About the time I was picked up and adopted by Tallulah

"So where are we going now?"

"Come with me to the bookstore, Orson. The novella of 'Star Wars of Finance' by the famous Rutland economist 'Bo Buffett' has just been published, and I'd like to buy it as a reference."

"It's impossible to accurately judge the content of the book from the author and the title... Anyway, judging by the sign, the bookstore should be here."

Orson asked, pointing to the bookstore on the corner that didn't seem to have much traffic.

"It covers politics, economics, and war, making it a perfect introduction for children around 15."

"These categories have absolutely nothing to do with enlightenment..."

Orson wanted to make a loud and exaggerated complaint, but when he took one look at Alina's arm that reflected the silver-white metallic luster, he finally gave in and complained quietly.

"Haha, maybe it's just like what you said, but maybe there are children who like to watch this kind of content. Recently, a real school was built in the trading hub town next to Che City. Maybe that's why I'm more excited than usual."

The smile on Alina's face became more obvious. For a substitute teacher like Orson, Alina's dream has always been to build a real school for the children.

"This time, the title 'Teacher Alina' isn't a joke, it's the truth."

Orson also happily congratulated Alina, while Xiaolu rarely showed a shy expression, turned his eyes away and went into the bookstore.

"'Teacher'... I don't know if I can be a real teacher. After all, I only took on this title temporarily because there were no regular teachers willing to teach the infected children."

"Alina, you work harder than many teachers. It's okay."

Orson naturally encouraged Alina, and at the same time, when he saw so many books, he recalled the experience of being inexplicably dragged out of the library and carrying buckets with the Bear Group.

At the beginning, Orson was still asking Lindong and the others if it was okay and whether they needed to help Gumi Zhenli share some of the burden.

As a result, it turned out that the first person to live in Bengbu was Orsen, and he could only secretly use Rest to help share the burden in order to survive.

"Work hard... yes, now everyone finally has the security to work hard with peace of mind. With the help of Rhodes Island's potions and under the protection of Kiri Castle, the children of the infected can now grow up safely. In this case, I must also work hard to teach them the knowledge to survive in society."

"Alina..."

Orson listened to Alina's words with a complex expression on his face.

On the one hand, Orson knew better than anyone the suppressed emotions behind Alina's calm words.

Facing young infected people countless times in the North, all Alina could do was to weave a beautiful fairy tale so that those children could smile when they left.

She was more unwilling than anyone else, but she had suppressed this emotion until today.

Orson was sincerely happy for Alina, but he couldn't smile. The reason was very simple -

When Alina said the words "We must teach children the knowledge to survive", she was concentrating on staring at the book "Unlimited Fighting Art" in the "Fighting and Killing Art" section on the bookshelf.

Although this is indeed survival knowledge, but...

The sound of the metal robotic arm's gears slightly wearing out finally made Orson keep his mouth shut.

"Let's just treat it as practice. Can Teacher Alina give me some guidance?"

Orson just happened to remember that when he and Zaolu were visiting Peterheim Middle School yesterday, he had thought about learning to be cunning again, so he brought it up half-jokingly while taking the opportunity to discuss the topic.

"Hmm? Orson, you used to be sulking because I took away your 'teacher' status, but now you want to be a student?"

After hearing Orson's words, Alina walked over from the bookshelf with a smile, joking in a lively tone.

"My level of teacher purity is still far from perfect... I can only tell stories, and crosstalk can satisfy that need..."

When Alina pointed out his experience as a guerrilla fighter, in which he was jealous because all his students were abducted by Alina, Orson rubbed his hair and responded sheepishly.

"Hmph, then I'll teach Orson a little bit about the Elafia race."

Seeing Orson's slightly embarrassed expression, Alina smiled, then gently knelt down on one knee and gently placed her horns in front of Orson.

"Alina, what is this...?"

Orson had no idea what Alina was doing. All he could see was Alina's horn, which had been forcibly broken off by the infected thugs in the North.

Alina never takes the initiative to show her horns to others, and everyone is tactful enough not to talk about this topic.

However, at this moment, Alina took the initiative to place her horns in Orson's field of vision, so that he could touch them with just a slight stretch of his hand.

"Come and pet it, Orson."

"What?"

"Reach out and touch my horns. I know they're a little ugly, but... please don't be disgusted."

Alina spoke with a trembling voice and a bit of shyness.

"I, I, I don't mind—I get it, Alina."

Orson quickly expressed that he did not feel any disgust, swallowed his saliva, and stretched out his palm to gently place it on the horn in front of him.

It was cool and smooth, completely different from what I had expected.

Orson carefully felt the touch of Alina's horn in his hand, and a subtle feeling slowly wandered in his heart.

Different from the "Soul Tuning", Orson used another method to gradually touch Alina's outline through his closed eyes.

Obviously, he just reached out and touched the horns, but it was this very action that created a kind of resonance between him and Alina that he could not describe at all.

"Your heartbeat and body temperature are transmitted, Orson."

Alina stood up gently and slowly pulled the horn out of Orson's palm.

Orson let out a sigh of relief. He had thought this was just a "let you touch my trophy" sort of thing, but this matter was far more formal than he had imagined, even a little... sacred?

However, once again, to Orson's surprise, the 'ritual' was not over yet.

After Alina pulled the horn out of her hand, she lowered her head slightly again. This time, the horn was right near Orson's cheek.

"This time, please... please - kiss my horn."

