The Mob Noble Who Got Reincarnated in a World Where Men Are Naturally Protected—So I Trained Like Crazy to Protect Girls Instead, But Their Love Got Way Too Heavy - Chapter 50: Fifth Sis vs The Three Girls

Chapter 50: Fifth Sis vs The Three Girls

From that day on, Fifth sis ended up joining our usual group.

Apparently, since the urgent kidnapping issue had been resolved.

Honestly, just before I got kidnapped, everyone had been panicking like crazy… but now that it was over, they were all pretty relaxed about it. People really switch moods fast.

That said, it didn’t mean we all became one happy group of five.

Instead, it turned into a full-on standoff—

The three girls trying to prove themselves, and Fifth sis refusing to acknowledge any of them.

That kind of relationship had started to settle in…

—During lunch break.

By chance, Shia was eating with her followers, and Aegis had stepped away for something related to her bloodline.

So it ended up being just me and Wiz, sitting side by side on a bench, having lunch.

“By the way, how’s the night vision goggles coming along?”

Wiz, clearly in a great mood from it being just the two of us again, asked that.

I nodded.

“Yeah, it’s coming together pretty well.”

“How are you planning to make it? Amplifying incoming light? Or maybe visualizing heat signatures?”

“For this one, I’m thinking of emitting infrared and then detecting it.”

“I see. Yeah, that would keep the cost pretty reasonable.”

The fact that she could understand that much from my quick explanation… yeah, Wiz really is smart.

I’ll skip the detailed explanation, but there are basically three ways to make night vision goggles.

One is amplifying tiny amounts of light—like starlight.

Another is thermal vision, detecting heat.

And the one I’m planning this time—is an infrared system.

It emits infrared light that the human eye can’t see, then converts it into visual data, letting only me see clearly even in total darkness.

“So that means we’ll need a material that glows using magic, one that blocks visible light… and also something that can convert infrared into visible images!”

“Exactly. And actually, I wanted to ask you, Wiz—”

Right as I was about to bring it up—

“I’ll take that request, little bro!”

Fifth sis suddenly showed up, puffing out her chest in front of us as we sat side by side eating.

“…So you’ve appeared, Big sis.”

“Wiz, you don’t get to call me Big sis!”

The two of them immediately started glaring at each other.

I half-lidded my eyes and said to Fifth sis—

“But Fifth sis, you don’t even understand how this kind of gadget works.”

“I-I do! If Tec explains it properly, I’ll try my best to understand!”

“But Wiz gets it even without a full explanation.”

“Nooo…! Teach me too, Tec~!”

Fifth sis clung to me, teary-eyed and wobbling.

Seeing that, Wiz—rare for her—looked completely victorious.

“Fufun… when it comes to this kind of tech, I won’t lose to anyone! I’m the only one who can handle Tect’s technical questions!”

“Wiz actually has the knowledge and experience, so she’s a huge help, seriously.”

“Ehehe… ehehehehe… really?♡ Ahh, you’re making me blush~♡”

Wiz melted on the spot, all flustered and happy.

Seeing her that delighted made it pretty satisfying to praise her.

Then Fifth sis, looking annoyed, muttered—

“And yet you can’t even hold Tec’s hand.”

“—!?”

“Fifth sis, what are you even talking about?”

Wiz froze in shock at the sudden comment.

I just stared at her, dumbfounded.

But Fifth sis must’ve seen it working—

She grinned and kept going.

“I know, you know? Wiz is super shy. Even though she spends the most time with Tec, she hasn’t made any progress at all—not even basic physical contact.”

“W-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-What are you saying!?”

“Lady Aegis casually hugs him, and Princess Shia gets taken care of by him all the time. But Wiz? Nothing. So little progress that you even tried writing a self-insert love story… and couldn’t get anywhere, so you got mad and gave up—”

“H-Hey! W-Why!? How do you know about that!? What the hell!?”

Wiz protested, her face completely red.

Self-insert love story…? What is she talking about?

Meanwhile, Fifth sis looked absolutely triumphant.

“Unlike that, I’m his big sister, so I get tons of skinship with Tec! Every single memory we have is basically like a dream romance story! This is totally my win!”

“GYAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

Wiz completely broke down and collapsed.

I’m not really sure what’s going on, but somehow it feels like Wiz is always losing… even though I don’t know what the competition is.

“So anyway~”

Fifth sis plopped down right next to me.

Her neatly tied flaxen hair swayed softly.

“Tec~♡ Leave that NTR’d Wiz over there and come cuddle with me♡”

“Why are you calling her ‘NTR’d’? And I told you, it’s not that kind of relationship with her.”

“Ah—”

“Tec just landed the most devastating finishing blow.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Nothing~♡”

As she said that, Fifth sis hugged my arm tightly.

Letting out a sigh, I ended up patting her head out of habit from back home.

“Shouldn’t you start growing out of this whole ‘little brother’ thing? Don’t you have any potential husband candidates or something?”

“I’ve got you, Tec! And compared to you, every other guy just falls short… honestly, I’ve basically given up on marriage at this point.”

“What are you even saying to your own blood-related little brother…”

Just like that, I kept chatting casually with Fifth sis.

Meanwhile—

“Ahh… a-ahh… arm-linking… head pats… a-ahhhh…”

Wiz, looking like a ghost, reached out toward us with trembling hands.

Fifth sis didn’t just cause chaos in that one situation either.

One day after school, Wiz was busy struggling with a bloodline-related assignment, Shia was away on official duties, and I ended up going to the blacksmith with Aegis.

We were still working on the night vision goggles.

After discussing things with Wiz, we had already selected the materials and finalized the design.

Now we were at the stage of actually building it and seeing how it turned out.

“Tect~? Done picking what you need?”

“Yeah. A salamander tailbone that glows with magic, a salamander reverse scale that blocks visible light, a sunstone to visualize infrared… and some metal for the frame.”

“Huh… even just seeing in the dark takes quite a bit of work, huh?”

“Honestly, this is still way simpler than what I originally had in mind. If I tried to do this back in Japan, I’d have to modify a camera for the sunstone part.”

“…Hm? Japan? What’s that?”

“Ah—uh… I just misspoke, don’t worry about it.”

“Hm~?”

I almost slipped and mentioned my past life.

There wasn’t any reason to explain it, so I brushed it off.

“Alright then, Tect. I’ll cover the cost of the materials for the goggles.”

Aegis picked up the basket and headed toward the counter with light steps.

Every time I saw that, I couldn’t help but wince a little.

Back in my previous life, paying for things like this was considered the man’s role—

So having a girl pay instead gave me a strange sense of guilt.

“A-Aegis… I’ll pay you back once I make it big, so remember how much it was…”

“Huh? No thanks, that’s a hassle. And I don’t need money anyway. If you want to repay me, just take me on a date.”

She grinned and pulled out a pouch of gold coins.

I really couldn’t help but feel indebted to Aegis.

And just as she was about to pay—

Clank.

A sharp sound echoed as someone placed a coin pouch on the counter before her.

It was my hopeless older sister—

Fifth sis, Vee.

“Fufuun! Young Lady! Too bad, but I’ve already paid for everything here!”

“So you showed up, Vee!”

“What are you even doing, Fifth sis?”

Aegis immediately went on guard, while Fifth sis puffed out her chest proudly, her neatly tied flaxen hair swaying.

And me? Just as exasperated as ever.

This time, it looked like Fifth sis was picking a fight with Aegis.

No matter what I said, she wouldn’t listen, so I just crossed my arms and watched with a frown.

Then Fifth sis declared—

“The one who pays gets a return from Tec… so this time, it’s not you, Lady—it’s me who’s going on a date with him! A lovey-dovey sibling date!”

“W-What did you just say!? You’re trying to steal the chance I worked so hard for!?”

“I already told you, I don’t need someone to pay for me to go on a date…”

I said it, but neither of them was listening.

Seriously, these two…

Then, something suddenly crossed my mind, and I turned to Fifth sis.

“By the way, Fifth sis— About those materials you just paid for… aren’t salamander parts pretty expensive?”

“Huh? They are?”

Everyone’s gaze shifted to the counter—toward the blacksmith owner, the loli dwarf, Ayla.

Ayla quickly worked the abacus and spoke.

