A small blond boy with blue eyes knelt behind a crate, peering at a corner store. "I need around two bronze to pay back my debt to Jess, he thought. Maybe she'll accept an apple."
He eyed the fruit and began calculating:"The store owner is busy with a customer, and his assistant is loading boxes. They shouldn't notice me. The probability of success is roughly 89%, allowing for unexpected variables."
He darted around the crate and sneaked behind the customer. The apples were directly above him. Just as he reached up, the shop owner glanced down.
"Hey, little man, what are you doing there?" the man asked, his voice tinged with annoyance.
"Oh, nothing," the boy replied quickly. "I just dropped my coins and they rolled over here."
"Make sure you leave once you find them," the owner grunted.
The boy let out a quiet sigh of relief, snatched a green apple, hid it under his shirt, and ran off. As he turned a corner, he spotted a guard. Acting on instinct, he pulled the apple out of his shirt and held it openly before the guard could grow suspicious.
"Hey there," the guard said, recognizing him. "Wait, aren't you the kid who helped me find those punks the other day? What was your name again... Lad, was it?"
"No, it's Laniakea," the boy corrected.
"Oh! That's an interesting name. Does it have a meaning?"
"I don't know; I never learned how to read," Laniakea responded automatically, his answer practiced. He quickly walked away, thinking to himself: Had I kept the apple hidden, there would have been a 78% chance he'd have thought I'd stolen it.
When he arrived back at the orphanage, a small girl with blue hair and green eyes approached him. "Lan, did you bring me my money?"
"How many times have I told you to call me Laniakea, Jessica?"
"Oh, come on! And I told you to call me Jess. J-E-S-S," she pouted. "If you won't listen to me, I won't call you that. Besides, your name is way too long!"
Laniakea sighed. "Well, I brought you something better than two bronze. A green apple worth three—since I know you like them more."
He pulled out the fruit. Jessica let out a high-pitched squeal—a sound barely identifiable by the human ear. "Did you really get that for me?"
"How many times have I told you not to make that demonic screech?" Laniakea asked sternly, though he secretly thought it was adorable.
"Don't call a lady demonic!" she snapped playfully.
Laniakea looked past her, his expression softening. "Sister!"
A nun walked up to them, smiling warmly. "What have you two punks been up to, huh?"