Girl in the Box: Please tell me why I was reincarnated as a mimic monster!

"Okay... okay..."

Xuanze hung up the phone, and the three sisters stood there stunned for a while. Ning looked as if she had uncovered some big news, Li hadn't reacted to what was happening on Xuanze's end, and Xiao was biting her fingernails in a daze.

"Anyway..." Li opened the portal, "Let's go there first..."

…………

"Huh?!" Xiao Qiu raised an eyebrow. "You said you were bringing a friend?"

"That's how it is." Xuanze put his phone back in his pocket. "Miss Fang has agreed."

"Wait, wait, wait?" Xiao Qiu immediately caught up with him. "I'm going too."

"Where are you going?" Xuanze glanced at her.

"Of course I'm going," Xiao Qiu snorted. "Who knows if you're planning to bring back all the shady friends you've met in the past six months? This is an orphanage, you know. If you bring back those shady characters, I absolutely won't let them in. Even if Mom says it's okay, I won't allow it. It will cause problems with the upbringing of my other siblings."

"Tch," Xuanze scoffed uninterestedly. "No fun. If you want to come along, then come along. Anyway, half a year has passed, and you know this place much better than I do. I'll leave the task of finding someone to you later."

"Hey? Wait a minute, am I being used as a laborer?"

"Thinking too much."

Xuanze's perfunctory attitude infuriated Xiaoqiu. She hated Xuanze's attitude. Although Xuanze had maintained this attitude since their first meeting at the orphanage, Xiaoqiu couldn't help but mock him. He was someone who could easily accomplish most things if he put in the effort, but he just refused to work hard and maintained a docile attitude.

If Xuanze couldn't be relied upon, she could only try her best to catch up with him and become a role model for her younger siblings in the orphanage. And she did achieve that, but she still felt something was missing. It wasn't until Xuanze suddenly disappeared six months ago that she discovered what that missing thing was.

Now that Xuanze is back, Xiaoqiu doesn't want him to go off and fool around with someone again, because birds of a feather flock together, and those friends are probably no good either. Of course, not wanting her younger siblings to have a bad impression is also a reason, but the main reason is that she hopes Xuanze can stay here and remain the same as before. So, Xiaoqiu went with Xuanze without hesitation.

To be honest, she was a little nervous because she didn't know if she, as a girl, could handle Xuanze's friends. What if they were a few delinquents? She was just an orphan and didn't want to trouble her mother, which made her very uneasy.

She followed Xuanze as they left the orphanage. Once they reached the outer area, her unease intensified. This wasn't a distance she could run back to the orphanage in just a few minutes. If something went wrong now, she really wouldn't know what to do.

"found it."

After catching sight of a few figures in the crowd, Xuanze suddenly quickened his pace. Xiao Qiu, who was standing there in a daze, was startled and quickly followed. Then, the two of them stopped in front of three girls.

"Ah, we've found Mo, Xuanze!"

The petite girl pointed at Xuanze and shouted.

"Eh……?"

Xiao Qiu stared dumbfounded at the three girls in front of her, then looked at Xuan Ze with an incredulous expression on her face.

"Uh..." Li asked, "Xuanze...who is this...?"

"This one?" Xuanze tapped Xiaoqiu's head. "Just think of her as a tagalong who insisted on coming along."

"Who's the tagalong?!" Xiao Qiu retorted angrily with three slaps to the face. "And what's more! Comparing girls to tagalongs is disgusting!"

"Didn't you insist on coming here on your own?" Xuanze asked, having just received three slashes.

"That's not wrong..."

Touched on a sore spot, Xiao Qiu didn't know how to respond, and her arrogance subsided slightly. Moreover, treating Xuan Ze like that in front of outsiders seemed somewhat inappropriate. However, what intrigued people even more was how Xuan Ze had managed to seduce these three beautiful girls.

