My Bugged System Made Me Too OP!-Chapter 55: Get up

Amelia didn’t say another word after giving her vague explanation.

She simply turned around again.

Her fingers tightened slightly around the strap of her school bag as she walked toward the front door.

Her steps were quick.

Almost hurried.

As if she didn’t want to stay in the house any longer than necessary.

"Amelia?"

Their mother’s voice rang out from the dining area.

It carried a mixture of confusion and concern.

"Where exactly are you going?"

Amelia paused for only a brief second near the door.

But she didn’t turn back.

"I’ll be back soon," she said quickly.

Before either Noah or their mother could say anything else, she opened the door and slipped outside.

The door shut behind her with a soft click.

Silence filled the house again.

For a moment, Noah remained seated at the dining table.

But only for a moment.

Then his chair scraped lightly against the floor as he stood up abruptly.

"I’m going after her."

His voice was firm.

Without waiting for a response, he began moving toward the door.

"Noah, wait—"

Their mother quickly stretched a hand toward him, trying to stop him.

But Noah paused only briefly.

He turned his head toward her.

His expression softened slightly when he saw the worried look on her face.

"You don’t have to worry yourself, mum," he said calmly.

"We’ll be back before you know it."

Before she could respond, Noah turned and headed for the door.

He stepped outside quickly and closed it behind him.

Inside the house, their mother remained standing in the sitting room.

Her arm was still slightly raised from when she tried to stop him.

For a moment she simply stared at the door in stunned silence.

Everything had happened so suddenly.

First Amelia rushing out without explanation.

Then Noah immediately chasing after her.

She slowly lowered her hand.

Her brows tightened as a dull ache began forming behind her temples.

With a tired sigh, she placed a hand against her head.

A faint headache was already beginning to brew.

Her thoughts were a tangled mess of confusion and worry.

’Just what the hell...’

Her eyes drifted toward the door again.

’...is going on with these two...?’

*

Minutes later.

Amelia stood in the middle of a quiet, deserted street.

The area was far from the busy parts of town.

Most of the nearby buildings looked old and worn down.

The evening sun had already begun to dim, casting long shadows across the cracked pavement.

There were no pedestrians around, only silence.

Amelia stood stiffly in the center of the street.

But she wasn’t alone.

Four other people surrounded her.

Three girls, and one boy.

The three girls appeared to be roughly Amelia’s age.

Each of them wore similar academy uniforms, though their expressions were far from friendly.

Their eyes were filled with mocking amusement as they stared at Amelia.

The boy standing with them looked older.

A few years older at least.

He leaned lazily against a nearby wall with his arms crossed, watching the situation unfold with casual interest.

Amelia swallowed slightly.

Her fingers tightened around the strap of her bag.

The girls’ gazes made her visibly uncomfortable.

Without saying anything, Amelia slowly removed her bag from her shoulder.

She opened it quietly.

Then she reached inside and pulled out several books.

Her movements were careful and hesitant.

After taking them out, she extended her hands and passed the books to the three girls.

However, instead of accepting the books, the three of them glanced at one another.

Then slowly...

Their lips curled upward.

A sinister smirk spread across their faces.

Amelia stood stiffly in the middle of the deserted street, the weight of the three girls’ gazes pressing down on her like an invisible force.

Their expressions were far from friendly.

In fact, the way they looked at her made her feel small, and uncomfortable.

Her fingers trembled slightly as she held out the books she had taken from her bag.

A faint shiver ran through her body.

"Here..." she said quietly.

Her voice lacked confidence.

"I’ve done all the homework..."

The words came out soft and hesitant.

As if she hoped that by saying them carefully, the situation might end peacefully.

But the reaction she received was the opposite.

One of the girls stepped forward.

She had short brown hair that framed a sharp, unpleasant face.

Her eyes were narrow as she stared at Amelia.

A faint hiss escaped her lips before she spoke.

"So that’s it?"

Her tone carried obvious contempt.

Without warning, she suddenly smacked Amelia’s outstretched hand.

Slap!

The impact was quick and rough.

Amelia gasped in shock as the books slipped from her hands.

They fell to the ground instantly.

Several of them landed on the dusty pavement with dull thuds.

Others scattered slightly across the street.

Amelia stared down at them.

Her eyes widened.

The books she had spent time completing were now lying in the dirt.

For a moment, she didn’t move.

Meanwhile, a smug smile slowly formed on the brown-haired girl’s face.

She folded her arms as she looked down at Amelia.

"Well?" she said mockingly.

"Why are you just standing there?"

Her smirk widened.

"Aren’t you going to pick them up?"

Behind her, the two other girls burst into quiet laughter.

Their chuckles carried a cruel edge.

