Days passed and weeks went by. After the "death" of Jerry, the siblings never returned.
Dina thought they must have known Jerry was alive and well but had been so terrified they no longer had the guts to bully him.
Jack added that the school holidays were nearly over, and even if their fear factor were in the negatives, they'd have no choice but to stop regardless, since Mr. and Mrs. Jackson would keep them busy till then.
Peace was restored in their house. The Entrancement meter which had gone up by 15, went up an additional 7 in the following days. It seemed to have broken the curse of stagnation as soon as it crossed zero.
Dina was happier these days. What's not to love? Everything was so nice…!
***
"Zero, if I keep grinding like this, will it eventually reach fifty before the next plot point?" Dina muttered.
It was around nighttime, and after watching this and that, Jerry decided to have a little "personal time" with himself.
Zero, who had shut down everything to give the needed privacy, lingered for a bit before turning on only the speech function.
"I highly doubt it. His state is too fragile to simply give in like that. I do admit we've made some progress, bu—"
"Hnnng… Sorry I just…"
Without being given any chance to explain, Dina felt Zero disconnect everything, and he seemed very unlikely to turn it on anytime soon.
Dina chuckled. Not her fault she was curious about what it felt like for a male body.
It wasn't bad per se… but perhaps because she had been a woman once, it didn't feel that stimulating.
"Maybe I should try anal next time…."
Although Jerry was unable to order any… tools, because of her "adventurous" behavior during her lifetime, Dina knew a thing or two about improvisation.
It'd take some time, but with some training, it should be possible to some extent!
She wasn't some addict, but doing it once in a while wasn't all bad.
Jerry's legs trembled and he stuffed his face into the pillow. He bit his lips, arching his hips upwards as the euphoria hit him.
A white cloudy suspension spilled out and the owner slumped to the bed, panting lightly.
Dina hissed internally. Just as she had thought. Not enough—no choice but to begin 'that' training!
***
"Hey Jack, how far are you in your learning curriculum?" Jerry asked curiously.
Of course, as soon as he was disowned, he lost such privileges. But someone as smart as Jack—and with how easily accessible their curriculum books were on the internet—Dina was semi-sure the teen would have easily solved that problem.
Jack, who was eating a chocolate ice cream, licked off the cloudy dessert that stuck to his upper lip before replying.
"I've long finished the high school curriculum and have been reading books and taking online courses at the college level. I'm a bit unsure what path I want to focus more on though…"
After the initial rise and continued growth of the Entrancement meter, not only did Jack's distant behavior collapse, but his lips also became looser.
And although he'd never start a conversation apart from stating his desires, he was warm enough to respond. To Dina, that was immense progress in comparison to his former attitude.
Also…
"Why are you asking?"
Although he never started any, he not only responded but also didn't shy away from actively engaging.
Jerry beamed.
"Just got into basic biology for fun and was surprised at the number of things I hadn't known. So I kinda thought of you. Is that bad?"
The pair of bright pink eyes blasted right at him in anticipation, and a faint blush tinted Jack's cheeks.
Turning his face sharply to focus solely on his dessert, Jack mumbled a response.
Jerry chuckled, earning a glare from the young teen who soon took his leave with a more flushed look.
"Eh, he got cuter as soon as the meter rose. Now I have another motivation to raise the meter~."
Zero was silent. It was fine either way, wasn't it? As long as the mission was completed.
"Hey, say something!"
"That's g—"
"Nevermind hehe (๑>_<๑)"
"...."
Zero: (≖_≖)
***
The door opened and in came a tall figure with broad shoulders, dark green hair slicked back, and an eerie glow in his red eyes hidden within a sharp pair of spectacles.
"Mother," the man kissed the lady's hand respectfully, and to the man before him, he gracefully bowed. "Father."
"Welcome back, Jean! Come sit close to your father, my boy!"
Mr. Jackson spoke cheerfully, to which the reserved male merely smiled.
"I'd love to do that, Father, but I—"
"Don't bother the boy, Jackson," Mrs. Jackson spoke while planting a kiss on her husband's face, who grinned excitedly.
"Whatever you say, darling~"
Jean watched on silently. An outsider would think his father, who grinned like an idiot, was simply a fool controlled by his mother.
But how could that be possible? If so, he would've been murdered in cold blood by his mother who abhorred imbeciles.
"Jean, come after dinner to discuss this. For now, don't be in a hurry and make yourself at home. I'm quite eager to hear what you've been up to…"
Mrs. Jackson smiled. "Especially those lovers of yours that the other elites wouldn't stop yammering about to me~"
Jean bowed. "Yes, Mother."
***
He somehow found himself in the garden. His furry ears trembled lightly, earning a hiss from him.
Perhaps because he was too nervous, his beast features couldn't help popping up.
Although he was a Beast-oriented Ancient with a Beast Ratio of 70%, the fact remained that he was no Pure, and absolute control of his features was impossible.
Somehow, that pissed him off severely. Perhaps if he had been a Pure, his parents wouldn't stall so much in giving him the family name…!
Once recognized as a successor within an elite Beastmen household, one would be given half the household name as proof of their succession. With the eventual retirement or death of the former household head, they would gain full succession.
The half-name of the Jacksons was Jack.
As soon as he was born, that bastard little 'brother' of his won over him flawlessly—simply by being a prospective Pure.
That was how precious Pures were.
Although they were owned by the government, as long as they were "registered," not only would they be allowed to live their lives, but their path to success wouldn't just be smooth—it would be slippery.
They'd acquire immense sponsorship from the government, and a household with such a successor or head would directly surge to Diamond Elite.
It was no wonder that despite no confirmation being made, as soon as that child was suspected to be a Pure, he was immediately made successor!
Watching the little brat wear a diamond crown and being given the successor name from such a young age was painful—but manageable—since he couldn't dream of rivaling a Pure.
But then he turned out much worse than him—a Normal! A disgusting Normal!
It was infuriating enough that such a defective thing had sullied the crown, but as if to mock and rile him up even more, not only did his parents not dispose of him, but they also let him keep the successor name.
Were they that desperate to have a Pure that they'd hold on to the delusion so strongly even after the child had long passed the age of a possible reversal? Indeed. That was how badly the Jacksons needed a Pure. Not just his parents—even other relatives from the family allowed this.
Even worse, as if to feed their desperation, that thing just happened to be a bit more special than other Normals.
His looks surpassed the Ancients. He healed fast. His physical capabilities rivaled an Ancients, unless suppressed by the Beast's features.
Jean took a large crunch of the lollipop, shattering it into pieces within his mouth
But even with that, he barely felt threatened—for without the desperation the Jacksons had, he could see that child was no late-blooming Pure.
He was merely a Normal who happened to be a bit special.