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Hanno stepped forward and crouched down beside the child, gently pulling out a tissue to wipe the child's tears. "Don't cry. No one wants you, but I do. How about living with me and your brother from now on?"
The child blinked with wide eyes, filled with hope. "Really? You want to take me in?"
"Of course!" Hanno replied softly.
"But... but..." the child hesitated, lowering their head as the light in their eyes dimmed. "I can see monsters, and I bring misfortune to those around me..."
The child's voice grew quieter, memories flooding back of how their uncle and aunts had treated them well at first, just like this big sister. But later, the accidents caused by monsters made them start to dislike him, pushing him away and refusing to take him in. Would this big sister do the same? Perhaps it was better not to hope at all.
"It's okay; I can see monsters too."
"Really?" The child suddenly looked up, their eyes shining brighter than the sun.
"Absolutely." Hanno scooped up the child in her arms. "Now let's go home."
"Sister Atobe—" the child's aunt called out to Hanno. As the eldest daughter of the largest landowner in the area, nearly everyone in Hachihara recognized her. "Are you really going to adopt this child?"
"Yes," Hanno said as she handed the child over to Elder Brother Li, then turned back to the child's aunt. "Lady Eguchi, I really like this child. I'll be sending a lawyer and some servants over to your house shortly to handle the adoption paperwork. Please gather all of this child's belongings for them; make sure nothing is left behind, especially any heirlooms from their elders."
"Y-yes," Lady Eguchi stammered, intimidated by Hanno's presence. She nodded repeatedly, determined to collect everything for the child without missing a single item.
"Brother, what's your name?"
"My name is Natsume Takashi!"
Indeed, this outing had led to the abduction of the protagonist from Natsume's Book of Friends.
The young Kageki was curious about his sister bringing home a child after just one trip. Natsume's obedient and warm personality endeared him to Kageki, who excitedly began teaching him how to play tennis. Initially opposed to Hanno adopting a child, the Atemu couple changed their minds after learning that this child was not ordinary; he could see monsters and possessed a family heirloom that listed monster names and could command them. For high society people, everything else was trivial—what mattered most was benefit.
The lawyer and servants worked quickly; within no time at all, they completed Natsume's adoption paperwork and brought back Reiko Natsume's belongings to the Aizawa Family estate. Hanno instructed her servants to leave a substantial check for Lady Eguchi's family, which delighted them immensely. Not only were they rid of a jinx but they also received such a large sum of money—truly a turn of fortune for them. Other relatives of the Natsume family were envious of the Eguchi family, wondering why Sister Atobe hadn't adopted Natsume while he was under their care; if she had, that money would have been theirs.
Knowing about Natsume's uniqueness, the Aizawa Family members naturally believed his words unlike his relatives who doubted him. With Hanno and Elder Brother Li as protectors, no monsters dared approach or bully Natsume anymore; only kind-hearted monsters would come near him and listen to his words without causing harm to ordinary people. As a result, incidents of ordinary people getting hurt ceased entirely, allowing Natsume to grow more lively each day.
Hanno was flipping through "Natsume's Book of Friends," which was written in the language of youkai that she couldn't understand, but Elder Brother Li could. Elder Brother Li taught Hanno how to read the youkai script, and soon Hanno was able to comprehend "Natsume's Book of Friends." However, neither of them had any intention of claiming the Friend's Book for themselves; it was meant for Natsume Takashi, and when he grew up, they would pass it on to him.
"Natsume Takashi has strong Spiritual Energy, almost comparable to Gowei," Elder Brother Li said. "How do you plan to arrange his training? Should he learn Yin-Yang Techniques or practice with us?"
Hanno replied, "Although Takashi is a good child, I absolutely will not pass on the cultivation methods of Huaxia to a Nihong person. The Hanaikain Family is far away in Kyoto; if we send Takashi there, he might think we don't want him anymore. The Sunset Shrine is also in Tokyo. When we confront Gowei about returning from ancient times to modernity, we can take Takashi along and let him learn exorcism from Gowei. In the meantime, we can teach him some spells that will be sufficient for his use."
Elder Brother Li nodded in agreement, thinking Hanno's plan was quite good.
A polite knock sounded at the door. Hanno smiled and called out cheerfully, "Come in, dear."
The Child walked in with a surprised expression. "Sister, how did you know it was me?"
"Because you're the most polite one at home!" Hanno ruffled the Child's hair. "Why aren't you playing tennis with Brother Kageki?"
"Natsume Takashi replied, "Brother Kageki went out; he made plans with friends."
