episode_0350

Side Story 64: Elheim Arc – Going to See My Sister (2)

How many times has my sister been this angry?

Not many. Really not many. If I’m just counting the times, it wouldn’t even be ten.

She would accept small pranks or laugh them off, and she would slightly frown at harsher pranks, but even then, she would sigh and let it go if I apologized first.

She was that weak to me. I was her truly cute and lovable younger brother and family.

The only other time she pushed me away with such an expressionless face was once. It was right after my delinquent days, after she realized that I wasn’t changing despite her endless efforts.

In other words, my sister is currently as incredibly angry as she was back then.

“Fuck, I’m really screwed…”

I wouldn’t say this if the situation was just annoying or difficult. This is truly, really screwed to the point where my life is on the line.

I usually don’t think like this if I can help it.

Rather than feeling frustration and despair in life-threatening situations, I focus on the situation unfolding before me and constantly seek solutions to escape.

It was a necessary ability for me, who was once the protagonist. In the first place, it couldn’t be helped because my days were a continuation of that.

But right now, I don’t see even a sliver of an opening. It’s not just that I’m falling into the abyss, but I’m about to hit rock bottom and die.

I already had so many things I felt sorry for my sister about.

There was the pain I gave her during my delinquent days and the recent lack of attention, but what I’m talking about is even further in the past. It’s about the things I feel sorry for that happened in another dimension, not this world.

“Haa…”

Back when I was still immature, and full of complaints. I didn’t like all the elements given to me as the protagonist.

To be precise, I hated the painful process that would unfold in the future. Even if a successful future and happiness awaited me, I was sick of the suffering and pain I would experience in the process.

For that reason, I began to hate and reject them from some point on. Of course, I pretended as much as possible on the outside, but my true feelings were completely different.

It’s obvious since I secretly made ridiculous plans.

Anyway, I pushed those things away under the pretense of trying various things. I rejected people, abilities, and situations, everything.

Naturally, I also rejected those closest to me. That was my sister.

A being prepared only for me, looking only at me, and created to love only me.

Elheim, my sister, was the existence commonly called the ‘heroine.’

If you ask why I pushed her away, there’s only one reason.

Because I didn’t like it either. I hated the fact that she forced her thoughts and actions on me, even forcing love. So I rejected my sister.

There were many other reasons as well. In particular, my inferiority complex was the strongest.

Unlike a genius who understands ten things from one, I was a dullard who couldn’t even learn the one thing I was taught.

The sense of deprivation and futility that bloomed in my heart tormented me. So there was no need to keep such a being by my side.

Of course, things didn’t go as I thought or wanted.

The protagonist and the heroine are a relationship that is stickier and more tenacious than the final boss. Even if I wanted to get away and fussed about it, they would be by my side at some point.

The opposite is the same. Even if I forcibly ruined the relationship and the other person hated me, we would reunite quickly.

Since we met in a state where our feelings for each other weren’t good, conflict was inevitable. We were on such bad terms that we wouldn’t even exchange a word.

What’s funny in the midst of all this is that we were incredibly interested in each other.

The protagonist and the heroine are a relationship that must be connected. That’s why various devices were applied to make us regard each other as an ideal.

Typically, there’s personality, appearance, and other external factors…

Well, so my sister and I, our faces were… completely, our type….

Back then, she was a swordswoman who used swords, so her body was exactly my type….

It’s the same now….

Damn it, saying it like this makes it sound like I chose a woman based on her appearance.

Anyway, our compatibility was a little, no, very good, so we lived in a relationship of love and hate. We spent quite a long time like that.

But from some point on, the ‘hate’ gradually faded from the love-hate relationship. As our bodies got closer, our hearts got closer, and since our hearts also matched perfectly, it was a natural course of events.

But the moment I had thoughts of feeling sorry and apologizing, I died…

There was no time to convey an apology for the mistakes I had made. That’s why I feel guilty towards my sister.

Of course, the sister from back then and the current sister cannot be seen as the same. Her appearance and personality are completely different from the sister in my memory. The only thing that’s the same is the relationship of being my sister.

But I can see it.

I’ve seen it countless times, and the thread of fate that never breaks has tenaciously followed me all the way here and is attached. That was proof that even if our appearances changed, we would still love each other and be connected.

“Argh, fuck!”

I screamed into the air and tore at my hair.

“I’m a crazy bastard. If I felt sorry, I should have contacted her more often. This crazy bastard is spending time with his wives…”

When you think about it, my sister is also the same as my wife…

“Ha, what am I going to do…”

After a short self-criticism, I go into deep thought. I have to somehow turn my disappointed sister’s heart around.

But how?

“Wouldn’t she let it go if I acted cute?”

First of all, my sister is very weak to me. If I show her my brotherly side, she might feel better.

Since I’ll be staying here for a while anyway…

“First… I have to go see my sister.”

I put my thoughts into action immediately. I went straight to find my sister.

I asked the knights and servants, and they quickly told me where my sister was. It was mealtime right after training, so she was in the dining hall.

I stood among the knights, received food, quietly approached my sister, and sat across from her.

“Sister, I’m seeing you agai…”

Before I could even finish my sentence, she pulled out her chair, picked up her tray, and stood up. My sister left the dining hall without even giving me a glance.

“Ah…”

I stare blankly at the empty seat.

“Fuck, I’m really screwed…”

What am I going to do…

***

I repeated the same thing several times after that.

