Chapter 7 The Troupe Leader of Meteor City 07 (Wounds have been healed...)
Ayana felt that Kuroro probably wasn't very happy at the moment.
She rolled her eyes and was about to approach Chrollo when Shalnark suddenly grabbed her wrist and stared at her with bright eyes: "Thank you, I like it very much."
He swallowed hard, a flicker of tension and hope crossing his eyes, his thin, bony hands clenched tightly: "Are we good friends now?"
The hamster's reaction was so cute.
If he could also be dressed in an animal costume, his ears would probably be trembling with nervousness right now.
Ayana was about to agree when she suddenly heard Kuroro gasp in pain.
The boy was wearing a plain white shirt without any patterns. The shirt was short-sleeved, revealing most of his arms. His skin was very fair, which made the wounds on his arms stand out even more.
Kuroro's arm had been slashed open at some point, and bright red blood was flowing out of it continuously, making it look terrifying and frightening.
He lowered his head, his raven-black hair obscuring most of his face, making it impossible to discern his expression. One could only vaguely see that he was biting his lower lip, probably enduring the pain.
"Oh no!! Kuroro, you're injured!"
The knight leaped over in a flash, and Franklin hurriedly stepped forward to check Kuroro's wounds.
Kuroro waved his hand, a faint smile appearing on his pale face: "It's alright, he probably just accidentally scratched something."
Children in Meteor City often get injured, so this kind of minor injury is commonplace; Kuroro wasn't lying.
But in Ayana's eyes, this appearance had a different meaning.
The boy's face was ashen, and the color that had finally returned to him was slowly fading away. He glanced at Ayana stealthily, and by sheer coincidence, their eyes met.
Seemingly afraid of worrying her, the boy quickly looked away, quietly concealing his wound, while still maintaining a smile and talking to the person beside him.
My heart clenched instantly.
Ayana reacted immediately, pushing aside Franklin and Chrollo, and eagerly grabbed Kuroro's arm, staring intently at the wound, her words filled with deep concern.
"How did you get injured? And such a serious injury at that."
She looked up, her emotions completely undisguised, laid bare before Kuroro: "Let's go home, I'll bandage you up."
[Kuroro's affection level was detected at 10%.]
[Host, I have high hopes for you!]
"Home".
An unfamiliar word.
The children of Meteor City have no home.
All three people present were stunned. Even Kuroro, who was usually good at hiding his emotions, had a moment of blankness on his face.
A strange emotion was brewing in his heart. Kuroro wanted to say something, but his open mouth was abruptly blocked. He simply obediently closed his mouth and responded with a soft "hmm".
…
The sky was getting dark.
An endless expanse of black gradually replaced the sunset's glow, enveloping the entire sky.
Ayana hurriedly pulled Kuroro back into the house, and as soon as they got home, she tried to pin him down in a chair to apply medicine.
Kuroro firmly grabbed her hand, his dark eyes showing an unyielding insistence: "Draw the curtains first."
In Meteor City, the lights at night can cause unnecessary danger.
Kuroro was meticulous. Even when Ayana said "it's alright," he refused to back down an inch, staring at Ayana firmly until she agreed to his request.
The two of them went back and forth, pulling all the curtains in the room shut. This took quite a while, and by the time Ayana had time to check on Kuroro's wounds, the blood had already congealed.
The congealed blood formed bloodstains, creating crooked blood marks along the veins on the boy's skin.
Kuroro's lips had almost lost their color, and his fingers and face had turned a sickly pale white.
Even so, he still comforted Ayana: "It's really okay, this kind of injury is nothing, it's very common!"
His voice was very soft, almost indistinguishable from a breath.
Ayana felt sorry for him again.
"Do you get injured often?" She softened her voice, using the medicine she had bought from the store to disinfect Kuroro, her voice carrying a hint of coaxing, "It might hurt a little."
The boy bit his lower lip tightly, clenched his shorts with his fingers, and his eyes were misty with tears, but he still refused to make a sound.
Kuroro's voice sounded a little sore: "...Not many."
The little rabbit must be lying.
If that's really the case, why use a word like "common"?
