Daily Life of A Caretaker

Disclaimer: I own nothing, this is purely a fanfic for enjoyment.

Cross-over from various games, books, anime, manga, and movies.

The familiar characters you see here belong to their respected authors and owners.

"Speech"

Arc 5: Break - Chapter 9

30 minutes later*

"Something wrong, Jin?" Ruby asked, her silver eyes wide with concern, her usual cheerful demeanor momentarily gone.

"No? Why do you ask?" I raised an eyebrow, genuinely confused by the question.

"Because you're smiling." Weiss pointed out. She crossed her arms.

"But you two have seen me smiling many times already...?" My confusion deepened as I glanced between Ruby and Weiss.

"Yeah." Octavia interjected as she leaned back slightly, creating a bit of distance between us. "But you're smiling like you're about to kill someone... or just torture them."

"Isn't that normal with those from the Eldritch pantheon?" Aqua sounded almost bored as she casually popped another potato chip into her mouth.

I scratched the back of my right ear. With a snap of my fingers, I created a small gap in the air, allowing a hand-sized mirror to drop into my waiting palm. I held it up, staring into my reflection with a mix of curiosity and suspicion.

Oh boy. No wonder Ruby, Weiss, and Octavia look a little freaked out.

Even to myself, the image staring back was unsettling. My smile appeared outwardly normal—lips curved in a way that wouldn't seem out of place on anyone else—but the feeling it radiated was another matter entirely. It exuded an eerie, almost predatory darkness, like something pulled straight from a horror movie. The kind of grin a serial killer would flash just before the screen cut to black.

Then there were my eyes.

My left eye, in particular, was glowing faintly, a dim but unnatural light that seemed to pulse subtly with each beat of my heart. It wasn't glaringly obvious, but it was enough to catch the attention of anyone who looked closely. Combined with the unsettling smile, it was no surprise the girls were unnerved.

Well, this is something. Looks like the Heart of Eldritch is finally starting to influence more of me.

I lowered the mirror, letting it vanish back into the gap with a faint ripple of air. Turning to the girls, I tried to sound as nonchalant as possible.

"Pretty sure it's just my heart acting up. No need to worry about it." I said, my tone casual, though the faint glow in my left eye betrayed the truth.

"What does your heart have to do with your creepy smile, Jin?" Octavia asked, her sharp gaze fixed on me with suspicion.

"Maybe his heart is making him want to kill someone?" Weiss chimed in, her voice dripping with dry sarcasm. She leaned forward slightly.

"In any case..." Ruby murmured, her voice soft but trembling with something more. Her wide silver eyes were locked onto me, her cheeks flushed. "...He looks way better in my eyes." She gulped audibly, the faint spark of desire in her expression catching me off guard.

Aqua broke the tension with a sigh. She crumpled her now-empty bag of potato chips and casually tossed it into a nearby trash can, her aim impeccable. "I need more potato chips." It was as if the entire situation was nothing more than background noise in her snack-focused world.

"Let's just say my heart isn't human, nor anything ordinary outside of the Eldritch pantheon." I said, keeping my tone calm but firm. I wasn't eager to dive into the intricacies of the Heart of Eldritch right now. Some truths were better left unexplored, at least for the moment. "Anyway, let's head to class before we're too late."

"Why bother?" Aqua scoffed, tossing her hair back with a dismissive wave. "It's not like anyone ever can be late unless they decide to sleep in for, like, a week straight." She shrugged. "This is the high school that makes sure everyone arrives on time—no matter what—unless they're going out of their way to sabotage themselves."

"And it looks like you're the one who doesn't want to go to class." Octavia said, giving Aqua a pointed, unimpressed look. She folded her arms and let out a small sigh. "Figures we'd get the lazy one."

"Hey! I am NOT lazy!" Aqua shot back, her voice rising a little too sharply. The sudden outburst turned a few heads in the hallway, drawing the curious gazes of nearby students and contractors. "I just have better priorities than wasting my time on these stupid classes!"

"No chips for the rest of the day." I declared firmly, my voice leaving no room for negotiation. Aqua's eyes widened in horror, and her usual carefree demeanor shattered. "No soda or alcohol. Just plain water." The finality of my words seemed to drain the life from her, and she dropped to her knees as if the very essence of her existence had been stripped away.

"I think I'm falling in love all over again with Jin." Ruby muttered, her eyes sparkling with admiration. The intensity of her gaze was easily noticeable, and I could feel the warmth of her affection enveloping me.

Weiss remained silent, but the deepening blush on her cheeks and the slight hitch in her breath spoke volumes. Her usual composed facade was cracking, revealing the depth of her feelings.

"Jin, could you please stop smiling?" Octavia's scowl was accompanied by a shiver that she couldn't suppress. "It makes me tense, and I keep getting this creepy feeling that if I look away from you for too long, it would drive me crazy." Her honesty was tinged with a vulnerability that was rare for her.

"Potato chips...? Beer...? Eh...?" Aqua's muttering was lifeless, her spirit seemingly crushed by the prospect of a day without her beloved snacks and drinks. The usually vibrant, arrogant goddess now resembled a wilted flower, deprived of the sustenance that kept her blooming.

