Rollin's initial impression of Yulenka wasn't great. He knew what she was—a sociopathic genius in a child's body.
However.
When a highly intelligent person dedicates their entire existence to pleasing you, anticipating your needs before you even voice them... that feeling is undeniably addictive.
Rollin unapologetically enjoyed the "service" provided by Yulenka and Jennifer.
Yes. Service.
While Rollin played video games, Yulenka stood by with tea, offering exaggerated gasps of admiration at his skills. She peeled fruit and hand-fed him during intense matches.
She even did his homework.
Despite being ten and never attending high school, her hyper-developed brain allowed her to breeze through senior-level assignments. Once she finished his, she did her own.
Before meeting Rollin, she would have manipulated others into doing her work. But in front of him? She was the picture of diligence.
Meanwhile, Jennifer—her mother—bustled around the house like a possessed maid, cleaning every corner until it sparkled.
When dinner time approached, Jennifer emerged from the guest room. She had changed into one of Rollin's oversized white dress shirts and nothing else but an apron.
"Big Brother Rollin likes Chinese food," Yulenka chirped. "Mom, I found some instructional videos and recipes for you."
Jennifer had never cooked Chinese cuisine. She was confused by the ingredients but tried her best to learn.
Her movements were clumsy at first, but she adapted with terrifying speed.
Jennifer was a natural-born housewife. Her talent tree was entirely spec'd into three branches: The Bedroom, The Kitchen, and The Wardrobe.
In short, she was a succubus evolved specifically to please men.
Rollin's shirt was large, barely covering her thighs. Every time she bent over to reach a lower cabinet, the view was... generous.
Rollin, using his 3D Map Vision, could rotate the camera angle at will. Front, back, top-down, zoom in. Nothing was hidden.
Yulenka noticed Rollin's gaze drifting toward the kitchen repeatedly. She smiled—a smile that was equal parts innocent and wicked.
When Madison went to the bathroom, Yulenka leaned in, whispering rapidly:
"Brother Rollin, it's Mom's first time cooking Chinese food. She doesn't quite understand some of the techniques. Could you... go help her clarify things?"
Rollin paused his game. He locked eyes with the ten-year-old mastermind.
He glanced at the kitchen. Jennifer seemed to sense his gaze. She turned, blinking her innocent, doe-like eyes, looking genuinely confused by a vegetable.
"I'm sorry," Jennifer said softly, her voice carrying a hint of apology. "I'm having a little trouble here. But I'll figure it out."
When Yulenka was around, Jennifer acted like a marionette. She followed her daughter's script subconsciously, happy to obey without question.
"Is that so? Let me give you a hand."
Rollin nodded. He stood up.
Jennifer and Yulenka were living here rent-free. As the landlord, collecting a little "rent" in advance was only fair.
Rollin walked into the kitchen. He began to teach her, hand-over-hand, how to handle the carrots.
Then, he moved on to the fungus.
Life Hack: Dried fungus shouldn't be soaked too long. Once it's wet and swollen, it needs to be processed immediately, or it produces toxins.
Rollin was an expert at this. His technique made Jennifer gasp in varied tones of surprise.
Her overreactions proved she was definitely Yulenka's mother—they were cut from the same dramatic cloth.
Rollin scoffed at her surprise, then decided to show her his true mastery of the Pestle.
In the living room, Yulenka took over Rollin's controller. She played with surgical precision, headshotting enemies left and right. Blood splattered across the screen like plum blossoms, beautiful and eerie.
Despite being ten, she played like a veteran spec-ops soldier. The lobby didn't stand a chance.
Madison returned from the bathroom, surprised to see Yulenka in the gamer chair.
"Where's Rollin?"
Yulenka smiled angelically. "Mom is too clumsy. She couldn't figure out the recipe, so Big Brother went to help. Dinner should be ready soon."
Madison didn't suspect a thing. Even with her cynicism, she couldn't imagine that on their first day in the house, they would be stealing food right under her nose.
Before Madison could ask more, Yulenka suddenly shrieked. "Oh no! I died! They're too strong... I can't beat them!"
"Sister Madison, can you help Brother play? These guys are bullies."
Yulenka took off the noise-canceling headphones—which had been plugged in the whole time—and placed them over Madison's ears.
Madison wasn't a gamer, but she refused to look weak in front of a child. "No problem. Leave it to me!"
Madison put on the headset. She frowned slightly. Why is the game volume so loud?
And the K/D ratio was insane. Golden skull icons everywhere.
Despite her confusion, Madison got sucked in by Yulenka's strategic hype-man commentary. She grabbed the virtual cannon and started blasting.
Just one word: Fire!
Madison didn't notice the triumphant smirk curling Yulenka's lips.
Or the rhythmic, melodic sounds coming from the kitchen that were perfectly masked by the gunfire in her ears.
Jennifer was clearly very satisfied with the cooking lesson.
Brother Rollin must be satisfied too, Yulenka thought. After all, the coordination between me, Rollin, and Mom just now... was flawless.
Time flew by.
Madison's face was flushed with adrenaline as the "GAME OVER" screen finally popped up. She was hooked.
"That's it? One more round? I can win this time!"
Then she glanced at the clock.
Wait. An hour and a half passed?
So... where is dinner?
Still not ready?
Madison felt something was off. She ignored Yulenka's pleas for another match and ran to the dining room.
The table was full of food.
"Is this... takeout?"
Madison looked suspiciously at Jennifer. The woman's face was glowing red, her eyes watery and misty, as if she had been crying—or something else.
Rollin sat there calmly. "Jennifer messed up and got water all over the kitchen. We ran out of time, so I ordered delivery."
"Jennifer, really. Everyone has a first time. Accidents happen. Don't cry about it. Let's eat."
Jennifer nodded meekly, like a scolded little wife.
[System Alert: Anomaly Target 'Jennifer' Registered.]
[Reward: +300 Anomaly Points.]
[Map Editor Upgrading to Version 2.0...]