A while later, Skyler stepped out of the car that Caspian had driven, alongside Charles. He glanced at the evening sky and sighed.
"Finally back home!"
Without looking back at the middle-aged man, seated in the dark car, who was still glancing at his shirt with a narrowed gaze, he grabbed Charles and practically ran off, dragging him toward the building where he lived with his parents.
The ride wasn’t peaceful at all!
He was sure he had sweated profusely while trying his best not to laugh when Riruru wriggled around on his stomach! It was so ticklish! To make matters worse, Caspian was staring at him like a hawk!
Only when Skyler entered the lift and reached his apartment did he feel relieved.
He quickly shut the door behind him and even locked it before collapsing onto the floor near the doorway.
"That was crazy! Just what the heck was wrong with that Caspian guy? He nearly burned holes in my skin with his stare!"
Charles chuckled as he watched him wipe his forehead and sat down next to him.
"You were so polite in front of him, where’s that politeness now? Tsk. Anyway, will your parents be okay with me staying here?"
He surveyed the house. It wasn’t small, but it wasn’t huge either. Yet, he could sense a cozy atmosphere that his own house lacked.
Skyler’s attention wasn’t focused on him. He was preoccupied with the snake that had tormented him for an hour.
"Ri-ru-ru!"
He called her name loudly, each syllable deliberate. She flinched and then peeked out from inside his shirt when he grabbed the front of it and glared down at her.
"Come out now!"
Skyler’s anger melted when she blinked her sparkling eyes cutely and touched his chin with her head, almost as if she knew he would let her go if she acted adorably.
He tsked and pulled her out of his shirt.
"Just where did you learn to act so cute, huh? I do not recall teaching you this!"
Setting her down so she could take in the apartment he called home, he pointed out.
"I know it feels a bit cramped, especially since you would have preferred a big forest. But this is where you will be living for now."
He glanced at Charles.
"You too, my parents aren’t strict. They actually wanted me to bring friends home because I used to bring a lot of them over when I was younger to play video games, but I stopped two years ago."
Charles nodded and watched Skyler scold Riruru when she tried to climb his arm. He was amused at how Skyler could scold her every time with so much enthusiasm when it was clear she couldn’t understand him.
"Thanks... I wouldn’t bother you for long. I will go and find a place to live."
Skyler groaned and stretched his body.
"Why are you in such a hurry to leave? It’s not like I’m charging you rent. Besides, we are not going to stay here for long. We are going to leave for the academy when I am done talking with my parents."
He dragged his feet toward his room. Now that he was finally home, he felt so tired.
"Come with me. I’ll open the room next to mine. You can use it. My sister used to live there, but because she hasn’t been back for years, my mom got angry and turned it into a guest room last year."
"You have a sister?"
"Yeah. She’s the same age as you."
Charles followed behind him, looking around the house. He wasn’t surprised to see Skyler’s room filled with odd trinkets that sparkled even in the dimly lit space. He would have been if it wasn’t.
Rummaging around, Skyler took out some new clothes he hadn’t worn yet and handed them to him before patting his shoulder.
"Good, you are the same size as me."
Charles’ eyebrow twitched. This bastard. Height was a sensitive subject for men. But no, he always had to poke fun at that, even though he himself was short.
"Shut up."
Skyler chuckled and showed him the shower in the room next to his. Then, he grabbed some clothes, removed Riruru, who was clinging to him, and decided to take a bath. The snake wanted to follow him, but he stopped her midway with a stern look.
"Nope, you are not allowed. Wait on the bed. Okay. I will be done soon."
With that, he closed the door.
Riruru glared at the closed door, feeling unjustly treated. She tried to find a way in, but failed. The weird wall blocked her path, preventing her from following him as she had in the forest when he would suddenly leave her with Charles on a few occasions to change clothes or relieve himself.
As a matter of fact, she had already seen him naked, so what was the point of not taking her with him now?
She wanted to break through the wall, but thinking Skyler would be angry, she didn’t.
Huffing and puffing, she paced his room. Ultimately, bored, she went out and looked around the living room.
Her eyes narrowed as she sensed a strong and calm aura near the wall that Skyler had opened earlier to enter this place.
She watched as a woman with tied-up long dark hair and blue eyes entered the house, carrying a grocery bag in her hand.
"I am back..."
Jenny whispered, only to sigh when she realized her parents were still not back. It seemed they had a lot of work at the guild. After all, recently, for some reason, a lot of crystals were turning orange.
She had returned this morning. Having informed no one about her visit, she wasn’t surprised to find the house empty. But she wondered where her brother had gone, especially since today was sunday.
Despite the professors’ objections, she had taken a week’s vacation from the academy and returned as quickly as possible, just to apologize to Sky for what she did.
Yet he was nowhere to be found.
Almost as if he had vanished into thin air.
After waiting for a few hours in the empty house, she left to get something fresh and easy to make when she felt bored. But since she was wearing her uniform, some aunties stopped her, delaying her return home.
Jenny noticed the two dirty pairs of shoes by the doorway. Her light blue eyes narrowed in alert, and her voice became louder.
"Is someone here?"
She raised her eyes, only to meet a pair of glowing red ones staring at her. The grocery bag in her hand dropped as she sensed the raw power of the beast before her. Her heart pounded, overwhelmed by the sight of such a dangerous creature in her home.
Riruru blinked, her instincts telling her that this person was connected to Skyler. She had no idea why she felt that, but she did.
She hesitated, choosing not to attack, but was startled when the woman before her let out a cry and charged at her.
Riruru rushed back toward Skyler’s room as Jenny drew her whip, shouting behind her.
"Stop right there!"