Mine! I Did Nothing Wrong
It's mine!
I didn't do anything wrong. All I did was hand that uncle a potion. I'd heard his story, and he seemed so pitiful, and right then I happened to have a recovery potion that heals injuries, so I thought maybe this would help and gave it to him. Plus, just in case, I only said there was a chance it'd get better. I never said it would definitely heal him. So I'm innocent.
But when I was hurt, it worked perfectly fine, and theoretically, it should heal just about any injury, so of course I believed it. Theoretically, it heals wounds, and it healed mine when I drank it—doesn't that make it natural to believe? Maybe it just works differently for different people. Even if less than a day had passed, the fact that he was still in the hospital was proof that the potion hadn't worked. Right?
More than that, when that bright, smiling kid suddenly looked all gloomy telling me the story, I could guess it hadn't improved at all. Maybe he hadn't even drunk it yet, but either way, meeting that uncle again would be super awkward.
Well, I'd already snuck out of there, so agonizing over it now was pretty pointless anyway.
I shook my head hard, trying to forget everything that happened at the hospital. I didn't know how big a deal that uncle was, but he'd made a ton of money, so I absolutely couldn't get caught. If he ever figured out I was the one who gave him the potion, who knows what might happen. Best case, he'd grill me. Worst case, he'd grab me by the collar and shake me, yelling about how I'd tortured him and his kid with false hope. Or my head might just explode right there on the spot.
I've only lived a little over twenty years. I want to live longer. It's scary.
Regret kept creeping in—why did I give it to him? As I shook my head trying to banish those thoughts, my sister, who was driving next to me, called out.
"Seol-i? Have you decided what you want?"
Oh, right.
"What I want..."
What she wanted me to pick. On the way out of the hospital, she'd told me to think ahead if there was anything I wanted. But up until moments ago, I'd been too busy feeling like my life was in danger to decide properly. And anyway, after just coming down from a year alone in the mountains, what would I even want? If I had to pick, maybe a high-spec computer so I could finally play games to my heart's content. Should I just ask for a computer?
"Uh... umm..."
How do I even bring it up? If I suddenly said I'd decided and asked for a nice computer, it'd seem weird. No, not weird—heartless. Back when I was in college, computers were crazy expensive, so I never bought one. I'd only use the PC bang for assignments, then sneak in some gaming. Actually, back then I was too busy saving every penny from living expenses to even think about buying one, so I barely played. That's why I filled my time with novels and anime instead.
Games, huh. I do want to play.
"Yeah?"
I'd called her attention but then went quiet, so she asked if something was wrong. Nothing was, so I shook my head.
She laughed and said I didn't have to pick anything fancy. Wait—how did she even see me shake my head while driving? I glanced at her in surprise, but she was still looking straight ahead, focused on the road. Do awakeners just know without looking? I couldn't exactly ask how she knew, so I let it slide.
More importantly, I wanted to let her know I wanted a computer, but straight-up asking felt too greedy. She was already burdened with raising me—asking for more would make me seem shameless. So maybe I should hint at it without saying outright, let her figure it out? Wait, isn't that even worse? Not only heartless, but basically deceiving her. Better to just say it outright and own it. Where did this hinting idea even come from?
...Oh, right. My own dumb head.
Was I trash all along? Trash that doesn't even burn—that's me.
For now, maybe a phone instead of a computer? Not for novels or anime, but for calls—in case of emergencies. That excuse has logic; it's not shameless. She'd probably go for it. Yeah. If I'm saying it, better back it up with reasons.
I took a deep breath and mentally rehearsed what to say and what not to. One slip, and it might count as insolence—no phone for me.
I wanted the latest model. Back then, I barely scraped together enough for a basic smartphone, so now the greed was bubbling up. It's been a year— if I'm getting one, make it a good one, right? This much greed is fine!
"Um... th-that... thing..."
A smartphone. I thought I'd gotten used to talking with her, but my words were buffering like a bad connection. I couldn't even remember the script I'd prepared, or what I was trying to say. Was I this bad off?
A year without talking to anyone had turned me into this—practically mute. She wouldn't even be surprised if she thought I was a mute.
Weird. I talked fine with that kid. But with people bigger or unfamiliar, words just won't come. By now, with my sister, I should manage even if I stutter...
I couldn't dwell on it forever, so I reached for her smartphone in the empty spot and picked it up. Showing was easier than telling. Asking outright for a phone felt off. Even if money wasn't an issue for her, for me—who'd avoided even tiny debts—it was huge.
I said I'd work on becoming a parasite, so as top 1% parasite material, I couldn't nag for random stuff. Attitude matters: be content with what I have, buy only when there's justification—like her wanting to buy me something, or me helping her first. She had no obligation to keep me; she could ditch me anytime if I got annoying. Sure, she'd moved all my stuff home, so probably not right now, but still.
"A phone?"
She must've seen me holding it and guessed I wanted one. As expected from my super kind and gentle sister—her intuition was sharp!
I nodded furiously to confirm.
"Pfft... You want it that bad?"
Of course! How does a modern person hold out without a smartphone? It's the ultimate tech hub, essential for any citizen. If I didn't have one, it'd be like I wasn't even a real citizen. Okay, not literally—that was just a joke, more metaphorical.
"Don't worry, I already got you one."
Ding! When did she do that? I stared in shock, and she burst out laughing at my face. Grateful as I was, laughing at my expression stung a bit... but nah. She was buying me a phone—her laughing was forgivable. She was the one stepping up to feed me; no way I'd get mad over that.
"It'll be waiting at home~"
Whoa! Imagining my new phone waiting there, I snuck a grin behind her back. Hi hi.