The Matter of Me Being Picked Up and Adopted by Talula Chapter 46

Lumen reached out and pointed at Orson, immediately abusing her authority.

67. This damned illegal older sister is actually this cute…

"I... I must explain beforehand, this isn't a date, cough. That's right, it's an appointment for a bodyguard, no different from before!"

In the Rostov family's villa, Lumen said with a blush, coughing and adding explanations somewhat flusteredly.

"Natalia—"

It was clear that people including Talula and FrostNova didn't accept Lumen's explanation.

"Orson, explain yourself."

Talula asked Orson with a smile, her right hand lightly resting on the hilt of her sword.

Thanks to Orson's previous guidance, he himself didn't know if Sister Talula would use a Dragon Strike Spear or a vertical slash next.

"Wait, wait, wait—why is it me explaining? I should be the victim..."

Orson raised his hands high, stating that he was still inquiring about where to find mechanical prosthetics in Kazimierz City this morning and was inexplicably dragged here to fill a spot.

"Orson, do you know the power of Ice Shadow?"

FrostNova gently fiddled with snowflakes in her hand, wearing the expression of a guardian who had fallen into the darkness.

"I've seen enough of it in the Crucible Arena... No, why is the focus shifting to me...?"

Orson extended his hands, trying to block Lumen in front of him, while Talula and FrostNova (imagining Jurassic Park, Star-Lord.jpg).

The only fortunate thing was that Alina and Ino weren't here at the moment. The former had gone to a bookstore in Kazimierz City to buy some proper textbooks and books, while the latter was off doing who knows what.

But Orson also knew very well that the few people in front of him were enough to crush him into an obsidian ball.

"Senior Patriot, save me—!"

Driven into a corner, Orson cried out for help, only to despairingly find Patriot already pulling out a newspaper and watching the show with tea on the side.

"Follow me, Orson! Guards, stop these people!"

"Nngh—!?"

Lumen seized the opportunity when the other two weren't paying attention and grabbed Orson's arm, escaping the hall.

"Hey!" "Natalia!"

Talula and FrostNova were a step behind, only able to watch as Lumen dragged Orson away from the villa.

On the street, after confirming that FrostNova and Talula weren't actually chasing them, Lumen let go of Orson, catching her breath and smiling.

"I feel like this is the first time I've seen you smile like this, Natalia."

Orson looked at Lumen with some curiosity, and casually popped his dislocated arm back into place ().

"Haha... Yes, because noble education teaches that a proper noble should always maintain elegant etiquette, no matter when."

Lumen wiped away tears of laughter from the corner of her eyes, calming herself before looking at Orson.

"But—who cares. After all, no noble would be speeding down the road and vandalizing public property, right?"

Lumen gave Orson a mischievous expression, something Orson had never seen before.

This feeling... it was as if the girl in front of him had finally shed the guise of nobility and was showing him the emotions a normal high school student should have.

"..."

Orson was a little stunned. When he no longer had to worry about the schemes of the old nobles, he finally had the energy to observe this Ursus girl.

Fair skin, heterochromatic eyes like jewels, pure white hair, a slender neck—

Isn't she very cute?

"Orson?"

"—Cough, cough, cough, nothing. Um, Natalia, you wouldn't have just dragged me out here, would you? If that's the case, then next year today would be my death anniversary..."

Orson shook his head and complained to Lumen with some embarrassment.

Because you know my family situation.jpg

"Hehe, Orson, you don't like dating girls like me?"

"Of course, of course not! It's just—"

Orson stammered halfway through his explanation, only to find that Lumen, who had just said that, had buried her head in her coat, with steam rising from the gap.

Good heavens, practicing the Seven Injuries Fist here?

"Cough... As I said before, I wanted you, Orson, to be my bodyguard today as well. I plan to check on the recovery status of the areas affected by the Kazimierz City incident."

Lumen coughed twice, resuming the demeanor of a daughter of a noble family. To Orson, however, this forced composure had a strangely cute charm.

"I understand, Miss Natalia."

Orson smiled and made a butler's bow, even changing his address back to what he used when performing bodyguard duties before.

"Smooth talker—Knight."

Lumen replied with a smile.

"Orson!!"

"Is there anywhere I can hide, Anna?"

"Hmm... Orson, do you want to create a locked-room murder mystery for yourself?"

"I'm not planning on dying yet—Whoa!?"

First stop, Peterheim Middle School.

Orson was desperately fleeing with Truth on his back, while Lumiere was relentlessly throwing various school supplies like compasses, utility knives, pencils, erasers, and meteor hammers at him.

"I think your choice for this stop was a bit arbitrary, Natalia!"

Orson complained loudly to Lumen, who was escaping alongside him. Lumen, as usual, just smiled.

The reason Orson was being chased was simple: after causing such a huge incident, Orson had suddenly disappeared from Peterheim for two whole weeks. During this time, Lumiere had tried to visit the Rostov family's home but was stopped by the guards.

Lumiere, who had been incredibly disappointed, thinking Orson and Lumen had just run away, first widened her eyes when she saw them reappear and prepared to pounce. However, this surprise quickly turned into anger, and then into murderous intent.

And so, the situation became like this. Even when Orson, with Anna on his back, asked the Commissar to try and talk some sense into Lumiere, it was no use.

After finally being beaten up by Lumiere, the Bear Squad reunited after a long time, and Gummy prepared a lavish charcoal-grilled sand worm meal for everyone.

