About the time I was picked up and adopted by Tallulah

Like a child who has received a glimmer of hope, but is too afraid to touch or look directly at the light.

09. Rabbit eating carrots

On the pale and biting snow, Orson was wearing the uniform of the Snow Monster Squad and sitting on the branch of a dead tree.

He was swinging his legs back and forth in the air while writing something in the notebook in his hand.

"What are you writing, Orson?"

Another infected person from the Yeti Squad named Petrova, who was wearing the Yeti Squad uniform, looked up and asked curiously.

The two received the task of "guard and reconnaissance", but in this environment where not even a snow slope can be seen within a radius of two kilometers, unless it is a phantom crossbowman, anyone who does it will be detected immediately.

Because of this, neither of them was that nervous. Orson was slacking off, while Petrova was looking for topics to chat about.

"Outline."

"what?"

"It's something like a story outline. I'm going to tell Ino about Fist of the North Star when I get home tonight. It's a passionate story about a man who follows his inner righteousness in a nuclear-affected wasteland, punishing evil and promoting good, often ripping his clothes off in public while making all sorts of weird noises."

"...Why do I sound like I'm just a pervert?"

Petrova sighed. Orson, the "substitute member of the Yeti Squad" and also the "temporary teacher" in the settlement, could sometimes tell many interesting and exciting stories, but he would also occasionally tell some inexplicable and incomprehensible stories.

The Laterans and the Luper tribe, along with the wealthy second-generation Fengti tribe, were wreaking havoc in Longmen while hiding from the Sicilian Mafia? Even a hare from Ursus wouldn't believe such a story.

"By the way, how's that kid Ino doing?"

Petrova shook her head to stop herself from thinking about those outrageous "Orson bedtime stories" and asked about the recent situation of the somewhat shy Liberian boy.

"Although he's still very shy and likes to stick close to Sasha, he's recently started to do some housework on his own. And last time he even made this for me."

Orson pointed to the scarf wrapped around his neck. Although the material was not very good, the workmanship was surprisingly solid.

"Eh...so this is why he kept peeking at me knitting."

Petrova sighed, and then expressed some envy.

"Even though I specifically selected [100 Stories Every Man Must Read!], I feel like Ino's femininity is only getting stronger..."

Orson rubbed his hair, looking a little embarrassed.

At first, I just wanted Ino, who would become Mephistopheles in the future, to get on the right path, so I took extra care of him.

But from the results, although he did not become strange, he became strange in another sense...

"Well, Petrova, it's normal for a child to knit her own scarf, right?"

"Yeah, that shows that the child is very sensible."

"Well, it's normal for you to like coming over when you eat, right?"

"Well, this will make you feel safe."

"It's okay to keep staring at me while you're studying, right?"

"Yes, that shows he studies very hard."

"It's very common for you to crawl into my bed when you sleep."

"You turn yourself in."

"Hello!?"

That's right, although Ino is steadily moving towards becoming a good young man under Orson's leadership, his innate "morbid" character seems to be slowly entangled with Orson in another way.

Orson has decided that when Eno starts watching works like "Brokeback Mountain", "Beast Master Bel Canto Class" and "Dark and Deep Fantasy Tales", he will pack up and run away.

A weak, clingy, white-haired guy with a baby voice. Although Orson is a straight man, he doesn't know whether he will accidentally give his soul to Mephistopheles... No, it's Lucifer.

"The signal is coming."

Petrova's voice brought Orson back to his senses from his worries. A signal came from the village in the distance. Orson closed the notebook in his hand and jumped lightly from the tree.

Tuning - wide range low frequency.

The fluctuations of the Originium technique, which are invisible to the naked eye, spread outward with Orson as the center. This is a move used in open areas and has the ability to detect areas beyond visual range.

"No problem, there are no patrols ambushing around."

Orson stopped the Originium technique, and Petrova sent the signal.

Not long after, a group of people returned from the distant town, led by Shuangxing. They were carrying a transport vehicle loaded with supplies, and their expressions were relaxed.

"How's it going, Bear?"

Petrova asked a member of the Yeti Squad, who gave a thumbs-up with a broad grin.

"The deal was a success! This village is one of the few that's friendly to the infected. Not only are there no patrols around, they've even agreed to a long-term trade with us!"

"That's great……"

Petrova breathed a sigh of relief, while on the other side Orson was staring at the leader of the snow monster team, the big rabbit Froststar.

"……What's wrong?"

Froststar frowned and asked.

"It seems like you're very happy today, Froststar."

"Happy? There's nothing to be happy about."

Frost Star responded coldly, while Big Bear beside him clapped his hands as if he remembered something.

"Ah, the village chief saw that my sister had long ears and looked very cute, so he gave her some carrots."

"Big Bear!?"

Frost Star's fair cheeks immediately turned red, and she scolded Big Bear in panic and anger.

"Well, well, don't be so nervous, Froststar. I won't fight with you for the carrot, just chew it slowly—Puff!"

Before Orson could finish his words, his mouth was stuffed with a full mouthful of snowballs. A joyful atmosphere immediately erupted in the team.

"Orson, you've pissed off Sister Frost Star again today!" "No way!"

"I saw you pull her tail with my own eyes, and Big Sister chased you and hit you with ice cubes!" "How can that be called provoking... That's called petting a rabbit, petting a rabbit doesn't count as provoking...!"

——Conversations like these have become a regular feature.

----

More than 20 days have passed since Orson was picked up by Tallulah after being on the verge of death.

