Chapter 68: Azure basilisk (8)
"Woah, woah, woah." Jaster backed up a bit while waving his hands.
"What’s wrong, son?" She turned around slowly and looked at him.
"All I’m asking is the way out of here..." He rubbed the back of his head, his eyes slowly glancing at the grandma’s back. The inside of the apartment was cramped, with only a wooden stair and a hallway leading to the underground.
The light kept flickering inside, giving the first floor of the apartment a gloomy atmosphere.
He shifted his eyes toward the grandma again, but now she was frowning. "I know, but look at the state you’re in, kid!" She pointed her finger toward Jaster’s head and slowly lowered her finger until it reached his feet.
Jaster looked down at himself. What the grandma said was true. His school uniform was stained with a mix of dirt, mud, and blood. His pants had holes all over them, and Jaster hadn’t noticed this, but he only had one shoe. His other one was lost during his escape from the basilisk.
"Oh." That was all that came out of Jaster’s mouth. Now his looks weren’t much different from the people here.
He lifted his eyes, looking at the grandma again. Then he opened his mouth and said—
"Sure!"
---
Adam was never taught by his parents about stranger danger. Heck, they never even talked casually to him anyway.
After what felt like hours climbing the wooden stairs and squeezing through cramped spaces, they finally reached the old woman’s apartment.
She unlocked the door and stepped inside. Jaster followed, quietly observing the room.
It was small and worn down, the ceiling stained with damp patches as water dripped steadily onto the floor. A single bed sat against the wall, with a lone chair beside it. Across from them, a small, flickering television rested on a narrow table.
On the table, next to the TV, stood a framed photo of two young girls, carefully placed as if it were the most important thing in the room.
"You know, peeking at someone’s picture isn’t polite, young man." Jaster’s eyes quickly looked away from the photo, and he rubbed his head, feeling embarrassed.
"Oh, I’m sorry, I got curious!" He said while carefully scanning the room. He was confused as to how the grandma knew he was looking, since she was facing away from him.
Maybe it’s her spirit animal? He wondered.
The grandma picked a bunch of clothes from a worn-out basket and handed them to Jaster. He staggered a bit from the tower of clothes she gave him.
"Go to the bathroom, my dear. You can pick what clothes suit you." The granny waved her hand, and Jaster made his way to the washroom.
Jaster sighed and dropped the pile of clothes onto the bathroom floor. He looked around carefully.
The bathroom was small and dim, barely enough space to move. A simple shower stood in one corner, with a toilet squeezed beside it. Above him, a weak light bulb flickered, casting a dull, fading glow that barely lit the room.
The mirror on the wall was stained and cloudy, its surface marked with streaks that made his reflection look distorted.
"Wow, this place doesn’t look hygienic." He looked down at the pile of clothes on the bathroom floor. He grabbed one of them and immediately frowned.
He was holding a pink tank top that wasn’t even his size. "Are these the girl in the picture clothes?"
He rummaged through the entire pile. They were all girls’ clothes. It would have been fine if ninety percent of them weren’t tank tops or crop tops. Even the pants were mostly skirts.
Then he found one t-shirt with a unicorn printed in the middle and pink covering the whole shirt. He thought for a while. It would definitely be social suicide to wear something like this.
Purple peeked from Jaster’s pocket, its eyes sparkling at the pink colorful shirt. "CHAA!!" The gecko tried to grab it, but Jaster pulled away.
"Purple, this is the only shirt I have... unfortunately." He gave in, took off his uniform, and put on the unicorn shirt.
Jaster looked at himself in the dirty, stained mirror. He looked horrendous wearing this—his white hair and the bright pink t-shirt, especially with the tight silver jeans, made him stand out.
He face-palmed. "This is so embarrassing..."
---
Coming out with a whole new outfit, Jaster immediately saw the grandma sitting on the chair, watching TV.
To get her attention, he coughed purposely. Her eyebrows flew up, and she immediately stood up. As she rose, several crochet supplies fell from her lap onto the ground.
"Ah, you’re finished!" She slowly and steadily walked toward the boy. Once she stood in front of him, she scanned his whole appearance.
From the white hair, to the pink unicorn shirt, and lastly the tight silver jeans. She nodded in approval.
"Nice, nice. My grand daughter clothes still fit you even after all this time. You’re really slim for a man!"
Wow, what a way to rub it in my face.
While the grandma hummed her way toward the kitchen, Jaster saw his chance to ask where the exit was.
"I really have to go. It’s getting late. So do you know where the exit is in this neighborhood?" He shouted to the grandma in the kitchen.
"What?! Nonsense! You need to eat first. You’re so skinny—it’s not healthy for you!" She answered back from the kitchen.
At this point, Jaster was starting to feel irritated and uncomfortable in a stranger’s house.
He walked up to the table near the TV and inspected the picture more carefully.
It showed two young girls with bob haircuts, and the grandma in the middle. This looked like it was taken a long time ago, since the grandma in the picture looked healthy compared to the state she was in now.
He stared at the family photo with his stoic face. For some reason, Jaster felt something aching in his heart.
What is this feeling? He pressed his hand against his chest, gripping the pink fabric as his heart raced faster and faster.
I... think I want to have a family picture...
"Now, now, kid! I cooked up something delicious for you!" The grandma burst out from the kitchen holding a tray. On the tray were two bowls of freshly cooked hot ramen with an egg on the side.
"Damn it!" Now Jaster was stuck having to eat a stranger’s food.