Xiao Qiu's gaze shifted to the three girls. They were all exceptionally beautiful, but not quite quite stunningly gorgeous. Even Xiao Qiu felt a pang of regret; they were just a hair's breadth away from perfection, and that slight imperfection was truly disappointing. These three must be the guests and friends Xuan Ze had mentioned; they didn't seem like bad people.

"Hello," Xiao Qiu introduced herself hastily. "I'm Xuan Ge's sworn sister, you can call me Xiao Qiu. You must be Xuan Ge's friends?"

“Yes, that’s right.” Li introduced himself on behalf of the other two, “I am Chen Li, the somewhat aloof older sister is Chen Ning, and the youngest one, the lively little one, is Chen Xiao.”

"Huh? The three sisters?" Xiao Qiu asked in surprise.

“Yes,” Li nodded, and said with a wry smile, “Although we don’t look quite alike, we are truly three sisters.”

“No, I’m not doubting that you three aren’t sisters…” Xiao Qiu waved her hands repeatedly.

Although the three sisters look somewhat different, they are all top-tier beauties, probably inheriting their parents' excellent genes. Since she didn't know much about them, that was the only conclusion Xiao Qiu could draw. But…

"Um," Xiao Qiu asked, "I'd like to ask... how did the three of you meet Brother Xuan?"

"Eh……?"

This time, the three sisters were stunned, because they hadn't expected this situation. Xuanze suddenly brought a foster sister over and asked a question they weren't prepared for at all. But they couldn't just tell her how they met in the other world, could they? It was too fantastical no matter what. Besides, what would Xiao Qiu think if she knew that Xuanze was the Demon King? That was really worrying.

"Hey," Xuanze tapped Xiaoqiu's head, "Don't waste time here. These things can be discussed when we get back. Don't leave people stranded on the road because of something like this, okay?"

"Ah... I'm sorry." Xiao Qiu was very polite. "Well, let Xuan Ge and I take you to our house. I'm sorry I didn't notice that."

"It's alright, it's alright." Li waved her hand with a smile. "On the contrary, we didn't tell you about this before we came, and we're sorry to have troubled you to come out and pick us up."

"No, no." Xiao Qiu waved her hand. "I'd also like to meet Brother Xuan's friends. How about we talk as we walk?"

Chapter 26 The Past of Demon King Xuanze

"I really didn't expect it to be a welfare institution like an orphanage..."

Upon arriving at their destination, Li and Ning displayed an unexpected expression.

"What are you standing there for?" Xuanze walked to the door. "Aren't you going in? You said you wanted to come and take a look, right?"

"Hey, how can you treat guests like this!" Xiao Qiu immediately kicked Xuan Ze into the room, then turned around with a refreshing smile, "Well, don't mind what Brother Xuan said, just come in."

"Then excuse me."

But upon closer reflection, some things become clear. For example, why did they hear the sounds of children playing and laughing on the other end of the call? However, they still didn't understand why Xuanze would come and go from such a place. It seemed quite unlike the Demon King's style. After all, it was indeed a rather unlikely scenario that the vicious and unruly Demon King would be with so many difficult children.

But that's exactly what happened... It's a really amazing thing...

Upon entering the orphanage, the first thing you see is a large hall furnished with many long tables and small stools, presumably for the children living there. In a corner of the hall is a whiteboard, likely used by the staff to teach the children; judging by its condition, it seems to have been in use for quite some time.

"Um," Li asked somewhat embarrassedly, "how many children are there here?"

“There were fifty-seven children in total, or fifty-nine if you include me and Xuan-ge.” Xiao Qiu remembered this very clearly. “There were thirty-two boys and twenty-five girls. Only Xuan-ge and I were older than twelve.”

"There are so many people..." Li was surprised on one hand, and felt sympathy on the other.

After returning to this world, Li noticed some changes in society while using her phone; supposedly, it had entered a stage of comprehensive well-being. But, as expected, this situation still occurred…

"How old are you and Xuanze?" Ning asked.

