"We need to stop the car and let the engine cool down for a bit." Vicky said before parking the car on the side of the road.
As she left the car and opened the bonnet to let the engine cool better, Cat moved in my lap and muttered, "We are stopping?"
She then opened the door and calmly stepped out.
Seeing this, I realized—Cat wasn't sleeping like I believed but was just pretending to.
Ba-Dum!
My eyes widened in shock, and my heart rate increased—I became anxious.
'She most definitely felt that.' I thought and had the urge to pull out my hair, 'What am I going to do now? Will she think I am some kind of monster?'
For a few moments, my mind was a mess before I took a deep breath and calmed down.
'Let's not overthink. She is acting as though she hadn't noticed it. I shouldn't behave strangely either and make it worse for us.' I decided before stepping out of the car.
"Um, Ryan, can you help me out?" Felicity asked. With my mom sitting by the window, she wasn't able to get out of the car.
Maybe it was because three Fire Avoidance Pearls were activated until a while ago, or maybe it was due to all windows being lowered, or maybe the mixture of both; the inside of the car wasn't as hot.
So, after Felicity stepped out, I put my mom back on the seat.
Just as I was about to close the door, I remembered the skill I got,
Because she wasn't showing any sign of regaining consciousness, I was getting worried. So, with a thought, I activated the skill, wanting to see what was wrong with her.
Flicker!
Immediately, a floating screen appeared on top of her head, containing the information about Mom.
I nodded in satisfaction and looked at it.
[Name: Lori Brown]
[Race: Human]
[Sex: Female]
[Age: 38]
[Physical: 3]*
[Mental: 5]
[Affinity: 90/100 (Loves host dearly)]
[Relationship with host: Adoptive Mother]
[Status: Extremely weak, sick, unconscious]*
[* = Expand]
'Hmm? Why is it showing race too? Are there any other species besides humans on earth?' I thought.
I, of course, knew there were countless races such as animals, insects, plants, and others, but I didn't know why this thought appeared in my mind when I saw the race mentioned.
Shaking my head, I stopped thinking about it and scanned the entire screen before asking, 'System, what are the normal physical and mental stats for a normal, healthy person?'
[10, host.] The system responded.
My face fell when I heard this.
Her stats were too low.
Though it shouldn't have been a surprise because her condition was really bad, I still didn't like it.
Then I thought of expanding the status, and a smaller screen popped up.
[She is suffering from multiple respiratory and cardiac illnesses, which have made her extremely weak. Currently unconscious due to inhaling too much smoke. Note: She doesn't have long to live if not treated soon.]
'Cardiac illnesses?' I furrowed my brows. We only thought she had some respiratory problems, so this was a surprise, a very unpleasant one.
However, it was when I read the extra note that my pupils constricted, my heart almost stopped beating, and my face became pale.
'H-How much time does she have left?' I asked despite not wanting to hear the answer.
Flicker!
As soon as I asked, her information screen flickered, and right below the age section, another section appeared.
[Lifespan remaining: ~3 months]
'Just three months?' My mind went blank.
[Not exactly 3 months, host. It could be a few days more or less depending on several factors.]
I quickly came back to my senses and asked, hopeful and anxious, 'The Healing Fluids, it can cure her, right? Its description said it can heal any and all illnesses.]
[That's correct, host.] The system responded positively.
I sighed in relief and then grumbled, 'Why didn't you remind me, then? I was losing my mind in vain.'
[You shouldn't expect the system to take initiative to help you, host.]
Reading this, I sighed, 'I have resources. It's up to me to use them. I can't just expect them to be used on their own according to my needs.'
'I understand.' I nodded in understanding.
Then, I focused on the Relationship section that I had been ignoring.
'She really hadn't lied.' I thought, recalling the words of my aunt Becky, Mom's sister, who found me a few months after Lori and Cataline died in my past life.
When she saw how depressed I was, she tried many ways to cheer me up, but when everything failed, she gritted her teeth and told me…
'...I don't know if it would make you feel any better… Lori and Mark weren't your biological parents. They had adopted you when your real parents, their close friends, died in a car crash.'
When I had heard this, I didn't believe her one bit, but after seeing the system say this, I had no choice but to believe.
But contrary to what one might expect, this information didn't make me sad or conflicted. Instead, I felt… relieved?
I knew the reason why I felt this—I loved my mom and sister, not only as a son and brother but also as a man. Since it was clear we weren't blood related, they were fair game, no?
This made me feel ashamed of myself, but I couldn't really help it.
Right then…
"Big brother? Are you alright?"
Cat's concerned voice brought me out of my thoughts.