The character panel is known to significantly improve with "Nen," but I didn't expect Miken to be quite capable? It exceeded my expectations entirely.
Don't underestimate fat people; a person's flexibility depends on suppleness, coordination, and reaction speed, not much related to body fat.
In the "real world," there are quite a few flexible fat people.
Even if he's at the bottom, Miken is still a Zoldyck.
"If you win the game, what will be your request?" I couldn't help but tease Miken, who was wiping sweat after exercising, "Do you want to borrow money from me? The kind you don't have to repay?"
Miken, who chose a logistical route instead of on-field missions, happens to have a penchant for expensive hobbies, like figures and electronic products, which makes him perpetually short on cash. Despite his efforts to repay, the money he borrows from me always seems to be more.
"It's not about borrowing money." Miken tossed the ball upwards, serving a high lob. "If my sister wins the game, what will be your request?"
Tilting my head back, the dazzling sunlight turned my vision white. Miken's reason for using a lob was to conceal the ball's trajectory with the light.
Unfortunately, the ball's speed wasn't enough; even without looking up, I could intercept it before it landed.
"Hmm..." I successfully hit the ball back. "Make you bark like a dog?"
"Eh, that's it?" Miken's tone was surprisingly calm.
Barking like a dog isn't enough? Does he want something more thrilling? How perverted.
I might have underestimated Miken's villainous potential. "Miken, if you win, you won't be aiming for..."
Wait, considering how much Miken is online, does he want to bet on me doing something absurd that internet trolls often brag about, like handstanding and pooping?!
Or perhaps, Miken, being in his adolescent phase, and considering I'm the only super beautiful girl around, wants to touch my chest?!
That won't do, Miken isn't a beautiful boy! Ugly, so rejected!
Perhaps my obvious displeasure leaked out, because before I could rephrase my thoughts, Miken tried to deny it: "Sister, I don't know what you're imagining, but I'm probably not what you're thinking."
"..." No need to explain, explanations are just cover-ups. I've seen through you, Miken!
It's because of people like you that otaku are misunderstood by the world! .jpg
In volleyball, I believe the key elements are "speed," "power," and "technique." The first two depend on the character panel, while the third depends on experience and comprehension. kuAiδugg
Miken's character panel should be inferior to mine, so he's trying his best in "technique," constantly adjusting his hitting methods, such as the point of impact when striking the ball, adding spin to it, and so on.
The sudden acceleration of the falling ball, the unpredictable trajectory of the floating ball, truly surprised me.
If my reaction hadn't been quick enough, Miken would have scored.
However, I couldn't score any points off Miken either.
In terms of "power," "Specialty" types, being the furthest from "Enhancement" types, are the most disadvantaged. Coupled with my fear of becoming a muscular character like Shibar, Uvogin, or Bisky from over-training, my strength training has always been neglected. With the boost of "Nen," I can open the fifth gate of the "Trial Gate." Without the "Nen" boost, it's three gates, yes, that's the level of Killua at 12 years old in the original work.
Sorry, character appearance is more important than anything. In the anime world, becoming ugly is often a sign that a Boss is about to be defeated—looks are a character's life!
The distance between "Manipulator" and "Enhancement" types is second only to "Specialty" types, and the "power" boost isn't much, so we're pretty much neck and neck.
As for "speed," flexible fat people aren't slow.
I thought Miken would be someone I could easily handle, but the continuous back-and-forth from my initial underestimation to surprise and then seriousness was something I never expected.
Constantly running and jumping, I've lost count of how many times I've wiped sweat. Due to the sweat, my hair kept sticking to my face and neck uncomfortably, so I tied my hair into a ponytail.
The sandy court was stomped into uneven pits. This game was not my absolute advantage but a grueling stamina battle of equal footing, making my mood increasingly heavy. I strongly realized that if I didn't get serious, there was a possibility I could lose.
What's going on?
It's like Killua's confusion and unwillingness when he first fought Gon in the original work, not yet knowing "Nen." I thought it was an easy opponent with many flaws, but instead, I was intimidated by the opponent's momentum and subconsciously chose to retreat.
I was careless. Today I realized that my understanding of Miken was very limited. I barely paid attention to his training, and his "Nen" was taught by other Zoldycks. I don't care about things that don't concern me. Of course, the main reason is that as an aesthetician, I wasn't interested in Miken, the otaku character.
I would lose?
If I don't get serious, I will lose.
Facing Miken, who is at the bottom of the Zoldyck family's talent, I would lose?
I no longer have time to care about the two kittens watching from the side.
"Ah, it's almost dinnertime." The volleyball landed in Miken's hands again. This time, he didn't intend to serve. "It's hard to determine a winner, so let's just call it a draw."
