Chapter 6: A new purpose
Chapter 6: A new purpose.
Hitoshi sat on the chair beside the desk, in the dimly lit room, a faint green glow from the ghoulish lantern casting eerie shadows on the concrete walls all around him. Dust swirled lazily through the air, illuminated by the soft, unnatural, Ghoulish light of the only lantern in the room.
" The beds covered in so much dust..... better get to cleaning...." He sighed dispassionately, glancing around at the gloom-filled room that still smelled faintly of mildew.
Dragging his small finger along the desk's surface, he grimaced at the thick layer of dust that clung to his skin. "Gross," he muttered, shaking it off. "This place is like a haunted house but messier."
"How's anyone supposed to live like this?" He mumbled beneath his breath. " You know what, who cares!." A hint of motivation suddenly returned to Hitoshi's face.
" All that matters is that I clean it before that nice Onee-san returns!." He added,
Determined not to let the depressing state of the room defeat him.
Without wasting a second more, Hitoshi pushed himself up from the rickety chair he was sitting on and scanned the area.
" Yes, I found them!." His sharp eyes soon found an old, brittle broom leaning in a dark corner and a dustpan lying haphazardly on the floor nearby.
A look of melancholy couldn't help surfacing on Hitoshi's face as he stared at the old brittle broom in his hand as if staring at a long lost friend. In all his years of living, the memories of him always having to clean up his home and all the broken furniture or utensils his father used to beat him flashed through his mind.
".....No..I don't think I should be thinking about that right now...., all that matters now is making sure I don't repeat the same things in this life." A rare hint of maturity could be seen in Hitoshi's mind. Deep within his heart, the once all encompassing space his father had taken, shrunk a little bit, allowing the small yet more visible image of Eri-Onee-san to take shape.
Though he still couldn't completely let go of his father who he had always sought to get acknowledged by, he still felt the sudden need to prove himself to this new elder sister who had saved his life and given him a new chance to live. Even if she still ended up hating him in the end like his old man, he still wanted to at least try, even if there was only a small chance of success, he still felt like he owed it to her to try his very best.
When he was about to begin cleaning, a sudden thought suddenly came to his mind. If he were to begin cleaning up all this much dust, he would really be risking getting his lungs clogged or worse dying of suffocation.
He placed his left hand against his chin in thought, after a brief moment an idea quickly came to mind. His eyes glanced downwards, giving his tunic a quick inspection. Hitoshi frowned a bit but said. "Guess this'll do."
He then tugged at the worn linen until it ripped, tearing a sizable amount of fabric from it, fashioning a makeshift mask to cover his nose and mouth. "Now I look like one of those ninja guys or should I say the legendary cleaning ninja!." he said to himself with a small, determined grin, the fabric muffling his voice as he spontaneously struck a flashy pose, broom in hand.
Gripping the broom with both hands, he got to work. Dust billowed into the air as he knocked it off the ancient wooden bedframe, causing him to cough despite his mask. "Geez, it's like this place hasn't been cleaned in a hundred years," he muttered between sweeps.
Yet, despite his age, Hitoshi's cleaning skills were surprisingly meticulous. With each precise stroke of the broom and careful wipe of surfaces, the room slowly transformed from a dusty, decrepit space into something more livable.
Half an hour passed before the door creaked open, revealing Eri Onee-san with a wooden tray in hand. The aroma of cooked meat soup wafted into the room. Her sharp eyes widened slightly at the sight before her. The once gloomy room now gleamed faintly under the lantern's eerie light, the bed neatly made, the desk cleared of grime, and the floor spotless.
Eri blinked in disbelief, her composed demeanor faltering for a moment. "What... happened here?" she murmured under her breath.
Hitoshi, seated at the desk with the servant manual open before him, noticed her presence and quickly stood up. His small frame straightened as he greeted her politely. "Welcome back, Eri Onee-san!" he chirped, his voice filled with innocent enthusiasm.
Eri's brows furrowed. "Did you... clean this room by yourself?"