Alina paused, fearing that she would need to be mentally prepared for the subsequent actions.

"……Um."

Perhaps it was because he had just stroked the horn, but Orson was much calmer now. After hearing Alina's request, Orson didn't hesitate or shy. He leaned forward and placed his lips on the horn in front of him.

It was just a normal kiss, no tongues twirling, no saliva exchanged - just a normal kiss.

"Thank you for your cooperation, Orson... I didn't expect you to agree so easily. No wonder Tallulah often complains about you being so gullible... Ahem, it's nothing."

After the wonderful ceremony, Alina gently waved her drooping hair while speaking with a blush still on her cheeks.

"I've always felt insecure about my horns... Although Tallulah, Froststar, and others would kindly avoid the topic, for me in Elafia, it's an inescapable flaw."

"But... it's different now, Orson. Thank you, I'm now a complete... no, the happiest Elafia."

Alina smiled again, this time without any reserve or courtesy, but a smile of uncontrollable happiness that came from the heart.

"Alina...So, uh, what exactly did that behavior just now mean?"

Orson also smiled and nodded, then turned his head.

Alina said she wanted to teach Orson some knowledge about the Elafia race, but after all the operations, Orson was still the same boy without any change (referring to his IQ)

"for you."

"What the—Pfft!"

Alina threw a book as thick as a brick to Orson and almost got a kill.

"The Chronicle of Elafia...?"

Orson glanced at the cover in his arms, his expression becoming even more confused.

"Haha, as a qualified teacher, homework is an indispensable part~"

Alina rarely showed a mischievous smile, and facing such a deer teacher, Orson could only smile bitterly and sigh, stuffing the bricks into his shoulder bag.

——You won’t be suppressed so much that you won’t grow taller, right…?

Orson considered whether to summon Repose to help carry it.

--------

"We've bought the books and it's still early, where are we going next?"

After coming out of the bookstore, Orson asked Alina beside him if there was anywhere else she wanted to go. He didn't want to go back to the hotel and lie down before nightfall, as he didn't know if some rabbit would come over and lock the door again.

"Just take a stroll, Orson~"

Alina responded with a smile. In fact, Alina had been in a good mood since she walked out of the bookstore. This made Orson think that Alina must have bought the books she had been longing for for a long time in the bookstore.

After the two of them wandered aimlessly on the street for a while, a man who was soliciting customers on the side of the road noticed them.

"The haunted house has just been renovated, the first haunted house in Chernobyl! Our haunted house is quite large, everyone is welcome to come and play, and when you get tired of playing, just - eh? Young couple over there, why don't you try it! Couples go in, newlyweds come out, newlyweds go in, old couples come out, white-haired old people go in, and the coffin lid -"

"Don't let the elderly in! Besides, we're not a couple."

Orson complained loudly and explained that he and Alina were not in a relationship.

"It's okay, it's okay! Passersby go in, couples come out!"

"You can still improvise lyrics...Alina?"

Orson frowned and complained, then asked Alina beside him.

"Hmm, it seems like the kids are talking a lot about haunted houses lately. It seems like it would be a good idea to go in and have a look to start some conversation."

Alina nodded, then walked into the haunted house with Orson.

——Hehehe, you are so calm now, but later I will definitely make you two hug each other and cry!

The manager of the haunted house grinned wickedly in his heart.

10 minutes later--

"Ouch!"

A ghost jumped out from the corner and made a scary gesture towards the two of them, but...

"Sir, if you come out like this, you might knock down unsuspecting guests. I suggest you stay back a little next time. It will be safer that way."

Alina told the 'ghost' seriously that the place where she jumped out was a safety hazard.

"Also, there are too many flammable materials around here. It's best to replace the light source with an electronic one, so it's less likely to cause a fire."

Orson glanced at the candles on both sides of the road and analyzed.

"I see. I understand—hey, you two, at least give me some respect! It's scary in here!"

The "ghost" complained loudly to the two of them, saying that they were not here to "experience the heart-pounding feeling" at all, but were damned urban management officers who came to check fire safety.

The man who played the ghost ran out crying, while Orson and Alina looked at each other and continued walking forward.

After all, she crawled out from a pile of corpses. A haunted house of this magnitude probably wouldn't scare even Lin Yuxia now.

"The last room should be ahead—click!"

The two followed the instructions and walked to the last room. As soon as they stepped through the door, they heard the sound of the door being locked behind them.

"Well, this kind of drama is not bad."

Alina nodded. The two of them were now in a completely dark room, with only a faint green fluorescent light as lighting.

"The next step should be to find the key—"

"No, I used the frequency to detect it. Besides the green light bulb, the only thing left in this room is the door itself. So it should be a scene where the door opens automatically after a period of time."

Orson explained, and Alina nodded after hearing the news, then leaned against the wall and slowly sat down.

It was a rare quiet and uncluttered solitary room. It didn't feel like a haunted house, but rather a peaceful home.

……

……

After an unknown amount of time, no ghosts or zombies came rushing over. Orson didn't even know whether it was his or Alina's heartbeat that was beating rhythmically.

Or maybe... their heartbeats are synchronized at this moment?

"I'd better use the rest to cut the door lock—"

"It's okay, Orson. As guests, we need to experience the entire process."

Orson tried to score by brute force, but was stopped by Alina.

The room fell silent again, and after an unknown amount of time, Alina gently opened her mouth:

"...Orson, there's something I haven't told you, Tallulah, or the others."

In the silence, Alina's voice came out softly.