Hanno understood; it must be a gathering with his tennis club teammates. "Are you bored staying at home? How about I take you out to play?"
Natsume Takashi initially thought he wasn't bored—there was a television and a game console at home, along with many high-quality and interesting toys that could keep him occupied for hours. Yet he still wanted to stay close to Hanno. In his young heart, Hanno and Elder Brother Li had reached out to him during his sad moments and brought him happiness; naturally, he felt closest to them. Now that Hanno wanted to take him out, he nodded vigorously, his face lighting up with joy and anticipation.
"Go change your clothes; we'll wait for you at the front door," Hanno said as she patted Natsume Takashi's head.
"Okay." Takashi nodded eagerly and dashed off.
After a while, Natsume appeared before Hanno and Elder Brother Li wearing a thick new down jacket. The jacket was black and white with a fluffy hood that resembled a rolling shape—one of Takashi's favorites. Hanno had personally bought this for him since his old clothes were worn out and short; although they could still fit, they lacked warmth, so Hanno had thrown all those old clothes away.
Elder Brother Li and Hanno each took one of Natsume's hands as he walked between them like a child being led by his parents. Natsume's eyes turned red as memories flooded back of his parents holding his hand when they went out together during happy times. Sniffling, he lowered his head to hide the tears from Hanno and Elder Brother Li. They both pretended not to notice.
The three arrived in front of an old shrine that looked quite worn down. Hanno immediately spotted a statue resembling a Lucky Cat and pointed it out to Natsume. "Dear, do you think that statue is cute?"
"Very cute!" Natsume nodded vigorously. The chubby Lucky Cat figure was indeed adorable, drawing Natsume closer as he reached out to touch the statue.
Unbeknownst to them how the seal would be broken, once Natsume's hand made contact with the statue, the seal lifted, and a plump Lucky Cat appeared before them. "Oh! It's the scent of Reiko Natsume. Hey there, kid! Who is Reiko Natsume to you?"
Natsume Takashi couldn't imagine being without Cat Teacher by his side. Hanno's purpose in taking Natsume out was to find Madara and release him. Although Madara initially refused to be a child's companion, under the overwhelming strength of Hanno and Elder Brother Li, Cat Teacher recognized the situation and obediently allowed himself to be held by the child.
With kind older siblings who treated him like a young master and servants who cared for him, along with Cat Teacher's presence, Natsume's childhood was filled with happiness. As he grew up, he became a gentler and warmer boy than in the original story, treating all kind spirits well while evil ones could not harm him at all. At the age of fifteen, Hanno returned Friend's Book to Natsume, marking the official beginning of Natsume's story.
The first thing Hanno and Elder Brother Li did upon returning to the modern world was to confront Jia Qianjun. However, they found that he was not home and had even neglected his work, disappearing instead. Eventually, they learned from Malangyu, who had returned home after a period of cultivation, that Jia Qianjun had gone to Qingcheng Mountain Secret Realm.
"Shishu is attempting to break through to the Nascent Soul Stage. Uncle Jia is worried about Shishu and has been waiting outside his cave," Malangyu said enviously. The Nascent Soul! What an impressive existence; aside from Hanno and Elder Brother Li, there was no one else in the current cultivation world at that level! If Shishu succeeded in forming a Nascent Soul, he would become the first person in the cultivation world—though he didn't yet know how much more powerful his uncle was.
"Advancing to Nascent Soul?" Hanno exchanged glances with Elder Brother Li. Long Wenwen had already possessed celestial-level strength during their time in Shushan Swordplay World; couldn't she bring that power into her modern body as well?
With these questions in mind, they headed toward Qingcheng Mountain Secret Realm. After living together in this world for many years, Hanno and Long Wenwen had developed a very close friendship. She was worried about Long Wenwen; hadn't Jia Qianjun been guarding her side all this time?
"Wenwen just formed her infant?" Hanno asked as soon as she saw Jia Qianjun. Jia Qianjun inherited the memories of Eastern Emperor Taiyi and understood much more than she and Elder Brother Li did as novices in the cultivation world.
Jia Qianjun wiped his face to calm his agitated feelings. "Wenwen is different from you guys; she used all the energy gained from Shushan World to recover her past life memories and heal her soul wounds. The remaining energy could only allow her to form an infant."
"Past life?" Hanno exclaimed in surprise. "Could it be that Wenwen is like you, someone powerful in her previous life?"
Just as Jia Qianjun was about to respond, the atmosphere suddenly turned gloomy...
Wishing everyone a happy Spring Festival! May your new year be filled with joy and prosperity! Wishing you peace and happiness throughout your life!
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