That night, 221B Baker Street.
Three full hours had passed since they returned home. From the moment he walked through the door, Fu Li hadn't said a word, while Vill-V had been watching him with a wide, unblinking smile.
That smile, as if she wanted to eat him whole, was a mixture of greed and desire.
She was more like a snake than Mobius herself.
Fu Li's heart was in turmoil under her gaze. With a sense of weary helplessness, he retreated to his room.
"Sigh... honestly... this Vill-V."
Fu Li sighed. To be honest, this wasn't the first or second time he had raised a child, but for one to turn out like this and actually try to make a move on him... that was a first.
Oh... the first was Pardo. Vill-V was the second.
"Is there a problem with my parenting?"
Fu Li collapsed onto his bed, feeling mentally exhausted.
As a reliable adult, he had only one option for the current situation: lie flat and accept it.
"This is probably just a rebellious phase. Once she grows up, she'll realize that compared to research and weapons, men have no charm at all!"
Comforting himself with this thought, Fu Li found that he couldn't fall asleep no matter what. He could only sit up, open his laptop, and get to work.
[For a period of time, whenever Vill-V has a free moment, she will find all sorts of ways to pester you.]
[Insomnia, acting spoiled, throwing tantrums on the floor—Vill-V will stop at nothing. As long as she can stick to you, she doesn't mind using any means necessary.]
[You are completely helpless against this, as all of Vill-V's actions are like careful probes. Through various methods, she gradually figures out your bottom line, and then constantly pushes past it.]
[And your bottom line regarding her is quite flexible. Faced with her fierce pursuit, you can only carefully manage the situation while restraining yourself.]
[Fortunately, while pursuing you, Vill-V doesn't forget to investigate your secrets.]
[Six months later, through continuous confrontations with Moriarty, the trio of Vill-V, Charlotte, and Watson quickly followed the trail to the Alan Institute.]
[Charlotte learns that you are the boss behind both the Alan Institute and DA. And after learning the Alan Institute's creed, Vill-V is astonished.]
[She had originally thought the Alan Institute funded Moriarty for the purpose of profiting from crime, but she never expected that they had only given Moriarty a hand at the very beginning.]
[And the reason was simply because he was a criminal genius. That's all.]
[But that no longer matters, because as of yesterday, Moriarty and his criminal empire have completely vanished.]
"So, what exactly was his purpose in cultivating a criminal genius?"
"Well, who knows? But he's dead now anyway, and the criminal empire has completely disappeared, hasn't it?" Vill-V said, sounding somewhat distracted. But Charlotte knew that she already had the answer in her heart.
This was a test. Fu Li had never hidden that fact, and both Vill-V and Charlotte were well aware of it.
Even so, Vill-V felt no resentment toward Fu Li. More than any such emotion, what she felt was a growing unease.
Because she knew her test was over.
And based on Charlotte's experience, after the people from the Alan Institute had extended a helping hand to her, they had left without a second thought, cutting off all contact.
"Are you afraid, Vill-V?"
"Of course not."
Hearing the hint of a smile in Charlotte's voice, Vill-V answered irritably.
At this moment, Charlotte's left arm was in a plaster cast, and a cigarette dangled from her lips, giving her a slightly decadent appearance.
Despite this, she offered some comfort:
"Relax, Vill-V. To the Alan Institute... no, to Fu Li, you are a unique existence. He would never leave you just because your test is over."
"Oh? Then tell me, why won't he accept my pursuit?"
Vill-V muttered sulkily. A long time had passed since she had forcefully kissed Fu Li, and he had been avoiding her ever since.
At this, the corner of Charlotte's mouth twitched, and she irritably tapped Vill-V on the head.
"Look at you, how old are you? If Fu Li actually made a move on you, forget what you'd do, I'd be the first to call the cops on him."
"Tsk, don't hit my head." Vill-V rolled her eyes and picked up an umbrella from the side.
"Here. This is fixed. Really... and I added a new function."
"Oh? You fixed it today? That was fast."
Taking the umbrella, Charlotte fiddled with it curiously. "Last time you added a parachute function to this thing. What did you add this time?"
"It's bulletproof. You deal with those types of people all day. It could save your life at a critical moment."
With that done, Vill-V stood up and waved at Charlotte.
"Don't thank me. I'm heading back. Li should have dinner ready by now."
"Mm, go on."
After bidding farewell to Charlotte, Vill-V entered her small home. She walked up the stairs, but when she opened the door, she froze.
Today was very different from usual.
She saw several suitcases placed by the door, and Fu Li was in the middle of packing some things.
What's going on?
Could her worries have come true?
Li... is he planning to move out?
---o---
Author's Note:
PS: I feel it's better to get to the main plot, so I've cut the Charlotte arc a bit short. Next, we'll get into the main story, which will involve the start of the Honkai, as well as a shuraba.