While Aki lay on the floor, all the women of the house left the room following the emergency meeting called by Sule. They returned a few minutes later with new faces: Catherine's other tenants. These newcomers were clearly hostile towards him.
"So, this is him?" said one of the newcomers with disdain. "Another problem Catherine has brought us this time."
"Don't worry about him, Jinx. He'll leave once he's healed," added Sakura.
The meeting ended, and all the housemates had decided to send Aki away once he was better, all except one: his benefactor, Catherine. She had defended him with all her heart, but to no avail. In a final attempt, she spoke up.
"Girls, I know we've already voted, but if I may, I'd like to ask you for a favor. At least let me teach him to read and write our language before he leaves."
Unfortunately, these words seemed to fall on deaf ears. Catherine then decided to plead. Before she could even get her first knee on the ground, all the girls rushed to her to prevent her from doing so.
"You don't need to go that far," cried Ilda, also kneeling. "A mother shouldn't have to beg her children for a favor."
"Ilda is right, Catherine. You are like a mother to all of us. Get up, the boy can stay as long as necessary," exclaimed Jinx, with all the girls nodding in agreement. This unanimous decision particularly benefited Aki, but in the shadows, behind the door, small silhouettes seemed even more delighted than the person concerned.
Thus ended Aki's first official day as a resident of this house. The next morning, even before the sun appeared in the sky, the little tuft was already there. Accompanied by his two best allies, Egée and Gaëtan, driven by an unwavering determination, the three kids were determined to make Aki their disciple.
Faced with such determination, Aki was perplexed, understanding nothing of the situation except one thing: thanks to these children, he felt at home, appreciated, and accepted. Each armed with their greatest treasure, the children came together to teach Aki to be "normal." For Charlotte, a picture book to learn the language, for Egée, "the guild tales," and finally "the world of heroes" by Gaëtan. Unable to decide who would start teaching him, the children began to argue. Nothing too serious, as they were easily calmed by Ilda who passed by. With a chilling look, she addressed Aki.
"I know you don't understand my words, but keep this phrase in mind: if you ever make Catherine or even one of us suffer... you will regret it bitterly." She then turned to the children, smiling as if the previous scene had never happened. "If you want to teach him things, you must remember what you learned too. What did your education start with at school?"
In unison, the children replied, "Reading." Automatically realizing what was wrong with their method. It was good to want to teach him things, but who would be responsible for his education? The boys were ready to give up to make way for the adults when little Charlotte stood on Aki's bed like a heroine from Egée's guild tales. Brandishing her picture book like a trophy, she showed everyone the alphabet it contained.
"I'll do it," she proclaimed, giving Aki an "ok" sign with her other hand.
Watching the scene from the corner of their eyes, the two boys admired the little tuft as their radiant savior. In the back, Ilda even shed a small tear of happiness seeing Charlotte's poise. "Are they all crazy?" Aki wondered before he too saw this aura radiating from the gap between her growing teeth.
"I understand... what confidence... instead of detracting from her, this lack of teeth contrasts perfectly with her tuft and heroic pose, giving her poise. It's stupid, definitely stupid, but it works."
Simultaneously, the boys admitted their defeat and left the room, not as losers but as youths who had matured. Ilda followed shortly after, playfully telling Charlotte to be careful, that Aki might be a monster. But this didn't affect the little tuft's determination at all.
Once alone, she began teaching Aki. From the first letter of the alphabet, pronunciation, and writing. The most impressive thing wasn't Aki's superhuman mastery ability, as he just had to associate the sounds he was learning with those he already knew, but rather the intellectual capacities of this little girl. She was only four years old, had just finished her first year of school, and yet... Charlotte could perfectly convey her knowledge.
By the end of the day, it could be said with certainty that Aki had mastered all the vowels of the alphabet, pronunciation, and writing. There was nothing left but to admire the hair of his amateur teacher who was sleeping soundly. Catherine, who came to see how the lesson was going, stopped at the door, silent. She observed, feeling a pang in her heart. "From the moment I met you, I knew, with just one look... from your eyes and tears, in that alley, I understood. You are a good person... Aki." Following this internal realization, she turned on her heels and left.
Aki was so absorbed by this hair that he didn't notice Catherine's presence until she left. Without paying too much attention, he continued playing with the little tuft's strands, which made her turn over in her sleep; which strangely caused a pain in his back, and the moon mark appeared and shone again.
At nightfall, Charlotte had returned to her room. Like all the other nights since his arrival, Aki began to understand why he no longer had nightmares. At nine o'clock in the evening, a soft melody resonated through the house's walls to his room like a lullaby; a melody to calm his mind. He fell into a deep sleep. The next day, the first day of the week, after her classes, the little tuft came to give her lesson to Aki. Very quickly, he learned the entire alphabet and began to read. A week passed. Without exception, Charlotte came every day, which began to mentally exhaust the child. Aki was the first to notice, which slowed down his study pace. He was worried; after her lesson, the little one collapsed again on Aki's knees. He touched her hair as usual when he noticed she was burning up: Charlotte was sick. Without thinking for a second about the consequences, he placed his hands on her forehead. "What's happening is my fault, I have no choice, I must act," he thought, troubled, searching for a solution in the few memories he had.
When suddenly:
[You just need to want it]
reminded that particular voice that haunted his dreams. It then added:
[Just desire it, you are capable]
Hearing this phrase, his mind clicked. The mark on his back began to shine again. His blue eyes were like rolled back, dark, showing no emotion. Like a puppet on strings, he moved, mechanically moving his fingers on the child's head, which woke her up. In front of her, a yellow glow emanated from Aki's eyes. Those pupils... the same ones he had at the end of each of his nightmares, those monster pupils...
Unaware of his actions, his hands suddenly began to glow. Immediately, the pain Charlotte felt disappeared. She stood fully on the bed, staring into Aki's yellow eyes before holding his cheeks, whispering in his ear: "This will be our secret, mister monster," before hugging him. At that precise moment, the feelings experienced during his meeting with Charlotte and Catherine resurfaced. Aki then felt a warmth fill his heart, a soft and comforting sensation. He took a deep breath, releasing at the perfect moment the word that weighed so heavily on his chest. In a calm and serene voice, he finally said:
"Thank you!..."