Chương 51: Bad Master

Early the next morning, at Villa 21 in Chinkola Point, the door to Aren's room opened with a soft creak. The instant he sensed someone enter, Aren woke up. A second later, he pretended nothing had happened. His lips curved slightly, and he kept his eyes closed as if he were still asleep. The intruder crept toward him on tiptoe, muttering under her breath.

"Bad Master Aren. You promised to tell Neon a story yesterday, but you never came. Neon will scare you awake."

"Boo."

"Ah!" Neon failed to scare him and was frightened instead. She dropped onto her backside with a pitiful little whimper.

"Which little troublemaker snuck into someone else's room?" Aren asked, unable to keep the amusement out of his voice. Neon had already climbed back to her feet. Caught in the act, she blushed in embarrassment.

"It's Master Aren's fault. You promised to tell Neon a story yesterday, but you never came."

"Is that so? I seem to remember a certain lazy little pig falling asleep by herself."

"Then you could have woken Neon up." Aren rubbed her head.

"That won't do. Children need to sleep early." As if protesting the noise, the small figure in Aren's arms sat up. Machi's eyes were cold as she stared at Neon for a moment. Then she turned to Aren.

"Aren, get up." After saying that, she walked straight into the bathroom.

'A jealous Machi is cute too.' Aren smiled faintly. When Machi suddenly said she wanted to share his room the previous night, Aren had already realized she was jealous. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Normally, Machi was so calm and mature that she did not look like an eleven-year-old at all. Neon appearing had somehow drawn out a childlike part of her. Neon, however, looked frightened by the cold older girl.

Aren patted her head again to comfort her.

"Don't be scared, Neon. That big sister is with me. She may look cold, but she only has trouble with strangers. Once you get to know her, you'll find out she's actually very kind."

"Oh. So that is how it is." Neon nodded as if she understood. She did not grasp everything Aren said, but she understood trouble with strangers. Many scary men in black suits came and went from her home, and she had also needed a long time to get used to strangers.

"Neon understands. Neon will help the big sister." Her eyes filled with a strange fighting spirit. Aren had no idea what Neon had understood, but it was probably something good.

"Good girl. I need to wash up first. Go have breakfast like a good girl."

"Okay. You should hurry too, Master Aren." Neon walked out of the room. Once she left, Aren entered the bathroom. Machi was brushing her teeth.

"Machi," he teased, "are you jealous of a four-year-old girl?"

"Hmph." Machi neither denied it nor admitted it. She only gave him a chilly little huff. Aren reached out and gently stroked her hair.

"You don't need to be jealous. You will always be the most special one. Remember? You were the one who picked me up." Machi was caught off guard by his sudden gentleness. Her face reddened as she rinsed the foam from her mouth.

"I'm not jealous." Her stubborn look made Aren laugh. The hand that had been gentle began to mess up her hair. Machi slapped it away. Aren did not mind. He picked up the cup Machi had just used and rinsed his mouth with it. Strictly speaking, Aren no longer needed to wash. After merging with the Undying, his body had become almost spotless in a way that would fit a fantasy novel. Even so, he still liked to wash after waking. Without that habit, something felt missing.

"Aren, isn't your cup over there?" Machi asked.

"Don't worry about the small details. Going over there is too much trouble." After the two finished washing, a Nostrade subordinate led them to the dining room. Light Nostrade had probably summoned some of his people back overnight. When Aren entered, the rest of the Troupe was already there. So were Light and Neon. Chrollo set down his knife and fork.

"More accurately, we were waiting for you."

"Waiting for us? Why?" Then Aren understood. What they wanted was not forged identification, but legal registration. Light had likely called over a government official to enter fingerprints and biological information directly, so it was better to wait until everyone was present. If the official returned again and again, enemies could catch a flaw in the process. In a mafia town like Gambi, hostile forces were everywhere, and officials backed by the Nostrade Family needed to move carefully.

"Right. I almost forgot the important business." Light stood and bowed respectfully.

"Since Mr. Aren is awake, I will arrange identity registration for everyone now." After another bow, he left the dining room. With her father gone, Neon immediately grew nervous. She ran over and grabbed Aren's trouser leg. Aren lifted her into his arms.

"Don't be afraid, Neon. Let me introduce you. These brothers and sisters are all with me."