Hitoshi's face paled, thinking he might have done something wrong. "I-I didn't mean to mess up anything!. I just thought it was really dirty, so I cleaned it. I swept the floor, wiped the desk, made the bed—oh, I'm sorry if that was bad!" His voice trembled as he dropped to his knees, bowing repeatedly. "Please forgive me, Eri Onee-san!. I promise I'll fix whatever I did wrong!."
Eri blinked, stunned by his panicked reaction. ' What's wrong with him, he seems even more frightened than usual.' For a moment, she lamented inwardly at how easily frightened he was.
' But he does look even cuter than before, a bit charming even.' She couldn't deny how adorable he looked with his flushed, tearful face, even she was stunned by his cute yet charming visage, not expecting to see such features in a scruffy looking human slave.
"It's ok I'm not going to punish you so get up," she said firmly but not unkindly. "It's fine. You did well." She added with a light smile.
Hitoshi's wide eyes sparkled with relief. "Really?, Thank you, Eri Onee-san!"
' He seems even more energetic with just a little words of praise....so easily manipulated...' She let out a small sigh, thinking to herself that she would make an effort to educate him in the near future.
"Forget it. Here." She held out the tray with the bowl of steaming soup. "Eat this." She offered.
Hitoshi's lips trembled as he stared at the bowl. A flood of emotions crashed over him in that instant.
Memories of hunger, cold nights, and the cruelty of his former life felt like a growing tsunami of emotions that threatened to topple him over. Before he knew it, Tears welled up in his eyes before he could stop them.
Eri's eyes narrowed. "What's wrong? Don't tell me you're being picky after all that fuss." She couldn't help thinking that he might've been a spoiled noble child before his life of slavery, if that were the case then it could explain his stunning appearance yet inwardly, her impression of him was about to diminish at the thought.
But before she could scold him further, Hitoshi's small body shook violently. Streams of tears spilled down his face as he suddenly rushed toward her, wrapping his tiny arms around her thigh. "Thank you Onee-san!,Thank you so much!" he bawled, pressing his face against her skirt.
Eri froze, breathless at the sudden display of raw emotion. ' I guess I was wrong after all.' Her heart clenched as she realized just how much suffering this little boy must have endured. Despite her professional instincts screaming at her to maintain composure, she found herself gently patting his head. "There, there," she murmured awkwardly.
Hitoshi continued to cling to her, seemingly afraid she'd leave if he didn't, The longer he continued like this, the more Eri Onee-san's apprehensive behavior towards him slowly crumbled, though she didn't know it. The longer she patted him to console him, the more this cute little human boy before her eyes was slowly inching his way into her heart and before she knew it, he had imprinted himself within.
When his sobs finally subsided, Eri cleared her throat, trying to regain her usual stern demeanor. "Enough of that. Now eat your food. I have a task for you afterward so be sure to eat your fill ok."
Sniffling, Hitoshi nodded vigorously. "Yes, Eri Onee-san!"
He went back to sit at the desk, the green lantern casting strange shadows on his face as he eagerly spooned the strange-tasting soup into his mouth.
' The soup taste a bit weird....but since it's Eri-Onee-san that made it, I can't waste a single drop!.'
Despite the odd flavor, he ate with genuine gratitude, determined not to displease her.
"Thank you for the food, Eri Onee-san!" he said earnestly when he finished, his innocent visage glowing with appreciation.
Eri felt a strange warmth inside but quickly suppressed it, her cheeks tinged with embarrassment. "Forget it," she said curtly. "Follow me."
They walked down a dark corridor, the flickering lanterns casting unsettling shadows on the stone walls. The air was damp and heavy, filled with the scent of decay.
While they walked along, Eri who had gained her senses back, couldn't help but inwardly berated herself for losing composure earlier. "I'm the Head Maid of this household," she thought sternly. "I can't afford to act unbefitting in front of a new servant."
' But....I have to admit, this little child sure knows how to win someone over.' She felt reluctant yet knew that was the truth. Every time the image of Hitoshi's tear-streaked, beautiful little face popped into her mind, her resolve faltered, and her cheeks turned rosy against her better judgement.
