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• Third night: Revan’s side

Again, the night has come.

Revan watched the submerged setting sun and sighed.

It’s now the second day since I have returned to the village from the mountains.

Or more accurately, rather than returned, I had already been abducted when I woke up.

My memory from that time is vague. From what Asmina said, my condition was in bad shape when I spoke in front of the Imperial Crimson sovereign (that reckless yet pretty girl) and collapsed.

Up until now such things have never happened. Did that happen because of the mental strain from being in front of an important person? When I tried to recall the circumstances, for some reason a numb pain emerged from my side.

For that reason, before the tournament to test the qualification of the Beast King successor, I was advised by Jissie and other villagers that managing my health would be difficult if I live a solitary life. Therefore I reluctantly remained in the village, but now I am regretting it very much.

Well, it’s not that life in the village is uncomfortable. The surrounding people also respect me as the next tribe leader (By the way my father was a tribe leader, he died together with my mother in a prevalent disease four years ago. However, since I still wasn’t an adult the tribe leader seat was empty and Jissie acted as the regent). During the day, I also enjoy hunting together with the village men. In the mountains, it’s hard to guarantee having drinking water, but here such hardships don’t exist.

Yeah―thinking about it normally, there’s no reason for me to go back to that inconvenient mountain. However, here there exists a threat to my tranquility and peace and shackles my freedom.

As we all know, it’s my little sister, Asmina.

Well, it’s not the first time that she approached me intimately, she seemed adorable when she was a child.

However, that tendency is speeding up with awful speed this year. She rubbed her cheek into someone’s laundry. She slept together with a handmade ‘body pillow’ while making rough breaths. At the time when I saw that, I thought that she went past noisy and gross, so I abruptly escaped right away, and discovered myself secluded in the mountains….

Then, I returned to the village. Right as I thought that trembling days were gonna start again, I fortunately didn’t witness any perverted acts from my sister like before anymore.

As expected, after a year her head should have cooled off or perhaps she learned to be more moderate. I was relieved about that…but it turned out that I was naïve. It’s developing in some strange directions.

For example, in the morning―

“Brother, it’s morning. Your meal is going to get cold if you don’t wake up quickly~”

Together with her voice, I feel a heaviness atop my stomach. When I opened my eyes, Asmina was leaning against me across the blanket.

“…Asmina.”
“Whaat, brother?”
“…Why aren’t you wearing your hakama? Your underwear is exposed…”
“Kyaaa, brother is a pervert!”

She unnaturally grasped her upper garment cuffs and then peeped at me with dazzling eyes.

Another example, at noon―

“Kyaa, Brother. Don’t open it! I’m still changing right now! Geez, you’re really a pervert!”

Half-naked Asmina hides her skin to the degree of being apologetic and pretends to be angry.

I ask back with half opened eyes, “…but why are you changing in my room?”

And another example, in the evening―

Atop the room’s desk, an unnatural notebook had been placed.

‘Today, big brother came back! How happy I am! My heart throbs so much, it hurts.
I wonder if brother notices my feelings…When I think about him, my chest becomes so full that I can’t swallow any more food.
If I can be at brother’s side, I am happy, but I want only me at your side…’

“Kyaaa! Don’t look at it! ―Don’t peek at it on a whiiim!”

As if she calculated her timing (Or rather, she really calculated it), Asmina appeared and took the notebook from my hands.

“…Di-did you see?” Asmina looked at me with dazzling eyes while blushing.
“…Asmina.”
“W-whaat?”
“If my memory is correct, I think you said ‘This meal is superb if I eat it together with brother Revan’ and ate a bunch since this morning, haven’t you?”
“……”
“……”
“…Geez! You really did see it, brother is so lewd!”

And then, at night―

“…Brother, tonight the wind is so strong, it’s scary. Can I sleep together with you?”

Asmina entered the room timidly in her pajamas while holding a pillow.

