A girl I'd never seen before opened the door and stepped out. Her beaming smile felt strangely familiar for some reason.
My body seemed to sense it too.
"Oppa?"
"Ah, yeah. Hi."
I quickly scanned the girl from head to toe.
She was wearing the same uniform as me. The Infinite Hero Cultivation Academy uniform.
She'd just gotten home too, judging by how she hadn't changed out of her clothes yet.
Gather intel. Store it in my head.
Name, appearance, figure, reactions, scent.
My eyes roamed her body. They lingered longest in one spot: her chest.
First things first, check the presence—or lack thereof.
'Small.'
The only reference in my mental database was Geum Tae-yeon. Compared to her, this girl had a relatively modest figure.
'...Next. Name: Juyeon-hee.'
Juyeon-hee had called me "Oppa." That meant she was the sister living under the same roof. Our names were similar, so it was probably a safe bet.
Same academy uniform. I was a first-year at the academy.
There was no way my little sister was a senior, so she had to be the same age as me.
Juyeon-hee was Juyeon-woo's sister. His twin sister, at that.
She didn't look much like me, so probably fraternal twins.
With my deductions complete, I looked at Juyeon-hee.
"Hi? What's with the sudden 'hi'?"
My greeting must've caught her off guard. Juyeon-hee let out a chuckle and shot me a sideways glance.
It was different from Geum Tae-yeon's glare. Her eyes were full of fondness.
'Her whole vibe is different.'
Geum Tae-yeon looked like a total delinquent no matter who saw her, but Juyeon-hee didn't.
Juyeon-hee had the face of a model student.
You know the type. The girl who seems like she'd study hard, more interested in books than makeup, maybe even wears glasses.
"Ah, whatever."
I brushed past Juyeon-hee and headed inside like it was the most natural thing in the world. My body was under my control.
The manga storyline hadn't kicked in yet.
'Is this a mash-up of multiple manga worlds? Or does it only restrict my behavior patterns?'
The manga playing out in this house was My Brother Clings to Mother.
Just from the title, I could tell what kind of story it was. For someone like me who'd devoured every NTR manga out there, it was child's play.
Juyeon-hee was the one getting cucked out of her brother. And the mom—whose face I didn't even know—was the one doing the stealing.
'Incest, huh?'
Bit extreme. Even for a manga, that was pushing it.
I had zero interest in getting eaten by a mom.
'...But they gave me a new sister, so...'
I wished the mom was a new character too.
Not my original world's mom, but this world's mom that I didn't know—but my body did.
Then it'd be doable. If it was the mom from the manga, totally fuckable.
Juyeon-hee trailed after me, chattering away.
"Oppa, wash your hands first."
"...Got it. I can handle it myself."
This much was allowed, apparently. Even a curt reply got through fine.
Just because she was the domestic type didn't mean she was a saint. Even sweet girls get snippy sometimes.
Still, it felt a little off. Her profile clearly said she was the domestic type.
Knowing that personality settings were absolute made it even harder to understand.
Shouldn't a domestic girl be extra affectionate in a situation like this? Or was I being too narrow-minded in how I interpreted the character?
I pondered for a moment. Then it clicked. I convinced myself.
'...Ah, okay. Got it.'
The background had shifted, switching the active manga from Boy's Corruption to My Brother Clings to Mother. That must've tweaked her personality settings.
But it wasn't a full new manga start.
'The mangas are linked.'
Right now, Juyeon-woo had just come home after getting raped by Geum Tae-yeon.
No matter how sweet the guy, he'd be on edge after something like that.
So a bit of prickliness was understandable.
'That means Han-seol's the same too.'
It wasn't an isolated incident. Her childhood friend Han-seol's role was probably intact as well.
Poor girl.
"Eek, uh..."
At my sharp response, Juyeon-hee flinched. She looked hurt, shoulders slumping as she stopped in her tracks.
I ignored her and headed to my room.
[Juyeon-woo]
A nameplate on the door made it easy to find. Thank goodness.
I strode right in. Typical boy's room.
I didn't particularly want to snoop, but for intel's sake, I poked around.
"Fuck, Juyeon-woo!"
