Wednesday, October 3rd.
Everything was ready, and the day for departure had finally arrived.
Unable to contain her excitement, the little girl, Kanna, woke up early.
She didn't linger in bed like usual, even after waking up. The moment her eyes opened, Kanna sat up in a flash, eagerly jumped off her small bed, and ran barefoot to the window, pulling back a corner of the curtain and peeking through.
Peering out from the windowsill, she saw the sky faintly streaked with the pale light of dawn, still not fully bright.
"Sigh~~." She still had to wait a while, the little girl sighed softly, resting her chin on her small hands, disappointed.
The temporary rented apartment wasn't very large, and the rooms were a bit cramped.
Sharing a room with Kanna, 2B immediately noticed the movement in the room... As an intelligent android, it wasn't so much that she was sleeping, but rather in standby mode. Just like a computer left idle for a long time, a slight touch would instantly switch its state.
She pushed back the covers and quietly got out of bed.
After a quick glance confirmed Kanna wasn't in bed, 2B went to the window, pulled back the curtain, and squatted behind Kanna: "Kanna, why are you awake so early today?"
"Hehe~." A light touch on her waist, a little ticklish. The little girl wiggled her body, giggling.
Turning around, she hugged 2B with her small arms, and the adorable little girl made a suggestion: "Sylvia, let's go wake up Locke."
"Can't wait to leave?" 2B pinched the little girl's nose and then picked her up.
Standing by the window, looking at the sky outside, 2B didn't agree to the little girl's suggestion: "Let's wait a bit longer, let Locke sleep a little more. We have a long drive today, so let him get plenty of rest so he doesn't get drowsy on the road."
"Okay then."
Despite agreeing, Kanna was still a bit too excited, constantly wanting to do something.
Seeing the little girl's restless, hyperactive demeanor, 2B simply took her to the bathroom, where they brushed their teeth and washed their faces together.
However, this small task was clearly not enough.
"Kanna, how about we make sandwiches?" After a thought, 2B offered another suggestion: "Once they're done, we can eat them for breakfast and also take them with us for the road. What do you think, do you want Locke to try your cooking?"
"Mmm-hmm~." Never having tried it before, finding it fresh and curious, Kanna nodded repeatedly, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
And so, the two girls busied themselves in the small kitchen.
When Shi Xiaolei woke up and walked out of his room, he happened to see this scene: "Oh, you two are already up?"
"Xiaolei, Xiaolei, look at the sandwich I made~!"
As soon as she heard Shi Xiaolei's voice, the little girl immediately looked up. With a face smeared with salad dressing, she beamed with a sense of accomplishment, holding up the sandwich in her hand, her soft, sweet voice making her absolutely adorable.
"Oh, our Kanna has learned to make sandwiches." Squatting by the table, Shi Xiaolei wrapped his arms around the soft little girl and bumped foreheads with her, then instinctively ruffled her hair.
"Xiaolei, take a bite~." The little girl eagerly pushed the sandwich to Shi Xiaolei's mouth, urging him: "It's delicious, I just tried it, really."
"Is that so?" Shi Xiaolei smiled and stood up: "Then save this piece for me, I'm going to brush my teeth first. I definitely have to try a sandwich made by Kanna herself."
"Mmm-hmm~."
Carefully setting aside the sandwich in her hand, Kanna turned to look at 2B, flashed a sweet smile, and resumed her work with renewed vigor.
Washing up, brushing teeth, eating breakfast, carrying packed luggage downstairs to load into the car, changing into travel clothes... All the various chores were done, and yet it was only a little past eight in the morning. There was nothing to be done; the little girl was too excited and had woken up too early.
Checking the time, Shi Xiaolei hesitated—the agreed meeting time with Stark was ten in the morning, which meant there were still almost two hours to go. Should they go early? Or just wait at home for two hours? That was the question.
Thinking carefully, given Stark's habits, he was most likely still asleep at this hour.
Even if they went over now, they'd still have to wait for him to wash up and eat before they could leave. Not only would it not save time, but it would also be awkward. After a moment of consideration, Shi Xiaolei decided not to go too early.
But then again, there was nothing to do at home either.
What should they do?
Sitting on the sofa, watching Kanna scamper around, excited and eager like a restless little monkey, Shi Xiaolei suddenly had an idea.
"Kanna." He called the little girl over, wrapped his arm around her soft little body, and asked with a smile: "It's still early, do you want to go play with Baymax for a bit first?"
"Emmm..." She was a little worried about missing the time, but also really wanted to play with Baymax.
Biting her finger and deliberating for a while, Kanna looked up: "Okay then, but only for a little while."
"Yes, just for a bit." Shi Xiaolei checked the time on his phone and tapped the little girl's nose: "It's a quarter past eight now, we'll play until half past nine. Half an hour to drive, and we'll arrive at the spot we agreed with Stark right around ten."
Hearing Shi Xiaolei's words, the little girl relaxed, and like a small adult, she put on an expression that said 'I'm very satisfied': "Mmm-hmm."
Although he said he was taking the little girl to play with Baymax, his real purpose was to take her to meet Bruce Banner, who was currently hiding out in the Ark.
According to Shi Xiaolei's plan, he intended to drop Bruce Banner off along the way during their trip.
Being careful and avoiding the eyes of Stark, Pepper, and Happy wasn't difficult, but avoiding Kanna, given her clinginess, was a very challenging task. Therefore, to prevent Kanna from spilling the beans and thus arousing Stark's suspicion, Shi Xiaolei thought of taking Kanna into the Ark beforehand to let her meet Bruce first.
Additionally, he also wanted to take advantage of this time to open a blind box in the Ark—he had originally planned to find an opportunity on the road, and if a new companion appeared, he would introduce them to Stark as 'a new friend I just met and got along well with.' But after thinking about it just now, he felt that this explanation might not hold water. After all, this road trip was a family activity, and by common sense, there was no reason for him to pick up a newly met friend halfway and continue the journey with them.
Wanting to try a different approach, Shi Xiaolei suddenly came up with the idea of 'opening a blind box in the Ark.'
'If a new companion appears, since it's inside the Ark, there's no need to worry about being noticed by outsiders. Hmm, Kanna is also appearing for the first time, and with one more person, Bruce shouldn't find it strange; he'll just assume that they, like Kanna, were brought by me...' The more he thought about it, the more suitable it seemed, and a faint smile appeared on Shi Xiaolei's face: "Alright, that's what we'll do."