I just hope to live a leisurely life in the world of anime.

Although she didn't know what an angel was, she figured it must be a good thing, right?

Nobody has ever cared about her!

The sensation above her head was the warmest she had ever felt before!

Forcing a smile, she said, "I'm...I'm sorry, I have to take care of my mother. She...she's all alone now..."

As she said this, she was about to start sobbing again.

The refusal was to be expected, but the reason given was unexpected.

Before the boy could speak, the laughter of a middle-aged woman came from behind.

"Hahaha, do I need a monster like you to take care of me? Stop with the pretense!"

The middle-aged woman scrambled to the dagger, grabbed it, and cried, "Goodbye, this damned world!"

She plunged the knife into her heart and began to twist it around.

He was determined to die!

"Uh... Ah! Ah!"

"What are you doing?! Cough cough cough." His hand was still trying to stop the girl's bleeding and pain, and he didn't have time to stop her. He could only shout in shock and anger, and his rapid speech made his coughing even more violent.

Hearing her mother's screams, the girl could no longer maintain her smile. She broke free from the boy's embrace and crawled to her mother's side, following the direction of the screams.

After groping around, he finally grabbed the middle-aged woman's hand and cried out, "Mom, Mom... don't leave me alone, I know I did something wrong!"

I can change, don't leave me... Waaah... I promise I'll be good from now on, even if you hit me, I won't run away... I don't want these eyes anymore, don't leave me... Waaah..."

But the gradually cooling corpse could no longer answer her words.

The sun had already set behind the western mountains, and the warehouse was beginning to darken, while the sounds of Gastrea outside grew clearer.

Inside, there was a black-haired boy wearing a white trench coat, a corpse, and a silver-haired girl lying on top of the corpse, her body covered in bruises.

The weather in Tokyo was bitterly cold.

Chapter Two: An Tong

(The warehouse was still dimly lit, and the smell of blood had faded overnight.)

"Mom? Mom!" The silver-haired girl suddenly woke up from the simple bed made of wooden planks and sat up.

Because of her movement, the white trench coat that was originally tightly wrapped around her body slipped down onto her slender legs.

She made no attempt to look around.

No, or rather, it's no longer possible to observe it!

The world was pitch black, and the occasional slight pain in her eyes told her what had happened.

Suddenly, the girl threw off her trench coat, seemingly trying to stand up, but fell down because of the soreness in her legs.

Ignoring the cold ground, she groped around, murmuring, "Mommy... Mommy..."

Her delicate little face held such despair.

Her forehead bumped into something, and the sensation told her it must be someone's leg.

"Well, I've already buried your mother behind the warehouse. Since I don't know her name, there's no inscription, cough cough."

The gentle voice had a slight cough, exactly the same as yesterday.

"Really?" The girl began to shiver, perhaps from the cold.

She didn't doubt whether the boy was lying to her, because she didn't think she had anything worth being deceived.

Fortunately, the tear ducts that were not damaged had already produced tears, which slid down the corners of the eyes, mixed with the bloodstains on the face that had not yet been washed away, and down to the chin.

She bit her lower lip, clearly trying to hold back her sobs.

“I have…I have…I have nothing left.”

Her only relative had died, and despite how badly she had treated her, she couldn't help but burst into tears.

Her small face was ashen, making her look so weak.

The boy felt a sharp pain in his heart, as if it were being squeezed, and he was certain that it was not a problem with his own body.

"No, I'm here too!"

He gently crouched down and pulled her into his arms. "Hey, cough cough, I know this will be seen as perverted, but I still have to ask, are you willing to start a new life with me?"

He barely managed to suppress the urge to cough, managed to utter a complete sentence, and gently rubbed his head against her dirty cheek, as if offering her silent comfort.

"I...I am a cursed child, a cursed child. Don't you hate me?"

The sobs turned into choking.

"So you're agreeing? As long as you, cough cough, don't mind that I'm sickly."

There was a long silence.

Only after seeing the other person cautiously nod did the boy's lips curl into a smile. "My name is An Shu. What's yours?"

"My mother didn't name me." The girl's voice was soft, as if she was about to cry again.

An Shu hugged her tighter, not foolish enough to ask about her father. Seeing the bloodstains around her eyes that hadn't been wiped away because there was no hot water, she felt another pang of heartache. "Then, cough cough, from now on you'll be called Tong, okay? An Tong, okay?"

"An Tong? That's a very nice name."

The girl held out her hand and pointed at An Shu, "An Shu?"

