Chapter 2The System Assigned Me to Win the Villain's Heart. I Chose to Start When He Was a Toddler.

The System forged all the necessary legal identification for me. First, I got Robin fully treated at the hospital. Then, I officially took over the dilapidated Haven Children's Home.

The facility had been bankrupt and effectively abandoned for years. There were no children and no staff. It was only temporarily seized by the county this year, leaving everything in complete chaos and desperate need of rebuilding.

My previous job in the real world had been at a foster facility, so I was incredibly familiar with the protocols—especially with the System helping me cut through the red tape.

Robin was an abandoned infant. After the hospital handed his case to the police, I pulled some strings, officially fostered him, and brought him into Haven Children's Home as its very first and only child.

It was the exact same trajectory as the original plot, but the difference was that this time, the director of the orphanage was me.

While caring for Robin, I simultaneously reconstructed the entire facility, systematically upgrading the infrastructure and living conditions.

Everything progressed incredibly smoothly, which left the System in a state of profound shock.

Because Robin's affection meter toward me was skyrocketing. It was already at eighty.

I wasn't surprised in the slightest. For a toddler, the person they love the most is obviously the one who feeds and cuddles them every single day.

Even though Robin didn't understand the complex concept of "love" yet, he had already learned to reach his chubby little arms out whenever I approached, flashing me a goofy, toothy smile.

Whenever this happened, the System would mutter to itself: [How is this happening? You can do it like this? I didn't know you could do it like this...]

I ignored its existential crisis, looking up at the beautifully renovated children's home. "The efficiency is great. Now I just need to figure out if there are decent educational facilities nearby."

I had reviewed the local zoning laws. A children's home was legally permitted to operate its own on-site school, but Haven currently didn't meet the strict educational standards. I was going to have to work harder.

The System: [...] It didn't understand human zoning laws, so it chose to remain silent.

Because I got him to the hospital in time and took meticulous care of him, Robin grew up to be exceptionally healthy. By the time he was three, he was running and jumping everywhere, calling me "Miss Ellie" in his sweet, milky voice.

Little Robin looked up at me and asked, "Miss Ellie, what does my name mean?"

I picked him up and told him that on the day he came into this world, it was snowing. And his mother happened to love robins, the little birds that brave the winter.

He was still too young to grasp the permanence of death and separation, but I didn't want to erase the beautiful origin of his name just to protect him.

Robin nodded, half-understanding. "My name means the bird mommy liked. And mommy liked me too."

"Yes," I gently stroked his hair. "She loved you very much."

He beamed, flashing that same goofy, adorable smile.

On the day I taught Robin how to write his own name, I asked the System, "Are there different types of Systems out there?"

[Umm...] The System was stumped by my question and thought about it seriously. [I don't know for sure, but we are all Romance Systems.]

"You guys," I caught the nuance in its phrasing. "You have coworkers?"

[Yes, but I don't have a name.]

"Do they have names?"

[They all picked names for themselves,] the System said blankly. [My friends are named Clemency, Justice, Medic, and Scholar...]

I asked, "Why don't you give yourself a name like they did?"

The System hesitated for a few seconds. [Because some of the older Systems said they were slacking off. They said that once you pick a name, you end up getting distracted by other things instead of the mission.]

"You can do other things too. Like helping me run this children's home," I said. "I'm still technically doing the romance mission, so it's not slacking off."

[Really?] The System sounded suddenly excited. [I can pick my own name too?]

"Yes," I said warmly. "What do you want to be called?"

[Then... I want to run this home with you,] it said. [I want to be called Felix. It means lucky and happy.]

I smiled. "Felix. I like it."

It went quiet for a long time, but I guessed it had probably run off to share the good news with its friends.