"I'm so grateful to you for saving my sister," Sofia said, bowing deeply and giving Hans a glimpse of her cleavage. She really had no way to thank him other than with a few sincere words.
For a moment, she thought she felt a strange gaze on her… but when she looked up, she saw nothing.
It must have been her imagination.
"Big brother… Rosaline thanks you very, very much," the little loli repeated after her sister, bowing awkwardly.
She noticed Hans looking at her sister's chest, but said nothing. On the contrary, her eyes lit up, and she saw an opportunity. If her older sister got together with this handsome older brother, wouldn't that be wonderful? And she'd be able to spend time with him, too. Her sister has some great assets, especially in the chest area.
She'd already made up her mind. She was definitely going to convince her sister that this older brother was the perfect match for her.
So strong, so handsome… he'd definitely fall in love with her.
And then everything will be just like in a fairy tale, the prince saves the girl, and they get married and live happily ever after.
And the fact that some purple-haired girl was standing nearby… she didn't care about that at all.
After the ambulance arrived and treated the wound, suggesting they go to the hospital for a checkup, he refused.
Hans knew perfectly well that nothing serious had happened it had been part of his plan from the very beginning, just a superficial cut.
So, without wasting any more time, he opened the system interface, deciding to check the stats on this olive-skinned beauty… and the little olive-skinned loli.
[Name: Sofia Lopez]
[Status: Heroine]
[Affinity]
Level: 60/100
Status: budding romance
[Statistics]
Physical: 20
Mental: 11
Luck: 11
Charisma: 98
[Personality]
Calm, Protective, Straightforward, Insecure
[Passive Abilities]
Ideal Giant
[Skills]
Cooking — Expert, Housekeeping — Expert, Farming — Expert, Sewing — Apprentice, Dancing — Apprentice, Firearms — Novice… and many others.
[Name: Rosalyn Lopez]
[Status: Secondary Heroine]
[Affinity]
Level: 80/100
Status: Deep gratitude, puppy love
[Statistics]
Physical: 5
Mental: 16
Luck: 15
Charisma: 97
[Personality]
Kind, Naive, Sincere, Cheerful
[Passive Abilities]
Pure Soul
[Skills]
Drawing — Novice, Cooking — Novice, Housework — Novice… a few others.
The system shows the passive skills for "Ideal Giant" and "Pure Soul."
[System Comment]
Passive Ability: Ideal Giant.
[Description]
The user possesses a perfectly balanced physique, with advantages in height and physical strength.
Increases physical stats.
Increases stamina and physical stability.
Gives an advantage in physical combat.
Eliminates any disadvantages associated with gigantism.
[Additional]
Increases influence over physically weaker targets.
[System Comment]
Passive Ability: Pure Soul.
[Description]
The bearer possesses a sincere and untainted emotional nature.
Increases the affection of those around them.
Increases the level of trust.
Increases the speed at which emotional bonds form.
[Additional]
Is more susceptible to emotional influence.
"I see… so that's how it is," Hans nodded to himself, looking at the two girls.
Indeed, Sofia had no physical deformities. Given her height, it looked like gigantism, but without any side effects.
Usually, people like that have skeletal problems that ruin their appearance…
but she looked different.
Just… an enlarged version of a very beautiful girl.
As for her younger sister, her passive trait seemed quite interesting. Naturally inspiring trust and affection that's really a powerful thing, no matter how you look at it.
It would even be perfect for a diplomat.
Hmm… it won't fade with age, will it?
[System Comment]
Confirmed.
[Analysis]
Passive Ability: Pure Soul
Type: Innate
[Conclusion]
This passive ability will not disappear with age.
Its effectiveness may vary depending on the bearer's development.
By the way, does it work on me?
[System Comment]
Confirmed.
[Analysis]
The user is affected by the passive ability: Pure Soul
[Conclusion]
The effect is active.
The effect's intensity is reduced due to the user's high mental fortitude.
Well, so be it… It was just a small thing anyway, one that made him feel a little more positively toward her. It wasn't some brainwashing or anything like that on the contrary, it even stirred up pleasant emotions when he looked at her.
"You're welcome, I'm glad I was able to save such a sweet little girl from an accident. If you had disappeared, the world would have lost a lot," he smiled and gently stroked her head.
She blushed and looked at him with admiration in her eyes.
"He's so cool…" she thought to herself.
