My System Doesn't Give Power

Knock... Knock... Knock...

"Mom, wake up."

Knock... Knock... Knock...

"Mom!"

Martha slowly opened her eyes, still disoriented and half asleep. When the relentless knocking showed no sign of stopping, she let out a weary groan, dragged herself out of bed, and trudged toward the door.

The moment she opened it, she found Carrie standing outside with her arms crossed and disappointment written all over her face.

Martha released an enormous yawn. "What happened, Carrie?"

"Mom, did you forget what today is?"

Martha squinted and thought for a moment. "Is it Mother’s Day? But I don’t remember you ever waking me up this early to wish me well."

"That’s not it." Carrie glared at her. "Aunt Armani is coming today to take us to Central City. Why are you still sleeping? Aren’t you excited at all?"

Martha slowly turned her head toward the clock. "Carrie, I’m glad to see you so enthusiastic, but it’s only five-thirty in the morning. Even the sun isn’t fully awake yet."

She rubbed her eyes again. "Go back to sleep. Kitty won’t be here until ten or eleven."

"But we still have to pack everything and get ready."

"Carrie, we packed all the large belongings last night. What is even left to pack?"

"I don’t know. That’s why we need to check."

Martha stared at her daughter’s bright, restless eyes and immediately realized there was no chance of persuading her to return to bed.

Carrie grabbed her hand. "Come on, Mom. Go take a bath."

"Carrie, I can walk by myself."

"No. If I let go of you, you’ll once again fall asleep." She began dragging Martha toward the bathroom.

Martha shook her head but allowed herself to be pulled along. "You’re more excited about seeing your brother than moving to Central City, aren’t you?"

"Of course," Carrie replied without hesitation. "But I’m excited about both."

Just as Martha had predicted, someone knocked on the front door at exactly ten in the morning.

Carrie, who had been sitting beside the window for nearly half an hour, sprang to her feet before the second knock could even arrive.

"She’s here!" She raced toward the entrance and flung the door open, revealing Armani standing outside with a broad smile.

"Aunt Armani!" Carrie leaped forward and hugged her. Armani wrapped one arm around her and gently ruffled her hair.

"You seem rather excited."

"Of course. I’m finally going to see my brother after so long."

Armani raised an eyebrow. "Really? So you aren’t excited to see your dear aunt?"

Carrie looked up at her. "I’m excited to see you too, but you visit us every two weeks. It has been two whole months since I last saw my brother."

Armani placed a hand dramatically over her chest. "So I’ve already been replaced."

"Don’t be silly, Auntie. No one can replace you."

"Really? Then what rank am I?"

Carrie began counting on her fingers with childish seriousness. "Mom, Brother, me, and then you."

Armani stared at her. "Why are you ranked above me?"

"Because I’m everyone’s favorite."

Armani burst out laughing. "Fine, fine. At least I made it into the top four."

Carrie pulled her into the living room, where Martha sat beside several packed bags.

"How are you, Sister?" Armani asked.

"Better than ever."

Martha glanced at Carrie, who was already inspecting the bags again despite having checked them several times. She then turned back to Armani. "Are you going to tell her?"

Armani’s smile immediately faded. She glanced at Carrie, her expression turning complicated.

Carrie noticed the shift at once. "What happened, Auntie?"

"Come and sit beside me." Armani patted the space next to her. "I have some bad news for you."

Carrie’s face paled. "Are we not going to Central City?"

"No, no. We’re still going."

Carrie released the breath she had been holding and visibly relaxed.

However, before her smile could fully return, Armani continued, "The problem is that you won’t be able to meet your brother right away."

All the excitement drained from Carrie’s face. "But... I thought Brother was in Central City."

"Technically, yes. He is."

"Then why can’t I see him?"

"Carrie, New Dawn Academy has its own regulations. Zac is still in the first stage of his training, and students aren’t permitted to leave the academy freely during their first six months."

Carrie’s shoulders slowly sagged, and her expression became crestfallen. "So he can’t come home?"

"Not yet. But once he completes his first six months of training, he should be able to visit you regularly."

"Oh."

The disappointment contained in that single word made the entire room fall silent.

After a moment, she slowly stood. "I’ll go get the rest of my things." Without waiting for a response, she walked toward her room.

Armani watched her disappear down the hallway. "For such a young girl, she accepted that surprisingly well."

Martha sighed. "She may behave like a toddler sometimes, but the life we lived forced her to mature much faster than other girls her age."

Armani glanced toward the hallway. "She really loves her brother, doesn’t she?"

Martha nodded. "Whenever they’re together, all they do is fight. She complains about him, steals his food, and tells me at least once every day that he’s annoying."

A faint smile appeared on her face. "But for the past two months, the first thing she asks every morning is when her brother is coming home."

