Despicable Kidnapper

Even with the system and knowing he was about to study magic at Hogwarts, Lynn's life didn't change much after that.

Three weeks passed.

One day, Hermione invited Lynn to feed the stray cats together.

"Do you think there's a cat in this world that isn't interested in dried fish?" Lynn got lazy after a bit of feeding and just stood by as a supervisor, watching Hermione happily hand fish strips to the cats' mouths while itching to pet them but too scared to try.

He knew by now, of course, that the little girl in front of him was Hermione Granger from the Golden Trio.

Sometimes he couldn't help but marvel at how strange the world was.

"Maybe there is—like if a cat eats fancy cat food every day and gets picky, it might not care about dried fish."

Hermione had clearly thought seriously before answering Lynn's question.

Lynn's mind wandered, imagining whether Professor McGonagall secretly snacked on premium cat food at Hogwarts.

"So... do you think there are really cats that turn into pretty girls to repay kindness?"

Forget older catgirls—he'd be the one repaying her for teaching him. But a little catgirl wasn't impossible, since no one said every Animagus had to be different.

"You're getting more ridiculous! How could something like that exist?" Hermione turned and shot Lynn a glare, convinced he was messing with her.

They'd spent enough time together that their conversations had naturally grown casual.

For Lynn, whose entertainment options were painfully limited, teasing this slightly chatty and tsundere girl provided nearly eighty percent of his joy in an otherwise boring life.

Lynn looked up at London's gray sky, where a few white doves flapped past.

It suddenly hit him: young wizards, before entering Hogwarts to learn magic and control their powers, almost always experienced accidental magic outbursts.

Take him, for example—that was how he'd found his current "steady and reliable" foster father.

Hermione was almost ten now, and she'd probably get her Hogwarts letter next year, meaning she'd definitely had at least one magical outburst by now.

So he looked at her with a sly grin.

"You never know, Hermione. Do you believe in superpowers?"

He couldn't just blab about magic, even if he knew she'd become a witch later. But magic was off-limits; superpowers weren't.

The little girl had no guile. At Lynn's question, her body stiffened, and her eyes darted around as she said, "Of course... there aren't any. We're big kids now—how could we still believe in stuff like that..."

Ding! Acting Lv10, activated!

Lynn's face turned grim, like a messenger reporting Pearl Harbor's bombing to the White House.

"Don't hide it from me, Hermione. You've actually... awakened superpowers, haven't you?"

Hermione froze, like a wife caught cheating by her husband, fumbling as she admitted it. "How... how do you know?"

"Because people with superpowers can sense each other. I knew you were special the first time I saw you." Lynn stood up, hands behind his back, looking like a sage from another world.

"Then why can't I sense you?" Hermione wasn't that naive—she caught the flaw.

"Ahem." Caught off guard by her doubt, Lynn coughed dryly, then quickly came up with an excuse. "Maybe your superpower's too weak. Mine lets me kill anyone named Zhang San. Can yours change people's names to Zhang San?"

Hermione was distracted by his nonsense. "My superpower isn't that strong." She looked a bit embarrassed. "I don't even know what it does. Once, when I was really angry, I made all the glass in my room disappear. My parents didn't believe I did it."

"See, that's why your power's unstable and too weak to sense me." Lynn tilted his head up at a 45-degree angle, like a melancholy poet. "But that's a good thing—it means they won't find you."

"They... who?"

Hermione had fallen into the trap.

"An evil organization." Lynn's tone turned serious. "They hunt for people with superpowers like us, then force or trick us into working for them. They found me not long ago."

Hermione was completely hooked, her face paling. "Then Lynn, are you..."

Lynn sighed sorrowfully. "I can kill anyone named Zhang San, but none of them are named Zhang San, so I had no choice but to join them. But I swore a solemn oath never to abuse my power to kill innocents, so don't worry—I won't become a bad guy."

"Lynn..." Hermione clasped her little hands together, gazing at him with admiration, feeling her friend was truly noble.

"I argued hard and got them to give me two months off every summer. In two months, they'll take me to their headquarters for research. Hermione, I'll do my best to hide your existence from the organization, so you can keep living this peaceful, happy life."

Lynn almost believed himself. The little girl was deeply moved, nearly ready to elope with him on the spot, fleeing to the ends of the earth to escape worldly strife.

"You're so kind, Lynn. But will you be in danger there? Maybe... maybe we should run away? I've secretly saved some pocket money—about nine pounds and fifteen pence..."

Lynn cut her off with righteous resolve.

"Don't thank me, Hermione. We're friends, after all. And don't bring up escaping again—not only are they too powerful for us to get away, but even if we did, what about your parents? Think about what would happen to them."

"Relax." Lynn was afraid of scaring the girl too badly, which might backfire.

So he comforted her again, "My superpower is very useful to them, so they won't hurt me. Plus, I can come back for two months every year to see you. You don't need to worry. It's just..."

Seeing Lynn troubled by something, Hermione wiped her tears and asked quickly.

"Just what?"

"Just that after I leave, there'll be no one to take care of the house." Lynn finally showed his hand, revealing his sinister intent.

"My flowers, the windows, the floors—they'll all be covered in dust. Just thinking about it makes me uncomfortable."

Hermione was completely fooled.

"Lynn, if you trust me, you can leave it to me. After you go, I'll take care of your garden and make sure to clean your house every week."

"Of course I trust you—we're friends." His scheme successful, Lynn's eyes narrowed into slits from smiling.

"Yeah! We're friends!"

You have gained the trust of Hermione Granger (young). Acquired title: Despicable Kidnapper.

Title: Despicable Kidnapper

Effects: 1. 50% chance to make children under 16 absolutely believe what you say. 2. Parents of children under 16 have halved favorability toward you. 3. When a lie is exposed, you will be hit 100% of the time!

Note 1: Title effects only activate while equipped. Note 2: Once Effect 1 is successfully triggered, Effect 3 will still take effect even if the title is removed.

Remarks: You ask what happens when you kidnap a minor? Heh, three jumps from a high place and you're dead.

Begging for votes with all my might!!!