Just as Edward was distracted while looking at Anya's information, the lawyer sister reacted.
"Why do I always think negatively about Anya?" she thought. "Shouldn't I be helping Anya and trying to get her adopted by Edward?"
Seeing Edward's conflicted look, the lawyer thought he was no longer planning to adopt Anya. Quickly, she said to him:
"Mr. Edward, even though Anya has been rejected many times, she's the smartest child in the orphanage! Despite her young age, Anya can already read and write. Let me show you."
Anya quickly ran over, grabbed a newspaper, and started writing on it. She wrote her name with crooked letters, holding the newspaper up proudly.
"Anya can write her own name!" she said carefully.
Edward was impressed. "I didn't expect Anya to be able to read and write. She is really a smart child."
Noticing Anya's hopeful gaze, Edward silently touched his chin. He saw the look on Anya's face and thought, It seems she doesn't hate me.
Faced with such a cute, smart girl, Edward couldn't refuse.
"It's decided," he thought. "I will adopt her."
Edward squatted down gently and spoke softly to Anya, "Anya, do you want to come with me? Would you like me to be your father?"
Anya was momentarily stunned. She opened her mouth but couldn't find the words. Instead, she stretched out her arms, signaling for a hug.
Surprised but happy, Edward lifted her into his arms.
"She's so light," he thought at first, but soon he felt the weight of the precious child in his arms. "She's soft, fragrant, and yet so heavy with the responsibility of being the most important person."
"Anya," Edward said warmly, "I will be your family from now on. No matter what happens, I will never abandon you like others did before."
Anya paused, then grabbed his sleeve. "Will you really not abandon me?"
In her past, everyone had seen her as a burden. Even those who had adopted her hadn't promised her they would keep her forever. But Edward's words were different. It was the first time she heard someone say they would be family.
Edward looked into her clear, innocent green eyes and repeated, "No matter what happens, I will never abandon you. If you want to be part of my family, I will always be here for you."
Anya's eyes began to fill with tears. No one had ever said that to her before, and Edward was the first to make her feel safe.
With emotion, Anya shouted, "Dad!"
When Edward heard Anya call him "Dad," his heart melted. She had already accepted him, and now there was no reason not to take her with him.
Anya had been abandoned by four different adoptive families, and Edward knew that had to hurt. But now, she would never be abandoned again.
"Anya," he said, "Can you call me 'Daddy' again?"
"Dad!" Anya smiled brightly.
Both of them grinned at the same time, a moment of happiness shared.
The lawyer, seeing the bond between them, breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "Mr. Edward, it seems you've both accepted each other. In that case, I'll help you complete the adoption paperwork."
Edward quickly asked, "Can I take Anya with me now?"
"Of course!" the lawyer replied, smiling. "You're now her father. You can take her home."
---
"Ding!"
"Congratulations to the host for making the choice!"
"Reward: 1 high-level lucky card!"
…
After leaving the law firm, Edward quickly took Anya's hand and headed to the apartment building he had inherited.
Edward couldn't help but admire his uncle's wealth. The apartment building in front of him was located near the heart of Tokyo, next to a park. It was hard to believe that such a peaceful place existed in such a bustling city. And now, Edward was the owner of this building.
His uncle had moved out before falling seriously ill, and now the landlord's room was empty. Edward unlocked the door and led Anya inside.
The apartment had a standard three-bedroom, one-living room layout, with a master bedroom, a guest bedroom, and a children's room. Every room was warmly decorated, and some of the furniture was still covered in plastic sheets to protect it from dust. When Edward removed the plastic, he found that all the furniture looked brand new, suggesting that his uncle had never lived here.
…
"Anya, from now on, this will be your new home," Edward said. "Do you like it?"
Hearing his question, Anya quickly freed her hand from Edward's and ran around the room happily.
"Anya! I like it!"
Then, Anya leaped onto a big bear doll in the children's room.
"Anya loves it here!"
Seeing how much Anya enjoyed the space, Edward smiled. "Then this room will be Anya's room from now on. You'll sleep here from now on..."
But before Edward could finish, Anya ran over and hugged his legs.
"Anya wants to sleep with Daddy! I want to know more about Daddy!"
Edward couldn't help but cough. Punishment! This is too cruel! He thought. The days ahead seemed to be getting more and more complicated.
…
"Anya, that won't work."
"Brave children sleep alone," Edward said firmly.
But when he saw the big, watery eyes on Anya's face, his resolve started to weaken. She looked so pitiful, like she was about to cry.
"But we'll take it step by step," Edward added. "For the first few nights, I'll sleep with you. But once you're used to it, you'll need to sleep in your room."
Anya's face lit up with a smile at this.
Edward sighed helplessly. Children are truly a magical species, he thought. They can cry one minute and smile the next. It's impossible to figure out what's going on in their little heads.
…
After comforting Anya, Edward looked around the apartment. No one had lived here before, so now it was time for him to start cleaning.
Though the furniture was covered in dust-proof plastic sheets, the floor still had some dust. Spring cleaning was definitely necessary.
Just as Edward was about to begin, the doorbell rang.
…
When Edward opened the door, a young woman with long curly hair stood in front of him.
"Excuse me, who are you?" Edward asked, eyeing the woman's outfit— a white shirt and a black skirt.
The young woman quickly introduced herself.
"Hello, I live in this apartment building. My name is Nishimiya Yaegi. I saw someone enter the administrator's room earlier, and I wanted to come over and ask about it."
So she was a resident of the building. Edward's face showed understanding. It seemed that she was from the unit where his uncle had lived.
As Edward was about to respond, he noticed a timid little girl hiding behind the woman. The child looked around seven or eight years old, wearing a pink top and fluffy pumpkin pants. What caught Edward's attention most was the hearing aid on the little girl's ear.
Is she deaf-mute?
The little girl blinked her beautiful light brown eyes and noticed Edward staring at the hearing aid. Her expression became dejected, and she instinctively hid behind the woman, covering her hearing aid.
…
"This is my daughter, Shōko," Nishimiya Yaegi said.
Edward nodded, then paused when he heard the name. "You said this is your daughter? Nishimiya Shōko?"
Nishimiya Yaegi nodded, slightly surprised. "Yes, that's right."
"May I ask you something?" Edward started.
---