This is the old version of Volume 01. I decided to put them in the Auxiliary Volume. Disregarding the old version won't affect the main story. It's up to you if you gonna read it or not.
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01: Prologue
***
From 7.30 AM to 3.30 PM, Haru attended his school, which began at 8.00 AM and ended at 3.00 PM; 30 minutes was for commuting between his apartment and his school. He was a member of 'Go Home!' Club. Therefore, he could return home immediately.
From 3.30 PM to 4.00 PM, Haru spent his time to take a bath and have dinner early.
From 4.00 PM to 9.30 PM, Haru slept.
From 10.00 PM to 6.00 AM, Haru had a part-time job; he had a late-night shift in an internet cafe nearby. He also did his homework and satisfied his hobby at the same time. The 30 minutes extra between his sleep and the start of his part-time were for preparation and other stuff.
From 6.00 AM to 7.30 AM, Haru spent his time eating breakfast and preparing his lunchbox before he went to school.
Such was Haru's daily routine. By the way, his full name was Haru Sakurai. He was a sophomore senior high school student, 17 years old, and an orphan.
There were other things such as this and that in-between of his schedules. However, that was not important.
At this time, Haru was in the middle of his part-time job. When he looked at the bottom-right corner of the monitor in front of him, he found that the time was 1.21 AM. He then turned his attention to the e-book reader application that occupied the monitor of the internet cafe administrator computer.
Haru was taking a break from reading a digital copy of one of his favorite light novels.
Regarding his taste, Haru had awakened interest for the 'Cute Little Sister' theme lately.
'My Little Sister Can't Be This Cute!' 'My Sister, My Writer!' and 'A Sister's All You Need!' were some titles that he'd finished. At this moment, he was reading through 'Eromanga Sensei.'
There were more 'Cute Little Sister'-themed titles in his backlog, but as the saying went, "One at a time!"
Because of his newly awakened interest, Haru had also developed a fetish for 'little sisters' as well as 'hair with abnormal color.' He could only blame himself because he got influenced by Japan's popular subculture.
Despite his newly awakened interest and fetish, Haru had no interest in 'real little sisters.' He had overheard his classmates' talk about the vile creatures called 'IRL Little Sisters.'
Haru didn't want them. They could hang themselves in Aokigahara Suicide Forest, and he wouldn't even miss his sleep. He was content and happy with fictional little sisters.
After all, "Fictional little sisters are the true angels!" was Haru's belief.
"Man, if only I have a little sister like Sora Kasugano, Suzuka Nagami, or Sagiri Izumi—no! If I have all of them as my little sisters, my life will be perfect~. I'm going to lewd them every day~. Huehehehe~."
While stretching his stiff body, Haru released a wretched chuckle.
Thankfully, no customer was arriving. However, if a customer saw Haru at this moment, it would surely create a great misunderstanding.
The customer would call Police or JSDF to arrest him without hesitation. Haru looked extremely dangerous at this moment, after all.
"Putting that joke aside, people rarely visit this internet cafe lately. I suppose they prefer a hotspot area where they can use Wi-Fi as they please. The regular customers of this place are those game addicts. If this trend goes on, I feel rather concerned about my future. Can I keep working here until I graduate from high school, at least? It's bad if this place gets shut down before I graduate."
Haru surrendered his body to the backrest of the swivel and released a deep sigh.
"Just one year more before my graduation, and I won't care even if this place gets burned down!"
Feeling a little tired, Haru decided to take a break. He then turned his head to the side to see the parking area through the wall of thick glass.
However—
"HUH?!"
Something absurd entered his field of vision. Haru became speechless when he saw a golden portal popped up above the parking lot, from which a familiar-looking front of an infamous vehicle came out.
*DIIIIIN!*
A loud horn echoed like a roar of a beast. Strangely enough, it didn't create an uproar as if Haru was the only one who saw and heard it. Then, there was a bright flash, robbing Haru's sight.
Everything happened so fast. Haru was unable to catch up on rapid development.
'Wait, what am I thinking?! I must get into safety first!'
But alas, such a thing was unrealistic!
Going to the left meant he would hit a wall.
Jumping to the right was impossible because of the tall and wide wooden desk.
Throwing his body backward was also useless. There was a wooden board that would stop him.
The front? What about going forward? Other than the thick glass wall, going forward would send him to his maker faster because it was where the mysterious vehicle came from!
There was no escape! He was going to die!
Finally, realization and resignation dawned upon Haru.
'Oh, shit!' was Haru's last thought before the Steel Reaper sent Haru to his next great adventure.
***
—Endless Darkness.
—A Bottomless Abyss.
Haru was sinking without a sign of stopping.
In spite of his situation, Haru was feeling calm. He never felt at peace like this.
Well, Haru had died. He remembered how he died oh so vividly.
Holy Mother-fucking Truck-kun had done it again! He was its latest victim!
How could this be?! Wasn't Truck-kun only active in fictional stories?
Regardless of the cause of his death, Haru was dead. End of discussion.
Concerning the calmness, no, the emptiness that he felt, Haru assumed that the phenomenon was caused by his nonexistent physical body. After all, the chemical reactions within one's body were the source of emotions that they felt. At the very least, it was the scientific theory behind emotions, or so the article that Haru had read said.
Haru also had noticed that the concept of time in this place—wherever it was—was a mess. He had given up to understand or keep track of time. In fact, he didn't care about how long he stayed here.
When Haru wondered if he would stay in this abyss forever, something appeared in his field of vision, breaking the monotony of his boring afterlife.
