Jiangxia looked at the candy in his hand, then glanced at the pile of cloth in front of him. "…"
He shoved the bribe he'd just received into his pocket and flipped the tarp again, not doing as hoped by the person beneath it. "Come out."
Sherry, holding her hot forehead, sighed softly. Even now, she was stuck with a bear child.
It wasn't that she hated children—after all, she could tolerate them. But with people from the organization potentially nearby, and her distinct hair color standing out, it was a risk. If anyone from the organization spotted her—a mixed-race child with "hair very similar to Sherry"—they might snatch her up in an instant. Then not only would she be doomed, but she'd drag this innocent kid into it too.
Thinking of this, she looked at Jiangxia , her expression turning serious. She was about to get strict, maybe even scare him off.
But before she could say anything, she saw the child waving at her and urging, "Come on, the organization sent me to pick you up." After a dramatic pause, he added, "My code name is Xiaobai. You can also call me Anonymous."
Sherry froze at the mention of the "organization."
But she quickly snapped back to reality, staring at the child who called himself "Xiaobai," realizing that this "organization" could not possibly be the Black Organization.
The Black Organization wouldn't send such a small child on a mission. Not out of conscience, of course, but because kids couldn't keep their mouths shut. They'd accidentally spill the organization's secrets—and the Black Organization would never let that happen.
As for the "organization" Xiaobai was talking about… Well, it was likely just the influence of his "second grade illness" (a common term for an overly dramatic phase in adolescence).
And "Anonymous"? Xiaobai probably saw the news about Anonymous jumping a Shinkansen with a bomb and thought they were so cool and heroic. So, he decided to make himself one of them.
Kids were impossible to predict.
Kind of cute, though.
But the more she thought about it, the less she could let him stick around. This was getting too dangerous.
Since she couldn't just send him away…
Sherry sighed, pressed her hot forehead, and decided to improvise: "Actually, I'm also part of an anonymous organization. Code name..."
She thought of "Xiaobai" and decided to match the vibe, "Code name Xiaohui. I'm on a covert mission right now, so don't bother me. Also, I just got a message saying you need to go home and stay there for 48 hours. After that, other members will contact you."
By then, she'd be long gone, and even if Xiaobai came looking for his "connector," there would be no danger.
Jiangxia blinked. "…?"
He looked at Sherry in disbelief. Could APTX4869 have a side effect that made people stupid?
Sherry didn't think much of Jangxia's confused stare. She figured Xiaobai was just shocked that there was a "Little Gray" in the organization too.
Weakly, she reached for the tarp, wanting to cover herself again.
But just as she was about to grab it, Jiangxia suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled her out, slapping a felt hat onto her head.
Sherry froze for a moment, touched the top of her head, then hesitated… How did Xiaobai know she needed a hat?
Before she could ask, she glanced to the side and saw a scarf of the same color hanging on the drying rack next door. It looked like it belonged with the hat on her head.
Her eyes widened. "You stole this hat?" At your age…?
Jiangxia glanced at her, pointed to the drying rack, and corrected her. "I bought it."
Sherry squinted at the clothespin dangling from the rack, a few bills clipped onto it.
Sherry: "...Thank you." She still felt bad for the owner, but whatever. It was an emergency. "Now hurry up, and let's go before the owner shows up."
She adjusted the hat, which, despite everything, seemed to warm her heart a little.
After walking for a while, Sherry remembered her earlier question and felt something was off. "So… how did you know I needed a hat?"
Jiangxia glanced at her, then replied, attempting a mysterious tone—though it was too childish to pull off properly: "We know everything."
Sherry blinked at his serious expression. Without thinking, she raised her hand, almost reaching for his head. But then, noticing the mud on her palm and his clean, soft hair, she hesitated and lowered her hand again. She didn't want to make the "unknown organization operative" cry—her conscience just couldn't handle it.
Sherry wasn't sure where she was going anymore. But now, with the hat concealing her hair, she felt a bit more at ease. The side effects of APTX4869 were extremely secret, and there couldn't be many people who knew about them. Those sent to find her wouldn't connect her to Sherry, especially with Xiaobai around. She might be able to slip away with him, ditch him, and figure out a way to leave Tokyo.
But as she looked around, the road seemed awfully familiar. Wait a minute... this was the road to Kudo's new family, which meant it was close to Jiangxia's house too!
Jiangxia walked ahead, but then he suddenly tugged her along harder, as if she was resisting.
Sherry, realizing something was wrong, tried to pull away. "I have other things to do," she said, hoping to make an excuse to leave.
Jiangxia had recently become a famous detective with an uncanny knack for observation and reasoning. Sherry knew that if he figured out who she was, he'd likely hand her over to the Black Organization. But it wasn't just her she was worried about. The side effects of APTX4869 meant that the organization might silence Jiangxia if they saw him as a threat.
Sherry couldn't let that happen. She had already cost his parents their lives—she wouldn't let it happen to him too.
So, she made up her mind to go in another direction.
But before she could figure out how to get rid of him, she looked into Xiaobai's eyes and froze.
Unlike before, the child's gaze was different now. The cheerful innocence had been replaced with a darker, more ominous aura. Sherry's legs went weak. In that instant, it felt like an "organization member" was nearby.
Xiaobai sighed, almost like an adult: "Since you don't want to walk, you should have a nice long nap."
Before Sherry could react, she felt a sharp pain in her wrist, as though a small bug had stung her.
She looked down, shocked, to see Xiaobai had injected her with something. Her vision blurred.
Sherry staggered back, falling to the ground. "You..."
"We know everything," Jangxia said, putting on a villainous grin, though it looked more comical than threatening. "And remember—if you try to escape, we'll kill everyone who's come into contact with you."
The scarf around his neck shifted slightly. Sherry looked over at the mark on his neck, her eyes widening in realization. It was a black "Z" mark, just like the Anonymous logo—only this wasn't a tattoo sticker; it looked like the real deal.
Before she completely lost consciousness, Sherry felt more anger than fear.
That damn organization… They had controlled a child, turned him into a weapon. She'd thought Anonymous was a neutral peacekeeping group, but now it seemed they were just as bad—if not worse—than the Black Organization.
And why the hell had they come after her?
…
Jiangxia looked down at Sherry, now unconscious on the ground. She was far easier to carry now.
Satisfied, he threw her over his back and started heading toward Beika Town.
As a puppet, he might look like a kid, but his strength was more than enough to carry an adult.
*Goal #1: Top 200 fanfics published within the last 30 days by POWER STONES.
Progress: 3/50(approx) for 10 BONUS CHAPTERS
Goal #2: One BONUS CHAPTER per review for the first 10 REVIEWS.
Progress:0/10*