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"I'm home."
Blake stepped inside in two quick strides, glancing over the dim, empty living room as he let out a quiet breath.
Just as expected.
Yesterday's scene—Sagiri waiting for him at the door like a sweet, obedient little sister—had probably been a one-time miracle. No way it would happen again.
He set down the shopping bags and flipped on the lights.
Click.
As the room lit up, a soft, syrupy voice drifted over.
"Big bro, why are you so late?"
"Sagiri?"
Blake turned in surprise, looking toward the silver-haired girl sitting up from behind the sofa.
"What are you doing in the living room?"
"Obviously I was worried about you." Sagiri slipped on her bunny slippers and padded over, leaning in slightly as she sniffed around him. Soon, a satisfied smile spread across her face. "Good, Big bro doesn't smell like any bad women today."
Blake's face stayed blank. "Sorry, all I smell like is sweat."
"Ew, gross." Sagiri covered her nose and stepped back half a pace, then added quietly, "Well… it's true you smell like sweat, but it's not that bad."
"You waited here again today… don't tell me you had another nightmare?"
"…Uh…"
Sagiri's gaze darted away, clearly guilty.
"Yeah. I dreamed you got captured by some ugly goblins, so I was really worried about you. In the dream, you were a dual-wielding swordsman, and then—"
"That's enough. You can stop."
Blake twitched at the corner of his mouth. He had zero interest in hearing the rest. Instead, he opened the shopping bag and took out some snacks.
"Got you these."
"Oh, they're all my favorites!" Sagiri's eyes curved into happy crescents as she took them, her voice turning sweet and cheerful. "Thank you, Big bro~"
Blake carried the groceries toward the kitchen.
"I got back a bit late today, so dinner will take some time. Go back to your room and play. And don't eat too many snacks."
"Big bro still hasn't told me what you did after school."
Unexpectedly, Sagiri didn't head upstairs. Instead, she hugged the snacks and followed him.
"Secret."
"What kind of secret can't even be told to your most important little sister?"
"Sorry. A secret is a secret."
"…So annoying!"
Sagiri puffed out her cheeks, then lifted her foot and lightly kicked his calf.
"You're so mean, Big bro. I've already let you see my most private things, and you're still hiding stuff from me…"
Hey, hey—don't say it like that! If someone hears, I'm going to jail!
Blake looked exasperated. "What exactly have I seen?"
You used to lock yourself in your room and wouldn't come out for days. I barely even saw you at all!
Sagiri's face flushed red, her voice turning shy.
"When you helped with the laundry… you must've seen… my p-panties, right?"
Blake couldn't help but retort, "If you're worried about that, wash your own underwear from now on."
"Hmph." Sagiri turned her head away, muttering under her breath, "You've already seen them plenty of times anyway… so I should get to know everything about you too."
"…Something's off with you."
Blake narrowed his eyes.
His stepsister had been acting weirder and weirder lately. Was she another wild witch like the others?
But the game panel hadn't shown any notifications…
"I'm just worried about you, that's all. Nothing weird." Sagiri avoided his gaze. Of course she couldn't reveal the secret of her second playthrough. "Anyway, you're not allowed to do anything weird with my panties."
"…"
Blake's expression darkened as he placed his hands on her shoulders.
"B-Big bro?"
Sagiri instinctively stepped back until her back hit the wall.
As he silently leaned closer, her long lashes trembled in panic.
(What is he going to do?)
(Is he going to kiss me…?)
(I-I'm not ready yet!)
Her face turned bright red. Flustered, she shut her eyes tight, tilting her chin up as she nervously awaited her first kiss.
Then—
She felt herself being turned around, stumbling forward a couple of steps.
"Go back to your room already." Blake gave her a light push out of the kitchen. "Stop getting in the way while I cook."
Thump, thump, thump.
Sagiri stomped her foot in embarrassment and frustration. "Big bro, you idiot!!!"
"…."
With Sagiri gone, the kitchen finally fell quiet.
Still… something was definitely off about her these past couple of days. It was worrying.
Lost in thought, his phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket.
Blake pulled it out and saw a message from Yamada Elf:
"Servant, open the door. Your package is here."
"Package?"
A question mark practically popped up over his head.
When did I order anything?
Yamada Elf: "Hurry up and open the door."
Still confused, Blake put his phone away and walked to the entrance, opening the door.
A petite girl with long blonde hair stood outside, wearing a dress—it was Yamada Elf. Sure enough, she was holding a cardboard box.
"Here. This arrived this afternoon. I forgot to give it to you earlier," she said brightly, handing it over. "It's the pants I bought for you. Try them on and see if they fit."
"Oh, pants." Blake took the box. "Didn't expect you to actually remember."
"I said I'd help you buy them, didn't I? Of course I remembered." Yamada Elf put her hands on her hips and gave a proud little huff. Then, as if recalling something, a faint blush crept onto her face.
"I'll take them, so you can head back now."
Blake raised his hand, about to close the door.
"Wait, let me come in first."
Yamada Elf slipped through the gap before he could stop her.
Blake raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"
"My body feels kind of weird. Like something's off… it's uncomfortable," she said, pressing her lips together, her expression uneasy. "I think my invisibility is reaching its limit."
"So obviously I need to stay by your side. When it hits the limit, you can purify my magic right away."
Blake sighed. "You live next door. Just send me a message, and I'll be there in two minutes. No need to panic."
"No way." Yamada Elf shook her head immediately, her golden hair shining under the lights. "This dress is my favorite. If it accidentally disappears, I'll be so upset I might cry."
Blake felt a headache coming on. Clearly, there was no kicking her out.
"Fine. Do whatever you want, but don't go upstairs. I'm going back to cooking."
"…"
Back in the kitchen, Blake focused on preparing dinner. But before long, the doorbell suddenly rang.
Yamada Elf, lounging on the sofa and playing on her phone, stood up when she heard it—completely forgetting she was still invisible.
"I'll get it."
At the same time—
Outside the door, a blue-haired girl stood there, deep in self-reflection.
"Yanami, Yanami… you can't relax anymore. Ever since school started, you've been too busy hanging out with new friends… at this rate, Blake's going to get stolen away…"
"…Huh? Why did the door just open by itself?!"
"....."