Hard to determine a winner? A draw? I ended in a draw with mere Miken?
What a joke!!!!!!!!!
It's one thing not to crush him, but to end in a draw with a sedentary, homebody otaku is a huge humiliation to my constant efforts in training!
I shook my head and raised my hand towards Miken, bending my fingers to signal him to serve again.
I won't rest until a winner is decided!
"I'm afraid we won't have a result even if we play until tomorrow. Let's stop here for now, sister." Miken walked out of the area designated for the game, casually tossing the volleyball to a waiting butler and heading towards the two kittens sitting on the beach. "My brothers need to eat dinner."
A two-story sandcastle had appeared between the two kittens. They must have built it out of boredom while the match was stalemated for too long.
Killua: "Not playing anymore?"
Alluka: "Eh? A draw?"
Like me, the two kittens had some reservations about the game's outcome. After all, playing for so long, until the sun went down, only to end inconclusively, was a bad ending with almost no redeeming qualities besides wasting time.
"It's fine even if we play until tomorrow," Killua said. "We can take care of ourselves. You can tell us the result tomorrow."
Play until tomorrow? Oh, Killua, don't say such devilish things with such an innocent expression and tone! Don't make any foolish flags! Damn it, what am I even doing? Why can't I finish Miken off quickly?!
"No, little Killua, this is just a game, we need to know when to stop," Miken said, placing his hands under Alluka's armpits and lifting him. "Let's go back. Children need to eat on time."
"Wait," I grabbed Miken's collar. "Little Killua is right, we must determine a winner, even if it takes until tomorrow."
"..." Miken turned his head. "Then I concede."
"?!" What? Miken, what did you say?!
"I concede, sister." Miken handed Alluka to me. "Rather than wasting more time, it's better to accept a result we can both agree on. Sister, I admit, you won."
"Eh?!" x2
Miken's extremely decisive concession made both kittens' eyes widen in disbelief.
To be honest, this victory handed to me felt a little off.
No, what's a verbal agreement? I need facts...
"If you win, Onee-chan and Alluka can make requests?" Alluka's cheerful voice came from my arms. He tilted his head, trying to see my face. "Onee-chan, can we each make one request to an individual?"
If we teamed up, we could only make one request. As individuals, we could make separate requests to each person, which is naturally more advantageous.
I put Alluka down and nodded in agreement.
Alluka smiled at me for a moment, then said thoughtfully, "I want Onee-chan... ah, no, according to the rules, I can only ask it of big brothers."
"Hmm—" Alluka solemnly turned, facing Miken directly, took a deep breath, puffed out his chest, and raised his voice. "I hope, big brother and Onee-chan... can make up."
"...?" I looked at Miken, the other party involved, inexplicably. He had a blank expression, showing no emotional fluctuations. Instead, Killua looked a bit surprised.
"Onee-chan," Alluka's hands were small, and together they could only cup my hand. "What should I ask big brother for, so that Onee-chan can stop being angry at him?"
Be angry at Miken? Was I? Hmm, a little bit. The volleyball game made me very unhappy, but the main reason for my unhappiness was my own performance falling short of expectations, not Miken's fault. Well, on the surface, it probably looked like I was angry at Miken.
So I returned Alluka's smile with a nod, and with that smile, I patted Miken's shoulder and said, "I've forgiven him."
"Then, it's my turn to make a request." I placed my hand on Miken's shoulder. "How about this, you... have to call me 'Dad' from now on."
Since Miken found barking like a dog to be bland, let's go for something stronger!
"?! "x3
My request indeed exceeded the brothers' expectations. I couldn't help but raise my chin proudly. "Come on, a bet is a bet. Otherwise, we'll continue the game and determine a true winner."
"Yes, you're right," Miken's sportsmanship was quite good. "Dad."
"..." The two kittens' faces were a mixture of emotions, as if ten suns had appeared in the sky.
Miken's prompt agreement almost made me respond with "Son," but no, no, no, I don't want an otaku as a son, unless he's good-looking. Miken calling me "Dad" was just "Dad.jpg," meaning "Dad," not implying any familial relationship. It represented the hierarchy between us.
Then, it was Killua's turn. I first let Alluka make his request, and he chose to ask Killua to pat his head. My previous plan of "Killua baby acting spoiled in my arms, saying he likes Onee-chan the most" was just a thought; I couldn't display such explicit desires. So, I followed suit and made the same request as Alluka, asking Killua to pat my head too.
After receiving the rewards for the volleyball game, it was time to return to the villa to bathe and have dinner. Although the villa had multiple bathrooms, so there was no need to consider the order, it was close to mealtime, and I couldn't keep them waiting too long for just me. Therefore, I skipped the hair-care steps—it's not like my hair would get frizzy or split if I skipped one care session.
