The door opened to reveal a young girl with silver white long hair in a messy braid and peony pink iris with cat shaped pupils and big round eyes followed by a cute button nose and small Cupid shaped lips. Her skin was fair and she was wearing my sweater.
"I was wondering where that went to" I mused absentmindedly studying her. It has been 7 years since I last saw her and now she reaches my shoulder, it seems we have both grown up.
"Well I had to wear something" she said walking to sit on the floor infront of me her steps light and the movement agile.
"Does that have to involve my wardrobe"I said raising an eyebrow.
"Sorry but my father didn't know I existed and my mother was too in love to even care" she said sarcastically. I tensed as the memories tried to engulf me but I beat it back.
"I think it's time we clear the air and let bygones be bygones" I said staring at her in the eye.
"You never did thank me " she said looking away
"I showed it through my actions because I was out of my mind for those first few years since that incident " I said gazing at the street reminiscing as we both fell silent.
I was 10 and it was a whole different setting where mana just occurred and the concept of dark or light mana was non- existent; it was just mana. I was just a regular kid going to school, I thought those Hunter stuff never concerned me because it was about to come to an end as the hero was raiding the last dungeon with his team so I would grow up free but life is very cruel for those who aren't the protagonist. We become the burden that the hero uses to motivate himself, I was fated to die with my family due to the hero almost losing but he dodged the demon king by a millimeter landing on our house. I thought for sure I was going to die and that's when I had clarity; I was an existence that had only one scene just in passing not to be remembered. I felt an anguish so deep that it spread into every corner of my soul as I faced the ray of mana that tore through my parents but in a twist of faith I was pushed out of the way by a younger girl with pink eyes closely resembling one of the hero's companions. The war was won but the hero died along with the gate along with his teammates who sacrificed themselves to save humanity.
Luckily for me, I was always a genius excelling at everything so much so that I realized that I was probably going to be a protagonist if I survived that blast, too bad "I didn't". I was crazy for a long time before I stabilized then made a lot of money, found her who was on the brink of death and she was 'reborn' too and that's how our relationship began.
"How old are you now anyway" I said turning to other things.
"I'm 16" she said drawing circles on the floor
" I'm 17 so I'm your senior" I said surprised that she was younger
"Why do you need me. I'm guessing it has something to do with that school a few hours away" she said
"Do you have a phone "
"I don't have any money, I live off of you remember"
"Well I'm offering you a job now to be my partner because you're the only other person who is real" I say smiling ruefully brushing my hands through my shiny black hair.
"Why can't you leave it alone this time" she said looking at me seriously
"Because I might go crazy otherwise. I want to see the end of this world " I say truthfully smiling with a deranged look in my eye.
"Fair enough boss" she said saluting
"My name is Zhu yu" I stretched out my hand
"I don't have a name yet my mother was too busy trying to compete for the hero's attention with his other harem ladies" she said shaking my hand, her skin was warm for someone so fair while my hands felt frosty in comparison.
"Do you like the name Mao shui"
"I really like the name, it fits me perfectly" she said purring at the beginning of 'perfect'.
"So Mao where would you like to stay and you can't stay here" I said before she could answer here and she pouted.
"You choose then I don't really care" she said
I decided on the single room apartment close to mine after she pestered me too. I'm suspecting that she just wanted to be able to easily break in, we went clothes shopping and it was then that I discovered that she is quite vibrant despite having a cold face so she resembles a cat very much and she likes sweet.
We met up the next day at my house and she came in dressed with slightly baggy jeans and a pink top in a cute look, really looks like a cat I thought.
"Give me your hand" I said holding an injection. She was hesitant at first but then I promised her ice cream after and she agreed. I injected the nanites into her arm and she rubbed it glaring at me but I ignored her and injected myself.
"You didn't even ask" I said throwing the needle away.
"Why ask when I can get free lunch besides you won't hurt me" she said nonchalantly.
"Those nanites establish a link between us in the form of a system for you while I control it" I said watching the spot I injected form a tattoo of an open book.
" Look a cat cute. Can you do my back too" she said showing me but I just pinched her cheek.
"How much magic have you been able to acquire and what can you do with it" I said sitting down gesturing her to join me
"Well boss, the mana here is contaminated by negative feeling but since I have gluttony and one with energy attribute I can manipulate it no problem but as for the skills, well you just have to trust me with that" she said smiling cheekily.
"What rank do you think you are"
" In magic; S rank but in skills E rank at least "
"You'll register with the HC and be part of the support team for a kid named Xu Ling then you'll join once he forms a team"
"So the new one is named Xu Ling " she said smiling widely. I flicked her forehead
"So what would boss Zhu be doing while I'm working" she said rubbing her forehead sounding distressed at the idea of working such a boring job.
"Reading " I answered smirking.
I took her to the HC then she registered as an F-rank and I got her into Xu Ling support team by hacking into their company. The rest of the days went by with me teaching Mao everything about the HC and who the major forces are, plus her dragging me outside to buy deserts or watch movies not that I could blame her as she was stuck inside since she was being reborn until just a month ago.
The week flew byand I realized that the novel had updated so I sent an unhappy Mao to work and started reading my novel.