Chapter 29: Rejection Reaction

"..."

It'd been two short minutes after Jogrin having set foot in the Maladin household. With Suzannia and Proxer beside him, one might think that the atmosphere would be less awkward. Alas, wearing a look of contemplation, Jogrin sat on the couch closest to the entrance and didn't mutter a single word ever since he came in. The father and daughter have tried again and again to initiate conversions with him, but all they received no replies as if they were speaking to a statue, or rather, an ice sculpture, with all the coldness emanating from him.

"Um... Jogrin? Are you OK?" Concerned, Suzannia grabbed Jogrin's hand as she queried.

Still, no response from him.

"Is there a play button on him somewhere?" Zanphia, despite with the conservative tone, chimed in with a joke.

"It's probably your dumb jokes." Proxer reflexively jeered at Zanphia who pouted in response.

"... Sorry. It's just that... my mind is on something that I just hea... thought of..." Having let out a deep sigh, Jogrin spoke with a flat tone.

"... Can you tell me what it is?" Proxer pursued for an answer, as he felt that what Jogrin spoke of somehow concerns a recent, horrifying event.

Jogrin glanced at Proxer who had an obviously uneasy expression, and stood up.

"I'll figure something out on my own. In the meantime, I think you should be worrying about how to deal with any potential tumult followed by my appearance in the neighborhood. So, for now..."

"No!! You need to tell us! You have to! I wanna help you with everything I've got! I promised you!" Not willing to let go of Jogrin's hand, Suzannia implored Jogrin to speak his mind.

However, Jogrin insisted not to reveal the fact that he had a communication with the culprit who incited the bombardment, even though it was a brief one. Unfortunately, he wasn't the only one was insistent, as Suzannia continued to pull on Jogrin's hand.

"Well... Let's put that aside for now..." Seeing as having this scenario play out wouldn't pan out in any way, Proxer thought to leave this matter for another time. That was one of the reason, the other one was that, everyone was completely worn out from having to deal with the outrage earlier, so it was better to rest for now.

At this time of the day, it would've been time for dinner, but due to what took place just now, Naytia couldn't have made it in time. All the same, she could never leave her children starving.

"I'll prepare something for us to eat..." With an overly exhausted voice, Naytia announced as she headed for the kitchen, with Proxer in tow, as he didn't want to leave it all to her.

"I'll come with you... You three stay put, alright?"

"... Wait, let me come too." Unable to bear with being left with Jogrin without the presence of either of her parents, Zanphia followed closely behind the couple.

"..." Having been left with a troublesome girl who wouldn't let him go, Jogrin stared into the distance, only to have the girl jumping in his sight. Suzannia was pouting, dissatisfied.

"... You've already stayed close by me for far too long, starting from when you dragged me out of the park... I think it's time you put some distance between us. It's for your own sake, listen to me, OK?"

"I'm not scared of that!" Suzannia replied bravely.

"It's not a matter of whether you're scared or not... Look, I've already done you a huge favor by complying to your wish, by coming here. You can't just be pushing your luck..."

"Aren't you the same?" Suzannia retorted.

"I have my own reasons. It's just... not safe for you, or anyone at all. I can't elaborate any further."

Jogrin attempted to shake off Suzannia but to no avail. He complained about his own lack of physical strength internally. Resigned, Jogrin sat back down, with Suzannia doing the same after him.

'At least it won't go out of control if I keep my emotions in check.'

With that thought, Jogrin gave up on escaping and let himself continue to be bothered by Suzannia until who knows when... except that "who knows when" was in the very next moment.

A new pair of eyes were gazing at him, they were stuck to him as if their owner saw an intruder sitting nonchalantly on a couch while his little sister was buzzing around the intruder... That was actually the case.

Having noticed the scrawny boy's gaze, Jogrin looked up the staircase which was right behind and above the TV and returned his gaze. Following Jogrin's gaze, Suzannia also caught sight of her elder brother who completely froze up. She tilted her head, wondering why he succeeded Jogrin in becoming another ice sculpture, without the ice.

"You must be Proxer's son, Suzannia's elder brother... Hi."

