(Where is this? I remember...)
After her sleeping consciousness recovered, Bronya opened her eyes and saw an unfamiliar ceiling.
"Finally awake, little one."
"!!!"
The second she heard Byakuya's voice, Bronya's consciousness instantly cleared. She instinctively reached for her chest, wanting to pull out the pistol she had hidden in her clothes beforehand.
As expected, she grabbed nothing but air.
"Alright, all your weapons have been confiscated by me. Your mission has failed, little sister Ural Silver Wolf, now put away your hostility. We are no longer enemies."
"...The organization accepted the mission, not Bronya. After discovering Bronya lost contact, the organization will send more people to trouble you."
"No matter, it's already resolved."
"Eh?"
Under Bronya's surprised expression, Byakuya shook his communication terminal.
He had just contacted Raven, found out which organization Bronya belonged to, and had already gone there to dismantle it.
"By the way, you've been expelled from the mercenary organization. I left your dog tag at the scene and sprinkled a little blood. Now the underworld believes that Ural Silver Wolf is dead, so congratulations on your freedom, Bronya Zaychik."
"Fre...edom...?"
Bronya froze for a moment, the girl's eyes, which lacked highlights, widened slightly.
This freedom was too sudden for her, and for Bronya, who had been trained as a child soldier since she was young, she didn't know how to face this so-called freedom.
"Why didn't you kill Bronya?"
She looked at Byakuya in confusion.
This was Bronya's only remaining question. If a mission wasn't completed, she would die. Enemies should be eradicated root and branch. This was what she had been taught.
Byakuya frowned upon hearing this.
"How can adults harm children? Children are humanity's most precious treasures. The most unforgivable sin in this world is harming these treasures. Also, don't talk about 'killing' and 'dying' all day long. Life is a very precious thing; you should cherish it properly."
"...Bronya cannot understand." Bronya's eyes were filled with confusion.
Cherish life? No one had ever taught Bronya to cherish life. The cruel reality she had experienced so far told her that life was incredibly cheap.
It could easily vanish with the pull of a trigger.
Whether it was the enemy's life or her own life.
They were all such fragile things.
"Eh, it seems her values need to be fundamentally corrected," Byakuya sighed.
The current Bronya was clearly broken. Kidnapped since childhood, she had been trained as a weapon. Her grey eyes, devoid of highlights, were lifeless, filled with numbness, stillness, and emptiness, like a soulless doll.
"What a pitiful child."
"......"
"Good! It's decided. From now on, you are adopted by me. Live a new life, Bronya."
"Do you want to be Bronya's master?"
The girl tilted her head in confusion.
Byakuya's words made her first reaction that she had been handed over to a new organization again, and new missions would soon follow.
However, Byakuya shook his head, while raising his hand to stroke her silver-grey hair, saying,
"There is no master in Hearth Home. Everyone living here is family. From today on, you can call me 'dad' or 'father'."
"Dad? Father? What does that mean?"
"If you are willing, you will soon understand. And now it's time for you to make a choice."
Byakuya raised his left hand, which held Bronya's pistol.
At the same time, he also raised his right hand, but this hand held a Homu doll.
Bronya looked at both hands in confusion.
Instinct told her this was an important choice.
She instinctively reached for the gun in his left hand, but just as she was about to touch it, she stopped. The girl's gaze was deeply drawn to the Homu doll in Byakuya's right hand.
She truly didn't know how to choose. Bronya Zaychik couldn't imagine what kind of future she would walk into after choosing either side.
But...
Every time Bronya completed a mission, she felt a part of her heart empty. Each time she eliminated a target, it was as if she lost something important. The girl's soul seemed to be diminished repeatedly.
If this continued, Bronya felt that one day she would no longer be herself. She instinctively didn't want to feel that way anymore.
Bronya Zaychik, she no longer wanted to pull the trigger on anyone!
"Well done, Bronya."
Byakuya smiled with satisfaction, looking at the girl who had taken the Homu doll and was hugging it tightly.
"Bronya, did I choose correctly?"
"Of course. Although I want to tell you that, the answer to this question can only be answered by the future you. Now... welcome to Hearth House, Bronya."
"Yayyyyyyy—!" xN
Cheers that seemed to shake the roof came, startling Bronya. She saw many people suddenly appearing from windows, doorways, the ceiling, and even under the bed.
They were all girls from Hearth Home. These girls, similar in age to Bronya, were now overjoyed to have a new family member.
Seele was happily clapping her hands.
Rosalia and Liliya raised their hands and cheered.
Even Sin Mal smiled a little.
"Alright, children, quiet down. You've scared Bronya."
Byakuya clapped his hands to quiet the surroundings.
"I understand your feelings. The arrival of a new family member deserves a good welcome and celebration, so let's all help out. Seele, you take Bronya to the bathroom for a good bath, and I'll prepare a hearty dinner."
"Okay, Papa Byakuya, Seele understands."
"Then let's help Papa cook!"
"Rosalia and Liliya, um, you two go with the others to prepare Bronya's bedroom. Hmm, let's use the one next to Seele's."
"Rosalia, copy!"
"Liliya, copy!"
Seeing the excited sisters run off, Byakuya quickly gave the other children a meaningful look, and they all nodded vigorously, indicating they would help keep an eye on those two little rascals.
Bronya, on the other side, was completely bewildered. Hearth Home, full of vitality and warmth, was too different from the cold and ruthless organization she had been in.
She still needed some time to adapt to her new home.
"...Home."
The girl murmured the word, and for some reason, an indescribable emotion welled up in her heart.
Byakuya lovingly stroked Bronya's head.
The current Bronya needed time to heal. If it were just emotional numbness caused by physical injuries, like in the original timeline, Byakuya could directly treat it with the Herrscher of Death's authority.
However, emotional numbness caused by tragic experiences, like now, could only be resolved by time.
Perhaps to prevent herself from breaking down in a cruel environment, Bronya unconsciously froze her heart, but as long as she was allowed to feel the warmth of love again, that heart would eventually melt.
"Bronya, no one will hurt you again. You will embark on a new life from now on."
"...A new life?"
Confusion still filled the girl's eyes, but at this moment, feeling the surrounding warmth and Byakuya's care, a faint light appeared in Bronya's eyes.