"Sorry, it seems right now I can't stop smiling for whatever reason." I touched my mouth, confirming that it seemed fixed in a permanent, unsettling grin. "If it would make you more comfortable, I could use one of my abilities to make you unable to feel anything negative about my smile."

"Uh, best not." Octavia said, her voice steady despite the clear discomfort lingering in her posture. "I'd rather just get used to it. Besides, I'm bound to feel something like this sooner or later when I head back home. There are places in hell that give off similar vibes." She shrugged her shoulders in an attempt to appear nonchalant, though the tension in her frame betrayed her effort.

"If what Aqua said is true." Ruby wrapping herself around my left arm like a cat, staking its claim. "Could we do a quickie before class, Jin?" Her gaze locked onto mine with a fiery intensity. "Please?"

"I would also like this." Weiss added softly, her usual cold composure cracking. She gently held my right hand, her touch trembling slightly. "I might not be able to focus in class otherwise."

"I swear, you three are reminding me of the time my mother forced me to visit the Circle of Lust to meet up with important people around my age." Octavia grumbled, her scowl deepening as she crossed her arms. Her piercing glare swept over the onlookers who had been eavesdropping far too eagerly. "What are you looking at?!" She snapped, her tone sharp enough to cut glass. A handful of students scattered in fright while the bolder ones huffed indignantly but didn't dare step closer.

"I wanna go home..." Aqua's voice wavered, tears welling up in her eyes as she sniffled.

Letting out a deep sigh, I tapped the ground with my right foot, activating the River of Time. With the added help of Boundary Manipulation, I effortlessly relocated the crowd to a distant location. The hallway quieted instantly; everything felt better without their nosy stares.

Here's a polished and detailed revision:

I hum softly to myself, then use Boundary Manipulation on both Ruby and Weiss. The effect is immediate—both collapse into my arms, unconscious, after reaching the peak of their sexual satisfaction. With another application of Boundary Manipulation, I ensured they were refreshed and presentable, restoring their composure as if nothing had happened.

"Couldn't you have done that this morning... and yesterday?" Octavia's voice is laced with irritation as she gives me a pointed look, her expression caught somewhere between exasperation and disbelief.

"I could've." I reply with a deadpan tone. "But I forgot, believe it or not."

Octavia lets out a resigned sigh, brushing her hair back. "I'll try to remind you next time, then. Anyway, are we heading to the classroom now?"

"Yup." I respond with a casual snap of my fingers. A large gap materializes in front of us, forming a portal leading directly to the classroom.

Which classroom? I haven't the faintest idea. But I'll trust the high school's unique quirks to guide us to the right one.

"In we go." I adjust Ruby and Weiss in my arms for a better grip. Meanwhile, Octavia rolls her eyes and drags Aqua along by the back of her collar, who is still too out of it to notice what's going on around her.

We step through the gap together, the portal sealing shut with a soundless ripple once we're all through.

The cave's sheer size and eerie atmosphere struck me as I stepped through the portal. Surprisingly, despite Aqua's earlier disdain for classes, her observation was spot on: everyone was here, as if compelled by the school's uncanny mechanisms to show up on time. It was a far cry from our last two lessons—the open field and the endless classroom that defied physics with its boundless space.

This classroom was something else entirely. A massive cavern stretched endlessly before us, its walls damp with condensation and lined with flickering torches that cast long, dancing shadows. The faint sound of dripping water echoed through the air, adding to the somber and mysterious ambiance.

With a snap of my fingers, I used Boundary Manipulation to gently stir Ruby and Weiss awake. They blinked groggily at first, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings, before their memories of what happened earlier resurfaced.

Both of them puffed their cheeks, glaring at me with a mix of annoyance and indignation.

"Really, Jin?" Ruby huffed, crossing her arms as she turned away slightly, her cheeks still red with residual frustration.

"You could have handled that so much better." Weiss added, her voice sharp but tempered with an air of disappointment.

"I figured efficiency would be appreciated." I said, keeping my tone even, though I couldn't resist the faintest smirk. Not that I wasn't smiling already with the whole permanent smile going on. "We were in a hurry, after all."

"Efficiency?!" Ruby shot back, her voice rising an octave. "You could've at least—"

"Focus.." Octavia cut in, her voice as dry as the stone underfoot. She gave me a sidelong glance before gesturing to the cave around us. "Whatever we're here for, it looks like it's going to be a test of survival, not a lecture on social etiquette."

I let out a quiet sigh, addressing Ruby and Weiss with a slightly softer tone. "Look, if it bothers you that much, we'll talk about it later. For now, let's focus on surviving whatever they're throwing at us this time."

Ruby and Weiss exchanged a glance, their irritation subsiding into a begrudging acceptance.

"Fine." Ruby mumbled, her puffed cheeks slowly deflating. "But you owe us."

"Definitely owe us." Weiss echoed, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face before straightening her posture.

Octavia sighed audibly, clearly unimpressed with our dynamic. "This is going to be a long day."