Thoma was angry.
Moreover, the emotional fluctuations of his anger were completely inverse to his outwardly calm expression. As he stood sternly waiting for me at the door, my mind was flooded with notifications of his favorability bouncing up and down—30 one moment, 35 the next, even nearly dropping to 25 at one point.
This thing was actually affected by emotions.
［You wanted to kill me when you were angry. Of course it's emotion-based. The simulation ensures every second feels real］ The System took the chance to diss my bad temper.
"Don't worry, I still want to kill you now."
My intuition told me that if I were a three-year-old, Thoma would probably spank me—and give me a thorough beating.
"Miss Miya—" Paimon quietly flew to my side and whispered, "I think... you should talk to Mr. Thoma."
I looked at her.
She looked at me.
But her eyes were full of advice to apologize.
"Alright, I will," I slumped my shoulders. Though I said that, I hadn't mustered the courage to face the gaze burning into my back. "You go find the Traveler. I'll handle it. Besides, I have something important to discuss with him—oh, and I'll treat you to a meal next time."
The little spirit, who had been hesitantly looking back, lit up at the mention of food and zipped over to Aether to share the exciting news—after all, Aether had to take the tied-up Treasure Hoarder to the Tenryou Commission. It would have to be another time.
Aether waved goodbye to me.
Damn it, I wanted to slap my past self from a few hours ago.
What was I thinking, playing around? I'd gone too far.
I entered the house and found Tamura Kaito still unconscious. I walked over and lifted the boy's clothes to check his wounds. A small figure quietly approached, tugging at my sleeve from a neither-too-close-nor-too-far distance.
It was Sayu.
"Um, Miss Ryuguu, I knocked him out last night when he tried to leave. It wasn't safe at night—" Her eyes darted around the ceiling and floor, avoiding me entirely, as if her pupils were spinning 360 degrees to evade me.
"I'm Sayu. A ninja."
The little girl touched her own head, making my hands itch to ruffle her hair.
"I know—little Sayu, remember to eat before coming next time," I said, my lips twitching uncontrollably.
She suddenly realized, her face reddening as she explained, her small fists clenched. "Th-that was just because of the rain! I hadn't had time! And there was a big dog! I used camouflage, but it somehow—"
She trailed off, turning away to mutter to herself before rolling away.
"...Ah, so embarrassing."
This body was only a year older than Sayu, but it still felt like teasing a child. After speaking with her, I wrote a note detailing today's tasks. The System stayed silent but listed all important matters to the side. I wrote another note specifically for Tamura Kaito.
"Are you adopting him?"
Thoma spoke up abruptly, having approached unnoticed. He stood beside me.
"Ah, Tamura... Kaito? No, he... he just has nowhere to go. I'm letting him stay for a while."
My hair stood on end.
The favorability didn't fluctuate.
Had his mood improved?
I secretly glanced at Thoma's expression. He still wasn't smiling at all, his eyes scanning the note in my hand. His face remained stern. "Letting him stay for a while? You disappeared for a night and left others to watch over your injured guest?"
I shrunk back. "It was just a coincidence..."
"And I heard from Sayu you plan to send him to school?" Thoma pressed on, crossing his arms and leaning forward, firing questions one after another. His green eyes chased my gaze. "Is that 'letting him stay for a while'?"
Little Sayu, and I thought you were cute!
I shrunk further, like a little penguin being pecked by its mother.
I heard him sigh.
"I was worried about you, Miya."
I looked up and saw the frustration and helplessness in his expression shift to powerlessness. His green eyes lowered to the ground. "You disappeared, and I didn't know where to find you. I'm your brother."
"I just found you—and you vanished in the blink of an eye."
He finished speaking and slowly turned as if to leave... Whatever he intended to do, his words left me panicked. This was completely unexpected. Thoma seemed hurt, both annoyed and disappointed. My hands trembled, and I opened my mouth but didn't know what to say. He wasn't concerned about how I harmed others—only where I had been and whether I was safe.
［Statistics suggest apologizing and acting spoiled might help now］
Bullshit. Statistics are garbage.
［What about giving Thoma a hug?］
Action now.
I took a deep breath, stepped forward, and wrapped my arms around him in a bear hug.
My head thumped against his back, my arms tightening around his waist. He stiffened at the impact. No matter what, I couldn't let Thoma stay upset. I'd feel terribly guilty.
"...Miya?"
"Sorry," I mumbled into his back, almost shouting but not quite. "Sorry for being a clueless idiot. I keep thinking I'm still on my own."
"I promise I won't make you worry again."
If I weren't so short—if I had my previous body instead of this petite one—I would have buried my face in his chest and asked for forgiveness with a head pat. That move always worked; I'd used it countless times.
As the eldest sister, comforting siblings was a necessary skill.
"Don't be angry, okay? I was wrong. I'll listen to you from now on."
When he didn't respond, I rubbed my face against his back and shook my arms around his waist.
"Big brother, don't be angry. Good big brother."
Thoma—
He stiffened like a board.
［And you said you couldn't act spoiled］ The System's electronic voice glitched into static. ［Favorability shot up ten points］
That would be 43?
［Forty-five］
I understood the logic, but why was Thoma still not reacting? Anxious, I quietly lifted my geta-clad foot and stepped on my own toes.
