How Am I Supposed to Go to School Like This? Hmph!

Anya's little mouth fell open, her blue-green eyes shining brightly. She stopped eating rice with her hands, stood up on her stool, and planted both hands on the table, her face full of earnest anticipation.

"Really, Father-?"

Richie kept his head down and ate. There wasn't anything he particularly wanted; he just figured he could join in a little while Anya played.

In the real world, Zhang Si had been a child driven to the breaking point by schoolwork and his parents. After transmigrating into Richie's body, he wanted nothing more than to slack off every day and happily watch the drama unfold.

After Anya finished speaking, Twilight hesitated a little before nodding.

Before Twilight could nod, the fluffy-haired Explosionshead jumped in. "Of course it's true. Your father always keeps his word."

Twilight was already speechless, while every cell in Anya's body radiated excitement.

Her little legs pattered away as she ran and hopped over, pressed a button with her tiny hand, and brought up a short clip on the television.

"Save me, Bondman!" The princess on the screen was carried off by men in black.

"Good morning, Bondman. Your mission is to rescue Princess Honey, who has been imprisoned by an evil organization, and eliminate the enemies inside the castle. Understood?"

On the screen, a man whose build and hair color closely resembled Twilight's stood with his back to the camera. He slowly put on a hat much like Twilight's, then donned an eye mask, burst through the door, and shouted:

"Wait for me, Princess Honey!!"

Bondman, the kingdom's greatest spy, infiltrated the castle. With a silenced pistol in hand, he wiped out every enemy who attacked him and reached the princess.

His long yellow trench coat fluttered through the air, highlighting his dashing, heroic figure.

Richie glanced at Twilight. The thought of Twilight acting out that scene next made him laugh so hard he nearly sprayed rice from his mouth.

To keep himself from choking to death on his rice, he suppressed his laughter and desperately swallowed the unchewed mouthful whole.

The television kept playing. "I've come to save you, Princess Honey."

Bondman flew through the sky while Honey chased after him atop the castle. Her cheeks flushed red as she looked up and waved both arms. "Bondman~~"

That night, stars filled the sky, and a bright moon hung high above the castle. The sinister castle returned to a peaceful, quiet state, and the bond between Bondman and Princess Honey deepened further.

The scene ended with a pink heart, followed by the words "To be continued."

At a loss for what to do with herself, Anya looked earnestly at Twilight and pointed her little hand at the television. "Father, Anya wants to play this."

Twilight kept both hands in his pockets, his brow slightly furrowed. He lowered his head and bent down to Anya's eye level, yet avoided looking at her, merely stammering:

"By playing this... uh... you mean..."

Twilight still hadn't figured out exactly what Anya wanted to do.

Anya crouched her adorable little body down, held both hands at her waist to gather strength, then jumped with all her might and threw her hands open like a bursting firework. Her little voice brimmed with excitement.

"Anya wants to play a rescue game in a castle!!!"

Without even thinking, Twilight replied expressionlessly, "Impossible. Rejected."

Anya was still so excited that she hadn't lowered her hands. At Twilight's words, she went blank for a moment. Then her big, watery eyes turned into fried eggs, the whites still uncooked, threatening to run down the frying pan of her face but never quite spilling.

She looked so pitiful and heartbreakingly cute that anyone would feel unsettled and overwhelmed with guilt.

Mophead supplied her dialogue from the sidelines. "How cruel. You monster."

Mophead whimpered and sniffled beside her. Paired with Anya's expression, it made her look utterly wronged.

"If you won't grant my wish, I'm not going to school." Explosionshead crouched behind Anya and shook her now-soulless body.

Anya was like a doll that had lost all ability to move, letting herself be manipulated. If she couldn't play this game, she couldn't go on living.

Richie leisurely ate at the dining table as he watched the drama unfold.

Twilight said helplessly, "Don't put words in her mouth."

The information broker Franky now entered the fray. "Come to think of it, that castle is Heartstone Castle, right?"

Mophead paused the television and studied the image closely, stroking his chin as he remarked with feigned casualness:

"They recently turned it into an animation theme park. So this was what it was based on! Apparently, they recreated all the contraptions from the original, and you can even rent out the whole place. It's really popular, you know?"

Explosionshead appeared beside Twilight in a flash, leaned close to his ear, and whispered, "Mr. Loid, there's no government surveillance there. You could let loose and make a little noise without any problems!"

Mophead looked exactly like an old granny gossiping about everyone's family affairs, his eyes half-rolled and his face full of disdain. He might as well have written "Loid, are you going or not?" across his face.

Twilight looked away from Franky's burning stare toward an empty patch nearby, still wavering. "But... this-"

Twilight's toes curled against the floor as he hesitated.

Franky stopped trying to persuade him and merely raised his voice a little. "We finally managed to pass, and you won't even throw me a celebration party-how am I supposed to keep working like this?!"

The fluffy-haired Explosionshead crouched down and stroked Anya's head. Anya stood beside him with her shoulders hunched, not daring to breathe too loudly.

Anya's eyes had grown red and swollen from holding back tears, and she kept rubbing them with both hands. Richie couldn't bear to watch any longer. He came over to her side and handed her a tissue.

Richie didn't forget to add a few sarcastic remarks in support. "Exactly! How is anyone supposed to keep going like this? Seeing Anya so sad, even I, her big brother, have lost all motivation to go to school. Sigh-might as well not go at all!"

Even Twilight's posture slumped. As a spy, he couldn't use official resources for personal purposes, but seeing Anya so upset was more than he could bear. Do we really have to go? Ah...

In the end, Twilight reluctantly gave in, sounding a little aggrieved. "All right."

Before Twilight had even finished speaking, Mophead eagerly accepted, his voice rising. "Great-no time to waste! Leave the castle reservation to me!"

"Then you can handle the transportation." Explosionshead had already planned everything out in his head. All he'd needed was Twilight's agreement.

The corners of Richie's mouth lifted, and his eyebrows rose slightly as he looked at Anya and reached out to pat her fluffy head.

Anya's eyes widened, unable to believe how drastically the situation had changed. She simply stared at Richie and called out in her sweet little voice, "Big brother."

Then she threw herself into Richie's arms and gave him a huge hug.

Twilight was still reeling beside them. "What?! We're going tonight, and I have to make the arrangements?"

Anya pulled away from Richie's embrace, sparkling tears still clinging to the corners of her eyes. She narrowed her eyes and shared a sneaky smile with him.

The two little ones giggled softly together while Mophead said disdainfully from the other side, "Quit complaining!! This is all for your son and daughter."

Richie tilted his head up to look at Twilight, pale blue light swirling in his eyes. Father, your budget's in danger this time.