Not having learnt his lesson from the first encounter with Zanphia, Jogrin greeted Zenover the same way he did with Zanphia, with an extra "hi". Of course, his response was also the same as his elder sister. He felt like blacking out from having the intruder talk to him abruptly. As he was about to tumble over, Zanphia reappeared and caught him. She assisted Zenover in slowing descending the stairs, and signaled him to take deep breaths by doing the same herself.

"Is my presence really that imposing?" Jogrin raised a genuine question, but to Zanphia, he was asking the obvious.

"Well... What do you think...?" She responded with a rhetorical question as she showed a dark smile neither Suzannia nor Zenover had seen before.

"Uh... after numerous first encounters with people, I think... probably." Jogrin replied sincerely, unable to catch the mild indignation from Zanphia.

"Probably huh?" Zanphia's smile became darker, "You're really oblivious..." and whispered.

"Didn't you go with Proxer and Naytia just now?"

"They pushed me out..."

"Hm... Probably want some alone time..."

"... Maybe."

"Um! Can anyone fill me in who this guy is and why he's in OUR house?!" Having returned from the realm of trance, Zenover couldn't help but scream out what he had in mind.

"I'm Jogrin. I came from a faraway land... As for why I'm here, hm... The gist of it is that,

I was forcibly dragged here by Suzannia."

"He was forcibly dragged here by Suzannia."

"He really couldn't wait to come here!"

The trio simultaneously replied to Zenover who was left discombobulated. "What...?" That was all he could mutter.

"Hey! He agreed to come with me! Right, Jogrin?" Suzannia sought Jogrin's agreement.

"I stand by what I said." Indifferently, Jogrin didn't hold back in his words.

"The truth is that you really just dragged him here by force... There's no other way explain it..." Zanphia was also the same.

Suzannia became exasperated as she looked down.

"The hell is going on here? You know what, forget that. What about that scary-looking tail?! Is this a trait of people from that so-called "faraway land"?!" Zenover was starting to have a headache from all the bafflement, from the fact that Jogrin was in the house, to the fact that his siblings seemed to be speaking with Jogrin casually.

"If you're thinking that I'm talking to him casually, you're wrong... I'm still reserved when it comes to dealing with him... Sorry if that sounded hurtful, it was nothing personal." Having caught what Zenover was pondering about, Zanphia didn't hesitate to refute what hadn't even escaped from Zenover's lips, albeit sounding apologetic.

"Jogrin is a good person! He's my angel! You meanie!" Irritated, Suzannia chided Zanphia.

"Manners, Suzannia! Geez!" Taken aback by Suzannia's tantrum, Zanphia reprimanded her.

"This is getting cumbersome..." Jogrin whispered in annoyance.

'He gets me... He gets me.' Touched, Zenover secretly prayed to Jogrin... despite still being wary of him.

"Anyway, if you feel like having a squabble, I'll be heading to another room."

"You're not leaving! It's your fault that Suzannia's become more willful! You'll need to teach her some manners your-yourself..." Zanphia told Jogrin off without hesitation, but then she realized that she let her tongue slip and said something so bold to someone she was still afraid of.

"Huh? My fault?"

"Ahh!... That's... right!" Immediately regretting her actions, Zanphia was the one to freeze up this time. She might've gotten ahead of herself.

"Hmm..."

"Um... I'm sorry that I offended you. It's just that... that..." Zanphia couldn't help but drop cold sweats.

"Speaking before you think, huh? Sounds just like Proxer... But I suppose you're right. Letting Suzannia keep doing as she wishes would simply abet her unbridled antics." Jogrin turned his gaze towards Suzannia after concurring with Zanphia. "Suzannia, do you realize how much trouble you've caused by dragging me out into the neighborhood without any prior warning or preparations?"

"Um..." Suzannia was nonplussed at the sudden barrage of lecturing words form Jogrin.

"Leaving that aside, I warned you not to drag me out into the open to avoid being seen by public eyes, but you naively believed that everyone would accept me as long as you vouched for me, but only to end up frightening those who caught sight of me. Moreover, your siblings still had yet to be informed of my arrival beforehand, and look how they reacted: clearly shrouded by fear. I thought you would know to exercise caution regarding my existence after what I've told you before, but I guess I should've told you directly instead... Just think before you act. You can't just go out there expecting everything will go your way. You need to consider all the possible outcomes, and opt for the best one available..."