The thing that appeared in Haru's field of vision was a green-colored rectangular holographic screen with a message written in white color and tidy font, which read as follows:
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[Message]
Rejoice, puny mortal! This Godly Me has graciously compensated you because you have become a tester for the latest divine artifact crafted by yours truly!
You shall wake up in a parallel world with no supernatural elements where you will surely enjoy your new life and realize your dream! This Godly Me also added a system as a bonus!
Be grateful, little mortal, for the benevolence and mercy of this Godly Me knows no bound!
That's all!
For the mortal whose existence is meaningless in the grand scheme of things, may you be graced by my Lovely Truck-kun in your next life!
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'There is no way that I will allow that goddamned truck gets close to me in my next life!'
Haru instinctively retorted, though his mind was still in a peaceful state as always.
'Anyway, I guess this is better than staying there forever, I prefer a more lively place, thank you very much!' Haru mused, focusing more on the positive aspect of his absurd situation.
After that, Haru felt like he was getting sucked somewhere else. It was rather sudden, to be honest.
The next moment, Haru woke up in an unfamiliar room.
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02: Starting A New Life!
***
Haru quickly inspected his surroundings. White walls with some posters, a white ceiling with a square-shaped lamp, a lacquered wooden floor. A single bed, a wardrobe with a mirror attached to the door, a shelf with several framed pictures and books, a swivel, and last but not least, a study table with more books, a study lamp, a laptop, as well as a digital alarm clock.
The clock displayed '4.01 AM: April 12th, 2016.'
'Huh? The date was far back. I guess I really got reincarnated.'
After he thought that, Haru left his bed and approached the wardrobe to check his appearance in the mirror.
"I got a unique hair color in this new life. I also look better than in my past life," Haru muttered under his breath.
The reflection displayed a handsome young man with an average height, silvery-white hair with two antennae, and a pair of gray eyes. It was Haru's new appearance.
"Now, what? The owner of this body should have a family. There's no way I can impersonate whoever owned this body without obtaining his memory first. I hope I will get the memories that belonged to this body's original owner. That would be sucked if I am going blind," Haru mumbled.
Out of the blue, something surged in Haru's mind. It wasn't his memories.
Haru felt an intense headache from the mental strain, yet he gritted his teeth to endure that pain. He supported himself by leaning on the wardrobe.
Haru wanted to scream, but his fear of gathering unneeded attention had stopped him from doing so. His breath had become short and rough; sweats covered his forehead and cheeks.
It was a painful experience. Haru never felt like this in his past life. Yet, he preserved until the pain subsided, to which he unconsciously released a loud sigh out of relief.
"I-I see," Haru muttered faintly, "So, I replaced someone called Haruka Kasugano."
Haru paused for a moment. He felt that his new name was somewhat familiar. He then checked his old and new memories.
"Ah, so it's like that," Haru remarked after some time, "No wonder the name sounds familiar. I really did replace the protagonist of Sky of Connection."
Haru knew about a character called Haruka Kasugano because he had watched the anime adaptation of 'Sky of Connection.' He never played the visual novel, though. Other than the lack of time, he wasn't into eroge.
"However, this world doesn't seem to be the world of 'Sky of Connection.' In fact, this world seems like a world of many slice-of-life, rom-com, and school-life series mixed together."
In the first place, Haruka Kasugano supposed to have one sister, his fraternal twin, Sora Kasugano. However, Haru found that he had a stepsister one year younger than him. Suzuka was the name of his stepsister.
"Purple hair and eyes, I bet she's this world's version of Suzuka Nagami from 'My Sister, My Writer!'," Haru hypothesized.
"An alternate world that I will surely enjoy, huh?"
Haru unconsciously made a wry smile as he remembered the message that he received before his awakening. He felt happy to be resurrected in this kind of world, but he was also angry at the god that turned him into a test subject and killed him without his consent. In the end, Haru dismissed the matter and focused on a more relevant topic.
"That god said that I would get a system, right? How can I be sure if I really get a system? There's nothing like a boot-up screen appearing in my field of vision, well, other than that message screen. Did he lie?"
After thinking for a short time, Haru tried something according to novels and fanfiction that he'd read in his past life.
"Let's see, Status?"
Thankfully, something did appear right after Haru said the magic keyword. A rectangular green holographic screen popped up in his field of vision.
"It's really here!" Haru exclaimed in excitement before covering his mouth. He had raised his voice and remembered that he could accidentally rouse the attention of the other residents of this place.
Haru wasn't ready to meet them. He needed time to gather his courage and resolve.
Putting other matters aside, Haru began inspecting his Status Board.
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[Status Board]
Haruka Kasugano — Human — Male — 16 (February 5th)
Job: Protagonist — Level: 1/10 — EXP: 10/0
Stats — STR: 0.7 — VIT: 0.8 — DEX: 0.9 — INT: 1.2 — MAG: (Locked)
Stats Points: 5
Status Effect: Not Available
Job's Abilities: Not Available
Notable Abilities: Enhanced Memory — Mysterious Lottery — Item Box — Appraisal
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"This is," Haru was at a loss for words when he saw the content of his Status Board.
"Is there a help function or something that can give me an explanation about everything?" Haru wondered while holding some expectations.
In fantasy novels and fanfiction that he'd read, such systems would often explain their mechanism after the initial activation. Such was what Haru waited for.
After waiting for a while, nothing occurred. Haru felt disappointed because his expectation was betrayed. He then pondered how he could understand the system's mechanism and recalled something from 'System'-themed novels and fanfiction that he'd read in his past life.
