Nothing happened the entire day. Cia managed to gather some information about the serial killer, but most of it was very vague and mostly speculations.
"Could their serial killer be related to Rena's stalker?" Cia was talking to his system in his mind.
[ I don't know. But... ] There was hesitation in the system's voice. \[ If it's human, I would be able to sense it. But if it's not... I'm afraid we're doomed. ]
Cia, who was passing the pavement, paused. "What do you mean? Do you suspect that the stalker that was following Rena is a demon?"
Then he realized something. "Why didn't you tell me before?"
[ Huhuhuhuhu, I'm afraid yes. Because I couldn't sense anything following your sister. I didn't tell you because I didn't think much of it ] The system was frustrated, as well as scared.
If it was an ordinary human, then there was still room for maneuver. Cia is a grown-ass man. Although the success rate is not 100%, at least he can inflict damage.
But if it's a demon...
"That's it. We'll see what happens then." He said casually. He shouldn't have put his trust in the system. Worrying would do nothing. Let's leave it out to fate.
He received the pastries that he bought. The gentle-looking woman who was the owner of the shop stared at Cia's face, and then a look of realization dawned on her.
She smacked the counter. "Wait! You are Lina's grandchild, right? The one who was studying at the City?"
Cia looked at her. She didn't look familiar, but he nodded.
The woman smiled. "Look, you've already grown up. You probably don't remember me. But I'm your Aunt Alice. Last time I saw you, you were still five years old. After that, we moved to another town for my husband's work. How have you been?"
Oh, a friend of the original owner's grandmother.
"I'm doing well, thank you for your concern, Aunt." Cia smiled.
Then he felt that was a bit distant, so he added, "I would probably stay here at the town to take good care of my siblings. After all, our grandmother already passed away. I don't feel at ease leaving them to fend alone."
"You're a good child." Mrs. Alice smiled. Then out of nowhere, she called out her daughter. "Bea, come here. Meet your brother. He's the grandchild of that kind grandma who always gave you gifts when you were young."
A lady came out of the kitchen. Her hands were covered with flour and her hair was tied into a bun.
She's a beauty alright. Despite her modest clothing, it accentuated her good figure. Wide hips, full chest, and a slender waist. Although she wasn't a peerless seductress, she looked well-kept. Doe eyes, pinkish cheeks, and red lips.
A gentle and well-behaved woman.
The system sensed Cia assessing the woman's appearance. It quickly forgot about its worries and went into gossipy mode.
[ Hey, do you think she's beautiful? Mrs. Alice clearly wants to matchmake you. Why don't you strike the chance? ]
Cia smiled and replied to the system, "She's really pretty, but she doesn't seem to be rich. I don't think Mrs. Alice will accept a useless son-in-law."
He could feel the system turning speechless. It clearly remembered what Cia said before. He managed to stop himself from laughing, but the system felt devastated about its future.
It started to worry about Cia's lack of ambition.
"Hello." Cia smiled gently at Bea. "Mrs. Alice, I'd better go back first. I'm scared that Rena will cry once she notices that I left."
Mrs. Alice looked disappointed, but she couldn't force it. She waved Cia goodbye, and after he left, she nudged her daughter.
"You're clearly peeking at him outside for about an hour now. Why are you silent, like your tongue was tied?"
Bea cupped her cheeks. They were warm. She had been blushing the entire time. But she was scared to meet his eye, what's more, talk to him.
"Mother... Don't bother him." Her voice was as tiny as a mosquito. "Clearly he is not interested."
Mrs. Alice thought that they were a good match. She looked at her daughter in disappointment. "Useless child. Men also want a woman who takes initiative."
...
The school finally ended. Rena rushed to Cia like a cannonball. Her eyes were basically glued on the pastries.
"Little glutton. How's your school?" Cia smiled and carried her.
"I still hate it." Rena was direct to the point. "But not much since brother is here."
Cia smiled and carried her home.
After they arrived, Rena was like a horse that got out of the stable. Very energetic and lively. She randomly tossed her shoes and bag as she ran toward her toy box.
Rena went to play with her decapitated doll. Ignoring Cia's worried look, she happily organized a tea party that looked like it came out from hell.
