Chapter 19 My fellow man of culture.

“Caru! There you are.”

Before I even introduce myself, a beautiful, gentle voice interrupts us—a familiar voice I know very well.

“Lhina!!”

“Vice head!! ”

Both Oscar and I were surprised by LHifhina’s sudden intrusion.

I guess I’m no different from Oscar; I also couldn't notice Lhina before she called me. It makes me wonder how she always finds me; how can she do that? But no answer came to mind.

"Caru, what are you doing, he..."

Lhifhina was about to ask me, but several voices cut her short. Those are moans, actually. Is it coming from the game? Now that I think about it, the credits didn't roll. Turning toward the screen, a bizarre scene greets me...

“Ahh shit!!! "

"Caru, don’t look!!! ”

I can hear Lhifhina and Oscar shouting at my back. But—it’s already too late; I saw it already and am currently staring at it. This is….

Six women with silver hair are being displayed on the monitor. However, they're fully naked, unlike the haft-ass visuals. And, and—

They’re doing the “thing” with the hero while moaning loudly, echoing throughout the room.

They’re completely making out!!!!

I see; it's just the wrong timing, but I finally understand. This is the reason for your dedication.

Right?

My fellow man of culture...

Reminiscing about that day, both Oscar and I smiled bitterly.

Man, that was a fun day until Lhina found us," I blurted, laughing drily.

“Whose fault do you think it is?" Oscar's veins were about to pop out from his neck. "I even lost my precious file because of that."

That’s right, tragedy strikes.

Well, that's how I met this guy. I still remember the awkwardness of the atmosphere at that time. I couldn't control my eyes and glued them to the huge screen. The next moment, Llhifhina destroyed the monitor with a blast of light.

Both Oscar and I shouted, "It's not been saved yet." We were in a state of despair; Oscar was even weeping, but Lhifhina's cold glare froze us in fright at the same time.

"I just found this place coincidentally! And follow the light coming from the TV. I saw the game. It was my first time seeing one, so I sneaked in." I swiftly gave an explanation at that moment. Lhifhina understands it; she looks a little sorry then. I guess she feels like she is the one to blame because there's no such thing as a game in our house.

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I thought that’s fine for me. I’m content just leaving with Lhifhina. And she buys me novels sometimes. She gives me anything I need; that's enough for me.

But after that, she presses Oscar for an answer, sweating profusely as Lhifhina glares at him. He looked extremely frightened that time; I thought he might piss himself off. Obviously, he doesn't know anything. He was so fixated on playing that he barely noticed me at the end. Lhina was so scary that I felt a bit guilty.

It was resolved peacefully in the end. Lhifhina realizes that it is merely my curiosity that causes it and stops scaring Oscar. Oscar's TV was replaced the very next day. And he let me visit his place any time I wanted to watch games, of course with Lhifhina’s approval.

Happy ending.

"Anyway, in the end, it was all clear; isn't that a happy ending?"

The moment I said that, Oscar's eyes were bloodshot. Tehee, I guess it's time to bounce...

***

Seeing Carus leave, Oscar heaves an exaggerated sign.

“Sigh, that brat is as carefree as always."

To others, Carus might seem like a typical isolated kid, but Oscar knows well how abnormal a child Carus is. That brat finally found a friend, but I wish he was more careful. Oscar was sighing.

He’s a cautious kid, but once he gets to know a person, he casually drops his guard.

I already heard about the child that had been taken in by that person; I hadn't imagined he'd be full of surprise. Naturally, Oscar knows about Lhina picking up a child, though he doesn't pay much attention to it. But he also never imagined that the same kid would be coming to his doorstep.

"Btw, old man, what's your name?"

A kid with black hair accompanied by bluish strands and bluish eyes appeared to be less than five years old. Said that with a plain expression.

It's the strange kid who trespassed in Oscar's room two years ago. And cause trouble right off the bat. At that time, Oscar was beyond surprised to see a child in his hand. He accidentally dropped him in the process. He's worried that the child might get hurt, but to his surprise, it lands perfectly.

Oscar screamed at him, but the kid just looked at him as if to say, you sure took your time to notice. This makes him irritated. The kid was about to introduce himself, but another intruder interfered. A really dangerous woman appeared, making Oscar shiver and sweat like a bullet.

It was a chaotic day, but it was resolved peacefully in the end, at the cost of his precious saved file. He lets the kid visit anytime he wants to. It had been a long time since he had someone to hang out with. And the kid seems to like a game, which is rare in this world. But Lhifhina gives him a strong warning about Eroge with a dead-cold stare.

He decided to make the kid try the game. At this point, he already knows his name: Carus, given by Lhifhina. As time passes, he discovers things about Carus. First, he has a nasty mouth for his age and tends to swear at whatever is irritated or excited.

He's a rude kid who likes teasing people around him. But surprisingly clingy with Lhifhina and spoiled. And she tries hard not to use the cursed worlds in front of her, but fails miserably.

This makes Oscar think: Don't you know how terrifying the woman you are clinging to is?

Obviously, the fact that Carus was talking with his mana and naming it was known to Oscar; it was a popular story in the orphanage. And also notice the unstableness of Carus. Realizing why Lhifhina was overly worried. Carus's calmness was only possible with his mana’s presence. So he doesn't mind whatever he says with his mana in front of him.

Carus might always mess with him and call him whatever he wants. But Oscar had already become attached to Carus. With no particular reason, Carus was not really special.

In any aspect, the same is true for Lhifhina. A relationship is born over time.

Oscar knows this, and he bet Carus was the same. As the word friend has great value to Oscar, he was led by his emotions and thus advised Carus.

"Also, this is my final advice: precious friends are hard to come by, and you should treasure them. Don't repeat my mistake.

For a moment, a nasty memory surfaced in Oscar's mind. Let out his emotions.

As the day passed, Oscar just came to know that Brat is not your normal kid.

Thus, a query remains in his head.

How did he get in?

He asks that of Carus, to which he responds bluntly. "The door was open."

But that’s not what Oscar meant.

High-grade magic has been set in his room to prevent trespassers. A magic barrier that will suck mana until the last bit, which will cause: losing consciousness or death. But a kid just waltzed in without a scratch.

Oscar knows Carus's terrible aptitude for magic and other things. That's why it's put him in confusion about how kids can pass through high class magic.

It was a barrier made by Oscar himself and the strongest he could make. But Carus broke through, clueless about it, and the same barrier broke as soon as LHifhina entered. That's why, even to this day, Carus didn't discover that such a thing used to exist. Yet Oscar couldn't get rid of it in his mind.

So Oscar drew a few conclusions. Carus pittance mana output might be ridiculously viscous. Or his man was condensed to an unparalleled level. Or perhaps his mana just loved him and wouldn't leave him, which is unlikely.

And his last guess, probably a little plausible: Carus has god-like mana control.

But that's all a mere assumption. Lhifhina might know something, but Oscar doesn't want to ask for things that will cost him his life.

But one thing is for sure: there's something special about him, at least on normal terms.

"Sigh, but I wish that Brat found comrades that he could rely on and trust." Oscar laughed for a bit, turning on the monitor.” But I guess it would be hard for someone as distrustful as you."

What reflected on the screen was a showcase of countless videos and pictures. A guy who seemed to be a younger Oscar was shown in everything. Without heavy eyes, but a wholesome smile was on his face.

“If that brat sees this, he'll irritate me again about my age. Well, it's been a thousand years.”

I wonder what that brat's reaction would be if he discovered my real age. I bet he would annoy me to death.

I wish you luck in making friends.