I have become stronger, but also shorter [comprehensive]

Just after her sixth birthday, little girl Coney was adopted.

The children in the orphanage will be adopted in the end, and they are all between the ages of six and 12. The age at the time of adoption is not absolute.

Isabella left, probably to confirm this matter.

As a nun at the orphanage, she is only responsible for taking care of the children while they are here.

When the children will be selected by outside families and then leave here, the nuns cannot interfere.

Therefore, for the nuns, every parting is a mixture of joy and sadness, and more importantly, blessings for the children's future life.

Before leaving, it was still dusk.

"Sorry, Connie, I have to let you leave everyone so suddenly and go to a strange place."

The nun put Coney's small suitcase at her feet, bent down, and squatted halfway in front of the blond girl, raising her hand to stroke her face.

Isabella was a particularly gentle woman, and this was something that was completely certain from the first meeting.Her maternal brilliance is even more heart-warming than the afterglow of the setting sun falling on the ground.

Thanks to this, the little girl who had only been separated from her family for six years was able to hold back her tears and nodded seriously: "Didn't Mom tell Connie? Although I have to leave Mom and Emma, ​​Connie will Getting new parents, being in a new family, will be fun too."

"That's right..."

The woman is very pleased that the children she raised are so sensible.

She said a lot of words to appease the children, many of which were her own sincerity.

The children who come out of this orphanage, even the most mediocre, are better than the average outside, and the families who adopt them are usually in good conditions.

So, despite the inevitable sadness of being separated from her beloved children, Isabella could only be happy for them.

Walking out of the orphanage, there will definitely be a better life waiting for them——

……

"Mother?"

The girl's doubtful voice rang in her ears, as if pulling back the nun's inexplicably wandering thoughts.

Isabella's smile hung on her gentle face again.

They don't linger anymore.

The woman held the small suitcase in her right hand, and held the little girl's hand in her left hand. They walked slowly down the path shrouded in the moonlit night that finally came.

The next development will be a matter of course.

The normally locked iron door opened silently, and the two walked in, blending into the darkness of the deserted warehouse.

The little girl's steps were brisk, and the glitter in her eyes was anticipation for the future, and the woman was humming an unknown song softly.

at the same time.

in the warehouse...

"Bang!"

It was like the sound of a heavy metal gate clanging open, followed by the snorting sound of horses echoing in the empty warehouse layer by layer, creating an inexplicably gloomy atmosphere.

"Mom... Mom, Coney will write to Mom and everyone! Woo, woo..."

The only thing that was not so dark and obscure was the choking sound of the girl who had already boarded the carriage.

Connie hugged her Mr. Rabbit tightly, and the little bear doll that her mother gave her at the end, tears were streaming down her face, but her heart was full of reluctance.

Like so many times in the past, Isabella said goodbye to her children with a smile.

countless times.

There have been "numerous times" that cannot be counted.

Ever since she became a nun, Isabella has been standing in the same place—in front of the carriage, watching her children go away.

There is nothing wrong with the warehouse, even if you search through it, you can't find anything suspicious.

Looking further up, there is no problem with the orphanage.

Isabella also grew up in an orphanage.

She grew up in this world of the orphanage very smoothly, and was adopted "outside" when she was 12 years old.

After spending a few years outside, when she was young, she voluntarily returned to the orphanage and took over the position of "mother".

Every time, she stops here.

Taking advantage of the darkness of the night, the carriage drove out of her sight quickly without any pause or hesitation.

In those times, Isabella never talked much except normal farewell and comforting words.

But, this time.

"Kony just turned six, and suddenly going to a new family alone can be scary."

For the first time, the nun spoke and said softly to the coachman who seldom had much communication with her: "Can I go with her? The destination is not far from here. If I go at night, I will be back at dawn."

Swish!

He suddenly raised his eyes.

The woman and the coachman looked at each other fixedly, and saw strange emotions in each other's eyes.

"No need," said the coachman.

"What's going on with you today, Isabella? The remaining children in the orphanage still need your care. If you say such irresponsible words, let your superiors know. The consequences will be very serious."

It can be seen from various details that the condition of the orphanage is very good, but relatively, the management is extremely strict. This is true for the children, and it is also the same for the nuns who are in charge.

By making this request alone, Isabella crossed the line.

And she seemed to be unaware, it doesn't matter if she was rejected, she smiled, and took back the previous words very naturally: "I'm sorry, I made a slip of the tongue, please forgive me."

The coachman didn't say much to her, it was getting late.

The carriage swayed, passed through the raised gate at the rear, and sank into the darkness beyond the reach of the nun.

The wind brought by the driving process lifted the corners of the nun's black skirt.

But if it was just a blown wind, it would be too strong and too sharp, as if an invisible person was passing by her without a trace.

After being warned, Isabella returned to the orphanage alone.

The warm chandelier in the room is still on, and the children haven't gone to bed yet, they are all waiting for their mother to come back.

By the way - at this time in the past, the man who would consciously leave hadn't left yet.

Saitama really wanted to leave.

But he couldn't leave, not only because the children who are still hanging on him are too enthusiastic.

"Mr. Saitama, where is Eric?"

Isabella asked.

"Ah, who is that?"

