My older sister is a villainous rich girl.

As I came out of the theater, I was surprised to find that it was drizzling outside.

"Wayne, isn't this play very interesting?" Chris said with a hint of pride.

His face was full of pleading for praise.

"Yes, it's very interesting," Wayne nodded. "The only problem is that in the end, that noble lady and the prince shouldn't have ended up together."

"Huh? Why?" Chris felt that the plot development was quite natural, both unexpected and reasonable.

"Because, if there were no power struggles within their own country causing any disruptions, the prince of the neighboring country would agree to the engagement even without meeting in person."

He said, "The prince only needed that identity; it had nothing to do with the lady herself."

Chris suddenly stopped, her expression obscured by her hood.

"Wayne..."

Oops, did I make my attempt at using eye-catching tactics too obvious?

As Wayne was trying to come up with a childish excuse, Chris spoke up.

"Wayne, I never knew you had such a talent for literature! You have such insightful views!"

She looked up at him with admiration, her eyes sparkling.

"Phew, I thought I was about to be exposed."

Wayne breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Yes, I like reading."

He reflected on his attitude towards Richard.

I don't know if it's because the ending of the anime left such a deep shadow on me, but I always subconsciously feel a bit of dislike for him.

"Reading is great!" Chris exclaimed excitedly. "It's wonderful that I love reading!"

Seeing her walking beside him with a smile, Wayne had a bad feeling.

"Woof woof—"

Chris looked puzzled. "What was that sound?"

"Awoo...woof, woof..."

The two exchanged a glance and approached an inconspicuous alleyway next to the street.

Because the moonlight was obscured by dark clouds, only a cardboard box could be vaguely seen lying upside down in the corner, and the sound was coming from under the box.

Wayne stepped forward and stood in front of Chris.

He spread his palm out in front of him, and a clay figure about two meters tall suddenly appeared.

The clay figure took heavy steps toward the cardboard box, embraced it with its thick clay arms, and slowly lifted it up.

A small, white creature, curled up in a ball, came into view.

Seemingly sensing the presence of someone nearby, the little creature let out a painful whimper.

"A...dog?"

Chris immediately went into the alley and took out the small white animal; it was indeed a puppy.

He looked drowsy and listless, as if he had contracted some kind of illness.

"So pitiful..." Chris stroked the slightly damp fur on its head. "Was it abandoned here?"

The alley was dark, with two high walls standing silently opposite each other, looking nothing like a place where anyone lived.

Is anyone there?

no respond.

This little puppy is so tiny, only about the size of two hands put together. I don't even know if it has teeth yet. Judging from its weak appearance, I'm afraid it won't survive.

"Wayne, shall we go find a vet to take it to see a doctor?"

Although she asked in a questioning tone, she didn't intend to seek Wayne's opinion. She hurriedly carried the puppy home.

"Wait, wait a minute, Sister Chris, let me hold it."

Isn't this protagonist's compassion a bit too excessive? What if a dog of unknown origin has rabies after being adopted?

Wait a minute, does rabies exist in this world?

Well, Chris should be able to grow that big in the future, otherwise the original work would have been canceled long ago.

……

In Wayne's room at the Duke's mansion.

Chris found a clean towel and handed it to Wayne.

Wayne took the puppy and gently wiped its body off his lap, while Chris patted its head and sat down to watch.

It was hard to tell what breed the little white dog was. Its fur wasn't very long, and it was whimpering with its eyes closed as Wayne played with it. Its little face was very cute.

While wiping, Wayne said, "It's late, go wash up and get some rest. You have class tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, Chris couldn't help but yawn.

So much happened today, she felt utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally, and was really at her breaking point.

Besides, I got caught in the rain after going out, so taking a shower before bed is a must.

"Then... I'll leave it to you?"

We had already asked our family veterinarian to examine the puppy and clean it.

Although it's unclear how experienced their veterinarians were, after what seemed like a series of haphazard attempts, the little white dog finally stopped showing signs of pain and fell asleep with steady breathing.

"Leave it to me! Don't worry."

Seeing that he seemed to really like the puppy, Chris felt relieved.

With the company of this little life, and with his own help (and mischief), a child like Wayne should soon be able to move on from an unrealistic romance.

She left behind a special little nest for it—a flower basket lined with a soft blanket. Chris half-closed her eyes and gently closed the door.

Wayne stopped wiping and craned his neck to listen to the sounds outside the door. After the footsteps faded away, he turned his gaze back to the little white puppy in his arms.

He flipped the puppy over so that its back was against his thigh.

With limbs outstretched, her soft belly was displayed before Wayne.

It's a male.

After confirming the gender, I looked up and my gaze met its open, dark eyes.

Whether it was a misperception or not, Wayne actually sensed a hint of disdain in his expression.

He smacked its head impatiently. "What are you looking at? Call me Daddy!"

Dogs can't call their fathers, of course, but this little white dog seemed to understand him, letting out a warning growl and shaking its head as if trying to avoid his clutches.

Wayne looked at it with a puzzled expression.

...It seems to be quite intelligent. Could it be some kind of cheat code for Warcraft or a mythical beast?

However, this kind of setting should not have appeared in the original animation's plot; supernatural powers are limited to magic.

Wayne used both hands to hold its front legs and lifted it to eye level.

"Tell me, what is 1 plus 1? You'll say the answer the same number of times."

The little white dog closed its eyes and didn't look at anything.

What is 2 plus 3?

The little white dog relaxed completely and made a soft purring sound.

"Feed it." Wayne grabbed it and shook it a few times, but there was no response.

This dog...something's not right.

Wayne is 1000% certain that the animated character Ricky has never owned a dog or any other small animal.

If it doesn't die prematurely, it means it will have at least another ten years or so of life ahead of it, spanning their entire adolescence.

It's impossible for someone who's been by the protagonist's side for so long to not even appear in a single scene.

No, perhaps this change is possible precisely because the current Chris is not the one from the animation.

Just now in the market, if Chris hadn't heard its faint cries first and then picked it up directly from the alley, Wayne would never have rashly brought it home.

Setting aside his doubts for the moment, Wayne stuffed it back into the flower basket where the bedding had already been laid out, and then placed the basket beside his bed.