Chapter 65 World B: Tenas Part 1 (Tena)...

Tenas was born into a high-ranking official's family.

He had lived alone in the empty villa with the housekeeper and maid for as long as he could remember.

One day, the housekeeper suddenly brought him to a couple she called Mr. and Mrs., whom he was unfamiliar with, and made him call them Dad and Mom.

Three-year-old Tenas suddenly realized, "So I have parents? Haha, I'm not an orphan after all! It's the first time I've met my parents, I'm a little nervous."

"Dad, Mom," little Tenas greeted them with the perfect smile the butler had taught him, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

His parents looked him up and down critically, exchanged a glance, and revealed that they were not very happy. They were communicating with each other through their eyes.

Oh, they don't seem very welcoming to him, so he's probably not happy to see you either. Tenas's smile vanished.

Much later, Tenas learned that his parents were dissatisfied with his manners when they first met him, thinking he was not presentable and showing no regard for the fact that he was only three years old and had not yet started any schooling.

After meeting his parents for the first time, Tenas was assigned a heavy course of lessons. Piano, violin, social etiquette... and all the other courses that all upper-class children were required to learn, which overwhelmed the three-year-old Tenas. He was also forced to get to know the other children that his parents were on good terms with.

He was forced to put on a polite smile, interact with a group of high-ranking officials' children who were generally older than him, and get close to the Rodney and Keith family heirs who were six or seven years older than him.

Because of the strong ties between their elders, Tenas met Nadia and Reena. He was instructed to cultivate their relationship, and the two girls, who were already good friends at around ten years old, were forced to take him along as a burden. Reena wasn't particularly welcoming of him.

Reena Keith, Tenas knew her. She was the smartest "other people's child" in their circle, an outstanding successor praised by the elders, and even someone they wanted their own successors to learn from and surpass.

She has a photographic memory and learns things very quickly. She is even more mature than people her age should be. However, precociousness is the norm in their circle. Even when dealing with elders who are several times her age, she is still perfect, though she is still a bit green.

Even before Tenas entered the social circle, his parents repeatedly told him to aim to defeat his opponents and that he had to be better than everyone else.

Although Reena didn't welcome him, Nadia did. The three of them managed to get along, and with Nadia acting as a mediator, they actually developed some friendship.

However, this didn't affect Reena's dislike of him. Since she didn't like Tenas anymore, Tenas naturally wouldn't bother trying to win her over, and his attitude wasn't very good either. There was a subtle sense of tension between the two of them.

As Tenas learned more and more, his talent grew stronger and stronger, and he caught up with Reena. The two began to compete for the title of the best for several years.

The courses Winter and his wife arranged for him were demanding, but they truly enabled him to progress rapidly. While his efforts certainly contributed, the workload was so heavy that his brain could only rest during mealtimes. He wasn't even allowed to relax before bed, and his sleep was short. He was strictly required to go to bed and wake up at specific times, which is very sleep-deprived for a child his age. He would fall asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

His mother, Mrs. Winter, whose surname I've forgotten and given name is rarely mentioned, is referred to by others as Mrs. So-and-so.

Mrs. Winter has the typical arrogant upper-class personality. Although she is usually cautious, years of pampered life have made arrogance the norm for her. She is a vicious beauty with a very problematic personality.

Tenas inherited his mother's beauty and looked exactly like Mrs. Winter, but Mrs. Winter still didn't like this child who resembled her.

She was a demanding person who never felt that Tenas's excellent performance was enough. She would even question Tenas if he thought that was enough, and then, regardless of his denials, criticize him relentlessly.

Mr. Winter is a very serious and silent person with a square face. He looks quite righteous and awe-inspiring, and you can't see through the corruption beneath his upright exterior at all.

His approach to educating Tenas was far less gentle than Mrs. Winter's; he resorted to verbal attacks and physically punished Tenas severely whenever he failed to meet his expectations.

They would whip his hands with bamboo sticks, or make him kneel beside them while he was handling official business. A lighter punishment was copying books, and of course, the number of words would not be small. Except for socializing with his peers, he was almost never allowed to go out.

He was not as calm as he appeared; when angry, his hysterical rage was so intense that even the indifferent Mrs. Winter would avoid him, fearing she might be caught in the crossfire.

Despite facing parents who were like enemies, Tenas remained calm throughout and showed no sign of disobedience.

He calmly studied a workload that would be difficult even for adults, calmly faced his parents who were nothing short of awful, and calmly reached out his hand, letting Mr. Winter whip his arm until it bled profusely.

