E-Rank or SSS-Rank: I Awakened a Skill That Shouldn't Exist-Chapter 99: Forgotten

Chapter 99

The morning sun streamed through the window, casting a warm glow on the sleeping face of a white-haired girl. Laura stirred gently, a peaceful look etched across her face. She opened her eyes and called softly, "Xin?"

No answer.

Sitting up, she turned to the bed beside her—empty. Her younger sister was gone.

A flicker of confusion crossed her face. She checked the adjacent rooms one by one, calling out names, searching. Nothing. No sign of Xin, no sign of anyone. Each room echoed with silence.

"They couldn’t have forgotten me... right?" she muttered, forcing a shaky smile to hide the rising dread in her chest. But doubt gnawed at her. With growing urgency, she rushed to the ground floor, to the hotel bar, to the lounge—every place they had been together. And yet... still no one.

Her worst fear whispered a cruel truth:

They had left her behind.

---

An hour later, Laura stood alone by the seashore. Maurina City—sprawling and beautiful—rested against the vast ocean, but even its charm couldn’t lift her spirits.

She grumbled under her breath, sitting with her knees drawn to her chest, clutching a wrinkled list in her hand. It was a list of things she’d wanted to do with everyone. Memories she thought they’d share. But they’d all abandoned her. Even Xin.

"Selfish fools..." she mumbled, bitterly scoffing. She picked up a small pebble and flung it at the water. It skipped twice before sinking. She grabbed another. Threw it. Skipped once. Sank. Again. And again.

The repetitive motion did little to ease her frustration.

Suddenly, she felt a presence behind her.

Turning, she saw a young man with long black hair walking casually along the shore. Without saying a word, he stopped beside her.

"You’re upset," he said, not looking at her. Then, without waiting for a reply, he picked up a pebble and tossed it with a smooth flick of his wrist. It skipped once, twice, three... seven times before vanishing into the horizon.

Laura blinked, genuinely impressed. That was perfect.

"I could teach you, if you want," he said with a soft smile.

Laura hesitated. She didn’t know him, and she wasn’t exactly comfortable with strangers—especially not men. Han had made sure of that. She opened her mouth to refuse.

But before she could speak, he gently took her wrist and placed a pebble in her palm.

"Relax," he said, positioning her arm, guiding her stance with a calm precision. "Lower your hand just a bit... there. Now—throw it."

Her face flushed. She wasn’t used to being this close to anyone, let alone a boy.

Still, she nodded and threw the pebble.

It skipped. Once. Twice. Three... six times. It sank, but not before dancing across the surface beautifully.

Her eyes widened in disbelief.

"See?" he grinned. "Told you."

Laura looked at him, then nodded. "Okay... maybe you can show me more."

The next few minutes passed with him adjusting her balance, correcting her grip, even teasing her when she got frustrated and pouted. She eventually opened up—telling him about how her siblings had left, how she had made plans with them, how everything fell apart. It all spilled out, raw and unfiltered.

He just listened. Then smiled gently.

"You’re not wrong to be upset," he said. "But don’t let that anger cloud the good memories. Siblings... they’re annoying sometimes. But if you care about them, every moment with them is worth something."

Laura fell silent for a moment, then nodded. She didn’t hate Han. Or Xin. Or any of them. She was just... hurt.

They continued talking, swapping silly stories, laughing about nothing in particular. For the first time that day, Laura smiled for real.

Then it happened—a pebble she threw skipped so far, she couldn’t even see where it landed. She jumped to her feet in excitement.

"I did it!" she beamed.

The young man smiled, brushing some hair out of his face. "Told you you could."

He turned to leave. "Well, I’ve got a few things to take care of. Glad I could help."

Laura watched him go, a flicker of loneliness returning to her chest. She clenched her fists, willing herself not to call out—but couldn’t stop herself.

"Wait!"

He paused, turning his head slightly.

"I’m Laura," she said, brushing some hair behind her ear. "What about you?"

The young man gave her a soft smile, the breeze teasing strands of his dark hair.

"I’m Jayden," he replied. "But you can just call me Jay."

With that, he turned and walked away, his figure slowly disappearing into the sunlight.

Laura stood there, holding her hand over her chest. Her heart was racing, her cheeks tinged with pink.

What’s wrong with me...?

She shook her head, exhaling deeply, then glanced down at the crumpled list in her hands. Her expression hardened with resolve. Cracking her knuckles, she whispered to herself:

"Well... if they won’t do it with me willingly, I’ll just have to force them. Let’s go."

And with that, she marched off, head high.

---

Elsewhere...

Xin and Kira made their way through the bustling streets of Maurina City’s marketplace. Bright stalls lined the roads, vendors shouting over each other in a chaotic chorus.

"Are we really doing all this?" Kira grumbled for the third time.

