"Are you really trying to tell me you're my aunt?!"
Hua Yi had just returned to the dormitory building when he heard Kiana's voice, filled with utter disbelief. It was followed by a response from a girl whose voice alone made her sound incredibly young.
"Yes, I am Theresa. Your father should have mentioned my name to you."
Although the girl was explaining quite seriously, Kiana found it hard to believe. Even if she did recall her father mentioning an aunt named Theresa, and even if the girl's hair color was indeed a matching silver-white, Kiana simply could not accept this reality.
The reason was simple: the person claiming to be her aunt was barely tall enough to reach her chest. If it were some rare condition that caused her short stature, that would be one thing, but it wasn't just her height her facial features and her voice were completely child-like. She looked exactly like a little kid!
"Hua Yi, look at her! She says she's my aunt. Do you think she looks like one?"
As Kiana spoke, she gestured with her hand over Theresa's head to emphasize that her height and appearance were anything but those of an elder. To Theresa, such a move was incredibly offensive.
Had anyone else done that, the Principal would have surely delivered a stern punishment. However, since Kiana didn't even believe her identity yet, Theresa could only swallow her annoyance and try to explain further.
"I really am!"
She never expected that a simple self-introduction would be this difficult. In truth, Theresa and Kiana shared no actual blood relation. The title of "Aunt" came from the fact that she had been tenderly cared for by Kiana's mother.
Theresa had viewed that woman as an older sister, and the woman had been more than happy to accept Theresa as a little sister. Though not related by blood, Theresa knew their bond was deeper than that of many real siblings.
But in this situation, Theresa could only rely on her words to convince Kiana.
Seeing Kiana look toward the boy who had just appeared who she guessed was the person who had "abducted" Kiana Theresa's only choice was to look at him with a hint of pleading in her eyes, hoping he would say something to back her up.
In reality, from the very first moment Hua Yi saw Theresa, he was certain. Wasn't this Schicksal's strongest Valkyrie the "Launcher" for the [Oath of Judah]? Though she wasn't carrying the weapon itself, Hua Yi recognized her instantly.
At this moment, Theresa was dressed in regular casual clothes to avoid drawing the attention of ordinary people. She had the same white hair and blue eyes as Kiana.
Her long hair was tied into a ponytail and draped over her left shoulder, highlighting a gentle and virtuous aura that complemented her exquisite features. She was incredibly cute, yet possessed a strange air of maturity.
However, Hua Yi couldn't act like he knew her. That wouldn't be logical.
"I think Kiana is right."
Seeing that Hua Yi wasn't helping her, Theresa's face darkened. She clenched her fists, nearly losing her temper. Moreover, she had the nagging feeling that Hua Yi had just been thinking something quite malicious about her. But she endured it!
Ignoring Hua Yi, Theresa began telling Kiana things about her father. These details overlapped with Kiana's memories, but unfortunately, Theresa stubbornly refused to reveal her actual age. Kiana remained stuck in a state of half-belief. Seeing the stalemate, Hua Yi, who had been enjoying the show, finally spoke up.
"Kiana, relatives like aunts aren't necessarily older than you. An aunt is just your mother's sister. If the timing of marriage and childbirth was a bit unusual, it could result in a situation like this."
To be honest, Kiana didn't quite follow the logic. However, she sensed that if she kept questioning it, Hua Yi would just explain more things she didn't understand. Because Hua Yi hadn't intruded into her room and had shown her nothing but kindness,
she had developed a significant amount of trust in him. Combined with the fact that Theresa's stories matched the facts, Kiana decided to accept it for now.
"Fine, I get it. So, what is an aunt doing looking for me?"
Kiana, who had spent the entire day living comfortably like a "Salted Fish" under Hua Yi's care, looked at Theresa with a wary gaze. She had long since forgotten that she had originally come to Nagazora specifically to seek help from her aunt.
On the other side, although Theresa had tried so hard to prove her identity, she suddenly felt a pang of regret the moment she actually heard Kiana call her "Aunt."
Theresa was the "World's Number One Cutie." A title that carried so much weight of age like "Aunt" was definitely not suitable, was it?
"Now that my identity is confirmed, please don't use that title for me. As for why I'm here do you think it's proper for a girl to live under the same roof as a boy?"
Theresa crossed her arms over her flat chest, her cute face trying its best to look stern as she attempted to lecture Kiana as an elder. The result
"Under the same roof? This dormitory doesn't have a roof like that. Besides, Hua Yi and I live in different rooms; we're not even on the same floor."
Theresa had been prepared for Kiana to give either a defiant or a submissive answer, but instead, Kiana was obsessing over the literal meaning of the phrase. Seeing her niece tap her chin with a finger, thinking so seriously about the architecture, Theresa suddenly felt that her niece might be a bit of an idiot.
While Theresa was left speechless, Hua Yi spoke up.
"May I ask if you have some specific business? If you want to take her home as her relative, please just say so. I only let her stay in the dormitory out of kindness. When I met Kiana yesterday, she had lost her bank card and was in a bit of a mess, so I provided some assistance."
Theresa paused for a moment, looking Hua Yi over carefully. Once she was certain he wasn't lying, her tone softened significantly.
"Thank you. My visit this time... isn't to take Kiana away. I plan to arrange for her to study normally at a school here in Nagazora."
"I don't want to!"
However, before Hua Yi could respond, Kiana's blunt refusal came first.
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