Elf: Rewriting the script, starting with Black Stocking Hanako

The next morning, Jiang Chuan was awakened by the roar of a car engine.

He groggily opened his eyes, his gaze falling on the gray lining of the SUV's roof. The light outside was already bright; the SUV was moving along the road, the sound of the engine and the bumpy ride fully waking him up.

He slowly sat up from the back seat.

"You're awake."

Nanami's voice came from the front row.

Her hands gripped the steering wheel firmly, her gaze fixed on the road ahead. Her face was visible in the rearview mirror; her makeup was neatly done, her hair was combed smoothly, and she looked radiant with a faint smile playing on her lips.

"Sleep a little longer," Nanami glanced at him in the rearview mirror. "You worked so hard last night."

Her tone was so natural, as if nothing had happened last night.

But the subtle sweetness in her voice at the end betrayed her.

Jiang Chuan smiled and bent down to move from the back seat to the front. The SUV was fairly spacious, so he squeezed into the passenger seat, sat down, and fastened his seatbelt.

"It wasn't too hard, it's a minor issue."

Nanami smiled, pursing her lips.

That smile, with the corners of her mouth slightly upturned and her chin gently lifted, carried a hint of smugness. She wasn't like this at the research institute. Normally, she was the aloof researcher in her white lab coat, buttoned all the way up, ready to retort to anyone who spoke to her in three languages.

The woman now holding the steering wheel and glancing at him out of the corner of her eye is so different, it's like she's a completely different person.

"It's a small problem," she drawled, her voice tinged with reproach, "Am I that bad that I couldn't even get a big one in your list?"

Jiang Chuan turned his head to look at her.

The morning light slanted in through the car window, falling on her profile. Her skin was so white it almost reflected light, and her earlobes were a little red, whether from the wind or something else, it was hard to tell.

He reached out and casually tucked a few strands of hair that had been blown by the wind behind her ear.

When my fingertips touched her earlobe, her shoulders twitched slightly, but she didn't flinch.

"How could that be?" Jiang Chuan withdrew his hand, leaned back in his chair, and said casually, "You're really amazing. So amazing that I thought last night was just an impossible dream."

"You're so good at talking."

Nanami couldn't suppress the smile on her lips. Although she only said those four words, the light in her eyes betrayed her.

Jiang Chuan stretched, raising his arms to loosen his back and waist after sitting in the car all night. Then he lowered his hands and turned his gaze to the window.

The off-road vehicle had already driven onto the main road of the quarry, and the distant quarry landscape was receding further and further away in the morning light. The trees on both sides of the road rushed past, and occasionally a few pomfret would flutter their wings and fly out from the roadside bushes.

"Are we leaving so early?" Jiang Chuan withdrew his gaze. "Aren't we going to say goodbye?"

Upon hearing this, Nanami's face immediately puffed up.

She glanced at Jiang Chuan, her eyes both reproachful and coquettish, carrying a vibrant energy that she only revealed in front of him.

"You naughty boy, are you trying to embarrass your sister to death?"

She paused, then gestured with her chin towards the back of the carriage.

"With this condition and smell in my SUV, how could I possibly say goodbye to them?"

"The only thing we can do is send them a message," Nanami said, turning her gaze back to the road, "and tell them we're heading back to Pallet Town ahead of schedule."

Jiang Chuan couldn't help but laugh.

"That's true. A cool and serious female researcher can't let anyone know she's like this."

Nanami glared at him lovingly.

That look had no malice whatsoever; instead, it carried a lingering intimacy from the previous night.

"Yeah," she scoffed, "I can't let anyone know. You, a genius rookie trainer and author of popular papers, dare to let anyone know what that scoundrel looked like last night?"

"What do I look like?"

"Think about it yourself."

"I can't remember."

"Pack."

The two chatted back and forth, creating a relaxed atmosphere in the car. The SUV drove along the main road towards Zhenxin Town, the morning light stretching longer and longer behind them.

Throughout the journey, Nanami spoke noticeably more than usual.

At the research institute, she and Jiang Chuan talked quite a bit, but it was mostly about business. She spoke calmly and used precise words, and when she made a joke, she only went so far as to stop there.

It's different now.

As she drove, she chatted casually with Jiang Chuan, and the conversation drifted to some details of the previous night.

She blushed at certain points, then couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Jiang Chuan chimed in from the side, and the two of them chatted back and forth, their laughter echoing in the car.

As I drove, more and more buildings started appearing along the roadside.

We've arrived in Pallet Town.

Upon entering the town, the flow of people and vehicles was noticeably greater than in the countryside. Residents were out buying groceries, Pokémon trainers were walking their Pokémon, and several delivery trucks were weaving through the streets. Nanami eased off the accelerator, and the car gradually slowed down.

She was still talking to Jiang Chuan.

"I had no idea you had so many tricks up your sleeve at such a young age..."

"Do I have a lot of tricks up my sleeve?"

"Not enough? You..."

"Sister!" Just as Nanami and Jiangchuan were joking around, a clear boy's voice came from the roadside and pierced through the car window.

Nanami froze instantly.

She almost pressed both the brake and the accelerator at the same time, but thankfully she only pressed the brake. The SUV lurched forward and came to a stop on the side of the road.

Her expression changed in an instant.

The woman, who had been all smiles and had a spring in her eyes, instantly switched back to a slightly flustered face.

Her fingers tightened around the steering wheel, her knuckles turning white.

"elder sister!"

The sound rang out again, coming from outside the car window, getting closer and closer.

Nanami turned her head and looked out the window. Sure enough, it was Shigeru who had just returned from special training!