117 How It All Began (4)
Jin’s introduction to the four girls happened so quickly that before they knew it, the boy had been visiting them regularly. Almost every morning, Jin would make his way from his isolated home to visit the girls, and he wouldn’t leave until the big fiery ball in the sky began to set.
Somehow, it felt like their encounter was meant to be.
Jin’s parents just happened to be on a mission, leaving the young boy all alone in his empty home, craving for some company. Meanwhile, the four girls were forced into a villa and separated from their friends and family back home.
Oddly enough, the four girls couldn’t gel together no matter how hard they tried. Therefore, Jin’s appearance, while unexpected, was a welcome change to the young girls.
Especially since he was quite a handsome and charming lad.
Jin’s first victim was none other than Irina. Self-proclaiming himself as her elder brother, the young boy had showered her with love and affection she’d never experienced before. Jin would constantly care for her well-being as if he were her true older brother and even give her piggybacks whenever she wished.
Naturally, as a Vampire, Irina didn’t have the physical limitations that humans did. She could easily recover from physical fatigue and would never require anyone to give her a piggyback. But Jin didn’t know that.
All the boy saw was a frail young girl who needed his help. And that was the only message Jin needed to go all out to serve and care for his beloved younger sister.
The second one to fall to Jin’s charm came as a surprise. Lilith, the high and mighty Moonreaver who hated interacting with others her age, also started to open up to Jin. In fact, after learning that Jin had deep knowledge when it came to magic research, the girl became enamoured with the young boy.
It was the first time Lilith had ever had such a fun conversation with a person her age. Most of the time, they couldn’t be bothered to read or even empathise with her interests, given the exceedingly complex subject material.
However, Jin wasn’t like any regular ten-year-old boy.
In many aspects, Jin surpassed Lilith regarding pure knowledge and research. He’d read more papers, understood far more complex theorems, and even proposed his own theories on how magic could affect reality.
This was all so fresh for Lilith, who had constantly felt like she was the smartest kid in the room. For the first time in her life, there was someone who could challenge her intellectual capabilities and, in some areas, surpass her entirely.
But Jin wasn’t done with seducing two girls. His third victim, Ysabelle, didn’t last much longer either.
As a girl who loved to train and longed for a knight in shining armour, Jin’s tenacity and physical prowess were something that drew the young girl in. He would train hard every morning and would never once miss a session. It didn’t matter if it was rainy outside or if the Sun was blisteringly hot; the young boy never slacked off for a single day.
Jin’s intense drive to be the best and constantly improve himself struck a chord with the young Ysabelle, who had felt stuck at her position within the Blackburn House. Furthermore, his martial arts and magical skills far surpassed anyone his age, the four Vampires included.
A strong, handsome and charming young boy… Jin was practically Ysabelle’s dream knight who had delivered himself to her on a silver platter.
The three girls had quickly fallen under Jin’s spell, and they started to accept the new human boy into their lives. Also, due to his involvement, the three girls had bolstered their relationship to the point they could have never imagined.
Yes, they would fight over Jin for his time. Irina would wish to let Jin spoil and care for her, Lilith would want to discuss magical theories with him, and Ysabelle would wish to train day in and day out with the athletic boy.
And surprisingly enough, their childlike banter had fostered a relationship akin to that of sisters.
Like ordinary sisters, they argued over petty little things. Like typical sisters, they bonded over their love for a similar person. And like normal sisters, they laughed and played far from their family’s supervision.
It was a refreshing experience for all girls present.
All four of the young Vampires came from distinguished homes, and not many of them had siblings of a similar age. Heck, due to the low reproductivity of Vampires, they didn’t even have cousins of similar age.
Therefore, for the first time in their lives, they experienced something foreign.
They experienced what it’s like to have a blissful family.
And it was all spearheaded by that one boy who had invaded their tumultuous lives. Though, there was one girl who remained unaffected by Jin’s immaculate charm…
In the wee hours of the morning, when most Vampires were still asleep, Jin went on his routine morning run. Ever since his parents had gone on their mission and left him all alone, he had been running around the private property that his parents had placed him in. One might ask why Jin’s parents had complete faith in leaving the ten-year-old boy completely unattended and free of parental supervision, and the answer was actually quite simple.
