Chapter 154. Pro the General, Mission Accomplished!
"Sorry, something held me up, and I'm late."
The door opened, and Olivia hurried in, catching her breath with a smile on her face.
"It's fine, Sister.
You can go handle your own things.
You don't have to keep me company all the time."
Hearing the cheerfulness in Kiana's tone, Olivia raised her eyebrows in surprise.
After just one night apart, Kiana seemed much better.
At least that forced smile was gone.
Olivia looked over curiously and saw Kiana, utterly focused, flicking out a metal lid.
Then a black blur darted out.
It bunched its strength, leapt, and snatched the lid from the air with dancing paws.
"Nicely done, you're amazing!" Kiana cheered, delighted.
"Pro?
Why is it here?" Olivia's eyes widened a little.
"You know it?
It's my friend now," Kiana said with a smile.
She sat up on the bed, bent her thin arms, turned her palm up with the back of her hand close to the floor, and watched Pro nervously.
Pro did not hesitate in the slightest.
It climbed into Kiana's palm and plopped down.
Feeling the fluffy touch, Kiana's smile grew, and she seemed more spirited as a whole.
"It's called Pro, right?" Kiana leaned back against the headboard, stroking Pro's fur and speaking softly.
"Mm-hmm.
It's also one of the magical creatures Duncan keeps, the one I told you about yesterday," Olivia said, taking a seat on the chair.
Right now she was very curious why Pro had appeared here, but seeing Kiana's smile, this seemed like a good thing.
"It's really adorable.
I never realised magical creatures were so interesting.
In school I always thought it was a dull subject," Kiana said with a soft laugh.
"Blame our professor for being such a stick-in-the-mud old man," Olivia shrugged.
"He thinks if we memorise the things in the book, we'll understand magical creatures.
It's nowhere near that simple."
Kiana nodded in agreement and gently rubbed Pro's soft tummy with her fingertips.
Olivia watched with smiling eyes for a while, when her peripheral vision suddenly caught a sheet of parchment at the side.
A few lines of cramped letters were written on it, but it was a bit too far for her to make out.
"Did you write that?
What does it say?" Olivia asked, leaning forward to get a closer look.
"Ah?
N-nothing!"
Kiana snapped to, flustered, and crumpled the suicide note she had written earlier into a ball and stuffed it under the pillow.
She didn't know what expression Olivia would show if she read those sorrowful, world-weary words.
But there was one thing she knew very well — she would be socially dead (mortified).
Olivia would definitely use this to tease her in the future.
She had found joy in life again.
She didn't want to die now.
She wanted to live.
So this black history absolutely must not fall into Olivia's hands.
"Really?" Olivia arched a brow and narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"Oh, come on, Sister, just trust me.
There's really nothing there!" Kiana slipped a touch of cutesy pleading into her voice.
Seeing Kiana's condition improving by the minute, Olivia smiled in relief.
"All right, all right, I believe you."
"Heh-heh, you really are the best sister!" Kiana quietly breathed out.
She petted Pro with one hand and happily chatted with Olivia.
As they talked, the topic drifted to Duncan and the interesting magical creatures in his case.
Kiana's curiosity grew stronger and stronger, and scenes formed in her mind with Olivia's words.
She blurted out, "Sister, could you take me to have a look inside his case?"
"Eh?
You want to go out?" Olivia sprang up from the chair, her face full of surprise.
"No — is that not allowed?"
Thinking she had made things difficult for her sister, Kiana hurried to add, "I was just saying it casually…"
"No, that's not what I meant, it's just that I—"
Olivia tried to explain in a hurry, but her brain stalled.
Her waving hand came down hard.
"Right — wait here.
I'll go ask for you now and be right back!"
As soon as she finished, Olivia dashed out of the room in a flurry.
A few days ago, when she had rescued Kiana, Kiana wouldn't step out of the room no matter what was said.
But now the situation had spun one hundred and eighty degrees — Kiana had actually taken the initiative to ask to see inside the case.
It was simply unbelievable.
It was the best news she had heard in days.
Olivia suppressed the urge to jump with joy, picked up speed, and charged off like a whirlwind.
Duncan, where are you now?
About ten minutes later, in the work shed inside the case.
Olivia took the last five steps in a single bound and landed on solid ground, calling Duncan's name loudly.
But no one answered.
There was no sign of Duncan in the work shed.
Olivia couldn't spare a breath.
She ran out the door, rose on her toes to scan around, and then sprinted toward the grassland with balloons drifting.
"Duncan, Duncan!"
Olivia waved and called, panting for breath.
At that moment, Duncan was recording the state of those animal balloons to provide data for Professor Snape's research.
Hearing the voice, he raised his head and looked over in puzzlement.
"Olivia, you're in such a rush to find me.
What's the matter?"
"I — I…" Olivia stopped, bent over with her hands on her knees, and took a huge breath.
Then she rattled off at top speed, "My younger sister wants to come and see inside your case.
I was wondering if you would agree?"
When she finished, Olivia looked at Duncan expectantly.
Her heart pounded, terrified of hearing the word no from his mouth.
"Would that be all right?
She'll just take a turn around, look from a distance, won't touch anything, and won't harm any creature!"
Duncan raised a hand to cut off the excited Olivia and said with a smile, "I've thought it over, and it seems I've no reason to refuse."
"You agree?" Olivia blinked, her eyes sparkling with delight.
"Of course," Duncan said.
"When are you planning to bring her over?"
"This afternoon, if that's okay?
I want her to see it as soon as possible," Olivia said.
"But if it's inconvenient for you, we can discuss another time — whatever suits your schedule."
"Mm… that works.
I've nothing on this afternoon anyway," Duncan nodded.
"Wonderful!
Thank you so much!"
Olivia bowed to Duncan, then tore off at a run.
"I'm going to tell my sister this good news right now!"
Mori and the other beasts watched the hurried-in, hurried-out Olivia in confusion.
"What did she come for?" they asked curiously.
"The Pro we sent out on assignment seems to have completed its mission perfectly," Duncan said, looking back.
"What?
That unreliable fellow Pro actually managed it?" Kray and Mori shouted in unison.
"Boss, that's brilliant!" the Erumpents Ari and Charlie leapt up, cheering at the top of their lungs.
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