Amidst the catastrophe, a tearful little girl with long dark hair and crimson eyes caught his eyes. She had an angelic aura that was somehow calming, albeit the fright incurred by the genocide overshadowing it. At the exact moment the shuttle door was ajar, a portal that had an even brighter red opened behind her, a red hand with pointy fingers grabbed her neck.
And there, with a traumatized look on her face and a scream for help, she was abducted by the horrifying red hand. Then, as soon as the girl vanished from plain sight, so did the portal.
There wasn't sufficient time to react since it all happened so quickly.
His recollection which was already in a disarray was disturbed as he perceived a novel presence. He turned to gaze at the entrance of the house, and caught sight of a little girl.
She was astonished, yet curious, and was just standing there with her head tilted.
'Well, so much for "a place that no one ever comes to".'
Frankly, Jogrin was aware that a place couldn't be kept secluded forever, so this abandoned house being found was an eventuality. It was just that... it came too soon.
One peculiar thing he noticed, was that no fear could be sensed from her.
'What's wrong with this little girl?' A brusque remark came from Jogrin. Whether it would've offended her not, it was fortunate that he didn't say it out loud.
The curious girl stared at Jogrin who was nonplussed for a good while, until she finally raised her voice.
"Hey hey! Are you a ghost?!" Excitedly, the girl queried with a voice befitting her age while dashing towards Jogrin.
"Huh?" Completely perplexed, Jogrin who managed to maintain his expressionless face replied the girl dubiously.
Without displaying any signs of fear or caution, the little girl approached Jogrin. The glint in her eyes turned into sparkles, and for some reason it was blinding for Jogrin.
Before, the "stress" from tens of soldiers felt overwhelming for Jogrin, but the adventurous spirit arisen from the girl was as overwhelming, if not even more. It looked like the fire lit within her could never be extinguished.
The one who was faltering, was astonishingly Jogrin, who'd never dealt with someone like her. Unconsciously, he stood up from the creaking chair, as he continued to stared at the enthusiastic girl who appeared like a storm to him.
She dashed at Jogrin without a second thought. Once she arrived right before him, she repeated herself.
"Are you a ghost?" She tilted her head again.
"... A ghost? What's that..." That was all Jogrin could mutter. Unable to figure out her intentions, Jogrin became cautious of the girl.
'Whoever this little girl is, I need to get her to leave me alone without scaring... What...?'
Not even having hundreds of guns pointed at him was able to make him flinch, but a gentle poke on his arm from a slender finger was, as he retracted his arm while gazing at the finger that came in contact with him.
"Hmm~ I can touch you so you're not a ghost." The girl continued to poke Jogrin's other arm, she noticed the spine-like tail. "Ah! Are you actually a demon that came from the underworld?"
"A what now? I actually fell from the sky..." Nonplussed still, Jogrin inadvertently replied with an honest answer.
He couldn't figure out what her intentions were, and before he knew it, the girl poked his arm again. Jogrin didn't think it was possible, but her eyes were giving even brighter sparkles. At the same time, she was gasping in thrill.
"Ah! So you're an angel!"
'Seriously, what's wrong with her?' Jogrin stared at the girl that was filled with anticipation, while making the very same brusque remark again. He frowned a little upon yet another poke.
That was the second time he made a facial expression today, and that was his personal record.
Needless to say, the little girl was too imposing for Jogrin. Normally, people came to pick on him, not be curious about him. It was because of the brand new experience that left Jogrin at a loss for words.
The girl put her hands behind her back, bent her body forward and looked up at Jogrin, who returned to his usual expression. Then, as if she had a realization, her eyes widened and stood straight again.
"Ah! I'm so sorry! Mama said I should greet and introduce myself when I meet someone I've never met before! My name is Suzannia! Umm... umm... I'm nine years old and umm... my favorite food is Mama's handmade rice noodles, and umm..."
The girl named Suzannia suddenly began to introduce herself with lots of stuttering, which troubled Jogrin to an even greater extent.
Frankly, he wished she would just get lost already.
"Halt. Did your Mama ever teach you to never talk to or reveal your name to strangers, especially those who idle in an abandoned house in the middle of nowhere?" At long last, something that actually conformed to common sense came from Jogrin, as he solemnly gazed into Suzannia's eyes.
"Hmm? She did, but she never said anything about abandoned house. You don't look like a bad person anyway, and you said you're an angel right? My friends all went home already but I don't wanna go home yet, so can you play with me?" She gave Jogrin a look of anticipation.
"First, not everything is as it seems on the surface. I could be tricking you, don't be gullible. Second, I never said I'm a ghost, a demon or an angel, please don't assume I'm any of those for your own convenience. Third... what makes you think this is a place for a child to play in?"
Jogrin thought to knock some sense into the brain of this overzealous girl. To his dismay, it all fell on deaf ears.
"Hmm~ I see~ So what's your name?" Ignoring what Jogrin told her, putting his effort in vain, she curiously asked.
"No, you don't 'see' at all. That didn't get through to you at all..." Jogrin sighed deeply as he became deflated.
To such a capricious girl, Jogrin had no way to deal with her, other than going with the flow. Of course he could easily threaten her out of here, but he chose not to. After all, she was just a curious and innocent girl. He looked at Suzannia again, only to see her waiting in anticipation. He frowned a bit before replying.
"Jogrin."
"What a weird name!" Without hesitation, Suzannia spoke words that would offend someone, but as usual, that didn't bother Jogrin a single bit. "So, what are we going to play?"
Not just her eyes, but her entire was radiating a blinding light, and it made Jogrin extremely uncomfortable.
"Nothing. It's getting late, so you should go home."
Immediately, he sensed "downcast" from Suzannia.
"OK..." said Suzannia as she turned to the entrance while looking down.
"Also, make sure you never ever come back to this place." Jogrin curtly brushed her off.
Suzannia didn't speak and turned to leave with a stooped posture. Normally, seeing a child being down would tug at someone's heartstrings, but that wasn't the case for Jogrin at all, as he believed that to be the best for her.