Alya looked at her two twin sisters, caught red-handed and still trying to bluff their way through with an excuse like "buying ice cream" that wouldn't fool a three-year-old. Her anger and exasperation intertwined, almost short-circuiting her on the spot.
But after that brief moment of shock, an even more terrifying, scalp-prickling thought struck her like lightning.
—These two little rascals were definitely not the masterminds of this "secret surveillance operation"! They didn't have the guts or the brains for it!
"Speak."
Alya's voice had shed all pretense, becoming cold and dangerous.
She grabbed each of her sisters by the back of their collars, dragging them behind a more secluded, giant cycad fern. Her light brown eyes, usually sparkling with lively intelligence, were now narrowed into a dangerous line. "Who sent you?"
"N-nobody…"
"We just wanted to come play…"
Ella and Etta were still putting up their last, futile resistance.
"Still being stubborn?"
Alya chuckled, extended two fingers, and lightly tickled them on their sides, where their ticklish spots were most concentrated.
"Wah! Hahaha! Big sister! I'm sorry! I'll tell! I'll tell! It was Nora!"
"Nora sent us! Hahaha… Stop tickling me… It's so itchy!"
The two little rascals instantly "betrayed" their muscular older sister, spilling everything like beans from a bamboo tube, laughing so hard that tears streamed down their faces.
Nora… Hearing that name Alya felt her heart being squeezed tightly by an invisible hand.
She released her two sisters and leaned weakly against the rockery behind her, her mind a chaotic mess.
How did she come? How did she find out? Was it during dinner that night… did the way she looked at Jaden reveal something?
She recalled how, after dinner that night, Nora had looked at her with an unprecedented, scrutinizing gaze and asked, "You seem a bit off today."
At the time, she thought she was just being oversensitive, but now, considering Nora's spider-like keen intuition, she probably sensed something long ago.
It's over… It's all over… Alya felt that the dam she had meticulously constructed to hide her true feelings was about to burst in front of Nora's all-seeing eyes.
However, just as this panic and shame were about to consume her, a completely different, strange emotion, like a reef after the tide receded, slowly emerged from the depths of her confused heart.
It was a feeling of… relief… gratitude?
She suddenly realized that Nora's appearance was like a divine command, giving her a legitimate reason to pause everything.
She no longer had to force herself to play the role of the generous "strategist" who would go to great lengths for a friend;
She no longer had to personally push the person she liked, little by little, towards someone else; nor did she have to endure the bitter agony of having her heart torn in two.
Thank you, Nora.
In her heart Alya silently thanked her simple-minded, brawny older sister.
"Alright, you two,"
She took a deep breath, straightened her body again, her confusion and pain forcibly suppressed, replaced by an undeniable, sisterly authority. "Now, listen to my command."
She took her two sisters' hands and quickly circled around towards Jaden and Marinette from another path. A brand new "reverse operation plan" rapidly formed in her mind.
Meanwhile, Marinette was holding Jaden's arm, feeling as happy as if she were walking on clouds. But gradually, she also noticed something was amiss.
In her earpiece… it was too quiet.
Ever since the command "maintain this state," her "strategist" had not issued any new instructions.
She turned her head uneasily, looking behind her.
In the distance, the bush where Alya had been hiding was now empty; there wasn't a single soul.
"Um… Jaden," she awkwardly released Jaden's arm. "I… I need to go to the restroom."
"Alright, go ahead." Jaden nodded gently.
Marinette immediately jogged into a nearby public restroom.
As soon as she entered a stall, she anxiously released Tikki from her small bag.
"Tikki! What should I do? I can't reach Alya! Did something happen to her?"
Her voice was filled with worry.
"Don't worry, Marinette,"
Tikki flew around in front of her, comforting her, "Alya is the best 'reporter' in school. She's so clever, what could possibly happen to her? Maybe her equipment just ran out of battery."
"Mm…" Hearing Tikki say this, Marinette's anxious heart eased a little.
She tidied her hair and clothes in the mirror, then patted her cheeks, which were a bit flushed from nervousness, and once again revealed a sweet smile.
She walked out of the restroom, and naturally, with a touch of just the right amount of shyness, she stepped forward and re-embraced Jaden's arm.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
She looked up at Jaden and smiled, making an excuse, "Just now… after seeing that snake, I still haven't fully recovered…"
Jaden looked at her cute, slightly "scared" expression and just smiled helplessly and dotingly, gently patting her hand to comfort her.
The two continued walking in a very intimate posture.
However, they hadn't gone far when, at a fork in the road, they unexpectedly ran into three people.
"Oh! Marinette! Jaden!"
Alya's voice, full of surprise and coincidence, came from ahead, "How are you two here too? What a coincidence!"
