Mei stood there for a second, feeling like she was in some kind of simulation.

Then, she shook her head as she looked at June's teary eyes.

"Why are you getting so emotional?" she muttered, finding the situation weird.

[It's fine to get emotional! We're suffering a loss here.]

Her eyes instantly widened, and she looked around the place, wondering where she heard such a voice.

[I'm here.]

Mei darted her eyes all around, making her feel like she was going crazy.

She let out a small chuckle.

"Alright, I think I need to head back. I'm feeling pretty tired," she said, a bit absent-minded.

She was about to leave when the same voice spoke once more.

[You're taking this surprisingly better than your bro—I mean, than June. He fainted and injured his face when he first heard my voice!]

"Are you hearing him now?" June asked, wiping his eyes and looking intently at Mei.

Mei's mind was in a constant state of distress as she tried to comprehend everything that was happening.

[Yes, listen to June before I make a formal introduction!]

"What the fuck is happening?" Mei asked, not able to control her voice.

Her voice echoed through the walls, making June cover her mouth with his hand.

"They'll hear you!" he whisper-shouted.

Mei looked at June, still appearing shocked.

June sighed. "You promised me that you wouldn't freak out!"

Mei removed June's hand from her mouth and sighed, trying to calm down her mind.

"How could I calm down when I have this flamboyant-ass voice speaking in my head?" she whisper-shouted back.

"Oh, I never thought of it that way," June chuckled. "But Fu is pretty flamboyant."

[Just because I'm fabulous does not mean that I'm flamboyant.]

"See! It's speaking again!" Mei exclaimed.

June sighed and massaged his temples.

"I know you must be in shock," he said. "But it's really not that bad."

"What the heck is this? How do you even know that there's someone speaking in my head?" Mei asked.

"Because that came from me," June smiled.

[Good evening, host! I am Fu, your idol system.]

[Goal: Become a top idol, or your brother dies.]

[Your current stats are:

Vocals: B-

Dance: C+

Visuals: S

Rap: F]

Mei's eyebrows raised in surprise. She knew she needed a lot of work done, but having her stats laid out for her was quite humbling.

That didn't take up much of her thoughts, though, since Fu's previous statement caught her off the most.

"Brother?" she muttered.

"Huh?" June asked as soon as she said the word.

Mei looked at June before shaking her head.

"What the heck is he talking about?" she asked.

"Oh, he says a lot of useless stuff," June said. "Don't listen to him all of the time. He throws curveballs that would stray you away from your original path. I wish I knew that sooner."

"However, he's not bad at all. The missions he gives are still ridiculous, and some are borderline illegal, but they seem to happen for a reason."

Mei closed her eyes to absorb everything June was telling her.

"Is this really happening?" she asked, still unable to believe it.

June sighed and turned even more serious.

"It's what I've been meaning to give you since last week," June said.

Mei chuckled. "Like it's just some kind of gift? What the heck? What even is this?"

"It already told you," June said. "It's a system—an idol system that helps you upgrade your skills."

Mei frowned, and then she pointed at June.

"All along, you had this kind of system with you?"

June pursed his lips before nodding.

"And that's why you were able to improve so fast?"

June continued nodding.

"I guess you could say that," he said. "Although, in my defense, it wasn't easy getting to where I am today. I'm not sure whether it's easier or more difficult compared to other trainees, but I know that I don't have any regrets."

Mei scoffed, about to tell him off for having a cheat sheet, when Fu spoke once again.

[The skills reflected in the system are due to the host's hard work.]

[Fu is not a cheat sheet.]

[Fu is just a helper to the deserving ones.]

That instantly had Mei quieting down.

She was still in disbelief at what was happening, yet somehow, she felt that it made a lot of sense.

Mei was a very huge fan of such books, so she wasn't unfamiliar with such concepts.

However, even then, being the subject of such concepts was still pretty shocking.

"And why me?" Mei asked, her voice holding a sense of acceptance.

That caused June to smile.

"Because it's you," June vaguely answered, causing Mei to impatiently sigh.

"Just tell me the reason," Mei deadpanned

June shrugged. "Honestly, there's no set reason."

You're my sister.

"You just seem to be the most hardworking out of everyone in the entire show."

Of course, she has been a hard worker ever since we were younger.

"I could tell that you like this job a lot. You really want to become an idol."

That still shocks me to this day.

"Honestly, you're way better than me since I was given the system not out of my own will but randomly by the universe."

And now, I'm choosing you.

"So, I wanted to change things and give it to someone who has wanted it from the start."

And that's you.

"So, take this gift of mine, and I hope you fulfill your dreams with it. Fulfill your goals, too," he continued.

I might not be there to see it happen, but I'll still be watching from afar.

"You'll have a hard time adjusting at first, but I hope you take it one step at a time. You got this," June said, patting her back.

Somehow, June's words and actions ignited something in Mei's heart—something that she felt she had experienced before.

Then, before she knew it, a tear fell out of her eye.

June was surprised, while Mei shook her head and aggressively rubbed her eyes until they were red.

"I don't get it," Mei muttered. "Why do I want to cry every time you're near now?"

June smiled at the ground.

Mei may not know, but she must have felt it deep inside.

June didn't say anything and started walking away from Mei, hoping she would continue to feel their connection without the explicit use of words.

Before June came May.

So, June wanted to give Mei everything he had before he left.

"Mei," he said just as he left, causing the girl to look at him with teary eyes.

I'm your brother.

"I hope you live a better life this time."

chapter-743
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