On the morning of the third day of his vacation, Kael, for once, woke up naturally. He was enjoying the long-lost leisure, preparing to plan how to "waste" the last twelve hours of his holiday, when his personal terminal unseasonably rang with a special alert — Theresa's exclusive, cheerful Haxxor Bunny theme song.
Kael sighed, resignedly answering: "Hello, Theresa, what instructions do you have today?" He already had a premonition that his plans were about to fall through.
"Kael! Good news! Amazing good news!" Theresa's energetic voice almost burst through the receiver, "Grandma... uh, Bishop Otto, she had a change of heart and approved an extra day off for you! You now have four days of vacation!"
Kael was stunned. Bishop Otto would actually proactively give him extra leave? This was even more unbelievable than pie falling from the sky. He subconsciously asked: "...You went to see the Bishop?"
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line, then Theresa's slightly guilty voice came through: "Hmm... I just, slightly... mentioned how hard you've been working lately, and how your dark circles are almost heavier than a panda's... and then Grandma agreed!"
Kael massaged his forehead. Sure enough, that was it. Theresa going to "mention" it probably wasn't far from coaxing and acting spoiled. However, an extra day of vacation was always good.
"So!" Theresa's voice instantly became high-pitched again, "To celebrate your rare four-day holiday, let's go to Haxxor Bunny Park today! Just the two of us!"
Kael: "..." He knew it.
An hour later, Kael, dressed in casual clothes, was dragged by the ecstatic Theresa to the entrance of the Haxxor Bunny-themed park, located in the headquarters' affiliated recreation area, looking utterly resigned to his fate.
Looking at the bustling park filled with cheerful music and exaggerated cartoon characters, Kael only felt his temples begin to throb again.
This was even more of a headache than commanding a small battle against the Third Empire.
"Hurry, hurry! For the first attraction, let's go on the newly opened 'Haxxor Bunny Super Cyclone' roller coaster!"
Theresa tightly hugged the giant horm doll she had just bought with one hand, and with the other, she firmly gripped Kael's arm, afraid he would run off, excitedly pushing her way into the crowd.
Kael was helplessly dragged along, looking at Theresa, who seemed to have genuinely reverted to her twelve-year-old self, and could only comfort himself once more: Spoil her, what else can I do?
Neither of them noticed that amidst the bustling crowd, an unusually petite figure was quietly following them.
It was a blonde girl who looked even shorter than Theresa, wearing an exquisite dress, with a pale, beautiful little face that showed no expression. Her emerald green eyes, however, were like the finest jade, so profound they didn't seem to belong to a child.
She held a cute Haxxor Bunny balloon, perfectly blending into her surroundings, but her gaze remained, subtly yet constantly, fixed on Kael and Theresa ahead.
The girl watched Theresa's intimate posture, almost entirely hanging on Kael's arm, and subtly frowned, letting out an almost imperceptible huff from her small nose.
Kael and Theresa were completely unaware of this.
They experienced the "thrilling" roller coaster and rode the merry-go-round—under Theresa's coaxing offensive.
At the shooting game booth, Kael used his precise marksmanship to win Theresa the largest Haxxor Bunny prize, which made Theresa cheer with delight, her eyes shining remarkably as she looked at him.
At noon, the two ate at the park's themed restaurant.
Theresa naturally ordered the Haxxor Bunny-shaped children's meal with great enthusiasm, and insisted that Kael eat it with her.
Just as Kael resignedly picked up the comically shaped spoon, a timid, slightly childish voice spoke from nearby:
"Th-that... that... Big Brother, Big Sister, my balloon... it's stuck in the tree, can you help me?"
Kael and Theresa turned at the sound, seeing the little blonde girl who had been following them standing by their table, looking up with her small face, her big emerald eyes filled with tears, pointing to a Haxxor Bunny balloon stuck at the top of a decorative tree nearby, looking as if she was about to cry.
Anyone who saw her would feel pity.
"Oh dear, little one, don't cry, don't cry!" Theresa immediately became overly maternal (?), put down her spoon, and stood up, "Where is it? Big Sister will get it for you!" She quite naturally referred to herself as Big Sister.
Kael also stood up. He looked at the height of the tree and said to Theresa: "You sit, I'll go." The height was a bit much for Theresa, but easy for him.
"Oh, okay! Kael is the most reliable!" Theresa sat down with a smile, not forgetting to give the little girl a comforting smile.
Kael effortlessly took two steps, leaped up, skillfully plucked the balloon from the treetop, landed silently, his movements clean and precise.