She held a twin sister in each hand, a flawless, brilliant smile on her face, as if she had truly "chanced upon" them there.
"Alya?! Ella? Etta?" Marinette looked at the bizarre combination in front of her, her brain momentarily freezing.
And the two little twin rascals, upon receiving Alya's eye command, immediately let go of their sister's hands and, like two happy little butterflies, rushed up from left and right, directly hugging Jaden's legs.
"Big brother! We still want to hear your stories?"
"Yes, big brother, will you tell us more stories?"
The two little ones pleaded in their childish voices, instantly "entangling" Jaden with their innocent offensive.
Alya, seizing this opportunity, darted to Marinette's side and pulled her aside.
"What's going on Alya?" Marinette's brain was still struggling to process the sudden scene.
"Plan changed!" Alya whispered quickly into her ear, "Nora is here too! She's nearby!"
"Nora is here too?!" Marinette was greatly surprised.
"Yes! To prevent the situation from becoming even more chaotic, I've decided to temporarily halt the original plan! Now, we need to make some adjustments!"
Alya's expression was as serious as if she were declaring a national emergency.
"O-okay!" Although Marinette was still confused, out of absolute trust in her best friend, she immediately nodded.
Meanwhile, Jaden, facing the two little ones clinging to him like ornaments, not only showed no impatience but was amused by them and laughed.
He squatted down, extended both hands, and, as if by magic, pulled out two candies from his pocket.
"You can listen to stories,"
He smiled, handing them the candies, "But you have to agree to one condition first."
"What condition?" the two little ones asked in unison.
"From now on, you have to walk nicely and not cling to big brother anymore."
"Okay!"
Just like that, Jaden easily "subdued" the two little ones with two candies.
He stood up, holding one hand of each child, and walked towards Alya and Marinette.
Eventually, the five people formed a strange, side-by-side walking formation.
As they chatted and laughed, heading towards the deepest part of the zoo, the black panther exhibit, a turbulent dispute about family and emotions was about to erupt in front of the exhibit's huge floor-to-ceiling glass.
Inside the thick bulletproof glass was a meticulously simulated jungle environment, filled with rocks and tropical plants.
A massive black panther, with fur as black as night and muscles as sleek as a top-tier sports car, was elegantly reclining on a high rock.
Beside him, a burly, dark-skinned man was holding a bloody piece of fresh raw meat and personally feeding it to his mouth.
It was Alya's father, Otis.
He had raised this black panther since it was young; to him, it was like another one of his children.
Therefore, he personally handled its feeding every day.
Outside the glass, Nora stood with her arms crossed, her face solemn, as she recounted everything she had just seen and heard, along with her inner conjectures, to her father.
"…So, I'm certain that Alya has definitely fallen for that boy named Jaden."
Nora made her final summary, Her tone filled with worry for her "silly sister,"
"But now, she's desperately trying to set up that boy with her best friend Marinette.
Dad, do you think she's lost her mind?"
Inside the glass, Otis, after listening to his daughter, calmly fed the meat to the black panther, then wiped his hands with a towel.
He looked up, through the thick glass, at his eldest daughter. His eyes, which always held a gentle smile, now gleamed with a father's wisdom that saw through everything.
"I understand."
He said slowly into the intercom.
"Then why don't you do something about her!" Nora was getting anxious.
"Nora,"
Otis's voice was calm and firm,
"This is Alya's own business. Let her experience it herself, let her choose for herself.
Whether it's pain or happiness, it's all part of her growth.
What we can do is not make decisions for her, but… give her a shoulder to lean on when she needs it."
"But…"
Nora still wanted to argue. In her opinion, watching her sister suffer without doing anything was completely against her nature.
"Enough, Nora."
Otis, however, interrupted her. His gaze turned to the black panther, which had eaten its fill and was now licking its paws.
"He needs quiet.
Don't disturb him here."
Otis ended the conversation with an unassailable reason.
Nora could only reluctantly shut her mouth and stood aside, waiting for the "involved parties" to arrive.
But unexpectedly, instead of Jaden and the others, Kim and Max arrived first.
"Wow! Look! What a big piece of meat! That black panther swallowed it in one gulp!"
Kim exclaimed in an exaggerated manner as soon as he reached the glass.
"According to the data, the black panther's bite force ranks among the top in felines, and its instantaneous running speed can reach 60 kilometers per hour."
Max habitually read out a professional analysis from a nearby data board.
However, when Kim heard "running speed," a look of undisguised disdain appeared on his face.
"Tch, only 60 kilometers?"
He pouted, patted his chest, and said in an extremely proud tone,
"I run much faster than him!"