“Yeah, roughly this much.”

“…!”

Fifth sis tightened her lips, a cold sweat forming.

Seeing that, Aegis smirked triumphantly.

“Ohhh? Vee, you can’t even casually pay this much~~? Tect may not look like it, but he’s actually a pretty high-maintenance cutie, you know? That kind of budget just won’t cut it~~?”

“…Wait. If I run this through the reversed chastity logic… does that make me the expensive girlfriend…?”

I was left stunned at my own position.

Meanwhile, Fifth sis forced a shaky smile.

“T-T-This much!? For a reliable big sister like me, this is nothing at all!”

“Really~? Your legs are shaking, Vee. Maybe you shouldn’t push yourself so hard?”

Aegis teased her with a grin.

Even with her legs trembling, Fifth sis stubbornly insisted—

“Even so! I’m the one paying for Tec! He’s my one and only precious little brother!”

“…This is definitely not the moment for a touching speech like that.”

I frowned and shook my head.

But Aegis just let out a small laugh—

And turned on her heel.

“Fine. I’ll give you this round. Let’s see how long you can keep up that bluff.”

With that, Aegis casually walked out of the blacksmith shop.

Left behind, Fifth sis stood there—

And I walked up to her.

“Why are you being so stubborn about this, Fifth sis…?”

“I’ll… teach you something, Tec… For a woman… there are battles… you just can’t lose…”

Her legs gave out, and she collapsed on the spot.

I quickly caught her, and she left me with one last line—

“Tec… All the money I earned from doing quests since I came to the academy… use it well…”

“What are you doing!? Your whole savings!? Are you serious!? What were you thinking, Fifth sis!?”

I grabbed her shoulders and shook her hard, but—

It looked like she had completely burned out mentally.

She just closed her eyes with a peaceful expression and didn’t respond.

“Tect! Here, your materials! Honestly, even getting Lady Aegis—and your own sister—wrapped around your finger like that… what a sinful man.”

As I took the materials from Ayla, the loli dwarf blacksmith, I muttered to Fifth sis—

“…Alright… I’ll take you on that date, okay? I’ll cover the food and everything…”

“I will!”

Fifth sis instantly shot up, her eyes sparkling.

“So, so? There’s this place I really want to go to, you know?”

And just like that, she started energetically suggesting date ideas.

Watching her, I couldn’t help but think—there really might be no cure for this sister of mine.

And then—

On the morning of the day I had a date with Fifth sis after school, I went through my usual routine—finished training, then headed to Shia’s private dorm.

After greeting the head maid, Ms. Hedda, I went to Shia’s room.

Like always, I was about to wake her up—

…And Fifth sis was there.

For some reason, dressed as a maid.

“Why are you here?”

“I can’t let Tec do something that sounds like the start of an erotic novel—taking care of a sleepy princess! Leave this to me!”

“That’s a pretty harsh way to describe my job, Fifth sis.”

Well… I did think something similar at first.

But now it just felt like taking care of a cute kid.

“No, but seriously—what’s with that maid outfit?”

When I asked, Fifth sis gave a smug little laugh.

“Fufu… I have to thank you, Tec. For someone broke like me, this was the perfect part-time job!”

“Ms. Heddaaa! Did you seriously hire Fifth sis!? This useless sister of mine!?”

I shouted down to the lower floor—

And got a reply back.

“Well, since she’s Tect’s sister, I figured she’d be trustworthy!”

…Damn it. My own reputation just backfired on me.

“So anyway, leave the princess to me! I just need to wake her up, right? Easy, easy!”

“Judging by that attitude, you didn’t even get permission from Ms. Hedda, did you? No, no. She’s still a princess of an entire kingdom. Just go back downstairs and work with Ms. Hedda.”

“No way! She gives off the same vibe as Mom! I feel like she’ll beat me up!”

…Tch, sharp instincts.

Though honestly, if Hedda saw how clumsy Fifth sis was, she’d probably fire her immediately.

“Alright then, let’s wake up the sleepy princess! First, I’ll take her to the sink and wash her face—that should wake her up, right? Heave-ho!”

“Hey—wait!”

