"Cough cough... Ieyasu, Sayo, that's great, you're both okay!"
"Damn it! Tatsumi, what in the world happened? You're the one who's not okay, right?!"
"Hehe... Don't worry, I'm fine, just a little tired. I'll be fine after some rest."
"No! Hurry up and tell me! Who did this? I, lord Ieyasu, will never let him go!"
...
Before coming downstairs, Sora could already hear that brat Ieyasu's loud voice, mixed with the somewhat weak voice of another young man. He assumed it was the original male protagonist of this world, Tatsumi.
He was looking forward to it, but when Sora came down and saw, he was immediately stunned. He didn't see the sunny, tough, handsome young man he had imagined; instead, he saw a completely ragged and utterly disheveled little beggar!!!
"Brother!"
Seeing Sora approach, Aria ran over with a smile, looking spoiled as she hooked her arm around his.
"Aria, what's going on?"
His mouth twitched, and Sora quietly asked Aria.
"Master, I'm not sure either."
"According to your instructions, Chelsea and I took that silly boy out for a walk today, but we didn't expect to find a smelly beggar who had fainted on the roadside when we came back. That silly boy got so excited when he saw that smelly beggar and said he was their companion. He even brought him home! It's so dirty!"
With a look of disgust, Aria whispered her reply.
"Since Ieyasu said he's their companion, then it must be true."
Rubbing his chin, Sora muttered to himself. What Sora couldn't understand was how Tatsumi could end up in such a miserable state and collapse on the street.
"Master, since Sayo has already surrendered to us, these two dirty, disgusting guys are useless. Why don't we just get rid of them!"
Clenching her small fists, the inherently malicious Aria's lips curved into a cruel arc, her expression full of eagerness.
Since being subdued by Sora, Aria no longer dared to go "fishing" outside casually. After several days without enjoying the screams and pleas of those lowly individuals in front of her, the girl felt a sense of yearning.
She was already getting a little impatient. Thinking of how that silly Ieyasu and that smelly beggar named Tatsumi would struggle in despair under her whip, Aria found herself becoming increasingly excited...
Looking at Aria, who was already lost in some strange fantasy, Sora suppressed the urge to torment her and walked away, not bothering to pay attention to her. Shaking his head, this was also an incorrigible, venomous girl!
"That's great, Ieyasu, Sayo, you finally found your companion."
"Is this your companion, Tatsumi? Hello, Tatsumi, my name is Sora. I'm Aria's brother and the owner of this house."
Nodding to Ieyasu and Chelsea, who had transformed into Sayo, Sora turned his gaze to the pathetic Tatsumi. Recalling some information from the original work, Sora actually had a good impression of this sunny and strong young man and had felt sad for his difficult and bleak fate.
Cough cough, of course, having a good impression is one thing, and sadness is another. This is completely different from stealing all the beautiful young female companions related to him and occupying his childhood friend Sayo. They cannot be mixed up...
"SORA!!!!!"
Feeling that he had been friendly enough, what Sora didn't expect was that as soon as he said his name, Tatsumi exploded, jumping up from the sofa and shouting in extreme excitement.
Okay, although he didn't know what had happened or why Tatsumi had such a strong reaction to his name, Sora could hear a hint of resentment, anger, and... from the other party's voice.
"Um, Tatsumi-san, is there something wrong?"
Rubbing his nose, Sora looked completely bewildered.
Although he planned to play with this kid a bit, he hadn't even started yet? Did this kid awaken his protagonist halo and have premonition? Sora thought wickedly to himself.
"Tatsumi, what's wrong? Mr. Sora is a good person. He took Sayo and me in these past few days and even had Miss Aria help us look for you in the Capital. If it weren't for Mr. Sora, we might have already..."
Ieyasu was a straightforward young man. Seeing Tatsumi's rude attitude towards their benefactor, he immediately said angrily.
Chelsea, who had transformed into Sayo, pouted on the side and said nothing. Through this short period of contact, she had already seen that this young man named Tatsumi was much more careful than the reckless and silly Ieyasu. Although she could deceive him for a short time by transforming into Sayo, if she said too much, he might notice something.
"Uh... I'm sorry, Mr. Sora, I mistook you just now. Ieyasu and Sayo have already told me about their situation. I'm really grateful to you."
Coming back to his senses, Tatsumi was also a little embarrassed, knowing that he had been overly sensitive just now. He apologized to Sora with a look of remorse.
Actually, it wasn't Tatsumi's fault that he was so sensitive just now; he had truly fallen hard this time. Although he didn't know whether "Sora" or "Leone" was the real name of that heinous demoness, there was no doubt that both names had become synonymous with demons and human traffickers in Tatsumi's heart!
"Cough cough... It's nothing, Tatsumi-san. Can you tell us all about what happened to you? You seem very familiar with my name, and you're in this state..."
Clearing his throat, Sora was also extremely curious. What in the world had happened to this kid, and it seemed to be related to himself.
"Yeah, yeah, Tatsumi, hurry up and tell us!"
Ieyasu on the side also urged him. Although he often fought with Tatsumi when they were in the village, seeing him in such a miserable state, Ieyasu felt extremely angry and agitated.
"Actually, it happened like this..."
Although it felt very embarrassing, since everyone asked, Tatsumi thought about it and decided to tell his story.
How he met that heinous demoness on the street, how he was sold and even paid them for their trouble and introduction, how he was locked up in a dark room and abused by a certain fat lady, and how he finally fought his way out through numerous obstacles and escaped...
The experiences of just a few days felt longer than a century. Let alone Tatsumi, even Ieyasu's eyes turned red from listening, wishing he could immediately tear apart all those demonesses and fat ladies!!!
Cough cough, of course, Aria and Chelsea on the side had flushed faces and felt a choke in their hearts, and Sora's eyelids twitched wildly, finally understanding what was going on.
So, it was all that female rogue Leone's doing?!
However, hahaha, well done!
If the situation wasn't inappropriate at the moment, Sora would have had the urge to pound the floor and laugh loudly. That little kitten Leone must still be holding a grudge about being completely fooled by him back then. Since she didn't dare to seek revenge on him, she could only vent her frustration on Tatsumi.
Speaking of which, Tatsumi was truly unlucky. Why did he encounter that female rogue out of all people he could have met!
Fortunately, fortunately, Tatsumi eventually escaped from that terrifying big lady with his wisdom and courage. Otherwise, the scene... it's unimaginable, unimaginable...
After listening to Tatsumi's tragic experience, Sora asked Amuria to take him to wash up and change clothes. Then, he had Cornelia prepare a hearty meal to comfort the poor young fellow.
Sigh, looking at this ill-fated young man, Sora truly felt quite sympathetic towards him. It's better to let him recover his energy first, otherwise, the subsequent events might end up breaking him...