~10 years later~
After the incident in the daycare, Chao Yu's life returned to normal but Chao Yu unlike other kids does not have any parental support he couldn't be sent to school.
Though he was adopted by Grandpa, his earnings from the daycare were minimal, and he was not in any condition to add more expenses.
Zhu Yuan's parents however who heard of their situation decided to lend a hand and donate money for Chao Yu's education.
Touched by such action, Chao Yu and Grandpa thanked them for making such a heavy decision, and Chao Yu swore to protect Zhu Yu's parents for his life.
Now to the present, Chao Yu moved to Zhu Yuan's parents' house and unofficially became part of their family.
"Zhu Yuan! Wake up it's morning." Chao Yu who has become much older now is significantly different. His muscles were toned by his consistent gym visits, though most were covered below the school dress. If he ever took them off, most young females would squeal in joy.
"Coming!" A voice from beyond the door shouted, soon after a figure emerged from the door
Zhu Yuan though still far from her prime age has developed large 'assets' that would make any male of any age drool over, the only thing blocking such a view is her neat school outfit. Her hair though usually tied in a ponytail is now flowing down, excluding a hidden famine she rarely reveals.
"Where is your ponytail?" Observing the new look.
"I felt a new look is in order, do you like it?" Zhu Yuan played with her hair and looked at Chao Yu with an expectation of response.
"I like it." Chao Yu lets out a smile.
"She said this would work" Zhu Yuan Looked disappointed but Zhu Yuan's whisper went unnoticed.
Both of them went downstairs to the kitchen where a table full of food was present. A slightly aged man is seated at one table reading the recent newspaper with glasses.
"Morning Zhu Zhu, Albrecht. Breakfast is ready." Zhu Lang, Zhu Yuan's mom who was cleaning a pan saw the two teenagers descend the stairs.
"ugh, Mom why are you still using that nickname, it's embarrassing!" Zhu Yuan responded before she and Chao Yu took a seat and grabbed her portion of food before eating.
"Haha, to your mom, you will always be the little girl who was scared of lighting" Zhu Chang, Zhu Yuan's father stated after unintentionally listening in on the conversation.
Being used to this banter, Chao Yu put on a warm smile and ate his meal, sometimes joining in recalling embarrassing stories about Zhu Yuan.
After finishing their meal both Chao Yu and Zhu Yuan said their goodbyes and departed.
"You seemed excited." Chao Yu commented, looking at Zhu Yuan's jolly steps.
"Well duh, we got accepted to Public Security High School Departments! you know I've always been dreaming to be a PubSec officer someday." Zhu Yuan stopped her steps and turned towards Chao Yu "What about you? Aren't you excited to be accepted in such a prestigious school?"
"I'm only there to protect you, I still stand by that promise. The only reason I got accepted there is because I wield an element." Chao Yu showcased a golden flame he produced in his hand.
"That's an old promise, right? Can't you get over it?"
"I'm oath-bound I would never betray a promise I made." Chao Yu paused for a moment before continuing "And besides, even if I hadn't made that promise I would still follow you around, my princess." Hearing such a nickname Zhu Yuan's face turned slightly red.
"Wha- Ugh stop calling me that it's embarrassing." Wanting to hide the embarrassment Zhu Yuan paced faster.
Seeing Zhu Yuan's reaction Chao Yu smiled but made no effort to catch up with Zhu Yuan, keeping a reasonable distance from her to give her space to recover.
'Ugh, It's one thing to be oblivious. But it's another to flirt like that like it is nothing!!' Unknown to Zhu Yuan's inner turmoil, the rest of the walk was quiet.
Soon enough, they both reached the school's entrance and parted ways as their class was different.
Chao Yu's first class was close-quarter-combat while Zhu Yuan's was Firearm classes.
Though Chao Yu considered applying for Firearm classes, he felt too awkward holding a gun and aiming. He was more accustomed to the exhilarating feeling of getting up close and personal. Dozens of deaths have molded him into an adrenaline junkie who is aroused by the feeling of facing death.
Though Chao Yu wants to differentiate pain and facing death, though he is used to the pain, he doesn't like the feeling of it. Rather the feeling of overcoming death is what he is excited for.
Sighing at such realization Chao Yu shook his head in helplessness at his kink but made no effort to fix such an issue.
He just needed to hide it well, at least someone reported him to a mental asylum.
Sitting down on one of the empty seats, he waited for the class to start.