“I’ll be sixteen by the end of this year.” Xiao Qiu patted Xuan Ze’s back hard. “This guy should be nineteen by now, right? He hasn’t made any progress.”

"You two are already this big?" Li asked, somewhat surprised.

Is it possible that some people are still not sent out of the orphanage at the age of sixteen...? Xuanze is even nineteen and still hasn't left the orphanage. What is going on...?

"Don't overthink it." Xuanze turned around and added, "The only reason this girl and I haven't left the orphanage is because the orphanage is short-staffed."

"We're short-staffed?" Li tilted his head.

"You'll understand once you come and meet the person in charge."

With these questions in mind, the three sisters followed Xuanze up to the second floor. At this moment, Xiaoqiu suddenly remembered something and pulled Xuanze back.

"...? What are you doing?" Xuanze, who had been pulled back, glanced at Xiaoqiu.

"You, go downstairs." Xiao Qiu pointed downstairs.

"Why go down there?" Xuanze asked, somewhat confused.

“Just go down when I tell you to,” Xiao Qiu pushed Xuan Ze in a different direction. “My younger siblings are playing in the yard, and I’m a little worried that no one is watching them, so I’m asking you to take care of them.”

"That kind of thing you yourself..."

"Get down here right now!"

"Hello!?"

True to her word, Xiao Qiu kicked Xuan Ze without hesitation, sending him tumbling down the stairs. Normally, such a dangerous act should be avoided under any circumstances. But Xiao Qiu didn't hesitate; Xuan Ze nimbly dodged the kick, but lost his balance and began to fall.

"what--!"

Xiao Qiu then realized that she had done something terrible.

Snapped!

Just then, a small hand grabbed Xuanze who was falling. It was Xiao. Xiao caught Xuanze's hand in time, then gently pulled him back, before letting go and turning away as if she had done something completely ordinary.

"Ha... thanks." Xuanze patted Xiao's head, then glared at Xiao Qiu. "Don't do anything so dangerous again. Understand?"

"I'll be careful..." Xiao Qiu said apologetically, putting her hands together, while also expressing her gratitude to Xiao.

Xuanze didn't say anything more, simply leaving the second floor and heading towards the first floor, eventually disappearing into the corridor. Li glanced at Xiao, knowing she was very happy. If she weren't wearing the bracelet, she probably would have seen her tail wagging wildly. It seemed she truly had feelings for the Demon King…

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry for causing you trouble..." Xiao Qiu said apologetically, "It's my fault, I shouldn't have done that."

"It's nothing, it's nothing," Li waved her hand. "Since you insisted on getting Xuanze away, there must be something you don't want to say to him, right?"

"That's pretty much it..." Xiao Qiu nodded, then continued, "I'll take the three of you to see Mom. She probably has something to say to you too."

The four of them went up to the kitchen on the second floor. The kitchen was furnished with many chairs and tableware. A fragrant aroma wafted from the kitchen. Soon, they saw the figure of a middle-aged woman.

"Mom," Xiao Qiu called out affectionately, "Xuan-ge's friend is here!"

"Oh," Miss Fang seemed startled and quickly turned around, wiping the water off her hands. "Hey, hey, you're here already. Hello, you three little girls."

"Hello, Auntie." Li and Ning greeted Miss Fang politely, while Xiao, who didn't understand Earth's language, cleverly bowed to show her respect.

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry," Miss Fang said apologetically. "Since I'm the only one in the family who does all the housework, I haven't prepared anything to entertain the three of you."

“It’s alright,” Ning said. “It was just that our request was too sudden.”

"Is Miss Fang cooking for the children right now?" Li looked into the kitchen.

“Yes, yes,” Miss Fang nodded and said, “I’m the only one responsible for taking care of the children, so I have to prepare meals a little earlier.”

"Then I'll help too, Xiao Qiu. Do you have any aprons?"

"Eh? Um? Sister Chen Li?"

As soon as Li entered, he became eager to try, and now he was even playing with his sleeves, ready to help Miss Fang.