His arrogant words made both people inside and outside the glass frown simultaneously.
Even the black panther seemed to understand the provocation.
It slowly raised its head, its golden pupils, glowing an eerie green in the dim light, coldly glanced at Kim.
"Young man,"
Otis, inside the glass enclosure, finally couldn't help but speak. His voice, transmitted through the loudspeaker nearby, carried a hint of elder authority,
"On this planet, no human can outrun an adult black panther."
Kim heard the voice from the loudspeaker, but showed no intention of backing down. Instead, he became even more energized. He shouted back at the glass:
"Is that so? Then, if I may ask, has this black panther participated in the intercollegiate track and field championships in Paris? I'm the champion of the 100-meter dash!"
Otis was so angered by Kim's ignorant and arrogant remarks that he was somewhat speechless. He didn't want to waste any more words on this foolish brat and simply said coldly:
"You cannot be compared to my black panther at all."
"There's no need to compare,"
Kim, oblivious to the fact that he had ignited the anger of two people, remained absorbed in his own world and said matter-of-factly,
"Because it can't win against me at all. I'm clearly stronger!"
Kim's audacious declaration, full of the fearlessness of the ignorant, was like a drop of cold water thrown into boiling oil, instantly making the atmosphere in front of the Black Panther exhibit incredibly "lively."
Max felt his temples throbbing.
He glanced at his friend beside him, who was soft everywhere but his mouth, then looked at the muscular woman (Nora) opposite him, who exuded an aura of "say one more word and I'll physically shut you up." He then looked through the glass at the seemingly gentle but clearly provoked administrator (Otis), and finally, his gaze fell upon the black panther that had risen from the rock, its back arched, and a low growl rumbling in its throat.
Max's brain instantly sounded the highest level of alarm.
His analytical ability, comparable to a supercomputer, at this moment, yielded only one conclusion—
If he didn't intervene and interrupt, then in the next second, he and Kim might truly be physically beaten by the other party until they couldn't tell north from south.
Just as Nora began cracking her knuckles, producing a series of "crunch, crunch" sounds, a crisp, slightly helpless electronic voice broke the tense situation.
"Beep. Unit 'Kim' detected. Nervous system abnormally active, suspected relapse of old illness. Initiating emergency physical sedation procedure."
A small, blue-grey robot, like a ghost, flew out from behind Max. It was Marc.
Without a word, it extended its mechanical claw from below and precisely struck Kim, who was still smugly preparing to deliver his "champion's speech."
"Zzzzt—!"
A faint, almost invisible blue electric arc flashed across Kim's leg.
"Ow—woo… I…" Kim only felt a tingling sensation in his thigh, and his whole body seemed to lose its bones, instantly going limp.
He wanted to say something more, but found that his tongue had begun to disobey him, and he could only make some "woo woo ah ah" sounds of unknown meaning.
Marc's small, weak current, which at most could only cause paralysis, at this moment, achieved a more powerful "shut up" effect than any language.
Kim fell straight backward, caught by the quick-reacting Max.
"I'm very sorry!" Max immediately bowed ninety degrees to the two "big shots" inside and outside the glass, with the most sincere attitude he could muster,
apologizing for his idiotic teammate, "My friend… His head," he pointed to his own head, "is sometimes not quite right. We've caused you trouble."
Otis, inside the glass, watched the dramatic scene unfold, and his tense expression finally softened a little.
He gazed deeply at Kim, who had been "physically sedated," and through the loudspeaker, in an elder's tone, tinged with admonition, said: "Young man, control your friend.
Be careful with what you say in the future. Otherwise, you might fall victim to your own mouth someday."
After speaking, he turned around and gently stroked the still growling black panther beside him, soothing its emotions with a soft voice.
The wild and powerful beast, under his touch, actually gradually calmed down, lying down again, but its golden pupils remained vigilantly fixed on the outside.
Meanwhile, Nora, outside the glass, raised an eyebrow, looking at Max with an expression that mixed "you know what's good for you" with a hint of admiration.
"Quite a quick reaction, very decisive, mechanical sphere," she said, deliberately surveying Max's tall, slender figure up and down.
Then, she glanced at Kim, who had been dragged aside and was still twitching, and snorted: "If your little flying robot hadn't intervened just now, then I would have been less polite with your 'pencil-head' friend."
As she spoke, she casually demonstrated a few standard boxing jabs and hooks, the wind from her fists whistling.
The meaning was clear—if your robot hadn't been quick, the one lying on the ground now wouldn't be numb from electricity, but knocked out.
Max's mouth twitched slightly when he heard the two vivid and biting nicknames Nora had given them, but he could only force a bitter smile, not daring to retort.