Tears welled up.
I began steeling myself, letting out a few sobs, ready to launch into a tearful plea—when suddenly, footsteps clattered outside, accompanied by Kettle's startled barks.
The newcomer shouted while kicking the door open.
"Hey Miya! I'm here to pick you up to see Granny—"
The speaker froze mid-kick, his words cutting off abruptly. His crimson eyes shifted between shock and confusion—but not embarrassment.
Simultaneously, a thud sounded behind me. I turned to see Tamura Kaito upper body on the floor, legs still on the bed, staring at me in stunned silence.
My carefully built-up emotions shattered instantly.
I released Thoma, my Vision glowing against my chest. Smiling, I gritted my teeth, enunciating each word as ice spread across the floor.
"Good. Morning. Arataki. Itto."
Arataki Itto froze in place, a chill crawling up his spine, his hair standing on end.
He felt certain Miya Ryuguu was about to kill someone.
——
One cup of tea. Two cups of tea.
Tea for guests—I slammed a cup onto the table in front of the crimson oni, making the wood groan under the impact. Arataki Itto jolted in his seat.
"Drink."
I glanced at Thoma. He was smiling, but I couldn't tell if he was still angry. Tamura Kaito sat between Arataki Itto and me, his expression conflicted. Whatever he was overthinking, I didn't want to hear it.
As for Sayu—
I continued pretending I didn't see her transformed into a barrel crouching under the windowsill.
The following conversation made my teeth ache.
I watched as two strangers became fast friends within moments, addressing each other as "bro."
I knew Thoma was doing it on purpose.
But Arataki Itto was a genuine fool.
"Miya is my bro—" Arataki Itto adopted an inexplicable big-brother attitude, reaching over Tamura Kaito's head to slap my back. I saw Thoma's eyebrow twitch, his gaze jumping between me and the oni.
"When I rescued her from the beach last time, Granny was worried she might be in danger alone and injured—"
"We agreed last night to visit Granny."
I interrupted, trying to steer the conversation. Fortunately, Arataki Itto was easy to distract. "That Granny bandaged my wounds. I need to thank her."
"Really?" Thoma looked at me. "Last night?"
What a deadly question.
I didn't think Thoma would let me run off again so soon after returning.
I was right.
"As your cousin, I should also visit to express gratitude—I'll go with you..."
"You're right, but not now!" I cut him off before he could finish, suddenly remembering the matter with Yamada Taichi. But my abrupt interruption triggered another series of favorability fluctuations in my mind.
"There's something important. It can't wait."
——
"So, according to what you saw, Yamada Taichi bribed Treasure Hoarders and bandits to harass the Yashiro Commission's merchant convoy at noon the day after tomorrow?"
After sending Arataki Itto away and rescheduling for the afternoon, with Sayu taking Tamura Kaito outside, I quickly explained what I'd seen to Thoma.
Kettle hadn't eaten yet and was starving after missing a meal. I prepared her food, adding an extra fresh chicken leg and two slices of violetgrass. The moment I set it down, Kettle dug in as if her life depended on it.
She wasn't eating; she was devouring.
"So Yamada Taichi avoided me because he was actually avoiding you and any potential leaks," I said, soothing the dog while following Thoma's reasoning.
"Because I serve as the chief retainer for the Yashiro Commission, and—once you know, because of me, it's equivalent to the Yashiro Commission's leadership knowing," Thoma explained. This was the first time he'd explicitly mentioned his role. Knowing beforehand and hearing it from him were two different things.
"Chief retainer?" I had to feign confusion.
"It means I serve the clan head—specifically, the administrator of the Yashiro Commission. The Yashiro Commission has always been managed by the Kamisato clan, so more precisely, I'm the chief retainer assisting the Kamisato family."
I made an understanding sound.
Seeing my lack of reaction, he didn't elaborate.
"Are you returning to the Yashiro Commission now?"
Given it involved the Commission, Thoma couldn't not return. The young man nodded, then stared at me—
"What is it?"
A hand landed on my head and ruffled my hair.
I noticed people loved ruffling shorties' heads—especially someone as petite as me. Hah.
"I spoke with Tamura Kaito—" Thoma said. "You spared only Tamura Daisuke during that mission, Miya. Can I assume you support his quest for revenge?"
"I do," I nodded. That had been my intention all along. "An eye for an eye. This isn't something just anyone can do for him. Besides, the kid swore an oath."
"Miya's personality is like a chivalrous hero from those novels."
I shook my head. "I'd rather be a villain."
Thoma didn't comment on whether my views were right or wrong, which put me at ease. Even if I sensed he might not fully agree, I understood the concern—obsessing over revenge could make one lose themselves.
I believed in retribution—that killers should be prepared to be killed. The next time I saw Yamada Taichi, if possible, I would kill him.
"What about Tamura Kaito joining the Shuumatsuban?"
"He said that himself?"
"Probably after seeing Sayu's skills. He was screaming about tanuki spirits earlier—" The young man chuckled.
The Shuumatsuban was a good place for now.
"If that's what Tamura wants, let him. I was wondering where to send him to school anyway."
"Miya, you're still young too. Why not go to school as well?"
I was touched but refused.
"No. Absolutely not."