"Um! Jogrin. I think that's quite enough... You can't expect a little kid like her to understand something so complicated for her age." Proxer came from behind Jogrin and interrupted his lecturing.

"It may be so, but it's a lesson she'll have to learn eventually, it'd be better of she does as soon as possible." Not startled by Proxer, Jogrin responded with a matter-of-fact tone.

Not only Suzannia, but also Zenover and Zanphia were bewildered, despite the latter two understanding what Jogrin was talking about, especially Zenover.

"That reminds me, the reason why Suzannia suddenly decided to drag me out remains unknown to me. Mind explaining?" Jogrin stared at Proxer, anticipating an answer, but as Proxer was about to do so...

"Oh! I almost forgot! Jogrin! Please help Zenover! He really needs your help!" Suzannia spoke up after coming to realization. However, it appeared that she omitted what Jogrin lectured about just now and flipped a switch.

"Help...? What kind of help do I need?... Oh I see, even you think I'm so weak that I got beaten up?! So you brought this monster back here?! I'm not so low to be needing help from a monster!" Zenover, to Jogrin's surprise, became emotional and dashed back to his room upstairs.

"..." Zanphia was speechless.

"I'm so sorry, Jogrin... Please don't take it personally. He's been through... a lot recently... I'm really sorry about what he said..." Proxer repeatedly apologize to Jogrin as if it was he who spewed out those offensive words.

"Is he in pain?" But instead of soothing Proxer, he queried.

"Huh?"

"He had the look of someone who's in distraught... But why won't he ask for help?"

"Zenover... He keeps rejecting us... I don't want to see him cry! There has to be something you can do, right Jogrin?" Suzannia, with hopeful eyes, looked at Jogrin as she begged.

"Suzannia, that's enough. You can't be imposing on him now, especially since he's only starting to settle in." Proxer halted Suzannia as he patted her head cordially.

'I can just turn "emotional perception" back on to check on him.' Jogrin had such a thought, but Proxer perceptively halted him as well, as he grabbed Jogrin's shoulder and shook his head. Jogrin responded by shrugging his shoulders and let it go for now.

...

"Dinner's ready!... It feels stern here..."

After half an hour, Naytia finished preparing a simple meal as the time for it was severely limited. As she came out to notify everyone in the house, she felt a sudden rush of sternness encroaching on the living room, where all except Zenover were sitting on the couches in an arc, with Jogrin and Zanphia at the two ends of the arc respectively, but none of them were muttering a single word.

"... Did Zenover come out of his room?"

"Yeah... but then he lashed out again and went back..." Proxer awkwardly replied.

"That kid... How did he react when he saw Jogrin?"

"Same as when you first did." Jogrin was the one to speak up this time.

"Well, that's to be expected... Only Proxer and Suzannia were able to react differently... Ah right, let's eat first! Or the food will get cold." Naytia urged everyone to the dining table where dishes had been placed.

"I don't eat." Jogrin gave a brief and crude reply to Naytia's invitation.

"Huh?" Naytia tilted her head at that claim.

"Oh... Ah! He's saying that..."

"It's exactly what I said. I don't eat."

As Proxer was about to make up an excuse for Jogrin's remark, he was interrupted. Jogrin himself affirmed the truth about himself. Naytia widened her eyes in response, which wasn't surprising, even after all the events she'd gone through ever since meeting Jogrin.

"You don't eat...? Are you on a diet?" It appeared someone else didn't grasp what Jogrin meant, and it was Zanphia.

"I mean I don't eat, in the literal sense..." Jogrin sneered at Zanphia for her lack of understanding.

"But then how do you sustain yourself?" Naytia continued.

"Sorry, but I don't feel like repeating what I've already told Proxer, so if you want to know more... he's the guy you should ask."

"Wait, hold on! You can't just throw it all at me! Where's my say in this?!"

