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At night, Otto sat at his desk, resting his cheek in one hand and scribbling idly on paper with the other.

"I want to be friends with you because you are Otto."

He recalled little Kallen's warm words. Though they took different forms, they echoed someone else's — sparking a casual smile across his lips.

He already considered her a friend, but hadn't agreed outright to her proposal. He only said he'd meet her again tomorrow, same place.

"That one, I want to be friends with Kallen." Little Otto glanced sideways at the man beside him.

Upon hearing this, Lu Mian, leaning on his hand and watching the boy, blinked... but said nothing — his lips curling into a slow, ominous grin.

Not just a smile. A smirk painted on a devil's face. The kind of expression that could only be described as: evil allure.

Gloating. Meaningful. Infuriating.

Otto flushed immediately.

"…What's with that face? I feel like you're thinking something… indecent."

"I'm thinking about myself. Little inventor~?" Lu Mian replied, voice unreadable.

Otto didn't answer. Or maybe… the deepening blush on his face was all the answer necessary.

[You don't even know what expression you're wearing right now—nor how you really feel.]

[Excited? Flustered? A bit breathless?]

[Are you daydreaming? Or just drowning in the warmth blooming behind your ribs?]

Countless emotions — messy and fragrant like spilled perfume — swirled in your chest.

You smiled. Not because it made sense.

But because the situation was just too absurd. The world, too stupid. The timing, too perfect.

Otto… had fallen in love with Kallen.

Yes.

You're almost certain of it.

That moment — when she climbed the wall, radiant under the sky like a Valkyrie out of legend — etched itself into his memory. Her smile. Her hand. Her words.

It sealed something permanent inside his heart.

Even you, just watching from the side, were left stunned for a second.

How could Otto — a child raised without warmth — possibly resist her?

He *had* to fall for her.

And if he didn't love *her*, then who could he possibly love?

Only those who understand, understand.

And you, Otto… you understand better than anyone.

With your silent approval, Otto and Kallen became friends the next day.

Strangely, Otto even introduced her to you.

You weren't sure why. Maybe it meant more than it seemed.

Still, you didn't resist.

From then on, you raised not only Otto — but also Kallen — as your children.

But… there's always a difference between your child and someone else's.

And to be honest — you'd never cared much for Kallen.

Not that she cared.

All she wanted was to save the world. And maybe more urgently — fill her stomach.

She laughed freely, made jokes, didn't take much seriously.

Give her something to focus on, and her thoughts would clear like a blank slate.

Otto, however, interpreted your coldness another way.

After a few secretive experiments, he drew his own conclusions:

You weren't into little girls.

And he silently thanked himself — for pretending to be a boy.

[…]

Time slipped by quietly. Months passed like rain.

At the Kaslana estate, beneath the thousand-year-old sacred tree…

Night had fallen over the world.

Lu Mian leaned back against the ancient trunk, gazing up at the quiet sky — soaked in deep midnight blue.

Beneath the tree, little Otto and little Kallen sat side by side, heads pressed together, doing… who knows what.

He was alone. Technically.

And so, he finally took a moment — to appreciate the scenery.

It shimmered with so much quiet beauty, it almost swallowed him whole.

But the isolation surrounding him had grown too deep.

Cut off everything.

Lu Mian had never shown weakness in front of Otto.

He couldn't afford to. He had to be the adult. The anchor. The safe harbor.

But now… maybe, just for a moment...

He stared deeper into the sky — as if trying to look past it — and his gaze darkened slightly.

"Hey—whoosh."

A soft voice stirred beside him. A small figure climbed the tree and sat next to him.

Iconic white hair. Ocean-blue eyes.

Who else but Kallen Kaslana?

Little Kallen, what are you doing here?

Lu Mian kept his eyes on the sky. He didn't trust himself to look at her just yet.

He didn't think she could sense his emotions.

"You always seem… like you're not in a good mood."

At that, Lu Mian finally turned and met her eyes.

…Huh. So this kid isn't completely dense after all.

Wait — how did she sense my mood from *that* far away?

"You look like you were thinking something really rude," Kallen said flatly.

But then smiled again — pure and bright — her feet swinging in white silk tights.

"Wanna talk about it?"

Lu Mian stared at her, expression blank.

Was it the moonlight, or her eyes, that shone brighter?

He sighed. Quiet. Vulnerable.

"I just… miss home a little."

Over the months, you had shared bits of your past with Otto and Kallen — tales of another world called Shenzhou.

But your sadness wasn't just homesickness.

Your father had died in a car crash when you were seven. Your mother ran away with another man.

Your grandparents raised you — until the day your college entrance exams ended. That same night, you found out they'd passed away too.

You didn't get to see them one last time.

But at least, your relatives said, they died peacefully.

[That… and what about you?]

That thought still haunts you.

When there's still family alive, it's called a "home."

When they're all dead… it becomes a "hometown."

You accepted this new life so easily — because back in your old world, all you had left were cold gravestones.

You could pray to them. But never speak to them again.

They would never warm you. Never hold you.

You didn't even have a place to return to. So what were you really missing?

No — you were just… afraid.

Afraid that all your efforts in this simulation would vanish once the script ended.

Afraid of death.

You tried to resist. You wanted to fight it.

But every time you looked at Otto… all your wild thoughts disappeared.

Maybe, from the moment that wooden airplane hit you… your fate was sealed.

You had found armor — but also weakness.

You accepted your new life. Not completely. But enough.

And in that decision, you found a new purpose: protect Otto.

Raise him with joy. Warmth.

If you stayed by his side… maybe — just maybe — he'd grow up differently.

You started watching him more closely.

And every time you did, one thought echoed in your heart:

The Otto growing up beside you — isn't a villain.

He's not a monster. Not a pawn of fate.

He's something else.

[Because *you* raised him.]

And maybe… just maybe… one day, he'll light up the whole world.

Whenever you remembered that—

The trembling in your hands… stopped.

The fear in your chest… vanished.

All that remained was something else entirely.

A feeling you'd never had in your bleak, bitter life before.

Probably…

…pride.

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