"Bronya, why are you looking at me again?"
After Seele and Cocolia left, Tian Shi discovered that Bronya was staring at him again.
"Is there something on this cloth?"
"No."
This time, Bronya answered very quickly.
"But, what should I do now?"
A confused look appeared on Bronya's face.
"What should you do?"
Tian Shi immediately understood the problem with Bronya.
But the problem is...
"But since we've talked about this, how about we get to know the future family members?"
"Future family?"
Bronya, who was holding the Homu doll, tilted her head.
"You don't think Seele is the only child in the orphanage, do you?"
Tian Shi tossed the sniper rifle into a corner indifferently and said to Bronya.
"Besides you, there are quite a few children here; of course, Seele is probably the kindest one."
"Are they all like me?"
"This... maybe a little different."
It's very difficult for Tian Shi to answer this question, although in reality, most of the children in this orphanage are quite miserable.
After all, they are all in an orphanage.
However, it is difficult for Tian Shi to make specific comments about it.
"Instead of asking me, why don't you try to communicate with them more directly?"
"What do you think?"
"Do you want to go?"
"Mmm."
Bronya nodded slightly and got off the bed holding a Homu doll as big as herself.
"You really like that doll, it's a shame that a boring adult like me can't become cute."
"?"
Bronya's eyes reflected confusion.
"What does brother like?"
"Me? I like Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Gundam, maids, black silk, giants... Bah, pretend you didn't hear the last ones, Bronya!"
As he spoke, he slipped up again.
"Anyway, now is the time to go see your sisters."
"Mmm."
Bronya nodded.
Fortunately, this child isn't one who insists on getting to the bottom of things.
Tian Shi breathed a sigh of relief.
As for the meaning, he guessed that Bronya didn't understand it either.
However... Bronya really understood.
Well, what Bronya really doesn't understand is Blue-Eyes White Dragon and Gundam, but she completely understands maids and black stockings.
As for maids, Bronya had seen them when she sneaked into the homes of high-ranking officials.
And black stockings... she has worn them; in fact, Bronya was wearing them when Cocolia knocked her unconscious.
When Bronya performed assassination missions, she relied on her appearance to deter the other party, and then unexpectedly strangled them with black stockings, without needing to carry weapons.
Just ask yourself: who would be wary of a weak little girl who takes off her stockings in front of you?
So, although Bronya is a young soldier, she actually knows the two things that Tian Shi should least know.
Then... is there an inevitable connection between maids and black stockings?
And there are giants and so on... Bronya was a little confused.
But since Tian Shi asked her to pretend she hadn't heard it, she would naturally be willing to obey... probably.
"Stop being in a daze and let's go."
Tian Shi took Bronya's small hand.
"Mmm..."
Bronya suddenly let out a soft cry.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
Bronya shook her head.
For Bronya, the feeling of someone holding her hand in such a gentle way was the first time; in fact, for the current Bronya, any form of being treated kindly was a new feeling she had never experienced before.
And there is another thing: the feeling of being held by Tian Shi is a little strange.
After all, Tian Shi is now a ghost possessed by camouflage cloth.
[Compatibility with Bronya +5%]
Bronya obediently followed Tian Shi while holding the Homu doll, but she didn't forget to observe her surroundings.
This could be considered Bronya's "occupational disease."
"Oh, by the way, Bronya, there may be some naughty children among your sisters."
"How to put it? They may not have a lot of education, but you should try to control yourself."
Tian Shi reminded her.
For Bronya, her subconscious counterattack could break an adult's neck, and now that Bronya has just left her condition as a young soldier, she might have symptoms of stress, so Tian Shi specifically reminded her.
"Mmm."
Bronya hugged the doll in her hand slightly and nodded.
"Don't be afraid, there are still many good children here."
Tian Shi smiled.
Afterward, Tian Shi and Bronya arrived at the orphanage courtyard.
Those little ones were still in the courtyard, and Tian Shi even saw Seele, who had just been taken away.
Wasn't Cocolia going to buy her a new doll? Where is that person?
Tian Shi was a little puzzled, but the children's noise quickly interrupted his thoughts.
"The white cloth monster appears again!"
"..."
No, that name makes me feel helpless.
"It's Brother Alliance Leader."
Seele tried to weakly correct her, but the excited little ones didn't pay attention to her words and quickly approached.
"And a new sister!"
Compared to the "white cloth monster" they had seen once, the children were obviously more interested in the new sister Bronya.
Although no one bothers me, why do I feel a subtle sense of frustration?
"My name is Isabella!"
"My name is Sofia!"
"Rozaliya Olenyeva! This is my sister Liliya!"
The children quickly surrounded Bronya, looking at her with curiosity.
"Uh... Bronya Zaychik."
Although she seemed a little nervous, Bronya said her name very gently.
Girls of the same age?
It was the first time Bronya had met such energetic people.
There was a flash of happiness in her eyes.
So dazzling.
"Sister Bangya?"
"I am Bronya."
Bronya corrected her.
Whether Bronya is pronounced as Bangya or Bronya depends on the punctuation.
Bro/nya is pronounced "Bronya"; bron/ya is pronounced "Bongya".
Obviously, in this group of children, there are always one or two who don't speak fluently.
By the way, the name Bunya is the origin of Bronya's nickname "Ban Ya."
"Armored Sister?"
"Sister Rabbit sounds better, right? And Sister Bronya is holding a Homu doll."
Although Bronya corrected them, the children's topic quickly deviated towards Bronya's name.
After all, the victims of the Second Eruption were mainly from Siberia, and these children had no problems speaking Russian, so the issue of pronunciation inevitably evolved.