Ayana felt increasingly sorry for the boy's weakness and helplessness, and her protective instincts surged.
She didn't say anything more. She focused on treating the wound, and after disinfecting it, she patiently applied medicine to Kuroro.
The medicine stung Kuroro a little, and he couldn't bear it, reflexively pulling his hand back. Ayana reached out to grab it, and only when she grasped his hand did she realize how cold Kuroro's hand was.
It was like a piece of ice that had just fallen from an iceberg, without a trace of warmth.
Ayana shuddered at the cold and withdrew her hand as if electrocuted.
Kuroro awkwardly hid his hands behind his back and apologized nervously, "I'm...sorry, my hands are too cold."
Ayana then noticed how thinly Kuroro was dressed.
His clothes consisted of only a thin layer of cloth, probably picked up randomly, made of very poor quality, and were completely ineffective at keeping warm. He would freeze to death if the wind blew.
Kuroro lowered his head in embarrassment, revealing his slender nape, looking both awkward and ashamed.
[Host, why do you give clothes to other people but not to my little one!]
He's shivering from the cold! Doesn't your conscience hurt?! Is someone else more important, or your precious son?!
Ayana decisively bought several outfits in the mall in one go, then ran back to her room, pretending to take them out, and stuffed them all into Kuroro's hands.
She held Kuroro's hand tightly, as if she couldn't feel the cold, and kept sending warmth to him: "These are all for you!"
Kuroro slightly raised his half-closed eyes and stammered, "This isn't a good idea. These clothes must be very expensive, and I don't have the money to pay for them."
"Aren't you my cook?" Ayana stared with her clear, bright, glass-bead-like eyes. "Just consider it your salary!"
Kuroro didn't refuse anymore. He obediently hugged the clothes and stood there for a while, his eyes shining.
[Kuroro's Affection Level 15% Detected]
…
"Hey, how long are you going to keep playing dead?"
Machi kicked the person lying on the ground twice. The person looked like a child, but her voice was low, cold, and indifferent.
Her gaze swept quickly across the surrounding scenery like a dragonfly skimming the water, and she said ruthlessly, "It's getting dark. If you want to die, I'm not going to keep you company."
The man lying on the ground did not respond to Machi.
His eyes were tightly closed, and he was as still as a dead man.
It wasn't until Machi's patience finally ran out, and she clicked her tongue and turned to leave, that the man suddenly opened his eyes.
His eyes, like those of a wild beast in the jungle, stared blankly at the sky for a while before his pupils began to move. He asked in a hoarse voice, "Where is that little leopard cub?"
"What little leopard cub?" Machi paused in her steps.
She gave me a look that said, "What's wrong with you now?", crossed her arms, and sneered in her eyes: "Aren't you awake yet?"
Uvogin chuckled twice, his expression ambiguous.
He suddenly sat up and roared without warning. Luckily, Maggie covered her ears in time, otherwise her eardrums would have ruptured.
She got angry, and her tone changed drastically, her voice sharp and menacing: "What's wrong with you? If you want to die, don't drag me down with you..."
As Uvogin sat up, Machi finally saw what he looked like, her voice growing softer with shock.
Crimson blood flowed down Uvogin's forehead. His left eye was swollen, making his eyelid feel as heavy as if it were filled with lead, and he could only keep it half-open. Dark red scars were piled up haphazardly on his body.
“I underestimated that little leopard cub.” Uvogin licked the blood off his arm, a wicked smile playing on his lips, before swallowing the blood.
The sweet and pungent taste spread in his mouth, and Uvogin's eyes changed accordingly, becoming like those of a beast staring at its prey.
Ignoring the pain in his body, he suddenly stood up and frantically wiped the blood off his face: "But it's still just a little leopard cub after all."
"You should go back first." Uvogin glanced at Machi, his face contorted with a cruel and ferocious expression, his eyes turning crimson.
"I went and ate that little leopard cub."
As soon as he finished speaking, he leaped away from where he stood like a wild beast and disappeared into the darkness.
The dome had completely darkened, and not wanting to cause trouble, Machi quickly left, disappearing without a trace.
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