Phil, of course, had no idea that she had already been brought up at SAVE’s highest-level meeting, or that they were even discussing countermeasures against her.

So at this moment, Phil was still out on a date with the carefree Monica.

The rest of the itinerary went pretty smoothly overall… probably.

If you ignore the fact that Monica got so excited playing the claw machine that she almost shook the whole thing apart, resulting in them being kicked out by the staff.

If you ignore the fact that Monica almost blew through her entire budget on the spot at the toy store because she thought, “This would be great for Xiao Nan,” and “That would be good for Ah Lu too.”

If you ignore the fact that Monica ate too much ice cream against Phil’s advice, ending up with a stomachache and whining for ages.

Yeah… it probably still counted as going smoothly.

By the time they finally finished buying all the gifts, it was already afternoon.

After a day like this, Phil felt like she had been walking a husky all day, thoroughly exhausted.

Monica carried bags of all sizes in her hands, but there was no trace of fatigue on her face; instead, she was radiant, as if she had just accomplished something incredible.

Phil floated beside her, looking at the pile of presents, and then at Monica.

“You really have a lot of stamina.”

“Because I had a lot of fun today.”

Humming an unknown tune, Monica smiled and said:

“Didn’t you know, Miss Phil? You don’t get tired when you’re happy.”

“What kind of idiot’s common sense is that.”

Phil grumbled, but looking at her, she felt that this could probably be considered a successful date.

At least asking Jiang Wanfeng for advice wasn’t in vain.

Even though a lot of baffling things happened in the middle, and the overall direction was different from what she had imagined, Monica was genuinely happy.

This was fine too.

Before evening, the two arrived at the orphanage.

As Monica walked through the door, a group of children pounced on her like little animals catching the scent of food.

“Sister Monica!”

“Why did you bring so many things today?”

“They’re gifts!”

“Really? Really?”

Surrounded by the chattering children, Monica was almost pushed off balance.

“One at a time! No snatching! Whoever snatches will have their gift given to someone else!”

This threat was clearly more effective than any disciplinary rule.

The children quieted down immediately, though their eyes were all shining with alarming intensity.

Monica handed out the gifts to them one by one. Every time a name was called, a child would cheer.

The director stood to the side, holding that shawl in her hands, looking at Monica surrounded by the children, feeling a little at a loss for what to do.

“Monica, you’re spending money recklessly again.”

“I am not! Besides, I make a lot of money now!”

Monica puffed out her chest proudly.

The Director opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end, she just gently touched the shawl and watched Monica get pulled back by the children, tears faintly sparkling in her eyes.

Phil stood not far away, quietly watching this scene, genuinely feeling happy for Monica.

It made her trip here today well worth it.

Just as Monica had almost finished distributing the gifts, a very soft voice sounded from the side.

“Sister Monica.”

Monica paused.

She turned her head and saw Xiao Rou walking over step by step, supporting herself against the wall.

The little girl’s face was still pale, and her body was so thin that she looked like a gust of wind could blow her over. However, her eyes were as clear as glass beads, looking at Monica, full of joy.

Monica froze for two seconds before a look of pleasant surprise burst across her face.

“Xiao Rou! You’re awake today?”

“Mhm.”

Xiao Rou nodded gently. She still seemed very weak when she spoke and moved, clearly indicating that her physical condition was not optimistic.

Monica hurriedly took out the gift she had bought for her.

“Didn’t you say you wanted to be a Calamity Hunter in the future? Then let’s start preparing your equipment first.”

Monica crouched down in front of her and handed over the children’s wilderness exploration kit she had bought for her, goggles, a water bottle, a rope, a compass, and a field guide.

“For you!”

Xiao Rou held the gift with both hands, but she didn’t cheer like other children, nor did she open it right away. Instead, she looked down at it for a long time.

Monica became a little worried.

“Do you not like it?”

Xiao Rou shook her head, a big smile appearing on her face.

“I really like it, I love it. The gift is my favorite, and Sister Monica is my favorite too.”

Monica finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“That’s good.”

She reached out and patted Xiao Rou’s hair.

“How are you feeling today? Does anything hurt?”

Xiao Rou didn’t answer immediately. She looked at Monica as if trying to find some clue, before finally speaking:

“I’m feeling very good today. But, what about you, Sister Monica?”

“Me?”

Monica tilted her head.

“I’m doing great.”

Xiao Rou, however, gently frowned.

“Liar.”

Xiao Rou reached out and held Monica’s fingers.

Monica could feel that the small hand was very cold.

“I can feel it, you know.”

She still had some difficulty speaking, having to pause after every sentence.

“Sister Monica got hurt, but didn’t tell us.”

Monica froze.

She had indeed been injured yesterday. Though, after treatment and rest at the SAVE Recuperation Facility, her injuries were mostly healed, and the remaining minor wounds would quickly recover given the physique of an Ability User.

But how did Xiao Rou notice?

Before Monica had a chance to speak, Xiao Rou said very seriously,

“Director Grandma taught me a magic trick.”

“Magic?”

“Mhm.”

Xiao Rou closed her eyes as if she were performing some incredible ritual, her expression extremely, extremely serious.

Then, she blew a gentle breath.

“Pain, pain, fly away.”

After saying that, she looked at Monica expectantly.

Monica blinked hard, then put on a surprised expression.

“Wow, it’s really healed!”

“Really?”

“Really, really! Xiao Rou is amazing! I’m going to use this magic on you too, and then you’ll get better very soon.”

A faint smile finally appeared on Xiao Rou’s face, and she hugged Monica.

Seeing this scene, the other children immediately gathered around in dissatisfaction.

“Monica is playing favorites!”

“I want to play with you too!”

“I want to hear a story!”

“The story from last time about the strongest Ability User in history battling the strongest modern Ability User isn’t over yet! You just got to the part where the strongest modern Ability User got sliced in half at the waist…”

Listening from the side, the corners of Phil’s mouth twitched continuously.

What on earth is Monica telling these kids? Is she trying to raise a bunch of bloodthirsty trolls?

However, watching Monica get flustered by the kids’ clamoring, Phil suddenly felt that Monica was completely different here compared to how she was outside.

Outside, she might be that reckless, broke, and somewhat scatterbrained rookie Calamity Hunter.

But here, she was like the big sister to all the children, and everyone idolized her.

Because of her work, Phil had also interacted with kids from Orphanages in the past. Objectively speaking, these children tended to be more sensitive, and quite a few had extreme personalities.

Overly mischievous, prone to vandalism, or so introverted they wouldn’t say a single word all day… Phil had seen them all.

But the children here were completely different; they naturally exuded a cheerful and lively aura.

This was probably largely due to the fact that Monica often came to visit and play with them.

Phil chuckled softly.

“King of the kids, huh.”

Maybe… she should also get Jiang Wanfeng a gift sometime?

“Ew—why is my bro suddenly buttering me up? Did you do something bad? Confess!”

The annoying image of a suspicious Jiang Wanfeng naturally surfaced in her mind. Phil shook her head, tossing the thought aside.

Never mind.

It was generous enough that she hadn’t asked that girl for a gift; she definitely shouldn’t be giving her one.