"My Onii-chan is a hardworking man… but he forgets to do a lot of things," Reona said as she raised a finger up matter-of-factly.
"Like he forgets to make his bed properly… he also forgets to do his laundry on time, and a lot of other stuff. Oh yes, he also forgets to turn off the wifi when he sleeps!"
Kōya's face reddened with embarrassment.
It wasn't his fault at all… he had been studying what kind of manga he would be using for a new stream, and she was the one who had suggested doing all those chores for him.
It wasn't his fault!
He looked over at Mio, and she seemed to be speedily jotting everything down in a notebook.
"Hey, why are you writing all that?" he asked with alarm.
However, Reona continued without minding his protest at all.
"Onii-chan needs a hardworking wife… and someone who I can trust to take care of him and protect him," Reona said seriously, then turned to Mio with earnest eyes. "Rii-chan has told me a lot about you, so if you would protect my Onii-chan and become his wife, then—"
Kōya stood up and flicked her on the forehead, making Reona recoil as she held her head in pain.
"Onii-chan, what was that for?!" she whined.
"You don't make decisions for me… besides, you barely know her," Kōya said while sitting back down with a sigh.
He continued with his latte, trying to regain his composure.
"Mio, don't give in to Reona's—"
"I'll do it," she said immediately, making Reona turn to Mio with surprised, delighted eyes.
"Don't worry, Reona-chan. I'll make sure to protect him to the best of my abilities and become Kōya-kun's ideal wife."
Her tired eyes sparkled with something almost genuine if not for the fact that she was an experienced Assassin of the order. Reona nodded in admiration while Kōya continued drinking his latte, pretending none of this was happening.
"But first, I'll need a list of what Kōya-kun likes and dislikes…" Mio said, opening her notebook to a fresh page.
Reona's eyes shone with mischievous excitement.
"Oh… what Onii-chan likes, eh? Onii-chan likes breasts," she said casually, earning an immediate blush from Kōya. "I see it on his feed all the time!"
'It's not my fault that the original liked watching thirst traps! Fuck!' he thought desperately.
Mio looked down at her own chest, then visibly deflated with disappointment.
"I don't have that…"
She did have breasts, but they simply couldn't be compared to people like Misora, who naturally seemed to be blessed by the gods themselves. Hell, even a few girls in her class had more prominent assets.
It was quite saddening to acknowledge.
Reona immediately scooted near Mio and placed a comforting hand on her back.
"Mio-chan, don't be disheartened… Onii-chan likes good food and…"
She listed a lot of things that she knew her brother liked based on observation… his favorite dishes, how he preferred his tea, that he liked quiet mornings, that he hated being woken up abruptly.
As well as his dislikes… overly spicy food, loud noises early in the morning, people touching his stuff without asking and other stuff.
Then they had their lattes peacefully, the sweet cream mixing with the coffee perfectly.
The conversation after was about the two older siblings telling their younger ones about what happened at the Academy.
Though Kōya tried to downplay his performance, Mio narrated everything from start to finish with enthusiasm including the rooftop confession and the way he had mercilessly rejected her, earning him a sharp glare from Reona.
"Onii-chan! You can't just reject a girl's confession like that! It's mean!"
"She was lying," he said flatly.
"Liarl!"
Soon, they were forced to split up as the sun began setting.
"Rii-chan… Mio-chan… I'll see you guys tomorrow!" Reona said as they stood outside the cafe now.
Rii waved shyly, and Mio waved as well as they walked off down the street.
Just after they were out of sight, a car came rolling into the parking lot.
Nami waved her hand enthusiastically from the driver's seat.
"Kōya-kun! Reona-chan! Sorry I'm late!" she called out as she patted the side of the car affectionately. "Come on in!"
Reona went to the backseat while Kōya took the passenger seat next to Nami.
"Kōya-kun… you said I should come pick you up and that you had something important to tell me. What happened?" she asked as she pulled out of the parking lot and into the main road.
Reona leaned in from the backseat, clearly curious what her brother planned to say.
"The Academy has decided to implement that all students must live in their compulsory dorm rooms," Kōya said while leaning back against the seat. "I won't be able to live outside the Academy grounds, so I was wondering if Reona could sta—"
"Onii-chan!" Reona suddenly stood up in the backseat and grabbed his shoulder desperately.
She pushed forward, accidentally bumping Nami, and the car almost spun off its axis.
"What do you mean…? We won't be able to see each other again?!"
Her voice carried genuine panic.
"No, it's not like that at all," Kōya said quickly while patting her head reassuringly. "We'll still be seeing each other. I just won't be able to live at home, and I'm sure there's a curfew too for when I can leave campus."
Reona reluctantly let go of him and sat back down, though her expression remained worried. Nami sighed as she focused on the road, correcting their trajectory.
"Kōya-kun… you know this will interrupt your time in the Outer Zone," she said with concern. "As your helper and registered supervisor…"
"I wanted you to drop me at the building before the barrier tonight," Kōya said firmly. "I'll be going to the Outer Zone now and returning later to pack. I'll make sure the dorm requirement doesn't interrupt my hunting."
'And besides, I have new skills to try out,' he thought.
"You will not…" Nami said as she swerved into another lane smoothly, cutting off his protest. "You're going to be moving into the dorms as well, right? You'll need to pack up, just like how Reona-chan needs to pack up her things. You can stay at my place today so you'll see where your sister will be staying and have peace of mind."
