The socially awkward villain's furry superpower

Chapter 184 Athena's Terrible Morning

Athena woke up because Sienna was getting out of bed. She grumbled for her sister to lie back down, but Sienna didn't listen. She was always the first to wake up, though not always the first to get out of bed.

This was mainly because Athena and her sisters liked to snuggle up to Sienna while sleeping, sometimes making it difficult for her to get out of bed. But this morning was different. Sienna quietly got up, yawned loudly, and then stumbled out of the room.

Athena curled up again. The place Sienna had just left was still warm. But for some reason, something felt... off.

Athena blinked and looked around. The lights were off, but that wasn't a problem for her. Athena didn't boast about it, but she actually had a remarkable ability to see in the dark—at least better than her sisters. That's why she noticed someone was missing.

Teddy occupied the best spot at the foot of the bed, drooling over Sienna's pillow, while Maple Leaf pressed against Athena's back, its face buried in the gap between Athena and the bed. Trinity was curled up at the foot of the bed.

But there is only one Trinity.

Athena moved her chin, then climbed out of bed. She squinted as she left the bedroom. The lights were on in the rest of the house.

The sound of running water came from the bathroom; the older sister was probably taking a shower.

Athena checked her bedroom. Her bed wasn't made, so she went over and tidied it.

Every night, the eldest sister, Sienna, would settle them all down and lull them to sleep. It was a wonderful and warm feeling, and none of the sisters complained.

Although it was troublesome to sneak out of my own bed every night and squeeze into Sienna's room to sleep together, that was just how it was.

She went to the kitchen, grabbed a stool, placed it in front of the refrigerator, and opened the freezer door. It was Sunday morning, which meant eggs and bacon day. Besides her eldest sister, only Athena—and for some reason Trinity—was allowed to cook.

Maple Leaf can cook, but she's often distracted. Once, Sienna discovered Maple Leaf had turned the oven into a flamethrower and firmly stopped her.

Teddy, on the other hand, can't cook at all.

Athena hummed a little tune, took out a few boxes of eggs and put them on the table, then found a skewer of butter and a carton of milk.

Eating eggs usually means making omelets, because it's the easiest thing to do, and nobody complains. She placed the food on the counter next to the stove.

She grabbed a few plates, a small trash can (for the eggshells), a spatula, and a butter knife. Soon, Athena watched the eggs sizzle. Just then, Sienna walked in, her hair still damp from her shower. "Oh, you've already started," she said.

“Mmm,” Athena replied.

The older sister walked over and patted Athena on the head. "Good job. Thank you. I'll start making the toast."

Athena smiled, feeling particularly pleased with herself. She'd received a pat on the head as encouragement so early in the morning. The eldest sister opened the refrigerator and sniffed it. She bent down, inhaling the cold air emanating from it, then straightened up and took another deep breath of the surrounding air.

"What's that smell?"

Athena sniffed the air too, but her nose wasn't very sensitive. She could smell eggs, and perhaps a hint of Sienna's shampoo. And something else. She sniffed again. Was it the smell of rotting flesh? "Ugh, it stinks," she said.

“Yes. I initially thought it might be some leftovers, but I don’t think it’s coming from the refrigerator.” Sienna walked over to check the trash can, but it was mostly empty and the smell wasn’t strong. “This smell will keep bothering me,” she said.

Athena turned off the stove, placed the frying pan on another burner, and Sienna left the kitchen. She jumped off the stool and followed her.

Sienna stopped at Teddy's door, opened it a crack, and sniffed. "It's not here," she said.

She went to Trinity's room and flung the door open.

A cascade of things poured into the room. There were bottles, jars, several electronic devices, and a few small bags. There were stained clothes and some crushed boxes.

"What is this?" Sienna asked. Then, a pungent smell assaulted their nostrils, causing Athena and her older sister to instinctively back away. When the door opened, the smell was a thousand times stronger than before.

A dirty Trinity stumbled out of the room, trash scattering in front of her. "Hi!" she said.

“Trinity, what are all these things?” Sienna asked.

