Chapter 55

Translated by boilpoil Edited by boilpoil

Ococo is like all agents that diligently take the blame and wipe the ass for their idols, and helps Bright to do a secret DNA testing, confirming that the child has half of Bright’s genes. Wolfie’s expression immediately switched from “boring” to “YOOOO! What the FUCK!”

The child sits on the sofa, looking well-behaved. He occasionally locks eyes with the Dog-ear Boy sitting on the carpet. The adults discuss what to do over in the kitchen in the meantime.

“When did you have the kid?” Wolfie is looking gossipy, “they all said you were an Outsider, but the timing is not right! He doesn’t look like he’s from Outside either.”

Ococo is looking serious, “I agree with Wolfie. He doesn’t have a bracelet, but as long as the baby is from the City they would have one, so he’s not a normal kid. Also, why does he know where you live? To keep your address secret not even most staff in the show know.”

And then, they discover something even more shocking. Most cameras in the room cannot capture the child. It’s like he’s invisible, or that there’s an invisible hand controlling all these from high above.

As Bright is living under the surveillance of the show, Ococo could have made up some excuses to conceal the identity for the child, then when she contacted her coworkers in charge of monitoring the CCTV, they sound quite surprised, and asks, “what child?”

“Maybe we could…” Wolfie makes a strangling gesture. Ococo’s face is paling, and she can smell a conspiracy here. She feels this is too odd an event and this cannot be that simple.

Bright shakes his head, refusing Wolfie’s suggestion.

Wolfie is displeased, “you can’t possibly be thinking of taking care of someone of unknown origins at home?”

It’ll be useless. If he dies then the other person can send another dozen here.

Bright is 100% sure that this child is manufactured by the Shithead. He purposefully sent him to him so that as he starts living with him and a relationship if formed then he will torture them. After all, in the eyes of the City dwellers, he’s someone who’s so faithful and moralistic that he can’t forget even a pet who gave him a BJ once.

The best way to deal with this evil scheme is to kill the child, and stop the threat dead in its tracks. They are strangers right now, and the person is not a life born of natural means. He may be innocent as he is, but the malice hidden behind him is terrifying. That’s why that would be the most rational and appropriate method. It’s also something that Bright can never bring himself to do.

This is an open conspiracy. He knows it’s a trap and he still has to jump in. Bright admits that he lost this round.

The Shithead has created a valuable chain that is wrapped tightly around his neck. It might look like a beautiful decoration and harmless at first, but gradually, the aristocrat will tighten this chain and lethally threaten him, so that he dares not venture west if he points east. He will live forever in fear and be controlled by the aristocrat forever.

The child listens for a while, since the house is not big and the kitchen is a half-open-air design; as this is something that has to do with himself, he cannot help but say towards the kitchen, “you can ask me directly.”

The three adults are silenced, and at last Bright moves. He asks the two to temporarily take Dog-ear Boy elsewhere and give an undisturbed space for him and the child.

Wolfie smacks his lips, and brings along the doggy, “come, I’ll take you for a walk.” The doggy is unwilling at first, and is looking at his master, only stopping his struggling after Bright nods his head. Ococo follows them on.

To be stared with such a curious look that also implies familiarity and admiration by a young Shithead, Bright’s mind has been annexed by all his cusses .

Bright pours a warm glass of water for the child in front of him, and says kindly, “tell me.”

The child takes the glass and says his gratitude politely. He doesn’t immediately take a sip, and holds it in his hand. He organises his thoughts, then says, “I rushed here from the laboratory. It was empty and there was nobody around. I knew that I was grown specifically, unlike other young members of the normal human species. I don’t know what I should do either. It’s only that just before I woke up I can faintly recall hearing a voice telling me to look for my dad, which is you, Bright.”

What the child says is logical, so Bright asks in a serious manner, “on what basis do you judge that you were in a ‘laboratory,’ and not locations such as hospital?”

Since he is not treated as a kid who doesn’t know better or a liar, the child is harbouring more and more goodwill towards Bright, and answers, “my original clothes is numbered, and there is the word ‘experiment sample,’ so I believe that I was a product of an experiment. Also, my brain has been injected with basic information and common knowledge. The information is divided into blocks, including information on the self, the environment, and common knowledge on the recognition of society and daily livelihood. I know that my physical age is six. I know what the outside world is like. I know that this is called water, and I can drink it if I feel thirsty talking.” As he is saying that, he starts sipping sheepishly.

“Do you remember what that voice that asked you to find me sounded like?”

The child furrows his brows and thinks for a while, shaking his head in the end, “my memories are superb and I should remember that, but it is muddled. Besides the actual content, what pitch and tone the other person had was unclear. This is strange.”

Bright continues talking with him, confirming that he is not abnormal from other people besides his incredible knowledge. Every other aspect is like a normal six-year-old kid. He does not know who made him nor for what purpose he was made.

Bright restrains himself from at last asking questions like “do you know your other parent.”

Just imagining he and the Shithead have an offspring is making him get goosebumps and feel terrible.

Also, how should he let a six-year-old child come to terms with the fact that his whole existence is to hurt and destroy his own biological father?

The child answers all of Bright’s questions, then asks his own, “will you treat me like an oddity just because you know where I’m from?”