"Mmm..."
Bronya didn't know what to do in this situation, so she could only turn to Tian Shi for help.
It was the first time she knew that her name was so controversial.
Naturally, Tian Shi could not remain indifferent to this.
"Alright, alright, little ones, be quiet for a moment."
Tian Shi controlled the white cloth to shake violently, producing a "whoosh" sound, successfully attracting everyone's attention.
"If you keep making noise I'll tell your mother."
It appeared!
The shameless snitching technique!
Indeed, as soon as these words were said, everyone present fell silent and looked at Tian Shi in silence: Cocolia's prestige among the children was still quite high.
"Is it strange that they are suddenly so quiet? Isn't there any troublemaker?"
Tian Shi felt as if something was missing, Oh, I wonder where that naughty child Sin Mal has gone at this moment.
"Well, let's get back to the point: would you like to play hide-and-seek with your sister Bronya?"
Just when all the children thought that the "white cloth monster" in front of them would give a long speech, Tian Shi made a proposal they couldn't refuse.
"Huh?"
Bronya was a little stunned, but the children didn't care and cheered in unison.
"We want to!"
"Yes!"
"Who is the ghost?"
"Of course it's the white cloth monster!"
"Call me brother."
"Brother White Cloth Monster!"
"..."
Why don't I check if there are any feather dusters in Cocolia's orphanage?
Let me transform into "Brother Duster" and whip these little girls to teach them a lesson.
"Brother... I don't know how to play this game."
Bronya raised her hand and said candidly.
"It's very simple... How about this? Bronya and I will look for you together, does that sound good?"
It goes without saying that the children had no problem with this.
"We'll count to 100!"
"The limit is inside the orphanage and you are not allowed to enter the building!"
Seeing that Tian Shi and Bronya were turning their backs, the children scattered and fled while reminding them.
"Start counting! 100, 99, 98, 97..."
That said, counting down or up in hide-and-seek depends on the habit, there is no fixed rule.
Tian Shi counted quickly.
"So we're going to look for them now?"
Bronya quickly understood how to play hide-and-seek.
"Yes, you should be good at this, right?"
Tian Shi touched Bronya's head.
[Compatibility with Bronya +5%]
"Yes... but before they always caught me."
Bronya nodded slightly.
"You've worked very hard."
Tian Shi rubbed Bronya's little head again.
"Then this game is up to you: show your authority as an older sister to your group of sisters."
"Sister... authority?"
Bronya tilted her head, somewhat confused.
But... all we have to do is find them, right?
Bronya looked at the ground and the messy, small footprints had already pointed her in the right direction.
Although it was nothing to be proud of, as a young soldier specializing in assassinations, her sisters' footprints were extremely obvious to her.
Especially...
Behind a nearby slide, a small girl was hiding with her head sticking out.
"Seele, you've been discovered."
This one looks like little Seele...
"Brother Alliance Leader is really amazing..."
Surprisingly, there was no timid expression on Seele's face, as if she was... no, she was hiding here on purpose.
"Are you worried that Bronya and I won't be able to find anyone?"
"I don't think it's because my brother is so good, but because, Seele, you hide too visibly."
Bronya corrected Seele, completely ignoring her words.
Is this also a kind of complaint?
This is really a big improvement for Bronya.
"Sister Bronya, I know..."
"Don't underestimate your sister Bronya."
Tian Shi caressed the little head of Seele who wanted to betray her teammates.
"Bronya is a professional in this area."
"R-really?"
"Leave it to me."
Bronya nodded without hesitation and returned to following the footprints on the ground.
"I found you, Rozaliya."
"Wow!"
Rozaliya was found in the bushes, also with her head sticking out.
"Look, Seele, you were just as stupid as this girl a moment ago."
Tian Shi said pointing to Rozaliya and addressing Seele.
"Wow~~"
After that, Bronya found Liliya in the barrel.
The other children also could not escape Bronya's pursuit and were all caught.
"Sister Bronya is so amazing..."
"Gu... careless! I was just careless, that's all! They definitely won't catch me if I do it again."
"You stupid sister with your head out, you have no right to say that."
Liliya didn't know who found out about her sister's embarrassing situation and complained without any expression: it was probably Seele, right?
"Who is the idiot? It was just a mistake!"
The two sisters are heartbroken from now on... although it's just Liliya hurting her sister unilaterally.
"If you think about it, Rozaliya also had her head sticking out last time."
"Why is Sister Seele like that?"
"I just remembered it."
Seele, who was only two months younger than Bronya, said weakly.
"I was the first to get caught."
"This time it's my turn to look... Everyone, make sure to hide well!"
Seele's request made Tian Shi doubt if she could find anyone.
Of course, if Dark Seele came out, there could be a massacre.
But then again, Dark Seele, as a stigmata personality, is the product of MEI's "Stigma Project."
In a sense... is MEI the mother of Dark Seele?
This generation is a mess...
Why do I always feel that the things around me will become more and more chaotic in the future?
At that moment, Seele had already leaned against the wall and began to count.
However, at that moment, the orphanage door suddenly opened.
"Tsk! Some guy entrusted me with the responsibility of alliance leader for almost sixty years, and now he's here playing hide-and-seek with children."
"Isn't that too much?"
The blue-haired beauty, dressed as a man, appeared at the door and in front of the children.
He started to attack Tian Shi with guns and sticks.
"Sister Nancy?"
"Here, this is candy."
Looking at the children who ran towards him excitedly, Edison gave them candy with a smile on her face.
"So, a certain scumbag isn't going to fight back?"
As soon as she looked up, Edison's face immediately turned cold.
Her double standard is quite obvious.