Close to 11 o'clock, Kaito finally returned from Shimokitazawa to his home in Ikebukuro.
He opened the door and stepped into the entranceway. Just as he was changing his shoes, Wakaba Mutsumi, holding her bear plushie, came forward with Kirara.
"Welcome home, Onii-chan," The girl with long light green hair lowered her eyes gently.
'Quiet and beautiful, such a little sister who obediently welcomes her brother home is truly a treasure in this world.'
Kaito couldn't help rubbing her head, feeling a bit more relaxed.
"No need to welcome me like this every time. If it's too late, you can go rest early."
Wakaba Mutsumi just gently shook her head, "Just sleeping a little later is no problem."
For modern young people, sleeping around 11 or 12 really isn't considered staying up late. Seeing Mutsumi so firm in her attitude, Kaito didn't push it. Since he was there, her health wouldn't be an issue. So he casually scooped up Kirara nearby and asked, "Hungry? Want me to make something for you?"
Mutsumi shook her head again.
She ordered takeout for dinner. While it didn't taste as good as what her brother made, it was enough to fill her stomach.
'Compared to that', The girl bit her lip lightly, hugging her teddy bear tighter. After hesitating for a long time, she finally asked very softly, "Onii-chan at night, can I continue sleeping with you?"
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Chapter 153: Nagasaki Sayo: Hold It In, Dont Laugh
This wasn't the first time Mutsumi had made such a request.
The last time she wanted to sleep with him was during that thunderstorm with lightning and rumbling thunder.
The girl with long, light green hair lowered her eyelashes slightly, inexplicably looking a bit uneasy.
Kaito didn't immediately refuse. He just gently pinched the girl's smooth cheek. The texture felt like soft glutinous rice dumplings, making it slightly addictive, "Why did you suddenly think of sleeping with me? Is something on your mind?"
Wakaba Mutsumi gently shook her head. After a moment of silence, she said softly, "I just miss Onii-chan's warmth."
No reason, no excuse.
Just a younger sister who craved warmth, acting spoiled toward the brother she liked without any logic.
And most of the time, it's exactly this kind of sincere and undisguised emotion that's more moving.
Looking at the unease and anticipation in the girl's golden eyes, Kaito thought for a moment and still didn't refuse.
In Mutsumi's growth, she had too little concern from the outside world.
In the past, she rarely expressed her needs, like a puppet with no emotions, silently executing orders from others.
'Now, this girl has something she wants to do and even took the initiative to express her needs.'
'It means that she is slowly searching for emotions that belongs to a human being.'
Back then, the reason Ms. Mori Mina entrusted her daughter to him was also to treat Mutsumi's psychological problems.
Now that the treatment showed early results, at least in Kaito's view, it was clearly a good thing.
As for whether siblings should avoid suspicion
The pure are pure, the impure are impure.
As long as one is true to oneself, such insignificant little details don't need to be over-concerned about.
Of course, the premise of this logic is that Mutsumi's familial affection toward him doesn't suddenly change in nature.
'Unless that cute cucumber fairy also ends up like Kita, Nijika and the others, familial affection mutating into ince*tuous love'
Kaito shook his head, still feeling that idea was unrealistic.
'The always quiet, obedient, and sensible Mutsumi. How can she suddenly undergo a huge change in personality and do something that doesn't fit her character setting?'
'It's not like she has schizophrenia.'
'Probably, I am just overthinking it?'
He brought Mutsumi into the bedroom. The light was on inside the room.
A long-unseen figure with green hair sat in front of the screen, fully focused on something.
Hearing the sound of the door opening, the little blade girl was startled. Her first reaction was to hurriedly block the computer screen.
That guilty reaction made Kaito fall silent for two seconds.
"Ahahaha, Master, w-why are you looking at me with that weird expression", Kumiko tried to maintain a nonchalant pose, but her acting was clearly catastrophic. Kirara would've shaken her head.
Because of Mutsumi's presence, Kaito didn't press the issue. He simply released his divine sense and scanned the screen she had blocked.
'Several novel websites are open on the browser.'
[The Domineering Blade Spirit Fell in Love with Me]
[Conquering My Master]
[My Blade Spirit Can't Possibly Be This Cute!]
