Bumping into a Little Boy

Twilight stared at the back of the school bus for a long time, watching it fade from sight at the end of the tree-lined avenue.

Yor also watched the school bus leave and said cheerfully, "We should head to work too."

Twilight remained rooted to the spot, gazing in the direction the bus carrying Anya and Richie had gone.

Only after a long while, when Yor had already turned to leave, did Twilight belatedly murmur, "Mm."

Yor seemed so happy about going to work today. Her manager at "Kill It" had probably assigned her another order.

Twilight silently thought, Whether our two countries can remain at peace is all up to you two.

The scene shifted...

Anya hopped off the school bus and tugged at Richie. "Richie, wake up! We're at school."

Before getting off, Anya hadn't forgotten to give herself a pep talk. "Anya has to do her best. World peace is counting on Anya."

Richie yawned lazily as he got off, his eyes still not fully open. He shuffled along behind Anya like a zombie, casually tugging on her to make her slow down.

Anya marched along with her head held high, full of spirit, dragging Richie forward at a brisk pace.

A luxury car pulled smoothly to a stop behind Anya and Richie, making them both turn to look.

Young Miss Becky made an elegant entrance, stepping gracefully out of the car.

With her little schoolbag on her back, Anya said enviously, "A young lady."

"Oh, it's Anya. Good morning." Becky's elegance carried a hint of haughtiness.

Anya's eyes sparkled a little. "Does Lady Becky live in a castle?"

Richie knew there was probably nothing left for him to do here. Anya would handle the apology. The two little girls were best friends, and they would want to have fun together and share their secrets.

As the older brother, he would probably just be in the way.

With that thought, Richie tugged on Anya's clothes and whispered before Becky could answer her question, "Anya, let's go home together after school."

Without waiting for Anya's reply, Richie suddenly seemed to come alive and vanished from her side with a whoosh.

Becky finished saying, "Of course not! Why would I live in a castle?"

Anya turned and discovered that her brother had already gone his own way.

Richie could hear Becky saying, "You and your brother actually take the school bus? Starting tomorrow, our car can pick you both up and take you home."

"Can Anya be a young la... too?" Anya's innocent voice grew fainter and fainter until Richie could barely hear her.

Meanwhile, Richie wandered along in a daze, planning to take another path to the classroom.

He still hadn't quite woken up, yawning as he walked with his eyes narrowed to slits.

His heavy schoolbag seemed ready to crush his small, frail shoulders. It reminded Zhang Si of going to school in the real world, where he never got enough sleep either.

But in the real world, he genuinely hadn't gotten enough sleep. Inside Richie's body, though, he didn't know why he always felt sleepy.

He hadn't paid much attention to it before, but now he realized that Richie's little body really did need a lot of sleep.

As Richie let his thoughts drift aimlessly, he accidentally bumped into something rather hard with a thud.

He looked up and focused his eyes, realizing he had bumped into the nose of a boy half a head taller than him.

From Richie's angle, the boy in front of him had a slightly pointed chin. He was also six, but noticeably taller than Richie, probably thanks to better nutrition.

The boy frowned deeply, looking thoroughly irritated as he pinched the bridge of his nose with one hand and rubbed it hard.

Richie had been distracted that morning and accidentally bumped into another student. Everyone at Eden Academy came from either a wealthy or influential family, and he didn't want to get himself into any serious trouble.

Almost as soon as he collided with the boy, Richie blurted out, "Sorry! How about I go to the infirmary with you?"

The boy looked deeply displeased. His eyes had been squeezed shut from the pain of having someone inexplicably crash into his nose, but they snapped open at Richie's words.

His piercing gaze shot straight at Richie's forehead, sweeping across his face like a storm and washing over him with chilling menace.

Richie had a vague feeling that if that gaze had been a knife, his head would probably already have parted ways with his neck.

Richie cautiously looked up, but didn't dare meet the child's eyes.

He couldn't help grumbling inwardly, I'm eight. Surely I'm not scared of a six-year-old kid.

Yet when that gaze shot toward him again, Richie felt an overwhelming pressure radiating from the six-year-old boy.

The boy continued to look him over from above, and Richie's legs were almost trembling.

Richie thought that this was exactly what one would expect from a child raised in a powerful family. The pressure was far too intense. A wise man knew when to back down, and he had no desire to provoke the boy in front of him.

"S-s-s-sorry. I-I-I just... um, because I wasn't fully awake this morning, so..." Richie apologized again and tried to explain.

Once Richie lowered his head, the faintest hint of a smile curled at the boy's lips. His voice was low and carried considerable authority:

"Since you didn't do it on purpose, shouldn't you do something to make it up to me?"

Richie lifted his little head in confusion. "Huh?"

"How about you become my little lackey starting today? Then I'll forgive you!!!" the boy continued.

Richie was even more confused. "Huuuuuuuuh?"