"Young Master… stay where you at. I will make you an immortal in this painting."
Little Jean didn't understand what Mattew said about 'Immortal,' but he just shrugged it off and then sitting obediently, staring at Matthew, who started sketching before he drew.
Little Jean saw that Matthew's raven eyes darkened few times. He got curious and asked, "Matthew, your eyes are very dark!"
Matthew smiled and continued sketching, "So I can see you better, Young Master."
"Un, I see…." Little Jean hummed. He then saw Matthew's nails grew into dark, sharp claws, and then he asked again, "Matthew, your nails are so sharp? Is that part of your magic?"
"No, Young Master, it's just so I can feel you better…."
[Ok, that one doesn't make sense, yo~]
[Pupa: Why are you asking anyway? Isn't it obvious that he's starting to get overtaken by his desire?]
[Hey, I was just trying to create some conversation. What's wrong with that?]
Little Jean could see the monster that started to grow behind Matthew's back, but he said nothing, knowing that Matthew was currently enjoying himself.
Besides, he already lied to Matthew, saying that he didn't remember any traumatizing event.
[If I told him, then there's a possibility he will blacken so soon. It's best to keep it this way, to act ignorant in front of him.]
Thus, Jean said nothing and hummed while looking at Matthew's face.
He had to admit that Matthew looked a lot happier than before.
The moment he entered Matthew's room as a light, Matthew was gloomy and had a terrifying aura around him. He was showing anger and desire that no normal kid should have.
It took a while for Matthew to sketch Little Jean, and after he was done, he went out to give Little Jean a glass of orange chocolate milk.
"Uwaaa! Jean loves chocolate milk!" Little Jean cheered. He snatched the glass of chocolate milk from Matthew's hand and drank it in one sitting.
Matthew smiled at Young Master Jean and asked, "Young Master Jean, how did you learn teleport?"
"Un… Jean just learned by looking at Raphael! Now Jean can use it because Jean is a Jeanius! Nyehehehe~"
Matthew chuckled with Young Master Jean's pun. He held Little Jean's hand and asked again, "Then why do you use it to come here? You can use your teleport to visit Saint Raphael first."
"Eh, Jean doesn't need to visit Angel because he often visits Jean!" Little Jean replied. "I just want to visit Matthew because I missed you so much! Matthew is Jean's first friend and best friend! Of course, I have to visit!"
Matthew was stunned for a moment because he didn't expect that Young Master Jean held him at such importance in his heart.
Maybe it was only him that doubted Young Master Jean. He was the purest boy to ever live and graced Matthew's boring life. It was his luck that Young Master actually liked him.
"Young Master… I will paint you with all my heart, I will make you an immortal, so I can stare at you every night before I sleep…." Matthew said.
[Yo, dude, that's kind of creepy, ya know. But coming from Xu Jiansheng, I guess there's nothing I can do about it.]
[Pupa, do you know what kind of anomaly Aaron/Jiansheng/Matthew is? I mean, he keeps following us from one world to another, and his presence started to get even more prominent in every world.]
[Pupa: No idea. He is like a bug in the system that has been planted by someone. Even if I try to clear him from our path, he will keep lingering around.]
…
Matthew returned to his spot and started mixing colors to find the best color for his painting. Naturally, he poured all his heart into making this painting, imagining the smiling Young Master Jean surrounded by spring flowers.
Imagination flew freely inside his head as he started painting slowly but surely. Little Jean helped Matthew's imagination by summoning some flowers to blossom on his head and around him.
"You're beautiful, Young Master…." Matthew praised.
"Ehe, of course, I am!" Little Jean exclaimed proudly.
It took a while to finish the painting, and when it was done, Matthew put down his brushes, "It's done, Young Master. You can see it if you want."
"Yayyy!"
Little Jean jumped out of the tall chair and walked to see the painting of his.
"Uwaaa! So amazinggg! Matthew is a great painter!" Little Jean marveled over the picture when he saw it because it showed him being surrounded by flowers and butterflies.
He was smiling, with his head tilted to the side. Little Jean thought that his doe eyes looked so realistic that he couldn't help but give it a bit of magic.
"I hope you like it, Young Master…."
"Like? Jean loves it!" Little Jean replied. "Jean will give this painting something, so Matthew can see me moving around inside that painting!
Little Jean closed his eyes for a second, and then he summoned a ball of light and put it inside the painting.
The Little Jean inside the painting started winking and grinning mischievously with a blush on his cheek. The flowers and butterflies also moved around him.
Little Jean wanted to be a bit more extra, so he also blessed the painting, "Jean loves this painting. It will stay forever, and Matthew can always meet Jean by touching the painting because it has Jean's smell and skin!"
Matthew was stunned at Young Master Jean's blessing. Because he didn't think that Young Master was capable of such a thing. But what he said came true: a sweet rose and strawberry fragrance mixed together emitting from the painting, and Little Jean looked so realistic. When Matthew touched Little Jean's cheek on the painting, he thought he touched a real smooth skin of the real Jean.
"Young Master, this…"
"Hehe, this is my gift for you! I heard from your dad that you're going to have your birthday soon, right?"
"Y—Yes…" Matthew confirmed.
[Phew, at least the birth date between Madeline and Matthew are the same.]
"Then, I will come and play with you later. But I have to go now. My brother might be searching for me!" Little Jean distanced himself from Matthew and started chanting.
"Hippity, happily, your house is now my property!"
Pop!
With that, Young Master Jean disappeared into thin air, presumably returning to the Place of Eau Saumont.
Matthew stared at the spot where Little Jean disappeared, and he shifted his gaze at the spot where Little Jean sat before.
In the end, he gave all his attention to the painting that gave a butterfly in his stomach.
He smiled and then caressed Young Master Jean's cheeks in the painting, "Young Master… you don't know how terrifying my magic is, but I know that the magic academy will lock me down if they know that I can control dark monsters…."
"Young Master, if you know about my terrifying magic, will you still accept me? You're surrounded by flowers and butterflies. Meanwhile, I'm just a peasant kid who happens to be lucky enough because I could meet you and befriend you…."
"But Young Master… I want more than just a friend…."