Orson didn't know when he got rid of his identity as a prisoner and servant. He got along well with everyone and became a "certified acting teacher". He gradually mastered the Originium skill of [Tuning]. Occasionally, he would even go on missions with the Yeti Squad like today, and then come back to be hanged on the beam by the Patriots.

Sasha, also known as Faust, becomes better and better at using a crossbow, while Ino, also known as Mephistopheles, becomes more and more skilled at stalking Orson (?).

His life and the guerrillas' life seemed to be gradually changing for the better, but Orson didn't think so.

"I looked around but didn't see you in the settlement. Sure enough, you're here, Sister Tallulah."

Orson came to the room where "Alina" was sleeping. Tallulah was leaning against the wooden bed with her eyes slightly closed. She opened her eyes gently after hearing Orson's voice.

"Just a short break... Welcome back, Orson."

Tallulah smiled at Orson, but Orson's expression was a little dull.

"...Still can't decide?"

"—"

Tallulah looked away and did not respond to Orson's question.

10. Bonfire, gradually extinguished

To change the shape of an object, just carve it with a hammer and pick.

To change the state of an object, just use fire or ice to change its temperature.

But what is the price of changing a person's "soul"?

"Let me think about it……"

This was Tallulah's answer to Orson at that time, and it is also the answer that has continued to this day.

She still couldn't make a decision, whether to reject Orson's risky behavior or agree with his search for a miracle.

"Froststar has returned from another village. We've successfully established a trade relationship with that village, Sister Tallulah. And with the liquor the patrol brought last time, we've been able to exchange it for enough food to last at least ten days."

Orson told Tallulah the result of the action just now. The latter nodded slightly and then looked at Alina beside her.

"We're making steady progress, aren't we, Alina?"

Talullah reached out her hand and gently stroked the hair of the Elafia girl.

"..."

Orson watched silently from the side. He could not get a response from Tallulah, nor could he ease the tension on her strings that seemed about to break at any time. He also had no idea of the nature of the black noise that was entangled in Tallulah's soul.

During this period, in order to "satisfy his vanity" and "prevent himself from being condemned by his conscience", Orson did a lot of things, trying to change the Integration Movement, which would become the enemy of the world in the future, as much as possible.

Although he has done a lot of things and has integrated into the team, Orson doesn't know whether what he has done is useful.

He always felt that everything he had done might disappear completely with Tallulah's "collapse", just like a snowman next to a raging fire.

Orson frowned every time he saw Tallulah's "white music score" that was about to collapse. He hoped that he could ease Tallulah's tense nerves, but Orson didn't know the relationship between Alina and Tallulah, and there was nothing he could do for them.

He only knew that Alina was a special existence to Tallulah, but in the main story of the game... this little deer did not exist in the Integration Movement.

Could it be that her death was the last straw that broke the camel's back for Tallulah?

In this case, I must force her to [tune] her, but this process will probably take a long time, and I absolutely cannot do it in secret.

Orson had previously tried using Soul Tuning on a living creature, more specifically a member of the Infected Patrol.

The final result was that the other party completely collapsed and defected, but Orson was unconscious for several hours because he used this ability for the first time.

Even if "destruction" does not require fine detail, it will consume a lot of resolving power, so more precise "repair" is definitely not an easy task to accomplish.

"Let's go, Orson. The meeting is about to begin. Let's celebrate Frost Star and then think about how to spend tomorrow."

Tallulah stood up from her chair and prepared to leave the room.

"Are you okay, Sister Tallulah?"

Orson's concern made Tallulah smile.

"You ask me this question every day, Orson. Of course I'm fine. I'll be fine. My compatriots are waiting for my appearance, and I am 'undying,' a fighter who will keep going no matter what and will not be defeated."

"You know that's not what I meant... Alas."

Watching Tallulah get up and leave the room, Orson sighed. He picked up the pen on the table next to him and added a new entry to the calendar next to Alina.

Orson glanced at the still sleeping Elafia girl. Her white music score was still pure, except for a missing fragment. Orson believed he could repair it, but the only problem was that Tallulah didn't seem ready for it.

"Thank you for your hard work. You've been trying your best to prevent her from completely breaking down, right? I will keep an eye on her and prevent her from going astray. Then, I will reunite you two."

——After all, having only one “fake teacher” in the settlement is not enough.

Orson nodded slightly to Alina, then left the room and followed Tallulah towards the bonfire.

It was afternoon, and the members of the resistance army gathered around the campfire in the center of the settlement, discussing with different expressions how to proceed in the future.

"Although we have established a trading relationship with the village near the southeast today, to be honest, the resources we can use are still far from enough."

Frost Star was sitting on the ground with his ears drooping and his tone was a little serious.

"The source of medicine has always been a major problem, and up to now, over 7% of our food has been traded. However, there are not many villages or outposts left to explore around us. Most of the villages further south are governed by nobles, so we might run into unnecessary trouble."

Frost Star told everyone about the settlement's current embarrassing situation, and everyone fell silent.

"That's right. The closer we get to the south, the more resistance we're likely to encounter. The nobles' private spies, patrol squads, and even the military group could all potentially clash with us, increasing the risk of mass operations. Our current priority is to quickly acquire more reliable communication equipment and systematic, easy-to-learn communication codes... Honestly, these goals aren't easy to achieve."

Tallulah responded to Froststar thoughtfully, and while Tallulah was thinking about her future course of action, some infected people came to her side.

“Tallulah—”