A Former Police Officer Who Died And Get A Second Life!

Chapter 403: Sibling Trouble

"Wah!"

Unable to watch any longer, Leander grabbed Mao by the back of his collar and marched straight into the house.

Lian and the twins blinked in confusion, but Qiong Xing laughed and followed after them.

By the time they entered, Mao had already been dropped onto the sofa with a thud.

"Lian, you should join the conversation too. And afterward, we’ll have a snack."

"...Why is the kitty here?"

Unlike the twins, who had spent several days with Mao and sat down without hesitation, Lian remained glued to Qiong Xing’s back, staring warily at Mao.

Qiong Xing reassured her and settled her onto his lap.

"Starting today, Mao will be living with us again."

"Huh..."

The expression on Lian’s face made it obvious that she was not pleased.

Qiong Xing smiled wryly.

"Do you dislike Mao, Lian?"

".....He’s scary."

Mao had never actually scratched or injured her.

Still, Lian clearly remembered being hissed at and frightened by him.

"That’s true. He was scary. But you know, Mao was scared too. He was so frightened that he ended up making loud noises."

All the violence humans had inflicted on him had taught Mao to protect himself by threatening anyone who came near.

"Mao’s not scary."

Lian tilted her head as though she genuinely did not understand why anyone would be afraid.

Seeing that reaction, Qiong Xing realized he had never actually explained the circumstances of how Mao had been found.

"That’s because Lian is strong."

"Strong?"

"Very strong."

Qiong Xing gently patted Lian’s head.

Back then, Mao had been terrified of everything around him.

He had hissed, threatened, and lashed out because he believed everyone would hurt him.

But Lian had never once backed away.

Even when Mao growled at her.

Even when Mao bared his claws.

Lian had simply kept approaching him with the same innocent smile.

"Mao was hurt by a lot of bad people. That’s why he thought everyone was scary."

"...Like monsters?"

"Yes. Something like that."

Lian frowned.

He did not like monsters.

Monsters were bad.

"They hurt Mao?"

"They did."

"...That’s mean."

"It is."

Lian looked over at Mao.

Mao immediately lowered his head and looked away.

The room fell silent.

Rui and Yue watched the exchange curiously.

Mao’s shoulders gradually grew more tense beneath everyone’s gaze.

Then, in a voice barely above a whisper, he finally spoke.

"... I’m sorry."

The word came out awkwardly.

As though he was unused to saying it.

Lian blinked her eyes.

Mao gripped the fabric of his clothes tightly.

"... I’m sorry for being scary."

Another silence followed.

Qiong Xing waited patiently.

Mao had managed to say it himself.

That alone was important.

Lian continued staring at him for several long seconds.

Then...

"...Okay."

Just like that, he accepted the apology.

Everyone in the room blinked.

"That’s it?"

Leander muttered.

Lian tilted her head.

"He said sorry."

"...Yeah, he did."

"So it’s okay."

The simple logic only a child could possess.

Qiong Xing could not help laughing.

Rui and Yue immediately nodded as well.

"If Sister Lian says it’s okay, then it’s okay."

"Okay!"

Mao stared at them in disbelief.

As though he could not understand why it had been forgiven so easily.

Qiong Xing smiled warmly.

"See? I told you, didn’t I? Everyone here is kind."

Mao lowered his head again.

This time, however, he was not trying to hide.

Instead, he quietly wiped at the corners of his eyes.

"Now then," Qiong Xing said, clapping his hands softly. "Since we’ve finished talking..."

"Snack time!"

"Snack time!"

The twins immediately jumped to their feet.

Lian raised both hands excitedly as well.

Mao looked startled by the sudden change in atmosphere.

Leander snorted.

"Welcome to the family."

Mao froze.

Then, after a moment, he gave a small nod.

"...Yeah."

For the first time since returning, Mao smiled without any hesitation.

"One at a time, alright? If all of you rush him at once, Mao might get startled."

Even though they were only children, surrounding a small cat body all at once would probably feel overwhelming.

After reminding them not to scare him, Rui and Yue puffed out their cheeks in dissatisfaction, but they quietly waited for Lian to finish.

Qiong Xing smiled and patted their heads.

"Well done."

"Can you forgive him too, Lingxiao?"

"Hm? Mama, sleep?"

"..."

Qiong Xing had tried asking Lingxiao as well, since he had probably been the most startled by Mao.

However, it seemed Lingxiao did not even remember crying.

He simply tilted his head in confusion.

"I’m seriously worried about that kid’s future."

Albe ended up voicing exactly what Qiong Xing had been thinking.

...

"Lingxiao, come here."

"Kyaa!"

The sound could easily have been mistaken for a scream of terror.

Fortunately, Lingxiao’s face was lit up with delight as he ran around laughing, so nobody was likely to mistake the situation for child abuse.

Qiong Xing had been carrying Hui while playing a game of chase with Lingxiao as practice for walking.

It was a relief to see that Lingxiao was enjoying himself far more than expected.

Originally, Qiong Xing had intended to chase after him.

However, Lingxiao had stubbornly clung to him and refused to let go.

Realizing that would not work, Qiong Xing had given up and instead became the one running away while maintaining a comfortable distance.

"Over here~"

"Kyaa!"

Lingxiao enthusiastically tried to chase after him.

However, because he was still not used to moving around in a human body, his pace was slow.

His wobbly toddler steps were so adorable that it was hard to imagine him catching anyone.

"Lingxiao, Papa’s over here~"

"Hm?"

Seeing how much fun Qiong Xing and Lingxiao were having, Iseul joined in and called out to him.

Lingxiao merely blinked in confusion.

Instead of chasing after Papa, he froze in place.

"Why~? Why won’t you chase Papa~?"

"Kyaa!"

As Iseul approached while complaining, Lingxiao immediately turned around and fled.

That looked much more like a real game of chase.

It was probably time to switch players.