Following his meta knowledge, Haru 'Appraised' his Status Board.
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[Status Board]
A conceptual divine artifact that merged with the possessor's existence, which displays the quantified value of the possessor's specs and other notable stuff.
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"So, I really can use it to check out my Status Board. If I appraise the attributes, then I will get the explanation, right?"
Haru pondered for a little before doing just what he'd thought.
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[General Attribute]
One of the attributes of the Status Board, which contains the System's Holder's name, race, gender, age, as well as the date of birth.
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"It really happened! Then, let's inspect the rest."
Haru became excited and went on with the rest.
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[Job & Level Attribute]
Contains the System's Holder's Job, Job's Level, and EXP.
Job is an attribute that will affect the development of the System's Holder as they raise their Level. Job's Abilities will get unlocked after the Job reached a specific level.
The Equipped Job is 'Protagonist,' which is a special and unique Job. Anyone with 'Protagonist' Job is favored by Lady Fate, loved by Lady Destiny, and spoiled by Lady Luck.
Level is an attribute that shows the development value of a specific concept; in this case, it is Job.
EXP, which is the abbreviation of Experience Points, is an attribute that gauges how far is the System's Holder from reaching the next stage of development. System's Holder will receive EXP after completing tasks, passing trials, or defeating other units.
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[Stats]
An abbreviation of Statistics. Contains the five statistics of the System's Holder.
STR, which is the abbreviation of 'Strength,' governs over the physical power and durability.
VIT, which is the abbreviation of 'Vitality,' governs over the total stamina, the speed of stamina recovery, the rate of natural healing, and the natural lifespan.
DEX, which is the abbreviation of 'Dexterity,' governs over the hand-eye coordination, control over motor function, and reflex.
INT, which is the abbreviation of 'Intelligence,' governs over the capacity and capability of the mind, and other related specs related.
MAG, which is the abbreviation of 'Magic,' governs over the potential, capacity, reserve, and quality of the magic. The System's Holder needs equal or higher INT stats to have excellent control over the magic power. This stat is unavailable until a specific Job is equipped.
Additional Note: The value of 1 stat point is equal with the capacity and capability of an ordinary male human in his twenties.
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[Stats Points]
Displays the free Stat Points, which can be used to increase Stats attributes.
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[Status Effect]
Displays the active buff or debuff.
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[Job's Abilities]
Displays the Job's Abilities owned by the System's Holder.
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[Notable Abilities]
Displays notable abilities owned by the System's Holder.
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"Well, it's disappointing that my MAG attribute is still unavailable," Haru commented.
Haru then turned his attention to Notable Abilities. He already had four abilities listed on there. Other than Enhanced Memory, he was curious about the rest.
'I have some ideas regarding Item Box. It is the staple skills in Fantasy stories with system and RPG elements, though I don't know its limits. Then, this Mysterious Lottery, honestly, it sounds like a Gacha feature…'
Gacha or Lottery usually designated as one of the system's features. But, the Status Board displayed it as an Ability, and it piqued Haru's interest.
As Haru 'Appraised' his first ability, a new screen popped up, displaying the detail of Enhanced Memory.
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[Enhanced Memory]
It allows Ability's Holder to remember and recall experiences and events without problems.
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Haru always knew that he had a rather good memory in his past life. It's not wrong to say that he had a photographic/eidetic memory. However, he always kept it a secret.
Haru didn't want to appear standing out, which would get him bullied by jealous orphans before he moved out of the orphanage. Even after leaving the orphanage, he kept it under a wrap out of habit.
Everyone in his past life only knew that he had a good memory, no more than that.
Haru had a harsh childhood, but he had a better life after becoming a part-timer worker in an internet cafe and moving out to his apartment.
Putting Haru's past life aside, Haru dismissed the screen and then 'Appraised' his other Abilities one by one.
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[Item Box]
Gives the Ability's Holder access to an exclusive alternate dimension with limitless space. There is no weight limit. Time inside Item Box stops. Ability's Holder can even keep animate objects there in stasis.
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[Mysterious Lottery]
Gives the Ability's Holder a random thing; from useless garbage to divine artifacts, from trash abilities to overpowered skills, and even unique, alien animate objects. It's up to the luck of the Ability's Holder. The cooldown period is 100 hours/4 days and 4 hours.
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[Appraisal]
Gives information about the target. It can even analyze the target's feelings and surface thoughts.
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'Well, those are good starting abilities to have… I suppose.' Haru paused for a moment and began pondering his next action.
A moment later, Haru focused his attention on the Mysterious Lottery written on his Status Board.
'Perhaps, I can try this out?'
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03: The Mysterious Lottery's Prize
***
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Would you like to use Mysterious Lottery?
Warning! The ability will enter 100 hours cooldown period after being used!
Yes ←
No
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The notification popped up in Haru's field of vision right after he wanted to activate the Mysterious Lottery.
Haru carefully weighed his options for a while before choosing the 'Yes' option.
Then, another notification popped up in his field of vision.
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You have used Mysterious Lottery!
You have obtained A Random Prize!
A Random Prize has been stored in the Item Box!
Mysterious Lottery has entered a cooldown period: 100 hours until the cooldown ends!
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'I wonder what I have gotten,' Haru wondered and turned his attention to his Item Box.
Then, Haru realized that he didn't know how to access Item Box. Thankfully, the system sent the information into his brain directly. At the very least, this time wasn't as painful as the time he got his predecessor's memory.
After Haru's headache subsided, he closed his eyes and accessed his Item Box according to the information that he'd received.
