Ever since Baskara's confession yesterday, Cruel had been clinging to him all night. By morning, Baskara felt like his neck was about to snap. I mean, how could it not? Cruel's arms were literally draped around his neck the entire night. Does he think I'm a teddy bear? Hey, I still have some dignity left!
"Damn, my neck is so stiff, man," Baskara groaned, stretching his body and massaging his neck to ease the tension.
The System gave him a deadpan look.
[Tsk. Complaining over something so small? What a brat. You should be grateful you're still alive after dealing with that little devil. Luckily, he wasn't mad at you yesterday. Just imagine—if he had lost his temper, you'd probably be waking up in hell today. Hahaha!]
Baskara shot the System a look and rolled his eyes.
"Oh, shut up with that talk. Where were you yesterday when I was almost executed by Cruel, huh?! Using that 'summoned by the admin' excuse! You think I'm stupid? You're getting on my nerves. Anyway, I'm not sharing a single cent of yesterday's money with you."
[Come on, Deadweight, don't be like that. If you stay angry, you'll die faster. Besides, I really was summoned by the Underworld Admin because you've been acting like a fake shaman.]
"I don't care! Admin, trans-dimensional lawyer, whatever—I don't give a damn. It's your fault for ditching me. I almost died at Cruel's hands," Baskara grumbled. Last night was truly insane.
Cruel's "affection" was literally a physical trauma. But Baskara didn't have time to wallow in self-pity because Bu Ratna was already knocking on the door, her face glowing like she had just won the lottery.
"Ki Kara! Your talisman actually worked!" she chirped excitedly, placing a massive basket of imported fruit and a thick brown envelope on the table.
"My husband didn't step out of the house at all last night! He said his legs felt 'heavy' every time he tried to go out—it must be because of that Swallow sandal ritual, right, Ki?" Bu Ratna continued, her joy practically radiating from her rich-auntie face.
'Phew, thank god I got a clueless client. That wasn't the talisman, lady. Your husband probably just had a leg cramp or was too paranoid about losing his other sandal,' Baskara thought, keeping a "holy" smile on his face.
"I see, Nyai. I am glad to hear that. However, this gift seems a bit too much... I feel bad accepting it..."
That was a total lie. Purely for image. There was no way he was rejecting that envelope full of "red money" (100k bills).
"Oh, Ki Kara, don't be modest! I'm giving this because I'm so satisfied with your service. I've been to so many shamans and none of them worked. But your spells and talismans? Magic! So please, just take it," Bu Ratna insisted.
[Ugh, look at you playing hard to get. Just admit you want her to add more money, right?]
'You know me too well, System. Hehe. I did want more, but since I'm in a good mood, this is enough for now.'
The System made a gagging face.
[Blegh. You're so full of it.]
'I'm just wise, okay? Catch up.'
"Ki? Kara?" Bu Ratna's voice snapped him back to reality.
"Ah, yes, Nyai?"
"Well, Ki, I'm actually here to say goodbye. My husband and I are going on a honeymoon to Bali. So... hehe... can I get another talisman? Just in case there are any 'curvy' distractions over there," Bu Ratna giggled.
'Ah, there's a snake in the grass.'
[Psst, idiot. The phrase is 'an elephant behind the sand.']
'Shut up, you're the dumb one. It's "shrimp behind the rock"! (Something's fishy).
"Alright, I'll make one. Please wait here, Bu Ratna."
Bu Ratna nodded and sat on the floor. I grabbed a pen and paper and walked back to her.
"Now Nyai, this is a special mantra. I guarantee no woman out there will dare get close to your husband."
"What kind of mantra is it, Ki?" she asked curiously.
"The 'Someone's Husband' Mantra." Baskara wrote something on the paper. It said:
This is my husband. Don't even think about getting close. If you dare, I'll slit your throat with my kid's plastic toy knife.
He wrote it in Javanese script, knowing full well Bu Ratna—a city person—wouldn't understand a word of it.
"Stick this paper on your husband's back without him knowing," Baskara handed it over. Bu Ratna received it solemnly, as if it were a divine blessing.
"Amazing, Ki! You really went all out to help me!"
"It's no trouble. Helping a lady in distress is my responsibility."
"Here, Ki! Let me add more money!" Bu Ratna immediately dropped another thick envelope on the table. Baskara's eyes practically turned into dollar signs.
"The previous amount was enough, Nyai... but if you insist, I shall accept it for my khodam's (spirit guardian) needs," Baskara smiled, swiping the envelope.
"Thank you again, Ki! I'll be going now!" Bu Ratna left the shack with a permanent grin. Baskara watched as her luxury car drove away.
[Ahem!! That's a lot of cash. Share some, will ya?]
"Huh? Share? You kidding me? I was the one doing all the talking, and you? You just sat there listening."
[Aish, Deadweight, don't be like that. Sharing is caring, you know.]
"Good for you, not for me. Anyway, speaking of which, where's Cruel?" Baskara looked around.
Where is that brat of death?
Baskara searched behind the shack and found his younger brother in the damp back shed. The smell was weird—a mix of sulfur and... burnt crayons?
"Dek? What are you doing—"
Baskara's words cut off when he saw Cruel sitting cross-legged in the middle of a circle of black candles. In front of him was a bowl of dark liquid and a tattered piece of paper that looked like a page from an ancient book. His eyes were intensely focused, his lips chanting a mantra that made the hair on Baskara's neck stand up.
Wait. Is he... is he trying to summon a demon?!
[Warning! High-level demonic energy detected! The Little Devil is trying to bypass System authority to make a contract with an entity from the underworld!]
'What?! Why would he do that?!' Baskara screamed in his mind.
[He wants to 'lock' your soul in this world, Deadweight. He doesn't want the System to pull you back to your original realm.]
Suddenly, the shadows in the corner of the shed began to twist. A small, pitch-black creature with glowing red eyes emerged from the floorboards. It looked terrifying, like it was ready to devour someone's soul—until it saw Cruel.
Cruel didn't flinch. Instead, he reached out, grabbed the creature's neck, and squeezed lightly.
"Listen to me, trash," Cruel whispered, his voice so cold it made Baskara shiver. "You stay in my brother's shadow. If anything dares to pull his soul away from here... you eat them. Got it?"
The "demon" was literally trembling in Cruel's hand. It looked at Baskara with a face that seemed to say: Help me! This kid is scarier than my boss in hell!
Baskara stood there frozen, clutching Bu Ratna's fruit basket.
'My new little brother is literally summoning demons just to make sure I don't get 'recalled' by the system. Mommy... I'd rather be crushed by a drying rack again than have a literal devil for a bodyguard.'