To make matters worse, Hitoshi unconsciously stuck close to her, his small hands clutching her thigh as he nuzzled his face against her waist. His innocent attempt to seek comfort amidst the spooky corridor only made her feel more flustered.
"Focus, Eri," she told herself, though her heart raced.
Meanwhile, Hitoshi inhaled the morbid floral scent that clung to her, finding it strangely soothing despite the fear gnawing at him. To his surprise, A series of system notifications suddenly flashed before his eyes:
«[+50 Affinity Points.]»
«[+50 Affinity Points.]»
«[+50 Affinity Points.]»
«[Congratulations on reaching Level 2!]»
«[Congratulations on reaching Level 3!]»
«[You currently have 15 unallocated stat points and 15 skill points.]»
Hitoshi blinked in confusion, not knowing why he suddenly got so much notifications, he glanced up at Eri Onee-san to see if she noticed but he only saw her slightly rosy left cheek so he quickly brushed the notification off, focusing instead on calming himself as they walked deeper into the eerie corridor.
Eventually, they arrived at a large, spooky scullery lit by ghoulish green lanterns. The eerie light made the shadows dance across the walls, giving the room a haunted feel. Piles of dirty dishes overflowed from the kitchen sink, some even stacked precariously on the floor beside it.
Eri gestured coldly toward the mess trying to regain her former professional persona."This is your first task," she said sharply. "You are to wash all these dishes."
Hitoshi's jaw dropped, not expecting his first task to be so dutiful. "All of them?" He asked in surprise.
"Yes." Eri said flatly. "I'll be back soon. Make sure at least half of these are clean before I return."
Just as she finished speaking, an undead skeleton in servant attire shuffled into the room. Its hollow eye sockets gleamed faintly in the lantern light as it whispered something into Eri's ear.
Hitoshi bit his lip, struggling to stay silent despite the fear crawling up his spine while staring at the skeleton, seeing it reminded him that this wasn't his own world nor home but one crawling with all sorts of scary creatures but when his eyes moved onto Eri-Onee-san, he seemed to find the courage to remain a bit calm.
He watched as Eri nodded to the skeleton before turning back to Him. "I'll be back soon." she said firmly. "Don't you dare slack off on your first job, do I make myself perfectly clear?".
Hitoshi straightened up, clenching his fists, doing an adorable salute. "You can count on me, Eri Onee-san!" he declared energetically.
' This little munchkin~' Eri-Onee-san unconsciously felt the urge to walk up and nibble against his adorable puffed cheeks but when she thought of how embarrassing what she'd just thought of was, her cheeks turned rosier than usual.
" J-just do as your told!." For the first time in forever, Eri-Onee-san actually sounded flustered, though a little. Not wanting to remain here a moment longer, She left, her vampiric speed making it look like she vanished into thin air.
«[+100 Affinity Points]»
«[Congratulations on reaching Level 4]»
«[Current unallocated stat points 20]»
«[Current unallocated skill points 20]»
Hitoshi didn't pay the notifications any heed but was instead stunned to see her vanish like that, but when he realized that she was now gone, a pitiful sigh escaped his little lips.
Left alone in the eerie scullery, Hitoshi took a deep breath, steeling himself.
" No..I can't start feeling saggy now."
"I can do this," he whispered. "I'll make sure Eri-Onee-san smiles when she see's I'm done with the dishes." Hitoshi completely forgot her earlier instructions to quickly wash half the dishes in the sink but focused his attention on every single dirty dish in sight.
' For Eri-Onee-san!!!!.' He yelled inwardly like a little warrior preparing for battle.
With that resolve, he rolled up his sleeves and got to work, determined to prove his worth no matter how daunting the task ahead seemed.
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[AN: The saggy in the passage means feeling down or unhappy.]
[AN: I'd like to thank you all that have read so far, it really brings a warmth to my heart knowing that my work is being appreciated, I hope you'll all continue to support me moving forward and I will likewise try my very best to keep you entertained.]