Idle Time No Longer Idle

Natasha softly recounted the distant past, and Shu listened quietly.

"Before we turned four, we lived with Mom and Dad. We were happy then, living a comfortable life, a harmonious family, without much pressure. Everyone was happy.

"But later, when I was four, I participated in a freestyle fighting competition. I easily won first place…"

When she mentioned the "freestyle fighting competition," Natasha's voice trembled. Shu could even sense a distinct fear emanating from her.

Was that competition the turning point in Natasha's life?

"We thought it was just an ordinary competition, but a month later… Mom and Dad suddenly said they had important business to attend to and left my brother and me at home…

"I had never seen Dad's expression so somber and heavy, nor Mom so fragile…

"Before they left, Mom and Dad hugged my brother and me and cried for a long time… Mom said to Dad…

"['Vakh, you must protect your sister, you must protect her… Mom and Dad might not be able to be with you anymore. You must take your sister and live well…']

"At the time, I was just crying. I didn't even say goodbye to Mom and Dad. We didn't even have a chance to say farewell…"

As she spoke, Natasha's body trembled. Shu silently reached out to her, wanting to comfort her if she started crying.

But the distance between them was too great. Besides the space Natasha had deliberately left, there was also the gap of a character separating them.

Natasha was on "医" (Medicine), and Shu was on "药" (Pharmaceutical).

They couldn't touch each other.

"It's okay…" Natasha took a deep breath, her voice steadying. She noticed Shu's outstretched hand, forced a smile, and waved him off.

Shu silently withdrew his hand and continued to listen.

"My brother didn't cry. He hugged me and watched as Mom and Dad left. A few minutes later, some men in black entered our house and took my brother and me to that manor.

"From then on, my brother and I could only see each other once a week on Sundays, and sometimes not even then…

"I wanted to cry, to make a fuss and find my brother. One of the girls who came in with me did just that… The caretaker tried to persuade her for a long time, but she kept crying…

"In the end, the men in black took the girl away. I never saw her again, until…"

Natasha lowered her gaze and spoke softly.

"I saw the hairpin from that girl's hair… in the meat soup that night…"

Shu's eyes widened.

"I vomited, I vomited for a long time… I was so scared, I wanted to cry, but I didn't dare… I could only cover my mouth, retching and sobbing silently."

Shu suddenly remembered the plain porridge Natasha had given him in the "Nest." The unseasoned porridge wasn't piping hot, clearly not freshly cooked…

Was that Natasha's food?

"I didn't want to be like that girl. I didn't want my brother to only see me… in the soup, or in some other dish… I was also afraid that one day I would see…

"I was even more afraid… that I wouldn't notice…

"So from then on, I never cried again… I started working hard to learn what the men in black taught. They said that only the top student in training could make one small request."

"I trained desperately, often injuring myself. I became the top student, and my request was to see my brother…"

"Every time I saw my brother, he looked more haggard. Sometimes his face was pale with fear, sometimes bruised and purple…"

"My injuries were nothing compared to what my brother went through, but every time we met, he was the one comforting me… He would pat my head like Dad, and hug me gently like Mom…"

Natasha raised her hands and slowly hugged herself.

Shu listened in silence, while Natasha stared blankly ahead.

Clearly, she was lost in her memories, the emotional turmoil flowing into Shu's heart.

Fear? Terror? Or sorrow?

Only a boundless sense of confusion, like Shu recalling his most painful past, leaving only the strongest impression, but amplified a thousand, ten thousand times.

"My brother said to me, ['Don't be afraid, brother is strong, brother will definitely protect you. No one can defeat brother, no one! One day… brother will take you away from here!']"

"The training was painful, terrifying, but because my brother was still there, I wasn't afraid…"

"I believed my brother would definitely take me out. I firmly believed he was omnipotent, that he wouldn't be defeated by anyone… So I gritted my teeth and persevered. I even surpassed their expectations…"

"I kept waiting for my brother to take me away…" Finally, in the darkness, Shu saw a light in Natasha's eyes.

Like a long-waiting passenger seeing the end of the tunnel, like a fish swimming upstream finally seeing the source.

Natasha had found her light.

"One day, the sky was like this, without a single star or moon. The air in the manor was filled with the scent of flowers, then everyone started convulsing and collapsed, dying within a minute.

"I thought I was going to die… but at that moment, my brother appeared. He slit his wrist and fed me his blood…

"He proudly boasted to me that those people would never have guessed that the antidote to that potent poison was his blood…"

"My brother carried me away from there, into the wilderness… We were finally free… We left that place alive, not as tools, not as playthings…"

Natasha let out a long breath, staring at the dark night sky, as if reliving that night…

After a long while, Natasha relaxed and continued.

"Since then, my brother and I have been hiding everywhere, in cities, villages, slums, even the most chaotic battlefields…"

"I helped my brother evade those pursuing us, resisting bounty hunters, mercenaries, assassins, while my brother was my strongest shield."

"Back then, I thought… it's so good, it's finally my turn to protect my brother…"

"Until… a bullet from the shadows struck my head…"