Big and burly ≠ lasting power

Kexi's expression finally changed.

He had been so caught up in celebrating his awakening that he had forgotten the most important thing-

He had stolen Cantarella's ability.

And that woman had never been one to take a loss.

"Damn system, can I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead."

"When you issued that mission, did you ever consider your host's mental health?"

[Response: Never. The host's mental state falls outside this system's responsibilities. Friendly reminder: Rather than pondering these useless questions, you should think about how to survive seven days from now.]

"What happens in seven days... I'll deal with it in seven days."

Kexi gave up.

No, he wasn't giving up.

He had simply decided to enjoy the thrill of awakening a Resonance ability before his death arrived.

After all, he had traded his life for it.

That night, at the Montelli estate.

Kexi stood in the back garden, moonlight falling over him and casting a ridiculously long shadow.

He closed his eyes and sensed the Resonance energy inside him that didn't belong to him. Cantarella's Resonance had a chilly, sinister quality, like an undercurrent in the deep sea: calm on the surface, but concealing a hallucinogenic poison beneath.

"As expected of the head of the Fisalia family. This Resonance intensity... feels amazing."

Kexi opened his eyes, held out his palm, and tried to draw on the energy. A dark blue jellyfish condensed in the air.

But the jellyfish soon began to deform, its edges growing ragged before it finally burst into a splash of water.

"I can't control it?" Kexi frowned.

[Notice: Resonance Synchronization allows you to borrow 100% of an ability, but the host must learn to master it on his own. Starting with basic practice is recommended.]

"So I stole a top-of-the-line sports car, but I can't even hold the steering wheel steady?"

[An accurate analogy. Also, a reminder to the host: Resonance Synchronization continuously consumes your stamina. With your current physique, you will collapse from exhaustion after maintaining it for three minutes at most.]

"Three minutes?" Kexi's eyes widened. "I'm a two-meter-fourteen hulk! I'll collapse after three minutes? Are you insulting me?"

[Big and burly ≠ lasting power. Please face up to your physical shortcomings, host.]

Kexi: "..."

A system had roasted him into silence.

Then again, he had been treated like a muggle all his life and had never taken part in any physical training. His Montelli elders had expected him to "stay alive and stay out of trouble." Who could have known the kid would grow up so crooked and become Ragunna's most famous lovestruck pervert?

"Three minutes it is, then." Kexi sighed. "It's better than nothing. At least... if Cantarella really does try to kill me in seven days, I can put up a bit of a fight."

The thought of Cantarella weighed on Kexi's mood even more.

The words she had said before leaving still echoed in his head: "Shouldn't you return what you took from me?"

What did she mean?

A Resonance ability wasn't something he could just give back.

Could she have meant...

Kexi's face suddenly turned red.

"No, no, no, impossible." He shook his head furiously, trying to shake those improper images out of his mind. "Jellyfish Sister might be pretty, but her heart's so black you could squeeze ink out of it. She definitely didn't mean that. She must want some other kind of compensation. Right, right..."

"Talking to yourself in the garden in the middle of the night? Have you really gone mad?"

Kexi whipped his head around.

At some point, Carlotta had appeared at the entrance to the garden. She wore an obviously oversized bathrobe, and her small figure looked a little lonely in the moonlight.

"Second Sister? You're still up?"

"Couldn't sleep." Carlotta walked over and looked up at Kexi. After a moment's silence, she asked, "Did you use that ability?"

"I just tried it."

"How was it?"

"I can feel Cantarella's Resonance, but I can't control it. And... I can only maintain it for three minutes."

"Three minutes?" The corner of Carlotta's mouth twitched. "How useless."

Kexi said, "...Second Sister, could you be a little less blunt? My pride is very fragile."

"What pride? I didn't see any when you were kissing a woman at Porto-Vino Castle today."

"That was for my awakening!"

"Right, right, for your awakening." Carlotta waved a hand, then sat down on a garden bench-or, more precisely, climbed onto it. The bench had been designed for someone of normal height, so it was a little tall for her.

As Kexi watched Carlotta clumsily climb onto the bench, an unfamiliar feeling suddenly welled up inside him.

This second sister of his usually either hit him or scolded him, meddled more than his mother did, and called him the shame of the Montelli family at the drop of a hat. But today, in front of Cantarella, she had stepped in front of him without hesitation.

"Second Sister."

"Hmm?"

"Thank you."

Carlotta paused, then quickly turned her head away. Her voice sounded a little unnatural. "Cut the sentimentality. I protected you because you're a Montelli, not because you're you. Understand?"

"Got it, got it." Kexi grinned and sat down beside Carlotta, his enormous weight drawing a groan from the bench.

"Can't you sit down more gently? This bench is an antique!"

"I was as gentle as I could be. The bench is just too fragile."

The two fell silent for a while. Moonlight fell quietly over the garden, and the faint background sounds of Ragunna at night drifted over from afar.

Waves lapping against the shore, the occasional cry of a seabird, and leaves rustling in the night breeze.

"Kexi."

"Hmm?"

"About Cantarella telling you to go see her every seven days... what do you think?"

"What can I think? If I don't go, I die."

"That's not what I'm asking." Carlotta turned to look at him with a seriousness Kexi had never seen before. "I mean, what do you think she's after?"

Kexi thought for a moment, then ultimately chose to tell her what he really thought. "I'm not sure. But she definitely doesn't just want me to return something. Someone like her has a reason for everything she does."

"Good, as long as you understand that." Carlotta's tone grew serious. "The Fisalia and the Montelli have always been rivals. Cantarella secured her position as head of the Fisalia family through ruthlessness and scheming. What you did today gave her a legitimate excuse to get a hold over the Montelli. Once every seven days? She's using you as a hostage to tie the whole Montelli family down."

Kexi opened his mouth, only to find himself unable to speak.

He had been so preoccupied with his own little mess that he had forgotten the most serious consequence of this whole farce.

It could give the Fisalia leverage to use against the Montelli.

"I'm sorry, Second Sister." Kexi's voice grew low. "I didn't think it would turn out like this."

Carlotta was silent for a moment. Then she suddenly jumped up and punched him on the knee again.

"What good is an apology? What matters is cleaning up the mess."

"How do we clean it up?"

"Seven days from now, go to Porto-Vino Castle like a good boy. Whatever conditions Cantarella sets, agree to them first. Don't turn on her on the spot. As for the rest... I'll find a way."

"Second Sister..."

"Don't look at me like that!" Carlotta jumped up and hit him again. "I just don't want to watch an idiot drag the Montelli down with him. If you really feel guilty, then practice that ability properly! Three minutes? Aren't you embarrassed?"