My Scumbag System
Chapter 77: Illegaly Healing and Legally Sliding into DMs
CHAPTER 77: ILLEGALY HEALING AND LEGALLY SLIDING INTO DMS
Kenta nodded eagerly, momentarily distracted from his pain by the promise of something special, something just for him.
"Mom, Dad, I’m taking Kenta-kun to the back room for a minute!" Emi called out. Her mother glanced over, immediately understanding what Emi intended to do from years of seeing her daughter’s compassion in action. She gave a subtle nod, a silent blessing and warning in one—be careful, don’t overdo it.
Emi led Kenta and his mother through the kitchen to a small storage room lined with shelves of ingredients in neat, labeled containers. Closing the door behind them, she winked at Kenta. "This is just between us, okay? Think of it as...extra training."
"For what?" Kenta asked, eyes wide with curiosity and a hint of excitement breaking through his pain.
"For being brave," Emi replied with a warm smile that lit up her entire face. She gently took his injured arm in her hands, her touch feather-light. "This might feel a little strange, but it won’t hurt. I promise. It might tickle a bit, like bubbles under your skin."
Emi closed her eyes, focusing on the warm energy that always lived in her center, a glowing ember she carried with her everywhere. She channeled it outward through her hands, feeling the familiar tingle as her Aspect activated, the sensation like champagne fizz running through her veins. A soft, pale green light began to emanate from her palms, spreading to encompass Kenta’s arm in a gentle, misty glow that seemed to breathe and pulse with a life of its own.
Hummmm...
The light pulsated softly, illuminating the small storage room with an ethereal radiance. Kenta watched in wonder, his mouth forming a perfect ’O’ as the angry red scrapes on his arm began to close, the skin knitting together before his eyes like invisible needles were sewing him whole again. The deep purple bruising faded gradually to yellow, then disappeared entirely, leaving only unblemished skin behind.
"It doesn’t hurt anymore!" he gasped, flexing his arm experimentally, turning it this way and that with childlike amazement. "That’s the coolest Aspect ever! Way better than moving rocks!"
Mizuki’s eyes filled with tears, one hand pressed to her mouth. "Emi-chan, thank you. I don’t know how to repay—this would have cost us a week’s wages at the clinic—"
"No need," Emi interrupted with a smile, though she already felt the familiar wave of fatigue washing over her, like a heavy blanket settling on her shoulders. A thin sheen of sweat had formed on her brow, and she discreetly leaned against the wall for support as the green light faded, her energy draining away with it. "Just keep our secret, okay? I’m not supposed to use my Aspect outside of emergencies or training. The VHC has all these rules about unauthorized healing."
"It was an emergency to me," Kenta declared solemnly, examining his healed arm with awe, running his small fingers over the smooth skin. "When I’m a famous Hunter, I’ll tell everyone that Emi-neesan was my first Healer."
After Kenta and his mother returned to their table, piling profuse thanks upon her that made her blush, Emi took a moment to collect herself, breathing deeply in the quiet storage room. The dizziness would pass, she knew, but the fatigue would linger like a shadow. The training session she’d planned for that evening would have to be light, maybe just meditation instead of practice projecting her aura.
As the day progressed, Emi found herself moving more slowly, her usual boundless energy diminished, as if she were wading through knee-deep water. Every healing took something from her—a price she paid willingly but felt keenly. By the time the dinner rush ended and she was able to retreat to her room, exhaustion had settled deep in her bones, making her limbs feel like lead.
Emi dropped onto her bed, staring at the ceiling where she’d stuck glow-in-the-dark stars in the pattern of constellations. Her phone lay on her chest, the unsent message to Satori still open on the screen, the cursor blinking expectantly.
"Combat Aspects have it so easy," she murmured to herself, rubbing her tired eyes. "They just get stronger for themselves. Every fight makes them better. But for a Healer..." She sighed, the sound heavy in the quiet room. "Getting stronger just means you have more to give away. More of yourself to pour into others until there’s nothing left."
She held her phone above her face, rereading the draft message she’d written earlier, scrutinizing every word: "Hi Satori-kun! This is Emi. Natalia’s friend? I was wondering if you’d like to study together sometime before the entrance exams. My healing knowledge + your fire skills could make a good practice team! 😊"
Her thumb hovered over the send button, trembling slightly with indecision.
"Why would someone as strong and cool as Satori-kun be interested in someone like me?" she whispered to the empty room, voicing her deepest insecurity. "My Aspect isn’t flashy or powerful. I can’t blow things up or freeze enemies or fly. I’m just... the girl who makes the hurt go away. The afterthought. The support character."
But then she remembered the way Satori had looked at her when she’d explained her healing Aspect in the café, his eyes intent and focused. Unlike many others who immediately calculated her utility value, mentally assigning her to a support role without a second thought, his eyes had shown genuine interest. He’d called it "talent," not just a support skill. He’d asked questions no one else ever bothered to ask.
"Maybe..." Emi murmured, her voice gaining strength with each word, "maybe he’d understand what it’s like. To be seen as just one thing when you know you’re so much more."
With a sudden surge of courage born from exhaustion and a desperate need for validation, for someone to see her as more than just a useful tool, Emi pressed send before she could second-guess herself again. The message disappeared with a soft whoosh sound, like a wish carried away on the wind.
Emi stared at the screen, her heart hammering so loudly she was sure it could be heard downstairs. What she’d done suddenly felt monumental, as if she’d crossed some invisible line, a boundary between her safe, predictable life and something new and unknown.
Her phone buzzed almost immediately, making her jump with a small yelp. She fumbled with it, nearly dropping it on her face in her haste to see the response.
Satori-kun ❤️: Hey, Emi. Nice to hear from you. I was actually hoping you’d message me. When are you free?
Emi gasped, pressing the phone to her chest as if to contain the sudden explosion of butterflies in her stomach, their wings beating against her ribcage. She kicked her feet in the air again, a giddy laugh escaping her lips that chased away her fatigue like sunshine after rain.
"He responded! And he wants to meet!"
She quickly typed back, deleting and rewriting three times to get the perfect casual-yet-interested tone: I’m free next Sunday afternoon if that works for you? There’s a nice study café in Mirai Central with these amazing cream puffs.
Another almost immediate response: Sunday works perfectly. I’m really looking forward to it.
"See you Sunday," she whispered, already mentally planning her outfit—something cute but not too obvious, something that said ’serious Hunter prospect’ but also ’approachable and fun.’
The perfect balance, just like she always tried to be.