Kaito: "..."
'What is all this nonsense?"
Though, the content wasn't particularly extreme, these regular websites still had strict reviews. At most, it played on the edge, with key parts glossed over.
But the theme was surprisingly consistent, mostly related to blade spirits.
He glanced at the search history again.
[How to be with Master forever?]
[Do boys like big ones or small ones?]
[Can a human marry a sword?]
His silence was deafening.
Maybe because the box had been opened, PA-san had become much more cautious recently. The Otokagi Alter account hadn't gone live for a while now.
At first, Kumiko had felt a little lost upon realizing this. She had gotten used to tuning into Master Alter's livestream every night like clockwork.
Now that the guiding lantern on her path had suddenly gone out without a word, of course, she was worried.
Because of this, the little blade girl had been rather gloomy for a while, hiding in the Murakumomaru every day, doing who-knows-what.
Kaito hadn't paid much attention, after all, kids' moods come and go quickly.
But he hadn't expected
That the moment she finally came out of her shell, he'd be greeted with such a difficult-to-describe scene.
After a moment of silence, he decided not to dwell on this topic.
After all, Mutsumi was still present. Whatever needed to be said should wait until he was alone with Kumiko.
"A-Anyway, it's already really late", Kumiko's clever mind was running at full speed and finally came up with a decent excuse, "Staying up late is bad for the body. I need to rest too! Good night, Master!"
After hurriedly shutting down the computer, she turned into a wisp of green smoke and dove into the Murakumomaru.
Kaito rubbed his temples, feeling a bit of a headache.
If nothing unexpected happened, then after this, Kumiko was probably going to shut herself in again for quite a while.
He sighed and looked at Mutsumi beside him, "Sorry you had to see that. Kumiko is just that kind of personality."
"Not at all," Wakaba Mutsumi blinked her jewel-like beautiful eyes and gently shook her head, "Onii-chan, you're being too polite."
Perhaps because of their similar hair color, she actually had a pretty good impression of Kumiko.
Also, although the two hadn't interacted much as the younger sister of the Master, by rounding up the relationship, shouldn't Kumiko call her "Little Aunt"?
'Ahem, back to the main point.'
With the little blade gone, the room was left with just the two of them alone.
Kaito, familiar with the process, helped Mutsumi make the bed, said goodnight as usual, and was just about to close his eyes to rest when his phone suddenly vibrated.
He unlocked the screen and saw a message from an ID with an aromatherapy icon.
[Nagasaki Sayo: Kaito-kun, are you asleep?]
[Kaito: Not yet.]
Even though they had already had the most intimate relationship, Sayo's way of addressing him hadn't changed much.
It wasn't that the girl hadn't thought about changing how she called him, like "darling" or "dear."
But she always felt it was too cheesy and worried it might come off as clingy. So in the end, she regretfully gave up on that idea and kept the usual form of address.
[Nagasaki Sayo: I bought two movie tickets for the day after tomorrow.]
[Nagasaki Sayo: Want to go together?]
Since that time, the two hadn't really gone on a proper date.
Given it was a rare Sunday, of course she wanted to use this opportunity to nurture their feelings.
She used to watch couples post their sweetness online, only able to silently observe.
Now that she had a beloved boyfriend, she couldn't wait to recreate every fantasy she had once imagined.
Holding hands while watching a movie, strolling through an aquarium together, kissing and embracing under the watch of water and dolphins.
Just imagining those experiences was enough to make the girl's lips curl into a beautiful smile.
Then she thought about how far behind she'd left Mutsumi, who was probably alone under the covers, silently crying little pearl-like tears, and that smile grew even sweeter.
'This time, I won~'
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Chapter 154: Your Power Leveling Has Logged In
Since it was a date invitation from his girlfriend, Kaito didn't kill the mood by refusing.
After agreeing on the time and place for tomorrow's meeting with Soyo, the two of them chatted briefly about their recent situations before saying goodnight to each other.
When he put away his phone, he finally noticed that Mutsumi beside him, at some unknown point, had opened her dazzling eyes, like golden foil, staring unblinkingly in his direction, "Was that... a message from Soyo?"
