The blonde girl gently helped Kiet to his feet. The boy was still unsteady, his legs trembling as if about to collapse. Kiet made a few gestures with his hands. Mai nodded, as if she had just understood something.
She turned to Long, her eyes calm but not cold.
"I'm sorry for the trouble Kiet caused," she said, her voice soft but firm. "I will compensate you if necessary. If that's not enough, you can come to my house in the city. I'm Mai."
Mai exuded the aura of a young nobleman—strong and calm.
"I'm Long," he replied. "It's okay, I don't hold a grudge... and I don't need any compensation."
Long glanced at Kiet, looking puzzled and asked:
"What's wrong with the kid? Is he hurt somewhere? Why was he stealing?"
Mai sighed lightly, furrowing her brows:
"Kiet is an orphan. He was taken care in by a kind man named Lam. But recently, Uncle Lam has been having difficulties, his work is unstable… Maybe Kiet did it because he had no other choice, maybe because he was hungry…"
She looked straight at Long, her gaze unwavering.
"Consider me responsible for the compensation. Charge it to me."
Then she bent down to look at Kiet, placing her hand gently on his shoulder.
"As for the headache… I think Kiet's condition has relapsed."
Mai glanced at Dreamy, her eyes brightening.
"Oh, you have an AI Witch too? How cute!"
Without waiting for a response, she bent down to hug Dreamy, startling Long slightly.
"Yes, her name is Dreamy. She's been my companion since childhood."
"What a cute name!" Mai smiled brightly, as if she'd forgotten the tension from earlier and didn't notice Long's startled reaction.
Then she pulled a few blue EN coins from her pocket and handed them to Long. "For now, this is all I have. If you need more, just come to my house. I can give you more… even gold EN, if you're willing to let Kiet off the hook."
After speaking, Mai called out loudly: "Miki! Come out and give him our address."
Immediately, a small golden dragon popped out of her pocket. At first, it was only as big as her palm, but within seconds, it grew to the size of Dreamy. Its eyes shone like diamonds, its long tail swayed gently in the air, and its golden scales sparkled in the evening light.
It was an AI Witch in the form of an Eastern dragon—majestic, elegant, and noble. Long had never seen an AI Witch exude such a noble aura.
"Yes, mistress." Miki's voice rang out, calm yet powerful. Her diamond eyes flashed, then gazed straight up at the sky. A glowing piece of paper fell, landing neatly in Long's hand.
On it was Mai's image, her home address, and a delicate signature. Long read the final line,
"Le Noble – Miss Le Mai (Mai).
"Now I'll take Kiet back to Uncle Lam's location. Goodbye." Mai said.
She turned to Dreamy, her gaze sweeping over them and stopping on Long: "Oh, there's a center that needs AI Witch to help teach children in difficult circumstances. Kiet also studies there. I'm a volunteer. If you and Dreamy want to, feel free to stop by." Without waiting for Long to respond, Mai handed him a piece of paper with the address written on it.
Then she walked away, gently holding Kiet's hand. The two figures gradually disappeared behind the rows of high-rise buildings, followed by Miki—the small, glittering golden dragon—who circled once and then faded into the evening light like a streak of the last rays of the day.
Long stood there, watching. A moment later, he and Dreamy found a nearby tall building and climbed to the rooftop.
A gentle breeze blew by. The city of Puresight stretched out below them, vibrant and magnificent.
Long lay beside Dreamy, his eyes following the sun as it slowly set, while in the distance, the images of delivery bats remained bustling.
He thought of Mrs. Huong, of his hometown, and longed for the day he would find the AI King Witch. The longing was endless.
Then he began to doze off, but Dreamy suddenly woke him up, still holding Mai's business card in its mouth, wagging its tail excitedly. This was one of the rare times Long had seen Dreamy so excited. Long fondled the business card and read the address of an AI Witch training center on the back. Dreamy's eyes suddenly flashed an inexplicable gold.
The first day at Puresight ended—not as Long had imagined, but not bad either.