By the way, tonight is a full moon and there’s not a single cloud in the sky. The sound of night insects can be heard clearly.

“Then once in a while let’s sleep together with everyone. I am going to visit Jissie’s room―”
“Wait a minute!”

Asmina clung to my back when I was about to leave.

“Doing the event where we pass the night without sleeping and immerse ourselves in reminiscing talks like ‘No matter how much time passes you are still a child’ or ‘Do you remember when I was small, brother?’ is a route to collect the flag you know!?”
“…What are you talking about?”

That moment, a notebook made with very fine quality paper which was very different from the gibberish filled notebook which I saw earlier in the evening fell from Asmina’s chest.

“―What is this?”

As I was about to pick it up, the color of Asmina’s face changed and with genuine desperation she yelled, “Kyaaaaaaaaaa, don’t look at it!”

In the confusion she was going to pick it up, so I pinned her down with one hand and I picked up the notebook with the other, then checked it.

‘The Manual of Valid Love Between Step Siblings by Hiyuki.’

‘The sister proceeding to wake up her brother in the morning is an iron law. In doing so, the sister needs to get atop the bed or lean over the brother, also she has to show her underwear.’

‘The sister needs to make her brother encounter her changing and pretend it was an incident in a casual manner. Their room or bathroom are both valid places.’

‘The sister has to place a self-written diary or poem in a place to be noticed by her brother, to show the sister’s feelings off in a casual manner.’

’At night, the sister has to appeal to her weakness by saying ‘Today the wind is so strong and it’s scary’ to tempt the desire for protection.’

‘Have reminiscing talks at bed time, and shorten the feeling of distance. However, to make the brother conscious of the fact that she is not a child anymore, it’s indispensable to be glued closely together against the brother’s body.’

…

‘Caution: Each method must not be overdone as it will become too pushy, so spend time to make it look natural and normal. Don’t ever do everything at once.’

”Too pushy, and it’s overdone!!”

I sent Ki into my palm and converted it into ‘Fire Ki’, it burned up the note in my hand at once.

“Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!”

Asmina screamed but I ignored it.

Or rather, Her Majesty exists at the bottom huh? Really doing too much―!

“What have you done! Even though it’s a strategy book used to grip the male instinct that I have gotten from Lady Hiyuki after requesting so many times!”
“So noisy!”

I pressed the pressure point on Asmina’s back, who was still grasping me. After she became incapable of moving for a short period of time, I brought the nearest luggage and once more escaped right away into the darkness night.

As expected, this place is not the place where I should be. I don’t care anymore about the Beast King selection match. I am gonna live alone in the mountains!

◆◇◆◇

Hence, I ran and ran for about 40 minutes then arrived at the entrance of the mountain. There I take a breath.

Well, even though I escaped here, Asmina will probably go and pursue me again.

I had set up my traps quickly, it should be able to slow her down a bit―As I was thinking so, someone pulled the cuff of my coat. Honestly, it made my brain freeze in fear.

I didn’t notice anything at all before it was pulled.

“Hey-hey, big brother, have you seen my dog?”

When I take a look there’s a wolf tribe girl of about five or six years old. She’s looking up at me with sparkling eyes.

Why is this little girl in this kind of place?

Ignoring me who was confused, the girl continues.

“You see, it’s a puppy about this big. At its neck, there’s a red cloth like the one on big brother’s head, have you seen it?”

I reflexively put my hand on the blue bandana that I wore on my head.

I started to forget about it since I’m always wearing it. Which reminds me, she said it’s an ‘amulet’. Asmina knitted each and every thread with her magic power, and somehow it became solid enough to not be surpassed by normal armor…

Unintentionally, I was soaked in memories and the girl probably interpreted my silence that I don’t know anything about her dog. She was going to depart from that place with disappointment.

“Oi, wait a minute. You aren’t together with your father and mother?”