Jin was a special child.
Genius would be a tame word to call that monstrosity who came in human form. Being the child of two elite A-Ranked Hunters, Jin had inherited an extreme physical body, one that was leagues above anyone close to his age.
Not to mention, his fighter-styled father had honed his martial arts to the very limits that Jin’s body could take.
And who could forget his obsessive desire when it came to magic? Even at his young age, Jin was a magician who could rival many Hunters, given his inherent knowledge of magic and deep magic power pool. Plus, it did help that he had an A-ranked Magician as his mother to mentor him.
All this, packed together with Jin’s innate desire to become the best Hunter, had made him an exceptional talent. In fact, the main reason why Jin’s parents made him stay in an isolated area was precisely due to his numerous magical experiments, which tended to cause severe property damage.
As Jin finished his morning exercise, he saw a familiar face sitting at the river bank. Donned in a green dress and a straw hat, the young girl looked like the manifestation of Autumn itself. Stepping her feet onto the chilly morning water, the girl flashed a rare smile which caught the young boy off guard.
Crack… Crack… Crack…
Stepping back, Jin’s feet collided with some dried twigs on the floor, drawing the green-haired girl’s attention away from the running water and onto the sweaty young boy.
Their eyes met for the first time since they’d met, and Jin instantly became flustered. While he had created a lasting relationship with Irina, Lilith and Ysabelle, Rosalyn was the only girl he’d yet to crack.
It would be a lie to say that Jin wasn’t interested in the girl, as he clearly tried his best to narrow the gap between them. However, Rosalyn almost always never reciprocated Jin’s feelings as she always kept her frosty, expressionless mask on.
Even for the outgoing and sociable Jin, it was an unnerving feat to have a young, emotionless girl stare at him for hours without knowing what the girl was thinking.
Still, that didn’t mean Jin would give up on interacting with the young Vampire. Steeling his nerves, the boy stepped forward and threw out the only question that came to mind:
“Rosalyn, what are you doing all alone here?”
“… Washing.”
“Washing? You wanted to wash your feet?”
“…”
Rosalyn nodded before returning to dipping her feet in the river. Jin watched the young girl for a few moments as he tried his best to unravel the puzzle that was Rosalyn. Her robotic expressions and short answers gave the boy very little to work on, and he rarely understood what was going on within her mind.
Yet, something deep inside of him was being drawn to the young weirdo. He couldn’t tell what that feeling was, but Jin felt a serene connection with Rosalyn, one that he didn’t really have with the other three girls.
Which made him even more curious about the girl.
“Rosalyn… Do you mind sharing what’s on your mind?”
“… Mind?”
“Yeah, just what are you thinking about.”
Over the past few days, Jin realised that Rosalyn was much different from other girls. In order to get to her, he’ll need to ask direct and honest questions. If Jin were to beat around the bush, the girl would remain utterly oblivious to his intentions and completely misunderstand him.
“My thinking…”
Rosalyn scratched the bottom of her chin and tilted her face up to the blackened sky of dawn. She blinked multiple times as if she were trying to collect her thoughts before she finally said:
“I don’t think… Friends tell me what to do…”
“Friends? What friends?”
Surprised by the new information, Jin pressed Rosalyn for more answers. The green-haired girl’s stiff lips broke into a fragile smile as she started to point to a tree on the opposite side of the river.
“Friend…”
Then, Rosalyn’s finger moved to a bush that was directly next to the villa.
“Friend…”
Finally, the girl pointed her finger to the grass beneath their feet.
“Friends… Plants all… Friends…”
Jin dropped his jaw, unsure to believe the words from the girl’s mouth. However, Rosalyn’s face didn’t change a single beat as she divulged everything as if it were a matter of fact.
“W-Wait, you mean you can talk to every plant nearby?”
“Not nearby…”
Rosalyn shook her head before spreading her arms wide open.
“Every plant in the world… Is my friend.”