They Hated Me in My First Life, But Now I Have the Love System

Chapter 36: An Idle Mind is the Devil’s Workshop Chapter 36: An Idle Mind is the Devil’s Workshop She trailed off, pretending to search her memory, giving him a chance to join the conversation.

When he didn’t respond, she chuckled lightly to herself and added, “Or maybe it was ‘keep yourself from turning into a stiff board.’ Either way, you should take it seriously.” Four glanced at her over his shoulder, his face unreadable.

Though he didn’t say a word, the tiniest flicker of amusement crossed his eyes before he turned back toward the wall.

“Muscle atrophy,” the man corrected her, his voice clipped and emotionless.

“Oh yeah, muscle atobi, that’s it,” she replied confidently, completely butchering the word.

Four “…” His steps faltered briefly as he repeated her mispronunciation in his head.

‘Muscle atobi?’ A flicker of disbelief crossed his face.

For a moment, he debated whether she was genuinely clueless or just trying to annoy him.

Her next question, however, nearly broke his composure.

“So… is that why you were punching the wall?

To stop the muscle atobi?” she asked with wide eyed curiosity.

He stopped and turned slightly, staring at her as if her stupidity were contagious.

Punching a wall to cure muscle atrophy?

He almost laughed at the absurdity but quickly caught himself.

Without a word, Four turned away, deliberately increasing the distance between them as though her ignorance might physically affect him.

Nnenna raised an eyebrow, watching his retreat.

“What?

That’s not it?

Then why are you punching the wall?

Is this some special therapy technique?

Or are you just mad at it?” Four said nothing, his cold silence acting as both his shield and his response.

muttered with a small shake of her

worry, I’ll figure you out someday,

it takes forever.” He

had felt earlier was buried under

that, then what is it?” she asked again, trying to probe further, her persistence

Silence.

remained impassive, offering

with a huff, crossing

to talk, let it

try to move your arms and legs more, that’s

else that’s bothering you, maybe try not to dwell

voice trailed off mid sentence, the unfinished thought hanging in the

glanced at her, curiosity flickering

in her own thoughts

to the tangled threads of her past and present, a

resolve and leaving a painful throb in her

as one of their own, and deep

already knew she was

six years old, she had been taken in, her biological parents nothing more than fading

were most likely gone, and no amount of wishful thinking

as her heart slowly broke under the weight of

a real home, will I?’ The words echoed in her mind, tearing through her

blinked rapidly, trying to banish the tears

lingered, raw and unresolved, as if the answer had

man kept his gaze on her, confusion clouding his cold

cry?’ Nothing he

over the scenario, replaying

resilience with more intensity than he

his icy demeanor

at least twenty percent without flinching, standing firm against his

up now, when he had

Was it something else?

he miscalculated this

didn’t

sight of her tears as irrelevant, convincing himself there was no reason

he sat down, grabbed his phone, and forced his attention