My name is Levi, and I work in anime.

Life was simple yet fulfilling, no different from that of other children.

At least, the boy is very satisfied with his current life.

My time at kindergarten was peaceful yet fulfilling. I listened attentively to the teacher in class, exercised diligently during activity periods, and practiced high jump. I enjoyed my lunch, giving Ryougi the ice cream the teacher had given me as a reward that morning, and also helping him finish his leftovers.

After lunch, it's lunch break time.

The kindergarten itself is not well-off, and it tries to save money wherever possible, including the children's nap area.

"So, who really cares whether the bed is new or old? Just squeeze it a little, right?" The silver-haired woman with naturally curly hair, who casually flicked her nose and still had a pair of dead fish eyes while purchasing supplies, said, "Put all the budget on food. There's no need to spend so much money on other things. Children need to eat well to grow. A place to sleep is fine as long as it's adequate."

"Every time I have a big health treatment... I mean, I mean betting on horse races... no, anyway, when I regret it, I always wish I could get back the money I lost and buy two pounds of pork ribs. This time I might as well just buy pork ribs directly."

Li Wei had good reason to suspect that even if Principal Gintoki did get his money back, he would only shout things like, "Last time it was just bad luck, I'll definitely win this time," and rush into the casino to continue betting on horses and pachinko. In the end, he would lose everything, not even his underwear, and could only go home wearing a cardboard box as a cover-up.

That's pretty much it; the Engel coefficient is exceptionally high in kindergartens.

The price was that during lunch break, Li Wei and Liang Yi had to squeeze into one bed together.

Contrary to her cold and aloof appearance, Ryougi's sleeping posture is very unsightly. She is as restless as a cat, constantly adjusting her position on the bed, rubbing against each other, and never properly covering herself with the blanket.

"Won't Liangyi catch a cold doing this?"

Seeing this, Li Wei couldn't help but feel a little worried.

Because I was lying in the middle of the bed, the people on either side of me were like octopuses, their arms and legs entangled around me. If I moved too much, I might wake them both up, so I couldn't get up to get a blanket to cover them up.

Therefore, in order to prevent Liangyi from catching a cold, the boy could only use the most primitive method at this time: to hug Liangyi tighter and use his own body to keep warm.

After confirming that everything was alright, Li Wei closed his eyes with relief. The three of them stayed close together and drifted off to sleep once again.

……

"Young people these days are really something else. They're barely grown up and they're already having affairs."

When Li Wei opened his eyes again, he didn't see the familiar ceiling, nor the sleeping children beside him, but a dilapidated room and a burning campfire.

And a young man squatting by the fire, making fun of himself.

He was a young man wearing a black cloak, with short, dark gray hair topped with a blue crown. He exuded an inexplicable aura that subconsciously heightened people's vigilance. Li Wei couldn't resist the urge to pull out his alarm and sound it, instantly summoning a dozen or twenty policewomen to rush in, subdue him, handcuff him, and take him to the police station for a pork chop rice dinner.

The above is just wishful thinking and cannot be realized at all.

The reason is simple: this is the boy's dream.

Moreover, upon closer observation, one can easily discern in the young man's eyes an overwhelming weariness, a weariness akin to utter despair. He appears to have been tormented all day by a lively, energetic child, completely devoid of any threat, exuding only a listless, resigned air.

Li Wei was not surprised by this. Similarly, he was prepared to forgive the other party's rudeness in a gentlemanly manner.

"Hello, Mr. Merlin."

Pretending not to hear the other person's teasing, the boy politely greeted them: "We meet again. Are we going to learn Merlin's magic again today? Or continue to interpret the Master's teachings, or perhaps..."

"Today we won't learn any of those things; instead, we'll explore the truth of the universe and the reality of the world."

The young man, known as Mr. Merlin, continued to look at Li Wei with calm, unwavering eyes: "What do you think is the meaning of life?"

There are so many difficult problems in the world, some with correct answers, others simply impossible to solve. I have witnessed the rise and fall of countless empires, the birth and extinction of species. For thousands of years, only the folly of intelligent beings has remained unchanged, wasting their lives on all sorts of pointless questions.

For example, if your parents are getting a divorce and ask you who you want to live with, how would you answer?

"I don't know, I've never thought about that."

Li Wei shook his head: "I am an orphan with no parents. Mr. Merlin, you have asked the wrong person."

Merlin: "#￥&...**!!"

