Chapter 396: Not 500 Years Old—She's 5!

There were many such children in Takumi's City of Hope.

When Flandre and her sister went out to play,

people often mistook them for being part of that group.

They'd even been greeted a few times

and ended up meeting some of the other kids.

However, Flandre didn't know much about them.

"I don't really know them."

"There are just too many of those kids."

"Even though I brought them all back, I didn't memorize all their names."

"But they're really good kids."

"Flandre, you should be friends with them if you get the chance."

Hearing that, Flandre blinked.

"Is there something different about those kids?"

It was a bit funny coming from her—after all, she was a child too.

But Takumi knew she was already several centuries old,

so calling those girls children was perfectly accurate.

Takumi nodded, then gave a brief explanation about the cursed "040" children.

Upon hearing what they had been through,

Flandre frowned.

"But it's all in the past."

"They'll live happily here from now on."

Takumi smiled as he said this.

Those children were the first true residents of his world.

He had been looking after them ever since.

Though many of them had gone out to work,

others—especially the infant-stage cursed children—were being cared for by a certain nun.

Some of them even worked to earn money to support their companions,

even though Takumi never demanded any payment from them.

They simply wanted to try.

For the cursed children, earning money wasn't all that hard,

especially those with high combat power.

Many became gourmet hunters.

Even Loki loved these kids,

seeing their huge potential and wanting them to join her Familia.

For example, Lan En, Yuan Zhu, and others had already joined Hestia's faction.

Now, Hestia's Familia had basically become a loli-only faction.

A loli goddess with a team of lolis—perfectly fitting.

No one knew how she pulled it off,

but she had a great reputation among the cursed children.

Naturally, with such talent,

many gods with bad intentions had also taken an interest in them.

Some even tried to force the children into their Familias.

But before they could make a move,

Prometheus delivered swift punishment.

Because of that, even though many wanted the children,

no one dared make any reckless moves.

In Takumi's world,

even if he didn't act,

the ever-present AIs would be watching.

Want to commit a crime?

Before you make a move, a robot appears beside you.

Especially now that many of them had upgraded to mecha-android forms.

They were truly everywhere.

Crime committed one second,

arrest made the next.

They could even teleport to you on the spot.

Even gods were nothing here—just kids.

Takumi's mecha units could easily suppress them.

...

While Takumi and Flandre chatted,

their food was served—personally brought by Xiangling.

"Mr. Takumi!"

Seeing him, Xiangling greeted him happily.

"Xiangling, has your master arrived yet?"

Of course, the two of them knew each other.

She hadn't noticed him earlier; it was that young girl who tipped her off.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have delivered the dishes personally.

"Nope! Master hasn't come."

"It's just me and Yaoyao this time."

"Though Yaoyao stepped out—she should be back soon."

Xiangling shook her head.

Takumi nodded.

"I see. So Yaoyao came too, huh? That's nice."

That cute little girl would probably be back any minute.

"She went out with a kid from Mondstadt."

"Said they wanted to buy some materials to upgrade their dolls."

"Seriously, they've only been here a few days and they're already thinking about modifying their toys."

She couldn't help but complain.

After arriving in this world,

Yaoyao and Klee had been fascinated by everything—especially the robots.

Seeing machines that could move and talk had their eyes sparkling.

Naturally, they wanted to try making their own.

They'd even spent days studying.

But honestly, it wasn't that simple.

If only it were that easy.

Takumi was stunned at the explanation.

"What adorable little girls."

He couldn't help but smile.

In the end, they probably wouldn't succeed.

After all, this wasn't something as simple as alchemy.

"And who's this young girl?"

After placing the dishes down,

Xiangling looked toward Flandre.

Was this Mr. Takumi's daughter?

Could it be he was already married?

She was curious.

"This is Flandre. A friend."

"Don't be fooled by how she looks. She's no ordinary little girl."

"She's actually hundreds of years old."

At this, Takumi chuckled.

Xiangling's eyes widened.

"Huh?! You're joking, right?"

Hundreds of years old?

She looks barely five!

"Takumi-nii!! Flandre is five, not hundreds of years old!!"

Flandre immediately pouted.

She minded that kind of thing.

"Alright, alright—Flandre is five."

Seeing her upset, Takumi quickly comforted her.

"Unbelievable..."

Xiangling muttered in amazement.

As expected, you could always find strange surprises in Takumi's world.

"I won't disturb your meal any further."

"Call me if you need anything."

She left after that, since the dishes were served.

Takumi nodded, then motioned Flandre to begin eating.

Just as the two were enjoying their food,

two little girls burst in from outside.

"Xiangling-jie! We're back!"

Hearing the voices, Takumi turned his head.

It was Yaoyao and Klee, with Qiqi tagging along.

Seeing the girls, Takumi called out immediately:

"Yaoyao!"

Just as she was about to speak with Xiangling,

Yaoyao heard her name and looked around.

Seeing Takumi, she lit up with joy.

She dashed over.

"Takumi-nii!"

Klee and Qiqi watched curiously.

Did Yaoyao know this person?