Every Male Lead love Me

Chapter 11

The bed full of feathers left Summer frozen in place.

She hadn’t heard Matthew arrive until she noticed a small figure standing behind her.

The sudden presence startled her. She slowly turned around. The six-year-old boy was just inches away.

The dim light made it hard to see his face, yet his gaze was sharp, almost piercing. Matthew fixed his eyes on her, as if testing, scrutinizing. In that shadowed room, Summer felt like prey being watched by a predator.

“This is… you—”

Summer wanted to say, “Did you do this?” But her words shifted mid-sentence. She crouched slightly and asked instead, “Is this… your gift for me?”

Matthew didn’t answer.

He stepped forward half a pace, closing the last of the space between them.

Then, he reached out, wrapping his arms around Summer’s neck in a straightforward, firm hug.

A hug?

Based on Matthew Dennish’s behavior and thought patterns, he likely had no concept of hugging. Summer immediately recalled earlier that day when Lily had hugged her as a parting gesture.

Matthew’s careful embrace now mirrored Lily’s. It was clear he was simply mimicking.

Summer exhaled softly.

She raised her hands, resting them gently on his back: “Thank you for your gift, I—uh?”

Halfway through, Matthew nudged his forehead against her cheek.

The sudden gesture startled her again. Soft strands of golden hair brushed her skin, tickling slightly. She shrank back slightly, unprepared for the sudden tightening of his hands that prevented her from stepping away.

Finally, he spoke in his precise, deliberate tone:

“Her scent.”

Summer: “What?”

Matthew paused, rare annoyance flickering across his face:

“On you.”

Summer realized: because of the daytime hug from Lily, her clothes carried the girl’s scent.

He noticed that? Summer laughed and cried at the same time. Then she remembered—he had tracked Lila in the woods by smell before. Detecting Lily’s scent was barely surprising.

He first gave such a… shocking gift, then complained about another person’s scent on her. Summer thought wryly that he was like a kitten bringing dead mice to his owner and nudging for praise—just a bit less terrifying, she hoped.

“Can you let go so I can turn on the light?” she asked, forcing a smile.

Matthew didn’t immediately release her.

He nudged her cheek and hair again, moving the tip of his delicate nose along her face as if confirming no other scents remained. Only then did he finally release her.

Freedom at last! Summer turned on the bedside lamp.

Soft light filled the room, normalizing the atmosphere somewhat.

“Thank you for your gift,” she said again. “You are very thoughtful.”

She instinctively reached toward him—but paused for a fraction of a second as her fingers neared the top of his head.

In that instant, Matthew’s gaze cut like a blade.

Meeting his icy eyes, Summer suddenly understood Matthew’s unusual behavior earlier that day.

She had patted Noah’s head and was about to do the same to Lily when Matthew, without warning, blocked her hand.

Was this why?

Her palm rested on his head, ruffling his golden hair.

“You don’t like me being friends with Noah and Lily, do you?” she asked.

Matthew’s reply was concise:

“No.”

“Why?”

A rare expression flickered across his delicate face. His brow furrowed slightly, and his eyes gleamed as if in thought or judgment.

“I tried. I don’t like it.” He repeated.

“Pardon?” Summer was momentarily lost.

“You mentioned sharing, exchanging,” Matthew frowned, “I don’t like it.”

“…Ah.”

No wonder he reacted with sudden resistance. Summer had suggested he make friends with the Fox twins, arguing that sharing and exchanging could bring happiness.

Matthew Dennish had followed her advice. He did well. Though his attitude remained cold, for the newly arrived twins, quiet, handsome Matthew was their first peer friend. They liked him, but he didn’t derive any joy from it.

Hence the simple, blunt “I don’t like it.”

In Matthew’s mind, Noah and Lily were like intruding foreign species—taking territory, resources, and attention. Beyond that, they had no use.

Summer had hoped the cheerful twins would coax him into playing. Perhaps it was too soon. She sighed.

“If you don’t like it, then forget it.”

She conceded: “We won’t be friends with them anymore, alright?”

Slowly. No rush. At least he hadn’t harmed the children; damage control was priority.

But Matthew shook his head.

“I don’t like it, but necessary.” He continued, using the simplest words.

“Necessary?” Summer blinked, encouraging him: “Matthew, necessary in what way?”