“I cannot deny the fact that towards your existence I am extremely shocked. You can even say I’m flabbergasted.” What Bright said makes the child show an expression of understanding but disappointment. The cat-like caramel-coloured eyes are gazing downwards, as if accepting so in peace. Though perhaps his technique with masking himself is yet inexperienced, his hands holding the glass of water cannot help but tighten themselves.

“What do you plan to do with me?” I have nowhere to go. The child is biting his lips. Perhaps the pride is natural, and he does not directly beg the man.

If the child is crying and throwing a tantrum while hitting and smacking things fiercely, Bright might have been able to steel his heart and send him away. Yet it is exactly this kind of personality that tries to mask his own insecurities with a forceful disguise of resolution and calmness that is effective against him.

It’s certainly the Shithead’s handiwork.

How utterly successful he was against him!

Bright really wants to give the aristocrat an ‘I give’ in giant font and bold letters.

“You can stay.” The man puts his hand out and puts it on the head of the child. The hair is soft and fluffy and smooth. His little head is completely covered with just a palm. He is unimaginably weak and fragile.

“Really?” The caramel-coloured cat-eyes blink, as if in disbelief.

“Though we are father and son, it is the first time we meet. I hope you’ll treat me well from now on.”

The young one is so excited his face reddens. He relaxes his back which he has been stiff ever since he entered the door. He nods his head like an adult, responding clearly, “alright!”

A stomach grumbling sound reverberates throughout the room. The young one’s face reddens further.

“I, I haven’t eaten since I woke up.”

“It’ll be dinner soon. I’ll get you a little something to eat first.”

When Wolfie returns, he can see the child sitting on the dinner table and using a small spoon to dedicatedly poke at a golden yellow custard, eating it spoonful by spoonful. The man is in his apron and working in the kitchen. With the way he is checking on the kid every so often, the expression on the little werewolf screams ‘I knew it.’

The man is too soft at heart! Does he know that he might die in the next competition? That he is facing mortal danger at all times? When he is dead who will inherit all these? It can’t be me?!

“You already have a troublesome pet, and now you’re dragging another baggage along? Don’t forget you’re broke and eating and using what’s mine right now. It can’t be that my rent has been raised, can it?” Wolfie complains.

“Make this the fee for cooking.” Bright says in a justified manner.

Wolfie looks over the table with delicious food where a delectable aura and enticing warmness is emanating, and convinces himself to imagine he has hired a cook. It’ll be fine after the bonus is issued after episode eight of the show. Of course, assuming that Bright lives.

Ococo is not supportive of him keeping the child, but she has no better solution either. She knows the world better than Wolfie; the existence of this child is too peculiar, and probably has something to do with Inner City aristocrats. This is disadvantageous and highly dangerous for Bright. She wants to give a word of advice but this is clearly not a good time. They are surrounded by cameras everywhere, and it is way too easy to read her lips. She holds herself back and does not say anything for now. She prepares to continue observing and try to get more information.

“I’ll be going now, since I have to hurry and write the plans for the vlog, so I’m not going to stay for lunch.”

“I’ll see you off.” Bright takes off his apron and sends his agent to the door. While his body is blocking the camera, he quickly tells her what his plans are with the child, hoping she will help keep it secret.

Even without Bright saying anything, Hopkin will have warned Ococo nonetheless to ensure the event progresses along his designs without interference from others or other factions. Since Ococo knows some of his secrets, like that affair with the animal group, she can be treated as half an ally and so Bright does not hide the child’s origins from her, but does not reveal more than that.

“It’s that patron of yours?” Ococo guesses. She has the quick-wittedness as befitting a professional agent. What they do in this circle is perhaps known to none better than her.

“Mmhm.” Bright admits it.

“Between the two of you…”

Bright is silent. His relationship with Hopkin is not something that can be explained in a short time.

“Alright, just be careful,” Ococo says in a resigned manner.

On the other hand, Wolfie is trying to strike a conversation with the young guy. He discovers that the child is someone who picks his partners. He looks obedient in front of Bright but is pretty nonchalant when it comes to himself. He seems to have seen through the fact that who’s in charge in this household is Bright he’s just some unnecessary extra.

The child does not say that clearly, but his expression and his body language are telling him so. This is making Wolfie angry.

It is also a coincidence of fate that Wolfie has been thrown into the show by the army not long after he was made, and it hasn’t been many days since the child was born. One of them is a few months old, the other a few days old. One is wild and dauntless, one is smart and mature. It doesn’t seem to be that odd that they can’t get along with one another.

“Kiddo, you’d better behave yourself. That guy can tolerate you, but I won’t. You’d better not let me see you doing stuff behind our backs.” Wolfie shows his pointy canines on purpose, with his face twisting into a fierce look, like the Big Bad Wolf in fairy tales. “I can eat small sprouts like you in one bite.”

The child finishes his last bit of custard, and says disdainfully, “childish.”

Wolfie explodes, “what did you just say? You carrothead!”

“I’m not called kiddo nor small sprout nor carrothead. My name is Hope.”

“Hope?”

“H-O-P-E, hope, do you understand?”

When Bright walks in he just happens to hear that. A look of empathy flashes over his expression.

Author’s notes: Little Hope: I’m super cute!

This is a transition chapter that explains where the little guy is from.

The next chapter his other father will show up in quite the worldview-shattering manner. I’m going to bleach myself now so excuse me.

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