Chapter 500: This is the only request I want fulfilled in my entire life!
Translator: imperfectluck Editor: Kurisu
After finishing his mental conversation with Natsuya, Seiji returned to his team.
"I have a piece of good news and a piece of bad news," he started out with a classical line. "The good news is that my adopted younger sister and my friends have come to save me. The bad news is that they all got trapped in this realm as well."
Everyone fell silent for a moment.
"Please allow me to get acquainted with your cute adopted younger sister!" Matsutani acted all serious. "This is the only request I want fulfilled in my entire life, Harano-kun!"
"…With you saying that, I'd rather do the opposite, Matsutani-senpai." Seiji gave the pudgy middle-aged man a sidelong glance. "They're currently inside Yoshida-san's story setting. I already asked them to help locate Yoshida-san. What we're going to do now is go and meet up with them."
It was good that someone had come to save them. However, the fact that the ones saving them had gotten trapped as well made the situation rather awkward.
Shousei Maishi indicated that he would like to finish listening to Seiji's explanation of what was going on after several seconds of silence.
"I'll explain things to you as we walk, Maishi-san."
---
"Harano-san, your adopted younger sister is a Spiritual Ability user as well?" Nomura asked Seiji a question after they all exited the girls' middle school.
"Yeah." Seiji nodded.
"You mentioned before that it's inconvenient for her to appear in public due to certain reasons? What exactly is that about?" Nomura indicated his curiosity. "Of course, if it's something you can't talk about, forget I asked."
Seiji saw that everyone else was now looking at him as well.
"Due to a reason regarding her Spiritual Ability, it's not convenient for her to talk or come into contact with others," Seiji explained. "That's also why she has a rather cold personality towards others. I hope that you all won't mind when you meet her."
"Could it be… that she bears some type of curse?" Nomura hazarded a guess.
"You can understand it that way." Seiji nodded.
At first, all the authors had been under the impression that Seigo Harano's adopted younger sister was a weak and sickly girl, which was why it was inconvenient for her to go out. However, the image they had suddenly changed into a girl bearing a curse!
"I'm even more curious about your adopted younger sister now, Harano-kun." Matsutani continued acting all serious. "I have a premonition already. My first time meeting her will surely become an excellent memory!"
"I have a premonition already that Senpai's first meeting with her will become a terrible memory…"
"Please allow her to become a new character in my light novel, adopted Older Brother-sama!"
"I refuse! Also, don't address me in such a fashion!" Seiji retorted.
"I shall do my very best to eloquently describe her cuteness and sexiness, oh adopted Younger Brother of mine!"
"I forbid it! Don't just pretend to be my older brother!!"
"I shall do my absolute best to make her into the most popular younger sister of all in my 'Can't Sleep with Younger Sister' series! She shall become the dream lover (fantasy lover) for all my readers!!"
"I'll never allow it! I'll kill you if you dare do such a thing!!"
Nomura and the others were all rendered speechless.
"Harano-san and Matsutani-senpai only got acquainted with each other recently, but they're already squabbling like a pair of old friends," Yuuko commented.
"I think that Matsutani-senpai's words have too many parts people would want to retort to… And as for Harano-san, he seems like a sis-con," Nomura added.
"I'm getting curious about Harano-san's adopted younger sister as well. I'm looking forward to see what type of girl she is," Maishi mentioned.
Miyabi listened in to their conversation without commenting. However, she was actually quite curious as well.
This younger sister of Seigo Harano's had no relation to him by blood. Just what kind of sister was she to make him into such a sis-con?
Shika Kagura was waiting quietly.
Although she was merely standing, anyone could tell at a glance that she was currently waiting for someone. Not to mention, that someone was incredibly important to her… she was simply giving off such an aura around her.
Even Natsuya had to suppress the urge to take out her cell phone and snap a picture of the pure and beautiful girl.
The matter between Shika Kagura and Seiji Haruta… or perhaps it would be better termed as connection, was something that Natsuya knew about. Perhaps Natsuya understood the relationship between Shika and Seiji better than anyone else, since Natsuya knew about Shika's "Reaper's Curse".
Precisely because Natsuya knew about Shika, Natsuya was unable to understand what exactly she felt towards Shika. Natsuya was confused about how she should view her.
She wanted to say something to Shika but didn't know what to say. Thus, Natsuya ended up merely observing Shika silently.
"Why are you always looking at me?"
To Natsuya's surprise, Shika was the first to speak up.
"Nothing much…" Natsuya retracted her gaze. "I apologize if I made you feel uncomfortable."
Shika looked at Natsuya.
"Is it because I'm incredibly beautiful?"
Natsuya was rendered speechless.
She felt it was rather subtle how Shika made such a statement in such a light tone!
Normally, such a phrase would only be said by a total narcissist. However, when Shika made such a statement, it contained no hints of narcissism whatsoever. Shika was simply calmly stating the pure truth.
"That's right. You're so beautiful that people can't help but look at you." Natsuya went along with the reason that Shika provided.
"Many people are like that. They only look at me because of my physical appearance," Shika stated. "In the past, I used to think that this was something meaningless."
"Used to?"
"Yes, I no longer feel this way because of Brother Seiji."
The way she called him "Brother Seiji" contained an easily noticeable gentleness and softness.
Natsuya felt indescribable emotions upon hearing this.
"Why's that?" Natsuya asked reflexively.
Shika fell silent for a moment.
"I don't know how to say it… it's just that after he entered my life, I started feeling like there was meaning to my beauty."
Once again, Natsuya was rendered speechless.
She really regretted asking Shika why!
The indescribable emotions within her increased in magnitude. She even felt a slight sense of frustration.
"What do you think, Yoruhana-san?"
"Eh?"
"You're quite beautiful as well." Shika took a good glance at Natsuya's face. "People must often turn to look at you as well… what do you feel about this?"
"I… don't have any particular feelings about it." Natsuya paused for a moment. "But, I don't quite feel that it's meaningless, either."
"What's the meaning to it, then?"
"It's a good thing for one to be beautiful and appreciated by others… that's what I believe."
Shika blinked upon hearing this.
"Then, will you have different feelings if Brother Seiji looks at you compared to when others look at you?"
Natsuya's heart instantly started beating at a rapider pace.
"I… will feel a little different."
"Just a little?"
Natsuya found this question difficult to answer and averted her gaze.
"Why are you asking about this?" She countered with a question of her own.
Something flashed in Shika's eyes as she looked directly at the Yoruhana Family daughter.
"Because I want to know."
This sentence sounded quite simple, but also not so simple.
'Just what exactly do you want to know?' Natsuya wanted to ask this out loud, but found herself unable to do so.
The two beautiful girls silently looked at each other as the atmosphere around them turned strange.
Hitaka Shuho who was watching them didn't understand what exactly happened. However, she was able to sense that something was wrong with the atmosphere.
Rana Kirin who was also watching them didn't understand what happened, either. She merely stretched lazily and shook her cat ears while making a mewling sound.
The cell phone in the cat girl's hands—Imai Yoshida—also witnessed this scene. He reflexively controlled the camera in his body that was now a smartphone to take a picture of this scene.
'As expected of someone as handsome as Seigo Harano. He has such beautiful female friends around him.'
The middle-aged man couldn't help but inwardly sigh. That was when he suddenly realized: was what he'd just witnessed a legendary scene known as a shuraba?
'Er… should I delete this picture, or show it to Harano-san?'