Chapter 94: Memory

"How about it, just give the clothes back and that's it? Are you treating us like fools...?"

Luosang hadn't finished speaking when Broly called a halt.

The chubby kid looked over in confusion, unclear as to why his big brother would stop him now, when just a little more pressure would successfully force the other party to join.

But not understanding was one thing; his trust in Broly still made Luosang fall silent directly.

"Does the eldest child at home stop being valued once a second child arrives?"

"Broly-san, what's wrong with you?"

Hill noticed something was off about him and asked.

"Nothing, just suddenly remembered some things."

Broly pinched his brow, his complexion looking somewhat poor.

His mind would sometimes surface with bits of information.

But never once had it surfaced this much information.

"Mom, I got third place in the class on my final exams."

"Only third place, not first place. You lost a few points in Chinese, shows you were careless."

"Mom, this time I got first place."

"I know, I know..."

A woman whose face he couldn't quite recall, yet who felt familiar, seemed a bit impatient.

In the blurry memory fragments, a child's crying rang out.

"Your little brother is crying again, Mom has to go take care of him. After you eat, go to school on your own."

"Dad, the school has a parent-teacher meeting tomorrow..."

"Dad has to work tomorrow."

"Mom?"

"Mom has no time either, she has to stay home and take care of your little brother. Let your maternal grandma go."

"Mom, I want to play soccer, can you buy me a pair of cleats?"

"Can't you kick in ordinary shoes? Don't compare yourself with others at school, wasting money recklessly."

"Mom, I want that toy car..."

"Fine fine, I'll buy it for you."

In the blurry memory, the boy stood at the shoe store entrance, watching his mother pull his little brother into a toy store.

"Mom, my score passed the key high school admission line."

"Mm, not bad. Your little brother did well too, got into the top ten of his class. Let's go eat at McDonald's to celebrate."

"Mom, I want a Big Mac meal."

"Order two Happy Meals, just right to get two extra toys to give to your little brother."

"Big brother, your notebook looks nice, give it to me."

"That's mine."

"Give it to me."

"No."

After being refused by the youth, the child with the unclear face ran to the parents to tattle.

"How old is your little brother, how old are you? You're this big already, still bickering with your little brother."

"It's just a matter of some notebooks. I'll give you money to go buy a few more. Just let your little brother have these."

The youth was scolded by his parents.

No matter what he did, in his parents' eyes, he always fell short of his little brother.

If he did well, it was what he should do as the older brother.

If he did poorly, it was him setting a bad example for his little brother.

Even for the same thing, his parents had two different standards for him and his little brother. Sometimes the youth would think, if only the little brother weren't there, and then even produce some dangerous thoughts.

But in the end, the dangerous thoughts remained only thoughts.

Simply because of his parents' differential treatment, he started slacking off.

After being taken by a classmate to watch anime once, he discovered the illusory 2D world had more love, and the youth fell irretrievably into it.

The inner emptiness brought by reality's lack of love was filled by the false 2D female characters.

Before he knew it, the youth started buying figures, calling 2D characters his wives.

Becoming, in outsiders' eyes, an otaku who willingly degenerated and lived a slacking life.

Hill's similar situation triggered the past life memories buried in his consciousness. Broly could feel the sadness, pain, the relaxation after slacking off, and the relief of completely abandoning reality and reincarnating into a 2D world.

Now, looking at Hill, Broly felt as if he were suddenly facing a mirror, except what reflected back wasn't his current self, but the otaku who once suffered unfair family treatment.

Of course, only this part of the memory of being unfairly treated was awakened. Therefore, Broly felt empathy for Hill, whose experience was somewhat similar. He could understand that pain of being the unvalued child in a family.

"This afternoon, I'll go back with you and make the matter of the clothes clear. If your mother isn't willing to return my clothes, then you belong to me."

Information surged into his mind like a tide, then receded like a tide, leaving only damp traces on the sandy shore of his surface consciousness, which made Broly speak those words to Hill.

"Uh, okay, I understand."

Hill accepted it submissively, not refusing Broly's arrangement.

And while Hill asked the Store Manager for leave to go outside and get glasses fitted, the dishes Broly and the others had ordered were also served one by one.

However, no one moved their chopsticks; aside from Leone not wanting to be the first to start eating, the other children all looked somewhat worriedly at Broly, whose expression seemed a bit off.

Broly wasn't off; it was just that a pile of information had surfaced in his mind a moment ago, making him, whose brain had always been comparatively pure and simple, feel complexity, with some of it still in a brainstorm.

【I am Broly, I have no younger brother.】

The memories of the otaku from his previous life suffering unfair treatment from his family weren't important; Broly quickly tossed that information to the back of his mind.

【A wife can not only fill the stomach, but also fill the emptiness deep inside.】

Only leaving inside one more reason to find a wife.

"Eh, you all aren't eating?"

Coming back to his senses, looking at the table full of untouched dishes, Broly asked somewhat strangely.

"Are you alright?"

Esdeath asked from the side.

"What could happen to me?"

"But your complexion looked bad just now."

Black Pupil pointed it out, and the other children all nodded in agreement.

"I just remembered some unhappy things, but I've already thrown those unhappy things away now. Sorry for making you worry, but I'm fine now, everyone hurry up and eat!"

Broly gave a shout, then started eating first.

Seeing his appetite wide open, the other children also set their minds at ease.

For a time, the private room was full of the sounds of hearty eating.

"Another bowl of rice, thanks."

"I want noodles."

"Two more plates of that steamed bun hair's stinky mandarin fish and braised tofu."

Leone was somewhat startled by the children's uninhibited eating manners at the table, but she quickly integrated into it.

The food at Guihua Fang was truly too delicious; she also ate wolfishly.

Even the hat on her head fell off, her gathered long hair scattering down to her waist, and she didn't notice at the first moment.

Not until she had eaten and drunk her fill, her little belly stuffed full, did she realize it belatedly.

"Are you full?"

Broly asked her.

"Mhm, I'm full."

Leone was a bit embarrassed, holding the beret in her hand — putting it on wasn't right, not putting it on wasn't right either.

"Want to order some dessert?"

In the end, with dessert still available to eat, the hat was set to the side.

(Chapter End)