Wooden Dummies

Perhaps it was the two cups of hot milk, but Carl slept soundly in the room Luona had arranged for him.

When he opened his eyes again, the rain had stopped, and the morning light streamed through the window, casting a cold glow across the white bed.

"Another unfamiliar ceiling."

Carl slowly sat up in the soft bed and stretched.

"Ngh~~~"

He let out a long breath before he could muster any energy.

"A bed really is more comfortable to sleep in..."

Before he could voice the thought, Carl suddenly remembered: wasn't everyone's bedding still at his manor?

Without their bedding, where had the Phantom Troupe slept last night?

There was still no news of the Phantom Troupe. How could he afford to be so complacent?

At the thought, Carl quickly pulled on his clothes and strode toward the door.

The hinges turned, and the door swung smoothly outward without a sound.

"Good day, young master Carl." ×2

Before his left foot had even touched the ground, two rough voices suddenly rang out from either side of the doorway.

"And you are?"

Carl blinked at the two burly men in black standing on either side of him and asked in confusion.

"Madam sent us to show you the way."

"Would you like to wash up now?"

Looking at the bronze pinky ring on the boy's left hand, the two men bowed even lower, their tones growing more respectful.

"Wash up..."

Carl froze. Ever since coming to Meteor City, he had long forgotten that habit.

The only reason he could rinse his mouth and wipe his face with water every day was that the manor had an unlimited water supply...

"No, thanks."

After turning them down with mixed feelings, Carl added,

"Where's my teacher? Take me to her."

He could wash up anytime. It was more important to ask about the Phantom Troupe first!

"Yes, sir!"

The burly men in black exchanged a glance and answered respectfully.

With that, they turned and led Carl down the corridor, deeper into the casino.

The three stepped over damp patches on the brownish-yellow carpet-the previous night's downpour had seeped through the casino's long-neglected drainage system, leaving dark stains of various shapes on the carpet.

Before long, the three stopped in front of the dining room.

Carl glanced at the two men as they respectfully withdrew, then pushed open the doors and walked slowly into the dining room.

"Carl's here. Come sit over by your big sister."

Perched on a high chair, Luona smiled and beckoned to Carl.

She had already notified the family during the night and summoned all the children of suitable age to the casino.

To her left, Lianke was savoring a plate of exquisite desserts. Even when Carl came in, she merely turned to look at him before returning her attention to the sweets.

"Is he Carl?"

"He looks so ordinary. He doesn't look like a Nen user at all."

"Does madam really want us to marry him?"

At the side of the dining table, four or five fair-skinned girls in fine clothes huddled together, chattering about Carl's appearance.

They had been fast asleep the night before when the butler and their elders had forcibly roused them from bed and taught them a whole host of ways to please boys.

Early that morning, the servants had dragged them out of bed again, dressed them up with great care, and sent them to the casino by force.

They were supposed to... make friends with a boy named Carl?

After all that fuss and all that effort, Carl turned out to be so ordinary?

How could children who had always been pampered put up with that?

"Good day, master, sister Luona."

Carl walked over to Lianke and Luona and greeted them politely.

He had just learned the phrase and was already putting it to use.

With that, he naturally took the only empty seat. Across from him, the five girls suddenly fell silent and sat up straight.

"Good day to you too, Carl."

Luona's ruby earrings swayed in the morning light. In her scarlet gown, she looked like a red rose in full bloom.

"Now that everyone's here, let's eat!"

Luona gestured to the plate in front of Carl as she spoke.

Young people were often rebellious. Rather than directly introducing friends to Carl, she hoped he would find someone he liked on his own.

The family's children had received ample upbringing and training, so their table manners shouldn't disappoint.

The sun gradually rose, its golden light streaming through the glass and illuminating the room.

The meal finally came to an end as the servers cleared away the plates one by one and brought out glasses of juice.

"Have those children been found?"

Seeing the urgency in Carl's eyes, Lianke took the initiative to ask Luona.

"Not yet, but I've specifically assigned people to the black market. As soon as they see those children, they'll report back immediately."

"I've also sent people to search the rest of Meteor City. I believe we should have news before noon."

With that, Luona glanced at the droop of Carl's mouth, paused, and added,

"Don't worry. I've already warned the recycling companies in the black market. None of them will take children this week!"

As a local power in Meteor City, she was quite confident in the Keike Family's reputation. As long as those companies wanted to keep operating in the black market, they would never dare defy her this week and risk offending the Keike Family!

"Sorry for the trouble."

Lianke nodded, a rare note of sincerity in her voice.

As a former resident of Meteor City, she knew that Luona had indeed done all she could!

"Of course. We're sisters, after all~"

Luona smiled and stole a glance at Carl.

They were sisters now, but that might not be the case in the future...

Lianke rolled her eyes at Luona and looked at the girls across from her.

"Your daughters?"

Why else would there be so many children in the casino?

"...No!"

Luona gritted her teeth and forced a smile.

If they really were her children, there would be only one person sitting across from Carl now!

"Introduce yourselves, all of you."

Luona glanced at the girls sitting stiffly beside her and spoke in a stern voice.

If Carl hadn't been present, she would have loved to slap each of the five dummies to the floor!

She had given them so many instructions that morning, and now look at them, sitting there like wooden dummies!

"My name is Sophie. Sophie Cake."

The oldest girl reacted quickly. Seeing the displeasure on Luona's face, she hurriedly spoke up.

"Sela Cake."

"Yani Cake."

"Kayla Cake."

"Rachel Cake."

The remaining girls followed her lead, giving their names one after another.

When they finished, the air in the dining room suddenly froze.

"Slurp!"

Carl picked up his glass and silently took a sip of juice.

He didn't quite understand what these girls meant. They had been belittling him, yet now they were introducing themselves of their own accord. What were they doing?

"What's your name?"

Catching the cold glint in Luona's eyes, Sophie, the oldest, worked up the courage to ask the boy in front of her.

"Can we be friends?"

Carl glanced at the girl's trembling hands and felt helpless.

"Carl. Carl Tam. It's nice to meet you."

For Luona's sake, he answered the girl's question anyway.

He had no choice. He was asking Luona for help, after all, so he had to show her some courtesy.

"I, I..."

When Carl answered, Sophie's face turned red and she stammered,

"I usually like playing video games and watching videotapes. What, what do you like?"

Come on, how am I supposed to answer that?

I like digging through garbage heaps for seeds?

Can I even say that?

Carl's mouth twitched wildly, but with Luona sitting right beside him, he couldn't very well ignore the girl.

"I like collecting plant seeds."

After hesitating for a moment, Carl finally settled on his wording.

"Bang!"

Sophie was about to say something else when the dining room doors suddenly swung open.

"Thud, thud!"

Heavy footsteps broke the stalemate.

"Well, if it isn't Lianke! What a rare guest!"

Boots ground against the carpet as Pike Cake's mountain-like frame blocked the entrance to the dining room.

The viper tattoo on the man's neck shifted with his muscles, and the scar across the bridge of his nose seemed almost alive in the morning light.