London.
In the Stone District of Manchester, on Lily Street.
The bustling, spacious streets were full of cars and people coming and going.
A scrawny teenage boy stood out sharply among the crowd.
Around thirteen years old, wearing clothes that didn't fit at all.
Beneath his messy black hair were delicate features.
Passersby couldn't help but cast curious glances at him.
Whose child is this, so good-looking...
...
Cro sat on the side of the road, his face full of helplessness.
Resting his chin on his hand, he watched the people passing by.
"Three days, it's been three full days!"
"Not only did I not get any cheat abilities after transmigrating, I don't even know where I am."
"The UK in the 90s?"
That's right.
He wasn't from this world.
He was someone who, for better or worse, had transmigrated.
In his past life, he was just a washed-up author.
After staying up late writing, he blacked out and collapsed.
When he woke up, he found himself here.
He had become an abandoned orphan.
He spent ten years in an orphanage!
It wasn't until three days ago that the orphanage unexpectedly shut down.
That's how he ended up on Lily Street.
The only bit of comfort he had...
Was that he looked just like the handsome male leads in stories!
This was the only thing that gave him a bit of peace of mind.
...
The good news: he caught up with the transmigration trend!
The bad news: he didn't awaken any system, as many transmigrators do.
And he was just an orphan with no background at all.
He didn't even know which world this was.
If it weren't for the kindness of some people over the past three days, he probably would have starved to death on the streets.
"I wish I'd known I was going to transmigrate. I would've studied British history—maybe I could've made a fortune."
"But it's too late for regrets now!"
"Thankfully, after ten years, I've at least learned English. Otherwise, I'd be doomed."
"But what now? If this keeps going, I'll definitely starve to death."
"Am I going to be the first transmigrator to starve to death?"
Cro sighed in frustration and stood up, a bit troubled.
If he didn't want to starve, he needed to find somewhere to at least get some food.
But where could a kid this young find work?
Lost in thought with his head down, Cro took a few steps forward when suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his chest.
Something furry, and faintly fragrant, collided with him.
Then, he heard a gasp of surprise.
"Ah!"
Instinctively, Cro reached out and grabbed the person's sleeve.
But he had overestimated his current strength.
After barely eating for three days, and with his body regressed to that of a teenager...
Cro was helplessly dragged forward by the impact.
Suddenly, a refreshing fragrance filled his nose.
He could feel something soft and warm in his hands.
Without thinking, Cro gave it a squeeze.
Hmm.
These buns... definitely pure meat!
But there's not much filling.
...
"Ouch! Seriously, do you even watch where you're going?" Hermione frowned, her face full of pain.
Cro quickly stood up, a little embarrassed, and extended a hand to help her up.
"Sorry, I was distracted, thinking about something."
"You... Hermione?"
After standing up, Hermione instinctively smoothed her hair, revealing a face framed by golden curls.
Seeing this familiar little girl, Cro couldn't help but cry out in surprise.
"You know me? That doesn't mean you can walk without looking! You squished my cream buns!"
"These are buns that I stood in line forever to get, and I haven't even had a chance to eat them yet!" Hermione pouted, heartbroken as she looked at the now-ruined cream buns.
She had saved her pocket money for days to buy these buns! And now they were ruined before she could even take a bite.
At this moment, she was so focused on her ruined buns that she hadn't noticed how Cro knew her name.
Cro scratched his nose, a glint flashing in his eyes.
"I'm really sorry about the buns."
"My name is Cro Wells, and I'll find a way to make it up to you."
"And you? Is your name also Hermione?"
"I have a friend named Hermione, with the same blonde curls. I thought you were her just now."
Hermione glanced up at him, not entirely pleased.
She held the squashed buns in her hands.
"Well, since you seem sincere about apologizing, I'll let the buns go."
"My name is Hermione Granger!"
"So, what's your friend's name? Same blonde curls and the same name? Can you introduce me?" Hermione asked, curious and a bit expectant, her eyes twinkling.
It was the first time she'd encountered someone with the same name and hairstyle. She was curious whether this friend looked like her.
Hearing her response, Cro's eyes flashed.
Just as he was about to make something up to explain, a piercing static noise suddenly sounded in his mind.
[Original character detected, Emotional Treasure Chest System officially activated! ]
[Activation progress...10...30...69...90...]
[System successfully activated , system function introduction will be transmitted to the host. Please pay attention to receive it! ]
Before Cro could respond, he felt a sharp pain in his head.
A wave of dizziness followed.
His eyes rolled back, and his body collapsed forward, powerless.
Damned system, you should've just stayed inactive!
That was Cro's last thought before he passed out.
[Detected strong feelings of helplessness! ]
[Reward: Bronze Treasure Chest! ]
"Cro! What's wrong? Don't scare me! Someone help, he's passed out!"
"Cro! Wake up! Cro!"
Hermione, panicked, held onto Cro.
Her small hands shook his shoulders frantically.
When Cro collapsed, he had fallen right toward her.
Before she could react, he had already fallen into her arms.
If he hadn't been so thin, she probably wouldn't have been able to catch him.
[Detected strong feelings of panic! ]
[Reward: Silver Treasure Chest! ]
-----------------------------
T/N:
For advanced 30 chapters and exclusive content, visit my Patreon: p@treon.com/WizFic.