Guardian / What Is Ordinary?

The girl was relieved after carefully checking the house and finding no one or any alarm devices.

After shutting out the cold, the girl lay contentedly on the soft cushion, stretched out her long yawn, and let her beautiful figure, honed by years of exposure to the elements, stretch out before falling peacefully asleep.

And just like that, a whole day passed in that sleep.

When the girl woke up the next day, she looked around groggily.

"Ah... right, I'm at someone else's house right now..." she mumbled to herself, still half asleep.

While waiting for the firewood she had gathered in the courtyard to dry inside the house, the girl's stomach started growling. She went to the place where she had found food before and got some more dry rations to stave off hunger. In order to live a good life for a while without going hungry, she prudently divided the food into several portions, enough to last her for more than a month.

A warm nest and enough food are enough for her; it's practically paradise for her.

But as the saying goes, once people are full and have slept enough, they start to get restless.

The girl toured the house and found it to be large and comfortable. It might not be particularly luxurious, but it would certainly be exceptionally comfortable to live in.

I never discovered such a wonderful place on Dusk Street before!

She went into the master bedroom and found several photos on the bedside table.

The photo shows a boy's face.

The girl picked it up and looked at it for a few moments. "She's really pretty, but her expression is a bit scary."

The black-haired boy looked to be in his early teens and was exceptionally handsome. This was the first time the girl had ever seen a boy who could be so "beautiful."

However, the boy's expression remained unchanged in all the photos. He simply lowered his head, letting his bangs partially cover his eyes, and stared blankly at the camera, as if he were looking at someone outside the photo.

Is this the family's child?

The girl didn't want to dwell on these things. After putting down the photo, she left the bedroom peacefully.

Three hours have passed in the torrential rain of November, and winter, with its falling snow, is just around the corner.

Chapter Sixty-One Guardians

"Was the guess wrong?"

Anna slammed her hands on the table in shock, making a loud thud.

"..." Lin simply checked the progress of today's investigation without being surprised.

"So that means this place won't Honkai?"

"... Still under observation."

Anna patted her chest. "Phew, that scared me to death."

"..."

Lin sometimes really wondered if he and Anna were using the same language system.

"But the news did report that the temperature yesterday and today was warmer than before. If there are no problems, that would be great." Anna pushed the news on her phone in front of Lin. "What do you think, Uncle?"

"Ah..." Lin glanced at the report above and nodded.

After observing both sides, headquarters concluded that it was likely a misunderstanding. They did not withdraw troops, but they also did not take any further action, allowing other personnel who were originally on standby to continue reconnaissance in other places, probably because they believed that there was no need to worry about Tran.

The shadow of the Fifth Honkai War still looms over everyone; that remains unchanged.

"Okay... Uncle, come with me."

Anna quickly changed into her outdoor clothes, covered her little head with a beret, and then tried to pull Lin's hand.

Lin dodged the sneak attack with lightning speed, then stared silently at Anna, who was smiling awkwardly after her plans were thwarted.

"Ahem... It's a misunderstanding. Anyway, come with me, Uncle." Anna coughed twice to ease the awkwardness, then waved to Lin, opened the door, and went out.

Lin sighed and got up to follow.

"Little Anna? What brings you here?"

Lin looked up at the uniquely styled building, which consisted of white-painted walls and a black roof. The melodious chimes and stained glass windows suggested that it was closely related to religion.

The destination of this trip was an orphanage. Lin had actually guessed it to some extent, since Anna's file contained information about her growing up in an orphanage.

When Anna saw the Nun cleaning the orphanage courtyard, she happily jumped into her arms, and the nun looked at Anna and Lin, the two guests, with surprise.

"Binai, it's been a long time." Anna reluctantly got off the Nun and smiled at her. "It seems like the last time we met was about half a year ago."

"Yes, it's been so long since I've seen you. You've grown even taller and more beautiful, little Anna." The Nun called Binai stroked Anna's head with delight, her eyes filled with surprise and nostalgia.

"Hehe, of course! I'm Anna, a super invincible, youthful, and beautiful girl."

Binai smiled kindly, then looked at the helmeted man standing behind her with his hands in his pockets, somewhat puzzled. If Anna hadn't brought him, she would have suspected that he was a terrorist with malicious intentions.

And she didn't know if it was just her imagination, but this person seemed to exude a slightly dangerous aura.

Anna then remembered that she had brought someone with her. "Oh right, I forgot to introduce him."

She quickly pulled Binai to Lin's side, pointed at Binai and said, "This is Binai- neechan, Nun from the orphanage. She's elegant and capable, beautiful and poised. She's someone who watched me grow up."

"Anna ~" Binai looked at the mischievous Anna with a hint of annoyance, her face burning with embarrassment at being introduced like that.

"What? I was just telling the truth. Otherwise, how could Binai me?" Anna puffed out her cheeks and snorted. "Of course, Binai is also a perfect and mature older sister."

