Louis didn't know what was wrong with Aboli, and he had no interest in finding out. He wasn't crazy, so there was no way he could understand what went on in a crazy person's head.
Maybe right now, Aboli was just excited because she got to be close to "Mom."
The young man spoke gently, "No need to be embarrassed, get up."
He thought she had rolled over to sleep next to him last night because she was scared—what an alarmingly naïve soul.
Mom, if I hadn't come sooner, you'd have been stuffed into a sack and kidnapped without even realizing it.
Aboli nodded, reluctantly sitting up.
Louis tried to move his hand, realizing he could barely feel anything.
Just how long had Aboli been holding that position?
He figured that if blood circulation didn't return soon, he might as well bid farewell to that arm—perfect timing to replace it with a mechanical one. In this world, nine out of ten people you met on the street had undergone modifications.
And honestly, Louis thought it looked pretty cool.
Of course, that was just a passing joke in his mind. At the very least, he didn't want to change himself. This body proved that he had once lived in another world, with a family who loved him.
Louis shook his arm, then left the bathroom.
Aboli was sitting on the bed, and the moment she saw him, she immediately clung to him—like an overly attached dog. Unfortunately, she wasn't a pet.
Louis let her hook her arm around his, then asked, "Do you go to school anywhere?"
At that, Aboli blinked in confusion and shook her head. Judging by her expression, she might not even know what school was.
Ha, Hollywood seriously owed her an Oscar.
Louis took a strawberry-flavored nutrient pouch from the fridge and handed it to Aboli. "I know the owner of a café. I'm sure they'll hire you. You'd need to serve customers, nothing heavy. Of course, the pay's not that great."
He patted her head with a smile. "Even if it's not much, you can save and prepare for the future."
Aboli blinked, then suddenly raised both hands to grab the one patting her head, buried her face in it, and took a deep breath.
Louis froze momentarily, goosebumps prickling up his arms—he almost pulled his hand back.
And then he felt something wet.
Aboli had stuck out her tongue… and licked his hand!
Louis: "!!!" Don't ask—just, pervert!
With a serious expression, he pulled his hand away and told her, "You can't do that."
He went to wash his hands, but instinctively recalled the wet, slimy sensation from last night…
Damn it, what if Aboli had been licking his hand all night?
The thought made his whole face scrunch like he'd swallowed a fly. He ended up scrubbing his hands two more times.
He had just stepped out when he saw Aboli sitting on the bed, eyes lifted toward him. Her big eyes were brimming with sorrow and helplessness as she stared at him, speaking in a sad voice: "Mom, do you… not like me?"
Louis: "..." Careless! This was a death trap.
Perhaps Aboli had heard the sound of running water and, with her keen senses, picked up on his discomfort.
Her mood was impossible to predict—at any moment, she might decide he was unfit to be her mother and deal with him accordingly, no matter how unreasonable she was.
From the start, he had never liked her, nor agreed to be her mother! But in her eyes, he was her mother, and he had to be the perfect mother—otherwise, she would kill him.
There was simply no reasoning with a lunatic.
Louis was on the verge of exploding, but on the surface, he hurried over with a worried look and hugged Aboli. His wet hands wiped against her clothes before he let go abruptly, as if only realizing his hands were still damp.
"I'm sorry. And it's not that I don't like you—it's just that I don't like people touching me like that."
At this point, Louis suddenly pushed Aboli away, his hands gripping her shoulders tightly. "And you're a girl. You can't just act that way with someone because they're nice to you—it's dangerous! If you do it again, I'll punish you!"
Aboli's eyes widened suddenly, and Louis saw a glimmer of light dancing in them. "You… you'll punish me?"
Her voice trembled. Louis, of course, knew it wasn't from fear—it was from excitement.
Damn it… a trembling M-type pervert, sometimes switching to S. You really can't reason with perverts.
Louis felt his moral integrity as a man was hanging by a thread. He quickly stood up and said, "If you're done eating, come with me."
He tilted his head slightly toward Aboli, his expression thoughtful. Ultimately, he gritted his teeth and said, "We're going to buy you some new clothes, then head to the café. Starting today, I'll be your guardian—you'll have to listen to me, understand?"
The young man wasn't well-off, yet he was still willing to spend money on a girl he'd only met twice, even arranging work for her. A mother's warmth and boundless love… Heaven, I'm useless for not finding Mom sooner!
Aboli held back the urge to moan with excitement, lowered her eyes, and obediently said, "Yes."
Louis looked down at Aboli from above, sighing inwardly.
If only she could always wear this obedient façade—he wouldn't mind if she kept up the act for the rest of her life.
Louis thought to himself, then got ready to head out. Aboli, like a little tail, trailed right behind him.
The moment they stepped out the door, Louis grabbed Aboli's hand, as if afraid she might get lost. Aboli's eyes widened, and Louis could feel her grip tightening around his hand so much it was as if his bones were about to shatter at any moment.
If he were to turn back and look, he'd probably see that his hand had already turned red, maybe even purple.
Perhaps Aboli was too excited and forgot that she wasn't like ordinary people, or maybe she had no intention of hiding it at all—just openly showing it to see how Louis would react.
Louis pretended not to notice and walked straight toward a clothing store.
A week after regaining his memories from his previous life, Louis could now look at this place through the eyes of an outsider.
Compared to his old Earth, this place was a completely different world.
The road was pitch-black from dirt and dust, littered with trash and discarded metal everywhere.
The area where Louis lived—Zone 10—was home to many fourth- or fifth-class citizens. Seeing a few corpses on the streets or people stabbing each other with knives was nothing unusual.
Public order here was in complete chaos. Having a meal and enough money to pay for a cheap inn was already considered decent—owning a home or anything beyond that was out of the question.
Louis glanced over the items in the clothing store, then looked at Aboli and asked, "Which one do you like?"
Aboli's eyes lit up. She looked at Louis and obediently said, "As long as it's the one Mom chooses, I'll like it."
Louis might have believed her obedient act if her grip hadn't been terrifyingly firm.
Perverted psycho—you're not even bothering to act anymore, are you?
The shop assistant nearby overheard Aboli's way of addressing Louis and couldn't help but give them a sideways glance. But there wasn't much surprise on her face. In this era, there was nothing people hadn't seen before; modern couples had all sorts of unspeakable preferences, so there was nothing to judge.
"This customer, your daughter, is truly stunning. She'd look beautiful in anything—fine silk is only as fine as the one who wears it. I think this one, this one, and this one would all suit her wonderfully!"
Louis: "..."
They could see him and Aboli as father and daughter? This shop assistant had good manners.
With a mocking thought, Louis picked out two white dresses with simple designs.
Even so, when it came time to pay, he still felt a pang in his chest.
Three gold coins! And in his previous job, his monthly salary had only been twelve gold coins!
Female lead! Do you see my sacrifice for you? Money is my capital, yet I'm not hesitating to spend it on you! You should understand this and give up on trying to kill me—we could live together as one happy family!
Louis wanted to shout that at Aboli, but it stayed in his head. He wouldn't dare say it out loud even if you gave him ten extra lives.
"All right, work hard. If you run into any trouble, tell me," Louis said sincerely inside the café, earnestly reminding Aboli.