Nemu

"Mmm..." Edward patted his belly with a satisfied look on his face. From the look of it, he had stashed away quite a bit of food, too.

"Had your fill?" Li Ziming patted Edward on the head.

"Yeah!" Edward nodded. "It was delicious!"

"Oh, this boy's not bad..." The old man looked at Edward with clear approval. "I like you. Want to become my second apprentice?"

"No." Edward rejected the old man without even thinking.

"Aw..." The old man looked displeased and thoroughly dejected.

"All right, there'll be other chances. You'll still have opportunities to get Edward to take you as his master." Li Ziming smiled. "By the way, I still don't know your name."

"Oh, right. My name's Albert," the old man said casually. "You can call me Old Al, too..."

"That name really does sound familiar." Li Ziming paused, then shook his head. "Well, Mr. Albert..." He composed himself. "Is there anything you need me to do now?"

"Oh, no. It's late anyway. Get to bed early tonight, boy. I'll be giving you a physical examination tomorrow." Albert waved a hand. "Good night."

"A physical examination?" Li Ziming froze. "It should just be a simple checkup..." He pushed his doubts aside, because the more he thought about it, the scarier it seemed.

Just as Nemu had said, however, the entire laboratory served as their living quarters. Albert found a relatively flat spot and lay down, falling asleep almost immediately.

"Well..." The corners of Li Ziming's mouth twitched. He had thought Nemu was only joking, but it turned out to be true. He sighed softly. "Edward, wait a moment. I'll see if I can clear out a decent place for you to sleep."

"It's fine, sir. I'm all right. I can just find somewhere to sleep," Edward said unconcernedly.