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The next morning, Hanazono Masaharu departed with Suzuran and two well-trained bodyguards, riding in an unmarked black sedan toward that nameless corner of the map—the place called Shadowtrace Alley.
“Miss, please stay close to us,” one of the bodyguards said softly.
Suzuran wore a white one-piece dress under a dark brown cloak. She stood at the entrance of the alley, gazing up at the layers of ramshackle tin houses stacked like ruins.
Broken staircases, exposed walkways, crisscrossed wires, and dripping laundry swayed above their heads—it felt like stepping into a chaotic yet strangely enchanting vertical city.
"It looks like a Lego city… just dirtier." She murmured, eyes sparkling.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwQiTqEqDS4
"But it’s kind of beautiful…"
She looked utterly out of place in the noise and grime—like a swan lost in a fairytale.
Beside her, Hanazono Masaharu stood tall in a dark gray overcoat. His sharp gaze swept the surroundings while his custom leather shoes strode through puddles without a single splash.
One hand was alertly scanning the scene. The other held his daughter’s tightly, as they navigated the damp and shadowed alleyways.
The underground auction was hidden beneath the basement of a long-abandoned military hospital. The air reeked of mold, old tarp, and cheap perfume.
When the auctioneer took out a silver necklace from the display case, Masaharu leaned in slightly for a closer look.
It did resemble the heirloom his wife had once described—at a glance. But on closer inspection, the details clearly didn’t match.
He furrowed his brow and was just about to turn and leave—when Suzuran stopped in her tracks.
Her gaze had been drawn to a cage in the corner—81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAVD90KIzXY
A young boy was being led up onto the auction platform.
He looked about seven. Thin, disheveled—but with a startlingly calm pair of eyes.
Those eyes were amber, clear like caramel kissed by sunlight, radiating a strange, quiet warmth.
And because of that, the maturity and cold indifference behind those warm-colored eyes struck even harder.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqCD1QNKZP4
No crying, no resistance—81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzNjz9IGQdp
He just stood there, silently staring into the crowd below the stage.
That gaze was beast-like.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWoCVMjv0Et
Like a shadow—sharp, detached, and utterly devoid of fear.
It was a look far too used to being treated like an object, too knowing for a child of seven.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV1gguMczGD
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“Papa…”81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnmwPFEDyHy
Suzuran turned and gently tugged on Masaharu’s sleeve, her voice barely audible.
“Can we… take him home?”
“…He’s not a toy,” Masaharu said, his brows slightly drawn, tone measured.
“But he’s not a thing either,” she whispered back, eyes rimmed red, but refusing to let the tears fall.
“He’s a person… and he looks even smaller than me. It’s so pitiful…”
Masaharu didn’t answer immediately. His gaze remained calm, calculating the risks and consequences.
Then—Suzuran softly added:
“…I really wish I had a little brother.”
Her voice was lonely, like a passing thought whispered out loud—81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ82AZhvg05g
Yet it pierced the softest part of his heart.
He thought of his wife—her body had weakened ever since Suzuran was born.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzAJ4eJXab8
They’d never had a second child.
And this was the first time his daughter had ever said she felt alone.
After a long silence, Masaharu finally raised his hand—and pointed at the boy.
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The boy's eyes shifted toward her—coldly.
It wasn’t fear, but something deeper—81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVijyhJ1848
A defense mechanism etched into his very bones.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbhmhOnkpgK
Like a beast caged too long, no longer trusting any outstretched hand.
"Hi, I’m Suzuran!"81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsjeV4zx2Rm
The girl spoke gently, her smile soft and her voice like a breeze.
"Starting today, we’re family."
“……………”
The boy didn’t respond, but she knew—he heard her.
He remembered it was the man who raised his hand and bought him.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfeL2tSFnvp
And he remembered it was the girl in front of him, who tugged the man’s sleeve over and over, softly saying, “Please.”
“Don’t be scared—our family’s really nice!”81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRrxuW9k4mc
Suzuran said earnestly, her tone pure and unaffected,81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1KsVzmT227
as if she were introducing him to a warm new world.
“Papa is kind, Mama is gentle, we have big brothers who are bodyguards, and our butler is super warm too!”
The boy stayed silent, his eyes lowered, emotions unreadable.
As if unsure.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcqRdGgPynd
As if silence was something he had long grown used to.
“You must be really hungry…”
Suzuran carefully opened her backpack and pulled out a sandwich wrapped in wax paper.
“Our chef—Anna—made this for me this morning. Let’s share, okay?”
She didn’t hand him the whole thing.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLPmCbNqJeD
Instead, she carefully tore it in half and quietly placed the larger half into his hand.
She didn’t want it to feel like charity.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQWVryBhGv4
She wanted it to feel like sharing.
“Will you be my friend?”81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWyv5N2LToj
She looked up at him, eyes serious and clear, like sunlight on a still lake.
“I live in a big house… but I don’t have any friends my age to play with.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmgTp0VRhoF
Everyone’s really nice to me, but still… I really want a real friend.”
He said nothing—81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡka4JzPKfa2
But the next moment, he took the sandwich and devoured it,81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnFvB2VeKqJ
as if he hadn’t eaten in days, as if even his breath was rushing to keep up.
“Whoa—slow down! It’s okay, I’ve got more, see?”81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJsjPLGinHl
She said with a laugh, opening her little backpack wider,81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpgZLwHvt07
as if trying to prove to him that he didn’t have to fear losing things anymore.
After a short silence, she softly asked again:
“So… can we be friends?”
The boy froze mid-bite, then slowly—nodded.
Suzuran’s eyes lit up.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkNjQXrBQql
“Then what’s your name?”
The boy answered in a hoarse voice—81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI1c1VjYb38
his first time ever speaking to her, his first words in this new life:
“…My mom… called me… Kouichi.”81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPeMGJc7e1L
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You made it this far—you're seriously the sweetest! 🥹💗81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv0z59kdlrj
If you liked it, don’t forget to like 👍, bookmark ⭐, and drop a little comment 📝~81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtFYul9eeur
Your support keeps me going—and keeps the characters falling deeper in love 💞💭81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYd8HPr1P95
