-Ellie-
Tossing and turning all night, it was not until 6 AM in the morning that sleep finally claimed him. Even with many things in his mind, Kenshin slept like a log. He had always been a heavy sleeper.
Bang! Bang!!
Suddenly someone loudly banged his door, then followed the voice of a young girl.
“Big Brother Shin, open the door…open it…open it!!” the hyperactiveness of the voice’s owner was as clear as day.
This loud noise had managed to rouse Kenshin from his slumber. And in his sleep-muddled state, he slipped on his own blanket, falling down face first.
“Oww!” the fall managed to make him complete awake.
Knock!! Knock!!!
“Big Brother Shin!!!”
Hearing the familiar voice, Kenshin immediately flipped his head towards the calendar. He squinted his eyes, trying to see the date.
24th JUL
The combination of black letters and numbers greeted him.
‘Its still 24th, six days away from rent collection day, why is she here now?’ Kenshin asked himself in his head.
Bang!! Bang!
The loud knocking continued without any intentions of stopping, annoying Kenshin to no end.
“Coming!!” Kenshin finally couldn’t take it anymore and shout out in a loud voice. Then massaging his sore head, he walked towards the door. With a click, he unlocked the door and opened the door.
“Ell…ahu!” just as he was about to address the owner of the voice, he stopped midway and a strange shout leaked from his vocal chords. The owner of the voice gave him a vicious headbutt to his unsuspecting stomach.
Now, Kenshin was not a weak person. A headbutt like this wouldn’t even hurt unless it was from a person stronger than him. It was because Kenshin knew something like this would happen, he suppressed his body strength before opening the door.
“Auuu!! Big Brother Kenshin, is your body was made of steel!?” the voice complained.
The owner of the voice was a little girl of age no more than 12 years old. She had neatly combed the blue hair on her head. After the dungeon incident, colorful hairs became common among the populace. In some cases, it was the proof of one’s natural alignment. Below her blue hair was a pale forehead, which was gradually turning red. He could even see a bump forming on it. She had emerald green eyes, which was filled with tears. Right now she was wearing a blue sundress, looking very pretty like a tiny angel. Only Kenshin knew how much of a devil she was.
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With his high amount of PHY, Kenshin recovered almost instantly. He looked at the pitiful young girl who was on the verge of crying and sighed. Kneeling in front of her, he placed his hand on her forehead before rubbing it gently.
“Is it hurts badly?” his voice was very tender, he often used that kind of tone while dealing with his sister. This young girl was also kind of a sister to him.
“MMmm!!” the young girl nodded while secretly enjoying Kenshin’s caresses. She didn’t have a big brother or a father and was the only daughter of her single mom. Therefore she treats Kenshin like her own brother. It had sparked many wars between her and his little sister, but in the end, the fight ends up with both of them punished by the landlady.
That’s right, this little girl’s name was Ellie and was the only daughter of his landlady. The landlady was a very kind person and would often take care of his sister when he was out hunting. She had also never forced him to pay the rent as she knew his circumstances. She was a single mother to whom Kenshin considers his older sister. Six years ago, when he had to sell his parental home to pay for the hunting gears, she was the one who was willing to give them a house to stay without asking for any advanced payments.
Many times she had also helped him with financial support. As such, he was very indebted to her.
He met Ellie after a year of his stay at this place. That day, he had taken his sister for a stroll around the town and was resting on the park. There he spotted her, sitting alone in a swing with her head down and no one around to befriend her. Her mother was also there but was looking sadly at her. Children are as innocent as heartless sometimes.
Understanding the situation, Kenshin beckoned his sister to befriend her. His sister and Ellie only had an age gap of four years. It only took them a few minutes to become friends with his sister taking the older sister role. That night, the landlady had treated them all a very sumptuous meal.
With the addition of a friend was like giving wings to a tiger for the girls. Their naughtiness increased exponentially, causing endless nightmares for him. Only the landlady was capable of controlling the two she-devils.
After his sister went to the school, Kenshin got busy. That had limited the poor girl’s visit to his home. Even then she would occasionally drop by to annoy him. Most of the time she would come to collect the rent, so Kenshin was surprised for her untimely visit.
“Why are you here so early?” Kenshin asked while rubbing her head.
“Early! Big brother, have you gone mad!? It's already 3 PM” the girl berated with a cute look on her face.
Not believing her, since the girl had a penchant for causing mischiefs, he looked back to the clock. What she said was true, it’s already 3 PM. As if on cue, his stomach rumbled in hunger.
“So, why are you here? What about school?” Kenshin got back to the topic.
“Today was the foundation day so its holiday. Mom was calling you at home. She has prepared tasty cakes for you and me” the girl audibly gulped her saliva at the mention of cakes.
“Really! That’s great. I was feeling hungry myself. Okay, let's go” Kenshin has also gulped his saliva, though discreetly. The landlady had a gift for making desserts. She had a cake shop on the ground floor of the apartment he was staying. It was another source of income for her. Kenshin also loved her desserts, and he was often called by her to taste her latest inventions.
“Ugh! Big brother, You stink! Please bath first before coming” the little girl scrunched her nose in disgust. Every girl loves cleanliness and Ellie was no exception.
Taking a whiff of his armpits, he nearly puked on the spot. There was a horrible stench coming off his body. He suddenly remembered that the last time he had taken a bath was two days ago. It was no wonder he was smelling so foul.
“Okay! You go back. I will be there after taking a bath”
“Come quickly or else I will eat your portion too”
After sending her back, he locked the door before running towards the bathroom to free himself of this odor.