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.

a small

figure

it takes forever.”

earlier was buried under layers

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

Silence.

remained impassive, offering no

she said with a huff,

don’t want to talk, let it

your arms and legs more, that’s physical therapy,

bothering you, maybe try not to dwell on

Her voice trailed off mid sentence, the unfinished thought

flickering in

notice, too absorbed in her own thoughts to catch the

of her past and present, a web that only seemed to tighten around her whenever she gave

and leaving a painful throb in her head every

the Achebe family still didn’t treat her as one of their own, and deep down, she knew why, a reason they thought she

knew she was

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

no

slowly broke under the weight of the

will never have a real home, will I?’ The words echoed in her

banish the tears threatening

if the answer had already been

kept his gaze on

cry?’ Nothing he had done

the scenario,

more intensity than he ever used with

most people, one percent of his icy demeanor was enough to

had endured at least twenty percent without flinching, standing firm against his indifference and sharp

she tearing up now,

Was it something else?

miscalculated this girl

it didn’t matter, did

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

glance at her, he sat down, grabbed his phone, and