She paused, then added with false seriousness:
"However, Kōya-kun, for this inconvenience, I demand monthly payment."
She said it as a joke, trying to lighten the mood. In reality, she was happy to help in any way she could.
She couldn't help at all when he was going to the Outer Zone… he would be out there risking his life and she wouldn't be able to protect him or watch his back so if all it took was housing his sister to keep her safe from danger, then she would gladly do it.
"Oh?" Kōya asked and brought out his phone immediately. "How much do you need per month…? I can transfer it now."
"I was joking, Kōya-kun!" she stuttered, flustered by his immediate seriousness then she heaved a big breath, trying to calm herself.
"Did you really think of me as the kind of person that would charge money for helping you take care of your sister…?"
This time, both Kōya and Reona answered simultaneously without hesitation.
"Yes."
They both said it in perfect unison, their voices carrying absolute certainty.
Nami's eye twitched, and she exhaled repeatedly, gripping the steering wheel tighter.
'Calm down… Calm down… Calm down…' she told herself.
…
Several hours later, as evening settled over the city, Nami's car pulled to a stop in front of a gate.
There was a building on the other side of the gate but calling it an apartment would be underselling it.
It was a damn house on the other side, two stories with a proper yard. The gate opened automatically, recognizing her vehicle, and the car rolled in smoothly.
It settled down in the spacious garage with a soft hum.
"Alright, let's head inside," she said, and they exited the car.
They had spent several hours packing up everything they needed from Kōya's apartment and loading it into the car.
Kōya had contacted the landlord and officially moved out, receiving a reimbursement of 10,000 crowns since he had paid rent last week.
Just like back on Earth, the system was fairly straightforward.
"How's your ring holding up…?" Nami asked, noticing him flexing his hand.
"It's quite heavy." Kōya admitted as he stepped out of the car, holding the hand with the storage ring up.
If it grew much heavier, he would have to activate Enhanced Strength just to keep his hand from dragging.
"Like I said before, when a ring is about to reach the point of being full… that's when this happens," she explained as she fumbled in her shirt pocket for something.
She found what she was looking for… her house keys.
"Alright, Reona-chan. Let's go," she said warmly, taking Reona's hand.
Despite all the teasing that Reona had been doing in the morning about Nami and Kōya, she was really calm and well-behaved here.
They both walked to the front door of the house from the garage, and Kōya followed behind them.
The moment he exited the garage, the door seemed to slide closed automatically and seal the car within with a soft hiss.
That was quite some advanced technology.
"It comes with being a member of the KCAC!" she yelled back to him proudly. "Perks of the job!"
He walked over to them as they reached the front door.
She inserted the key, twisting it once, and then… the door opened smoothly.
As the door opened, the lights inside flickered on automatically as well, sensing their presence.
"Welcome to my humble abode…" she said as they entered, and she closed the door behind them.
After entering, they were immediately in the living room, and it was quite spacious for someone living alone.
There were high ceilings, comfortable furniture, and a massive TV mounted on the wall.
"My place is a two-bedroom home," she said as she walked over to the stairs. "Come on… let me show you Reona-chan's room."
All of them ascended the staircase and reached the second floor.
It was a hallway with several doors… bathroom, linen closet, bedrooms. She opened one door, revealing a room that was far larger than Reona's room back in the old apartment.
It was also completely empty, waiting to be filled.
"Don't worry, it's clean," she said reassuringly, then waved inside the room. "Kōya-kunnnnn, if you will~"
The storage ring glowed with soft blue light.
Reona's bed floated out first, followed by boxes upon boxes of clothes and other belongings. It was messy and chaotic, but at least everything was completely packed and accounted for.
Reona visibly sighed in exhaustion upon seeing the mountain of unpacking ahead of her.
Nami patted her shoulder sympathetically.
"Don't worry, Reona-chan… I have the day off work tomorrow, so I'll help you arrange everything properly," she said kindly. "Until then, you can sleep in my room with me tonight."
Reona looked up at her with sparkly, grateful eyes.
"Really?"
"Really. Now let's go to the kitchen… I'm very hungry, and I bet you two are too."
They went back downstairs, and Kōya felt the ring had become quite lighter on his finger. It had become much more manageable now.
"Where am I going to be sleeping then?" he asked, looking around.
Nami pointed at the long couch in the living room.
"You'll sleep there… or do you want to come to my room?" she asked, giving him a teasing grin. She really didn't mind either option, honestly.
"I'd rather sleep on the couch," he said immediately with a flat tone and Reona giggled at his response then she looked at one of the side tables.
She spotted the remote and picked it up, pointing it at the big screen TV mounted on the wall.
"My favorite show's usually on at this time…" she said while pressing the power button.
The TV switched on, but it was a news channel that appeared first instead of her show.
And surprisingly, Kōya was on the news.
"Ohh, Onii-chan… you're on the news!" she said excitedly, pointing at the screen.
Kōya looked at the screen, and his eyes widened with genuine shock.
The headline read: "CLASS 5 PRODIGY DOMINATES BRUTAL ACADEMY TRIAL"
Footage from the livestream played, showing him leaping over the lava lake in one bound.
'How did this get to the actual news?!' he thought with alarm.
This was way more attention than he'd wanted.