Bad women are always eyeing me covetously.

Seeing the little guy still holding onto the collar even in this state, Emerald's mood improved considerably, a rare occurrence.

“...Kafka.…” With her brows furrowed, Yulan unconsciously called out the name of the person who had abandoned her in her sleep.

Now that it's clearly mine... I find myself thinking about someone else without even realizing it.

Although the older and more mature woman knew that the relationship between the two of them was nothing more than one of exploitation and being exploited.

But the desire to possess anything one owns is not something that can be suppressed overnight.

But the corners of Jade's mouth, which had just turned up, slowly fell back down, pursing into a straight line.

Then, I calmly and composedly sat on the edge of the bed, quietly watching the little guy who seemed to be having a nightmare.

She was simply left to continue being haunted by nightmares.

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Chapter Fifteen: The Little Fox Doesn't Want to Raise Children

For the rest of the time, I simply followed the schedule arranged by Ms. Emerald without complaint, and each day was quite fulfilling.

What was unexpected was that while staying on this planet, Xi Lan would meet a girl who was about the same age as her.

Inside the ship, not far from the hatch, a child could be seen standing there looking around.

Xi Lan instinctively hid herself, not exposing herself to the other party's line of sight.

But the hiding spot allowed the little fox to see the little girl's location and appearance.

The other person had short pink hair, light blue eyes, and was even holding a puppy-shaped doll in her arms. She was wearing a high-quality, pure white dress...

But what happened? She seems unhappy, and her dress looks a bit dirty.

Xi Lan hid around the corner, secretly watching the pink-haired little girl who was frowning and seemed to be thinking about something.

The little fox, however, had no experience interacting with people its own age, which is why it hesitated to go and help.

Moreover, she didn't know why this little girl was here. What if she was just passing by? Would it be a bit much for her to approach her like that?

Her tail swayed behind her, just like her inner turmoil.

But the next second, I saw the little guy holding the doll pouting, looking like he was about to cry.

When she came to her senses, Xi Lan realized that she was standing in front of the pink-haired little girl, and stammered as she asked if she needed any help.

"Are you alright? Are you feeling unwell?"

After saying these words, Xi Lan's fair face turned slightly red, but she still did not choose to run away.

Instead, he carefully observed the expression on the little girl's face.

If the other person was really just passing by, Xi Lan would probably apologize and run away immediately, and would definitely not stay in front of this person any longer.

"Who are you? Are you a kind fox?"

The pink-haired little girl sniffed, her eyes slightly red as she looked at the fox that had appeared in front of her at some point...

Those light blue eyes, however, focused their gaze on Xi Lan's ears and tail.

Children's attention is easily diverted, especially when something they've never seen before appears in front of them, and they no longer look like they're about to cry.

"May I touch your tail and ears?"

Now it was Xi Lan's turn to be at a loss, especially with the little girl who was a bit shorter than her; she really couldn't bring herself to refuse.

And after only a slight hesitation, the girl in front of him, who was clearly about the same age as him, looked like she was about to cry again.

"Okay, okay, I'll let you touch it, don't cry."

Xi Lan had no choice but to offer up her carefully groomed tail, turning slightly to the side while still muttering under her breath.

"Please touch me gently..."

Even though they've never met before, why does this girl want to touch her own tail as soon as they meet?

Could it be that outsiders always touch each other's tails first when they meet?

Sitting on the staff rest chair, Xi Lan, whose tail was being stroked by a chubby little hand, was starting to feel a little uncomfortable.

After all, it was the first time a child I had just met had touched my tail.

However, glancing at the little girl sitting next to her out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that at least the little girl didn't look like she was about to cry.

You've really worked hard, my tail.

However, children's novelty wears off quickly, and this little guy soon got tired of Xi Lan's fox tail.

Following her gaze, Xi Lan realized that the other person was looking at her upright fox ears.

"This, this won't do."

