"I'm home."
Upon entering the house, Kenmei Isayama habitually called out to the empty room. A habit formed over more than a decade couldn't be broken overnight, even though the person who would gently reply "Welcome back" after his part-time shifts was no longer there.
Looking at the dark entryway, Kenmei, suddenly feeling exhausted, couldn't help but sigh.
"I haven't even figured out dinner yet. Forget it, I'll just eat whatever."
Having been busy since school let out, the first sip of water Kenmei had taken was back in the medical tent.
Even though Kenmei now had nearly five million yen in his account, he couldn't conjure a feast out of thin air.
As if hearing Kenmei's inner thoughts, a gentle female voice drifted out from the kitchen.
"Welcome back, Kenmei."
"Dinner will be ready soon, just wait a moment."
"???"
The voice was so gentle that Kenmei almost thought the seal in the basement had broken again and "Sakura Isayama" had escaped to eat him. But he sensed no fluctuation in his psychic seal.
He instantly felt like an idiot.
Nervous breakdown?
Since Sakura Isayama had already jumpscared him twice, he subconsciously associated any sudden occurrence with his sister.
Undoubtedly, the one calling Kenmei to eat was human, not some terrifying Cursed Spirit. And in his memory, she was quite a beautiful woman.
"Why didn't you turn on the lights, Yomi-nee?"
Kenmei changed his shoes, flipped the switch, and turned on the lights one by one. The warm glow dispelled the chill, adding a touch of humanity to the empty house.
Since the kitchen was near the back door, if only the kitchen light was on, it wouldn't be visible from the front entrance.
Although there was a hint of complaint in Kenmei's tone, one could tell he was quite fond of the "Yomi-nee" he mentioned.
"You startled me."
He walked to the kitchen and grumbled at the busy figure inside.
"Hehehe, I just wanted to do a surprise inspection to see if Kenmei has been eating properly."
Holding a tasting dish, the girl, who had tied her silky black hair into a ponytail for convenience, wore a black JK uniform covered by a white apron to protect it from stains. Her legs beneath the short skirt showed signs of athletic training—pale yet powerful.
At a glance, she seemed like a girl with high "femininity," but there was also a heroic air about her brows that added a unique charm.
Her name was Yomi Isayama. She was the adopted daughter of Naraku Isayama, Kenmei's uncle and his mother's older brother.
Actually, Kenmei and Sakura Isayama could have been adopted by their uncle back then too, but the siblings knew times were tough for the Isayama family, so they were sensible enough to decline.
"Turns out you weren't home, so I just let myself in."
Yomi Isayama huffed, closing the pot lid and turning to Kenmei.
"Good job, Kenmei."
"I agreed to let you live alone on the condition that you'd take good care of yourself!"
"But your fridge is so empty, the only thing in there is the milk I bought you last time."
"Unbelievable!"
"Sorry, sorry. Been busy lately."
Back when he was desperate to scrape together the initial 100,000 Points for the D-Rank simulation, Kenmei had really pushed himself to the limit, evidenced by his pitiful school attendance record.
When his sister was still around, she handled the cooking. After Sakura passed away, Kenmei hadn't been to a supermarket to buy groceries even once. He just grabbed whatever from the convenience store on his way home.
As a result, his fridge was so empty that even a mouse would weep at the sight.
Kenmei laughed awkwardly and quickly changed the subject.
"Yomi-nee, these dishes are ready, right? I'll help you take them out."
"Wait, Kenmei."
Only then did Yomi Isayama notice the shocking reddish-brown spots on Kenmei's clothes. Having seen her fair share of such things, Yomi recognized them instantly.
That was dried blood. That's exactly what it looked like on fabric.
"What is that on your shirt?"
Crap. Kenmei's heart sank.
He had forgotten about that detail.
But Kenmei's face betrayed nothing. His poker face had been honed during those times he faced his sister's questioning while covered in cuts and bruises from fighting Cursed Spirits, calmly lying that he was "fine."
"Ah, Yomi-nee, you mean the bloodstains on my shirt?"
Kenmei made a show of pulling up his sleeve, generously displaying it to Yomi.
"Don't worry. I accidentally got some on me while treating the wounded during a mission."
"You know how it is. With my level of strength, I'd be running for my life if I saw a Cursed Spirit. There's no way Mr. Akutagawa would let me do anything dangerous."
This cushy job of following Akutagawa around to harvest Points was actually introduced to him by Yomi Isayama.
Because the safety factor was guaranteed—the "Cleaners" were all experienced Grade 1 Sorcerers retired from the front lines—and the pay for a single shift was high, it basically covered Kenmei and Sakura's expenses back then.
"Is that so? That's good then."
Yomi seemed to accept his explanation, but in the split second Kenmei relaxed, she made her move and ripped his shirt open.
"Hey, hey, hey! Yomi-nee, what are you doing?!"
Kenmei suddenly felt a chill on his stomach. It turned out this sister with the wandering hands didn't believe a word out of the little rascal's mouth; she trusted her own eyes more.
"You pass this time."
Yomi sighed in relief. There were no obvious external injuries on his body, so the blood really must have belonged to someone else.
After the inspection, Yomi pulled rank as the older sister. Even though Kenmei knew he had been "wrongfully accused," he had no room to resist and could only accept the fact that he had just been groped all over.
"You're filthy. And don't just stand there trying to help."
Yomi huffed and pushed Kenmei's back firmly but not too hard.
"Go take a shower right now."
"I know, I know. I'm going."
Kenmei sighed and slunk off to the bathroom.
Why are all these older sisters so domineering with him?
Once her smelly little brother disappeared from view, Yomi Isayama, who had been so assertive just moments ago, immediately squatted on the floor like a little girl. A tempting blush spread across her ears and face as she let out a cute whimper.
"Calm down, Yomi."
Outside the Isayama house, under the streetlight, the terrifying Cursed Spirit seemed to sense Yomi's turmoil. It simply snorted in disdain.
As if to say:
"Heh. Women."