"Are children playing with decapitated dolls normal?" Cia had no experience, but Rena's behavior did cause him a bit of concern.
[ Probably. I heard that many children like ripping off the limbs of their toys. ] The system didn't think much and was quite indifferent.
He cleaned up the extra mess that she left on the floor. Cia carried the box to Rena's room and stuffed it under her bed.
When he walked back to the living room, he saw Rena standing near the window, having left all her toys behind.
"You don't want to play anymore?" Cia asked, glancing at the abandoned toys.
Rena shook her head and pointed at the tree near their house. "Brother, there is someone behind the tree."
Cia's heart skipped a beat. He looked at the location Rena was pointing at. It was already noon, the sun was setting, and most people had already started walking home. There was no one in the direction Rena was pointing.
"System! Do a scan!"
---
[ Yes ]
[ Scanning... 40%... 60%... 100%... ]
[ No Presence Detected ]
---
Cia's heart dropped.
"Did you see it wrong?" Cia tried to calm his heart down. "There's no one there."
Rolling her eyes, Rena pulled his shirt and insisted, "There is! It's hiding behind the tree. I saw it looking at our house!"
Taking a deep breath, Cia pulled Rena away from the window and closed it. "That's probably a bad guy. Don't open the doors or windows without big brother's permission."
"System, what are the chances that it was a demon?" He was already preparing for the worst-case scenario.
[ Host, don't joke like that. We couldn't be that unlucky, right? ] The system was tied to Cia. If something happened to him, then the system would be in jeopardy.
He walked toward the door and locked it. Every window inside the rooms was also locked. Inside the house was dim, so Cia turned on the light.
He barely managed to keep his head cool. He sat on the chair and planned his next course of action.
Sam left him a letter saying that he and Eri were going to spend the night at the docks.
Rena already told him that they usually worked there from Friday through Sunday night. They usually left her at Mrs. Alice's care.
As for Ain, who knows where the guy is. At least the three of them seemed to be not in danger. Cia assumed that the system would probably send him a task if it sensed that something dangerous was going to happen with them.
He opened the system interface.
---
[ Main Mission: Keep your siblings alive.
Countdown: Until They Reach Dawn
Reward: ▇▇▇▇▇▇
Punishment for Failure: Both the System and the Host will be flayed alive until shock or death.
Siblings status:
Safe: (3)
In Danger: (1)
In Risk of Dying: (...) ]
---
That single sibling in danger should be Rena. As for why the "In Risk of Dying" section is filled with dots, it probably had to do with the fact that Rena's death countdown...
He can't be just here waiting for death. Rena needs to eat.
Cia went to the kitchen and cooked the remaining food in the pantry. He should do groceries if he is still alive tomorrow.
It should be just him and Rena tonight.
After he finished cooking, he washed his hands and dried them with the cloth hanging on the side. Just as he was about to go back to the living room, he paused.
CREEK
It was the sound of something stepping on the floorboards.
He waited, but the sound didn't come back. It was silent except for Rena's self-talk. Maybe he was feeling paranoid.
"Old houses make random noises, right?" He tried to reassure himself. But in the back of his mind, he had been envisioning something crawling toward him.
"System, pay attention to the surroundings. Don't rely on your detection. Tell me if you sense something off." He is just human, what's more, he is in a state of paranoia. Maybe he'd overlook something.
[ Yes ] The system was also on high alert this time.
He walked back to the living room and sat on the rocking chair. He picked up a book that was on the table. Books are his only source of leisure and entertainment.
His senses were taut. He couldn't focus on a single word from the book. One wrong move and he'd flinch.
CREEK. CRACK. SHCRRIIII.
Then he heard a noise again. It was very faint. If he wasn't focusing all his attention on his surroundings, he wouldn't have noticed it.
[ I can also hear it, Host. ] The system reassured him that he wasn't hallucinating.
The sound vanished once again, but it was still lingering in his mind. Unable to sit still, he stood up.
"Rena, stay there. Again, don't open the door without telling me." He said as he grabbed the discarded fire poker that was leaning in a desolate corner of the living room.
He couldn't sit still without knowing what the source of that sound was.