Sofia, on the other hand, just looked at him awkwardly and thanked him a few more times.
Well, she thought he was pretty cool too… ever since she saw him kick that guy's butt.
But now it wasn't just "cool" anymore.
She was actually starting to have a bit of a crush on him.
Too bad she didn't stand a chance with him; of course, a guy as nice as him would never be interested in a girl that tall.
Of course, Hans had no idea what she was thinking. And even if he did, he would just smile and calmly say that he actually really liked girls of her height.
There was something special about it, a kind of sense of presence…
And you could even hide behind her.
Well, not that he actually did that… but the mere possibility was quite pleasant.
After saying goodbye, he got into the car and told the driver to head toward Violet's house, while she stared at him intently, her cheeks puffed out.
"I saw you staring at that cow's chest!" she muttered indignantly, puffing out her cheeks and shooting him a disapproving look.
"Really…" Well, she really does have impressive assets, and I think her elasticity and firmness are up to par, too," he said calmly.
Contrary to Violet's expectations, he didn't even try to justify himself… on the contrary, he started evaluating her as well.
"What did you say?!" she exclaimed indignantly, shocked by such bluntness.
After those words, she desperately wanted to hit him… but she couldn't. And in general, there was little she could do.
As a result, she just pouted even more, harboring her resentment.
The idea of arguing with him, let alone breaking up, didn't even cross her mind.
"Come on, my Violetta, don't be upset," he said gently and, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened, sat her on his lap.
"Let go of me! I'm not talking to you," she pouted, turning away demonstratively.
"You know, she's such an unfortunate girl," Hans ignored her behavior and began to speak instead.
"Tell me… have you ever wondered how she ended up in Italy?" He looked at her, as if urging her to answer.
"No…" Of course, she didn't know. How could she? They were barely acquainted, maybe they'd exchanged a few words at school a couple of times, and that was it.
Violetta was more interested in something else: did Hans actually know something? How… and why?
"Well… she fled Mexico with her sister," Hans began. "After their parents were killed by drug dealers."
"They barely escaped. Somehow they made it to Italy… as refugees."
"She's having a really hard time right now. She's always short on money."
He fell silent for a moment.
"And you know… with her looks, she could make money much more easily."
"But she hasn't stooped to that."
"She works as a loader. In the evenings. And on weekends, too."
"Really?" Violetta was surprised. The whole story sounded too unrealistic, like something out of a movie.
But what struck her most was something else.
How did he know that?..
Could it be that he'd already set his sights on this cow so much so that he'd even dug up her past?
And what if it was all staged?..
All this "rescue"… just to impress her?
Hans just smiled, reading everything on her face.
"I didn't set this up. It's a coincidence… but I knew she'd be there," he said calmly and, as if to comfort her, stroked her head.
Violetta said nothing, but tears were already welling up in the corners of her eyes. She felt betrayed, as if it had all been just a game. The thought flashed through her mind that he simply wanted to make her fall in love, take advantage of her, and then discard her. Perhaps for him, it was just a strange, perverse hobby.
"Come on, Violetta, don't let your imagination run wild," he said more gently. "I really like you, truly. And I swear I'll never leave you… Because if I did, my ancestors would never forgive me and would despise me for all eternity."
"You promise…?" she whispered, looking at him with tear-filled eyes.
"I promise!" he said so quickly and sincerely, as if it didn't even need proof. "And if you want, I'll even swear on my pinky finger."
Violetta blinked, clearly not expecting such a serious response. Her lips barely twitched, and the hurt on her face no longer looked so stubborn.
"J-just don't you dare take your words back later…" she murmured, looking away, but without her previous anger.
After a short pause, she hesitantly held out her pinky finger to him.
This amused Hans, but he didn't even say anything—he simply held out his pinky and solemnly sealed the oath with her.
After that, Violet clearly relaxed a little and quietly snuggled up to him. She didn't say anything about whether he wanted to have a relationship with that cow. You could say she had silently given her consent. Well, what else could she do? He had promised he would never leave her. Get offended? Leave him? Offense didn't work on him—she already understood that. And she didn't like the very thought of breaking up at all.
After the pinky swear, Violet was certain: he definitely wouldn't lie.
She had convinced herself of this—because she wanted so badly to believe it. And, fortunately, she wasn't wrong: Hans really had no intention of deceiving her.