"Correct!"

Then he pointed to himself, "An Tong?"

"Okay! From now on, cough cough, I'll be Hitomi's older brother. Hitomi, call me Onii-chan for your older brother."

"O... Onii-chan?"

She tried to pronounce it, but it was a completely unfamiliar word!

Her voice evoked a warm feeling, something her mother had never given her.

Immediately, she reached out her small hand and touched An Shu's face, as if trying to understand what An Shu looked like. She then wiped away her tears and raised her voice, "Onii-chan!"

"Good girl!" An Shu narrowed her eyes, clearly in a better mood, and didn't care at all about An Tong's dirty cheeks. She leaned over and gently rubbed them.

"Hey, do you know, cough cough, your mother's name?"

"Mom... never told me..."

Seeing the other person's expression darken again, An Shu really wanted to slap herself.

"Then, cough, I'll write 'An Tong's Mother' on the tombstone, okay?" He reached out, intending to pinch her cheek, but then hesitated, afraid that pulling would hurt her eyes more, and instead gently stroked her.

"Mmm." She nodded, reached out and pressed her hand against An Shu's palm, gently rubbing her face against his palm—it felt so warm!

That's what she thought.

She wanted to stand up to get the trench coat for An Tong to wear, but found that her trouser leg was being pulled.

"Ni-chan... don't, don't leave me," An Tong murmured.

An Shu didn't speak, but gently picked her up; her soft body felt weightless.

He nuzzled her head again, picked up the trench coat and put it on her, then found a rope nearby and gently tied it around her waist to prevent the coat from slipping off.

He casually tidied her silver hair.

Nodding in satisfaction, An Shu exclaimed in an exaggerated tone, "Wow, how can Tong-chan be so cute?"

"Hey, it's a bit cold outside. Hitomi-chan, wait here while I go carve the name on the tombstone."

We'll leave this place, cough, and start a new life.

"I...I want to go too. I'm scared. I'm not afraid of the cold."

An Shu knew what she was afraid of; children in the dark always have wild thoughts and lack a sense of security.

Without saying much, he straightened her collar, tightened the rope around her waist, and took her soft, boneless hand in his left hand.

Arriving at the stone tablet behind the warehouse, a blue light emanated from his right index finger, which he pressed onto the stone tablet, leaving a line of neat characters.

A gust of cold wind blew by, and An Tong's legs trembled from the pain, causing her to lose her balance and almost slip. Fortunately, An Shu, who was nearby, caught her in time.

Holding her in his arms, An Shu gently flicked her forehead, "You, you!"

Feeling An Tong struggling slightly in his arms, as if she wanted to stand up and not cause him any trouble, he quickly said, "Be good and don't move! Cough cough, don't make me and Tong-chan fall down together."

An Tong stopped squirming and nestled in An Shu's arms, listening to his heartbeat and the occasional cough. She felt her frozen body soften and feel so comfortable!

Looking at An Tong's slightly flushed face in his arms, he smiled, revealing shallow dimples on his cheeks.

An Shu couldn't resist leaning closer to rub against him. Mmm, how adorable! I really want to pinch him!

The wind was getting stronger, but no one wanted to break the atmosphere.

Having been treated like a monster for seven years, An Tong naturally remained silent as it was a rare occasion for someone to care for and cherish her.

Needless to say, who would hate having a cute little sister in their arms, like a mascot?

However, the most urgent thing is to take An Tong to the hospital to bandage her wound and buy her a decent set of clothes.

Although An Shu stopped her bleeding and most of the pain, the regeneration of the gastrovirus also showed signs of new flesh growing out of the knife scar between her eyebrows.

But An Shu didn't want her cute little sister to be disliked for looking like that!

Just then, the roar of an airplane cutting through the air above interrupted their little thoughts.

Immediately afterwards, the loudspeaker came on.

"Attention, people in the periphery! The Gastrea that gathered outside the former monolith have launched an attack, on a scale no less than the First Battle of Kanto!"

The Self-Defense Forces have been deployed, but there may be some that have slipped through the net. People in the peripheral areas are urged to move towards the center as soon as possible!

To reiterate, people in the peripheral areas, please move towards the center immediately!

The air seemed to be still for a moment, then suddenly it boiled over.

There was no time to pack up, so people quickly sprang into action, rushing in the opposite direction from the giant stone monument.

Even in Anshu's remote warehouse, the sounds could be heard coming from over there: children crying, shelves collapsing, flames burning...