Lumen explained to everyone that she had been busy dealing with the Kazimierz City incident, which was why she couldn't come to campus. Only then did Lumiere relax a little.

But when she heard that Lumen was already the mayor, everyone in the Bear Squad let out sounds of disbelief.

And when Orson mentioned that he was actually almost 20 years old, Lumiere almost popped her eyes out.

"You're kidding me, Orson? You're already a university student?!"

"Haha, I didn't expect to actually get away with it."

"Because you always tied for last place with me in every math mock exam?"

"..."

Orson rubbed his head and could only manage to utter a phrase Talula liked: "To each their own."

Life might deceive you, but math won't. If you don't get it, you just don't get it.

After Orson also said that he would be staying in Kazimierz City for a while longer and that there would be opportunities to gather again, Orson and Lumen left Peterheim Middle School.

"I heard that Peterheim Middle School will be implementing a class division next semester—separating the children of nobles from ordinary students into the same classrooms."

After the Kazimierz City incident, Peterheim Middle School renovated its stadium and also began to change its previous educational policies.

The drawbacks of noble arrogance had already been evident during the Kazimierz City incident. These nobles discovered that when a crisis struck, they couldn't even secure the support and protection of the citizens. Therefore, after narrowly escaping with their lives, more and more nobles began to reflect on their past lifestyles.

Allowing their children to grow up alongside the children of ordinary people was just one of their attempts.

"While I don't think the gap between classes will be eliminated so easily, this should still be a small step forward, right?"

Lumen looked at Peterheim Middle School and felt the temperature around her.

The cold snap was no longer as biting. Winter was about to pass, and a brand-new spring would greet this land.

Next spring, Peterheim Middle School would welcome a new semester, and the Bear Squad members, who coincidentally were assigned to the same class, would also welcome a new transfer student named Zoya, whose family was in the police force.

But that's a story for another time.

Lumen and Orson arrived at their second stop, the commercial street where a fierce battle had previously erupted.

The commercial street had already been repaired and was back in operation. Not only that, but the commercial street today was even livelier than usual—

"Friends in the front row, please put your hands up and sing with me!"

"Aow aow!!"

On the stage set up on the main street, a young boy held a microphone, stirring up the emotions of the crowd. The Kazimierz City citizens surrounding him were cheering along with the beat, and the scene was even more passionate than in Boruto.

"...?" "..."

As for Orson and Lumen, they had the expression of elderly people looking at their phones on the subway.

The reason was simple: the boy shining brightly on stage at that moment was Ino.

68. Teacher Orson, I Want to Become an Idol!! (Bonus Chapter)

During the time when Alina had not yet woken up and Orson was the acting teacher, Orson often saw Ino hiding alone.

Although Orson feared that he might become the reviled Mephistopheles in the future, he had always taken extra care of Ino. Even so, Orson felt that he couldn't break through the boy's inner defenses. This young boy seemed to fear everything and had no clear goals.

"Ino? You're here. What's wrong? Did you skip class because the story about [a high school student taking his grandpa to Egypt to obliterate vampires] was too boring?"

As usual, after finishing training with the guerrilla fighters, Orson prepared to chat and tell stories to the children.

When he found that Ino was not at the camp, Orson searched the surroundings and found the boy by a snowdrift, looking as if he was blending into the background and about to disappear.

"Teacher Orson...? No, it's not about the story, I just... um."

Seeing Orson, Ino became flustered. He wanted to say something, but out of fear, he could only bury his head.

"If you don't mind, you can tell me, Ino. I know you're always thinking about many things, but you never express what's on your mind. You're still a child; you don't need to carry everything alone."

Orson sat down beside Ino, his tone calm and gentle.

"I... Mr. Orson, I always feel like I don't belong in this kind of life—"

Ino hesitated for a long time before looking at Orson, his eyes darting away as he spoke.

"I... I've done bad things before, I've killed people... And Sasha became Infected because of me... I'm scared, because I never felt like what I did back then was wrong— I just felt like I wouldn't be bullied anymore, and Sasha could always stay by my side... I ruined everything, but I felt so happy because of it."

Ino spoke intermittently. Although his words were fragmented and disjointed, Orson understood what Ino was struggling with.

He knew that what he had done was "evil," but he did not show any remorse for this "evil," which made Ino doubt whether he could continue to live in the camp. He doubted if he was an "abnormal existence."

In the original world, Black Serpent had exploited Ino's struggle, guiding him down a path of complete "self-disclosure"—ultimately shaping Mephistopheles into the anti-human personality he was.

What should I do now?

Orson thought for a moment, then slowly began to speak.

"It's understandable that you felt happy, Ino."

"Huh...?"

Ino looked at Orson, surprised that the acting teacher actually acknowledged his twisted emotions.

"Sasha told me that the person you killed was the culprit who caused you to become Infected. She wasn't a good person, and her death was insignificant. Moreover, after Sasha became Infected, you could continue to move forward together with the same identity. This fact gave you a sense of security, which is why you felt happy."

"Mr. Orson, then I—"

"However, a mistake is still a mistake, Ino. We can delve into darkness for revenge, self-preservation, to protect others, or for certain convictions, but we cannot feel pleasure from 'taking another person's life' itself."

Orson looked at Ino, speaking with uncharacteristic seriousness.

"You are still a child, so you didn't have the power to choose other solutions when facing what you went through. Those lives, Sasha's Oripathy, these are tragedies that cannot be changed. But when you have the power, remember this, Ino. There will always be other ways to resolve things."