Chapter 176: Ch 176: New Beginnings - Part 1

"Sir, that child... he never stops smiling. But something about him is... different from normal kids. Do you think we need to call for a doctor to examine him?"

The butler of the Crain family looked at the small and gloomy child sitting in front of him. He could not help but shudder as soon as he laid eyes on that child.

There was just something... unnerving about him that made the butler feel like he was in danger. He could not explain it in words, but he felt like he needed to run away.

*Sigh*

"You are worrying too much. There is no need for you to be concerned with my son. Alan Crain will be a part of our family now and, as an SSS-grade esper, he will increase our family prestige."

The head of the Crain family was an old man in his late 70s who looked like he had seen better days, and he declared this without hesitation.

His determination made the butler sigh in regret and shake his head.

The old master, who was the current head of the Crain family, was an A-grade esper, and he only had one desire in his life—to see his family rise above anything else.

He was someone who had a lot of ambition, but because he was only an A-grade esper, he was never considered anything special. As a result, he was willing to spend anything and everything to get his hands on an SSS-grade esper.

So when talks of a kid like that had arisen at the orphanage, he had decided to swoop in and take the kid.

Surprisingly, his son and daughter-in-law had not complained even when he had named Alan as his heir. They just had a knowing look on their faces.

But they were not important. All he cared about was the fact that he had Alan Crain in his family, and he decided to get an esper who could make Alan a part of their family line.

And when the day finally arrived, the esper who was supposed to make this happen looked a little shocked when he tried to use his powers. Sweat trickled down his brows, and after a while, he turned to look at the head of the Crain family with suspicious eyes.

"Sir, are you sure this kid needs to be a part of your family? I am not able to do it. It’s almost as if my power already recognises him as a part of your bloodline."

The esper told the old man, who looked shocked and turned to his son and daughter-in-law for answers. ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

That was when he got to know about the experiment and how Alan was a kid grown from their donations. He had their DNA, so in a way, he was their blood.

It made the old man go quiet, but he started laughing after a while, and joy shone in his eyes. The old man Crain put his hands on Alan’s shoulders and looked into his blank yet smiling eyes.

"Kid, you are going to be the greatest thing this house has ever seen. An SSS-grade esper? I look forward to what you can do. And don’t worry about money or support. This old man will always support you and give you what you want. I promise."

Alan simply looked up with a blank look once more, but he let out a smile.

He could not currently recall anything that had happened to him, but the feeling of emptiness inside him would not go away.

It was as if he knew he had left something precious behind, but he could no longer recall what it was.

Even his dreams made him think that he had lost something. But the second he tried to grab it, it left his hands, and he felt empty inside.

...

Daniel’s position was totally opposite to the one Alan was facing.

Unlike Alan and the other kids, the family he was adopted by was not rich, but rather, a small household with too many mouths to feed.

They had so many kids that one had to wonder why they even bothered adopting so many in the first place. It would have been so much better if they focused on giving their current kids a happy place.

But the reason behind these people’s spontaneous adoptions was money.

The government gave bonuses and allowances if you adopted kids from the orphanage, and whenever this couple needed money, they adopted someone.

This time, it was Daniel’s turn, and he was brought into that happy-looking house by the couple.

When he entered, he saw two dozen eyes turning to look at him with annoyance and accusation. But the couple behind him either did not notice or did not care.

They simply pushed Daniel forward with a smile and introduced him to everyone.

"Kids, play nice with him. He’s new here, and his name is Daniel. He will become your new sibling starting today."

The thought of being siblings with these kids did not sit well with Daniel. He had a feeling he had left something precious behind, and he did not want to replace that precious thing with these kids.

But still, these kids had not done anything wrong, so he should not let his annoyance out on them.

As a result, he bowed to the kids and greeted them happily. But the looks he got back were anything but happy.

In fact, most of the kids ignored him and went back to doing what they were doing in the first place.

The couple patted his back a few times to reassure him.

"It’s fine, Daniel. I am sure these kids will warm up to you soon enough. After all, we are family now."

Family? It did not feel like that to Daniel. But he was willing to give these people the benefit of the doubt for now.

If they wanted to be his family, then he would allow them to be. But if not, then he would just keep to himself.