Chapter 15: The Boy's Fate

"ROY!"

After Ruby called everyone over, the first one to come is Sophie. And as soon as she saw me, she shouted my name and hug me.

…nice.

"Yeah, I've returned as promised."

"Glad to see you alive. I heard from Ruby that you will live here from today?"

"That seems to be the case."

Then Sophie showered me with kisses. Forehead, cheek, and lips. She kissed me all over my face. Well, I gladly accept it.

"So you're Roy. Sophie told us about you."

"I hope someone would say something like what you said to Sophie."

"That "You can dream of me and I will protect you in your dream" …KYAA!!"

"Can I dream of you as well?"

Then the other girls come as well and… what the hell!? How did I ended up being so popular? I only said some cheesy lines to Sophie and everyone want me to say something to them?

My guess is that every girl here are hurt deeply and they want someone to support them. Being in this line of works, there's no way that anyone have never been hurt. But to think that no one ever tried to heal them is saddening. The only people they can trust is only the girls here and Ruby.

And then I entered the frame. They heard about what happened last night from Sophie. Right now they may say that they wish for me to say those words to them as a joke, but I think deep down they still wish for a knight to save them. Since I may end up living here with them all, I need to make sure we have a good relationship. And I will try my best to heal them from their wound in their hearts.

"I'm glad to see that everyone is getting along."

I showed them a sincere smile.

First thing first, I need to show everyone that I actually care about them. That's why when I see everyone, I need to show them my concern first. Saying that I was glad to see everyone is getting along, will make them think that I'm concerned about them. Ruby might have told them that I will live here from now on so they must be worried if I was such a selfish bastard.

And just as I expected, some of them even has their cheeks turned red after hearing what I said. Was that too much?

Then I heard some of them speaking in whispers.

"He's glad we're getting along? What a gentleman!"

"He doesn't seems as selfish as other men."

"Maybe I can ask him to sleep with me just like Sophie did."

I can hear you guys talking. My hearing has already improved because of Aura so I can hear their whispers at this range.

"Girls, calm down! We need to discuss what we should do with the kid."

Then Ruby came and interrupted the girls' admiration on me. Can't she pick a better time?

But it is more important to figure out what to do with the boy. He seems confused about what's going on.

Then after a short discussion, everyone agreed to have him stay here, but the boy said another unexpected things.

"I can't stay here! There's too many people here!"

"What's wrong with too many people?"

I asked him. I have a hunch that he's going to drop a bomb, but I need to know more about how his asshole of a mother raise him. That's why I need to have him told me everything one by one.

"Mother said that she has to hit me at least once a day if we're living together. If there's too many people, it will be too painful for me."

FUCK!

Again! This bitch just keep getting worse and worse! Even all the girls got shocked with what he said.

Then I grabbed his shirt and lift it up.

"Gasp!"

"No way!"

Yeah… just as I suspected. He's got too many scars on his body.

What the hell is this?!

He doesn't have a name, his mother hit her every day, and he can only eat once every two days. This is not how a child so be raised! I also wondered how he could survive all this years. I don't think that his mother is that bad when he was just a baby. That means he's raised this way later. He looked to be around five years old so maybe his mother started abused him about one year ago.

And despite what he went through, his innocence is still there. Maybe that's why his mother get upset of him. He's too innocent and his mother is too annoyed to explain every little things to him, then it went worse and turned into abuse. His mother can't take care of him anymore and abandoned him.

"Well, you've had it wrong all your life. None of us here will hit you so you can stay here for as long as you want."

Ruby then spoke to the boy to calm him down and persuade him that no one here wanted to hurt him.

"Really?"

"Not yet."

I sternly interrupted him. There's one more thing that he need before he can stay here.

"You still haven't got a name yet. We can't let anyone without a name staying here. There's no way we can call you 'Kid' forever. That's why let's give him a name."

I suggested everyone to give him a name. It will be a start for him to have a better life.

After some discussion it was decided that his name will be Daniel.

Daniel looked happy when we give him a name. But there's one more thing to do before he can truly blend in.

"Alright, Daniel. Now you have a name and a home. But there's one more condition that you need to fulfil. Come here."

Daniel approached me while everyone looked confused. They must have thought that everything is ready so they don't know what I'm going to do.

Then when Daniel got close to me, I pinched his cheek and pulled it.

"Wha ah yu dowing?" (What are you doing?)

"Is it hurt? Is it painful?"

He didn't answer but after a while he nodded.

"Then cry. Ask for help. It is not fine to get hurt all the time. You are just a kid so it's fine to cry. It's your job to cry when it's painful."

I looked at his face with his cheek still being pulled by me. His eyes started to tear up.

"Is it fine?"

"It is."

Then he hugged me and cry his heart out. Al the emotions he build up to this day, he let them out.

"Huwaaa!!! It's painful! It's hurt! I'm hungry! I'm afraid! It's so scary!"

I released my hand from pinching him and hug him back. He need to know that someone care. Someone can help him. And I will be one who will help him and support him. Hopefully, I will be just one of many. Since the girls are all also moved to tears. Even Ruby who always looked so calm is wiping her tears.

"I know I know. I'm sorry for pinching your cheek."

He kept crying as I tried to comfort him. All those pent up emotions, I will help him vent.

Then I tried to give him advice. It was an advice from my heart. I said it wholeheartedly as it is something from all of my experiences. In my past life, and after I went back in time. This was a lesson I overheard from a man to his child, and I took it to heart. And in this brothel, where every girls has their own stories, they listened to it.

"You know what? Living is hurt. Living is painful. That's why you can cry. And you can ask for help. Not everything and everyone tries to hurt you. Someone might come and help you. That's why ask for help. Everyone is allowed to cry and ask for help. No matter if you're a kid or an adult, boy or girl, rich or poor, sick or healthy, everyone can cry when it's painful. Everyone can ask for help. Although not everyone will answer your ask for help, I will. I will try to help you in any way I can."

Daniel paused and looked at me.

"Will you help me?"

"I will."

Then he continued sobbing until he fell asleep.

"I think you will make a good father."

Me? A father? I never thought of it. I did played with kids around me but to be told that I will make a good father is a first. I just said something that I heard in the past. And I feel like Sophie's and the girls' admiration on me is increased by a lot.

"Anyway, where's his room?"

"For now he will stay with you in your room. At least for tonight. You're going to leave again, right? That's why you didn't know what to do with him and try to get my permission for him to stay."

"You're gonna leave again?"

It was Sophie who interrupted Ruby and me. She was anxious about me leaving again just after she heard about me living here.

"Yeah. Probably I will leave for months. I'll leave after I tell my party members so probably on Monday. And tomorrow I will be shopping for necessities."

Since I don't have any 'real' weapons. I depend on Blobby too much that I never thought of having another weapons.

"What a pity. At least you're coming back, right?"

"Yes. This is my home after all."