Night had fallen. With zero skills but maximum effort, Baskara tried to whip up some lighting. He started tinkering with stuff he'd (barely) learned back in school. His "materials"? A stolen lightbulb from the village hall porch, a potato swiped from the village chief's garden, and some wiring he "borrowed" from a neighbor's package after the courier dropped it off. He figured he was just "safekeeping" it for them.
Smart, right? Yeah, smart enough to rack up some major sins.
Cruel stared at his brother with his usual deadpan expression. He was probably wondering what kind of crazy stunt his brother was pulling this time.
"Whatcha making, Bro?" Cruel asked bluntly.
"Making us some light so we don't sit here in the dark. It's stuffy, infested with mosquitoes, and pitch black—just like the System's face," Baskara replied, though he kept that last part to himself.
[You want a piece of me, kid?]
'Oh, "you want a piece of me?" Bring it on! You think I'm scared? I've literally killed mosquitoes before, you know,' Baskara scoffed internally while his hands stayed busy assembling his "masterpiece." Well, a masterpiece in his eyes, anyway.
(A/N: Sorry guys, I forgot what this science experiment is called, but you know the one from middle school, right? Just imagine it. Patience is a virtue, and those who are patient get to meet Lee Min Ho. Peace! 😉✌️)
After nearly two hours, Baskara finally finished his project. The light actually flickered on! Sure, it was dim—dimmer than our past memories together (just kidding).
"Look, El! Your brother's a genius, right? I call this... the Halal Lamp," Baskara grinned, showing off his "aesthetic" creation.
[Flexing with stolen goods? Wow.]
'Shhh, shut up! You're just a broke System living on minimum wage. Don't act like we're buddies.'
Baskara gave the System a side-eye. Man, that smug System was really asking for a punch to the face.
[Insulting the System is a sin, you know.]
Kara sighed. It was pointless arguing with this trashy System.
"Bro," Cruel called out, snapping Baskara back to reality.
"Oh, yeah, El?"
"Why are you spacing out?"
"Oh, nothing. I wasn't. Anyway, let's hit the sack. Yawn... I'm beat."
"Sleep sounds good right now. Oh, by the way, grab my skincare from that plastic bag over there," he added, pointing to a bag next to Cruel.
"Skincare? You actually have money for that?" Cruel asked, skeptical, though he still reached for the bag.
Baskara chuckled.
"Yeah, low-budget skincare. Wanna see?"
Cruel nodded.
"Ta-da! Autan skincare! Not only does it moisturize, but it keeps the mosquitoes away too," Kara grinned shamelessly. His brother just stared back with a look that could kill.
'I think I need to get Bro's brain serviced. Where do they even repair brains? Or should I just perform surgery and check what's inside?' Cruel thought.
Kara looked at his brother, confused. "What are you thinking about?"
Cruel shook his head. "Just wondering where the nearest brain repair shop is."
"Whose brain needs fixing?"
"Yours."
[Warning! The Little Devil is planning manual brain surgery. Target: The world's biggest burden who keeps annoying the Admin (Baskara).]
'Screw you, System!!'
"Hey, D-Don't worry, El. My brain is totally normal. Just a bit laggy, you know? Like a phone with only 2GB of RAM. No need for a repairman! Seriously, just go to sleep."
Baskara tried to stay calm as he laid down on a thin carpet—as thin as the System Admin's bank balance.
Cruel didn't say a word. He just sat there beside him.
[Scared of the "burden," are we? Tsk tsk. Turns out you're actually terrified of your own little brother. Quote of the day: "I can handle being insulted, but when it comes to my brother, I'm out."]
'Shut up! Stop yapping. Are you a System or a celebrity gossip host?!!'
Baskara was eventually fast asleep. After all that drama, he managed to calm his brother down by giving him a book. Where'd he get the book? You'll find out soon enough.
Since there were no clocks in the shack, it was probably around 1:00 AM. Cruel was still busy reading the book his brother gave him (which he allegedly found on the Village Chief's porch).
"System... please... have mercy..." Baskara's mumbling made Cruel stop reading. He turned to look at his brother, who was talking in his sleep.
"No!! Not that rack!!! Those are... those are the clotheslines! They're falling!!"
"Bro—"
"I can't believe I died because a drying rack fell on me... that's so not aesthetic, damn it. I should've at least been hit by a truck so I could get insurance and be reincarnated like in an anime..."
Cruel froze. He decided not to wake him up. Did he hear that right? Killed by a drying rack?
"It hurts, System... the metal rod went up my nose..." Baskara mumbled while clutching his nose.
"And there was a neighbor's underwear stuck to my face while I was dying... The embarrassment followed me to the afterlife, man. It smelled bad too. I bet they haven't washed it in a month..."
Cruel narrowed his eyes at Baskara.
"Bro," Cruel's voice was deep and heavy. His sharp gaze didn't leave his brother's face.
Something felt off. He'd thought his brother changed because he'd seen the light or just had a mental breakdown, but those mumbles made him doubt everything.
Before he could overthink it, a loud snore erupted from Baskara.
It was a snort so loud and "un-aesthetic" that anyone hearing it would want to plug their ears immediately.
(A/N: I really want to stuff a sock in his mouth.)
Cruel shook it off. Maybe it was just a weird dream from exhaustion. He'd investigate more tomorrow.
Eventually, Cruel decided to just go to sleep and laid down next to him.
He had one rule: Whoever dares to lie to him or try to replace "him" won't ever be let go.
Obsessive? Maybe. Only the author and God know for sure.
[Notification! Death Child Level 2 is now active.]