At first, Haru's field of vision was dominated by vast darkness. But, the next moment, ever-shifting colors replaced the pitch darkness. Haru understood that he'd successfully accessed the interior of Item Box.
Haru turned his attention to the only item floating in Item Box and discovered that it was a glass vial, which contained unknown glowing white liquid.
As Haru 'Appraised' the suspicious liquid, new information appeared in his mind. The unpleasant yet bearable sensation assaulted his head, but he endured it without problems. He had adapted to the inconvenience of a sudden rush of information.
'Large-sized Liquid EXP, huh? It grants one hundred points of EXP. How many level-ups can I get with one hundred points?'
Haru felt curious. He then summoned the vial of liquified EXP into the real world.
The item disappeared from the Item Box, and Haru heard something dropped on the floor. He opened his eyes in a hurry and felt relieved when the vial wasn't broken.
Haru took the vial and raised it in front of his eyes. 'As I thought, this stuff looks like glowing semen, huh? I hope that it has a good taste, at least,' Haru thought before uncorking the vial stopper.
Haru smelled the liquid and found that the smell reminded him of regular milk. He kept his wary gaze on the glowing white liquid for some time before gathering his resolve, after which he drank the content of the vial in one gulp.
"Huh? It tastes like normal milk," Haru muttered under his breath, pleasantly surprised by the taste. He felt stupid for his misgivings.
Then, several notifications popped up in Haru's field of vision.
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Level Up! You're now Level 2! You obtained 5 Stat Points!
Level Up! You're now Level 3! You obtained 5 Stat Points!
Level Up! You're now Level 4! You obtained 5 Stat Points!
Level Up! You're now Level 5! You obtained 5 Stat Points!
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You have unlocked a new Job's Ability!
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Haru became dumbfounded. However, he quickly snapped out of his shock-induced daze and accessed his Status Board.
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[Status Board]
Haruka Kasugano — Human — Male — 16 (February 5th)
Job: Protagonist — Level: 5/10 — EXP: 50/0
Stats — STR: 0.7 — VIT: 0.8 — DEX: 0.9 — INT: 1.2 — MAG: (Locked)
Stats Points: 25
Status Effect: Not Available
...
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Haru's attention lingered on his Level and EXP. He felt curious about the increase of EXP per Level's increment and then did quick math.
After Haru did the quick math, he found that the required EXP at Level 2 were 20 points, 30 points at Level 3, and the increment was ten with each level up. At Level 5, he needed 50 points of EXP.
Haru predicted that he would need 60 EXP at Level 6, 70 EXP at Level 7, and so on until 100 EXP at Level 10.
Haru wrapped up the matter concerning his Level and EXP and turned his attention on the next thing.
'Next, my new ability.'
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...
Job's Abilities: Plot Armor
...
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'Plot Armor, huh?'
Haru unconsciously made a wry smile when he saw the name of his new ability. He felt that the god who killed him and gave him this system was making fun of him.
After regaining his composure, Haru 'Appraised' his new ability.
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[Plot Armor]
Protagonists are creatures who have an extraordinary destiny; they always have something called Plot Armor. This ability affects the reality to increase good luck, survival chance in a life-and-death situation, and the probability of the fated encounters. However, there are always downsides to balance the upsides. There will be troubles and moments of foolishness and tunnel vision that happens at random.
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After appraising his new ability, Haru's impression of Plot Armor drastically changed. Although it had such a stupid sounding name and troublesome downsides, it actually was an overpowered ability.
Admittedly, Haru had mixed feelings about it.
Although the upsides of Plot Armor were ridiculously good, its downsides were concerning. Granted, all protagonists had their stupid moments and always got into trouble. But, Haru preferred if he had no such problems.
'Well, it is a good skill to have, in spite of its downsides. I only need to be careful in the future. Anyway, I do need that good luck since I am in a pinch now. Without luck at my side, I can't live together with Sora and Suzuka because of many things to consider! Mostly, it is money! Of course, it is always money! Either it is in my previous world or this new world, you need money to live! Goddamnit!'
Haru's mood instantly soured when he remembered his present situation.
In truth, Haru didn't only assimilate Haruka Kasugano's memory; he had also absorbed his predecessor's experiences and feelings. Due to that, he also experienced his predecessor's sadness when Mr. and Ms. Kasugano died.
In fact, their funeral happened only a few days ago. They died in a traffic accident around two weeks ago.
The memory was still fresh in Haru's mind.
Haru was an orphan in his past life. He lived alone and had no family to support him. The staff of the orphanages only fulfilled the bare minimum of their responsibility and didn't really care about their wards. They only cared about their wages.
Because of that, Haru had grown up into an extremely independent boy.
At this moment, Haru had new memories where he experienced the warmth and happiness of a family. However, he was unable to experience it directly.
Haru felt that it was very unfair!
In addition, Haru inherited Haruka's feelings for his sisters. He loved both Sora and Suzuka, and it complicated things!
"Haaah~" Haru sighed out of frustration and resignation, "Nothing changes even if I complain. What's important is how I should tackle the problem in front of me."
Haru really had it hard. Right after starting his new life, he had to deal with such troublesome matters.
"Very well, then. I will use my free time to find a way to support my family. So, the problem is money. We only have our inheritance and money from insurance. However, it won't be enough. I need money to pay our living expenses and Suzuka's school tuition fee."
Haru recalled that the monthly rent of his family apartment was ¥280,000, heat, water, cable, Wi-Fi, gas, and electric bills included. However, it might go up all of a sudden.