"It's alright," Ning said with a smile. "Her cooking skills are excellent, so there's no need to worry."

"No, no, I can't accept this!" Xiao Qiu said hurriedly, "You are our guests!"

"Let's treat it as a volunteer activity?"

Li smiled, picked up an apron hanging on the wall and put it on, then tied her hair up, looking quite like a thrifty young woman. Since she had already prepared everything, Miss Fang couldn't refuse, so she thanked her and helped Li prepare lunch for the children at the orphanage. The other three found a seat and watched from the side.

"Oh my, I really didn't expect three girls like you to come and help me!" Miss Fang smiled, revealing her wrinkles, but it was clear that she was very happy. "What surprised me the most is that all three of you are Xuanze's friends."

“Yeah,” Xiao Qiu laughed. “I thought someone like Brother Xuan was destined to never make any friends in his life. I never expected that after disappearing for half a year, he would come back and meet three girls like these, and even bring them home. It’s still a bit unbelievable.”

"Eh..." Li asked, "Is Xuanze also an orphan?"

“Hmm,” Miss Fang handed Li the chopped meat, “I remember that child came when he was eight years old. He was a very eccentric person back then.”

"Eh..." Li nodded.

Judging from his appearance, Xuanze must have been an isolated oddball before going to that world, and an orphan at that, so it's not surprising that he has such a strange personality. But Xuanze's background is truly astonishing; this demon king actually had such an experience.

"Speaking of which..." Li asked, "Are children as old as Xiao Qiu and Xuan Ze still unable to leave the orphanage?"

“Well…their situation is a bit special…” Miss Fang said with a wry smile, “Xiao Qiu is always worried that I can’t handle things on my own. There was a nice family that came to adopt her before, but no matter how much we tried to persuade her, she stubbornly refused to leave.”

"Mom, do you mean you want to kick me out?" Xiaoqiu asked.

"No, no," Miss Fang said with a wry smile, "I just hope that Xiao Qiu can have a better living environment."

"I think it's already pretty good here," Xiao Qiu said. "Mom has supported my schooling, so I should finish my studies first. Besides, Mom, you can't take care of so many younger siblings by yourself."

"Don't worry," Miss Fang said. "Recently, more and more people have come to adopt, and many children have already found good homes and been sent away. As for Xuanze, there's definitely no need to worry. That child just needs a place to stay. What worries me more is you, Xiao Qiu."

"Is Xiao Qiu still in school?" Li asked.

"Yes, I'll be taking the high school entrance exam this year," Xiao Qiu said.

"Hmm...it's March now..." I thought to myself, "There are only about a hundred days left, right? Have you thought about where you're headed for the future?"

"Hmm... I've already secured a spot in the guaranteed admission program... so I guess I'll continue my studies." Xiao Qiu said, leaning on the table. "Fortunately, it's still a school in Dali, which makes it easier for me to go home and help my mom."

"A direct admission..." Ning smiled. "That's really impressive. Xuanze actually has such an outstanding adopted sister. Compared to that guy, you're much better."

"It's not that I'm particularly good..." Xiao Qiu said helplessly, "Brother Xuan is actually a very capable person, he just doesn't work hard enough usually."

I can tell……

The three sisters understood this especially well. The Demon King was indeed the Demon King; he must possess some extraordinary abilities. This person was unbelievably strong. As the Demon King, he still ruled over the demon city. But these things sounded extremely unrealistic in this world, and they probably wouldn't believe it if it were told to them.

"Hey, speaking of which," Xiao Qiu asked curiously, "how did you guys meet Brother Xuan? Where has he been for the past six months?"

The question they had been avoiding on the way here has finally come to light. They had been using other topics to evade it the whole way, but now there's no escaping it. What's meant to happen will happen, and the three of them have to face this issue. There's no point in delaying it any longer.

“Um,” Ning asked, “didn’t Xuanze tell you two about this?”