Inside the warm, bright, and exclusive infirmary of the Fierce Umas Division, Kaito was carefully drying Rice Shower's long, soaked hair with a soft, dry towel
Right next to her was a steaming cup of ginger tea sweetened with brown sugar.
"Be good, drink it while it's hot, or you'll catch a cold" Kaito's voice was so soft it almost dripped with affection.
"Mm"
Like a docile kitten whose emotions had been stabilized by its owner, Rice Shower nodded sweetly, cupping the ginger tea with both hands and sipping it in small gulps.
Her cheeks were flushed with a beautiful pink from the heat and shyness, though she still didn't dare to look Kaito in the eye
It was precisely in that warm and quiet atmosphere when, "by pure chance", the infirmary door swung open.
The Harem Quartet entered the scene.
Their gazes, like four high-precision radars, first scanned the bodies of Kaito and Rice Shower, who were practically pressed together, three times, before each cleared their throat and spoke simultaneously.
The first to launch the attack was, as expected, the most impatient Gold City
With her hands on her hips, she approached Kaito and, with an air of moral superiority, spoke in a tone that screamed: "I am the head of this family"
"Hey, you bastard! Since you claim to be her 'big brother', then we, as your family, are naturally her 'big sisters', aren't we"
Without waiting for Kaito's response, she continued.
"Since we are her big sisters, the younger sister's rehabilitation training plan must, naturally, be personally formulated by me, the most experienced champion. From tomorrow on, she will train with me"
Her plan was very clear: by controlling Rice Shower's training, she could indirectly and legitimately monopolize all of Kaito's time!
"Heh, heh, what a short-sighted idea from a simpleton" TM Opera O refuted immediately, fanning herself.
"Little Sister Rice Shower needs spiritual elevation and nourishment right now, not rudimentary physical training"
"I will personally compose an exclusive musical movement for her called 'Hymn of the Jet-Black Hero', which will allow her to regain the confidence and radiance of a hero through the most elegant artistic cultivation"
"Can the spirit be eaten as food? Can an aria synthesize proteins" Agnes Tachyon pushed up her glasses mercilessly.
She pulled out a detailed report, printed thicker than a thesis, and dropped it on the table.
"According to the sample data I just collected, her health is severely deteriorated due to chronic malnutrition and enormous psychological pressure; her cortisol levels are excessive and her hemoglobin is insufficient"
"This is the 'Return of the Hero' diet plan I customized for her, with every meal measured with milligram precision and strictly following nutritional proportions"
"From now on, she must follow it to the letter! Not a single bite less"
Even the usually silent Manhattan Cafe quietly approached Rice Shower's side, gently placing a new blank sketchbook and a set of high-quality colored pencils in her hands.
Then she said something in an extremely soft voice that only the two of them could hear:
"Draw... Draw something happy"
Immediately, inside the infirmary, four completely different "care methods" clashed fiercely.
"She must train her body first"
"No, she must transform her spirit first"
"Both of you are wrong"
"Nutritional supplementation is fundamental"
"Drawing is relaxing"
The four of them argued fiercely over "which care method was best for Rice Shower".
As the central object of this "care", Rice Shower felt overwhelmed and terrified by these four "Big Sisters", whose auras were frighteningly powerful and whose eyes held a hint of scrutiny and possessiveness.
Clutching the cup of ginger tea that was already cooling, she instinctively grabbed the sleeve of the man next to her—the only source of security—and buried her entire face deep into his embrace, like an ostrich seeking refuge.
Seeing Rice Shower so naturally, so dependently... throwing herself into his arms.
Those four pairs of intensely clashing eyes focused instantly, all at once, on Kaito.
The alliance that had recently formed over "how to be a Big Sister" dissolved instantly.
What replaced it was a surging and monumental wave of jealousy that had increased by at least three levels of intensity!
The battle intensified once more!
Meanwhile, Kaito, feeling the small trembling body in his arms, like a frightened little bunny, knew he had to do something that night.
Something... like a "special treatment" that could truly calm this little rabbit and make her lose her fear.
...
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