Turaya couldn't help but notice how light this kid was as she walked through the snow, despite him being ten-years-old. Maybe it was because he was so thin. Or maybe because she was a vampire. Did vampires have superior strength? She'd figure that out later.

When she finally reached the 'house' (could places this big even be considered homes?), the halls that were once stained in blood were sparkling clean just as she'd requested them. Impressive. If she hadn't seen it, she would've never thought a massacre occurred here.

"Those men move fast. It's just as cold as it was outside though. Oh, there was a fireplace in that room I arrived in."

Turaya pet the head of the young boy in her arms lightly. "Hold on for a bit longer, alright? I'll get you warm."

She felt the hands against her clothes tighten. So he was awake. That means they could talk after she got a fire started.

"Jules?"

[ Yes, Host? How can I help you? ]

"Is there anything else I need to know about this mission? I'm asking because I have time."

[ There is indeed! This mission you'll be joined by another Host! But don't worry. The purposes of your Systems are different. ]

"How so?"

[ I am a Romance or Relationship System while the other Host's System is a Job System. Those types of Systems work for the Boss for various tasks such as finding items for the System Store or recording the state that Hosts left Worlds in! ]

Turaya nodded slightly. She would have to ask Jules in detail what other types of Systems there were. Other than Jules she knew of no other Systems, so some type of education on them would be appreciated.

"Final question. Are they a Host or Hostess?"

[ A Hostess. Is Host excited to talk to another lady? ]

"Not particularly."

Jules may have sounded cheerful, but they were actually freaking the fuck out. More than they ever had in their entire life. There were only supposed to be two Systems, them and System 840. But there were three. THREE. Where was the third one?! Jules was crying enough to fill the ocean but wouldn't expose their suffering if it cost their salary.

Turaya found the room she was looking for, a study of sorts, and quickly moved to put firewood into the fireplace and light it. She was beyond thankful for the time her mother took her camping and forced her to learn how to light a fire. Despite the fact she was still mad at her for later burning the food they bought.

The fire cast out a warm glow on the dark room and Turaya was able to accurately get a good look at the boy. He was quite pale due to laying in the snow in the cold of the night, and he had vibrant tufts of damp orange-hair which melted snow had soaked into. She would've looked at his face if it weren't buried in her chest.

However, this brought a new worry to light. How could Turaya pretend to be his sibling if she looked nothing like him? And she had no idea what the parents looked like. She could always go the illegitimate child route, but that would ruin the deceased reputation. It was the only thing that could make sense unless she could remember eight-grade genetics.

Oh yeah, eighth-grade science had a genetics unit. They had learned about dominant and recessive traits, along with Punnett squares. How could she remember that? Whatever. That was way too complicated to do right now, especially since she'd have to go find pieces of DNA from both the Duke and Duchess and somehow analyze them in Medieval-ish England. No way.

"Hey kid, you awake?"

A nod.

"Good. Could you let go of me?"

A shake of the head.

Turaya raised an eyebrow and tugged him away lightly. The grip tightened and continued to tighten as she pulled harder on his clothes to get him away from her. The blonde woman finally gave up after realizing if she tugged any harder, she'd rip his clothes.

"Could you at least look up at me when I speak to you?"

The small head looked up at her finally and rose-gold met emerald green. Both blinked at each other.

"Thank you. Now then, tell me your name."

"Renaut."

"Renaut who?"

"... Giandim"

"It will do you good to remember that. Your family name means everything here."

Renaut stared at her quietly for a long time before reaching up and touching her face. It was smooth and pretty, like porcelain. Her face was like this too. Just less blank. Turaya indulged him for a short time before removing his hand from her face.

"Don't do that. It's rude."

"Mhm."

Turaya sighed again. Why did Renaut seem so detached? It was like the kid was in his own little world.

"Do you know what happened here?"

"Kind of."

"Well, I'll tell you."

. . . How do you tell a ten-year-old that his family was murdered and that he was the only one left? Brooke actually couldn't. Time to lie until it comes back to bite her in the ass in years to come but will benefit her current state of mind at the moment.

"Your family went on a very, very long vacation. They'll be traveling for a long time and unable to contact you."

"Then why didn't they take me with them?"

"Because it'd be too hard on your body. They're going really far away."

"How do you know this?"

Turaya groaned inwardly. This felt so bad but not as bad as telling him his family was killed. He was so cute, he didn't need to know yet. Oh, there was the part of her that adored things.

"Because I was sent to take care of you."

Renaut stared at her blankly for a bit and she felt like she'd been caught. Though in a familiar way. Why was that? Hm.

"Then who are you?" He asked quietly.

"I am Turaya. Tu or Raya is just fine as well."

Renaut blinked up at her for a bit before speaking again. "Auntie Tu?"

A vein popped out of her head.

"Sister Tu."

"Auntie Tu."

"Sister."

"Auntie."

"Sister."

"Auntie."

Should've let him die in the snow, brat. I'm not that old for fuck's sake I'm about to slap him into next week, who do you think you are-

Ah, so Turaya was sensitive about her age. Wait, did she just hear someone else's thoughts in her own brain? What was happening? Was this something else that Jules forgot to tell her.

"Okay then. I'm dropping you now."

Renaut suddenly tightened his hold on her if that was possible.

". . . Sister."

