MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

Chapter 661: Fucked Up

The warm, inviting aroma of freshly baked cookies and cakes lingered in the air, filling the room with a sweetness that made everything feel more intimate. Vega and Anthony sat together at the table, quietly indulging in the treats they had baked with their own hands.

Between them rested a jug of juice, its condensation slowly dripping down the glass as if savoring the moment just as much as they were.

The gentle clinking of their forks against the plates and the occasional crunch of cookies gave the room a domestic serenity, a soft reminder that happiness sometimes came in the simplest of forms.

“I have to say,” Vega began, her lips curling into a smile as she munched on a cookie, “these are incredibly good. Aren’t you just a little too good at everything?”

Anthony, leaning back slightly in his chair, gave her a smug grin. “What can I say? Rich, check. Handsome, check. Tall, check. Powerful, check. The best boyfriend in the entire universe, double check.” He punctuated the last words with a triumphant smile, his tone deliberately playful.

Vega’s laughter filled the space, light yet tinged with exasperation. “Your narcissism is indeed top-tier.”

“But did I lie?” Anthony countered smoothly, raising a brow. “I do possess every quality I just listed.” His smile widened, the confidence in his voice almost infectious.

“I never said you were lying,” Vega admitted, her tone softening though her eyes still carried their teasing spark. “I just hope our child doesn’t inherit that insufferable narcissism. Hmph.” She pouted faintly, stabbing her fork into a piece of cake as though it were the embodiment of Anthony’s arrogance.

Anthony’s expression shifted into mock surprise. “Hooo… I thought I was the only one talking about children. Why are you suddenly mentioning them?” His gaze softened into something calmer, more deliberate, as his smile lingered.

It was curious to him. Vega had always avoided the topic of children whenever he brought it up. But now, she had been the one to bring it up herself, and that in itself was something worth noting.

“Nothing,” Vega replied flatly, quickly stuffing the piece of cake into her mouth as though the sweetness could shield her from further questioning.

Anthony chuckled, his eyes never straying from her face. His elbow rested on the table, his head leaning against his palm as he studied her.

Then, in that half-lazy, half-serious manner of his, he remarked, “Since you’re worried about my narcissism, I should confess, I’m worried about your sweet tooth.”

Vega rolled her eyes with dramatic exaggeration. “Come on, we’re cultivators. We can’t be affected by mundane diseases like diabetes or kidney failure,” she declared confidently, as if she were reciting an unshakable truth.

“That’s true,” Anthony conceded with a small nod. Then he leaned forward slightly, his eyes narrowing just enough to sharpen his words. “But that’s only after they’ve awakened. What about before that? What about before the age of ten?”

“Meh. Both of us can use countless healing abilities and light magic. Don’t try to shift the topic,” Vega replied, raising her fork with mock seriousness.

Anthony laughed again, deciding not to press the matter further. In truth, he was only joking with her. With his Perfect Human Bloodline, any child of his would be born far from ordinary.

From their very first breath, they would already surpass the limits of what most considered possible. They would not be vulnerable to the fragility of mortality, not in the same way others were.

“Also,” Vega suddenly added, her voice carrying a mischievous lilt, “stop talking about children when you haven’t even given me a proper wedding. You haven’t even proposed yet.”

Anthony’s smirk returned, this time touched with mischief of his own. “Although I could propose right now, I won’t. I can sense another big event on the horizon. If I proposed now, you wouldn’t be able to participate in it. You’d be too busy carrying our child and playing the role of a nursing mother.” His tone was teasing, but his tone flickered with just enough seriousness to make the words linger.

“Hmph. I never said you should propose right this instant,” Vega pouted again, though curiosity quickly lit up her gaze. “Besides, what is this so-called big event you’re talking about?”

“You’ll understand in the future,” Anthony replied smoothly. “Where’s the fun if I tell you everything now?”

“That’s not fair,” Vega huffed, poking at him repeatedly, trying to force the answer out of him. Her persistence was almost childlike, the way she nudged his arm and pouted as though she could will the truth out of him.

Of course, Anthony wasn’t sensing anything at all. He was merely speculating, after all, whatever happened next would depend entirely on the author’s plans for the story’s next arc.

Now that the Demon King had been introduced along with his hundred loyal followers, it was only natural that something earth-shattering was waiting just around the corner.

As Vega continued pestering him for details, Anthony found himself drifting. His eyes softened, his thoughts quietly unraveling into the memories of a life long gone, his former life.

That life was one of his reasons for pressing forward, for refusing to ever settle, for never letting himself stagnate no matter how comfortable his circumstances became. In his previous life, he had died without ever knowing love, without experiencing the warmth of a relationship.

While others worked the standard nine-to-five grind, he worked nine-to-nine, sometimes even until ten, sacrificing everything for the promise of just a little more money.

His mind lingered on his parents, who had abandoned him at an orphanage. He never judged them, never harbored resentment, because he simply didn’t know the circumstances of his birth.

Perhaps they had died, and leaving him behind had been the only option. Perhaps one of them had been a drug addict, who, in a rare moment of clarity, realized they couldn’t raise a child and concluded that giving him away was the best choice.

But regardless of what their reasons might have been, Anthony made himself a promise: if, no, when, he became a father, he would never abandon his child under any circumstance.

This wasn’t going to turn into one of those cliché novels where the protagonist had to send their child to a lower plane, sealing away their talent and turning them into trash just to protect them from enemies.

No. If enemies threatened his children, he would carve through every last one of them with nothing but his katana.

The thought made him smile faintly as his gaze drifted into the distance. He wouldn’t deny it, he thought of his former life from time to time. But those reflections only strengthened his resolve to cherish what he had now.

To hold it close. To love it deeply.

Here, he had the freedom to do almost anything he wished. He had loving parents. He had a playful yet caring girlfriend. He had friends he could rely on. One could argue he had everything.

And yet, there were moments when Anthony wondered if this was truly real. What if all of this was a dream? Perhaps after the truck hit him, he had simply fallen into a coma, and all this, his reincarnation, his cheat-like powers, his family, his reality, the love and happiness, was nothing more than an illusion spun by his unconscious mind.

The thought sometimes lingered like a shadow, but Anthony never allowed it to burden him. To him, this was reality, plain and simple. Nothing more. Anything else was just his tendency to overthink.

‘I should sue those authors who wrote those books on how to get a girlfriend,’ Anthony thought internally, recalling with sudden amusement the numerous books he had once read. ‘None of the things they wrote ever worked.’

As if sensing his drifting thoughts, Vega’s lips curved into a sly smirk. She tilted her head, her voice deceptively casual. “I seem to recall you saying something interesting to that demon, Lilithra… what was it again?” She pretended to pause, tapping her chin as though trying to recall his exact words.

Anthony blinked, pulled sharply back to the present.

“I believe your exact words were: ‘If you can take me by force, I won’t object.ʼ” Vega’s smirk widened into something wild, almost predatory, as though she had finally cornered him. “Tell me, Anthony… what exactly did you mean by that?”

Anthony’s expression froze. Internally, his thoughts screamed in dismay.

‘It seems I’ve really fucked up this time, haven’t I?’

_________

AUTHOR’S NOTE: I release three chapters today, so don’t miss the third one, thinking I only release two. Thanks for reading.

Since I released only one chapter yesterday, I released three today, to make up for yesterday’s missing chapter.

Also, do well to check out my Author’s note on the last chapter of today.

Thanks for reading.