Uchiha in Zenless Zone Zero

Inside the room, the maids of the estate carried in dish after dish of sumptuous food, skillfully arranging everything on the dining table.

As the banquet began, over in the corner where the crib stood—

Perhaps the adults' conversation had grown too noisy, because Zhong Ling, who had been asleep, slowly opened his eyes.

At only six months old, he had no idea where he was—and he didn't care. All he knew was that in his line of sight, there was something smaller than him.

Driven by instinctive curiosity, he began crawling slowly toward that little thing.

That "thing" was none other than his sister, Zhong Xi—though at this point, he had no concept of what a sister was.

"Is Young Master Zhong Ling going to see Miss Zhong Xi? What a heartwarming moment," Rina said with a bright smile as she stood by the crib, looking as though she were the children's mother herself.

Soon after, the view returned to the crib. Without much effort, Zhong Ling had successfully crawled to Zhong Xi's side.

He stared intently at the tiny figure before him, then reached out and gently grabbed at it.

That touch was enough to wake Zhong Xi from her sleep. Her tiny eyes blinked open—but because her back was turned to Zhong Ling, she couldn't tell what had touched her.

Just then, Zhong Ling noticed something in front of him twitching rhythmically.

It was Zhong Xi's tail, which had begun to sway uncontrollably the moment she woke up.

"Yah?"

Zhong Ling's eyes followed the tail's movement—then, suddenly, he reached out and grabbed it.

For a second, time seemed to freeze.

A moment later, Zhong Xi's wail rang out through the room—loud and piercing.

The sudden cry startled Zhong Ling, who leaned back in shock, toppled over, and began crying as well.

The sound of two crying babies immediately caught the attention of Anby and Ellen, who hurried over and each picked up their child, trying to calm them down.

Rina, standing nearby, was at a complete loss. The whole thing had happened so suddenly that she hadn't even had time to react before the two started crying.

Afterward, the two mothers returned to the table, children in their arms, and exchanged a glance.

Seeing this, both the Mistress and Nicole fell into a tense silence.

After all, Anby and Ellen were the ones most closely tied to Zhong Yan. If they didn't get along, then no matter how much effort anyone else put in, it would all be for nothing.

No one wanted to speak first—until, unexpectedly, Ellen broke the silence.

While gently soothing the distressed Zhong Xi, she turned to Anby and said, "Babies are like this—easily startled and hard to calm."

Anby responded without hesitation, "That may be true, but as her older brother, he shouldn't be bullying his little sister."

As soon as the two finished speaking, the previously tense expressions around the room melted into looks of pleasant surprise.

It turned out that the relationship between Anby and Ellen wasn't as strained as everyone had feared.

Their willingness to exchange words was largely due to Zhong Yan. Without a doubt, the two of them would likely be raising their children together in the future. If they were constantly at odds, it wouldn't bode well for him.

That was why both women had chosen to show understanding. Besides, they knew that soon, a third woman would enter this complex relationship as well.

...

The banquet ended amid the cries of the two babies.

But rather than being ruined, the mood among the attendees was surprisingly lighthearted.

Nicole and the Mistress, as the leaders of their respective groups, immediately retreated to another room for a private conversation.

Meanwhile, the remaining members of the Cunning Hares were each given their own rooms.

It's worth noting that Anby and Zhong Ling received much better accommodations than Billy and Nekomiya. Their room was not only fully equipped, but also had dedicated service.

Back in her own room, Ellen collapsed onto the bed the moment she returned. She picked up Zhong Xi, who had been placed nearby, and the two stared quietly at each other.

The corners of Zhong Xi's eyes were still tinged with red—a remnant of her earlier crying.

"Ellen, Miss Zhong Xi needs to eat," came a knock on the door, followed by Rina walking in with a freshly prepared bottle of formula.

Ellen immediately took the bottle from her and placed the nipple into Zhong Xi's mouth.

"How are the other two doing? Did someone bring food to that little guy?" she asked, referring to Anby and Zhong Ling.

Rina blinked, then smiled warmly. "There's no need to worry. They're staying here tonight—everything is being taken care of. Though... you seem quite concerned about them."

"Of course. Too bad this little rascal doesn't seem to like her brother. I thought they'd get along well," Ellen replied flatly, not denying it.

"The young master and young lady are still too small to understand anything. Besides, Ellen, didn't you once say that Shark Thirens' tails aren't to be touched? Miss Zhong Xi probably had a stress reaction because of that," Rina said.

Everyone at Victoria Housekeeping knew never to touch Ellen's tail—she had been known to bite people for less.

"I just don't want anyone else touching it. There's one guy—he could chew on my tail and I wouldn't even complain," Ellen muttered as she lightly tickled Zhong Xi's tail with her fingers.

Strangely enough, Zhong Xi didn't react at all—perhaps because she was too busy eating.

"That must be Mr. Zhong Yan... Wait, does he really chew on your tail?" Rina laughed, eyes full of curiosity.

Ellen rolled her eyes and said nothing.

At that moment, she noticed the bottle had been completely drained by Zhong Xi. Without hesitation, she handed it to Rina and said, "Go wash this, would you? I'm going to sleep soon—and so is this little one."

She pointed to the now-sleeping Zhong Xi.

When it came to sleep quality, Zhong Xi had definitely inherited her mother's genes.