The Sip That Stole My Life

The Plan That Should Have Worked

"Sorry, Annie. My throat's been hurting these past couple of days, so I really can't drink a milkshake."

"C'mon, drink it. It's already open. People might actually think there's something wrong with it if we keep passing it back and forth." I handed the milkshake back as I carefully watched Annie's expression.

"What are you talking about, Sienna? We just met today. Why would I ever poison you?" Annie's eyes flickered with a trace of panic before she quickly forced herself to sound calm.

"I'm kidding. Go on, drink." I nudged the milkshake a little closer to her.

I hadn't just learned that the milkshake was bound to a system before I died. I had also learned that the one who initiated the binding would suffer a backlash if they drank it themselves.

'I'll find a way to make you drink it even if you try to wriggle out of this, Redwood. This time, you're going to pay for what you did.'

I was already considering slipping it into her food if she kept turning away from it when she did something I didn't expect. She picked up the milkshake and took a sip.

"You know, the milkshakes from that shop by the school gate are actually pretty good. It's too bad that your throat hurts, Sienna. I'll treat you to one next time."

She kept drinking as she spoke. Her expression remained completely normal even after finishing more than half the cup. There wasn't the slightest sign of the backlash she was supposed to suffer.

'How's that possible?'

It was Annie herself who had told me that drinking the milkshake would trigger the backlash.

In my previous life, I had cursed her when I was on the verge of death, saying she would get what she deserved. She had only smiled and told me that the system could indeed backfire, causing her to feel as if 100 needles were piercing through her body.

But then, she added that I had already drunk the one milkshake that could have triggered that backlash for her.

I had been on death's door at the time. So, there was no reason for her to lie to me. Yet, she wasn't showing any signs of pain even after drinking the milkshake. What was going on here?