Five years had passed since the poisoning incident, and now Claude was a ten-year-old boy, the object of admiration for all the girls in town.
His handsome face and calm demeanor caught the attention of everyone around him, but for Claude, none of that mattered.
As an ex-28-year-old otaku, his interest in children was nonexistent. His focus was squarely on their mothers.
"Claude will play as my husband!"
Olivia, a fiery redhead with twin pigtails, tugged at his left arm, pulling him closer to her side. Her enthusiasm was impossible to ignore.
"No! He promised to be my brother this time!"
Aurelia, a blonde with a short bob and sharp blue eyes, pulled on his other arm. Determination etched across her face as she tried to claim his attention.
Claude inwardly groaned, his frustration masked by the calm expression he had perfected over the years.
'Seriously, kids? I don't want to be your toy. I want your mom's boy toy!'
They were sitting on a red picnic blanket under the soft shade of spring trees, as pink petals floated down around them in the cool breeze.
The weather was perfect for a picnic, but all Claude could think about was how to escape this childish drama.
"Oh my, don't fight like that, girls," came a soft, soothing voice.
Sophia, Olivia's mother, walked over with a tray in hand. As she knelt down beside them, Claude's eyes couldn't help but catch sight of her ample chest.
It jiggled ever so slightly, and he almost groaned out loud.
'Damn, those tits are still one of the best in the village,' he thought, shifting his gaze before anyone could notice.
'But I can't afford to touch it anymore. The last thing I need is to get labeled as a pervert.'
"But I want to play with the boys," Claude said in a sweet, innocent tone, hiding his exasperation behind a fake smile.
The girls gasped, visibly upset by his words. Their expressions wilted, and Claude almost felt bad—almost.
Aurelia tugged at his shirt gently, her blue eyes shimmering with sadness. "Claude brother, what do boys usually play? I still want to play with you."
Her puppy-dog eyes were lost on him. 'Unless you're a grown woman with curves and a husband or woman in mid twenties with big tits, I'm not interested, kid.'
He sighed, trying to think back to his own childhood. "We usually spar with swords, play ball, or go on adventures in the forest."
Truthfully, he barely remembered what boys did for fun at that age, but it seemed like a safe answer.
The real problem was that, in this small town, Claude was the only boy his age. The others were either toddlers or teenagers.
Olivia perked up, her mischievous grin returning. "Why don't we play hide and seek in the forest nearby?" she suggested, eyes sparkling with excitement and trouble.
Claude raised an eyebrow. Olivia always had that glint in her eye, as if she was plotting something.
Even with his older mind, sometimes he couldn't figure out what the hell this girl was up to.
Sophia gave a light warning, her voice gentle but firm. "You can play there, but don't go too far into the forest, alright?"
"There are daimons in those woods."
She added a playful spookiness to her voice, causing both girls to shudder and hugged Claude.
He sighed, resigned to his fate. 'Guess I'll have to go along. If they start crying, it's going to be a headache.'
With a deep breath, he stood up, brushing off his pants before following the two girls into the forest nearby.
Daimons were neutral spirits—neither good nor evil. They usually left humans alone but could eat animal or human meat if desperate. Despite this, they were generally calm and avoided people.
The real threat was the cacodemons, dark creatures that actively harmed humans. With their dark affinity, they were a menace.
Claude, however, believed they were safe since cacodemons stayed deep in the forest.
"Hm… Aurelia, you'll be the daimons!" Olivia declared, pointing at the younger girl.
In this world version of hide and seek, being daimons means the kid needs to count until twenty or more while the rest would hide.
Aurelia's eyes widened in protest. "That's not fair! I'm smaller and slower! It'll be impossible to catch anyone!"
Tears started forming in her eyes. "And—and what if there are real daimons?"
"Stop being a crybaby!" Olivia crossed her arms.
"There are no daimons here. Adults just say that to scare us. Now stop whining and start counting!"
Before Aurelia could argue more, Olivia grabbed Claude's hand and dragged him into the woods.
"Come on, Claude. Let's hide!"
Claude sighed, letting himself be pulled along.
Once they were deep enough, Olivia slowed down and clung to his arm, pressing her small boobs against him.
"Hey, Claude," she whispered, her voice taking a strange tone.
"Why don't we do something fun? Like my uncle did with me."
Claude stopped in his tracks. He pulled his arm away gently but firmly. "What do you mean?"
"You know he likes to put that hard thing inside-"
Claude widened his eyes in shock, "Olivia, a grown man shouldn't touch you in that way." he tried to educate her.
'This girl seemed to be sexually harassed by her uncle, I will inform Sophia.'
He might be a pervert, but he has a niece as old as this red head girl and it made him angry for whoever did that to Olivia.
Olivia frowned, tilting her head, "Uncle said it's how you show love." She stepped closer again.
"No, it's not." he kept his voice calm. "It's something bad people do. It's not your fault, but it's wrong. Don't let anyone do that to you again."
Before Olivia could respond, a scream broke through the woods.
"HELP MEEE!"
"That's Aurelia!" Claude grabbed Olivia's hand and ran toward the voice.
"Ugh, she probably saw a bug," Olivia muttered, trying to pull back.
But as they approached, growls echoed through the trees. When they arrived, Aurelia was cornered by massive wolves.
Their fur was black with purple streaks, their red eyes glowing, and a dark aura surrounded them.
"It's cacodemons," Claude muttered, as both children hid behind the tree.