When the girl first said “Ur,” Cain’s immediate reaction was, Did I reincarnate super early in the timeline?
But the moment he heard “Ultear,” he involuntarily breathed a sigh of relief, followed closely by a surge of sheer excitement and joy.
This was the first original character he had met in this world!
It felt just like a time traveler suddenly coming face-to-face with a legendary figure from history, like King Arthur or Merlin.
Just to make sure he hadn’t misheard, Cain confirmed, “Ultear?” “Mhm.” Ultear noticed the unmistakable delight in Cain’s voice, which made her turn her head to look at him.
Reflected in the boy’s dark eyes were joy, excitement, and a thrill that Ultear simply couldn’t understand.
She didn’t get why he would make such an expression just from hearing her name.
Did he know her?
Ultear was absolutely certain she had never met the boy in front of her.
From the moment she could remember, she had always lived with her mother and didn’t really have any friends.
Curious, Ultear asked, “Why do you look so happy?” Her question made Cain pause for a second before he smiled brightly.
“Because I just met someone really important.” Cain’s words left Ultear in a stunned silence.
Is the ‘really important’ person he’s talking about…
me?
Why would he say that?
Does he…
like me?
The more she thought about it, the redder her face became.
Watching her face turn increasingly flushed, Cain felt a bit puzzled.
Weird.
We were just having a normal conversation, why is she suddenly blushing?
If Cain knew what Ultear was thinking, he would definitely sigh and lament that the girls in this world matured way too early.
The real reason Cain called her “someone important” was because the young girl in front of him could help him escape the Bureau of Magical Development.
He just didn’t know if this version of Ultear had already escaped once and been brought back, or if she hadn’t left yet.
The best way to figure out the current situation was to just ask.
So, Cain turned to the girl beside him and said, “Ultear, were you kidnapped by these people too?” The boy’s question instantly reminded Ultear of the agonizing fact that she had been abandoned by her mother, Ur.
The slight improvement in her mood plummeted immediately.
She buried her face into her knees and ignored Cain completely.
Seeing her shut down, Cain scratched his head, completely lost.
Everything was going fine a second ago, why doesn’t she want to talk anymore?
Cain began to recall the original storyline regarding Ultear, and it slowly dawned on him.
From Ultear’s perspective, she had been abandoned by Ur.
She had no idea that she was born with too much magic power, making her body unable to handle it and causing her to be constantly sick.
Seeing her daughter tormented by illness had tortured Ur as a mother.
Upon hearing that the Bureau of Magical Development could cure her condition, Ur had entrusted Ultear to them.
During that time, Ur had visited the Bureau multiple times to see her daughter, but Brain had blocked her at every turn.
Later, when the Bureau of Magical Development was caught in an explosion, Brain lied and told Ur that Ultear had perished in the blast.
Heartbroken and devastated, Ur eventually took in Lyon and Gray as her pupils, projecting all her maternal love for her daughter onto the two boys.
Ultear, who later managed to escape the Bureau, witnessed this very scene.
She mistakenly believed her mother had replaced and abandoned her, which ultimately led to her dark descent in the original plot.
Looking at Ultear’s current “keep away from me” aura, Cain guessed that she had probably already run away and been dragged back here.
If he were to say something like, “Your mom doesn’t want you anymore” right now…
Cain figured there was a high probability he’d get to see Ultear cry her eyes out.
But he wasn’t that kind of jerk.
Now that he knew the reason, things were much easier to handle.
Although he couldn’t directly tell Ultear the truth, this was her most vulnerable moment.
As long as he treated her well right now…
There was a very high chance they could become best friends.
And if he put in a little more effort later on, wouldn’t she essentially become his perfect childhood-sweetheart-turned-waifu?
Picturing what Ultear would look like when she grew up, Cain couldn’t help but let out a creepy, “Hehehe, hehehe,” laugh.
Ultear heard his laughter loud and clear.
Listening to his chuckling, her anger flared up instantly.
I’m sitting here heartbroken and miserable, and you’re beside me laughing your head off.
What is your problem?!
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got.
Ultear snapped her head up, fully prepared to use her fiercest glare to shut this little blond boy up.
Perhaps sensing her deadly gaze, Cain snapped out of his fantasies.
As he came back to reality, he saw Ultear staring daggers at him with her large, watery eyes.
Cain didn’t find her glare the least bit intimidating.
In fact, he thought it was incredibly cute.
Those chubby little cheeks paired with those big, expressive eyes—she was just too adorable.
“Wanna play with these building blocks together?” Cain shook the wooden blocks in his hand as he spoke.
His sincere tone, paired with his cute, innocent face, instantly extinguished the fire that had just flared up in Ultear’s chest, making her anger vanish without a trace.
Slightly flustered, Ultear stammered, “I-I wouldn’t play with something so childish.” Unfazed, Cain began arranging the blocks one by one.
Soon, he had formed a circular pattern on the floor.
“Ultear, look.
What do you think this is?” Ultear glanced at the shape on the floor but didn’t say a word.
Cain didn’t feel awkward at all.
“It’s the sun!
Did you really not know that?
Okay, let me make an easier one.” With that, he went back to tinkering with the blocks.
Seeing that Cain had mistaken her silence for ignorance, Ultear thought indignantly, I just don’t want to talk to you, it’s not that I don’t know!
“Alright, what about this one?” The sun pattern was gone.
In its place was a shape with a semicircle for a head, two semicircles for a body, and two trapezoids for a tail.
Not wanting Cain to look down on her, Ultear finally spoke up, “It’s a fish.” “Hehe, looks like my building skills are pretty spot-on.
Then take a look at this one!” From there, Cain started piecing the blocks into all sorts of shapes for Ultear to guess.
At first, the shapes were fairly recognizable, and Ultear could guess them easily.
But as they went on, the designs became increasingly abstract.
Soon, things like airplanes, dinosaurs, giant monsters, and masked superheroes started appearing.
This finally pushed Ultear to complain, “You’re definitely just making these up!” Cain didn’t mind her disbelief.
Honestly, looking at the abstract, blocky mess on the floor, even he couldn’t tell they were supposed to be monsters or masked heroes.
Before they knew it, their daily recreation time was over, and the children were escorted back to their respective rooms.
Laying on his bed and staring up at the stark white ceiling, Cain felt confident that it wouldn’t be long before he and Ultear escaped this place.
When the time came, he would take Ultear straight to Ur.
That way, she would never have to become one of the Seven Kin of Purgatory in the future.
From that day on, whenever recreation time rolled around, Cain would seek out Ultear to play.
Slowly but surely, their relationship deepened, and the two became fast friends.