Saitama looked up and looked at the ceiling: "He went out for a walk, it should be."

Isabella: "Is that so. Speaking of which, it seems like you haven't seen Sage either?"

Saitama: "Oh, it's true. He and Eric went for a walk together. The scenery is beautiful at night, right? Hahaha, I definitely didn't follow up quietly because of worry-even if it's true, I didn't say it, um .”

As a result, the truth was revealed.

Saitama solemnly stated that this was an unintentional act, and he definitely did not deliberately leak the secret because the two did not take him.

The nun pondered: "Um..."

"Are you going for a walk, then there's no problem." In fact, the problem is serious, "If Mr. Saitama is not in a hurry to go back, why not just rest with us tonight?"

Saitama: "No—ahem, okay."

He forced a turn, and complied.

Afterwards, the nun started to work, leading the older children to wash and change the clothes of the younger ones, preparing to go to bed after a while.

Such a scene is not suitable for Saitama to stay longer, so he consciously stays behind closed doors in the guest room that Isabella packed up.

Sitting on the head of the bed, the man rested his chin, his figure seemed a bit lonely.

However, it cannot be denied.

From his sharp eyes, one can see a solemnity that is different from usual.

Saitama felt something was wrong.

It seems that there is a sense of incongruity somewhere...

It's not the problem of Eric and Kusuo boy. Saitama already knew about their conspiracy (not) secret, and this time acting alone did not surprise him.

It seems that the main sense of disobedience lies in the other person.

Namely, Sister Isabella.

"..."

"what?!"

In an instant, countless pictures flooded into my mind, and Saitama seemed to have reacted.

Isabella's behavior is not quite right.

he remembered.

Before entering the door, he caught a glimpse of the smile on the nun's lips.

It's not quite similar to a normal smile. It can be seen that there is a deeper meaning mixed in, and there are also some incomprehensible emotions, such as relief and anticipation.

Why is she relieved?

What is she looking forward to?

Saitama couldn't figure it out for a while.

If something gratifying happens, her joy can be justified.

But the problem is, only one thing happened today, that is, Kony left.

If I have to go any further, only at night, Eric and Kusuo boy went out for a "walk"——

"..."

"I don't understand!"

*****

The night walking duo took a long walk this time.

At dawn the next day, they hadn't returned from their walk.

In the evening of the second day, the figures of the two people still did not appear on the dining table.

——This time lasted, which really exceeded expectations.

Eric didn't plan to stay longer, at most he would leave at dawn.

Oh, even if he followed impatiently behind the carriage, he would not admit that he did such a time-wasting meaningless behavior out of mentality such as "worries" and "sorrows".

"I'm here to investigate."

"Well, that's right, it's an investigation."

"I'm talking about me, not you."

"Stop talking nonsense, idiot, if you can come and investigate, can't I?"

See, he just won't admit it.

About two months ago, Eric did something stupid with Saitama once, which was equivalent to "stalking".

At that time, he firmly believed that there must be a conspiracy in the orphanage, and he sneaked away the children in the middle of the night, which was clearly a guilty conscience.But it took a day to follow the past, but it turned out to be sad.

Now, with the idea of ​​a "second round of investigation", Eric spontaneously did the same stupid thing.

Silently followed, he watched Connie arrive at the destination, was hugged by a very normal-looking young couple in bright clothes, and led into the house.

"Tsk."

Slowly withdrawing his gaze, the silver-haired boy let out a very boring click, and planned to "end the investigation" and head back home.

But unexpected.

Baby Kusuo stopped him.

"I will observe for another two days."

Eric: "What did you say?"

"I said I would stay here for two more days to observe." The baby Kusuo said straightforwardly: "If you are impatient, go back first, just so I can—"

Eric: "Very well, I finally caught you! Why don't you answer, I will stay here and see what you want to do!"

Baby Kusuo: "..."

He put aside "I wouldn't say that at all if I wanted to hide it from you, okay?" and turned his attention to the most important thing.

Focusing on the family who adopted Kony as the observation center, the two strongest people in the world spent five whole days here.

On the first day, nothing unusual.

The next day, nothing out of the ordinary, the couple even took Coney out and bought new clothes.

The third day... and that's it, the fifth day.

If there is no doubt in advance, no matter how patient the observer spends so many days and finds no abnormality, he should return with satisfaction.

However, it's a coincidence.

Once the two remaining two become serious, no obstacles can stop them.

They waited until the night of the fifth day, and then found that the young couple who had adopted Coney had packed their luggage, as if they were going to take their adopted daughter on a long trip.

The argument to the neighbors is that the male owner has changed jobs and is moving to another city with his family.

Whether it's the expression when speaking or the excuses he uses, they are all perfect.

The two big ones got into their own car, and the small car full of luggage drove out of the town. The original neighbors didn't notice anything unusual, and they would soon be forgotten.

Then, and then.

Coney was taken to another remote town nearby by his "foster parents".

"Dad?...Mom?"

The girl let go, and the precious doll fell to the ground, splashing muddy mud in the pothole.

click!

The iron fence fell heavily behind her, blocking out the light.

in the darkness ahead.

Slowly, a pair of...

No, countless pairs of blood-red eyes.