---o---
Fix it... together with me?
For some reason, as Vill-V looked at the boy before her, a strange sense of familiarity washed over her, as if she had met him somewhere before.
But she wasn't given much time to think. While she was still hesitating on how to respond, the arrogant girl behind her began to clamor.
"Hey, Vill-V, what are you spacing out for? And you, you little urchin! This is private property! Who let you just climb in here!"
Her tone was incredibly hostile, dripping with contempt and disdain as she continued to shout.
"Honestly, I have no idea why Miss Cocolia chose to hold a magic tour in this backwater. These country bumpkins don't understand magic at all; they don't even have basic manners!"
The girl continued to spout classic villainous lines, completely failing to notice another figure clumsily climbing over the wall to join Fu Li.
"Hey, you! Why are you climbing the wall instead of using the perfectly good gate?" Anna complained. "And Laierli, you can just shut up! If you dare bully Vill-V again, I'm telling my mother."
"What... Miss Anna, why are you with a bumpkin like this?"
"What? You called him a bumpkin?"
Seeing the overbearing Laierli, Anna's expression immediately soured.
Although she had thought the same thing herself earlier, that was her opinion of Fu Li. Since when was it someone else's place to say it!
Besides, who was Laierli anyway? She was just one of the ringleaders among the children her mother had taken in!
"You have the guts to say that again..."
"That's enough, Anna."
Seeing the light fade from Vill-V's face, Fu Li, who had been ignoring Laierli until now, suddenly reached out and cut Anna off.
"But..."
"It's fine. I'll handle it."
As he spoke, Fu Li casually grabbed Anna by the scruff of her neck and, amidst the girl's cry of alarm, leaped down from the wall.
He landed lightly, like the graceful finale of a performance, without stirring a single speck of dust.
Then, with a resounding smack, Fu Li's face turned cold. He showed no pity, though of course, he held back the vast majority of his strength.
It wasn't that her offense didn't warrant a harsher punishment, but more importantly, he didn't want to leave a bad impression on Vill-V.
Under the shocked gazes of the three girls, Fu Li stated flatly, "That slap was on Vill-V's behalf. Also, bullying a child who is almost five years younger than you... you're pathetic."
"Ah, this..." Anna, witnessing the scene, swallowed hard. She racked her brain, recalling how she and her mother had treated Vill-V in the past.
It seemed that aside from keeping their distance from Vill-V due to her difficult personality, they had never kicked her when she was down. In fact, sometimes when they couldn't stand it anymore, they would even scold the other children.
And no matter what, her mother had raised Vill-V properly after her parents passed away. That debt of gratitude should be enough to keep Fu Li from turning on them, right?
Remembering how Fu Li had killed without blinking an eye the night before, Anna's heart tightened, and her gaze towards Laierli now held a hint of pity.
"You... you actually dared to hit me!!!"
After being struck, Laierli no longer dared to be so brazen. Without even questioning why Anna, who had been missing all day yesterday, would appear with this boy, she bolted towards their nearby temporary residence.
Although she didn't know why Mama Cocolia had seemed so sad this morning, she had been wronged, and Mama Cocolia would surely help her get justice.
As Laierli ran off, she completely missed the strange look in Anna's eyes.
Anna sighed and turned around. "Um, Li, I didn't come back all night. Mama Cocolia must be worried. I'll go explain the situation to her first, is that okay?"
"Yes, of course." Fu Li readily agreed to the request.
"Okay, I'm heading off then." Anna glanced at Vill-V, who had been withdrawn and silent ever since the confrontation started, and felt an inexplicable discomfort in her heart.
She knew very well that the reason Fu Li wasn't coming with her was because of Vill-V.
Honestly, what's so great about a weird girl like that!
A sour feeling churned within Anna, but she knew the priority was to find her mother before Laierli did and prevent a bigger misunderstanding.
Thus, she could only reluctantly chase after her.
After she left, Vill-V finally looked up, her gaze fixed directly on Fu Li.
"Who are you?"
The girl's voice was clear. She looked frail, but by choosing to seize control of the conversation first, it was easy to see the pride hidden deep within her.
Insecure, yet possessing an unconcealed aggression. This was Vill-V.
"Hmm... that's a difficult question to answer, my old friend. But if I said that I'm your friend, would you believe me?"
Fu Li's words were direct. After hearing them, Vill-V frowned, her eyes scanning him up and down with suspicion.
A genius is an enviable, yet lonely, creature.
And for natural-born geniuses like Vill-V and Mobius, lies were rarely effective. Only sincere emotion could pry open their lonely and sealed hearts.
"You... are my friend?"
As a natural-born conman, this was the first time Vill-V felt unable to discern whether someone's words were a lie or the truth.
If it was a lie, why did it not have the taste of a lie?
If it was the truth, why was there no trace of him in her memory?
It was far too contradictory, but the pride of a genius made her trust her own judgment.
This boy, although he wanted something from her, held not a shred of malice, nor was there any distance between them.
That goodwill was like the sun—unsettling, yet impossible to refuse. Moreover, he was the first person to ever affirm her.
Without any further exchange, Vill-V skipped the tedious steps and asked directly, "What do you want to do? Or rather, what do you want to get?"
"I enjoy talking to smart people." Fu Li clapped his hands and nodded in affirmation. "I want to stay with you, protect you, watch you grow, and in the end, seek an answer together."
"Hah? Stay with me, protect me? What are you talking about?"
Vill-V's face instantly flushed red. She stared at the boy, a hint of panic entering her voice for the first time.
Is that something you can just say to a girl? How is this guy's train of thought even stranger than mine?!
However, before she could retort further, Fu Li nodded and glanced towards a woman who was hurrying towards them from a short distance away.
"We can talk about the specifics later. As you can see, your current guardian has arrived. So? Care to cooperate with me? Otherwise, it's going to be very difficult for me to get through this."
"You..." Vill-V was at a loss for words. After a long pause, she said, exasperated, "Fine. I understand. What do you want to do?"