Armani smiled softly. "Typical siblings. Irritated when they’re together and miserable when they’re apart."

"That’s how relationships are," Martha replied with a quiet chuckle. Before either of them could say anything more, another knock came from the front door.

Martha rose from the sofa and walked toward the entrance. When she opened the door, she found Lima standing outside with a warm smile.

"Oh, what a pleasant surprise. Come in, Lima."

"I heard you were leaving for Central City today," Lima said as she stepped inside. "So I came to say goodbye."

Martha’s expression softened. "That’s very sweet of you."

They walked into the living room together. The moment Lima noticed Armani sitting there, she became visibly flustered.

"Oh, Miss Armani! I didn’t know you were already here."

"I only arrived a few minutes ago," Armani replied, studying her calmly.

Martha glanced between them. "You two know each other?"

Lima nodded immediately. "Of course. Who doesn’t know Miss Armani? She also helped me with my family a great deal in the past."

Martha’s eyes softened with understanding, but Armani’s gaze moved between her and Lima. "When did the two of you become so close? And how exactly do you know each other?"

Martha smiled. "Lima has helped us quite a lot over the past two months, actually."

Lima instantly grew uncomfortable. "There was no need to mention all of that, Auntie."

"Why not?" Martha continued. "You accompanied me whenever I went shopping, took Carrie to school several times, and visited us regularly. You brought chocolates for Carrie and groceries for the house and even helped me sort out some documents before the move."

Armani slowly turned toward Lima. "I see. And when did you start calling her ’Aunt’?"

"She forced me to," Lima replied.

Martha seemed oblivious to the subtle tension brewing between them. "She has practically become part of the family now."

Lima offered an awkward smile.

"Part of the family, huh?" Armani repeated slowly.

She abruptly stood. "I think I’ll go outside and get some fresh air." Then she looked at Lima. "Why don’t you accompany me for a while?"

Lima immediately understood that it was not an invitation but an order.

Armani turned to Martha. "You should help Carrie finish packing, Sister. We’ll leave in about half an hour."

"Fine." Martha headed toward Carrie’s room while Armani led Lima outside.

The moment they stepped away from the house, Armani turned around and looked directly at her. "Didn’t you tell me that you had no feelings for that boy?"

Lima blinked. "I did, and it’s true."

"Then why are you trying so hard to win over his family?"

Lima’s expression shifted. "That isn’t what I’m doing."

"Chocolates, gifts, groceries, escorting his sister to school." Armani raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? You’re putting in more effort than most husbands in society."

"It’s not like that. Zac asked me to look after them, and I didn’t know exactly how to do that. So I helped them in whatever ways I could think of."

"Looking after someone means ensuring their safety. It does not mean arriving every week with enough sweets to ruin a child’s teeth."

"I was only trying to be kind."

"Then ask yourself why you want to be so kind to them."

Armani observed her face for several seconds before releasing a long breath.

"Listen to me carefully. I know far more about you than you think. You have spent most of your childhood struggling with family problems. Because of that, you’re insecure about relationships, trust, and whether the people you care about will remain beside you."

"With all due respect, how do you know that?"

A faint smile appeared on Armani’s face. "Did you really think I forgot about you after helping with your family all those years ago? I’ve always kept an eye on you."

Lima remained silent.

"And Zac is someone whose future will never be peaceful," Armani continued. "He will face enemies, danger, and loss. His life will constantly teeter between survival and death."

Lima frowned. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because anyone who chooses to stand beside him will suffer as well. Growing close to him will not lead to a peaceful life filled with flowers. It will be a path strewn with thorns."

A gentle breeze swept through the street, rustling softly around them.

"So think carefully before you take another step. If you genuinely intend to become part of his life, then steel yourself to stand beside him no matter what comes."

"But Miss Armani..." Lima shook her head. "I appreciate your concern. I know you’re saying this for both our sakes, but it isn’t necessary."

"I don’t have those kinds of feelings for him."

Armani stared at her for a moment before sighing. "That is precisely what worries me."

"What do you mean?" Lima asked, frowning.

"You don’t even understand what you want or what you truly think. More importantly, you clearly haven’t recognized what is already in your heart."

Lima opened her mouth to deny it, but no words came out.

Before Armani could continue, the front door opened, and Martha and Carrie emerged carrying several large bags between them. Carrie struggled comically beneath the weight of a suitcase that appeared almost as large as she was.

"Sister, why are you carrying all this luggage? Couldn’t you store it in your inventory?"

"I did, but there wasn’t any space left."

"What?" Armani stared at her incredulously. "Sister, you’re an A-ranker. How did you manage to fill that much space? You must have emptied the entire house."

Martha gave her a small smile. "I needed to."

"Fine." With a casual wave of her hand, Armani made all the remaining luggage disappear into her spatial ring.