She had been complaining since they began their little shopping spree. It was all Xin’s idea—of course. Kira only wanted to train and maybe sneak off to see Ronan. But instead, here she was, arms weighed down with bags full of girly trinkets and clothes.

And Xin? She was in heaven.

"Almost done!" Xin chirped as her eyes lit up at the sight of a stall selling colorful ornaments. "Just this one last stop, I promise!"

Kira groaned.

The stall owner launched into his usual dramatic sales pitch, boasting about the divine origins and mystical properties of his merchandise. Kira rolled her eyes—she doubted even half of it was true. But Xin listened like she was hearing prophecy, and, of course, ended up buying several items.

After what felt like an eternity, they were finally done.

Kira was practically jogging away when she noticed Xin’s expression change again—eyes glowing with curiosity.

"Oh no," she muttered as Xin grabbed her arm and pulled her toward another bizarre corner of the market.

They stopped in front of a man with blond hair and a clearly fake beard that looked like it had been glued on in a rush. Behind him stood a crooked wooden sign:

"The Universal Fortune Teller"

The man grinned theatrically. "Ah, little one. I can see exactly why you’re here."

He closed his eyes and placed both hands on a shimmering blue orb resting in front of him. His brow furrowed dramatically, like he was peering into some hidden realm.

"You came... to see a fortune teller," he declared with the gravity of a prophet.

Xin clapped in delight.

Kira’s deadpan expression twitched violently. What else would someone come to a fortune teller for?

"Can I ask anything?" Xin asked eagerly.

The man nodded solemnly. "Three questions."

Xin thought for a moment, then blurted out the first thing on her mind.

"Will my parents ever come back?"

The man placed his hands on the orb again. After a tense moment, he opened his eyes and gave a single nod.

Xin’s face lit up. To her, that simple gesture was everything. Her parents had disappeared when she and Rin were just babies. Han always assured her they hadn’t abandoned them, and she held on to the hope they’d return someday.

Encouraged, she asked her second question.

"Will I awaken a powerful skill?"

Again, the same ritual. And again, a confident nod.

She smiled wider.

Then came her third question, hesitating only briefly.

"What about my sister, Laura? What’s her power?"

This time, the man’s expression grew more serious. He placed his hands on the orb, closed his eyes—and then slowly shook his head.

"I cannot see her power," he said. "But I can see this—she will change. Cold. Distant. Not the same girl you know."

Xin blinked, taken aback.

Cold and distant?

Her mind flashed to Laura’s usual expression whenever she was about to freeze Han for annoying her.

Could she get colder than that...?

Still, Xin wasn’t overly shaken. She never truly believed in fortune-telling anyway—it was more for fun than anything.

"Your turn is over," the fake fortune teller said, turning toward Kira. "Now, you may ask your question."

Kira stepped forward, her face unreadable—neither annoyed nor calm. Just... blank.

Xin watched her quietly.

She’s starting to act more and more like Brother Ronan, she thought, a little uneasily.

Kira’s voice came, low and even.

"You can see the future, right?"

The man nodded solemnly.

Kira didn’t hesitate. "Then tell me... what will happen to the Cursed Organization? Will it be destroyed completely?"

The fortune teller closed his eyes again, his fingers curling against the orb as if reaching for something just out of sight. Moments passed before he slowly opened his eyes.

"I don’t know," he admitted. "Their fate is still clouded... but I saw something else."

Kira’s gaze sharpened, though her voice remained calm. "What did you see?"

The man leaned forward slightly, his tone more serious now.

"You... will become a danger to those around you."

Kira blinked once. Twice. Her hand twitched at her side.

Xin frowned. "What do you mean? How could Kira be dangerous? I’m older than her, and she’s not like that at all!"

The man shook his head. "All I saw was... she will become an anomaly."

"An anomaly?" Xin repeated. "What even is that?"

The man sighed and shrugged. "No idea."

Kira turned without another word. "Let’s go, Xin. I still have to find Ronan."

Xin hesitated, then placed 500 yen on the table. "Thank you... wise one," she said politely, though the title was clearly forced.

As they began to leave, the man called out.

"Wait."

Xin turned around just as he reached behind his table, rummaging through a cluttered pile of trinkets. He pulled out a necklace—simple, with a tiny vial of green liquid dangling from its center—and tossed it to her.

"Keep it," he said with a smile. "A gift."

Xin caught it, her eyes widening. The pendant was oddly beautiful, like a tear frozen in glass.

She bowed slightly. "Thank you."

As the two girls walked off into the crowd, the fortune teller leaned back in his chair, stroking his fake beard with a contemplative expression.

"Interesting," he murmured, his gaze lingering on the spot where Xin had stood.

Then, as if speaking to the wind:

"Now... where could her twin brother be, I wonder?"

To be continued.....