“Sister, are you busy…”

Whoosh!

I also went to see my sister at work.

“Sister, let’s eat togeth…”

Thud!

I went to see my sister eating dinner.

“Sister, can I sleep with yo…”

Bang!

I went to her room before she went to bed.

But I was rejected every time. She acted as if I, her brother, didn’t exist.

That went on for three days, not just one day. Today is the fourth day.

“Ah…”

I was rejected by my sister again this morning, so I couldn’t help but sit on a bench and stare blankly at the sky.

I managed to endure it for three days, but I’m going crazy on the fourth day. No matter how much it’s me, I can’t be sane after being ignored by someone I love.

“Really, what am I going to do…”

Now even my hands are trembling.

I wouldn’t be like this if I could at least continue the conversation. Since I can’t even do that, my head is just blank.

“My sister… must have felt like this…”

I suddenly remember my sister from my delinquent days, who silently tried to return me to my original self by my side. I really tried hard back then.

“Fuck…”

Ah, what am I going to do…

If I keep going like this, my relationship with my sister will be the worst, but I can’t think of a solution at all. This is the first time this has happened, so I’m even more flustered and can’t think straight.

“Haa…”

As I was spacing out for a while, a familiar voice came from behind me.

“Why are you sighing so heavily, brother?”

“Ah, Vale…”

It was my one and only younger brother, Vale. My brother sat next to me.

“Are you busy? It’s hard to see you even though I’m staying at the mansion.”

“I’ve been busy with a lot of things to take care of recently.”

“Well, it’s a busy time.”

It hasn’t been long since he took office as the head of the family, so he’s probably not yet skilled at handling work. On top of that, he has to train as a knight, so he wouldn’t have any free time.

Of course, he won’t be working to the point of overworking himself. Vale was a promising young man, and a genius comparable to the first head of Arden.

Those around him will help as much as possible, and only the really necessary tasks will be passed on to Vale, the head of the family.

“Even if you’re busy, shouldn’t you have come to see me first since your brother came?”

“…That’s what I should be saying. If you came as a guest, you should have come to see the head of the household first.”

“Wow… is that something you should say to your brother?”

“You’re the one who left the family.”

“Brother… I never raised you like this.”

“Even if we were family once, please show some respect now, Saint.”

“……”

Damn it, you little brother. You draw the line with me by calling me Saint at times like this.

Anyway, thanks to my brother, my mind has cleared up a bit. But this worry that has taken over my head won’t go away at all.

“Come to think of it, the situation at the mansion is flowing quite interestingly.”

“……”

“You should have taken care of your sister too. How can you only pay attention to the others?”

“No… I’m really wronged… This is the fastest I could come…”

Even if the wedding itself ends in a day, there’s a separate preparation period. Fortunately, Lana prepared in advance, so it ended quickly.

Is that the end? No.

Even after the wedding, the couples need to spend time together, so they spend more time together.

But this is only to this extent because Chloe relented. If she had also had a wedding and spent her first night, I would have come to the Arden territory at least two weeks later.

“It only sounds like an excuse to me. More than that, when did you and Chloe get into that kind of relationship? I remember you didn’t get along very well during the academy days.”

“Well… there are things you wouldn’t know.”

“So there are officially three wives. Maybe add my sister and His Majesty the Emperor too… and more…. Even a beast wouldn’t do this. You’re strong, brother. And they’re all pregnant…”

“…Are you having fun teasing your brother?”

“Yes, it’s fun. My damn brother is ruined because of women, how can it not be fun? Look in the mirror later. It’ll be worth seeing. I want to take a picture of that face and keep it for the rest of my life.”

“…Fuck.”

I’m going crazy because my brother is teasing me because he thinks this is a good opportunity. I wish he would just get lost.

“Is my sister… very angry…?”

“Hmm… I’m not sure either. I used to visit her separately until last week, but I haven’t seen her separately recently.”

“What, didn’t you talk separately…?”

“There was some, but it was mostly about cursing you, brother. She didn’t do it openly, but well… you know?”

“…Haa, I’m going crazy…”

My sister and I aren’t connected by blood, but we’ve lived like a family. Of course, families talk a lot about personal things.

But the fact that she hasn’t met Vale recently to talk about such things means it’s really dangerous.

“Hey, what am I going to do… I came back to spend some time with my sister…”

“You’re usually good at solving problems, but you’re weak today. It’s not like you, brother.”

“…Because it’s my sister.”

If it was someone who had nothing to do with me, I wouldn’t go this far. I’m doing this because she’s my beloved family.

I messed up my hair and squeezed my hair.

“If I could just have a conversation, even just a conversation, I feel like I could do something…”

“It just so happens that I have something to ask my sister to do as the head of the family…”

My mind flashed at those words.

“What is it?”

“It’s just a small delivery. It’s a slightly important item, so I need the captain of the knights.”

I rack my brains again. If, if I can go with her….

“Can I, can I go with my sister?”

“I’ll let you do that if you grant me one request later.”

“Hey, do you have to make conditions at a time like this? We’re family?”

“If you don’t want to, then forget it. It doesn’t have to be my sister for this job.”

“…Damn bastard. You’ve become quite the sly fox since you became the head of the family.”

I wonder if this is the same person as my brother from the academy days.

Vale replied to my words.

“Please call it responsibility as the head of the family, Saint Kyle.”

My brother… has really become a total jerk…. He even knows how to handle his brother like this….