"Here you go." Kael handed the balloon to the little girl, his tone unconsciously softening a bit.
The little girl took the balloon, and a brilliant smile instantly bloomed on her small face. The smile was pure and beautiful, making Kael, who was accustomed to beautiful women, momentarily dazed.
"Thank you, Big Brother! You're so kind!" Her voice was sweet, and then, as if suddenly remembering something, she pulled out two beautifully wrapped candies from her small bag, stood on tiptoe, and earnestly offered them: "This... is for Big Brother and Big Sister, thank you!"
Theresa happily accepted them: "Wow, thank you, little one, you're so cute! What's your name? Are you here alone?"
The little girl blinked her emerald eyes and obediently replied: "My name is Odette. I... got separated from my family..."
As she spoke, her gaze dimmed slightly, making her appear even more pitiful.
"Odette? What a beautiful name."
Theresa's protective instincts were immediately aroused, "Don't be scared, don't be scared. Big Sister... uh, and this Big Brother will wait with you until your family comes to find you, okay?" She was completely unaware of any issues with the "separated" little girl in front of her.
Kael looked at the little girl named Odette, but a subtle sense of unease flashed through his mind.
The girl's demeanor was too calm, and her eyes too clear; she didn't seem like an ordinary lost child.
And... for some reason, he always felt he had seen those green eyes somewhere before, a strange sense of... familiarity?
But he quickly suppressed the thought, perhaps it was just an illusion.
"Odette" secretly rejoiced, but her expression remained fragile and helpless, as she nodded gently: "Mm... thank you, Big Brother, Big Sister."
Her gaze swept over Kael, seemingly unintentionally, lingering for a moment on his slightly fatigued but still handsome face, a subtle, ineffable ripple spreading in her heart.
Kael... even with a different identity and appearance, seeing him at such close proximity still unsettled her. But she couldn't reveal herself, at least not now.
Thus, the peculiar trio at the amusement park was formed.
Theresa, completely oblivious, remained immersed in the joy of "having a little sister," pulling Odette to play various games and buying her all sorts of snacks and toys. Kael followed behind, responsible for carrying things, paying, and dealing with various unexpected situations—like now, when Odette "accidentally" almost fell, and Kael instinctively reached out to steady her.
"Careful." Kael's arm was steady and strong.
"Th-thank you, Big Brother." Odette leaned on his arm, looked up, her small face slightly flushed, her emerald eyes shimmering with moisture. Seeing Kael's concerned expression up close, her heart uncontrollably beat faster.
This was the feeling... the feeling she had pursued for so long... warm and reliable... it was intoxicating... But she quickly straightened up, lowered her head, and hid the complex emotions swirling in her eyes.
Kael just thought the little girl seemed particularly shy and didn't think much of it.
It wasn't until sunset that a middle-aged man in a butler's uniform with a serious expression "rushed over," claiming to be Odette's family, and profusely thanked Kael and Theresa for looking after their Odette.
As "Odette" was led away by the "butler," she looked back three times, waving goodbye to Kael and Theresa with just the right amount of reluctance on her face: "Thank you, Big Brother and Big Sister! I had a lot of fun today!"
Watching the little girl's retreating figure, Theresa remarked with some emotion: "Odette is so cute, I wish I had a little sister like her."
Kael, however, gazed at the petite figure disappearing into the crowd, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly.
That person... his aura was steady, his steps precise; he was definitely not an ordinary person.
The little girl named Odette was probably not so simple either.
But the park's clamor quickly dispersed this doubt; perhaps she was just a young lady from a prominent family out for fun.
He shook his head, no longer thinking about it.
Anyway, after the vacation ended, all of this would just be a small interlude.
And what he didn't know was that in the distance, "Odette," already seated in a luxurious car, was looking through the car window, her now unconcealed deep emerald eyes firmly fixed on his figure, a smile playing on her lips that was utterly incongruous with her apparent age.
"Kael... we will meet again soon. In our true... identities."
Her whisper dissipated within the car, unheard by anyone.
On the other side, Theresa, satisfied, held her day's spoils and once again linked arms with Kael: "Today was so much fun! Kael, tomorrow, we..."
Kael immediately felt a headache coming on: "Stop! Theresa, tomorrow I really have to work. Another day of vacation or something... Bishop Otto will absolutely not approve it again!"
"Eh—how can you say that—"
The setting sun cast long shadows of the two, and the bustling day gradually drew to a close.
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