— — Morning — —
Kael was awakened by an extremely light, cautious touch.
He groggily opened his eyes to find that at some point, he had shifted to a supine position, and Sirin, like a kitten afraid of the cold, was curled up entirely in his arms, her head resting on his shoulder, one arm draped across his chest.
She seemed to be in a deep sleep, her breathing even and long, her long purple eyelashes quietly lowered like butterfly wings, and on her face was a defenseless serenity he hadn't seen in thirteen years.
Kael stirred slightly, trying to withdraw his arm without waking her, but found that even in her sleep, Sirin's hand, clutching the corner of his pajama top, had not loosened.
Looking at her completely dependent appearance, Kael's heart softened, and he eventually just smiled helplessly, giving up the idea of getting up, letting her hold him, his gaze fixed on the ceiling, his thoughts drifting far away.
After an unknown amount of time, there was a "bang" of a door closing in the living room, followed by Kiana's characteristic loud voice, hoarse from just waking up and as energetic as ever:
"Kael! This Young Miss is hungry! What are we eating for breakfast today?!"
The sound was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly breaking the tranquility of the bedroom.
Sirin in Kael's arms was almost immediately startled awake.
She suddenly opened her eyes, a flicker of confusion from just waking up in her golden eyes, which quickly regained clarity.
But upon seeing herself completely curled up in Kael's arms, her cheeks rapidly flushed a light red at a visible speed, and she released her grip on his clothes as if electrocuted, sitting up somewhat flustered.
"Bro-Brother... good morning..."
She said softly, her gaze wandering, not daring to look at Kael.
"Morning, Sirin."
Kael also sat up, stretching his slightly numb shoulder, his tone gentle, "Did you sleep well?"
"Mm!"
Sirin nodded vigorously, a satisfied blush rising on her face, "Very well!"
And it was the most peaceful sleep she had had in thirteen years.
Just then, there was a "knock knock knock" on the bedroom door, and Kiana's energetic voice came from outside: "Kael! Are you still asleep? Get up quickly! My stomach is protesting!"
Kael sighed, raising his voice: "I'm up, I'll go make breakfast now."
He got out of bed, straightened his somewhat wrinkled pajamas, and said to Sirin, who was still sitting on the bed with flushed cheeks: "You go wash up first, breakfast will be ready soon."
Sirin nodded obediently.
Kael opened the bedroom door and saw Kiana, with a messy head of silver hair, leaning against the doorframe like a ruffled cat, her blue eyes suspiciously scanning between him and Sirin in the room.
"You two..." Kiana drew out her words, her eyes full of inquiry.
"Sirin was a little scared last night, so she rested here."
Kael explained calmly, brushing past her and heading straight to the kitchen, "What do you want to eat? Fried eggs or toast?"
"Both!"
Kiana's attention was indeed diverted by food, and she immediately followed him, starting to order, "And sausages! Double portion! Oh, and half of my strawberry mousse is still in the fridge, I want it for dessert!"
"Too many sweets in the morning isn't good." Kael tied on an apron and took eggs and toast from the fridge.
"I don't care! I want to eat it!"
Kiana pouted, opening the fridge door herself and taking out the half-box of strawberry mousse, hugging it tightly as if afraid someone would snatch it away.
Sirin also came out of the bedroom at this moment; she had already changed into yesterday's clothes, her long purple hair neatly combed, but her gaze towards Kiana still carried a faint aloofness and a trace of imperceptible scrutiny.
She silently walked to the kitchen doorway, quietly watching Kael busy himself, neither going in to disturb him nor speaking to Kiana.
Kiana felt Sirin's gaze, snorted, and deliberately dug a large spoonful of mousse into her mouth, eating with relish, and even gave Sirin a challenging look.
Sirin merely glanced at her indifferently, then refocused her gaze on Kael, as if Kiana was just an irrelevant backdrop.
Soon, the sizzling of frying eggs and the "ding" of the toaster echoed in the kitchen, and the aroma of food permeated the air, temporarily diluting the invisible tension between the two.
Just as Kael was placing the fried sunny-side-up eggs and golden-brown toast on the dining table, preparing to call them to eat, the special terminal he had placed on the living room coffee table suddenly emitted a rapid and unique hum, different from a regular call ringtone.
Kael's movements paused.
This ringtone... it was Archbishop Otto's exclusive communication.
Sirin's expression also changed slightly, clearly recognizing the ringtone.
Kiana, however, was oblivious, still concentrating on her mousse cake.
Kael put down the serving plate, walked to the coffee table, picked up the terminal, took a deep breath, and connected the communication.
A light screen instantly unfolded before him, and the impeccably delicate face of Otto Apocalypse appeared on the screen.
He seemed to be in a technologically advanced room, with huge light screens displaying various data streams in the background.
"Good morning, my dear Kael~"
Otto's voice carried his characteristic lazy and sweet tone, his emerald eyes like the finest cat's-eye gems, sparkling with intrigued light, "I hope I haven't interrupted your lovely morning?"
