"Yueyue, come read this new manga I made for you," Ren called out softly to the little girl lounging on the couch, playing games.
But Ren's gentle tone made Yueyue shiver.
Something's off! That was her first thought.
She quickly glanced around, not seeing any snacks nearby, so it couldn't be her dad's usual trick of distracting her. So, she cautiously peeked over the couch, just showing half her face, and suspiciously watched her dad, trying to figure out his plan.
No choice—her dad was too sneaky. She'd been tricked several times before, losing a lot of snacks each time. By the end of the year, she could have made a circle around the Earth with them!
Seeing his daughter's wary look, Ren felt a bit embarrassed. "Why are you looking at me like that? Relax, no tricks this time…"
Before he could finish, Yueyue interrupted, "You said that last time!"
Not too long ago, while she was enjoying her snacks, her phone rang. Her dad asked her to answer it, only for her to realize he had called her phone to lure her away and steal her snacks!
"Really, no tricks." Ren felt helpless, seeing the disbelief on her face.
Could a little family trust be too much to ask? "I actually drew a manga just for you to read."
This made Yueyue pause. Her dad, drawing just for her?
Though often annoyed by her dad's sneaky snack thefts, Yueyue was proud of his work. Her classmates talked about her dad's comics like "Giant" and "Ultraman," while she and her friends loved discussing "Cardcaptor Sakura." Her dad's fame was undeniable, and now he had made a manga just for her? She was intrigued.
She glanced around again. Her snacks were safely in her room. As long as she kept hold of her dad's shirt, he couldn't sneak off to steal them. With this in mind, she hopped off the couch and ran over to Ren, eager to see the manga.
"What's it about? A magical girl?"
"You'll see."
Ren and Yueyue sat together as he showed her the manga.
'Inside the human body, about 37.2 trillion cells work tirelessly…' read the first line. Yueyue was puzzled.
"Dad, what are cells? Do I have them in my body?" She patted herself, trying to find them. "But... I can't see them. Does that mean I don't have any?"
"They're inside you." Ren patted her head. "You can't see them with just your eyes. They're very small but work hard every day to keep you healthy."
"Ohhh," Yueyue said, her eyes lighting up.
She continued reading, learning about little characters like Red Blood Cell and the clean streets called arteries, among other things. Even though some concepts were new, Ren explained them, and Yueyue quickly understood. She was amazed at the fascinating world inside her body.
But soon, their peaceful lives were disrupted by an invasion of bacteria, killing many innocent cells. Ren intentionally delayed White Blood Cell's appearance to emphasize the danger, as this world was more accepting of such graphic depictions compared to his previous life.
In the original "Cells at Work," scenes of death were minimal, making it more kid-friendly. However, Ren believed showing more of the danger would make Yueyue more aware of protecting her health. Seeing beloved cells in peril might motivate her to take better care of herself.
And it worked. Yueyue squeezed her clothes tightly when she saw cells dying. She only relaxed when White Blood Cell defeated the bacteria, though she still worried about the bacteria hiding in the buildings.
"Dad, what do we do? The bacteria got away!" she exclaimed, pulling Ren's shirt.
"Don't worry," Ren reassured her. "Your little cell friends are strong. Just keep reading."
"Okay..." she nodded but still seemed anxious.
Fortunately, White Blood Cell soon spotted the escaped pneumococcus and gave chase.
"Dad, how do we get pneumococcus in our bodies?" Yueyue asked, concerned.
"Things like getting cold, wet, or tired can lead to it," Ren explained, pleased with her reaction.
"Oh!!!" Yueyue nodded, committing the advice to memory.
But then she turned the page and froze, seeing platelets struggling to unload calcium ions, blocking Red and White Blood Cells' paths.
"They're so cute!" Yueyue squealed, holding her face in delight.
To her, the platelets were probably one-tenth as cute as she was!
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