It was a lazy afternoon. Humans bustled about with their own business, but in front of Arthur’s house stood three figures.

Well… not exactly three. Two were dungeon monsters. And one… was a small human.

A girl. Maybe ten years old. She squinted up at Lev like he was a suspicious stray dog. Lev, unimpressed, raised a single eyebrow back.

She looked about ten. A little girl, glaring up at Lev with her arms crossed. Lev raised one brow in return, unimpressed.

Arthur had warned him beforehand that there had been some “slight casualty” during the earthquake he caused. So Arthur, naturally, decided to take the child in temporarily. Technically, it was Lev’s fault anyway. Or rather, Arthur’s “complacence.”

Arthur placed a reassuring hand on Lev’s shoulder. “Kid, this is Lev. He’s very nice,” he said with forced cheer.

The girl’s frown deepened. “Usually the ones who say they’re nice are actually not.”

Lev smirked. “Smart kid.”

Lev smirked. “Smart kid.”

Arthur pinched the bridge of his nose.. “Uh….You can call him brother.” He cut in.

The child still didn’t look convinced, but after a moment, she gave a reluctant nod. Arthur sighed like he’d just survived a landmine.

Then he leaned close to Lev and whispered, “Boss… please, please, please be good and don’t eat this child while I’m gone.”

Lev raised a brow. Even if he were starving, he wouldn’t waste the effort on such a spineless creature.

Arthur checked the time, groaned, and glanced between the two of them again. He was already running late for work.

“Please be good. Both of you.”

For hours on end, the two of them somehow managed to stay civil, side by side on the couch, staring at the glowing box Arthur called a television. A romantic drama was on, the same one Arthur had once caught him watching. Lev still didn’t understand the plot, but he watched it religiously anyway. Humans were strange, and this drama was like observing a zoo exhibit.

“Boring,” the kid suddenly said, breaking her silence for the first time since Arthur left. “That woman’s cheating with the other guy, but the guy still forgives her. If she told him to jump off a building, he would. So stupid.”

Lev tilted his head, then nodded in agreement. “Indeed. Humans have remarkably low intelligence.”

The kid snorted.

“My grandma watches this stupid drama too. I told her she should just spend her time sleeping, but she didn’t listen. If she had, she wouldn’t have ended up in the hospital.” Her eyes watered, but she blinked fast and tried to look indifferent.

Arthur had already told Lev what happened. The earthquake, HIS earthquake, had shaken the ceiling chandelier loose. It hadn’t fallen directly on the old woman, but it had struck her head still.

Lev hadn’t felt much when he first heard it. Monsters died in dungeons all the time; life and death was a cycle, not a tragedy. Affection, guilt, remorse… all those were human inventions. Foreign, unnecessary.

Watching the kid’s small shoulders stiffen as she tried to act tough, he found himself fascinated. Humans were fragile, but their emotions were… loud.

The girl suddenly stood.

“Where are you going?” Lev asked.

“To the PK arcade. It’s near here, so you don’t need to come. I always go there. My grandma knows.”

“PK arcade?” he repeated, frowning at the unfamiliar phrase.

The kid glanced at him, exasperated. “It’s where kids go.” She headed for the door, but then stopped, looking back at him.

“Do you want to come with me… brother?” she asked, hesitant.

Lev thought about it. It wasn’t like he had anything else to do except stare at the “television” and pretend to care about doomed human relationships.

“Okay.”

He rose smoothly from the sofa, and together they left for this mysterious “PK arcade.”

It was indeed near Arthur’s house.

The place before them was unlike anything he had ever seen before. Bright, flashing lights assaulted his eyes as a cacophony of sounds and music filled his ears. Rows upon rows of strange, glowing machines lined the walls, and small, bipedal creatures crowded around them, pressing buttons and moving controls. They seemed to be enjoying themselves, as laughter and chatter filled the air. Some of the machines were even dispensing odd trinkets and prizes, which only seemed to add to the creatures’ excitement.

Lev followed the girl as she went to the counter. She exchanged words with the cashier and received a small metallic disc. Without hesitation, she walked toward one of the machines, inserted the disc, and the screen lit up with color and sound.

“Sit here,” she told him. He did.

She grabbed the stick attached to the box and tapped the buttons with practiced ease. On the screen, two characters began fighting in a two-dimensional arena, throwing punches and kicks as the crowd of children around them cheered. Her eyes were sharp and focused, her movements quick and deliberate. Lev found himself watching with mild fascination.

Then she turned to him. “Do you know how to play this?”

Lev shook his head once.

The girl giggled. “Do you want to try then?”

He considered it, then nodded.

She placed his hand on the joystick, showing him how to grip it. “This makes your character move. These are for attacking. Just try it.”

Lev moved the stick carefully. His character stumbled forward on the screen. He pressed one of the buttons and the character jumped. Another button caused a strike to land, and the other child on the opposite side shouted in protest when Lev’s character unexpectedly won the match.

The girl clapped. “See? Not bad for your first time!”

The screen flashed: PLAYER WINS.

The girl gasped and clapped. “Great! You did it!”

Lev stared blankly at the screen. “Yes. As expected.”

The girl rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.

By the time they returned home, night had fallen. After that miraculous first win, Lev lost so badly he wondered if the machine was broken or cursed. The child eventually took over again, leaving him to sit beside her like a disgraced bodyguard. At one point, he even cracked the joystick and two buttons, but luckily no one noticed.

Still… it was better than staring at the television all day. And strangely, he found the child’s company tolerable. Maybe even… entertaining.

It was a new experience for him.