Trinity looked down. "Uh... garbage?"

“I know it’s garbage! Where did you get it from?” Sienna asked.

Trinity's face lit up with a big smile. "The landfill!" she exclaimed. "It's amazing there!"

“What do you mean by landfill? How did you get things from there to here?” Sienna asked.

“There’s still one of me there,” Trinity said.

"You've been running back and forth all night?" Athena asked.

Trinity shook her head. “I’ve been delivering junk all night,” she said. She reached into her pocket and pulled out something that looked like half a Rubik’s Cube. “See this?”

Sienna rubbed her face. “Trinity, no,” she said. “You can’t just… you can’t have trash from the landfill delivered to your room.”

“Anyway, nobody wants these things,” Trinity argued.

“That’s not the problem, you idiot,” Athena said. “It’s stinky and filthy.”

“But my older sister said I could decorate the room however I wanted,” Trinity said.

“But not with garbage!” Athena said.

Sienna pinched her nose and opened the door wider. "Oh, so much stuff," she said, looking at the mess in Trinity's room. "Trinity, we... we need to talk."

“Oh no,” Trinity said.

Athena almost patted Trinity on the shoulder out of pity, but she just smelled terrible.

“But first, I think we need to get rid of all of this,” Sienna said.

"Clean it all up?" Trinity asked.

“I… yeah?” Sienna said. Trinity looked like she was about to cry, and Athena could tell at a glance that her eldest sister was about to take back her decision, but she couldn’t do that, because then Trinity would see that Sienna couldn’t stand seeing her sisters looking sad.

This was a powerful "secret weapon," so Athena said nothing. "I'll help you," Athena said. "Perhaps there are some things you can keep?"

Trinity sighed. "Well, these things will end up in the landfill anyway, so it's not like we're losing them forever."

“That’s right,” Sienna said. “What about your other clones?”

“One of them is in bed,” Trinity said, then stifled a yawn. “Only a third of me is asleep. This one is here collecting trash, the other one is at the landfill.”

“Can you bring that version of yourself back?” Sienna asked.

“Okay!” Trinity said. She smiled, and a moment later, another Trinity suddenly appeared beside her. This Trinity was covered in all sorts of trash and reeked of foul odors, causing Athena to involuntarily take a step back.

"Are you going to your death?" Athena asked.

“I jumped off the garbage mountain,” Trinity said.

Sienna sighed. "I'll go finish making breakfast. Athena, it would be great if you could help with the cleanup. I'll come help in a bit. Just... put everything in bags first, then we can deal with the rest. I think that'll be fine."

Athena nodded; she could do it. Perhaps she'd have to borrow a pair of gloves from Maple Leaf's room first.

After Sienna left, Trinity's last clone also came from her eldest sister's bedroom, so Athena could now command all of Trinity's clones. "Do you think the eldest sister can accept all of this?" Athena asked.

“I hope she’ll accept it,” Trinity said. “Maybe I should have guessed she wouldn’t like it. She’s the best, but she doesn’t understand my feelings.”

Trinity's "I don't understand" meant that her older sister didn't appreciate her unique love for discarded items. Athena worried that no one could appreciate trash as much as Trinity did. "Okay, whatever. Let's get started. Can you go get the bags?"

Trinity ran to get the bag, while Athena went to get the dustpan and broom. There was too much trash. She paused on her way, then changed direction and headed towards Sienna's room.

Maple Leaf might want some trash to do her crafts. Also, she could get Maple Leaf's help, which would reduce the amount of work Athena would have to do herself.

She knocked on the door, then opened it. "Hey, Maple," she said.

"Hmm?" Maple Leaf responded. She was hugging Teddy, her face buried in Teddy's belly.

"Would you like some free stuff for your crafts? Trinity just brought back a bunch of little gadgets. I bet you'll find something you can use!"

Maple Leaf rolled over, then reached up and brushed her disheveled hair away from her face. "What did she do?" she asked.

Athena grinned. Her sisters' thoughts were too easy to guess. At this rate, she'd soon become the most powerful of her sisters.