Hans let out a heavy sigh. He'd really gotten tired today, so now he wanted nothing more than peace and quiet. He simply relaxed and snuggled up to his girlfriend. She smelled nice, and her quiet presence helped him gradually unwind.
Violetta looked at his handsome face and snuggled even closer to him. She really liked him, but at the same time, he was a little intimidating. The way he obtained the necessary information so quickly and easily couldn't help but be alarming. What kind of family did he come from, if it was that easy for him?
Well, he could indeed gather information through family connections, but with the system, there was no longer any need for that. Now he knew both Sofia and Violetta better than they knew themselves.
Meanwhile, at Sofia and Rosalyn's house…
It was a small apartment on the outskirts of town, in a cheap neighborhood. It took a long time to get from there to school and to Sofia's job, but she didn't have much of a choice.
The lack of money nearly drove her to despair, but she didn't give up and worked diligently, earning whatever she could to make ends meet and support her younger sister.
She often thought about dropping out of school, but she knew that if she did, the city would stop paying her benefits. And although the money wasn't all that much, it still made up a significant portion of her budget.
Noticing her sister's somewhat gloomy expression, she tried to cheer her up a little.
"Sis, don't be sad… everything turned out okay after all," Rosalyn said gently, moving closer and taking her hand.
Sofia gave a faint smile, but it was weak. She let her shoulders slump wearily and looked away. Today had been too long, too hard, and too strange. The events of the day were still swirling in her head, along with that boy's face.
"I'm not sad," she said quietly, though she knew even to herself that it didn't sound very convincing.
Rosalyn puffed out her cheeks and looked at her with her attentive, childish gaze.
"You're lying. You look like you're thinking about a hundred things at once."
Sophia sighed heavily.
"It's just… I feel a little out of sorts. Everything happened so fast. And then there's that boy…"
"Big brother is really nice!" Rosalyn perked up immediately. "Strong, handsome, kind… And he looked at you in a way that was totally different from the others."
"What do you mean?" Sofia asked wearily, glancing at her sister.
"Well… he was looking at you like he liked you," the girl explained, completely serious.
Sofia nearly choked on her breath and immediately looked away.
"Don't talk nonsense."
"It's not nonsense," Rosalyn shook her head stubbornly. "I saw it."
Sofia didn't say anything. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she suddenly felt even more awkward. It was hard enough for her as it was after everything that had happened, and now her younger sister had started saying things like that.
But, if she was honest with herself, thoughts of him really wouldn't leave her mind. The way he'd acted so calmly. The way he'd stepped in so confidently. And even the way he'd looked at her without a sneer or disgust—as if her height wasn't strange at all.
For Sofia, this was unusual. Too unusual.
Silence reigned in the room for a moment. The small apartment was cramped, old, and not very cozy, but right now it felt warm anyway. It was already getting dark outside the window, and the muffled sounds of the evening city drifted in from the street.
Sofia slowly stood up. There was still a lot to do: cook something simple for dinner, check her things for tomorrow, and then get at least a little rest before her next shift. The fatigue hadn't gone anywhere, nor had the anxiety, but being with her sister made things a little easier.
"All right, let's go have dinner," she said quietly.
"Can I help?"
"Sure. But just don't make that weird jam-and-cheese sandwich again."
"It was delicious!"
"He was scary."
Rosalyn was offended for just a second, then burst into cheerful laughter. And hearing that laughter, Sofia managed a faint smile of her own. Even if only for a moment, even if just a little—it truly did lighten her heart.
Only in Luka's hospital room did a gloomy, almost oppressive atmosphere linger. He was supposed to be discharged tomorrow, but that didn't cheer him up at all. Their family didn't have the money for dental treatment, so now he'd have to find a way to pay for the dentist himself and go without teeth for a long time. Not to mention that his childhood sweetheart was now dating the very person who had sent him to the hospital. Luka spent the whole day feeling sorry for himself.
He had a constant feeling in his chest as if he were losing something. Strong, unpleasant, almost painful—it seemed to be slowly eating away at him from the inside. Of course, he didn't yet know what was in store for him.
Luka clenched the edge of the blanket and muttered quietly, almost with hatred:
"Damn bastard…"
"While I'm lying here like this, he's probably already having fun with Violet… as if I never even existed."
These thoughts made him want to cry again. What had he ever done to deserve this?