Volume 3 Chapter 60: Three-Way Meetings and a Sister (Behind the Scenes)

Sierra Arlens had, in truth, known from the very beginning that she and her brother, Noil Arlens, were not related by blood.

No, rather than “knowing,” she had felt it instinctively—an innate sense that she was somehow different from her father and her brother.

Therefore, when she became aware of her surroundings, Sierra persistently questioned her father. She had already extracted the truth: she was not his child but an abandoned one he had taken in. In fact, the only one in the family who hadn’t realized that Sierra knew the truth—and who knew nothing at all—was Noil.

From the start, Sierra had never seen Noil as her brother. She saw him simply as a man.

Perhaps it was precisely because they weren’t related by blood that Noil desperately tried to be a good onii-chan to Sierra. So, Sierra acted as his imouto and continued to be his little sister. It was more convenient that way.

Noil—her onii-chan—was truly a hopeless person. Without her around, he couldn’t even chase away a stray dog. Without her, he couldn’t do anything.

But even such a hopeless man would, despite being scared, in pain, suffering, or annoyed, work hard for Sierra’s sake, push himself for her, and smile for her. In the end, he always failed and caused her nothing but trouble, and he wasn’t cool at all. Yet, such a brother—a man—Sierra found unbearably endearing. She loved him dearly.

The fact that they weren’t related by blood yet were family was, to Sierra, an unparalleled stroke of luck.

By using her position as his imouto, she could receive kisses from him anytime. She could have him hold her tight.

The slightly excessive physical affection they shared—which went beyond what siblings usually have—was something Sierra had imprinted onto Noil. She made him believe, as they spent time together, that this was normal—that siblings naturally did this much.

Therefore, even now when they are both adults, Noil doesn’t question the excessive contact with Sierra. This is Sierra’s—his imouto’s—privilege alone.

After Noil left home, Sierra thought many times about going to see him. But she always gritted her teeth and held back. After enrolling in the Magus Academy, she spent time at the fishing pond that Noil had supposedly created, to distract herself from the pain of not being able to meet him. For some reason, it was designated off-limits and fenced off, but she trespassed without permission.

Sierra’s desperate self-restraint in waiting for Noil was not because of the promise they exchanged when they parted. She hadn’t thought from the start that Noil could keep such a promise. Rather, if breaking the promise made him feel guilty toward her, that was better. If that happened, when they reunited, Noil would accept any of her requests—as long as they weren’t too unreasonable—she thought.

Moreover, the longer the period of separation, with Noil’s personality, the more his affection for her would deepen, and he would spoil her more. It might only be as his imouto, but she could gradually change that. Even if it didn’t change, if his affection deepened to the extreme, the boundary between love for a sibling and love for a lover would disappear.

Even when he didn’t return home after graduating from the Magus Academy and disappeared to the Capital City of Elist, she thought that was fine. That Noil didn’t come back as a respectable man as promised was just as Sierra intended.

The reunited Noil would surely never think of leaving her again. She too would never leave him again.

And so, they would spend their lives happily together, as siblings.

There was no need to become anything else. Even if they didn’t, as family, living together wouldn’t be unnatural.

They would not marry others and would live together for life. In time, while being siblings, she intended to become more than siblings. There was no blood relation. Even if they had a physical relationship, even if they had children, there would be no problem. Sierra was seriously thinking about such a future full of nothing but problems. In Sierra’s mind, it was a confirmed outcome.

Her only concern was that while Noil was away from her, he might find someone special. But knowing Noil well, Sierra thought that was just unfounded worry.

She couldn’t imagine her onii-chan—Noil—actively pursuing a romantic partner. Foolish women might throw themselves at him, but she had always told him not to get close to women other than herself, and had sulked many times right in front of him. So, he probably wouldn’t deepen his relationships unnecessarily.

Yes, that’s what Sierra thought.

However, being away from Sierra caused the carelessness of the man named Noil Arlens to worsen—to a degree beyond her expectations.

And Sierra’s biggest miscalculation was that the women who developed feelings for him all harbored affections as distorted and pure and strong as Sierra’s own.

The shock Sierra felt when Fiona Mabel suddenly visited her one day and told her she was going to be her sister-in-law was immeasurable.

There was no way she could possibly believe it, but Fiona relayed every detail about herself and how she met Noil—more than necessary, without leaving anything out. Unable to accept this, Sierra decided to forcibly bring Noil back home. The fishing pond that had been a place of peace until then suddenly felt like a loathsome place.