He wouldn't reveal the results of his upbringing, even wearing long sleeves in the summer. It was only when Reena accidentally saw his wounds that he hadn't hidden properly that he felt a little uneasy—he didn't want his embarrassment to be known by his adversaries.

The Winters rarely went home, except to teach him a lesson for only returning twice a year. They did not live in the villa where Tenas grew up, and rarely contacted Tenas, but required him to report on his learning progress every now and then.

One occasion was Tenas's birthday. They would throw a party and invite people, but it was mainly to invite those people, not Tenas himself. It was just part of their tactics and not a real celebration for his birthday.

Another time was Christmas. No matter what it was, they would finish dealing with it and then come back that night to have dinner with him. At the dinner table, they would still ask about his studies and scold him if they were not satisfied.

People in their circle often form marriages simply to get what they want, to gain more benefits, or to strengthen relationships. Sometimes, they just want to create an alliance rather than to have any real feelings for each other.

The Winters were one such couple. They had no emotional foundation, and their wedding was the first time they had met, with only a handful of meetings between them.

They all had their own lovers outside, and even had children. Tenas spent a lot of effort finding out about their lovers and children.

Not to mention his younger siblings who were eager to replace him, even some of his half-siblings wanted to dethrone him and get everything they desired—power.

Parents all have their own children they love more, which is why they are so harsh on him. Because they don't love him, but he is the only heir and it's a foregone conclusion, so their demands and expectations of him are higher.

Of course, if something unexpected happens to him, it will give his parents' siblings a chance. So if he can't do his best, he might be dragged down, or his parents might have another child.

Once again, Tenas performed what he had learned—a very difficult piano piece. His parents frowned and left after listening for less than half a minute, as if he had really learned it badly, but Reena admitted that he played it well.

After his parents left, the piano music stopped abruptly. Tenas sat there for a long time, staring at the keys, lost in thought.

“I know you’ve tried your best.” His piano teacher patted him comfortingly and smiled kindly. “Next time, maybe next time you can keep your parents. I will help you. Believe me, I will make you even better.”

Tenas's gaze shifted from the piano keys to his own legs, where, on his thighs not covered by shorts, lay his piano teacher's hands.

His gaze slowly shifted from the piano teacher's hands to his face; the kind smile, in the dimly lit room, carried a tinge of unease. Feeling the unrestrained touch, Tenas's gaze then sluggishly moved to the massive axe on the wall behind the piano teacher.

Those who frequently commit murder know that killing is easy, but disposing of the body is difficult, and there's also the need for preparation beforehand.

Tenas chose a day when the piano teacher was off duty and ambushed him on his usual shopping route, suddenly appearing and strangling him.

Of course, a child's strength is no match for an adult's, but Tenas had the piano teacher's neck tightly wrapped around from behind, and his weight was his strength, as long as he didn't let go.

Because the bilateral carotid sinuses were compressed, the other person only struggled for a short while before collapsing and completely losing consciousness.

Tenas took him to an abandoned factory he had scouted out beforehand, took out a giant axe he had treasured at home, and painstakingly made canned food for stray cats and dogs.

Lacking experience, Tenas ended up in a rather messy state, soaked to the bone and covered in sticky liquid.

It took quite a bit of time to clean up the mess. There was still too much blood in a person's body. He spent a long time wiping away the fingerprints, destroying all the fingerprints at the scene, disposing of the murder weapon, and then taking the canned food to feed the cats and dogs.

The little animals happily ate their fresh canned food, completely unaware of what the ingredients were, and affectionately rubbed against Tenas's hand. But Tenas thought, "They're omnivores, what's wrong with them eating a little?"

After feeding the animals, he took a shower, changed into the same new clothes he had worn before leaving, and went back home.

Before drifting off to sleep that night, Tenas was still thinking about the scene of the cats and dogs rubbing against him during the day. It was a strange feeling, and he didn't dislike it for some reason.

The soft texture still seemed to linger on my hands, unlike the slippery feeling of intestines; it was very dry and smooth.

Animals are much better than people. Tenas thought this before he fell completely asleep.

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Author's Note: The source has already had an impact. Do you have any clues about Kagerou? What are your local customs?

Mr. Winter was rather unattractive, and Tenas was very glad he married Mrs. Winter.

I don't know if I've written a side story for Tenas yet, but I wanted to create a light-hearted Tenas who would come alive when he meets Ethan.

I've finished watching The Witcher Girls, it's great! (≧▽≦)

It has the art style, the character designs, and the songs—I highly recommend checking it out! (σ′▽‵)′▽‵)σ I absolutely love Rumi; the girls are so cool and stylish! I love their character designs and personalities, and the demon tattoos are kind of erotic. Plus, the contrasting boy band...