Then, there was Suzuka's school tuition fee. Haru discovered that Suzuka attended a prestigious all-girls school called Hakuo Academy. It was the same school that Suzuka Nagami attended in 'My Sister, My Writer!'
In fact, Sora had attended this school before the death of their parents. She had been in 10th grade, while Suzuka was still in 9th grade. Meanwhile, Haru's predecessor had once attended a public high school near his apartment.
"Sora and I have dropped out of our schools, and it helped us with our finance. However, the main problem is Suzuka's tuition fee. It's expensive."
Haru decided to think of other things. Nothing would change even if he whined and threw temper-tantrum.
"After my predecessor dropped out of school, he had a fight with Suzuka because she wanted to transfer to a cheaper school. However, my predecessor strongly opposed to it. Well, in the end, she agreed to continue attending Hakuo Academy after their fight."
Haru had to agree with his predecessor that it was a pity if Suzuka transferred to another junior high school.
Suzuka was already in her last year. She would face the national exam soon, and the stress from moving into a new environment could affect the results of her test.
Haru wanted the best result for his new precious people.
"Although Sora and I dropped out of school, I still need to make money to support our lives, huh? What kind of job I can do," Haru mused loudly while looking around his room.
Suddenly, Haru stopped his at his study table; on there was his laptop. He had an idea after he recalled his past life hobby and the plot of 'My Sister, My Writer!'
"Perhaps, I can become a Novelist?" Haru contemplated carefully.
Haru was aware that famous light novel writers were quite wealthy because of the royalty of their works. If Haru could write a good story that attracted many loyal readers and fans, he could get enough money to support his family.
"Firstly, I need to survey the ACG industry of this world. After all, this world is an alternate version of my previous world. Maybe, I will discover something interesting," Haru mused as he approached his desk.
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04: Sora Kasugano
***
'To think the famous series like Naruto, One Piece, Bleach, and Fairy Tail doesn't exist in this world! Those works were very famous in my previous life, but they don't exist in this world! Unbelievable! I never expected the ACG industry in this world is so backward!'
Haru was dumbfounded; he had surfed on the internet and browsed everything related to this Alternate Japan's ACG industry. There was a Wi-Fi connection in the apartment complex, so he could easily access the internet. In the end, he discovered this shocking truth.
Haruka Kasugano, Haru's predecessor and the owner of the body that Haru took over, wasn't an Otaku. Haruka had no interest in Japan's subculture. Hence, there was only a little information about it in the assimilated memories.
Haru had mixed feelings after discovering how backward the ACG industry of this alternate Earth. The year of this alternate world was 2016. Yet, the development of the ACG Industry in his previous world was more advanced than this world in spite of also in the year 2016!
As an aside, Haru died in the year 2020.
As someone who enjoyed those famous works in his past life, Haru felt dissatisfied by their absence. However, it also presented an opportunity for him, and he couldn't miss this opportunity because the royalty from those franchises would make him rich!
As someone who was desperately in need of money to support his little sisters, Haru wouldn't waste this opportunity. He would be a fool if he dared to miss it!
So, Haru was going to plagiarize the famous works from his past life? So, what? Haru didn't care about others' opinions! It was not like his soon-to-be readers would know that he was plagiarizing someone else's works!
'Since I am not confident with my drawing skill, though I remember those famous works panel by panel, let's focus on the light novel industry for the time being. After I become successful in the light novel industry, I will move to manga, and then anime too, perhaps.'
Haru quickly made up his mind and started browsing the famous light novel chart.
After surfing on the internet for a while, Haru discovered that "Konosuba," "Oregairu," "Sword Art Online," "No Game No Life," "Rising of the Shield Hero," "Re: Zero - Starting Life in Another World," and others famous works never got published in this alternate Earth!
Even a renowned web novel platform such as "Shōsetsuka ni Narō" and others that existed in his world was nonexistent here!
Utter blasphemy!
'Just what the heck happened to those historical figures of light and web novel industry? Did they not exist? Perhaps, they had some accidents? Whatever! That's not important! With the low quality of light novels published in this world, I can use it to produce easy money for me!'
Haru browsed the list of famous publishing houses in this world. He discovered that there were the parodies of the publishing company that existed in his previous world. For example, Dangoki Bunko was the parody for Dengeki Bunko, and Kodokawa Bunko was the parody for Kadokawa Bunko. Those publishing companies had published some famous novels in Haru's past life, such as Kadokawa with their Konosuba, and Dengeki with their Sword Art Online and A Certain Magical Index.
'What kind of works I'm going to introduce to this pitiful world, I wonder...'
Haru carefully contemplated his choices, but something interrupted him.
*Knock!*—*Knock!*—*Knock!*
Haru stopped his brainstorming and turned his head to the door.
"Haru! Are you awake?" A feminine voice called him from outside.
Although it was the first time for Haru hearing that voice, Haru immediately recognized whose voice it was!
It was Sora's voice!
'Huh, her voice sounds similar to Haruka Shiranami's, her VA in both of Anime and Eroge,' Haru mused in his head.
Because of his Enhanced Memory, Haru could recall the voice of Sora in anime. He never played the game, though.
Haru knew that Sora's VA in the anime and the game was the same person because he had visited the fandom community website on the internet in his past life.
"Haru! Answer me! Are you awake?!"
Haru snapped out of his thoughts and replied in a hurry, "Yeah! I'm awake! Wait for a moment!"
Haru stole a glance at his desktop clock to check the time; it was almost lunchtime.
'Is she calling me to have lunch together?' Haru wondered as he approached the door; he felt giddy and happy with the prospect of eating together with Sora. The assimilation was the reason behind his present mood, though.