"..."

Lin glanced at Binai; her traditional Nun's attire and youthful face seemed mismatched, but she possessed a warm aura.

"And then~ this is Lin, I call him Helmet Uncle because his behavior and demeanor are too mature, and I don't know what the uncle under the helmet looks like." Anna winked at Binai when introducing Lin, and then said with a mischievous smile, "Also, Uncle is my boyfriend."

"What?!" Binai's heart stopped for half a second when she heard this, and she immediately looked at Lin again.

This guy, who's practically on a wanted poster, is actually Anna's boyfriend? Even if she occasionally thinks Anna has some issues with her head, she wouldn't be interested in this guy!

Lin calmly shook his head. "No."

Binai's polite smile was somewhat forced, "Is... is that so, Anna?"

"Yeah, I was just kidding."

"Then..."

"Actually, the older man is my fiancé."

"..."

"..."

"Smack."

Lin grabbed Anna's head with one hand as she tried to escape, pulling her back and sweeping his cold gaze across her face.

It means to explain clearly.

"Oh, I see. I'm so sorry, Mr. Lin." Binai poured Lin a cup of tea with apologetic words. "Anna is a bit naughty, and I'm really sorry for causing you trouble."

"It's okay." Lin had gotten used to Anna after spending some time with her.

Anna, pouting, snatched Lin's tea, took a sip, and stuck out her bitter tongue. "Honestly, I didn't say anything wrong. Anyway, Uncle will marry me sooner or later."

"This..." Binai a worried expression.

Lin shook his head, which put Binai at ease.

"What?! Does Binai a child?! Uncle, you're really going too far. What's with shaking your head?"

"It means you're wrong," Lin said calmly.

"You, you, you... Hmph, I've decided to ignore you for three minutes! Unless you appease me!"

Anna dashed into the orphanage, leaving Binai and Lin in the Nun's room.

"This child..." Binai sighed helplessly, though it was unclear what she was sighing about.

Before Binai could speak, Lin asked a seemingly unrelated question, "Why did Anna use that word?"

"Um... oh, you mean 'marry'?"

Speaking of this, Binai's gloomy expression vanished as she recalled and smiled, "Anna has always been independent, cheerful, and very individualistic. She said that if she ever finds someone she likes, she has to be the one who takes the initiative and make sure the other person marries her."

This is really in line with Anna's personality.

"Um, Mr. Lin..." Binai tentatively asked, somewhat hesitantly.

"No." Lin cut her off directly, knowing exactly what she wanted to say.

"I'm not against it either..."

Lin emphasized, "No."

"Alright." Binai understood that Lin had probably been unilaterally declared ownership by Anna. "Please be understanding, Mr. Lin... How old are you?"

"...twenty."

"So young! Do you have a job yet?"

"..."

Lin was beginning to understand who influenced Anna's self-absorbed personality.

"Smack."

The chestnut-haired girl pushed open the door again and sat down next to Lin with a big smile.

"... Didn't you go out?"

"Yeah, didn't I say I wouldn't talk to you for three minutes? Three minutes have passed."

I'm taking leave today.

null

Chapter Sixty-Two: What is Ordinary?

"Hahaha!" Anna pushed open the door and burst into laughter. "My little ones, I've come to play with you!"

"Anna is here!"

"Sister Anna!"

The children, who were quietly reading, excitedly dropped their storybooks and rushed towards Anna like Anna and Binai when they saw the chestnut-haired girl.

Lin, carrying several heavy items, glanced at her retreating figure as she and the children played.

Is this what they mean by "helping out"?

The orphanage's handyman was recently hospitalized with typhoid fever, and they couldn't find a replacement for the time being. Anna learned of this situation after contacting Binai by phone and wanted to come and help, but she also happened to be sick and had just recovered today, so she wanted to ask someone to come along.

"Anna comes back occasionally to play with the children. Despite her carefree appearance, she is actually very good at taking care of children."

The Nun followed behind Lin, and was amused by Anna's funny faces.

"..." Lin was thinking of the scene a few minutes earlier when Anna handed some money to Binai.

Binai didn't seem surprised at the time, but he looked utterly helpless, as if this had happened many times before.

"Don't worry about me. I'm working hard to maintain a normal income. I don't need this money anyway."

"But you have to attend classes during the day, won't you be able to handle working at night?"

"Don't worry, don't worry, Uncle will take care of me. He's very rich."

Binai glanced at Hayashi suspiciously.

What does he do?

"Um..." Anna scratched her head and chuckled, "His job is to do...good deeds, I guess."

"..."

Binai to Anna, the level of suspicion in Hina's eyes remained at a relatively high level.

"Wow, so cool!" A boy saw Lin wearing a helmet, immediately abandoned Anna and ran to Lin's side, looking up at him with shining eyes, "Who are you!"

Anna walked over, surrounded by the children, and scolded them sternly, "Xiao Ke! Don't be rude to the uncle!"