Chapter 30 The Leader of the Meteor City Troupe 30 (Revised...)
The boy's smile faltered for a moment.
Perhaps because Ayana had never doubted him in the past, the boy had become accustomed to Ayana's complete trust in him, and for a time he overlooked the "abnormalities" that would arouse Ayana's suspicion, and thus became somewhat lax.
But Kuroro reacted quickly. He stopped smiling, his pupils trembled slightly, and even the hand holding the food started to shake, his reddened fingertips quivering slightly.
He pursed his lips, and his entire demeanor was instantly replaced by a pitiful and endearing feeling, his voice soft and gentle.
"I...I'm not really sure either. I just guessed you should be in your room, and I was worried you might be hungry since you haven't eaten, so I knocked on the door to ask you."
The pink rabbit ears drooped down softly, and the little rabbit's black pupils were constantly glistening with tears as it looked at Ayana with teary eyes, as if it had suffered a thousand grievances. This made Ayana feel relieved, and she almost let Kuroro fool her again with his aggrieved appearance.
She quickly rubbed her eyes twice and tapped her head, her will hardening once more. Her light blue eyes narrowed slightly as she scanned Kuroro's expression from head to toe, and she questioned him again: "If you weren't sure if I was in the room, why did you say those things just now?"
"You should know that those words will make me feel guilty, right?"
Things that had been stuck in her mind for a long time suddenly came to life, and Ayana revealed an expression of understanding: "So, when you said those things, you didn't really think I didn't need you anymore, but rather you wanted to make me feel guilty?"
In the afternoon, the light outside the window turned a warm yellow, making it look cozy.
The girl was bathed in this warm yellow light, half of her face was bright yellow, while the other side was dim because it was far from the light source, making her expression seem very indifferent. She glanced at Feitan and saw him walking up the stairs. She sighed and said what she wanted to say in a few short words.
You don't need to do that.
"I understand you're worried that I'll neglect you because so many people have come recently. No, you won't."
Ayana paused, her eyes meeting those dark eyes directly: "No matter how many people come here, no matter what happens, you are still part of this family. This is your home."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Feitan walked over.
Those lifeless, dead fish eyes swept over Kuroro, then over Ayana's expression, as if they had guessed something.
But he didn't seem to have any intention of interfering in the matter between the two. He stared straight at Ayana and got straight to the point: "I found out a little bit."
"That person's identity is indeed quite important within that organization."
Feitan said with a straight face: "Their organization's goal is not just money. The leader has a strange hobby. He likes to collect rare treasures, and even the strange things that children haven't fully developed are considered treasures in his eyes."
When Feitan mentioned this, his face turned very ugly, as if he was disgusted: "So he would collect all those organs as precious collectibles."
"As for the rest, that guy doesn't know either. He has a mid-level position in the organization and doesn't have access to the actual controllers."
Ayana nodded slightly.
She was surprised that she was asked so many questions.
"That person is no longer of any use."
Feitan scoffed, "Can you hand him over to me?"
Seeing that Ayana agreed, Feitan glanced at Chrollo who was still standing there, and then went back downstairs.
He seemed to be discussing with Nobunaga how to deal with Adrian.
As children of Meteor City, Feitan and Nobunaga were simultaneously filled with the flames of anger and hatred in their chests. These flames had been raging inside them for a long time and were eager to find an outlet to vent their anger.
And Adrian is about to become that breakthrough.
It's easy to imagine that the consequences for him will be dire.
"...Kuroro."
"Kuroro!"
Hearing the familiar voice, Kuroro raised his head blankly, his face expressionless.
Whether it was because his thoughts had been exposed or because of what Ayana had just said, Kuroro was momentarily stunned, looking rather dazed.
In this state, he does have some of the childlike qualities that one would expect at his age.
The little rabbit looked so helpless, as if it had been criticized, that Ayana's heart softened.
She reached out and took the food from Kuroro's hand, then ruffled his hair helplessly. Her suspicions and conjectures subsided considerably, and she reassured him, "Okay, thank you for coming all this way to bring me food. I'm sorry to have worried you."
"I was wrong to say those things just now."
Ayana felt like she was coaxing her golden retriever. She held Kuroro's hand again: "I shouldn't have doubted you. I'm sorry, please forgive me."
The hand I held was icy cold. Over the past few days, the boy's thin face had become much plumper, but his body was still very weak and needed careful care to make up for his severe malnutrition.
