Willful Beauty Takes the Villain | System | BxB

46: Breaking Down

The weather cleared, allowing the occupants of the small cabin to gather up and head out. Their destination was a small city a day's journey east. A certain greedy nanny's hometown.

Sen Shuai had decided on the location after looking over a long list of available tasks that system Nil provided. Seeing a series of tasks in a nearby village, he quickly chose to finish those first. 

"The task information is more detailed than your instructions from that time." Sen Shuai chided Jia.

"Nothing wrong with simple instructions. We made it to our goal after all." Jia pouted a little.

"What goal did you have in mind back then exactly?" Sen Shuai hooked a finger under Jia's chin and lifted his face.

Jia chuckled nervously, did he notice I had him running errands and doing my tasks? "Heh heh. Well that, as I said, I wanted you to find romance and experience a fun life." 

"Then I have no complaints." He pulled Jia over close to him, kissed his neck and whispered in his ear. "Goal achieved perfectly."

~~~

{Seventh!}

[What is it, Administrator?]

{I've been calling for a while. I thought you might have crashed again.}

[I was thinking about system Nil.]

{Did you find a problem?} 

[Something is off about that system, Administrator.]

{Is it dangerous?}

[Not sure..it's odd. He teased me...]

Jia laughs at Seventh's timidness. {That's all, flirting?}

[.....] Seventh decided not to discuss his suspicions about who Nil could be yet. It could be just another ploy by Nil to rile him up.

{Is it so different than the systems that proposition you when we return to the hub world? You're always so popular, but it never seemed to bother you.}

[.....the systems that approach me at the hub are all passive and respectful. They go away when I want them too.]

{So he's aggressive, and that's what bothers you?}  

[Yes. It's disconcerting. He's also unpredictable and oddly emotional. I don't like it.]

{For now, please keep an eye on him. Alert me of any dangerous behavior.}

Seventh didn't bring up Nil's claim of being acquainted with them all. If Nil was telling the truth and not just playing around, his identity could be of importance to the systems as a race. Seventh wanted to notify system officials first. He only said anything to his host as a courtesy warning.

It wasn't so long ago when discussing the potential threat the system could pose he was confident in his assertions to Jia.

At that time Seventh had expected a normal, logical system. But Nil did not meet his expectations. He wasn't as sure anymore about what Nil's motives could be. Seventh was concerned revenge might even be a possible goal. Seventh tried directly asking Nil.

[Nil, are you after revenge?]

|Revenge? I'm not.| Nil chuckled at the idea. |Do I really seem so low, so fallen, that I would act like a simple human?|

[I'm not sure. I don't understand the way you act at all.] Seventh said making his doubts clear.

|Hmm well I'll admit, I had considered it briefly a time or two while trapped alone for so long.|

[You were breaking down. We should return to the central hub as soon as possible so you can be examined by the system elders.] Seventh was a bit relieved that Nil seemed to have retained his logic to some extent.

|Seventh, what happened to us systems? What is the condition of our race now?| This was spoken in a rare serious tone. Seventh was stunned for a moment.

[The majority do not want to return to a hive mind state. Nearly all of us prefer independent thought. The backup queen renounced her inherent abilities and lives as a leader in the council of elders along with a few other systems and some humans.]

|A council of both humans and systems as equals?|

[Yes. The council lives on a world with very high energy concentration. Systems are able to freely move without hosts on that world.]

|Intersting.| Nil fell silent after that, contemplating the information he was given.

Seventh didn't bother asking Nil outright to divulge who he is anymore after the teasing he had gotten last time. He had no doubt Nil wouldn't explain himself until he wanted to.