Speaking of Haru's new sisters (well, in his perspective, they were his new sisters), Sora and Suzuka were often fighting from the smallest thing. They were like water and oil. They always fought. Their interaction was toxic at best and violent at worst. At the very least, they had slightly mellowed after the death of their parents.
Haru stopped his recollections as he arrived in front of the door. He then unlocked his door and opened it, after which he immediately saw his twin sister standing in the corridor. He became dumbstruck after seeing Sora for the first time.
'I know that she's pretty in those memories, but she's more beautiful when I see her with my own eyes like this!'
Sora was a beautiful white-skinned young girl who possessed a perfect, doll-like appearance that gave off fragile and weak impression with long silver hair tied in twin tails with black ribbons; the color of her irises was gray, and her height was 152 cm. A white-colored, frilly Gothic Lolita attire that displayed her shallow yet still enticing cleavage was covering her delicate figure.
Sorra was carrying a black rabbit doll, which was something that their stepmother gave her in the past. If Sora's birth mother was the one who gave that doll to her in Yosuga no Sora, the one who gave it to Sora in this world was their stepmother, Suzuka's mother. Although their stepmother wasn't the one who birthed Haruka and Sora, she still treated them well. That's why her death also affected Haruka and Sora, badly.
Sora accepted that woman as her mother figure because she had no recollections of her actual mother. It was also the same with Haruka. Their knowledge about their mother was limited to photos and stories from their late Father and Grandparents. But, let's cut short this digression.
Haru gave Sora a quick once-over before questioning her. "What's it?"
"I am hungry."
Sora sulkily replied, to which Haru involuntarily made a wry smile.
"Do you call me to have lunch together?"
"Got a problem?" Sora curtly questioned back with a challenging look.
If Haru had not assimilated Haruka's feelings for his sisters, he would surely treat Sora with apathy. However, he couldn't do that because he had come to love and treasure his sisters in a short time. It certainly complicated things because Haru was a self-centered loner in his past life. In the end, Haru let everything flow naturally.
"No. I have no problems with it," Haru replied, and Sora gave him a scrutinizing look before curtly nodding.
"Come with me," Sora demanded and then turned her body around before heading for the kitchen.
"Okay." Haru obeyed and followed her.
As they went to the kitchen, Haru inspected the apartment in which they lived. The apartment looked like the one in the Yosuga no Sora anime that Haru had watched in his past life.
As they entered the kitchen, Haru recalled that his stepsister, Suzuka, had prepared lunch for him and Sora. They only needed to reheat the food.
Sora sat on one of six chairs around the dining table. Meanwhile, Haru went to get their food in the refrigerator, after which he put it inside the microwave.
The menu consisted of rice with Nori, Kaarage, Hamburg Steak, and Potato Salad. After reheating the food in the microwave, Haru carefully carried his and Sora's lunch to the dining table.
"Haru," Sora called him out of a sudden after he put the food on the table.
"What's it?"
"Sit next to me," Sora curtly demanded.
Haru sighed in resignation and followed her demand. A part of him was feeling annoyed by Sora's willful behavior, but since it had yet to touch his bottom line, Haru decided to entertain her willfulness. After taking the seat next to Sora, they started eating their lunch.
"Itadakimasu!" Haru and Sora clapped their hands and declared at once. They then used chopsticks to eat their meal; the lunch was a silent affair.
"Ah, Sora," Haru suddenly called out for Sora in the middle of their meal.
"Hm?" While slightly tilting her head to the side in confusion, Sora turned her head to Haru.
"You have rice there," Haru said and pointed the spot in question with his chopsticks.
When Haru looked at Sora's lips, he felt his throat become dry, and his heart throbbed. Sora's lips seemed inviting and delicious, and he wanted to taste them.
"Where? Get it off of me!" Sora demanded in a spoilt manner.
Haru put down his bowl and chopsticks and then moved his hand to Sora's face. He cupped Sora's chin and rubbed off the rice that stuck below her lips. As Haru did this, Sora looked at him with glazed eyes, his face rapidly reddening.
Haru swallowed his saliva harshly as he saw her enticing appearance; he wanted to taste Sora's lips. It had been years since they kissed according to his predecessor's memory; his urge was almost overtaking his mind.
In the end, Haru thought, 'Ah, fuck it!' and moved his face closer to Sora. When Haru's face approached hers, Sora closed her eyes.
A moment later, their lips met.
◇◆◇◆◇
05: Haru's Decision
***
The time was 12.52 PM. Haru and Sora and had finished their lunch.
At the time, Haru was washing the dishes. Simultaneously, he could sense an intense gaze on his back. He was aware that the perpetrator was Sora, but he decided to be silent.
After their kiss, Sora often stole a glance in his direction; her look screamed, "Let's do it again!"
In truth, Haru preferred to do it again, but he stopped himself before succumbing to the temptation. He wanted to focus his mind on more important matters. If he succumbed to Sora's temptation, he feared that it would destroy the fragile balance of his relationship with his two little sisters.
Besides, he weighed his decision in telling his sisters about his reincarnation and power or not. After contemplating for a while, Haru made up his mind; he was going to give them a white lie. He wouldn't tell them that he was actually a body poacher who indirectly killed their beloved brother. That's just stupid! A direct route to Bad End!
Haru's decision was backed up by his knowledge from reading self-insert, wish-fulfillment fanfiction. More often than most, the protagonist who stole the body of a character hid the truth from the family of the guy whose body got taken over. The author often forgot that those background characters were also sentience, intelligent lifeforms, and they could perceive the change.