He motioned to Marc, and together, one on each side, they supported Kim's arms, almost dragging him, and left the troublesome place in a disheveled manner.
Not long after they left, the figures of Jaden and his group finally appeared in front of the Black Panther exhibit.
"...So, when the brave knight saw the evil dragon abduct the princess, he wasn't afraid, but raised his sword…"
Jaden was holding one twin sister by the hand, patiently telling them a spontaneously made-up fairy tale about a knight and an evil dragon.
The two little ones listened with great interest, occasionally looking up at him with their adoring eyes, offering some wild and imaginative insights,
"Then… is the knight's robot as powerful as the evil dragon's fire?"
"Can the princess also transform?"
Marinette, meanwhile, followed closely on Jaden's other side.
She would occasionally look at Jaden, and then turn back to look at Alya, who was following at the very end, the two exchanging silent communication with their eyes and subtle gestures.
"What do we do next Alya?"
"Don't rush, it's fine. Nora's appearance has disrupted the plan, but it has also given us new opportunities.
Wait for my signal. After I adjust the plan, we can continue."
Nora, opposite, saw the people approaching, and her eyes, which had been somewhat impatient because of Kim, instantly sharpened.
She knew that the real "target" had finally appeared. As for the two little traitors who had been "turned," let them be exposed.
Although the twins were clever and quirky, with Alya's intuition and keenness, the chance of the two little ones being discovered while with her was indeed high.
Otis, inside the glass exhibit, also noticed the commotion outside. He found it somewhat strange that the black panther, which had just calmed down beside him, now stood up again.
Its golden pupils, looking past him, stared unblinkingly at the outside.
"What's wrong, buddy?" Otis followed the black panther's gaze.
The black panther didn't answer, but its gaze was precisely fixed on a figure in the crowd.
—Jaden.
When Jaden and his group arrived in front of the glass exhibit, he first greeted Nora.
However, Nora ignored him, instead staring intently at her sister Alya with an extremely serious, even scrutinizing gaze, which made Alya feel a chill and instinctively avoid her gaze.
Just then, Otis's warm voice came over the loudspeaker.
"Little Jaden."
Jaden was about to continue telling the twins a story, but hearing someone call him, he paused.
He stroked the heads of the two little ones and said with a smile: "Alright, the story ends here for now. Why don't you go play with Big Sister Marinette for a while, okay?"
"Okay!"
Marinette also smiled gently, beckoning the two little ones over.
Jaden then walked to the large floor-to-ceiling glass, looked at the man inside, and asked: "Uncle Otis, did you call me? Is something wrong?"
Otis looked at the young man before him, who, though seemingly gentle, carried a steady demeanor in his brows, and the discerning gaze of a father in His heart unconsciously softened a little.
He mused for a moment, then suddenly extended an invitation no one had expected.
"Would you like to… get up close with the black panther?"
His words stunned everyone present.
Marinette and Alya both showed expressions of worry.
That was an adult, wild black panther! Although it seemed tamed, who knew if it might suddenly go berserk?
Alya knew her father always acted with discretion, but she still couldn't help but feel worried.
She ran over, wanting to ask Nora, but only received a succinct reply.
"Dad has his limits."
Nora's gaze still didn't leave Alya's face. "As for you, what exactly are you doing?"
Alya's heart tightened at her question, and she could only mumble a vague response, then fell silent.
And Jaden, after hearing Otis's invitation, thought for only two seconds before nodding.
"Okay."
He showed no fear at all.
Perhaps it was because he saw no malice in Otis's deep eyes.
Perhaps it was because the beautiful black panther inside the glass, from beginning to end, looked at him with a strange curiosity, not aggression.
Under Otis's guidance, Jaden entered the tropical-themed exhibit through a heavy staff passage with a safety isolation gate.
Warm and humid air rushed over him.
As soon as he entered, the black panther immediately stood up from the rock.
It moved with elegant and agile cat-like steps, silently approaching.
It didn't emit any threatening growls, but simply circled Jaden unhurriedly twice, its thick, whip-like tail gently brushing against his pant leg.
Its nose sniffed at him here and there, as if confirming some scent.
Finally, it stopped in front of Jaden, sat up elegantly, and raised its head, its golden pupils quietly looking at him with a hint of anticipation.
"It likes you very much."
Otis's voice came from the side, with a hint of surprise, "This child is usually very wary of strangers. Pet it."
Jaden looked at the powerful and wild beast before him, slowly extended his hand, and placed it on its smooth, silky, jet-black head.
The black panther's body stiffened slightly. But soon, it relaxed.
It even comfortably narrowed its eyes, a contented, tractor-like purr rumbling in its throat, and actively rubbed its head against Jaden's palm.