“Adult rules.”

Summer: !!!

He understood!

She realized that telling him about the rules and structure of the world finally registered. Every scolding or word she had ever said now made sense to him!

Matthew Dennish observed humanity in his own way. The environment gave feedback, and he absorbed it like a pure, blank canvas. How it was colored depended entirely on the brush strokes.

Realizing this, Summer’s tension melted away. She had feared she was trying to melt a snake with her body—that all her effort might be wasted.

Now, even with his cold demeanor and a corruption value of 80, a simple sentence from him confirmed her efforts weren’t in vain.

“…Good.”

Summer’s smile was genuine. She almost choked up: “Exactly! If you make friends, Mrs. Smith will be happy. And with the twins, Frank won’t have a chance to bully you.”

Matthew: “Can endure.”

He didn’t like the twins and gained no joy from sharing, even feeling a little affronted—but making friends with Noah and Lily brought more attention from Mrs. Smith and avoided Frank’s trouble. A little tolerance was acceptable.

“To gain, you must give,” Summer nodded. “That’s the way of the world.”

She didn’t expect Matthew to grow into an empathetic, just, or kind child like the twins.

Frankly, she knew she couldn’t either. As long as one abided by laws and morality—harming no one—pretending to feel empathy out of self-interest was still better than most in this world.

But…

“If you don’t like sharing,” Summer asked curiously, “why give me a gift?”

Matthew’s gaze returned to the bed behind her.

After a moment, he said:

“To gain, must give.”

Summer: “…Ah, clever.”

“Will you be happy?” he asked.

His first voluntary question directed at her. A small boy with cold eyes, voicing curiosity.

Well, she didn’t want to crush his initiative. But anyone who walked in to find their room invaded, a bed full of feathers, some bloody… wouldn’t be exactly thrilled!

Still, she managed a careful answer:

“I like white doves. I love seeing them spread their wings, free and carefree.” She chose her words carefully. “If they die, they lose what makes them beautiful.”

Matthew’s curiosity vanished immediately.

“Not dead.”

His tone flat, yet Summer felt the chill around him deepen.

“Not dead?”

She glanced at the blood-stained feathers. Matthew added: “Injured, a few.”

So he had plucked several doves! Mrs. Fox would be devastated!

Summer broke into a cold sweat. Technically, this was damage to others’ property. Would he get sent away if caught? Not as bad as last time when he smashed a rat with a stone, but… progress nonetheless. At least the doves lived.

“Not unhappy?” she asked. Seeing his grim expression, she gently tapped his nose.

He instinctively wrinkled it, bringing some life to his usually stoic face.

Summer smiled knowingly: “I am happy to receive your gift, even if it’s not what I wanted.”

Matthew lifted his gaze again.

“You gave me a gift, no matter the reason, hoping I would be happy.”

She held his hand.

“That is the essence of giving, Matthew,” she patiently explained. “It’s not the object, not fulfilling needs, but the intention of making the other person happy, sending blessings.”

She pointed to her chest.

“I feel your intention here, warm and true,” she said, smiling. “Thank you.”

Summer had already decided how to handle the feathers.

She gathered the scattered white ones, separating the bloody ones.

“Here, I know what to give you in return.”

It wasn’t bedtime yet.

From the drawer, she took a sewing kit. Though foster children usually learned to mend clothes themselves, to a soul like Summer’s, it had other uses.

Under Matthew’s watchful eyes, she spent less than an hour weaving a simple, delicate white net using white yarn. She threaded the unsoiled feathers along the bottom.

“A dreamcatcher, for you.”

She placed the small creation in his palm.

“Hang it by the window. They say only good dreams can pass, while nightmares are blocked. Scary dreams will trouble you no more.”

She touched his chest lightly, as she had her own heart before.

“This is my blessing through giving. Can you feel it?”

Matthew held the dreamcatcher, staring for a long moment.

So long that Summer thought he remained unmoved—until the familiar system alert sounded in her ear:

【Target: Matthew Dennish corruption -5, favorability +5. Current corruption: 75, favorability: 11.】

Summer: !!!

Five points gained! So he does have emotions, right?

Without the system, she would have had no clue what he was thinking!

The alert continued:

【Congratulations, player! Target favorability reached 10. Next stage of the storyline unlocked.】

Wait… next stage?