During the time between dinner and bedtime, we played a video game equivalent to what was popular ten years ago in the "real world." However, the fun of a game isn't necessarily limited by the era. The important thing was that the two kittens were my playmates. They were lively and cute, enjoying the game immensely, creating a very good atmosphere and an excellent overall experience.
"It's bedtime," Miken was the first to put down the game controller, ending the game at a save point.
"Eh—" x2
The two kittens dawdled for a while before finally getting up on their own, yawning. Miken urged them to wash up, reminding them to brush their teeth carefully, for at least three minutes, and to control the force.
Miken's nagging was almost as bad as Kikyo's. Fortunately, I went to wash up separately for some peace and quiet.
As usual, before sleeping, I reflected on my day: I am truly good-looking, never tired of looking at myself. If I were a video cover, it would get millions of views. I couldn't help but smile at my reflection in the mirror.
[Happy?]
[Don't get careless.]
[Don't you feel something is wrong?]
In the mirror, Millus smiled with a hint of conspiracy.
Yes, now that I think about it calmly, something is indeed wrong.
With the boost of "Nen," no matter how much Miken's character panel improved, his reaction speed and agility were far beyond my expectations.
Did I underestimate Miken, or am I... actually very weak?
Because I've been in my comfort zone for too long, I haven't realized it?
A serious misjudgment, a fatal flaw.
My thoughts were in utter chaos for a moment.
The pounding of my heart in my chest grew clearer—restless, abnormally restless.
So, Miken and I are on the same level?
My daily training is all in vain.
My persistent electrotherapy is also showing no improvement.
Even though I've changed worlds, changed my shell, I'm still garbage, a failure.
I'm nothing more than a pretty vase.
I'm still deluding myself about what I am.
Effort doesn't always yield results, investment doesn't always pay off, passion isn't always reciprocated, kindness isn't always rewarded... Haven't I fully experienced these reasonable inequities in the "real world"?
I walked straight back to the room prepared for me and sat down on the chair.
Killua and the others are safe here. My absence won't make a difference, so I might as well take this opportunity to end the game.
I can't leave my corpse here. It wouldn't be good for the children to see me in a state of incontinence after death.
I need to die outside, die cleanly. Yes, the sea would be nice.
[Taking out] paper and pen from my game backpack, I decided to leave a suicide note, lest the Zoldycks dissect my corpse thoroughly to confirm the cause of death if they found it, to check if it was murder. The stitches on a corpse are too ugly, like a centipede; I don't want that.
What should I write?
In the "real world," I've written many suicide notes: accusatory, sorrowful, despairing, grateful, angry, apologetic, regretful, and so on.
Most of the time, such actions were merely a way of venting. Negative emotions seemed to be expelled from my body this way, remaining on the paper through the tip of the pen.
After venting, if I didn't want to continue, I'd destroy it immediately. If I wanted to continue...
However, every time I truly put it into practice, I no longer had the thought of leaving a suicide note.
Anything I say is superfluous, anything can be misinterpreted, and nothing is meaningful.
Meaningless. Leaving a "sorry" also holds no meaning. Faking innocence like a victim is disgusting, who are you trying to disgust?
Not trying to disgust anyone, let's write something positive:
"Everyone is well, I am at peace. I am leaving, responsible for my own life and death, no need to look for me.
Millus"
Tucking a corner of the paper under a vase, I tidied my nightgown and hair while looking in the mirror. I opened the window and, the moment I leaped out of the windowsill, I erased my presence.
Sand easily leaves footprints. So, I landed on my tiptoes, leaving semi-circular depressions. Even these marks were clear clues, so I didn't head towards the sea. Instead, I entered the forest, created various misleading traces, and after going in a large circle, finally reached the seashore.
The seawater, still retaining the warmth of the day, was fine and soft, gently caressing my insteps like a woman's hand. I remembered the first time Shiba took me to the beach. We were riding a cool flying dragon; it was cool but very cold at high altitudes. Because Shiba was there, I couldn't go too far into the sea.
Now, I could walk forward to my heart's content.
Initially, I was jogging, then, because I couldn't touch the ground, I switched to using my arms and swam forward.
Forward.
Forward.
Forward.
The sea is the origin of life, a mother's embrace.
As the seawater enveloped my entire body, in a world completely surrounded by water, I felt time reversing. I became smaller and smaller, shrinking into a shrimp curled up in amniotic fluid, sleeping in my mother's womb.
My hair, limbs, and facial features all degenerated. I had no eyes, no ears, no nose, no mouth, no senses at all.
My skin was degenerating, my internal organs were degenerating, my brain was degenerating. I degenerated into a small lump of flesh, and my consciousness gradually dissolved into the water.
Mom, you were right. If only I had never been born.