His gaze seemingly casually swept over Kael, then naturally passed over his shoulder, landing behind him — where he just saw Sirin, quietly standing at the kitchen doorway, wearing a clearly ill-fitting men's T-shirt.
The smile on Otto's face froze for an instant, the light in his emerald eyes sharpened a few degrees, as if a cold data stream flashed by.
He scrutinized Sirin from head to toe, especially lingering on her slightly disheveled purple hair and the T-shirt that clearly belonged to Kael.
Kael could even feel the air pressure on the other end of the screen seemed to drop slightly.
However, this hint of displeasure vanished almost instantly, so quickly that it felt like Kael's imagination.
Otto's face once again wore that perfect, slightly playful smile, but beneath it, there was an indescribable complexity.
"Oh my?"
Otto raised an eyebrow slightly, his tone carrying exaggerated "surprise," "It seems my lovely S-Rank Valkyrie Sirin has found her 'lost and found' brother? And... they seem to be getting along quite 'harmoniously,' don't they?"
His emphasis subtly fell on the words "harmoniously," his gaze pointedly shifting between Kael and Sirin.
Sirin pursed her lips, not answering, merely straightening her back slightly, her eyes calmly meeting Otto's, but her slightly clenched fists betrayed her inner turmoil.
Kael felt a headache coming on; he tried to change the subject: "Archbishop, do you have any instructions contacting me so early?"
"Instructions? Not really."
Otto withdrew his gaze, looking back at Kael, picking up a teacup that had appeared beside him at some point and taking a sip, his tone returning to its previous languor, "Just a routine check to see if my most important 'collaborator' is adapting to the new environment. Also, regarding the potential small 'excitement' in Changkong City recently, I think you'll need more detailed information."
He paused, tapping his fingertip in the air, and an encrypted file was transmitted to Kael's terminal.
"ME Corp's internal unrest is faster than expected, and some restless 'little bugs' might take the opportunity to act. Although I believe your capabilities, Kael, are sufficient to handle any unexpected situation, but..."
His gaze once again subtly glanced at Sirin, and a meaningful curve appeared at the corner of his mouth, "Having a reliable 'helper' by your side is always more reassuring, isn't it? After all, you now have more than one person to look after."
The words sounded like concern, but Kael detected a different undertone.
"I will pay attention, Archbishop."
Kael responded in a deep voice.
"Mm, I always trust your handling of affairs."
Otto nodded in satisfaction, his gaze lingering on Kael's face for a few seconds, his eyes so deep they seemed to draw him in.
He seemed to sigh softly, murmuring something very low, at a volume only Kael could hear, his tone carrying a rare, almost indulgent helplessness:
"Forget it... you seem quite happy... so be it..."
The words were as light as a feather's brush, Kael wasn't even sure if he had misheard.
Before he could ponder it, Otto had returned to his normal demeanor, smiling as he cut off the communication: "Well then, I wish you all a pleasant day~"
The light screen instantly dimmed.
With the communication ended, the living room fell into a brief silence.
Kiana finally looked up from her strawberry mousse, blinking her blue eyes, a bewildered expression on her face: "Who was that pretty auntie just now? She spoke so strangely."
Kael didn't answer; he was still replaying Otto's last ambiguous words and complex gaze.
Sirin, meanwhile, walked to Kael's side, gently tugging his sleeve, looking up at him, a hint of worry in her golden eyes: "Brother, Archbishop Otto, she..."
"It's nothing."
Kael patted the back of her hand, comforting her, "Let's eat breakfast first, it's getting cold."
He rearranged the breakfast, and the three sat around the small dining table.
Kiana was still curious about the call, asking as she bit into a sausage: "Kael, who was that really just now? She seemed to know this... Sirin?"
"An... superior."
Kael explained vaguely.
"Superior?"
Kiana tilted her head, "Aren't you school staff? Do school staff have superiors?"
Kael: "..." He was speechless for a moment.
Sirin quietly ate the egg Kael had fried, her movements elegant; hearing this, she looked up and glanced indifferently at Kiana, her tone calm and unruffled: "Brother's affairs don't need so much explanation to you."
"Hey! What do you mean!"
Kiana immediately bristled, "Kael and I are good friends! What's wrong with me caring about him!"
"Good friends?"
Sirin repeated softly, a faint, slightly mocking curve on her lips, "'Good friends' who only cause trouble and steal food?"
"Who are you calling trouble-causing food-stealers! You're the suspicious one who suddenly appeared!" Kiana stood up in anger.
"Kiana, sit down and eat."
Kael massaged his temples, feeling the familiar headache starting again.
"Sirin, you also say less."
Sirin obediently lowered her head: "Sorry, Brother."
But her gaze towards Kiana still held no warmth.
Kiana sat down huffily, glaring fiercely at Sirin, turning her anger into appetite, and began to devour the food on her plate like a whirlwind, as if the food was some hateful purple-haired woman.