NOVEL NEXT The Strongest Solo Gamer with Terrible Social Skills Reincarnates as a Hated NPC in a VRMMO Chapter 9
9: My Sister’s Whip is Sweet
――SIDE: Aina――
3 am. I checked the time and headed out in my training wear. The surroundings were dark, and despite being in April, it was still a bit chilly.
As I waited for my brother Shouma, I did some stretching exercises to loosen up my stiff muscles. After thoroughly stretching my entire body, a thin layer of sweat appeared on my forehead.
I was fully prepared. But――
“――He’s late.”
I checked the time on my wristwatch and saw that 10 minutes had already passed. I looked up at Shouma’s room from outside. The window was dark, and I could see that he was still fast asleep.
――Just as I thought, he wasn’t coming.
I couldn’t help but let out a sigh.
I had tried to correct my brother Shouma’s lazy nature many times.
But he didn’t have the motivation.
Despite his big talk, he would always find excuses to escape and had never kept his promises with me.
When I heard that he had protected a female student, I thought he had changed a little.
But in the end, he remained the same.
I couldn’t help but think of the past.
It was when I took 6-year-old Shouma to the nearby park. At that time, our family was in the middle of a divorce settlement. Our parents were busy, so I was the one taking care of Shouma.
In my heart, I was complex.
As a child, I was clever and had been told about our family’s situation by relatives. I knew that our family was in a difficult situation. Our father had a French mistress, and there was a hidden younger sister. Our mother would eventually leave our father, and it was only a matter of time.
In the near future, our father would be ousted from his position as the head of the family due to the main house’s influence. The main house wouldn’t allow someone who had incurred the wrath of the imperial court to remain as the head.
“The next head of the family will be Shouma. As his sister, you should support him.”
That’s what our relatives told me, and I could only nod in agreement. All the knowledge and martial arts I had learned were for the sake of supporting Shouma as the head of the family.
I couldn’t simply accept that fact.
My brother Shouma――to put it bluntly, he was no good. He would easily give up and was extremely cowardly, making it questionable whether he could fulfill his duties as a warrior and receive imperial orders.
Our duties were fundamentally to conquer ABYSS.
Defense against foreign threats and protection were the main duties of warriors, but fundamentally, our role was to push forward with the government’s orders to conquer ABYSS.
Can that Shoma handle monster-slaying or something?—
I had my doubts about it.
“Piiigyaaa! Ne, Onee-samaaa!!”
“Ah, Shoma!? “
I paused my thoughts upon hearing my brother’s distant cries. When I realized it, Shoma had vanished from before me. He must have walked somewhere while I was lost in thought.
What happened?
Relying on his voice, I rushed to Shoma’s location.
“Help meee! The dog is…! The dog is biting my beloved butt!!”
“……”
“Onee-samaaa!? Hurry up! Onee-sa—!”
…A Toy Poodle, perhaps?
The small dog biting Shoma’s butt was a Toy Poodle. It was probably left to play in the park by someone.
This adorable dog, and this guy…!
At that moment, I felt a mix of anger, sadness, and frustration.
“Kyu—~~~n♡”
“……”
“Ah!? You’re acting cute!? Why!? “
As I approached the dog, the Toy Poodle let out a cute cry and rolled over, exposing its belly. …I wanted to ask why.
“Shoma-sama… Losing to a small dog like this…!! And you’re the next head of the Ishizuru family!? Know your shame!!”
“Hee—~~n!? You’re saying that to me!?”
“Silence! If you come back, you’ll be punished! A weakling like you, I—”
“—I’m not living just to be supported!!
The last words alone made me clench my teeth.
No matter what, I couldn’t let my reason lose.
The scorned emotions wouldn’t disappear. They would swirl within me, and surely, they would continue to simmer forever.
I felt despair at that moment.
“…Ah, no! Please don’t scold Shoma-kun…!!”
“Hmm? You’re—”
It was the young lady of the Hou family, Shoma’s fiancée, Hou Kurenai. She was also playing in the park.
I suddenly felt embarrassed. What had just happened was a shame to the Ishizuru family. Even if she was to be our future partner, I didn’t want to show the pitiful side of the Ishizuru family head to an outsider. Moreover, I felt even angrier towards Shoma—
The young Kurenai shook her head, saying “that’s not it.”
“He—protected me when I was about to be bitten, putting himself in harm’s way!”
“Eh…?”
“So, that…please don’t scold him…”
“……”
If Kurenai’s words were true, then Shoma’s mental image would change. His weakness was something I knew well. Even against a small dog, standing up to it required considerable courage.
…To save his fiancée, he had mustered that courage.
“You might not be a completely useless person after all…”
“Eh?”
“No—it’s not that. You should be able to chase away a dog like that on your own, Shoma. Punishment is cancelled. Instead, let’s train together to become stronger when you get back, okay?”
When I looked back, Sho’s figure had vanished.
“Hmm…? Where’s Sho?”
“…He suddenly ran off somewhere a while ago…”
――Take back what I just said.
――It seems I still need to discipline him.
I’m reminiscing about fond memories because he did something unusual.
Among the girls I helped was Feng Hongyu.
Although she’s become arrogant and self-important lately, maybe she’s trying to change too.
I was holding onto that faint hope.
“…Let’s go.”
Thirty minutes had passed. Sho probably wasn’t coming.
Originally, this training was part of my daily routine. I was about to start running from that spot to get my cold body moving again, when…
“Oh, sorry I’m late! Su—i—ma—shi—n!!”
“—”
Sho, wearing his training clothes, arrived, panting.
I was taken aback.
“Ahi! Ah, you’re angry…!? No, it’s not like that! I cleaned my room until late last night! I didn’t even have time to eat! When I woke up, it was 15 minutes past, and by the time I finished eating my banana, 30 minutes had passed! It’s not my fault, it’s unavoidable! Please forgive me!!”
“…”
“Ah, Ran—na—san…?”
“Ah, yeah! That’s right…”
I never thought he’d actually come, but I couldn’t say that to my brother.
“…Hmph.”
“What’s wrong? Did I do something wrong again?!”
“Be quiet! It’s still early morning outside! Keep your voice down in the morning, you’re disturbing the neighbors!!”
“Yes, yes!”
“Then let’s go, Sho. First, we’ll do some running. You’ll make up for lost time! You’ll keep running until I say you can stop, so be prepared to vomit everything in your stomach!!”
“…Huh?”
“Let’s start!!”
“He—he—he—!!”
I kicked him in the back, and Sho started running with a pitiful cry. I told him to keep his voice down, but this idiot…
――But it’s not so bad.
As I kicked Sho’s back, I couldn’t help but laugh from the heart for the first time in a long while.