---o---
"Well, I didn't expect to be able to stay here so easily. I thought it would be a lot more trouble."
"Hmph. The only reason you're able to stay here so easily is because of the idea I gave you."
Watching Fu Li calmly making the bed, little Vill-V sat on the desk, swinging her two slender, pale legs. She let out a soft huff before speaking in a low voice.
"If we had gone with your original method, Cocolia would have definitely seen you as a dangerous element, no matter how you look at it."
"Hmm... that's true. But even now, I doubt Cocolia trusts me completely."
After finishing with the bed, Fu Li glanced at Cocolia's nearby resting tent, dusted off his hands, and smiled a smile that could rival Mobius's.
"Making me stay so close to her is most likely for surveillance purposes. She's probably afraid I'll just run off with you. Well, that's normal. It's understandable."
"Understandable... well..." Vill-V lowered her head, a faint blush on her cheeks.
She could clearly see that Fu Li yearned for freedom, yet now, for her sake, he was willing to stay here.
This feeling of being cared for... wasn't so bad.
It was as if... she had personally placed a collar on a wild beast. That sense of satisfaction...
No, no, why am I having such thoughts? Li is supposed to be a friend, not my possession. How can I think with such arrogance? It's too impolite.
Honestly... I'm always looking at the world and its people with such pride.
Vill-V snapped out of it and averted her gaze from Fu Li, scanning the floor as if looking for a crack to crawl into.
Unfortunately, there were no cracks to be found, but trouble had arrived.
"Hey! Li! Are you going to be traveling the world with us from today on?"
Anna, with her head of golden hair, unabashedly pushed the door open. Her gaze swept past Vill-V before settling firmly on Fu Li.
After her brief moment of fear, the lovely young girl's interest in a boy like Fu Li, who was shrouded in mystery, had been thoroughly piqued.
After all, mystery and good looks were the two things most attractive to girls. And Fu Li's skills were so good—even better than her own mother's, whom she had always admired.
"Oh, it's Anna. You changed your clothes."
Seeing Anna in a new, beautiful dress, Fu Li smiled and waved.
From his brief observations earlier, he noted that while most of the children here were orphans, their clothing and treatment were quite exquisite and lovely.
And the staff, though they tried to hide it, couldn't conceal the aura of retired soldiers. There was even a team of teachers that traveled with the magic troupe.
It was less a magic troupe and more a mobile orphanage and a rehabilitation center for veterans. Was this just how Cocolia was? Even her alternate-universe counterpart was doing these things.
But... the funds to support this operation are definitely more than a magic troupe could afford. This means there must be another source of income.
What could it be?
Fu Li pondered. To him, as long as this source of funding didn't harm Vill-V, he would choose to turn a blind eye, even if it wasn't entirely legal.
After all, these were chaotic times. If one were to strictly distinguish between black and white, the first person he'd have to execute would probably be himself, who occasionally threatened high-ranking international officials.
However, Anna, who had no idea what Fu Li was thinking, felt a smug sense of satisfaction when she saw him notice the pretty new dress she had just changed into.
"Ahem! This dress is much prettier than the one you picked for me, isn't it!"
"Yes, it's quite beautiful."
"Hmph, hmph, of course it is! This is my favorite one, after all!"
Hearing Fu Li's perfunctory praise, Anna's lips curled into a smile. She shot a triumphant glance at Vill-V, then puffed out her budding chest.
In return, she received a single, exasperated word from Vill-V: "Childish."
Hiss... this girl.
Just you wait. Sooner or later, I'll steal Brother Li's attention away from you!
Towards Anna's childish hostility, Vill-V merely shot her a disdainful look before lowering her head and continuing to fiddle with the model airplane in her hands.
Perhaps even she herself hadn't noticed that her attitude towards Anna just now had, for once, carried a trace of aggression.
Fu Li didn't have any strong negative feelings towards Anna; looking at her was like looking at a naive little sister.
Therefore, after chatting with Anna for a while, he realized that Vill-V had barely spoken since Anna had entered.
So, Vill-V before splitting her personalities really isn't good at interacting with people, huh?
In his opinion, a silly little girl like Anna would be a perfect friend for her.
Fu Li blinked in confusion, feeling helpless. He continued to chat with Anna until the afternoon. When it was time for dinner, Anna suddenly remembered something and pulled an object from her pocket.
"Oh, right! This is a minor tradition in the W Magic Troupe. Whenever a new child joins, the old ones will give the newcomer a gift based on how much they like them."
Anna scratched her head with one hand, her face slightly red as she pressed what looked like half of a pendant into Fu Li's hand.
"I rarely give people gifts, so you'd better take good care of it! Also, it's dinner time. Let's go eat. After dinner, we still have to attend Teacher Zi's evening study session."
With that, Anna ran out, her face flushed.
"This little one... she's so easy to see through."
Fu Li was naturally familiar with the innocent affection of children. With a helpless sigh, he placed the pendant in a cabinet, only then noticing a somewhat hidden gaze on him.
Following the gaze, Fu Li extended an invitation. "Want to go eat together? It's getting late."
"Oh. Then let's go."
Placing the half-repaired airplane on the desk, Vill-V hopped down from the chair and headed outside on her own, leaving Fu Li baffled.
Honestly, the current Vill-V was indeed a bit difficult to get along with.
But, as her former comrade, Fu Li knew that beneath that exterior, she actually cared a great deal about her companions.
So, I'll just have to do my best to get closer to her!
As arranged by Cocolia, to welcome the new member, everyone in the orphanage was treated to an exceptionally lavish dinner.
With the exception of Laierli's clique, whom Fu Li had taught a lesson, almost all the members were quite friendly towards him.
After dinner, Fu Li had planned to go back and properly organize his room, but he was suddenly pulled aside by Vill-V.
"What's wrong, Vill-V?" Fu Li asked, puzzled.
"Um..." Vill-V took a breath, but in the end, she couldn't bring herself to say it. She simply tugged on his sleeve and started walking towards another room.
"Anyway, just come with me!"