Just thinking about getting laid by Geum Tae-yeon made my face heat up.
No matter how little she cared about her looks, she could've at least worn decent panties!
She could've bought something nice. Why the hell was she walking around in this trashy stuff...?
I wanted to rip them to shreds right then. But I couldn't.
What if I shredded all the bear-trunk panties? I'd have nothing to wear tomorrow.
Embarrassing or not, going commando was a no-go.
"Family photo."
There were two framed pictures on the desk. Slightly different lineups, but both featured Juyeon-woo.
"...One from when he was a kid, and the other..."
A couple beaming as they held their kids. A woman posing with what looked like elementary-school-aged children.
Purely by vibe, the baby-and-couple shot looked happier.
'Good.'
The couple in the baby Juyeon-woo photo, and the woman in the elementary-school one—they weren't my original world's parents!
I wasn't sure if "good" was the right word, but it was. I let out a sigh of relief and continued searching the room.
Then my body stiffened. Control was slipping away.
Beep, beep-beep-beep!
Door lock keypad sounds. She hadn't even changed clothes yet.
'All because of Geum Tae-yeon.'
Tongue clicking, I left the room. If I had to follow the script anyway, better on my terms.
Control returned. No forced movement when picking from set choices.
'Juyeon-hee hasn't come out.'
The front door opened, and a familiar woman entered. The one from the family photo.
The woman who'd posed with elementary-school Juyeon-woo.
"Welcome home, Aunt."
No obvious line came to mind, so I hesitated. My mouth greeted her on autopilot.
Aunt. She was my aunt.
Probably the sister of the man in the family photo.
Aunt handed me her bag as she slipped off her shoes.
"You just got home too, Juyeon-woo? Still in your uniform."
"Ah... Yeah. Han-seol showed me around her club."
Lie came out smooth. While I marveled at my quick thinking, Aunt continued.
"Han-seol must be really into club activities. Why don't you join one too? You only get to enjoy that stuff now."
"...No, I'm good."
This time, my body replied on its own. My input ignored.
Set choice. Juyeon-woo had a reason not to join clubs.
"You don't need to stress over housework. Even if it piles up a bit, the three of us can split it and knock it out quick."
"But..."
"I recommend joining a club. I'd love to see you enjoying academy life, Juyeon-woo."
"..."
"You're not dreaming of becoming a hero like Han-seol anyway. Might as well make the most of academy life."
Aunt finished taking off her shoes and passed the entryway. Down the hall to the living room. I followed.
Her room was the master bedroom.
"I heard Han-seol got an offer. Word's spreading."
"Yeah, she did."
Aunt knew Han-seol too. Was the girl really that famous, or was there more to it?
'Parents probably know each other.'
Did Juyeon-woo's birth parents know Han-seol's? Or should I treat Aunt as parental figure? Still fuzzy on the details.
"Han-seol's really putting in the work. Even when I first saw her, I knew she was special."
Aunt seemed to hold Han-seol in high regard.
Suddenly, my body blurted it out.
"Han-seol says she wants to join your clan, Aunt."
"Our clan? Haha, even if it's just flattery, thanks."
"She's serious."
"We didn't even scout her. Closer to not being able to. And she still wants in?"
I nodded.
Aunt's expression softened. She didn't seem opposed. Han-seol must be pretty damn good.
Aunt smiled warmly.
"Guess we'll have to step it up. So we can recruit her by graduation."
With that, control returned. That was the end of the scripted dialogue.
I hung Aunt's bag on the rack and turned to leave. No reason to linger in her room.
As I turned, I caught a glimpse in the mirror. My expression was complicated.
'Why am I looking so proud?'
Just because Han-seol got a good review from Aunt?
Juyeon-woo was the type to simper over his childhood friend like marriage was on the horizon. A chuckle escaped at the absurdity.
Then, chills ran down my spine.
"...?"
It was the moment I glanced at the mirror.
The reflection showed not just me, but Aunt too. Perfect timing.
Aunt's gaze was anything but normal.
She was staring holes into my crotch, my ass.
'So Aunt's the "mom" role.'
The mother from My Brother Clings to Mother. That was her.
'Explains why Juyeon-hee hasn't shown up.'