Just like that, Proxer was coerced into giving explanation about Jogrin's circumstances. Jogrin looked away as if saying this had nothing to do with him while Proxer was wailing in agony. Deep within his heart, Proxer swore to himself that he'll somehow get Jogrin back for this, albeit having no idea how.

...

Over the dinner, with both Jogrin and Zenover present at the table, Proxer went over what Jogrin'd told him according to his memories. Of course, just as the case with Naytia, Proxer omitted all the occurrences that would leave scars in their minds should he actually disclose them. In fact, Naytia still wasn't aware of what happened at the military hospital. Hence, she was still bemused as to how the events led to Jogrin being here. At the same time, she had a hunch that whatever took place must've reminded him of the "Telestrophe" incident, that was why she refrained from pursuing further, and await the time Proxer garnered enough courage to tell her. At the same time, Jogrin was casually reading one of the books Proxer had brought him from his room.

"Phew... That's all I've heard from him so far..." Having done with elaborating, Proxer took time to catch his breath.

"... Where do I start... When he said "faraway land", he was actually talking about LITERALLY from outer space?! AAAAND he has some kind of power that lets him heal in an instant?! And the three types sounded so... out of this world..." Zenover was the first one to speak up. It appeared that all the information was too hard to swallow, which made complete sense. In fact, he pretty much commented how Zanphia wanted to, so she just remained speechless. "He even..."

It was the detail that caught Zenover's attention the most, as Jogrin shared a similar past to his.

"Um! I'm sorry... I'm sorry that you were picked on by other people too... I didn't know... And I still made you come here to help Zenover..." Having rued her actions, Suzannia became dejected.

"It's not your fault, and it's not like I mind it either... So this is what he needs help with, huh..." Jogrin attempted to appease Suzannia while having figured out the reason for Suzannia's unexpected behavior.

"For the LAST TIME!! I..."

"Right, you don't need help. I know. Just settle down please." Jogrin seemed to have already been fed up with Zenover's tantrum after just the first time.

"But Jogrin!" Suzannia stared at Jogrin with her begging eyes.

"Sigh... but when the time comes, I'll see what I can do... Are you both satisfied?"

"Actually, if I may... How can you still act like you don't care when you've been through... that..?" Zenover abruptly raised a question... an inappropriate one at that.

"Zenover!" Both Proxer and Naytia told him off surreptitiously. One would be flabbergasted and revolted at such a question, but of course, that didn't bother Jogrin a single bit.

"That has something to do with what happened at my birth which led to a chain of events in the long term..." As Jogrin was to about to reveal more, he caught sight of Proxer's look of tension. "Which I have yet to divulge... There's no need for you to know anyway." So he refrained from speaking any more regarding that.

Zenover's query was still not answered, but having noticed his words being inappropriate, he didn't want to be persistent in seeking for the answer. He was about to let it go, but Jogrin then followed up.

"... I simply endured it... for personal reasons. However, I don't think you should do the same, if that's what's happening to you that is."

Zenover fell into silence. And with that, silence once again started to encroach on the household.

"Uh, well, Jogrin... You said you don't eat, but have you tried before?" Naytia asked Jogrin in order to break the silence.

"No. I never had the need to."

"Then why not try some? Here eat some of mine!" Suzannia zealously offered some of her food and her chopsticks.

"... Sure."

Jogrin grabbed the chopsticks and put a piece of meat in his mouth.

"Hold on... If you've never eaten before, how would you know how to use a pair of chopsticks?" Zanphia blurted out in astonishment.

"From observation just now." Jogrin replied, nonchalantly.

"Wow! You're amazing Jogrin! So? How did it taste?" Suzannia was enraptured.

"... Taste? It's tasteless."

"What?" Suzannia and Zanphia expressed in unison.

"It's supposed to go down the throat after grinding it with teeth, right?" Jogrin queried as he swallowed the meat in an aberrant way by tilting his head up, only to immediately spit it out. "Hm... My body rejected it." He added afterwards.

The five Maladins stared at the meat that was spat onto the table and were in a trance.

"Well, I think it's a well-established fact that my body isn't made for eating."

"I, on the other hand, also think that I've had enough shocks... Haha..." Zanphia sounded as if she was on the verge of breaking down.