"Okay, let's change the question then. Tell me, is human nature inherently good or evil?"

It's always said that people should help each other, but is this so-called morality truly born from genuine compassion, or is it simply about hoping others will help you in the future? Does true selflessness even exist...? For example, how did you get home when you got lost last time? Did you ask others for help?

You mean that time?

Li Wei thought for a moment and then gave the answer: "I just casually found a big sister in black and asked her if she could take me home, and she happily took me back to kindergarten."

Merlin: "!@￥%￥＃￥*!"

"That thing isn't important... In short, avoid associating with women."

Li Wei looked at Mr. Merlin strangely: "But the older sisters I've met are all very nice, and they're great to me. They're perfect as friends."

"You'll understand when you grow up: there's no such thing as pure friendship between men and women."

"How could that be? I think my friendship with Hiratsuka-nee is very pure. We've known each other for a long time and it can absolutely stand the test of time."

Merlin: "*＃￥%＃%＆@＃!"

After a few seconds of silence, Mr. Merlin put his hand to his forehead, no longer wanting to say anything.

Facing a gentleman like Li Wei, who seems to have been forgotten when the Age of Gods faded away, anything you say will make you seem dirty and strange.

He felt he was increasingly unable to keep up with the child's train of thought.

If he could, he would prefer to hear theories of inherent goodness or evil, the benevolent loving others, the impartiality of Heaven always favoring the virtuous, or the constant course of Heaven, which is the kind of answers a five- or six-year-old child would say.

"Forget it, let's continue with our extracurricular studies." Mr. Merlin's face was full of despair. "Where did we leave off last time?"

"We just finished talking about C++ and Java, and last time we talked about how to cheat in gambling... So, shall we continue exploring the truth of the universe and the reality of the world?"

"No thanks, continuing this discussion with you will surely shorten my lifespan."

After spending so much time together, Mr. Merlin had to admit one thing: his values ​​and Li Wei's values ​​were vastly different.

Continuing to force communication will only hurt yourself.

"From now on, I should just stay honest and teach them simple things like murder, arson, drugging, and robbery."

Mr. Merlin couldn't help but think this way. And he reaffirmed his resolve to avoid communicating with people who seemed mentally unstable in the future.

------

"!!!"

Li Wei suddenly opened his eyes on his bed during his afternoon nap at kindergarten.

"What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"

Beside him, very close by, came the calm yet slightly concerned voice of Liangyi. Li Wei subconsciously looked down, only to see the same aloof expression on her face.

Their faces were so close, so very close, that you could feel their breath on your face.

"Li Wei, you're finally awake! You were saying some really strange things, and Liangyi almost went to find the teacher."

"Hmm, no fever, so it should be fine."

With forehead to forehead, sensing the boy's body temperature, Ryougi concluded: "He's having a nightmare."

"Did I just talk in my sleep? I'm sorry for making you worry, I'm fine."

Li Wei breathed a sigh of relief: "Also, Shi, don't ride on my chest, I can't breathe."

This scene felt familiar, as if it had happened not long ago, only the positions of the two sides had been reversed.

This time, however, Liangyi did not let the boy go as before. Instead, like a large feline that had caught its prey, she pinned him to the bed from above, half-kneeling on him and pressing her legs down on Li Wei's legs, showing no intention of letting go.

Li Wei: "???"

Ryougi: "When you were talking in your sleep just now, you called out 'Master' 9 times, 'Mei-rin' 18 times, 'Hiratsuka Shizuka' 22 times, 'Ori' 31 times, and 'me' 35 times."

Li Wei: "..."

Ryougi: "Finally, who was that Saeko you called out 29 times?"

Li Wei: "!!!!"

Chapter 12 The Internet is so interesting!

At 2 PM, Ryougi showed no signs of having slept well and hadn't changed out of her pajamas, still wearing her usual sportswear. Judging from what she had just said, she had been anxiously observing herself since discovering she was having a nightmare and hadn't gotten proper rest.

So when he heard the question, Li Wei felt inexplicably embarrassed, as if he had let the other person down.

However, after thinking about it, he realized that he had done the right thing and was aboveboard, so even if the Master were here, he would feel at ease.

"You mean Saeko? She's Hiratsuka-nee's relative."

Li Wei remained calm and composed: "I met her a few weekends ago when I went to the hospital. She's a friend I just made."

"Ms. Hiratsuka?"