Thinking about it this way, Ayana can understand why Chrollo did these things.
Kuroro was born in Meteor City and lived in constant anxiety. Before Ayana arrived, he often went hungry and had to worry about and evade the pursuit of those terrifying adults.
If he were a child from a normal family, he would probably be attending school properly at Kuroro's age, living in his parents' arms, completely unrelated to that bright red blood, and naturally wouldn't have these anxieties.
"...I'm the one who should apologize." Kuroro lowered his head, his two rabbit ears completely lifeless and drooping down. He looked listless from the inside out, which was heartbreaking.
He tried to pull his hand back, as if he wanted to retreat into his protective shell again, but Ayana held on too tightly, and he couldn't pull back even a little bit, so he had to give up for the time being, just hanging his head and not daring to look Ayana in the eye.
Feeling helpless, Ayana had no choice but to grip Kuroro tightly with one hand and forcefully lift his head with the other.
Upon closer inspection, the boy's eyes were glistening with tears, giving him a tearful appearance.
[On behalf of the Good Boy Protection Alliance, I strongly condemn you! How could you be so mean to your precious son? He's the cutest person in the world, your one and only good boy!]
You made him cry, so you have to take responsibility!
The cold, mechanical voice carried a sense of reproach. Although the system clearly belonged to Ayana, she had a feeling that her system had betrayed her and sided with Kuroro.
It seems this system is unreliable.
How could you say that to me? Of course I'm here to serve you! My loyalty to you is as clear as day, and your doubts chill me to the bone!
[I'm just doing my duty. Even though you're my host, I still have to protect my little one! Otherwise, I'll be punished!]
But I still love you QAQ!! Please believe me!
The moment the cute emoticon appeared, Ayana was speechless, feeling almost laughing in exasperation at the system's absurd words.
She scoffed at the system's words, ignoring it completely, and focused her attention on the pitiful Kuroro in front of her. Her expression softened instantly, and the cold aloofness she had just felt vanished.
"I promise I won't question you like that again, don't be sad."
The boy nodded, looking incredibly obedient, and the tears in his eyes had lessened considerably, which relieved Ayana.
She blinked and asked, "Did you eat enough just now? If not, would you like to eat something with me? I'm not very hungry."
Kuroro shook his head.
He didn't speak, but his eyes twinkled, showing the typical obedient child's demeanor.
Knowing that everything was alright, Ayana didn't try to keep Kuroro any longer. However, she still felt a little guilty, so she bought a few more candies from the store, pretended to take them out of her room, and stuffed them into Kuroro's hand, saying kindly, "Consider these candies my apology. After you finish eating them, you can't be angry or sad anymore, okay?"
The door was closed again, and the girl went inside, no longer harboring any doubts.
But outside the door, separated from the girl by only a wall, the boy's expression suddenly changed.
The icy coldness of inorganic matter was fully revealed. He looked down at the candy in his palm. The warmth from the girl's hand still lingered in his palm, but it wasn't hot enough to completely dispel the coldness in Kuroro's heart.
He thought coldly.
Sooner or later, Ayana will discover his true colors.
"Not pretending anymore?" Feitan, who should have walked downstairs, suddenly popped his head out from around the corner.
He was probably the only one here who saw through Kuroro's true nature, and therefore, unlike the others, he harbored intense hostility towards Kuroro.
"Always playing the role of a well-behaved girl, hoping to get her more attention and affection, is really hypocritical."
Feitan, always sharp-tongued and direct, sarcastically remarked, "Don't you feel ashamed to gain attention this way?"
I don't think so.
Having shed all pretense, Kuroro's features became somewhat sharp. He glanced sideways at Feitan, his gaze cold, but his eyes were curved, giving him a polite air. His voice was also very gentle: "I thought you had already gone downstairs to take care of what you needed to do. I didn't expect you to be eavesdropping here. That's quite surprising. I didn't know you had this kind of fetish?"
Feitan hummed through his nose but didn't reply.
"But if you hate me so much, why don't you just tell Ayana that I've been pretending all along?"
Kuroro asked with a smile, "I'm quite looking forward to seeing what happens then."
If Ayana were standing here right now, she would surely be surprised and bewildered by the boy's appearance.
The glint of moisture that had just been in their eyes vanished almost instantly, replaced by undisguised hostility and sharpness.
The boy had a friendly smile, but he tilted his head, showing a hint of confusion. His usually gentle voice was now tinged with coldness.
"At that time, will Ayana believe me or you?"
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