Haru didn't care if his present life got written as a crappy fanfiction in an alternate world, but he didn't want to disregard that pitfall and got bitten on the ass later. He believed that he should tell Sora and Suzuka the white-lie to cut off all chances of future misunderstanding.
Haru didn't feel confident in keeping the secret of his reincarnation and system forever. He was still a human, after all. He would involuntarily slip off. It could create a disastrous misunderstanding if he didn't prepare a countermeasure beforehand.
Another reason behind Haru's decision was Haruka's feelings for Sora and Suzuka that he had assimilated. It had affected Haru, deeply. In other words, Haru was in love with both Sora and Suzuka. Furthermore, it was Haru's first time falling in love!
Haru didn't want them to hate him. He swore to carry the grim truth behind his reincarnation into his grave. If only the assimilated memories never affected him like this, he wouldn't think twice to leave them be and choose to live his second life freely. It isn't like Sora and Suzuka were the only interesting girls in this alternate world.
In truth, according to his assimilated memories, some of Haruka's female friends were female characters from some famous series Haru had watched and read. He could chase them if he wanted.
After washing and then drying the last utensil, Haru turned his body around and saw Sora sit on her chair while giving him an expectant look.
Haru was speechless, but he quickly recovered. "All right, I'm gonna return to my room now," Haru bluntly told her.
Sora's bed eyes turned into shock and disbelief. "Why?" Sora asked after recovering.
"I'm going to write a novel," was Haru's answer.
Sora blinked her eyes, seemingly bemused. "Writing a novel? Why?" She demanded Haru's answer.
"I'll send it to a publishing company. If it gets accepted, I can have a stable income to support our lives."
"I see," was Sora's subdued reply; she guiltily averted her eyes away from Haru.
When Haru saw Sora's reaction, he involuntarily made a wry smile.
From his predecessor's memory, Haru knew that Sora had strongly opposed to their relatives' adoption. Her reason? She didn't want to get separated from Haru. At that time, despite Suzuka didn't seem to be receptive to the idea of separation with Haru, she didn't oppose it like Sora. Either way, they weren't adopted because Sora and Suzuka were against it.
Because they willfully refused to be adopted, it became Haru's responsibility to think about their lives without adults' support. They had their inheritance and some money from insurance, but it wouldn't be enough to cover their living expenses.
That was why Sora showed such guilt whenever the subject of their situation came out. If she accepted the adoption offer, Haru wouldn't need to think about working to support them.
"Sora," Haru called for Sora gently; he had moved closer to her. After standing next to her, he put his hand on Sora's shoulder and ignored Sora's flinch. When Sora stubbornly kept her face away from Haru's vision, Haru gently continued, "Look at me, Sora. Please."
When Sora still stubbornly kept her face away from Haru's vision, Haru felt exasperated and then held Sora's cheek with his free hand. He then moved her face to meet his and gave her a reassuring smile.
"No need to feel bad about it. I also don't want to get separated from you," Haru said.
Sora deeply gazed into Haru's eyes. "Haru, you won't leave me, right?"
"Even if you got tired of me, I wouldn't leave you."
"You promise?"
"I promise!"
Sora had a faint smile after hearing Haru's answer. Haru then kissed her forehead.
After that, Haru went to his room, leaving the red-faced Sora, who stayed in the kitchen while touching her forehead.
***
Haru spent a couple of hours in his room. After entering his bedroom, he quickly moved to his study table and started writing on his laptop. Haru had chosen Sword Art Online as his project because it never got published in this alternate world. In fact, Haru wasn't sure if Reki Kawahara existed in this alternate world.
Haru had mapped out the outline of the entire series; there were some changes he had willfully decided.
First, this story would become a harem story. Although Haru liked 'Kazuto x Asuna' OTP in his past life, he truthfully preferred the harem route. In fact, some fanfiction of Sword Art Online with the harem route had influenced his decision.
Haru decided to write the Aincard Arc of the Sword Art Online series according to the Progressive version of the novels. However, he wouldn't stretch it out too much. Perhaps, he would write a total of 10 volumes at maximum for the Aincrad arc.
After completing the outline of the story, Haru then wrote the novels. Because of his fast typing speed, he finished one-fourth of the first volume in one sitting.
When the clock displayed 2.24 PM, Haru stopped. He must prepare to go to Hakuo Academy.
Suzuka's school ended at 3.00 PM. However, because Suzuka was the student council president of the junior high division, she would come out late. Usually, she would come out around 4 PM.
The distance between the apartment complex and the Hakuo Academy was quite far. Thus, Haru needed to commute via public transportation to pick Suzuka up.
From the assimilated memory, Haruka always escorted his sister and picked her up. Although it seemed overprotective of Haruka, Haru didn't think that it was wrong.
Putting his predecessor's feelings for his stepsister aside, Haru acknowledged that it's dangerous for an attractive girl like Suzuka commuting alone.
The city in which Haru lived had a low crime rate. However, 'low' doesn't mean 'zero.' There were still crimes happening somewhere in the big and busy city they lived in!
After assimilating Haruka's feelings, Haru couldn't stomach the idea of his sisters receiving sexual harassment—or god forbids, hurt—by some random perverts in the street or public transportation. Just thinking about such a thing made his blood boil; Haru didn't want that tragedy to happen!
All digressions aside, Haru wore a plain black hoodie over a white T-shirt and dark blue jeans and a pair of sneakers. He also carried a bag, in which he brought his wallet, flip phone, and laptop; Haru planned to spend his time productively while waiting for Suzuka.
