"It's all in the past, sister. You don't need to worry about it," Roy looked up at Toki, then turned to gaze out the window. "I was abandoned by my parents, but my grandfather adopted me and saved me."
"After my grandfather passed, I continued living on my own."
Toki sat quietly, her beautiful eyes fixed on Roy as she listened to his story.
Roy left out many key details, but he shared the story about how his grandfather had adopted him.
"Later, I arrived at the Lamb's House, where the nuns took me in. There, I met many other orphans who, like me, had no place to go."
"Even though we lived near the Giant Village of Elbaf, people from different races managed to live together peacefully. The children grew up happy and carefree."
Roy gently patted Pandora, a contented smile spreading across his face.
The nun was a kind person. Even though she was no longer around, she would always be there to support Roy.
"The Lamb's House…" Toki looked at him in surprise. "It really sounds like a nice place."
"Even though the nun is gone, the Lamb's House is still there. If you ever feel like you have nowhere else to go, you can come stay there with me," Roy said with a smile. "There are lots of cute and well-behaved children there. It's a nice environment, and it's near Elbaf, so it's safe. It's a great place to live."
"Sounds good!" Toki nodded with a smile.
While her goal was still to reach Wano Country and see what the country was like, since coming to this strange world, Toki always felt a sense of distance when walking down the street.
There was no one to talk to, no family to care for her, and it felt like all the familiar faces around her had turned to dust in the passage of time. It was painful.
After dinner, Roy and Toki cleaned up the dishes together.
The soft moonlight filtered through the window into the cabin. Toki gathered her long blue hair and tied it into a neat braid, letting it fall behind her.
Then she rolled up her wide pink sleeves, washed her hands, and prepared to do the dishes.
"Hey~" Toki looked down and noticed Roy staring at her as she braided her hair. She smiled, "Do I look good?"
"Yes, you do!" Roy nodded.
"You look good too, Roy~" Toki bent down and lightly smiled, her breath like the fragrance of orchids. She glanced at Roy's fiery red hair. What a handsome little boy!
"Really?" Roy inhaled the subtle scent, looking at Toki who was so close. Her soft lips were lightly parted, her pale blue eyes sparkling with charm. Roy was momentarily stunned.
But the key thing was that Toki had done this unconsciously. She only saw Roy as a child.
It was fine to be close to a child.
But Roy wasn't just a child!
Physically, he was a child. But in spirit, he was an adult!
"Of course, Roy, your red hair is very nice," Toki smiled in return.
The night deepened.
At midnight, Roy and Toki had already gone to bed.
They shared the same room, with a wooden bed and a hammock.
Roy lay in the hammock, while Toki rested on the wooden bed.
Before going to sleep, Toki had considered that it might feel strange for a 6-year-old child to give up his bed for her.
But after all, he was just a child, so what did it matter?
So she suggested that they share the soft bedding on the wooden bed.
Did Roy want to sleep with her?
He definitely did!
But the process couldn't go that way.
Before properly courting Toki, using his child identity to sleep beside her would only make things more difficult later!
If Roy used his identity and skills to seduce his big sister, it would ultimately lead to too many uncertainties.
And just imagine: if Conan used his child identity to sleep with Ran, and she later found out from a time traveler—Conan would be finished!
So Roy declined the tempting opportunity.
But…
"This hammock is actually pretty comfortable, but why can't I fall asleep?" Roy turned over and looked at Toki.
The soft moonlight streamed through the window, bathing the room in silver. Toki lay on the bed, her hair cascading down her fair face, her eyes wide open as she stared into space, lost in thought.
When Roy turned over and opened his eyes, they locked gazes.
"Sister, can't sleep?"
"Roy, can't sleep?"
"..."
"Then let's talk. Maybe we'll both fall asleep afterward."
"Alright."
Toki sat up from the bed, her outfit resembling a kimono.
"Is there anything you really want to do, Roy?" Toki asked curiously.
Roy got out of the hammock and sat next to Toki on the bed, looking up at her.
There was!
Marry you! Marry the future Empress!
He was a little greedy, but at the same time, he had a kind heart and couldn't bear to see girls in distress, so he always wanted to "save" them. He hoped to spend the rest of his life with them in a steady relationship.
But!
He absolutely couldn't just say that directly. He didn't have the skill to do so. Being that blunt would get him stabbed, or worse, hated entirely.
"Well, Roy has always wanted to go on adventures around the world, visit different islands, and explore."
"Now that I have such a good friend like you, Sister, I hope we can go on adventures together in the future."
Act cute!
Kids know how to use that skill!
"Roy, I think we have the same idea." Toki looked at him with a sigh. "I've always thought that after visiting Wano Country, I would wonder where to go next."
"Maybe, going on adventures with you, Roy, around the world would be a great plan."
Toki suddenly realized that the most important thing about going out to sea was strength!
She glanced at Roy again and suddenly felt disheartened.
She… was just a weak woman with lousy combat skills.
And yet Roy, a 6-year-old child, had actually bent the iron bars of a cage with his bare hands!
In comparison, she only had beauty and kindness to rely on.
Wait, her abilities seemed to be suppressed by mysterious forces.
"What's wrong, sister?" Roy, ever so perceptive, instantly analyzed Toki's emotions and came up with two possible reasons.
She was homesick, feeling lonely in this strange world.
Considering what had happened earlier, she was frustrated at being overwhelmed by a little kid's power.
"Roy... how did you become so strong?" Toki hesitated for a moment before asking.
"I practiced kendo. Sister, do you want to learn? I can teach you!" Roy smiled.
Step two of Roy's strategy: Teach the big sister kendo!
This was so much fun!
[•———•——•———•]
𝙥𝗮𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣(.)𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧
✨ • 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝙂𝙚𝙩 𝟲𝟬+ 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚.