Ch.60 : Beautiful Voice For Mira

Before Nic arrived at Mira's house, he got a notification from the system—he had received a reward for completing his fifth official date: a passive skill called Lie detector.

As soon as he stepped inside Mira's home, Nic immediately looked at the guy standing beside her and asked, "Who's that?"

Mira scribbled a quick response on her notepad and held it up: "This is Willy, my childhood friend."

Thanks to his new passive skill, Nic could tell that Mira was being completely honest.

Willy, however, didn't look too happy. He crossed his arms and glared. "What are you doing here?" he asked, his tone snide and dismissive.

Nic just smiled calmly. "Just here to hang out with the animals," he said, holding up his black crow. Mira's eyes lit up when she saw the bird—she looked genuinely happy that Nic had been taking such good care of it.

After that, Nic and Mira headed to the back of the house where all the animals were. Nic started feeding them while Mira joined in, enjoying the moment. Meanwhile, Willy trailed behind them, clearly annoyed. He suddenly inserted himself between them, acting overly familiar with Mira and trying to push Nic aside.

Nic noticed, but didn't react. He just let Willy do whatever he wanted—for now.

That was when Nic's eyes caught a limping stray cat watching them from outside the fence. One of its legs was lifted awkwardly—it looked injured. Nic immediately walked toward it.

Mira followed, curious.

"This cat's limping," Nic said as he knelt down.

Mira's face fell. She quickly wrote, "We need to take it to a vet right away."

But Nic shook his head. "No need."

Hearing that, Willy jumped in with a smug tone. "Ran out of money, huh? I'll take it to the vet myself."

Nic didn't even look at him. Instead, he smiled gently and activated his God of Health skill. He placed his hand on the cat's injured leg, softly stroking it. The cat didn't resist at all—it simply stood there, calm and quiet. Mira watched closely.

After a moment, Nic let go.

The cat immediately stood up straight and began walking normally! Then, it rubbed against Nic's leg and purred affectionately.

Mira looked deeply moved. Her eyes sparkled with admiration. Just then, Zeta spoke up in Nic's mind.

[Mira's affection has reached 100%. Skill "One-Sided Love" has been activated. You have obtained a new skill: God of Beast—the ability to talk to animals.]

"Why am I only getting this now? Wasn't her affection already at 100% yesterday?" Nic wondered.

Zeta replied, [Sometimes the system takes time to process. Sometimes the reward comes instantly, sometimes only when you meet the person again.]

Nic sighed. "oh…"

They went back to the animals. At one point, Nic got a little bored and decided to joke around.

"I can talk to animals now," he said to Mira, grinning.

Willy, who had clearly been getting more irritated by the second, finally snapped. He burst out laughing. "HAHAHA! Seriously? What a lunatic! You're crazy, man! That's totally impossible!" he laughed, even patting Mira on the shoulder and leaning closer to whisper, "You really should stay away from this guy."

Mira didn't even react to Willy. She calmly wrote on her notepad, "I want to see it."

Nic smiled. "Which animal should I talk to?"

Mira pointed at a white cat sitting nearby. Nic nodded, activated God of Beast, and whispered to the cat, "Go to Mira, rub against her leg, then bite her lightly."

Mira watched with anticipation.

Seconds later, the white cat walked over to her, gently rubbed its head against her leg… and gave her a playful little bite.

Mira squealed with joy and scooped up the cat in a hug, her face glowing. "That was amazing!" she thought.

Meanwhile, Willy stood frozen, completely dumbfounded. He couldn't believe what he had just seen.

Nic, who had been quiet, finally turned to Willy and asked, "You don't like me, huh?"

Willy scoffed. "Of course I don't! What, you want me to like you? You think I'm gay or something, you idiot?"

Mira frowned. She snatched her notepad and angrily scribbled, "Then just go home!"

Willy was stunned. "Seriously, Mira? You're kicking me out because of him?! Have you forgotten we're childhood friends? We've always been together!"

Nic stayed calm. "Willy, you like Mira, don't you? Don't use the 'childhood friend' excuse. If you like her, just tell her. Be honest. Accept whatever answer she gives—whether it's good or bad."

Willy fell silent, fists clenched, his face red—whether from embarrassment or anger was unclear. But finally, he stood in front of Mira, took a deep breath, and confessed his feelings.

Nic, already knowing how this would end, quietly stepped outside to give them space.

A few minutes later, Willy stormed out of the house, clearly upset. His expression was dark and frustrated. He glared at Nic, full of rage.

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!!!" he screamed, lunging at Nic with a punch.

But Nic easily caught his fist and gripped it tightly. He activated God of Intimidation. Willy's eyes widened in fear. His legs gave out and he collapsed, shaking.

After a few seconds, Nic let him go out of pity. Willy didn't say another word. He just turned and walked away in silence.

Nic sighed and went back inside.

Mira immediately rushed over and wrote, "Are you okay? I heard Willy yelling."

"I'm fine. Don't worry about it," Nic said, smiling.

Then, he looked at her seriously. "Did you reject him?"

Mira nodded, writing, "I've only ever seen him as a friend. Besides, he's never around when I actually need him."

Nic understood. Then, he brought up something more important. "Mira… when did you lose your voice?"

She paused, then started writing—a lot.

"I've been mute since birth. People always called me a failure. I used to think I should never have been born. At school, I got bullied and found it hard to connect with anyone. That's why I chose to be alone… with animals. They don't care about my flaws. They make me feel safe. That's why I love them so much and try my best to care for them—it's how I say thank you."

Nic could relate. He too had been bullied once, and he understood the pain of isolation.

After a quiet pause, Nic asked, "Mira, do you want to be able to speak?"

Mira looked at him, uncertain. She slowly wrote, "I don't even know what my voice sounds like. It just seems impossible."

But Nic didn't back down. He turned to Zeta in his mind.

"Zeta, can I use God of Health to make Mira speak?"

[Yes. But since her condition is from birth, there will be side effects—for you.]

Nic didn't flinch. "What kind of side effects?"

[Simple. Once her voice is restored, you'll pass out from extreme dizziness. You won't wake up until morning. I suggest you go straight home afterward.]

"That's nothing," Nic muttered and looked at Mira. "I can help you speak again. I'm going to heal you."

Mira tilted her head, confused, and wrote, "How?"

"Just stay still and let me handle it," Nic said gently.

Mira obeyed without protest. Nic activated God of Health and carefully placed his hands on her throat, massaging it softly. Then he moved to her chest—politely asking for her forgiveness as he touched a sensitive area. Mira didn't flinch. She just sat there, feeling a strange but pleasant warmth spreading through her neck.

Zeta gave further instructions:

[Now, press your hand a little more. It'll allow the new vocal cords to properly form and connect.]

Nic followed the directions. Mira jolted slightly, like a soft shock had run through her. Then, it was done.

Nic looked at her, hopeful. "Try speaking."

Mira stared at him, hesitant. Then slowly, she opened her mouth. "Aaa…"

Her voice came out. She froze in shock, covering her mouth. Then, she tried again.

"Nic…"

She could talk.

She kept repeating her name and saying random words, tears pouring down her cheeks. It didn't feel real. For the first time, her sobs had sound. The nearby animals crowded around her, sensing her joy.

Mira threw her arms around Nic, crying. "Please tell me this isn't a dream! How did you do that?!"

Nic just smiled and patted her head. "It's real. You don't need to know how. What matters is… you can talk now. No more writing to communicate."

Still sobbing happily, Mira looked at her pets one by one, calling them by name with her new voice. Her happiness was overwhelming.

Then, she turned to Nic and said, "I don't know how I can ever repay you."

Nic shrugged. "You don't have to—"

"Then I'll be your girlfriend too!" she interrupted.

Nic blinked. Mira continued, "I know you already have lots of girlfriends from Zestia, but I want to be part of them too."

Nic chuckled. "Well… sure. Welcome to Unity~."

But suddenly, his head started spinning. He glanced at the time—30 minutes left before he'd pass out. He quickly said goodbye and hurried home.

The moment he stepped into his room, he didn't even make it to the bed. As soon as he hit the floor, he collapsed.

To be continued…