Using her magic-enhanced strength, Fifth sis easily lifted Shia.

Then she slipped right past me and headed straight for the sink.

“F-Fifth sis! Don’t just stand her at the sink like that! You have to wake Shia up gradually while getting her dressed, or at the sink—!”

I rushed after her.

A moment later, I caught up—

“Blubblblblblbl—!”

“H-Hiiin! T-Tec, what do we do!? T-The princess is drowning in the sink!”

“I told you! Just pull her out already! She’s going to drown like that!”

I hurried over and grabbed onto Shia.

But she was panicking, thrashing around wildly with her head still stuck in the sink, making it impossible to get a proper hold on her.

Damn it—if this were just a normal girl, I could’ve just forced her out.

But with her strength boosted by magic, I couldn’t grab her carelessly!

“Tec! The princess is too strong—I can’t get close! What do we do!?”

“T-This kind of situation… Dropkick! Same idea as saving someone getting electrocuted!”

“I don’t really get the electricity part, but dropkick it is! Here I go!”

Fifth sis took a running start—

And launched a full-on dropkick at Shia.

Despite Shia flailing wildly, the impact forced her away from the sink.

“Gah—! Haa—! Hya—! U… bweeaaaaahhh…!”

Soaked from head to shoulders, Shia collapsed onto the floor—

And then started crying loudly, like a little kid.

“Aah! The princess is crying!”

“Fifth sis, move! Alright, there there… you got scared, didn’t you? It’s okay now, you’re safe.”

I pulled Shia into my arms and did my best to comfort her.

“Tect…! Hic… I-I was so scared…! I couldn’t breathe… I thought I was going to die…!”

“Yeah, yeah, I know… sorry about that rough wake-up. I wanted to wake you up the usual way.”

I shot a glare at Fifth sis.

She flinched, straightened up, and her eyes started darting around.

“U-Um… I-I didn’t think it would turn out like this…”

“And?”

“S-So… um… how do I say this…”

“Go on.”

“…I’m really sorry, Princess. And Tec too… sorry for messing things up…”

“That’s what she says. Shia, what do you want to do?”

I figured the decision here should be Shia’s, so I left it up to her.

Still sniffling, she steadied herself and spoke as calmly as she could.

“Hic… You’re Tect’s sister… the one who was hired yesterday, correct…?”

“Y-Yes…”

“…Since you are Tect’s family, I won’t press charges. However, someone like you cannot be kept nearby.”

“…So…”

Shia sniffed again, her teary eyes narrowing slightly as she declared—

“As of today, you’re dismissed.”

“…Understood…”

Fifth sis drooped and quietly left the room.

…Yeah, honestly, that turned out pretty well.

If she’d done all this on her own, it might’ve actually become a serious issue.

“Tect… I’m cold…”

Shia tugged at my sleeve, trembling.

“Yeah, I’ll get some hot water ready right away. Let’s warm you up in the bath.”

I quickly prepared the tub, then efficiently blindfolded myself, helped her out of her clothes, and wrapped her in a towel.

While checking the bath, still blindfolded, Shia spoke.

“…I’ve been wondering this for a while, but why the blindfold? A woman wouldn’t think much of being seen a little…”

“N-No, I mean… you’re a princess, so I figured it wouldn’t be appropriate…”

“And besides, my body is objectively quite well-shaped. It’s not something to be embarrassed about. You’re overthinking it, Tect.”

“…That’s some serious confidence.”

Shia really did have an amazing figure… but if you flipped it to a guy, would it be like a bodybuilder?

I guess if your whole body was that well-built, you wouldn’t feel embarrassed even if you were almost naked.

While I was thinking that, the bath finished heating up.

As Shia soaked in the tub and I waited nearby, she spoke.

“Still… your sister… how should I put it… she’s quite desperate, isn’t she?”

“Huh? Desperate?”

“Yes. Not just with you, Tect… but in general, she feels desperate to prove her own worth…”

She paused for a moment, then continued in a slightly complicated tone.

“…I can’t say I don’t understand it, though. A weak woman… has no value.”

Splash.

The sound of water echoed.

—I wanted to take off the blindfold and see what kind of expression Shia was making right now.

But I held that urge back.