Chores

Sillia took a moment to ponder on Nathan's words. She didn't have anything to respond with. But she thought Nathan sounded like he spoke from actual experience, and he wasn't just insightful or wise for his age.

"...That begs the question of how you found out about the skills and training, Nathan. Did the Heavenly Demon person tell you?"

Nathan shook his head.

"First, can I get some more chicken? And I discovered that on my own."

Sillia narrowed her eyes.

"You seem very experienced with a lot of things for someone your age, Nathan. When did you awaken?"

Nathan looked at Sillia with a calm expression. Sillia felt like she was looking at a still pond. She couldn't read anything from Nathan's face.

"We're getting close to information you might be better off not knowing. So, before we continue, let me ask you this. How long are you going to stay with us? Or rather, do you have any intentions of leaving? Ever?"

Sillia hesitated.

Anita and Terrence were very kind to her. They were like the parents she never had. Nathan was kind in his own way, and he taught her a lot of things. She had also awakened thanks to the Hobster family's kindness. Regardless of what she felt she owed them, she wanted to stay and have such kind people in her life. She wanted to be in their lives and do her best to make them more enjoyable.

However, she had only lived with them for a month or so. She had only known them for a day more.

It wouldn't be strange if she or the Hobsters still had reservations. Maybe they would learn something about each other that would devolve into an unsolvable conflict.

Nathan loved his parents more than anything, so he didn't mind telling them about his regression and his future past life.

Sillia was different. She was no different from a stranger in Nathan's eyes. He could see through her to a certain degree with Peerless Perception. But people changed. He had also only brought her aboard to keep his home and parents safe while he couldn't.

"I…"

Sillia hesitated. She wasn't sure what answer Nathan wanted.

"Since you're a free security system, you're welcome to stay as long as possible since my parents can't protect themselves. I'm sure my parents would agree."

"But I'm…"

"You're what? A homeless orphan? A stranger? Intruding? Unrelated to us?"

Sillia's eyes widened at Nathan's bluntness and she looked at him for a moment before lowering her head and nodding.

"Wrong. You're not homeless anymore. I've seen you hurl your guts out, and you've undressed me and cleaned up my wounds. We invited you into our home knowing that you wouldn't be able to leave any time soon. As for being an orphan and biologically unrelated to us…—Does it matter? If it does, I can just adopt you as my daughter."

Sillia's heart and face grew warm the more she listened to Nathan's words until he finished. She snapped out of her feelings of being overwhelmed with kindness and looked at Nathan like he was an exotic animal.

"Shouldn't Anita or Terrence be the ones adopting me? I'm not saying I want them to adopt me or anything, though I'm not saying I don't want it. But I'm older than you, you know?"

"That brings me to the comprehensive answer to most of your questions. I'm from the future. Technically, I have returned to the present from the future. Counting those years, I'm even older than Mom and Dad. You might even be at a young enough age to be my granddaughter, supposing I'd had kids and grandkids."

"Is that a joke? I don't get it."

Nathan shrugged.

"It's not a joke, but it's up to you to believe it or not. However, most if not all the questions you have can be answered with the fact that I've already lived this life once."

"I…"

Sillia held up a hand before lowering it in Nathan's direction as she continued.

"...have a feeling that's a story and a half. Another time."

Even if Sillia didn't believe in Nathan's explanation, it had helped her snap out of her mushiness. She could think a little clearer.

Objectively speaking, Nathan was strange and possibly dangerous, considering how nonchalantly he had returned home with broken arms and covered in blood. But Sillia didn't have any reservations anymore.

If Nathan wanted her to stick around, even if only for her newly awakened skill, and she wanted to stay, why wouldn't she?

"Here you go."

Anita put down another tray of fried chicken in front of Nathan.

She then stood next to her son as she looked at Sillia.

"I can't vouch for whether this rude boy is actually from the future or not. I have chosen to believe him, but that's another matter. I can say, however, that both I and my husband are more than happy to have you live with us. Just think of it as doing an old couple a favor. And if you're still worried, just start contributing to chores."

Sillia smiled before getting slightly confused at the end. She tilted her head.

"I thought I already was…?"

Sillia looked at Nathan, which prompted Anita to do the same. Sillia continued to explain the misunderstanding.

"Nathan gave me a list of things to do the first week I stayed here, which I assumed were chores."

"..."

"..."

Sillia sensed that she should give the mother and son some privacy so she tactly and silently withdrew from Nathan's room. She closed her ears to the rushed explanation and screams that followed her departure. It had nothing to do with her.

Nathan took the scolding in stride, and by stride, he was trying to run away. Unfortunately, he failed.

Anita gave Nathan a proper talking-to about how to treat guests, especially ones with less fortune in life. One of the many things a person with common decency shouldn't do was to push their own chores onto them.

However, Nathan was tired from his five-day training session, so he fell asleep before she could finish. Anita didn't have the heart to wake him up and continue when he knew what he did was wrong. Instead, she helped him to bed so he could sleep properly instead of on his knees on the floor.