Originally, Sierra had planned to go see him after graduating from the Magus Academy. The period had been more than long enough, and even for the sake of the future, her patience was reaching its limit. Moreover, she thought that by going to see him herself, Noil would feel more guilty. She would be able to bind him more to herself.

But now, that plan had accelerated. She would bring him back, no matter what.

However, when a woman appeared, intent on seducing Noil, Sierra found herself unable to wait until graduation. After crafting her Magis Gear specifically to counter Fiona, Sierra set her sights on the Capital City of Elist. Her goal? To rescue Noil from the clutches of the deranged witch, Fiona.

The withdrawal procedures from the Magus Academy, along with repeated attempts to dissuade her, were frustratingly time-consuming. However, thanks to the manifestation of her “Witch Hunter” ability, Sierra managed to reach Elist relatively quickly.

It didn’t take long to find Noil. Seeing how much he had grown—now a full-fledged adult—her heart filled with nostalgia, joy, and affection. Tears threatened to spill as she prepared to call out to him and embrace him.

But then she froze.

Beside him stood another woman—a half-beast demi-human—leaning close to him as they affectionately rubbed each other’s backs. The two of them were vomiting together, side by side, into one of the city’s lakes.

◇

“…”

“…”

“…”

Another long silence. It was becoming a pattern, or so I thought.

After explaining to Fiona that Sierra and I weren’t related by blood, she had muttered, “I need… some time to think…” and wandered off unsteadily. Shortly afterward, Mina had appeared, her reluctance to be there practically oozing from her every movement.

She now sat across from us on the sofa, and for the past while, the room had been steeped in a suffocating silence. Like with Sophie earlier, the atmosphere was palpably tense. Or rather, it was oppressive, bearing down on me with an unbearable weight. The awkwardness was suffocating. Help me, Sophie.

I had no idea how they decided the order for this bizarre “meeting,” but—

“It was a lottery…”

Apparently, it was a lottery.

In that case, I couldn’t help but feel Mina was incredibly unlucky. First, she’d been dragged into this nonsensical event against her will. Then, she’d drawn the absolute worst position. Thanks to the earlier confrontation with Fiona, my dear little sister was now in the worst possible mood—like a raging tempest that would wound anything it touched.

Expressionless, Sierra was glaring daggers at Mina. While her face gave nothing away, I could tell—those eyes were meant to kill.

Mina shot a quick glance my way. Her subtle eyebrow movement and the twitch at the corner of her lips conveyed exactly what she wanted to say.

“So, uh… since there doesn’t seem to be much to say, maybe she could—”

“No.”

The sharp tone and icy finality of her voice sent both Mina and me flinching. Sierra slowly turned her gaze to me.

“…Also, stop communicating through expressions, nii-san. It’s… unpleasant.”

“Ah, yes.”

When my adorable little sister flatly told me I was unpleasant, it stung. Feeling a bit dejected, I decided to keep my mouth shut. As much as I wanted to throw Mina a lifeline, the thought of alienating my sister—after seven years of not seeing her, which was entirely my fault—was too much to bear. She had already forgiven me for those seven years (again, my fault). Keeping her happy—and keeping myself safe—was paramount.

Don’t judge me as heartless. You’d be absolutely right.

At the very least, I decided to send Mina an apologetic look to convey my regrets.

“…That sort of thing is unpleasant.”

“Ah, okay.”

It was no use. Sierra had covered my eyes with both hands. I had tried to be discreet, but apparently, it was blatantly obvious. As expected of my imouto. With no other choice, I decided to play it cool and try to diffuse the situation. Maybe it would shift the mood in the room too.

“Fufu… You’ve improved.”

“…Shut up.”

“Ah, okay.”

Chided once again, I finally fell silent. It felt like my attempt at coolness had made the room even colder. I resolved to just stay quiet from now on.

With my eyes covered and Sierra’s command to remain silent, there was no way I could step in to help Mina.

I could hear a small sigh from Mina. She was probably thinking, “Honestly, this idiot…”

I felt Sierra’s hands over my eyes twitch slightly.

“I’ll get straight to the point.”

“Yes, please, let’s just get this over with.”

“…The cat.”

“Mina.”

“…The cat.”

“What is it now…?”

“…Is the cat… nii-san’s pet?”

“What are you even talking about?!”

There was a loud banging sound on the table—likely from Mina. I could easily imagine her expression. I’m sorry, truly. My imouto is rude. What can I say? She’s my imouto.

“Of course not!”