"That's right. Now then, you stink. I'm forcing you to take a bath."

"But-"

"Bath."

And so, with nowhere to go as Turaya held him within her arms tightly, Renaut was forced to bathe.

Luckily to keep his pride as a grown man turned ten-year-old, he bathed by himself.

While he was getting clean, Turaya decided to sort more thoroughly through her memories. With her centuries of memories, she was surprised she remembered every single thing. There were some curious things within these memories here and there.

Learning various crafts, working many jobs both legal and not, and traveling the world had left this body with experience in all sorts of fields. A true jack of all trades. Well, when you have immortality and no way for someone to tell your year of birth, the world is your fucking oyster.

Before she could delve any deeper, Turaya heard a loud knock resound throughout the house.

[ Host! The System and Host that will be joining us this mission have arrived! Go get the door! ]

"Got it, got it. I'm going."

The blonde girl reluctantly stood from the comfy chair she had seated herself in and made her way through the halls of the abnormally large home before coming to the front room in which the knocking was coming from. Surprisingly, the person who had been knocking was already inside.

Unlike Brooke's body, the body the other Host had taken on had an average appearance. Dark skin, brown eyes, and black hair wearing a simple servant's uniform under a thick coat. She was a young girl, maybe early twenties.

"Oh, hi! It was cold outside and you were taking a while so I just let myself in. My name's Diane, well the body I'm borrowing is named Diane. I'm Catherine, the Host of the Chef Review System. I've been a Host for. . . How long is it now, Berry?"

[ In System years, it would be perhaps a century! And over a thousand completed missions! Strive to be like your senior, Seduce The Male Lead System's Host! ]

"Oh, that's what she is? There's way too many of those types of Systems. No offense."

"Um. . . None taken?"

Brooke wasn't given much time to process the existence of the other Host, as she spoke so quickly and with so much vigor. Very cheerful? Maybe. And somehow she could hear her System, apparently named Berry.

She decided to recap the whole introduction just shoved down her throat. That was Catherine who was the Host of the Chef Review System, who was using the body of Diane, who was perhaps a servant of this household who was supposed to die.

A lot to process, but she could deal.

"So, Catherine, right?" She asked, following after the quickly moving girl. Where she was going, she had no idea.

"Yes and no. I'm Diane at the moment to just call me that." Diane replied, leading her into the kitchen. She quickly began to look through every cupboard and pantry, pulling out various ingredients.

"Okay. Diane, what exactly does your System do?"

"My System is, once again, the Chef Review System. I've named her Berry. My job is to go to different worlds and review foods from each of them to see if they're worthy of being in the System Store. I also get to keep every ingredient I find in that world to use to make dishes for the System Store myself in my System Space." Diane somehow finished this entire thing in one breath, as she had begun cleaning vegetables. Strange.

"System Space?" Turaya couldn't help but ask again.

"You know that place where you woke up when you got your System?"

"Yeah."

"That's your System Space. It's different for everyone. I've heard for some that it's a bedroom or full-on house. For me, it's just a kitchen."

"Can you only access it after you finish a mission?"

Diane shook her head as she began to cut the vegetables she had finished cleaning. "No. You can access it at any time, but I recommend doing it when you sleep. Otherwise, you kind of look like you're drugged out of your mind."

Turaya couldn't help but laugh at that. Before she could ask any more questions, she heard the pattering of footsteps coming near the kitchen.

"Sister Tu?"

"Oh, Renaut. Are you all clean and dressed?"

"Mhm." The small boy made grabby hands at her, something that made Turaya roll her eyes before picking up the boy in her arms. He was dressed snugly in pajamas and a robe.

"Tu, who's that?" The Renaut pointed at Diane who was cooking with an annoyed look on his face.

Turaya slapped his hand down. "Pointing is rude. This is Diane, our cook."

Diane stopped her cooking and lost her cheery personality from earlier, becoming polite and proper in the coldest way possible. "Hello, Young Master."

"I don't like her. Can she be fired?"

"Absolutely not."

"Why? I want Sister Tu's cooking."

". . ."

After a cold glare from Turaya, dinner came and went peacefully in the Giandim household. Diane's cooking was simply divine and Renaut even stopped pouting at his dish after taking a couple of bites.

The real problem came with bedtime. The young boy kept insisting that Turaya sleeps with him, despite his age and the fact that she kept manhandling him back into his own bed. Somehow he even learned to pick the locks of his room after Turaya attempted to lock him in his room.

"Renaut, we are not sleeping together."

"Why?"

"Because I said so. Now go back to your room."

"Don't wanna."

"Renaut."

"Don't. Wanna."

The two were locked in a glaring match for a full minute before Turaya sighed and massaged her temple. She had tried literally everything to keep this boy in his damn room. But he wouldn't stay.

Renaut stared up at the blonde girl with hopeful eyes, still full of energy. This was one of the things he had missed the most.

"Fine. You can sleep with me, but only this once!"

"Yes!"

"And you have to get up when I do."

"To do what?"

"Train. Now get in the bed."

The red-haired boy was all smiles as he crawled into bed next to Turaya and latched onto her like a teddy bear. He was somehow out like a light.

Turaya, on the other hand, had no need for sleep. So she laid in bed quietly, waiting for sunrise with a warmth she had tried to wipe from her mind.