Ethan stood outside a three-storey house with a frown. The witch was once again playing loud music from yesterday.

Ethan walked upstairs and pushed the doorbell. Moments later, a redhead opened the door. The burning cigarette pressed between her fingers let out trails of smoke.

"You need something boy?" she asked, her crimson eyes flickering with annoyance.

Standing a head shorter than Ethan, she appeared to be in her early thirties.

"Can you lower the sound please?" Ethan asked, trying to act like a polite landlord.

The woman narrowed her eyes to slits. Ethan felt the temperature drop by another level. This woman's aura reminded him of his mother; she always had a strong air about her that couldn't be put into words.

"If I don't?" she asked and hurled back her brown coat, revealing a revolver tucked into her black pants.

Officer?

Her outfit didn't look close to a uniform.

"You sure you wanna mess with me?"

Even under her gangster-like threat, his gaze remained firm. From the moment he beat the hell out of his new father, he swore to stay strong, to be someone his sister could look up to.

His plan somewhat backfired later, turning into a regrettable story.

"Can you do that for me or should I exert my right as a landlord?"

The woman rested her arms on her hips and leaned forward. The two loose buttons of her shirt exposed her creamy white cleavage. "Interesting. It's rare to see a kid with a spine nowadays."

Ethan glanced away from the tempting sight. The undeniable charm of a mature woman always enticed him.

"Name is Valentina. Valentina Wright, a warrior on a vacation," she introduced herself with a grin and extended her right hand.

Her swift change left him speechless.

Reluctantly, he shook her coarse hand befitting a trained soldier. "Ethan Carter."

"I will slow down the music. Don't kick Regina out. She only has this place where she can find peace."

Regina Velvet, the mysterious tenant his mother took in. She rarely left the room and survived on food deliveries for as far as he could remember. Their interaction started with a "Hello, how are you?" and ended with a "Bye, see you later".

Ethan sighed, slightly pitying the woman who remained as lonely as a witch. "Then we are good."

Valentina showed an appreciative smile. "Wanna come in?"

Ethan shook his head. "Thanks for the offer but I have to take care of some stuff."

Mio would raise hell if she found him in a room with two women.

"Too bad. Regina would have appreciated a good-looking boy's company." Valentina sighed.

"Tina, who is there?" A female voice came from inside.

"Gina, coming back in a jiffy," Valentina yelled and grinned at Ethan. "We will meet again, if the Goddess of Luck shines on you."

And she shut the door in his face.

The Goddess of Luck, heh.

Ethan smirked. His luck stat needed some real buffs if he wanted to survive what lay ahead in his life.

He returned to his apartment on the second floor and sprawled on the couch.

"I am beat."

His physical stats were above average but his sanity suffered from keeping Mio in check. Any carelessness and the ticking time bomb will explode.

He washed his face with cold water. Standing in front of the mirror, he swept up his brown bangs, revealing a pair of golden orbs looking back at him. One of the reasons he avoided dark alleys in fear someone mistook him as a cat with his glowing eyes.

His father also had the same eyes, or so his mother used to say. But the poor man passed away in a car accident a year after his birth.

I wonder what kind of man he was to make mother head over heels for him.

His mother later married Mio's father, making Mio his adopted sister.

Where are you, mom?

He sighed and returned to the living room. His eyes fell on Mio's black bag lying beside him.

Should I check it?

He shook his head and switched on the television.

"Boring… boring… urgh," he groaned in frustration. Everything was so repetitive.

Closing the television, he threw the remote aside and picked up Mio's bag, pondering whether to inspect her possessions.

It's related to her health…

Taking up an excuse, he unzipped the bag and pushed his hand inside.

"Ouch."

A sharp thing pricked his finger. He flipped the bag and unloaded everything on the couch. A pair of scissors, a gray diary held together with rusty wires, and a kitchen knife.

A woman carrying such items to school… what the hell was this supposed to mean? Mio was a little over the top, but this surpassed his wildest nightmares. This black cover matched the set of diaries his mother bought. No doubt it belonged to either mother or Mio.

This hides her deepest darkest secrets?

He let out a heavy sigh and undid the wiring. He read the very first page which was written in Japanese. He could barely speak Japanese but reading it was possible.

"That scum… He used to abuse Mio's mother?"

He flipped a page.

Ethan held his breath. He never knew Mio had a past like this.

Sympathy rose inside his heart. Mio suffered a lot.

The next entry jumped four years.

1 Jan of 2007, this date seemed familiar.

"Ah, I met Mio that day."

The day his mother took him to meet Mio's father.

"Let's see what she thought back then."

Ethan gulped and continued.

So much resentment.

The next few pages were filled with curses. Ethan glanced over them with a bitter smile. Mio's dangerous eyes had scared him at first, so he maintained distance and played his games in silence.

Ethan leaned on the couch and chuckled. Then, continued reading with an amused smile until one sentence chilled his heart.