She still politely declined the other person's request to touch her ears. After all, aside from close friends, it was already considered good-natured of her to let a child she had only met once touch her tail.

"Even if you look like you're about to cry, you can't."

Seeing that Xi Lan had refused him righteously, the person in front of him quickly suppressed his tears.

This greatly shocked the little fox who had never seen the world before.

"Miss Estella?! Are you here?"

The sound coming from not far away made Xi Lan's ears twitch, and she subconsciously looked towards the source of the sound.

Before she could even turn her head, her hand was grabbed by the person next to her.

Before anyone could react, they were being carried away.

Anyway, we're getting further and further away from the owner of that voice.

Could that adult be looking for her?

Her name is Estád?

Xi Lan watched the little guy with his short legs running as fast as he could, and stopped slightly. With her own strength, she successfully made the little guy named... Estella stop.

"Was that adult coming to find you? Why were you running in the opposite direction?"

She still asked her question.

"...Because it's so boring going back home, I'm running away! I don't want to inherit the family business when I grow up!"

Children's minds are always full of imagination. Perhaps it was in front of Xilan, who seemed to be the same age as her, that Estella poured out her troubles.

Yulan simply remained in the position of having her hand held, patiently listening to what Estella had to say.

It turned out that what bothered the other person was that they might have to inherit the family business when they grew up, and would no longer be able to pursue their freedom.

...

What a terrible problem!

Xi Lan couldn't understand, but she was deeply shocked.

But Estella is so young, even if she runs away from home, she'll probably be taken advantage of.

And that person was in such a hurry... um... it would be better to tell Lady Emerald that an unexpected guest has arrived on the ship.

As an obedient child, Xi Lan only offered a suggestion after the other party had finished pouring out their grievances, saying that she had a place where she could hide.

Aista glanced at Xilan with a suspicious look, only to find that the other party was just smiling, making the blush under the corner of her eyes seem particularly sincere.

And the expression on her face was exceptionally sincere.

Perhaps because she had touched her tail, or perhaps because she believed Xilan's words, Estella obediently followed her this time.

The two of them held hands and went to Xilan's room.

"I've never been to someone else's room before..."

Like a curious child, Estella was exploring whether Yuran was on vacation.

Of course, while Estella was exploring the room, Xi Lan quietly told the Emerald Lady on the terminal, with whom she had hardly ever chatted, about her experience of meeting Estella.

Despite some typos while using the terminal, Xi Lan still believed in Lady Emerald.

During her spare time, Ms. Emerald glanced at the terminal and recognized the little guy immediately.

Although I was a little puzzled as to how this little guy got up here, his family and company did have some connections after all.

Perhaps it was because we were going to discuss cooperation today that his daughter came here.

So, Jade kindly notified her business partner, who had just left, to remember to have someone pick up his child.

Before taking the little guy away, Emerald asked Xilan to take care of him for a while.

After sending the message, Emerald, leaning back in her chair, seemed to have remembered something particularly interesting.

To have a little fox who can't even take care of itself take care of the family's eldest daughter...

"It's really interesting to think about," Emerald chuckled, her finger lightly tracing the message Xi Lan had sent her on the terminal.

In a good mood.

Xi Lan, who did her best to take care of this young lady, would give her her own hidden snacks when she was hungry, and would give her drinks that she almost never had the chance to drink when she was thirsty.

When he was sleepy, he would stumble and stammer as he told stories to the eldest daughter of the family.

It wasn't long before they managed to coax the person to sleep.

Looking at the bag of snacks she hadn't eaten much of, Xi Lan could only sigh helplessly in the end.

The little fox felt bitter, but it didn't say anything.

However, Estella's family quickly took away the sleeping pink-haired child from Yuuran's bed.

Successfully obtained a bag of candy.

After finally seeing the person off, Xi Lan, holding candy in her hand, breathed a sigh of relief. The little fox, whose tail was so weak it could barely wag, was completely at ease.