Chapter 472. Meeting the Starhorns
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The first impression of Hanaha's house for Myne was that it was too small and cluttered. Everything seemed to be scattered everywhere: children's toys, tools, clothes, pillows – even a snake! – were strewn about the living room.
The entire house was small, consisting only of a kitchen, a living room, a bedroom without any beds (everyone seemed to sleep on the floor together, # R.I.P Privacy ), a guest room that had been turned into a storage space, and a tiny bathroom with nothing but a wooden bucket.
Myne, who had always lived alone, and wasn't much a big friend of cleaning, wasn't bothered by the clutter at all. He easily found a place on the old couch to sit without a hint of embarrassment, as if it were his own home. In contrast, Hanaha's sister and children appeared more embarrassed, offering awkward smiles.
Myne understood the struggle six people must face living in such a cramped space. He was always thick-skinned, and upon meeting Hanaha's family, his initial nervousness and anxiety quickly dissipated. He already felt a sense of belonging. Now, with a playful smile on his face, he watched Hanaha's family silently complain to each other with their eyes for not cleaning the house.
He enjoyed this kind of dynamic the most.
"Oh my god! What on earth have you done to the house? Are you pigs or something? How can you let it get into this state?"
Like a typical mother entering a messy house, and seeing its less-than-pleasant condition, Hanaha instantly exploded in anger. She began scolding everyone, except her youngest daughter of course. The little one cleverly slipped away from her aunt's embrace and plopped down beside Myne on the couch, tossing her brother's shirt aside.
"Would you like some candy, young lady?" Myne, wanting to get acquainted with Hanaha's children, decided to start with the youngest. While he had a good impression of the eldest child, Ze, the boy seemed very shy and not yet open to him, appearing quite reserved. Myne could only focus on the youngest, who seemed the easiest to win over.
"Sure, thank you," The miniature version of Hanaha, the cute little girl happily grabbed three candies of honey flavour from Myne's hand and immediately stuffed them one after another into her mouth while watching her mother scold her aunt while holding her ear tightly and she was begging for mercy in return.
"What's your name, little lady? By the way, I'm Myne." Seeing his first attempt at friendliness work wonders, Myne extended his hand and spoke gently while looking at the doll of Hanaha in her hand. He couldn't help but think about owning a doll like this one, it would surely be a highly valuable collection material.
"My name is Xina Starhorn. I'm four years old and the youngest daughter of the family. I like sweets and playing with dogs." Xina shook hands with Myne, a smile playing on her lips. A confused expression then crossed her face as she looked up at Myne.
"What's wrong? If you want to ask something, just say it. I'm not much different from your brother. You can call me Brother Myne if you want," Myne said, gently rubbing Xina's soft hair to put her at ease. Although she hid it well, he could sense a lingering nervousness in her, as if he were some strange creature.
"Um, where are your ears and tail?" Xina hesitated for a moment before asking. However, before Myne could answer, someone scooped her up and placed her on their lap before replying.
"He doesn't have one, because, like the people in the village, Myne is also a little different from us. He's not from our tribe, sweetie, so naturally, he doesn't have long ears, a tail, or horns. Anyway, how are you doing?
Did your siblings bully you?" Hanaha, with a smile, asked after finishing scolding her children and younger sister, who were now diligently cleaning the house with their heads lower.
"No one bullied me, Mommy. It's just that they wouldn't let me have any sweets recently, saying we didn't have any. But I saw Sister Windy secretly eating some! When I told them, nobody believed me!" Xina, like an honest and innocent child, immediately started complaining after her mother gave her the go-ahead signal.
It wasn't a whiny complaint, but rather an excited one, as if she couldn't wait for her mother to confront her older sister and give her all the sweets.
"Oh, I see. I'll definitely talk to Windy about that. But in the meantime, why don't you enjoy some of your own sweets, bought by your dear Mommy?" With that, Hanaha opened the storage bag Myne had given to her, filled with everything she had wanted to buy for the house. She pulled out a box of honey candies the one Myne give Xina a moment ago and handed them to her.
