Perhaps this was Zoya's destiny as a Wildfire and Witch; although her personality indeed carried a bit of a military rogue's wildness and unruliness, it couldn't be denied that she possessed a sincere heart, willing to proactively help others, willing to take responsibility, and unwilling to cause destruction.
Unlike other Witches who slacked off and played on weekends, Zoya truly wanted to do something for this small family.
It's just that the outcome was often completely different from what Zoya had imagined...
She tried her best for a long time, restrained herself for a long time, and ultimately caused far more destruction than Billie, who did it on purpose.
Who could she complain to about this?
Zoya's journey as a worker not only failed to earn her a single penny but also cost her a considerable amount, used to compensate Boss Lev.
Zoya even wanted to quit drinking, even though she was a century-old drunkard, and her veins probably flowed with vodka...
Serie also felt it was unrealistic; moreover, Zoya's mental state was related to alcohol, but not entirely alcohol's fault, a larger part stemmed from Zoya's past experiences—the sequelae brought by inhumane battlefields and experiments.
The only way might be to wait until other tasks are completed to gain attribute points and help Zoya improve her mental attributes a bit.
So that she wouldn't get agitated anywhere.
Of course, Zoya was not the only Witch who had an unpleasant weekend.
Meanwhile, in Japan, it was morning.
Kirishima Kuyo, dressed in a faded old school uniform, stood in front of an old apartment building with peeling walls.
The air was filled with a damp, musty smell and the sour decay from a nearby garbage heap.
She raised her hand, hesitated for a moment, and finally gently knocked on that familiar iron door.
From inside the door came a rustling of footsteps, hesitant and heavy.
"Creak--"
The door was pulled open a crack.
What was revealed behind the door was the face of a woman who had aged ten years compared to Kuchiha's memory.
That was her mother, Kirishima Miyoko.
Miyoko might have once had gentle contours, but now only traces of being crushed by life's burdens remained.
Deep dark circles were etched onto her sallow face, wrinkles were deeply set like knife cuts, and her dry hair was casually tied up.
The hands that opened the door were covered with thick calluses and fine cracks, marks left by years of doing cheap odd jobs.
Under her rolled-up sleeves, a few old, twisted scars were vaguely visible—souvenirs of her father's drunken abuse.
Her eyes were murky, devoid of the joy of a long-awaited reunion, only unfathomable exhaustion and... fear, as if looking at a venomous snake.
Ever since that day, when Kuchiha gained new life in pain and despair, becoming Serie's Witch clone, and the man named father turned into an unrecognizable mess.
This home was left with only Miyoko struggling in this swamp of despair.
Kuchiha couldn't quite say why she came back.
Perhaps boredom? Or curiosity? Was it the lingering guilt in Kuchiha's body? Or other unspeakable emotions?
Of course, the most convincing reason was actually—
[Witch Quest: Childhood Playmate]
[Objective: Bring Kuchiha home and take away her former playmate]
[Reward: Stuffed Rabbit Spirit.]
Serie received a new quest.
"Ku... Kuyo?" Miyoko's voice was dry and hoarse, with an unbelievable tremor.
"I'm back, Mother." Kuchiha's voice was very soft, almost without emotion.
Completely different from her shyness in front of other Witches.
The room was narrow and dim, filled with a strange smell of old furniture mixed with cheap cleaning agents.
The air was so stagnant it was suffocating.
Kuchiha's gaze slowly swept across this dilapidated apartment where she had lived for over ten years.
The yellowing water stains on the walls, the clutter piled in the corners, the dining table covered with a cheap plastic tablecloth...
Every corner seemed to instantly awaken the body's unbearable memories—her father's roars, smashed liquor bottles, blows to her body, her mother's suppressed sobs, and her own fear that she couldn't block out even by hiding in the closet and covering her ears...
Everything felt like another lifetime, yet it was as clear as yesterday.
Miyoko nervously rubbed her calloused hands, her eyes darting away, not daring to look at Kuchiha.
"Did... did you eat? Mother... Mother will make you something to eat?" Her voice was dry, with a deliberate, false enthusiasm, trying to play the role of a "normal" mother.
"Okay... okay, thank you, Mother." Kuchiha nodded obediently, like a well-behaved child.
Miyoko, as if granted a great pardon, immediately turned and scurried into the tiny kitchen.
But Kuchiha keenly caught the panic-stricken tremble when her mother closed the kitchen door.
She didn't touch the pots and pans.
What Kuchiha heard was a suppressed, almost tearful gasp, and then... extremely faint, yet incredibly clear key presses.
She was on the phone.
Kuchiha's heart sank little by little, like falling into a cold abyss.
She sat quietly, her gaze unconsciously falling into the shadows where garbage bags were piled in the corner—
Inside a garbage bag, a rabbit doll made of dirty rags sat quietly.
Its head was tilted, and the two holes where its eyes should be seemed to be staring in the direction of the kitchen.
Yes, it was Kuchiha's childhood playmate...
In the kitchen, Miyoko covered her mouth, her voice pressed extremely low into the old landline receiver, filled with fear and urgency: "...Is... Is this the Control Bureau? She... She's back! That monster! Kirishima Kuyo! She's in my house! Please come quickly! Take her away! Quick..."
"Click."
The kitchen door was gently pushed open.
Kuchiha stood quietly at the doorway, her pale little face devoid of any expression, only her deep, unfathomable black eyes silently watching Miyoko, who was holding the receiver and instantly froze.
Time seemed to freeze.
Miyoko slowly hung up the phone, pretending nothing had happened, and walked towards Kuchiha.
But just as she was less than half a meter from Kuchiha, Miyoko suddenly erupted!
She pounced on Kuchiha like a protective mother beast.
"You! You monster! Demon!"
Miyoko shrieked, her movements swift and unlike a woman worn out by years of labor, carrying a hysterical frenzy!
Kuchiha was caught off guard and was slammed hard against the doorframe by Miyoko!
A pair of calloused hands, rough as sandpaper, with astonishing force, tightly gripped Kuchiha's slender, fragile neck!
"Why did you come back?! Why didn't you die outside!" Miyoko's eyes were bloodshot, the muscles on her face twisted with hatred, and spittle splattered on Kuchiha's face, "You killed him! You killed your father! You parricidal demon! Beast!"
"He hit you? So what if he hit you?! How did I teach you? Endure! Just endure and it'll pass! This family can still be maintained! Why did you resist?! You ruined everything! Ruined this family! Why don't you just die—!!!"
She shrieked, her hands tightening like iron tongs!
Kuchiha's breathing was instantly cut off, her fair little face rapidly turning red and purple, and her vision began to blacken.
She futilely tried to pry her mother's hands away, but those hands were rooted, unmoving!
The immense feeling of suffocation and the hatred in her mother's eyes, wishing to tear her apart, made Kuchiha feel like she had fallen into an ice cellar.
How ironic.
Both suffering from her father's abuse, the mother, in long-term oppression, had long twisted her mind, viewing the abuser as the pillar maintaining the "family," internalizing her fear of authority into a pathological acceptance.
Kuchiha's resistance, in her eyes, became an unforgivable betrayal and the root of destruction!
Even as Kuchiha was nearly suffocating, she still coldly watched everything before her.
No anger, no grievance, no disappointment, as if she had already expected this.
Just as Kuchiha's consciousness began to blur, black spots appeared at the edges of her vision, and she felt her neck bones about to be crushed—
The tattered rabbit in the corner, which had been quietly "watching," suddenly seemed to come alive.
Its form rapidly inflated as if being pumped with air!
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I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right now but who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/SolyuraMT
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"