realize you couldn’t handle spice.”

The red-haired youth’s apology, however, grated on Chongyun’s ears.

Suppressing his irritation, he spoke in a formal, business-like tone: “A pleasure to meet you. My name is Chongyun. Am I correct in assuming you are Titan of the Blood Race?”

He found it utterly inconceivable that he would ever meet a leader of a derivative species in such a place. While he didn’t expect a luxurious hotel during these unusual times, a roadside barbecue stall felt utterly inappropriate.

“Mm.”

Titan grunted in response, finished the skewer in his hand, and then leaned back casually in his chair, saying,

“That’s right, I’m the Titan you’re looking for, the nominal leader of the Blood Race… So, why exactly did you call me out here?”

As he spoke, he popped another skewer into his mouth.

Chongyun went straight to the point: “I’ve come for the item in your possession.”

“Oh? You didn’t go to the Regulatory Bureau first, but came to me instead? Do I look like such an easy target?”

Titan smiled broadly at the uninvited guest’s demand, his handsome face betraying not a hint of anger.

He had a general idea of Chongyun’s objective: the world-altering gem that The Doctor had entrusted to him.

“The Regulatory Bureau will naturally seek to retrieve it as well. My coming to you first, however, demonstrates the respect we hold for you.”

“Pfft, hahaha! So I should thank you, then? Let’s be frank. Given the circumstances, what terms can you offer?”

“Our terms will certainly not disappoint you, Lord Titan. However, before we proceed with the transaction, please allow me to ask one question: are you, perhaps, dissatisfied with your life among the Black-Bloods…?”

“What do you mean?”