Chapter 7: A Very Meaningless Reason To Gift A Pen

With the way Emily reacted to what Ryan said, it was clear that she wasn’t expecting him to say something like that.

She had frozen for a second, but then, after processing it, she displayed an emotional smile while staring right at his face.

"Big Brother, you were never a failure. All I know is that you’ve always worked hard to make ends meet, and you always did your best," she said while looking right into his eyes.

"I love you, Big Brother."

Emily collapsed onto his shoulders for a hug, and Ryan didn’t hold back.

She might not have understood why he had made those statements, but Ryan understood that the real Ryan dying was already a big failure to start with.

Sure, there was a new Ryan now, and he was capable of making up for what the former Ryan couldn’t do.

But...

’What happens when she finds out that her real brother is dead?’

’What happens when she finds out that it wasn’t him the whole time?’

This would be his retirement planet for sure, but what if people found out that he wasn’t the true Ryan Calender?

He immediately decided to give his mind no more space for those thoughts and dismissed them.

The more he stared at her face, the more relaxed he became, and the more ambitious he got. ℴ

[Lifespan remaining: 30 Years. 1 Week. 6 Days. 10 Hours. 23 Minutes.]

And as for the countdown over her head, it gave him every reason to be even more relaxed.

Ryan remembered her question about whether the pain would come back, and that wasn’t something he would even want to answer.

Soly had already stated that everything would be paused for the duration of the time that was sold until it was due.

It simply meant that Emily would be asthma free for the next thirty years, and if her lifespan contract wasn’t renewed, she would have two weeks left before she died.

Ryan was the only one who knew that... At least for now.

"We are heading to the mall," Ryan finally gave an answer to the question she had initially asked.

And at that time, they were already in the area.

The cab came to a stop at Tuff Super Mall somewhere in northern Pentown, and they both stepped out.

Emily was awed because she knew exactly why they were there without being told. Any human with common sense would.

"When we go in there, you are going to get all the stuff you need. Clothes, shoes, anything... Feel free," Ryan said with a smile.

Before Emily even thought of taking a step, she quickly rushed towards him, throwing herself at him for another hug.

"Thank you so much, Big Brother," she voiced.

The hugs and emotional moments were already overwhelming, but Ryan was at her service. All his life traveling around the universe, he had always tried to play his role perfectly.

This wasn’t going to be an exception.

He led her into the large, crowded mall, carrying a small bag that had some of the cash he had earned.

Ryan hadn’t even thought about depositing it in the bank for once because he was simply comfortable with cash movements, or so he thought, but he knew pretty well that he would need the bank very soon.

He followed Emily to the clothes area, where she began shopping. He wouldn’t want to watch her even when Emily wanted him to.

All he did was dip his hands into his pockets as he strode behind her, enjoying every view.

At that point, he hadn’t even thought about getting his own things, even though he knew that Ryan was just another poor guy who lacked a good wardrobe.

That wasn’t his problem at that point. After purchasing a black suit the previous day, he was already fine.

He waited for Emily the whole time as she moved from section to section, but there was no trace of complaint on his face.

It was the first time either of them had been somewhere like this. Back then, their mother would be the one to get the clothes and all the stuff they needed, so it was a first time experience for both of them.

Emily preferred to enjoy the view as she shopped, and she even had to visit sections where she didn’t have to purchase anything.

Ryan was right behind her through those moments, and it had taken over an hour before they were completely done.

They had about five baskets forwarded to the attendant unit, where Ryan had to do the heavy job.

’Anything for my little sister,’ he thought.

And soon, they were facing the billing point.

There were three ladies and a gentleman at that particular counter, but only one had decided to attend to them.

After evaluating all the prices, she summed everything up with the computer and smiled right at Ryan.

"Seven thousand six hundred dollars, sir."

While she was talking to him, Ryan was busy staring at what was hovering around her head at that time.

[Lifespan remaining: 2 Days. 17 Hours. 33 Minutes. 48 Seconds...]

"Excuse me, sir?"

Ryan was suddenly jolted after being carried away, so he immediately smiled and gave her the seven thousand dollars in cash.

"It’s... It’s remaining six hundred, sir," the attendant added with a smile on her face.

"Oh..." Ryan immediately grabbed another one thousand dollar note and handed it over.

He didn’t even mind receiving the balance as he immediately left the spot. He walked over to one of the shelves in the snacks section and grabbed a cookie pack that was packaged in a white carton.

Then he reached out for a pen on another shelf in the distance and wrote something on the cookie pack.

He returned to the counter where Emily and the attendant were waiting with hurried footsteps and then dropped both the pen and the cookie pack in front of her.

"This is for you," he said as he smiled at the attendant.

The young lady stared blankly for a split second before a smile appeared on her face.

"Thank you so much, sir... But, may I ask what the pen is for?" she spoke.

"Yeah. I figured you might need it sometime," Ryan responded with a bold smile, like everything he had just said made perfect sense.

But it was clear that it didn’t.

However, the attendant just happened to respond with a nod as she handed him his balance.

"Don’t worry. You might need that too."

Still, Ryan rejected the balance as he walked out of the mall with Emily.

Emily, who had been watching the whole drama unfold, was only thinking that her Big Brother had fallen for a beautiful lady in the mall.

When they had entered the cab and were heading back to the apartment, she couldn’t help but ask.

"Do you like her, Big Brother?"

Ryan turned to her and let out a smile.

"Of course I do, and that’s exactly why I’m trying to save her life."

******

Meanwhile, back in the mall, the young lady was just about to grab the cookie pack before heading out after completing her work for the day.

She was about to grab one cookie when she flipped the pack, and she noticed that something was written on it.

She immediately flinched, remembering why the pen had come with the cookie pack, and she was pushed to read what was written on the carton at once.

"YOU ARE GOING TO DIE."

"MAGNIFICENT BAR, 3PM TOMORROW."

"KEEP TO THE TIME."

At that moment, her heart dropped.