Due to the nature of the livestream, some scenes naturally weren't shown to the viewers.
For instance, the moment little Kafka offered herself as a bargaining chip.
The camera only captured the towel slipping to the floor.
It didn't disrupt the viewing experience for the audience, while also protecting the privacy of the person involved.
--+--
Silver Wolf: 「Kafka, never thought I'd see the day someone called you 'underdeveloped'~」
Kafka: 「Don't worry, Silver Wolf. I was only formerly called that. You, on the other hand, will be called that in the future too~」
Silver Wolf: 「Hey! I was just stating an observation, no offense meant, alright!」
Kafka: 「And I'm merely stating a fact, with no offense intended whatsoever~」
Firefly: 「Alright, Kafka, stop it. She's going to throw a tantrum in a minute~」
Silver Wolf: 「I am not going to throw a tantrum, okay!」
Kiana: 「So, what's Mr. Bai Heng's reason for all this? From the looks of it, neither adopting little Kafka nor training her to be a Demon Hunter seems to benefit him at all.」
Stelle: 「Well, y'know, is it possible that since he can't find a suitable partner, he decided to raise his ideal type himself?」
March 7th: 「Will you please stop with this whole 'daddy adoption' scenario already! Geez!」
Paimon: 「Anyway, let's just keep watching. Bai Heng must have his reasons for doing this~」
--+--
[You brought that girl with long purple hair and amethyst eyes home, telling her that from now on, you would be each other's family.]
[But clearly, the girl didn't understand what you meant by 'family.' A life long shrouded in darkness had completely blurred her definition of the word.]
[You explained your goal to her—to train her into an excellent Demon Hunter.]
[The price she had to pay was simply to never let go of the fear in her heart, to never fall and become a demon herself.]
[Though puzzled by this, Kafka still gave a small, gentle nod and agreed.]
[And the very next day, this girl brought a certain change to your life.]
Early morning, a second before the alarm was set to ring, Bai Heng opened his eyes.
His long life as a Demon Hunter had honed a biological clock as precise as machinery—asleep at a fixed time, awake at a set hour.
Pushing open his bedroom door and entering the living room, Bai Heng immediately noticed the subtle differences in the apartment.
The dust was gone from some furniture, the floor gleamed, polished to a shine, reflecting the morning light.
And in one corner of the living room, he spotted a small figure clad in an oversized white shirt.
She was kneeling on the floor, scrubbing diligently with a rag in hand. Fine beads of sweat dotted her forehead, and her pale, delicate face was smudged with a bit of dust from the cleaning, but she paid it no mind, her expression serious as she focused on her task.
"What are you doing?"
Bai Heng's sudden question made the small figure flinch.
Little Kafka turned around, timidly holding up the rag in her hand, and uttered two simple, clear words:
"Cleaning."
"I know. What I mean is, what's your reason for doing this?" Bai Heng pressed.
Fidgeting with the rag, his questioning made a look of panic flash across little Kafka's face.
It took a while before she managed to squeeze out a sentence.
"To prove my worth..."
Yes, to prove her worth.
That was the only thing Pteruges-V had taught little Kafka over all these years.
If you didn't want to be abandoned, you had to prove you still had value.
Even though Bai Heng had said those words and made that promise yesterday.
Little Kafka knew well—yesterday's words might not hold true today.
That was why she was cleaning the room this morning.
After saying those words, she cautiously glanced up at Bai Heng, and seeing his furrowed brow, she quickly lowered her head again, looking like she was waiting for a scolding.
However, no sharp rebuke came, nor any harsh blows.
Instead, there was only a soft, helpless sigh, and a warmth she felt on top of her head.
Little Kafka looked up, dazed, into Bai Heng's dark brown eyes. Those eyes, which usually made people instinctively shudder, held no anger, no blame.
Instead, they held something she couldn't quite understand yet.
Something called compassion.
"I told you yesterday, this is your home. That means you and I are family now..."
"Things like proving your worth..."
"Aren't necessary between family."
Gently ruffling the girl's hair, Bai Heng kept his tone as soft as he could.
"Family... what is that?"
Little Kafka blinked, her amethyst eyes filled with confusion.
Bai Heng fell silent for a moment. After a pause, he spoke slowly, his heart feeling somewhat heavy:
"Family... means protecting each other, never giving up on each other, caring for one another. When you have something delicious, you instinctively want to share it with them. When something painful happens, you instinctively seek solace in them."
"All the good things, the bad things... you can tell your family. They won't complain about your negative feelings. When you're happy, your family will sincerely rejoice with you. When you're sad, they'll offer you comfort."
"Those who can do all that... are family."
"That sounds... hard. I might not be able to become family with you..." Little Kafka's small face tightened slightly, looking troubled. Some of what Bai Heng said, she still couldn't fully grasp.
"That's alright. You're still just a child. You have plenty of time to understand, to learn."
"Before you understand, I'll fulfill my role as family first."
Finished speaking, and under little Kafka's still-confused gaze, Bai Heng stood up.
"Alright, I have to go to work now. Stay here at home. There are drinks in the fridge, and bread in the kitchen. If you're hungry, help yourself to some."
"Don't answer the door for anyone, just wait quietly for me to come back."
After giving his instructions, and seeing little Kafka's slight nod, Bai Heng threw his overcoat from the sofa over his shoulders and left.
Though he called it work, when the organization hadn't assigned any demon extermination missions, most of his time was spent idling away at the agency.
By the time the setting sun painted the sky and Bai Heng returned home carrying a large bag of daily necessities, little Kafka was already asleep on the sofa.
On the dining table sat a piece of bread, neatly placed on a plate.
Beside it was a small note.
On it, a few words were scrawled in clumsy handwriting:
"Wanted to give it to you."
This was the first step the girl had taken, wanting to become family with Bai Heng.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.