“I made a pilgrimage to this mountain with my mother, but Chiko got lost so I was searching. And then mother left too…”

She got separated from her parents when searching for her dog (seems like its name is Chiko) and got lost huh. I wonder how worried her mother is with her child this small gone missing…

“I understand. I will try to find Chiko tomorrow morning, so you…emm what is your name?”

“Natala.”

The girl, Natala, cheerfully replied.

“Natala, first you have to return to your mother. Big bro is going to take you there.”

I leaned down to match with Natala’s sight.

“…but, Chiko is…”

I tried as much as possible to tenderly persuade the hesitating Natala.

“I’m also worried about Chiko, but your mother is more worried that you’re gone. First, we must relieve your mother. I’m certainly gonna find Chiko, so will you tell me where Chiko got lost?”
“Hnn….I think, it’s around two side-by-side pointed stones that are thiiiiis big.”
“Pair Fang Stone huh…”
“Big brother knows it?! Then please, take me to Chiko’s location!”

I pondered in front of Natala who desperately appealed. The truth is I want to immediately bring her to her mother, but I don’t think a puppy could safely pass the night. Tomorrow morning, how deeply hurt would this very young girl be if she knew about it?

Fortunately, Pair Fang Stone isn’t so far, I could reach it within 20 minutes by foot.

“I got it. So, let’s search for Chiko together. Then get on big bro’s back.”

I turned my back to Natala.

“Okay. Thank you very much!”
“Hold me tight!”

I confirmed the child’s temperature and weight, then I stood up and immediately began to run.

“Uwaah! It’s high! Fast! Incredible!”

Natala’s cheers turned my mouth into a smile. I headed towards the Pair Fang Stone as fast as possible while making sure not to rock my back whenever possible.

Although it’s night, the full moon proves to be fortunate. I can see almost like it was day time with my eyes.

Before long, we reached the Pair Fang Stone. I quickly checked the surroundings but I didn’t sense any living things.

“Natala, was Chiko around here?”
“…mm? Err….”

I heard the sleepy Natala’s voice from behind. At this hour it is natural for her to be tired.

Then, Natala suddenly said with a clear voice,

“―Chiko!? Right now, I heard it! It’s Chiko’s voice!”
“…? Is that so? I don’t hear it though.”
“It’s certainly Chiko’s voice. I heard it from below!”

As I was told, I peeped a bit down the cliff.

Thereupon below the cliff, there was a lump of stone about 5m in height. A swaying red cloth could be seen.

“There huh. Perfect, Natala, hold on to me tightly!”
“Yes!”

For a moment I prepared my breath, and ran down the cliff nonstop.

◆◇◆◇

“……”

At the hollow below the cliff, there’s an old looking red piece of cloth, and scattered bones that appear to be ones from a puppy.

However, it’s not something from today or yesterday, the way the bones had aged showed that at least a few years had passed.

“…How can this be? Natala, is this Chiko? Natala?”

I thought that she was already asleep. By leaning over, I put my hand around her back and carefully put her down.

“―Natala?”

When I turned around and checked her, there was no child, instead, only an old stone fell over.

“……”

For some reason, I felt the smile of Natala could be seen from that stone. I once again carefully hold that stone in my arm. I gathered the piece of cloth and the scattered bones, and collected them together.

◆◇◆◇

At the place where I first met Natala, within the bush just nearby it, there’s an old stone monument. There’s an inscription on the side of it, with the words ‘Natala’ written on it. Seven years had already passed since the time of her death.

I placed the stone I held atop that monument, as if I was asked to, I dug a hole beside the monument and buried the dog bones and pieces of clothes, furthermore I erected the stone that I brought from nearby atop it.

After that, I lightly put my two hands together toward the two grave sites.

“Well then, shall I go back…?”

It’s already very late but Asmina should be waiting. Nah, is it time for her to start pursuing me?

But, well, I shouldn’t make her worried for not coming back.

I once again bowed my head to the two stone monuments and began to run back on the original road.