"666, just you wait, I'm about to give you a real thrashing..."
Grin lifted his shirt and slowly pulled out the belt from his waist.
"Hey! What are you doing?"
Meli shrank back in fear, her small face turning pale.
The hem of her brand-new Western dress was too long; she tripped and fell onto the muddy ground with a "thud," hissing in pain.
"D-Don't come any closer! The bruises from the last time you hit me haven't even healed yet!"
Her voice trembled as she scooted back across the ground, her back pressing firmly against the mottled wall of the alley.
Grin approached step by step, pulling at his belt, the veins on his forehead throbbing.
"A month's worth of funds, and you blew it all in a single day! Do you think I print money?!"
The nearby porters vaguely guessed their relationship from the conversation and didn't feel it was right to step in.
A few of them were scared off immediately, fearing they'd be caught in the crossfire.
Otto waved his hands frantically and rushed to stand between them, holding down Grin's arm.
"Green-kun, calm down, calm down. Don't hit the child."
In his eyes, Grin's fierce appearance paired with Meli's fearful yet stubborn temperament made them look exactly like a father and daughter having a falling out; he didn't doubt it for a second.
After calming Grin down, Otto approached Meli with a kind, squint-eyed smile.
"Hello there, little one. I'm your father's good friend, Otto."
Otto spoke gently as he helped Meli up from the ground, even thoughtfully brushing the dust off her clothes.
"Are you out of pocket money? How about Uncle Otto gives you some?"
"I am not her father!"
"Who would want to be this bastard's daughter!"
Meli and Grin spoke almost simultaneously, decisively denying the relationship.
Seeing this, Otto became even more convinced, waving his hand with an "I understand you guys" look on his face.
"Sigh, no family gets through without bickering. Just talk things through; don't resort to violence so easily."
Grin laughed out of frustration and pointed at Meli to explain:
"Look, this brat must be at least twelve years old, and I'm only eighteen, Otto. Are you suggesting I had a daughter when I was six?"
This question left Otto stunned. He scratched the back of his head in silence for a long while before finally blurting out a nonsensical remark with a hint of seriousness.
"Maybe you're just exceptionally gifted? After all, Green-kun, you're always doing things that are beyond imagination."
Snap!
Grin snapped the belt taut with a sharp crack that made Otto shiver.
"Otto, I feel like I should give you a beating first."
Otto quickly begged for mercy: "No, no, no! I was joking. Actually, you're probably her adoptive father, right?"
This time, Otto was certain he was right, because Grin had come this time specifically to adopt a certain pair of siblings.
Meli's cheeks flushed red with anger, her blue-purple ponytail practically standing on end as she gripped her skirt and stomped her foot.
"Who would want an adoptive father like him? You rumor-monger!"
With that, she opened her mouth and bit Otto's arm. "You're the one who's his daughter! Your whole family is!"
"Ouch! Ow, ow, ow!"
Wincing in pain, Otto hurriedly pulled his arm back and retreated two steps with an innocent look, clutching his reddened arm and muttering aggrievedly.
"Green-kun clearly looks like a strict father, but how did he raise such a fierce daughter..."
Otto was completely confused. If he wasn't the biological or adoptive father, could he be a godfather? Surely not a perverted father?
"Ara—isn't this my dear Husband?"
A sweet and somewhat seductive voice drifted from the entrance of the alley.
Before the voice had even faded, a tall and graceful figure leisurely leaned against the brick wall at the alley's entrance.
Elsa was dressed in a form-fitting black dress that outlined her curvaceous and exquisite figure. Her jet-black hair cascaded down her shoulders like a waterfall, with a few stray strands clinging to the side of her neck, making her snow-white skin stand out even more.
Her smiling eyes swept across the scene, finally landing on the belt in Grin's hand, a hint of playfulness flashing in her gaze.
"Is this some kind of parent-child game?"
Otto let out a long "Oh," his eyes lighting up. He clapped his hands as if having a sudden realization, his gaze fixed on the three of them with absolute certainty that he "got it."
In his heart, he was once again convinced of the idea that they were a family of three.
"This must be Green-kun's wife!"
He hadn't expected that Green-kun, at such a young age, would prefer the "big sister" type.
After looking Meli over a few more times, he secretly gave Grin a thumbs up.
"Green-kun, you really are exceptionally gifted!"
Hiss—hoo—
Grin took several deep breaths, shook his head in resignation, and said to Meli:
"Fine, dear daughter. Hold down your Uncle Otto; I'm going to give him a few lashes with the belt."
Meli gritted her teeth. "I'll listen to you just for today. Let's deal with this rumor-mongering scum first!"
Otto backed away repeatedly.
"Don't! We still have serious business to attend to. Have you forgotten, Green-kun?"
He glanced toward Elsa as he retreated, hoping this "Mrs. Grin" would say something to dissuade him, a fawning, silly smile plastered on his face.
"Madam, please talk some sense into Green-kun! You look like the type who is a virtuous wife and a good mother at home..."
Elsa leaned against the wall, her eyes curving into crescents as she smiled. Watching the three of them chase and play, she lightly pressed a fingertip to the corner of her lips, her eyes full of relaxed amusement.
"I'm a bit curious. What is this'serious business' Mr. Otto is talking about?"
Hearing this, Otto suddenly covered his mouth, his eyes full of panic, and his heart skipped a beat—Oh no! A slip of the tongue!
He felt secretly vexed. If Green-kun hadn't told this lady about adopting the siblings yet, wouldn't his words cause a fight between them?
If it led to marital discord, that would be terrible!
As Green-kun's good friend, he absolutely could not let such a disastrous event occur!
Grin could no longer stand Otto's internal monologue and quickly came over to pull him aside.
"Stop making trouble. Go help move the cakes already. That's my hard-earned money!"
"Oh, oh!"
Having found something to do, Otto finally settled down, but he still cast occasional gossipy glances toward Grin.
Grin looked Elsa up and down; this mature beauty looked much better in normal clothes than in that revealing combat suit.
Elsa smiled charmingly, shifting her pose to show off her seductive figure.
"Green-kun, your gaze is quite intense. Meli picked this outfit for me, you know. I have to say, it's not bad."
Grin nodded. "It's certainly much better than that 'breezy' outfit of yours."
"Of course!"
Meli stood with her hands on her hips and swaggered over.
"This dress Elsa is wearing was casual wear ordered by some noble. I spent a fortune to buy it and have it altered!"
Grin took the opportunity to grab the little brat by the collar and slowly lifted her up.
"Caught you, you brat! Don't tell me you spent all the money on these useless things."
The sensation of the rising perspective brought back bad memories for Meli, and she quickly struggled, saying, "How is that possible? I also spent money to buy two little sidekicks!"
Grin's brow furrowed. He looked up and saw two small figures in the line of porters, huffing and puffing as they carried a small crate back and forth to Meli's house.