Hearing the boy say this, Ryougi frowned slightly, seemingly having a rather indifferent impression of Hiratsuka Shizuka.

After that, the two close friends remained silent. They maintained their top-down position, looked at each other for a while, and then slowly, gradually, climbed off Li Wei.

The two polarities are truly sensitive.

Li Wei sighed with these thoughts.

Then, he suddenly realized something.

I've known Ryougi for so long, but we've only met once, in kindergarten, and we've never gone out to play together on a weekend.

Upon discovering the problem, the boy immediately extended a sincere invitation.

"Want to go out and have some fun this weekend?"

Sitting on the edge of the bed with Li Wei, the two were so close they were practically touching. Shi looked slightly surprised, but after thinking for a moment, she immediately agreed: "Sure, no problem."

Great, all done.

Ryougi agreed quickly, seemingly without even thinking about where to go or what to do. For children this age, being with friends is enough to make them happy.

But Li Wei couldn't.

Inviting a close friend out for the first time is a very memorable event; he's not the kind of person who does things casually.

You must prepare well.

Considering that I've never gone out on my own initiative and am not good at sightseeing, it's definitely more appropriate to seek help from professionals at this time.

After school, Li Wei would spend all his time on the computers in the library, surfing the internet.

Starting six months ago, the teenager opened his own online clinic to provide medical consultations.

Because Japan's internet infrastructure is very underdeveloped and online payments are difficult, only a bank card number was left. Patients pay themselves after the consultation. A gentleman should practice medicine to help the world, and he can pay whatever he wants, whether he has money or not.

After a while, I've saved up a sum of money, enough to go out and have some fun.

So the boy started searching for places suitable for taking Ryougi out for the weekend.

It's truly the internet age; efficiency is incredible. After automatically ignoring the top-ranked tour group advertisements, Li Wei received numerous replies in several more specialized forums:

"Taking a five-year-old child out to play? Is she your daughter?"

I'm sorry, but Liangyi might be a little older than me, so it would be slightly more difficult for me to give birth to him... slightly more difficult.

"Could this be a kidnapping? Quick, call 110! Officer, this is the person!"

How can you slander someone's innocence out of thin air? I've seen more policewomen in a month than you've seen in your entire life.

"If you want the resources, here's a website for you. Please follow my X account: @＃￥@＃%￥%."

Oatmeal Bro, when did you arrive?

"I've seen this episode. It took 350 Saint Quartz and 23 Summoning Tickets to get 4 SSRs."

I don't understand what he's saying, and what does it mean when he writes "Dong Zhuo, get out of here" below?

Li Wei quickly skipped over the meaningless spam and explained to some of the netizens who asked questions that he was also a minor, and incidentally reported Dong Zhuo. He then carefully reviewed the more normal and useful suggestions:

"Judging from your description, you're not an adult. If it's five years old, it must be your sister. I recommend going to Hatsune Island, but it's best to book an appointment with a German orthopedic specialist beforehand."

Hatsune Island... I searched online and it seems to have pretty good reviews, but it's just too far away, I can't come back on weekends, so I'll pass.

"Has anyone heard of Blue Island? It's said to be a deserted island, but the scenery is beautiful. Getting there is a bit difficult."

This is already an urban legend, right? Even if it really existed, it would be farther away than Hatsune Miku Island, so pass.

"Well, I have a friend... really my friend! He got lost while hiking a while ago and ended up in a mysterious village. He received amazing care, and he said the surrounding environment is wonderful. He even brought back a wife, and she's pregnant with their second child now. I think the place is called... Oh right, the Women's Mountain Range!"

Putting aside the bizarre name, sending a five-year-old to climb a mountain seems absurd. What if he gets lost like his friend? Could he possibly have incredible luck and stumble upon a mysterious village, then bring home a wife?

Similarly, Brokeback Mountain, which is recommended below, is also excluded.

"The recommendations you guys make are completely inappropriate for their age, aren't they? Are you serious about sending little kids to islands and mountains? How about hot springs? Our Xicui Manor is having a promotion right now, want to come and soak in the hot springs?"

Soaking in hot springs... it felt pretty good, but when Li Wei saw the name "Xicui Village", a sentence inexplicably flashed through his mind: On Thunder Cliff, there is Kita Village, Chief Saikan of Eri, whose blood hooves have trampled all over the flowers, and men and women are all in tears.