As a wealthy extra, Rin had the classic backstory- absent parents but enough money to be spoiled rotten. But unlike those kids who acted out for attention to get attention, Rin was much more mature and knew how to handle himself.
And that meant going to his butler and calmly making requests. Tears and tantrums were tools only reserved for the direst of situations.
Fortunately, the butler didn't seem to care about Rin as much as he expected. As long as he was being paid his salary regularly, he did not care what Rin did or asked for.
So the next day, both Rin and Shelly were enrolled in a beginner martial arts class, and that was when Rin learned another harsh truth about this world.
There was a world of difference between the main characters of a novel and a 'supporting extra' like him.
It should have mentioned somewhere in his character description that he had no combat capabilities. That might have made him feel better about his situation.
Perhaps then, he wouldn't have made a fool out of himself by trying to maintain his posture and immediately falling flat on his face.
Even the teacher looked at Rin pitifully before moving on to the more promising students.
"Rin, are you alright? You don't have to learn with me if you don't want to. A-Actually, we don't have to learn this if you don't want to.."
Shelly immediately broke her stance and ran over to Rin to cheer him up. That made the teacher glare at Rin for taking away his 'most promising student.'
Not that Rin blamed her.
It had been one day, and anyone could see that Shelly had talent. Her form was perfect, and she knew how to shift her weight. She was too good for someone who was here for the first time.
As someone who was destined to become the number one hunter, it was clear that she had talent. She just needed to nurture it a little more.
"Shelly, you should learn. I will learn as well, but maybe not at the same pace as you. This way, we can protect each other in the future."
Her purple eyes widened, and Shelly gasped as if she realized something.
Then, she nodded with determination and went back to her place to hold her stance. It would not take her long to move up from here.
But unfortunately, it seemed like Rin was stuck at this level for much longer.
He went back to his position as well once Shelly left, and he tried his best. But in the end, his body couldn't handle the strain, and he collapsed once more.
Someone sat down beside him, and he looked up, expecting to see purple eyes. But instead, he was met with red eyes and black hair.
Black hair was not uncommon, but those red eyes-they were piercing on that older child who sat beside him.
"Hey, kid, I can tell that you are trying your best. But I don't think this training is suited for you. You should stop wasting your time before you regret it."
The girl had a bitter tone, almost as if she regretted her actions as well. She also looked to be around 8 years old, and such maturity did not suit her.
'Hmm, wasn't there someone in the original work who was said to be close to the MC and had these features and maturity?'
Rin had a feeling that this was not a coincidence. He had met another potential heroine right now-Serena.
Unfortunately, she was another soul who was destined to be sucked dry by the MC and then discarded once she had no use. And unlike Shelly, who would remain relevant until the end, Serena would meet her end as soon as her usefulness ended.
Rin did feel sorry for her, but he also did not want to dedicate the same resources toward her as he did for Shelly, and there was only one reason behind it.
Shelly was his future lifeline and also the one he'd have to cling to in the future. But Serena was someone he knew in passing.
'Hmm, still, leaving things like this didn't feel right.'
The least Rin could do for Serena was give her a warning. There were two main accidents in her life that would make her vulnerable to being used by the future MC, and both were about to happen soon.
"Miss, since you gave me advice, I would like to give you some as well. You should not accept unknown invitations from strangers. And also, you should cut off rotten roots before they spread. Otherwise, who knows what could happen."
The reason the MC had been able to use Serena was because she had been kidnapped in the past, and her mother had paid a lot of money to get her released. As such, Serena had lived her life being broke.
But during the apocalypse, it had been revealed that her father had a debt in her name as well that she needed to repay, or her mother would be taken as collateral. The MC had taken on her debt and then used her like a dog.
Naturally, these were events that made Serena into who she was, and the MC's manipulation helped her fall for him. But it would be better for everyone if these things did not happen…
"Are you trying to act all mature with me, kid? Did you hear those words from your mother-ouch-"
Serena was speaking when a bottle suddenly collided with her head. Thankfully, it was plastic, and it did not hurt her much. But this shocked even Rin enough to make him look at the offender.
His eyes registered Shelly standing not too far away, with her hands still raised. Putting two and two together, it was clear who had thrown the bottle. But just because Rin knew it in his mind didn't mean he could accept it.