"That's right," There was no need to hide such a minor matter, Kaito casually replied, "She bought two movie tickets and asked me to go out with her tomorrow. Want me to bring back some snacks for you?"
Mutsumi wasn't interested in snacks. Compared to that, she cared more about another issue, "So... Onii-chan, will you still come home tonight?"
'Ah, this...', Kaito really hadn't considered this question beforehand.
In his plan, it was just a movie, it shouldn't take that long, at least not enough to delay going home.
But, if Soyo had other plans... then it would be a different story.
And considering Soyo's behavior during their first time, even though she was outmatched, she still fought on to the bitter end.
'Alright, the probability of getting home safely tomorrow night isn't very high.'
Facing Mutsumi's hopeful and expectant gaze, he thought about it and still replied, "Anyway... I'll try my best to come back."
[The Next Day]
Warm afternoon sunlight streamed through the window sill onto the bed, like a slowly blooming golden gardenia, casting gentle light and shadows on the sleeping girl's face.
When Mutsumi slowly opened her eyes, that familiar figure was no longer by her side.
On the bedside table not far away sat a small tray, which seemed to use some special heat-retention technique. The white porridge was still faintly steaming, along with a golden fried egg, paired with crystal-clear shrimp dumplings, forming a breakfast with appearance and taste that could be called top-notch.
Under the tray was a light blue sticky note, with a short message written in beautiful handwriting.
[Breakfast is already prepared. Don't forget to eat. I'll try to come back early. Don't worry.]
There was no signature on the note, but it was obvious, it couldn't have been written by Kirara.
The carefully prepared breakfast, or maybe calling it lunch would be more fitting now? still gave off a delicious aroma.
But Mutsumi had no appetite at all.
The girl with pale green long hair simply curled up her legs, burying her cheeks into her knees, like a lonely cucumber blossom swaying in the wind.
["Hey hey, Mutsumi."]
A sudden female voice broke the silence of the bedroom. Mortis, dressed like a musical theatre performer in an extravagant stage outfit, quietly appeared, her face still wearing a radiant smile, her tone light and lively like a nightingale, ["What a lovely day! Great for playing around, and even better for hugging and cuddling, don't you think?"]
Mutsumi didn't answer.
The cucumber fairy-like beautiful girl still had her head lowered, her fair cheeks buried deep into her knees, as if she hadn't heard a single thing from the outside world.
Her question ignored, Mortis didn't mind. She simply raised her pale, scallion-white fingertip, gently tapping her lips, then looked toward the wall clock in the bedroom. The hands now pointed to the mark for "two."
["It's 2 PM now. The movie's about to start."]
["Mutsumi, tell me... what do you think Onii-chan is doing right now?"]
["Is he holding hands with Soyo, walking into the theater together? Or maybe they've just met and are hugging tightly under a streetlamp?"]
["Mhm, since they're a couple now, a kiss upon meeting must be inevitable, right?"]
["But..."], she suddenly elongated her tone, her golden eyes looking at the girl before her with a bit of pity, though more than that, it was heartache, ["Poor little Mutsumu, left all alone at home... must be really lonely, huh?"]
The small body seemed to tremble a little. Mutsumi clutched tightly at the hem of her nightdress, and from how hard she gripped it, her knuckles were slightly pale, "I... didn't think that way."
["Liar."]
Mortis cupped her face and sighed softly, ["Mutsumi, did you forget again?"]
["From the very beginning, we've always been one. That's why, you can never fool me."]
["Right now, I can feel it very clearly..."]
She placed her right hand over her chest, her gaze seemingly looking through her reflection to see that distant other person.
["Here... it's lonely, sour, and sad."]
Mutsumi stared blankly at her, not answering for a long time.
["But, it's okay."]
Mortis' beautiful brows curved like crescent moons, her voice impossibly gentle.
["Because, long, long ago, I already said it, no matter what happens, I will always, always, always... stand by Mutsumi's side."]
["So, leave it to me. You can leave everything to me."]
She extended her left hand, showing a soft, pale palm, interlocking fingers with the girl's, ["I'll help you get the happiness you deserve."]
"...Mortis," A faint murmur echoed in the quiet bedroom, then everything returned to silence once more.
