Suddenly, the door to my room swung open and a woman walked in.
For a moment, I froze the instant I laid eyes on her.
Golden hair cascaded gently down to her shoulders, emerald eyes shimmered like jewels, and her soft lips carried an aura of maternal warmth.
Shopia Fernandez — my mother — stepped into the room. Even though I had already seen her countless times in the memories I inherited, seeing her in person was an entirely different experience.
Shopia looked at her son and felt something… different about him.
For a split second, he seemed like a stranger.
“What am I thinking…? I must be exhausted,” she sighed inwardly, shaking her head.
She shrugged it off and walked toward me.
The moment I saw my mother pause and frown slightly, my heart started racing, and a cold sweat formed down my back.
“Does she know? No… impossible. Maybe she just senses something off? I really need to be careful…”
I ended my inner monologue and quickly decided to act more like a ten-year-old boy.
“Little Zeref, are you alright? I was so scared when you suddenly collapsed!”
Saying that, my mother rushed to me and pulled me into her embrace. I fell into her chest like a soft cushion, and a sweet floral scent filled my nose.
“Mmm… smells like roses. Wait, that’s not important — did she just say I collapsed?”
I dug into my memories and found it — I had fainted during breakfast.
Placing my hands on her chest (accidentally!) to push myself up, I looked at her and smiled.
“I’m fine, Mother. I just had a little headache, but I feel much better now.”
Hearing those words, Shopia smiled in relief.
“I’m glad to hear that. I even called a healer to check on you, and he said you’re perfectly fine.”
“Hmph… how could he not be fine? He’s the one who always survives.”
A loud, sharp voice echoed as two girls entered my room — one around twelve, the other about eight. And now I knew who spoke.
Invidia Fernandez.
My older sister — and one of the heroines I must conquer.
Invidia was one of the most important heroines in Satan_666. Blessed with beauty, strength, and status, she was among the hardest to win over. I had successfully conquered her once while playing the game. She often acted cold and strong as if nothing could affect her, but deep inside, she carried a hidden warmth.
And now, the very same girl stood before me in real life.
It felt surreal — like one of those people who buy expensive figures of their favorite characters. Now I understood why.
Before me stood a twelve-year-old girl with shoulder-length blonde hair and emerald eyes like our mother’s. Her face was round, sweet, and already showed hints of the beauty that would one day break countless hearts.
Beside her stood a shy eight-year-old girl with short blonde hair and large crimson eyes that blinked innocently at me.
Rena Fernandez.
She inherited Mother’s hair and Father’s eyes — and she was a crucial piece in winning Invidia’s heart.
In the game, you had to heroically save Rena while also stealing Invidia’s heart. Only then would you be given a choice: treat Rena as a little sister… or as a lover alongside Invidia.
Yes, you could make Rena your lover — if you could keep it a secret from her older sister.
And now, my little sister was staring right at me.
“Hmph, just as I thought. You’re really weak — fainting during breakfast? How pathetic.”
Invidia’s words stabbed like daggers as she looked at me with contempt.
Playing my part, I shrank back like a frightened child, burying myself deeper into my mother’s chest.
Seeing her son cling tighter to her, Shopia didn’t think much of it. After all, who would ever imagine a ten-year-old boy carrying the soul of a twenty-year-old man?
Shopia sighed softly, glancing at her eldest daughter — who had become colder and harsher ever since her father’s death.
The thought of her late husband twisted her heart in pain. She steadied herself and spoke gently.
“Invidia, don’t bully your brother. You know he’s been through a lot.”
“Tch…” she clicked her tongue and looked away, clearly annoyed.
As I melted into the warmth of my mother’s embrace, a sudden ding echoed in my mind.
[Ding…!]
[Target heroine detected. Would the Host like to activate the “Read Function”?]
“Read function? What’s that?”
[It allows the Host to read certain information about a heroine you wish to inspect.]
“Oh? In that case, activate it.”
I looked toward my older sister — and a stream of information appeared.
Name: Invidia Fernandez
Age: 12
Talent: 10/10
Title: None
Affection: 55% (Familial Love)
Description: Although she is your sister, she harbors slight resentment toward you due to your father’s death. Your weakness also infuriates her.
Difficulty: AA – Winning her love as a man is extremely difficult since you are her brother.
Reading this gave me a clear idea of how she viewed me — and why. She blamed me for that incident.
Apparently, Zeref’s father had died a year ago while protecting him.
He was ambushed outside their territory by a group of assassins while traveling with Zeref. It was said he might have survived… if not for Zeref’s presence.
So Invidia had always held a grudge against him. No wonder she grew up like this… burdened by resentment and wounded pride.
I then turned my attention to my little sister.
Name: Rena Fernandez
Age: 8
Talent: 9/10
Title: None
Affection: 68% (Familial Love)
Description: Wants to be close to her big brother but doesn’t know how. Slightly looks down on you because of your weakness. (Wants to play with her brother.)
Difficulty: B+ – She’s a child. If you play your cards right, she’s yours.
“Hmm… better than I expected. I think I have a general idea of how to deal with her.”
Finally, I looked toward my mother.
Name: Shopia Fernandez
Age: 32
Talent: 9/10
Title: Former War Princess
Affection: 100% (Motherly Love)
Description: Loves you no matter what. (Currently suffering from mild depression and insomnia.) (Heart broken by the destruction of her family.)
Difficulty: S – She’s your mother. How difficult do you think it is to make her see you as a man?
My eyes widened in shock.
So even my mother could be conquered if I wished… This opened an entirely new realm of possibilities.
After checking on me, my family decided to leave so I could rest. But before everyone left, my little sister approached me.
She tugged on my shirt and said softly,
“Big brother… I hope you get better soon.”
Her words made me smile. I gently patted her head, making her freeze in surprise.
“Don’t worry. Once I’m better, I’ll play with you all the time.”
Shocked by the sudden show of affection — something completely out of character for me — she blushed, smiled shyly, and ran out of the room.
I chuckled and shook my head before lying back down on the bed.
So much had happened today.
And honestly… I wasn’t sure I could process it all.
Even though my soul was that of an adult, this body was still that of a child — it simply couldn’t handle all this pressure yet.
“No matter what happens from now on… I will face it head-on.”
With that final thought, I slowly drifted into a deep, peaceful sleep.