"Wow, so many candies!" Hanaha clearly encourages her children to be free spirits. After taking the gift box, Xina didn't even say thank you or hug her to show appreciation. Instead, she quickly bolted away and headed towards the shared bedroom, probably to show it off.
"I think you shouldn't have let her go," Myne said, moving closer to Hanaha with a smile.
"Yes, I know, but there's no way we could have stopped her. They're all like that. Whenever they get something new, they have to show it off to everyone, as if it's some competition. But don't worry, their childish behavior will fade away as they grow up, just like Ze.
He's become mature enough to take care of his family, and I'm very proud of him." Hanaha leaned her head on Myne's shoulder and replied softly. However, as soon as her voice fell, a loud scream came from Xina in the bedroom, making Hanaha sigh helplessly. Myne, who already expected this, burst into laughter.
...
After this minor episode, Myne finally had the chance for proper introductions with everyone in Hanaha's family during lunch outside under the tree. It was obviously his plan since cleaning was still underway inside. There, he also got the opportunity to impress everyone with his skills. He pulled out a large dining table and a vast amount of delicious food prepared by Aisha.
The faces of everyone except Hanaha were so wonderful seeing his magic trick that Myne couldn't contain his smile.
Overall, Hanaha's family consists of seven people, including her. First is her twenty-year-old single younger sister, Aeliana. She takes care of the farm and family behind the scenes, while she works in the city to earn money. Due to her horns, she rarely goes out, which might also explain why she remains single despite her beauty and kind nature which is enough to make any man go crazy.
Second is Hanaha's eldest son, Zebrendor, better known as Ze. A fourteen-year-old young man just months away from his awakening. He dreams of doing something big to earn enough money so no one in their family will ever have to want anything. His dream is quite idealistic.
However, putting aside his commendable qualities as a good son and elder brother, he also has a girlfriend who lives in the village. She's a year younger than him and the daughter of a carpenter. He has to visit the village every day to see her, and despite being crazy in love, and a slave of his little brother, his review of the village still isn't positive.
Honestly, if he had a better option, he wouldn't hesitate to ditch his "pig-like" girlfriend who god knows how can survive in that shit hole.
Next is Hanaha's second child, her eldest daughter, Windy. A smart girl with long black hair, ears, and a tail, she possesses a cute face and a slightly plump build, probably from not getting enough exercise due to her love for books. Unlike Myne, who prefers stories, Windy devours factual books to expand her knowledge.
She dreams of being a scholar or someone who can read books as much as he wants and earn money without manual labour – a librarian in simpler terms. However, she also holds a deep desire to see the world beyond the pages of books with her own eyes.
While this dream is quite ambitious for a twelve-year-old, she currently has no intention of leaving anywhere as she understands her family's situation very well.
Following Windy is the third child, Lucius. A quiet type of kid, he prefers solitude within reason. It's not that he wants to become a monk and abandon his family – he loves them dearly. However, he can't stand their daily noise and nonsense. Eight years old with curly brown hair, ears, and a tail, Lucius rarely speaks, but when he does, his words carry weight and demand attention.
His dream job involves minimal interaction with people and enough money to live comfortably and take it easy – he is a typical example of being a "salted fish."
The fourth child is Julie, an energetic ball of chaos with black-brown hair, ears, and a tail. No different from a walking storm, wherever she goes, a mess follows. This impulsive girl does whatever comes to mind regardless of consequences. Luckily, she hasn't gotten into serious trouble yet.
Her boundless energy simply outgrows the limited space she has to vent it, leading to her strange antics that leave others laughing, albeit in a bewildered way. But there's one issue that haunted Hanaha for months after Julie's birth – like her aunt Aeliana, Julie also has horns. Thankfully, for now, they're small and hidden by her long hair, keeping her within an acceptable range.
This means she won't face isolation and criticism like Aeliana would if they went to the village together, at least not yet.
Finally, the youngest and undeniably cutest is Xina, a miniature version of her mother. Being the youngest, she holds a special place in everyone's heart. Everyone loves her dearly, which also leads to playful teasing. After all, they can't resist pulling her leg once in a while.
That's the entire Hanaha family. Though initially worried about them, Myne now finds himself charmed. Their quirks and chaos are simply too endearing.