Torami Toumi said she was a student who had skipped grades, but being twelve and in fifth grade was not unusual, unless she had never attended school before, like Lin Wuming now.
Coupled with the scar on her face, Lin Wuming naturally concluded that she, too, was a victim of an illegal experiment.
Noticing his gaze, Torami Toumi shook her head, expertly covering the right side of her face with her golden hair.
Lin Wuming immediately averted his eyes. No matter how formidable she was, Torami Toumi was still a girl, and she couldn't possibly be unconcerned about her appearance.
However, Torami Toumi frowned, then tossed her hair back, bravely revealing the face crisscrossed with scars.
"Dr. Sakurai specializes in plastic surgery," the girl suddenly said.
"I see," Lin Wuming nodded. He finally understood why Torami Toumi had been hospitalized.
No wonder she had decisively checked out after Dr. Sakurai was injured—her primary physician couldn't continue working.
"I remember that doctor with the frog face; his medical skills are also very impressive," Lin Wuming suggested after thinking for a moment.
To be honest, Lin Wuming thought Heaven Canceller's medical skills were certainly superior to Dr. Sakurai's, even if he might not specialize in plastic surgery.
Since Torami Toumi was so concerned about the scars on her face, she should just go straight to Heaven Canceller; there was no need to wait for Dr. Sakurai to recover.
"Pfft, frog face..." Hearing Lin Wuming's description, the girl couldn't help but smile, but she still shook her head. "I know his medical skills are excellent, but I only want Dr. Sakurai to perform the surgery."
"Huh? Why?" Lin Wuming asked, following the topic.
"I only trust Dr. Sakurai," Torami Toumi said earnestly.
Next, she finished eating the cake in her hand and suddenly stood up.
Crossing her hands to grip the hem of her T-shirt, the girl swiftly took off her clothes under Lin Wuming's astonished gaze.
Through their interactions, Lin Wuming knew Torami Toumi had a swift and straightforward personality. But he still didn't expect her to pull a move like this so suddenly.
Since it wasn't a life-threatening situation, "Bullet Time" didn't trigger, and Lin Wuming had no chance to stop her.
Even though Torami Toumi was still just a girl... no, precisely because she was still a little girl, it was worse.
Lin Wuming instantly turned his head and closed his eyes: "What are you doing all of a sudden!"
"You're the one! What kind of reaction is that!" The girl, however, shouted back unreservedly. "Open your eyes! Haven't you ever been to a swimming pool!"
Lin Wuming opened his eyes, uncertain and surprised, only to find that the girl was still wearing basic underwear. Although inappropriate, it wasn't indecent.
Just as Torami Toumi had said earlier, she was indeed developing early.
However, what drew Lin Wuming's attention was not the slightly undulating curves but the hideous scars covering the girl's body.
They were similar to the scars on her right cheek.
Her entire right side looked as if it had been bombed, covered in scars, with many extending to her left side.
At first glance, Lin Wuming had thought she was wearing a piece of specially patterned fitted lingerie.
It was hard to imagine what could have left such exaggerated scars, and how the girl had survived after suffering such severe injuries.
"Did you... suffer a gas explosion?" Lin Wuming asked, half-joking and half-serious.
"Not gas, landmines," Torami Toumi answered matter-of-factly.
"Landmines? You mean those... uh..." Lin Wuming was momentarily at a loss for words. "Landmines used in war?"
"That's right," the girl nodded. "I came to Academy City two years ago. Before that, I lived in a war-torn region for ten years—as a child soldier."
"Child soldier..."
"Yes," the girl nodded with a somewhat numb expression. "In war, people don't consider ethics or morality. Everyone who is still alive is some kind of war resource. Even children like us, who can't even hold a gun, can be useful... for instance, clearing minefields."
When professional mine-clearing equipment and technical engineers were lacking, or simply to reduce costs, this primitive yet effective method would be used.
The more conscientious would use livestock to step through the minefield, but in situations lacking humanity or livestock, people would be used for this task.
Unluckily or luckily, Torami Toumi was an old hand at this "job."
Because her senses were exceptionally keen and she was lucky, she was repeatedly able to survive these life-risking missions. The price was the hideous scars all over her body.
Perhaps the commanders valued her "talent" highly, so they tried their best to heal her after every injury so she could be deployed for the next mission.
"Until I met Dr. Sakurai..." Torami Toumi spread her arms, displaying her scarred body almost self-deprecatingly, but when she mentioned Dr. Sakurai, rich emotion finally flowed over her numb face. "She was working as an international humanitarian doctor in the war zone, and she saved me!"
After her mission cycle ended, Dr. Sakurai smoothed things over and found a way to bring Torami Toumi back to Japan. Following that, Torami Toumi displayed her superpower talent and was recruited into Academy City.
"Dr. Sakurai actually came to work in Academy City to look after me," Torami Toumi said. "Her husband, Mr. Hutou, passed away early, so Dr. Sakurai has no children, and I have no mother..."
Therefore, the two of them were like mother and daughter. No wonder Torami Toumi instantly went berserk and lost control when Dr. Sakurai was attacked.
"Dr. Sakurai promised she would make me a beautiful girl again," Torami Toumi said. "And I only trust Dr. Sakurai!"
Other people, upon seeing her body, would instinctively show disgust, which would quickly turn into pity.
Although Torami Toumi's mental fortitude was very tough, allowing her to ignore others' stares, she still had psychological trauma and felt uneasy.
She could accept kindness but would absolutely not accept pity.
"I hate those women's hypocritical looks!" Torami Toumi said.
Even though she knew those doctors meant no harm, she always felt uncomfortable.
And this boy in front of her, Lin Wuming, his gaze showed surprise and panic, and even pity, but he showed no sign of disgust.
This was why Torami Toumi chose to be honest with him—at least, this person was less offensive than others.
"Dr. Heaven Canceller's medical skills are indeed excellent, and Dr. Sakurai seems to admire him too," Torami Toumi said. "But he's a man. I don't want a man to touch my body."
This, too, was an after-effect of those unbearable past experiences.