A Born Bad Seed: Emma Returns

Weather: clear.

The temperature was mild.

Round Clam Town.

Li Dan had barely stepped outside when a little girl threw herself at him, clinging to his leg and refusing to let go.

"Have you completely forgotten about me?!"

Her clear voice was thick with hurt, yet carried a hint of unquestioning obsession.

Li Dan looked down and saw meticulously combed, shoulder-length black hair, its ends curling slightly inward and making her pale little face look even more delicate.

The girl wore a black, school-style dress with a skirt that just covered her knees, paired with black Mary Janes. A silver raven brooch was pinned to her collar. Her eyes held a depth far beyond her years, and now they stared up at him, wet with tears, with undisguised possessiveness lurking beneath her hurt.

Honestly, Emma had changed so much that Li Dan had almost failed to recognize her. And did those clothes look a little like a school uniform?

"Emma, I've really been busy lately. That's why I haven't had time to visit you."

Li Dan crouched as he spoke, feeling rather guilty, because he really had more or less forgotten about this little girl.

"You're lying. You've been back for days."

Emma's hurt faded, replaced by a cool, appraising gaze as those pretty eyes fixed on him.

Her tone was flat, and she even recited his movements since his return with precision, leaving out not a single detail, as though reading from a list she had already checked for accuracy.

Emma was actually showing considerable restraint. Her mental age far exceeded the early teens her appearance suggested. Ever since Li Dan had left last time, she had thrown herself into studying witchcraft.

All so that one day, when she stood beside Li Dan, she would no longer be a