Trisakti winced, rubbing the part of his head that hurt.


    "Ow! What the hell?!"


    Trisakti said and then turned in the direction of the voice, only to see a small boy standing there, His face scrunched, as if in defiance.


    The kid looked no older than ten, with messy brown hair and a wooden stick clutched tightly in his little hands, clearly, he had been the one who threw the branch.


    "Stay away from Big Sis Olivia, you monster!"


    The boy shouted again, his tiny body trembling but his determination unwavering.


    At those boy''s words, Trisakti blinked in confusion.


    ''What in the... ''


    Meanwhile, Olivia gasped in horror.


    "Leo?! What are you doing here?"


    Hearing what Olivia said, The boy, Leo, stomped his foot.


    "I heard you were with him! And then I saw you blushing! That means he must have done something to you!"


    At those words, Olivia turned completely red.


    "I-I was not blushing!"


    Trisakti, who is still rubbing his head, sighed. Then said.


    "Okay, first of all, oww!... Second, kid, I think you’ve got the wrong idea"


    Leo didn''t care what Trisakti said, keep glared at him. Then said.


    "I don’t care what you say! The village chief said you’re dangerous! And I won’t let some creepy outsider take Big Sis Olivia away!"


    Trisakti froze.


    ''Wait… take her away?''


    Trisakti thought and glanced at Olivia, who was now covering her face in embarrassment.


    ''What exactly has this kid been imagining?!''


    His ghosts, of course, found this hilarious.


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Kekeke~ Ohhh, Trisakti! You homewrecker~!"


    Tuyul teased.


    "Trisakti, seducing innocent village girls now? How scandalous~"


    Kuntilanak giggled.


    Genderuwo crossed his arms, smirking.


    "You’ve really stirred things up this time"


    Hearing this, Trisakti groaned.


    "I swear to god, shut up!"


    Meanwhile, Olivia finally gathered herself and walked toward Leo, kneeling in front of him.


    "Leo, listen to me. Trisakti is not a bad person, okay? He saved me"


    "But-"


    "No buts"


    Olivia said firmly, resting a gentle hand on the boy’s head.


    "And he’s not taking me anywhere, alright? So stop worrying"


    At this, Leo’s expression faltered.


    "...Really?"


    "Really"


    Olivia reassured him. And Leo could only pout while kicking the dirt.


    "...Fine. But if he does anything weird, I’ll tell Grandpa!"


    Hearing what Leo said, Trisakti sighed. He didn''t feel offended or anything; after all, his opponents were just kids.


    "Yeah, yeah, whatever, kid~"


    Still, as Olivia smiled softly at the little boy, Trisakti found himself staring. Despite the awkwardness, despite the misunderstanding…


    There was warmth in this moment.


    And for the first time in a long time, he realized, maybe he wasn’t so alone after all.


    --------


    "What an unusual child..."


    Trisakti said as she looked at Leo who walked away from them while once a while glancing back at them.


    Olivia sighed, shaking her head with a small smile. Said while also looking at Leo''s figure.


    "... Leo lost his parents when he was really young... The village chief raised him, just like he raised me... He’s always been a bit overprotective"


    Hearing that, Trisakti hummed in understanding. Said.


    "I see… That explains the attitude... Still, for a kid that small, he sure packs a lot of energy"


    At that, Olivia giggled softly, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear.


    "Yeah… he means well, though. He just doesn''t want to lose anyone else"


    Trisakti nodded, glancing at Leo’s retreating figure. The kid still shoots him with suspicious glares every few steps, clearly not trusting him yet. It was kind of funny.


    Then, Olivia suddenly looked down, fidgeting with her sleeves.


    "Uhm… about what you said earlier…"


    Trisakti raised an eyebrow.


    "Hmm?"


    Olivia hesitated, then peeked up at him, her face slightly pink again.


    "Can... Can I hear the rest?"


    That question completely caught Trisakti off guard.


    Trisakti''s brain is going black for a while.


    Looking at Olivia’s serious expression, he realized she actually wanted an answer.


    "Well…"


    Trisakti scratched the back of his head, trying to find the right words.


    "I-I kind of forget what I''m going to say before... You know, that branch maybe hit my head a bit too strong, so… You know, I kind of forgot that already... Hehe"


    When Trisakti said that, he could hear the ghosts behind him dying from laughter again, but he ignored them.


    Olivia blinked, and for a moment, then a worried look crossed her face.


    "... A-Are you okay?"


    Trisakti shrugged.


    "... Yes, with a little rest, my condition should be okay"


    Silence. Olivia looked at him with something in her eyes, understanding, maybe even sympathy.


    Then, she suddenly smiled, a little shy but warm.


    "Then… Let''s Go back to my house"


    That statement made Trisakti pause.


    Olivia’s hands fidgeted again, and she quickly added.


    "I-I mean, you said you Came from a far away, far from here and you also don''t have a house! I just meant that… The village isn''t that bad, right? And you did save me, so it wouldn’t be fair if we just threw you out… And- And it''s already quite late, I don''t think there''s any lodge around, a-and you don''t have any money in you, right? It''s not permanently, but at least for now you can stay in my house"


    At those words, Trisakti stared at her.


    For a girl who had just defended him in front of the village chief, whom she already considered as her own Grandfather, who had risked her reputation to vouch for him, and who had blushed because of a dumb misunderstanding… She sure was bad at hiding her feelings.


    A smirk slowly formed on Trisakti''s lips.


    "Olivia… are you inviting me to live with you?"


    "Wh-What?! No! I mean!"


    Olivia’s face turned even redder. Try to find the right word to respond, but in the end, find nothing, so, in a defeated tone, She said.


    "...That’s not what I meant"


    Hearing that, Trisakti chuckled, enjoying her flustered reaction.


    "Relax, relax. I get it. You don’t have to explain yourself so hard, y''know?"


    Hearing that Olivia pouted, crossing her arms.


    "Hmph"


    But before she could protest further, a loud cough interrupted them.


    "*UKHUMM!!*"


    Both of them turned, only to find the Village Chief standing behind them, arms crossed, watching them with an unreadable expression.


    "...So"


    The old man said slowly, eyes narrowing at Trisakti. Then said again.


    "Not only do you show up out of nowhere, but now my granddaughter is inviting you to stay in her house, huh?"


    Trisakti gulped.


    ''...Shit!''


    ....


    ...


    ..


    .