The crystal throne room gleamed like a frozen night sky, starlight refracting through the walls in countless shimmering colors. At the center sat a huge purple crystal throne, and in front of it was the girl who had so suddenly introduced herself as Akira's sister.
She tilted her head, lips curling into a faintly teasing smile.
"Back at last? I told you one chapter was fine, but you went and wasted an entire volume. Nearly sixty chapters of flashback. Do you have any idea how long that is?"
Akira groaned, waving a hand defensively, "Hey, I tried my best, alright? I even crammed in time skips left and right to speed things up! If I wanted, I could've stretched my childhood adventures into five whole volumes. You should be grateful I restrained myself!"
Her smile shifted into playful exasperation. "Grateful? We already delayed the main story too much. Any more of that and—"
"Wait. Wait. WAIT!"
Both of them turned. Erika, who had been standing frozen in shock, finally burst out. Her blue eyes were wide, her hands trembling at her sides.
"What are you two even talking about?! Who even are you? Why are you calling Akira your brother?! Where is this place?! What is even happening?! Can Someone just explain this to me before I lose my mind!" Erika's scream echoed through the crystalline chamber as she demanded that they explain to her.
"Calm down, Erika-chan," the girl said gently, still smiling as if none of this was strange at all.
"E-Erika-chan?!" Erika stammered, her jaw dropping. "How can you two act like any of this is normal?! Like it's fine?! It makes no sense!"
"This kind of thing happens all the time in anime," Akira shrugged, as casual as if they were talking about the weather.
Erika's expression twisted between disbelief and rage. "Are you an idiot?! This is...ugh!"
The girl gave a soft laugh, holding up her hand to calm the rising storm.
"Clam down, Erika Chan. Well then, allow me to introduce myself properly. My name is Selena Theia Starlight. I am Akira's sister. And this place is called Asterisia, the Land of Stars. Think of it as a nexus that connects all worlds, a place directly connected to the Imaginary Tree. This is our homeland."
Erika blinked rapidly, trying to absorb her words. "But… wait. If you're siblings, then why isn't your name Japanese like Akira's?"
Selena smiled gently. "Because everyone in our family has names like mine. My brother does too."
"Eh?" Erika turned to Akira.
"hehehe, Yes, Hoshino Akira is my secret identity, my real name is Sirius Lucen Starlight, and it's as you guessed, though, I am not Japanese," He grinned, almost like a supervillain revealing his true identity.
Erika glared at him, arms folded, as if she wasn't taking any of his nonsense right now.
"Cough, I am not joking now, my real name is truly Sirius Lucen Starlight. Hoshino Akira is just the name I used to blend in. We lived in Japan most of the time, but I was never really Japanese. I mean, look at me, I never exactly looked the part," Akira explained seriously, seeing that she is not in a joking mode.
Erika's eyes widened, but she knew it was true, with his white hair and purple eyes, and his face never looked Japanese. "Then why didn't you ever tell me your real name?"
"I never really had the chance," Akira said with a shrug. "Besides, no one calls me by that name anyway."
"Then I will," Selena declared firmly, her eyes softening. "From now on, I'll call you by your real name. Don't worry."
Akira gave her a small smile. "Thanks. You know… I never knew I had a little sister. But it's good to have one too, but honestly, I've always wanted someone to call me Onii-chan, can you call me that instead?", he said with a bright childish grin.
Selena's eyes sparkled mischievously. "Oh? You want me to call you, Onii-chan?"
"Yes," Akira admitted without hesitation, as if asking who doesn't? Want to be called that.
Selena smiled mischievously. "Then you're out of luck. Because you've got it backwards."
"Huh?"
Selena leaned forward, still smiling. "We're twins, and I was born before you. That makes me the big sister. So you should be the one calling me Onee-chan."
Akira froze, then exploded. "No way! I'm the eldest! Absolutely not!"
Selena laughed lightly, clearly enjoying herself. "Come on, just once. Say it, Onee-chan."
"Not in a million years! If you know about my secret, then you know I've got way more experience than you. That makes me the older one!", Akira said, even bringing his previous life in unwilling to admit defeat.
"That doesn't count," Selena replied cheerfully, wagging her finger at him. "Birth order decides it. I'm the eldest, and you'll respect that!"
The siblings leaned forward, sparks practically crackling between them as their voices rose into a childish argument, more like kids fighting over toys than long-lost twins reuniting.
Erika's eye twitched. Her fists clenched as she watched the two of them bicker, completely forgetting about her again. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore and snapped. "BOTH OF YOU, STOP! You can argue about who's older later! For now, explain everything to me. Right now!"