Throughout the class, most students were preoccupied with their agenda, and only a few truly paid attention Chao Yu was not one of them.
He felt this class was too rudimentary, most moves that were taught, he already self-discovered and refined to fit his combat style.
Most of the moves were ways to disable a weapon wielded by a target, which Chao Yu would reply by punching the target in the gut and calling it a day.
Most would call it crude, but Chao Yu would consider it effective and time-efficient. What's the difference between a negotiation situation where it would end in a fight anyway? Why not skip to the fighting part?
After the class ended, Chao Yu headed towards the canteen where he soon saw Zhu Yuan eating and chatting with a few female friends.
Noticing the approaching Chao Yu, The female group's eyes lit up and they soon huddled in expectation. Noticing the group's gazes Zhu Yuan's turned around to see Chao Yu.
"Oh hi Albrecht, what are you doing here?"
"Here, you forgot your lunch."
"Oh, thanks.. wait why did you give this to me when we were together earlier."
"I.. Kinda forgot I had them in the first place." Hearing such a response Zhu Yuan nearly burst out laughing but managed to hold a few tears back. "Nevertheless, that is all, I apologize for taking Zhu Yuan's time I shall be here no longer." After saying a few words to the group of girls he left as quick as he appeared.
"Haaa... anyway girls what were we talking about?" Recovering from the laughter Zhu Yuan turned to the group only to be met with silence. "Um, girls?"
After this little interaction, the school's social media busted in a frenzy.
"Wait! THE Zhu Yuan is dating with that guy!! AHH, I'm so envious."
"Envious of Albrecht? Are you out of your mind the lucky one is Zhu Yuan, those muscles are a thing to be thirsted for!"
Rumors spread like wildfire about the two. Though it was their first day of school, their figure alone attracted many admirers, some even dug into their history to uncover more of their traits.
"What!! Turns out they are siblings?!?!"
"The guy upstairs, surely you jest, I see no semblance in their features"
"It's true, Albrecht was adopted by their parents, they are not blood-related but indeed related in another way."
"Ughh, I'm so jealous of both of them, if I had a sibling with such heat, I wouldn't stand still!!"
"Hello police, yes this guy right here is a criminal, take him away."
"Sir, this is dominos pizza."
~
"Well, It's quite surprising by the uproar we caused." Chao Yu commented, looking at the multiple threads that were created about them, though most were baseless rumors students created for clout.
"Ughh, I blame you for this! Because of you, I was riddled with questions by my classmates, they wouldn't ask anything BUT you." Zhu Yuan sighs in exhaustion.
"Haha, I'm sorry, I didn't know we were so popular, maybe I should stop working out for a little to thin out-" Chao Yu concluded but Zhu Yuan suddenly rejected it.
"NO... uhm" Realizing what she had said, her mind went blank "Umm, I- I mean."
"Haha if you like my muscles, you should have said so, it makes it even more worth the effort. We'll just wait for the rumors to die down" Chao Yu smiled at the bewildered and fidgeting Zhu Yuan.
He's not obvious at Zhu Yuan's advances, he knew for a long time she took a liking for him, but he couldn't bring himself to accept her feelings, in his eyes, Zhu Yuan is only a little sister, growing into her adolescent stage, unaware about her own feeling.
"You want to stop by Godfinger? I heard they installed a new arcade machine." Chao Yu suggested, changing the subject to spare Zhu Yuan any more nervousness.
"Su- Sure!"
~~
After this day, their school turned to normal, each week they attended class, sometimes interacting but keeping a low number to avoid any more rumors.
As expected Zhu Yuan who is known to be a perfectionist freak, she diligently studied and always scored first in every subject, though Zhu Yuan would brag about her scores, Chao Yu was not surprised anymore and showered her with praise.
Zhu Yuan also mentioned she befriended a Thiren who she praised as being beautiful and diligent but Chao Yu couldn't meet her because of her absence in favor of training. Even Chao Yu who likes training couldn't help but fathom what kind of training she is doing to consume most of the daylight.
'Hmm, I'm lagging behind compared to her.' Chao Yu who was proud of his schedule felt inferior but Zhu Yuan assured him that her friend was the weird one and insisted on not copying her training.
Today was a normal day, they were walking to school but Chao Yu who was carefree for a moment, felt a disturbance in the air. And without being able to react, a hollow nearby suddenly expanded, swallowing both of them.
"Watch out!" Out of instinct, Chao Yu grabbed Zhu Yuan in an embrace and prepared for the teleportation.