Maya, Amy, Lena, and Ellie immediately rushed up to Dylan and started examining him, from looking at his face and holding both his arms to even trying to rip his shirt open.
"H-hey," Dylan said, quickly buttoning his shirt back up.
"Why... why did you totally change? What happened?" Maya asked.
"Yeah, what did you do at the lawyer's office to change like this?" Ellie asked.
"Hmm... suspicious," Amy commented.
"Come on, tell us what's up, I'm ready to listen... but you... you look... well, like that," Lena added.
"Before, you were... well, just you," Maya added.
"You... you're... different from the old you," Ellie added.
"Hmm... they're right," Lena added.
"Please tell us what's going on, why did you suddenly become like this... I don't understand," Lena added.
The four of them then stared at Dylan, demanding an explanation, but without speaking, just with eyes full of suspicion. Dylan sighed, and in a calm voice,
"Oh, so you don't like my change, huh... alright," Dylan said casually. "Wait... what did I just say?" Dylan thought.
"Gasp," Maya, Ellie, Amy, and Lena suddenly gasped. Their faces immediately turned deep red, then they turned to look away, and their hands started fanning their necks.
"I-it's not that we don't like it... you're actually much cooler than before... I'm just confused, how is this possible?" Maya said, looking away.
"R-right, you're different... in a better way, of course," Ellie added.
"Y-yeah, I... I'm even more... you know... whatever," Amy added.
"Phew... honestly, you're making me feel hot... you look so cool... incredibly cool now," Lena added.
"Alright, good thing you guys like it," Dylan replied casually, sitting on the sofa and checking his smartphone.
"W-we're going to the room first," Maya said.
Maya then signaled Ellie, Amy, and Lena, and they immediately dashed into Dylan's room. "SLAM," they closed the door loudly. Dylan smiled and went back to looking at his smartphone, but then he realized,
"Hey... why am I acting like I'm not myself?" Dylan asked in his head.
[Thanks to the 'Smooth Talker' skill, sir.]
"Oh... so that's it," Dylan replied.
[Would you like me to tap into their conversation inside, sir?]
"Oh, you can do that? Sure, I want to know what they're planning," Dylan answered.
[Very well, sir.]
Suddenly, a conversation sounded in Dylan's head, which he listened to while looking at his smartphone and sitting comfortably on the couch.
"Hey, hey... why is he suddenly so handsome and hot? Were we wrong about him all this time?" Lena asked.
"Yeah, he's... truly different... and I seriously feel hot... you know what I mean," Amy replied.
"It's not just you, we all feel the same," Maya added.
"This is bad. What if he becomes popular at school? We need to plan ahead," Ellie added.
"Ugh... I thought he was just ordinary, plus he's strong because he beat my older brother. I thought I was the only one who saw him like that, which is one of the reasons I like and love him," Maya said.
"You're right. He wasn't popular, he was a loner, and he never socialized. That's why I was attracted to him and even fell in love with him, because when he helped me in the park, he wasn't like other guys who immediately swooped in. He just went home after making sure I was safe... aaaaah... now I can't even think because I want to... you know what I mean," Lena said.
"Yeah... I know what you mean. I went to the bookstore almost every day and bought all sorts of light novels because I wanted to talk to him... I can't talk fluently to other people... especially guys, but he never tried to talk to me at all. I got curious and finally fell in love... huuuh," Amy added.
"Hey! Why are you guys talking about why you fell in love with him? We need to find a way to make sure no one steals him," Ellie said.
"Well, what about you, Ellie? Why do you love him, and why did you suggest we share for the first time?" Maya asked.
"Ugh... I already told you, I was engaged to him since I was a kid. He might not realize it, but he met me when he was little. That's enough... let's discuss... ugh... I can't concentrate," Ellie said.
"See? You can't think straight yourself. Same here... I can't think either... all I can think about now is pulling him in here and... you know what I mean," Lena replied.
"Grrr... okay, I'll pull him in here... I can't stand it and then... you know what I mean," Amy added.
"Don't even try it! His siblings are here... should we take him to a hotel now, then... you know what I mean," Maya added.
"Okay, I get that we are all losing our minds right now, but please, control yourselves. Let's not look undignified in front of him... even though I want to... just like you all... and his scent has changed too... aaah... what am I thinking," Ellie said, trying hard to think straight.
Meanwhile, on the couch in the living room, Dylan lay down on his side, covering his very red face with both hands.
"Hey CATS, please stop tapping into their conversation... I can't stand hearing what they're saying," Dylan said.
[But sir, they haven't discussed anything important yet.]
"Just... stop it... please," Dylan said.
[Understood, sir.]
The voice in Dylan's head stopped, but his heart was still pounding, and he couldn't believe that the four school beauties thought of him the way they did. The feelings of suspicion, annoyance, and confusion suddenly disappeared, replaced by a feeling of calm but with a question in his mind: what did they see in his once average-looking and poor self before he changed? Finally, he dismissed it all and decided the past was the past, and what mattered was the present.
After calming down, Dylan stood up and walked to his twin sisters' room. When he opened the door, he peeked inside and saw both his sisters asleep on their bed. Then he walked to Aaron's room and slightly opened the door. He saw Aaron sitting at his desk, wearing headphones and reading the scrapbook of old newspaper clippings he had brought from the basement.
Dylan slowly closed the door again, then he returned to the living room and sat on the couch. "Gruyuuuk," his stomach growled from hunger. He then picked up his smartphone and started looking at the menu for food to order. But he eventually froze, his mind replaying the time he saw himself in the hotel with the four girls who were now in the room.
"Aaah... now I'm the one thinking weird things... what the heck is going on... but they really haven't talked about anything important yet... I just couldn't handle listening," Dylan thought.
[Shall I tap back in, sir?]
"No need, just forget it. I'm hungry and I want to order food... maybe for Maya, Amy, Lena, Ellie, Aaron, Fiona, and Iris at the same time so we can all eat together," Dylan said in his head.
[Very well, sir.]
Finally, he looked back at his smartphone and began concentrating on finding food that would be suitable for everyone, including himself, unaware that the girls in the room were just starting to discuss something important.