Even the older boy leaning nearby let out a low laugh as he watched the scene unfold.

Another girl stepped slightly forward.

Her expression was just as mocking.

"Haven’t we told you before?" she said lazily.

"When you’re giving us something..."

Her eyes drifted down toward the scattered books.

"...you do so on your knees."

Amelia’s body trembled.

Her fingers tightened slightly at her sides.

But she didn’t argue.

Instead, she slowly bent down.

Her movements were hesitant as she reached toward the books scattered on the pavement.

Her hands trembled slightly as she began gathering them.

Just as her fingers touched one of the books—

A voice suddenly echoed from behind her.

"Don’t do that."

The voice was calm.

But it carried an unmistakable firmness.

Amelia froze instantly.

Her body stiffened.

Slowly, her head turned.

Her eyes widened the moment she saw who was standing behind her.

Noah stood a short distance away.

His gaze was fixed on the group in front of Amelia.

"...Big... brother?"

Amelia’s voice came out in a soft whisper.

Surprise filled her face.

She clearly hadn’t expected him to appear here.

The three girls and the older boy also turned their attention toward the newcomer.

Their eyes narrowed the moment they saw Noah.

A low hiss escaped one of the girls.

The brown-haired girl who had knocked the books down stepped forward slightly.

Her eyes scanned Noah up and down.

Then a mocking grin spread across her face.

"Well, well..."

She tilted her head slightly as she looked at Amelia again.

"What’s this?"

Her tone dripped with ridicule.

"You called your loser brother to come save you?"

The brown-haired girl stared at Noah for a brief moment.

Then suddenly—

She burst into laughter.

It was loud, mocking, and completely filled with contempt.

"Hahaha!"

Her shoulders shook as she laughed openly, pointing toward Noah as if she had just heard the most ridiculous joke imaginable.

"Like hell he could do anything!"

Her tone dripped with scorn.

To her, Noah was nothing more than a pathetic figure who had just walked into a situation far beyond his control.

Her laughter slowly faded as she turned slightly.

Her gaze shifted toward the boy standing behind them.

The smirk on her face widened.

"Did you forget?" she said smugly.

Her chin lifted slightly with pride.

"I brought my brother."

She gestured lazily toward the older boy behind her.

Her voice carried obvious arrogance as she continued.

"He’s an early Adept Magus..."

Her eyes slid back toward Noah.

"...unlike your useless brother."

The words were meant to sting.

Then her attention returned to Amelia.

Her eyes hardened again.

She looked down at the girl still crouched on the ground gathering books.

"Didn’t I tell you something earlier?"

Her voice lowered slightly.

A dangerous edge slipped into it.

"I told you to obey me if you don’t want to get your face smacked again."

She tilted her head slightly, staring down at Amelia.

"Huh?"

Amelia’s shoulders trembled slightly under that gaze.

The brown-haired girl scoffed in annoyance.

Then she lifted her leg slightly.

It looked like she was about to kick Amelia where she crouched.

But before her foot could move—

Noah spoke again.

"Don’t dare."

His voice was low, yet sharp enough to cut through the tension in the air.

"...or I’ll make you regret it."

The moment those words left his mouth—

The brown-haired girl suddenly froze.

Her body stiffened involuntarily.

A strange chill ran down her spine.

It was subtle.

Yet impossible to ignore.

For a brief second, her heart skipped a beat.

Her mind couldn’t quite understand why.

After all, the person standing there was supposed to be nothing more than a loser.

A useless older brother with no power.

Yet at that exact moment—

Her instincts screamed something completely different.

A faint fear crawled through her mind.

And for reasons she couldn’t explain...

She found herself unable to move.

Just then—

"Hey."

A voice hissed sharply from behind her.

The older boy stepped forward.

His expression was dark as he moved past the girls.

Soon he stood directly in front of Noah.

His eyes glared down at him with clear hostility.

"Who do you think you are, loser?"

His voice was laced with anger.

"Talking to my little sister like that?"

The tension in the air thickened instantly.

But Noah didn’t respond.

In fact...

He didn’t even look at him.

Instead, Noah’s gaze shifted past the boy and settled on Amelia.

His voice softened slightly when he spoke again.

"Get up."

Amelia blinked in surprise.

For a moment she hesitated.

Her eyes flicked nervously toward the three girls.

They were all glaring at her now.

Their expressions were filled with anger and hatred.

Their stares alone were enough to make her body tremble.

Then she looked back at Noah.

After a brief pause, she slowly pushed herself to her feet.

Her legs trembled slightly as she stood up beside him.

The older boy noticed the exchange immediately.

His expression darkened further.

A sharp hiss escaped his teeth.

"How dare you... ignore me while I’m talking?"