“Then what is it?”

“Huh…?”

I could sense Mina faltering, thrown off by Sierra’s sharp and icy follow-up.

“What is it to my nii-san?”

“What it is to him…?”

“What is it?”

“Uh…”

Mina, just say it. Say you’re my buddy, my best friend.

“…A friend?”

The fact that it came out as a question stung a bit. Here I was, thinking we were best buddies, yet Mina seemed less certain. It was a sad revelation.

“…Nii-san doesn’t need female friends. He doesn’t have them. He doesn’t need them.”

“Uh, no, that’s—”

“He doesn’t.”

“Ah, okay.”

With a sharp retort, Sierra shut me down. I decided then and there that I would never tell her I considered Mina or Noel my best friends.

But seriously, if I wasn’t allowed to have female friends, how was I supposed to interact with any of them moving forward? The Manager was the Manager. Fiona was a kouhai. Elle was… well, honestly, probably a stalker?

Those three aside, Noel was a work colleague—that was close enough to a buddy, wasn’t it? Sophie, while this might be one-sided, was like a second imouto to me, so there shouldn’t be an issue. Mina, though, was tricky. If she couldn’t be a friend, she’d have to be downgraded to just an acquaintance, which felt a bit sad. But honestly, nothing else seemed to fit.

“Then… an acquaintance.”

“…For an acquaintance, you seem awfully close. That’s a lie.”

“What do you want me to say?!”

She’s got a point.

“Ugh… fine, a former roommate.”

Mina’s tone was weary, as if she’d reached her limit. Sierra’s hands twitched again.

While it wasn’t technically incorrect, Mina-san, that was probably the worst thing you could have said.

“What… do you mean?”

“Ah…”

The room fell into a tense silence.

“It’s, uh, not like that… just a coincidence, an accident, really?”

“Y-Yeah, exactly! It was, uh, unavoidable, you know?”

“Nii-san.”

“Ah, okay. I’ll be quiet now.”

“Hey! Come on!”

I tried to back Mina up, but the cold voice in my ear froze me into submission. I covered my mouth with both hands. Mina let out a sound somewhere between a groan and a shriek, but there was nothing I could do.

“The reason doesn’t matter. How long were you together?”

“A-a month…?”

“…That’s long.”

“But! Nothing happened! Really! I swear! I just let him use the room!”

“…Yes, I know that.”

“Oh, uh, okay… that’s a relief…”

Mina exhaled in visible relief.

“Because, for my nii-san to feel aroused… the cat is far too underdeveloped.”

“What did you just say?!”

And she snapped.

I wanted to disappear right then and there. Trembling, I gently covered my ears with my hands. Ordinarily, I should have scolded my sister for being so rude. Unfortunately, Sierra held the upper hand in every conceivable way.

So, with my eyes already covered, I shut my ears too and escaped into my own safe mental space.

“Like you’re one to talk!”

“Mina, your voice is loud.”

“…Compared to the cat, I’m taller. I’m slender. The cat is… underdeveloped.”

Even with my ears covered, I could still hear her clearly. It was surprising how sound carried in close quarters. Haha, there’s no escaping reality, is there?

“Pot, meet kettle, wouldn’t you say?!”

“…No, the difference is clear. Even in reality, fifty paces and a hundred paces make a significant difference. Just like me and the cat.”

“Grk…!”

“…The cat has no charm. As a woman, she’s dead.”

“WHAAAAAT?!”

Mina’s voice boomed, but, well, she had every right to be mad. I decided I’d apologize to her later. I’d scold Sierra later too, so could we please stop now? No? Okay.

“You said it! You actually said it!”

“…It’s the truth. There’s no helping it.”

The sound of Mina gritting her teeth echoed, even through my hands. This world is full of mysteries.

“Oh? Really? Is that so? No charm? Dead as a woman?”

“…Yes. That’s right.”

“Then why, pray tell, was your precious onii-chan acting that way in the bath—uh…”

“…The bath?”

…

Mina, that was completely the wrong thing to say.

Sierra’s hands slowly moved away from my eyes. Mina, drenched in sweat, tried to avert her gaze. Gripping my wrists firmly, Sierra pulled my hands down and turned me to face her.

My vision and hearing were now crystal clear—clear enough to see Sierra’s emotionless face and to hear the saccharine tone in her voice, a tone sharp enough to pierce my soul.

“What. Bath?”

The room fell silent once more.

“Uh… have you heard of… the bath fairy?”

I asked, trembling.