Yang Tao approached the little girl cautiously, wearing the gentlest smile he could muster, careful not to startle her—after all, she truly seemed to be a child.
"Hello, little one. What's your name?"
"I'm called Kari…"
The name "Kari" struck him like a memory bullet, hitting his mind with uncanny precision.
He seemed to hear the whistle hanging around her neck pierce the air, and a pink hat fluttered past his view.
"Yagami Kari?"
Kari blinked her wide eyes in surprise. "Uncle… how do you know my name? Do you know me?"
Seeing her astonished expression, Yang Tao knew his guess was correct.
Kari Yagami was the eighth of the chosen children in the Digimon world, and also the younger sister of another chosen child, Taichi Yagami.
She had missed the summer camp due to illness and initially lost the chance to enter the Digital World. But later, guided by Wizardmon, she met Terriermon and joined the adventure as the eighth child.
"Uncle… are you okay?"
Her gentle, concerned voice brought Yang Tao back from his reverie.
"Uncle???"
For a moment, he was confused—he had only recently been called "big brother," and now he was an uncle? Yet looking at Kari's tender, innocent face, he comforted himself:
Well… I am over twenty now. I'm no longer the child wondering why he wasn't chosen.
Reaching out, he stroked her head, feeling the softness beneath his palm. Squatting down, he spoke in the gentlest tone of his life:
"Uncle is fine. Kari… are you looking for your brother, Taichi Yagami?"
Kari's eyes lit up, looking at him with sparkling innocence. Excited, she asked, "Uncle… you know how I can find my brother?"
"Your brother… he will come back."
Yang Tao didn't know the timeline of the Digimon world. Although tightly linked to the real world, the flow of time differed entirely between them.
"Kari, do you remember what date it is today?"
"I remember. Today is August first. My brother left this afternoon with Terriermon… I wanted to go with him too."
Her words brought tears to her eyes.
Yang Tao fell silent. He now understood the Digital World timeline: Taichi and the others had already defeated Gorillamon. Due to the Great Explosion, the barrier between the Digital and real worlds had broken, synchronizing their times. Right now, Taichi was confronting the Vampire Lord.
At that moment, Kari began coughing, reminding Yang Tao that she was still sick with a fever.
"Kari, wait here. I'll get you some milk. Drink it, and your cold will feel better."
He wasn't certain milk could cure a cold, but trying wouldn't hurt.
"Thank you, Uncle."
Kari's soft, fragile words of gratitude stirred in Yang Tao a fleeting desire to someday have a daughter.
He retrieved a new iron bucket from his backpack and walked toward the cow.
Erik, curious, asked, "Yang, do you know this child?"
He didn't understand Kari's words—previous communication with Conan had been purely due to Conan's mastery of English, not his own.
"Yes, though only by name and some details. By the way, Erik, this world is fascinating. If we have a chance, I'll show you."
"Fascinating?"
Yang Tao handed the bucket of milk to Kari with a smile. "Yes, fascinating! But also very dangerous."
The dangers of the Digimon world rivaled even the deeper levels of the Backrooms. With Yang Tao's current strength—easily cutting through the lower levels of the Backrooms—he could only harass rookie Digimon in this world. Mature Digimon? His only option would be flight.
Though, handling a Gomamon or a Betamon wouldn't be too challenging. (He chuckled.)
Returning to Kari, he handed her the bucket. "Here, drink. It's delicious."
Kari, only eight years old, had no defensive instinct toward Yang Tao; she was inherently kind-hearted.
"Mm…"
She sipped eagerly, and within a few gulps, the bucket was empty. Yang Tao reclaimed it and asked with a smile, "How do you feel?"
Feeling her body, Kari quickly replied gratefully, "Uncle, my head doesn't hurt anymore. Thank you."
"You're welcome."
Yang Tao patted her head again. Then, extending his hand, he said, "Kari, I'll perform a magic trick for you. Watch closely."
He thought of exchanging energy, but a line of text appeared in his vision:
[Insufficient Energy…]
Embarrassed, he muttered to himself: Right, I only have twelve energy points… too awkward.
He quickly pulled out a bright red apple from his backpack. Seeing it appear in Yang Tao's palm, Kari's face lit up with astonishment.
"Uncle… are you a magician?"
"Something like that. Here, Kari, this is a gift for you. Do you like it?"
"I do! Thank you, Uncle."
Through the wooden door, Yang Tao glimpsed Kari's world—her bedroom bathed in golden sunlight.
A door opened across the room. Yang Tao smiled. "Kari, you should go back. Your parents must be home now."
In the story, Taichi returned to find Kari alone at home while her parents visited her grandmother. As a child watching the anime, he hadn't noticed anything amiss. Now, he could only shake his head at the absurdity of leaving an eight-year-old with a fever home alone—what kind of parents would do that? The writers clearly sacrificed basic logic for plot convenience.
Outside, a woman's voice called:
"Kari."
Hearing her mother, Kari's face lit up. "Then, Uncle, I'll go now. I'll come visit you again soon. Bye!"
"Bye!"
Yang Tao escorted her home, personally closing the wooden door behind her. He affixed a sign to the door from his backpack. His once-kind smile now softened into a reflective grin. Squinting, he murmured:
As a child, I dreamed of owning a Digimon or a Pokémon. Even without a Holy Plan or Evolution Badge, I'll find a way to raise a Digimon this time!!
Even a Gomamon would do—throwing poop aside, perhaps having many could even be exchanged for energy points.
This was the dream of his childhood.