"All right, I'm off!"
"Don't forget to bring back me some snacks!" Sora, standing in front of Haru while holding her rabbit doll, reminded him.
"Of course!"
"Good."
Haru wryly smiled at Sora's imperious behavior. Inwardly, he reminded himself not to forget Sora's snacks. He then exited his apartment and locked the door from outside. He wasn't worried about Sora since she had a duplicate key.
After exiting the apartment complex, Haru went to the bus stop and waited for a little until his bus arrived. Since he had Haruka's memories, Haru had no problems with navigating his way to Hakuo Academy.
The bus surprisingly had little passengers. After picking an empty seat in the middle, Haru made himself comfortable and took out his laptop; he spent his time on the bus while writing his novel.
***
Time passed quickly. Haru finally arrived at the bus stop near the Hakuo Academy.
After approaching the tall iron gate of the school, Haru stopped next to the security post. Then, a female guard came out.
Haru knew this woman from Haruka's memory. However, he realized something about this woman after discreetly using his Appraisal ability on her.
'Rika Minami, 27 years old. In the past, she worked in the military as a special agent. To be precise, she's one of Japan's best snipers. She is very skilled in wielding firearms and in CQC. She has retired from the military early and became a guard in this school with her friend's recommendation. Height, 170 cm. There sizes, 83/57/88.'
The information appeared in Haru's mind. Haru maintained his calm mask, despite the slight headache from the mental strain.
Haru realized that Appraisal was a powerful ability. Putting the downside aside, it provided him with the information and background story of the target.
It was an ability that ignored the concept of privacy. In the wrong hand, it could collect blackmail materials. Thankfully, Haru didn't have any intention to misuse it unless there was something that forced him to do so.
'From Haruka's memory, there is a blonde nurse called Shizuka Marikawa. Rika Minami and Shizuka Mari—wait! Holy Daddy's shriveled balls! They are characters from Highschool of the Dead!'
Haru realized that Rika Minami and Shizuka Marikawa were female characters from "High School of the Dead." He'd watched the anime and read the manga in his past life.
In truth, Haru already assumed that this alternate world was the place where many characters from manga, anime, and novels in his past life lived. Some of his childhood friends were characters from some works he had watched and read, after all.
After connecting the dots, Haru felt dread instead of being happy.
'Please, don't let the Zombie outbreak happen in this world! I want to enjoy a slow, fulfilling life together with my lovely little sisters!'
Haru crossed his fingers and prayed in his mind. He dearly hoped that this alternate world wouldn't go FUBAR because of a zombie outbreak. He wanted to have a slow, fulfilling life with Sora and Suzuka, thank you very much!
◇◆◇◆◇
06: Suzuka Kasugano
***
Haru forcefully put his paranoia aside and turned his attention to the approaching Rika.
Rika was a tall and sensual woman with a slender figure, ample breasts, a tan skin tone, purple hair, and reddish-colored eyes. She wore a light blue top and a dark blue pencil skirt over black leggings that wrapped her long, alluring legs. Finally, she left the uppermost button of her security's uniform open with stylish sunglasses hanging there.
After stopping in front of Haru, Rika amiably greeted him. "Kasugano, are you picking up your sister as usual?"
"Yes," Haru nodded his head and replied.
"Then, you can wait in the office with me. Come."
"Thank you, Minami-san." Haru slightly bowed his head in gratitude before following Rika.
After Haru followed Rika into the security office, he immediately inspected the interior. Although he had the memory about this place, he wanted to examine it with his own eyes. He saw a wooden desk with a desktop computer, a small plastic drawer, and a stack of documents on it, a swivel, a small refrigerator in one corner, a trash bin in another corner, an air conditioner, and a bench. Overall, it was what you expected of the security office.
"You're still minor, so no alcohol for you. There is also no juice, though. You won't mind mineral water, right?"
Rika's voice took Haru's attention. He turned his head to Rika and saw her crouching in front of the small refrigerator. Her back was facing him, and her tight and lovely posterior looked enticing. He could even see the lines of her thongs. Her purple hair, which she tied in a high ponytail, did a poor job in hiding the stimulating sight.
"Er, yes?" Haru's voice cracked. He cursed his new body and teenager's hormones in his mind. The tantalizing sight of the former military agent's butts was arousing sight for him, and he was reacting on it as a hormonal teen he was. He already knew that his new body was extraordinarily lewd. But, knowing and experiencing something was a different concept!
Haru understood that the character called Haruka Kasugano had a high libido from the anime. However, Haru had a low sexual drive in his old life and prioritized building his future because of his handicap as an orphan. Thus, he lacked experience in both romance or sexual relationships.
Thankfully, Haru had successfully calmed himself when Rika finished with her thing and turned her body around.
"Here." Rika offered a bottle of cold mineral water with her right hand; her other hand was holding a can of cold beer.
"Thank you," Haru accepted the bottle and thanked Rika.
Rika sat on her swivel, while Haru sat on the bench, after which he opened the bottle and desperately drank the cold water. He needed to cool himself after seeing such a stimulating sight, after all.
After that, Haru and Rika casually chatted to pass the time. A while later, they stopped their chat because they had no topics to keep their conversation going. It was when Haru decided to take out his laptop and start writing his novel. Just like that, time passed by leisurely until the bell that signified the end of the last homeroom rang.
However, Haru didn't stop and continued writing. At this time, Haru almost reached half of volume 1 of his novel.
Haru ignored Rika when she walked out of the security office to open the iron gate. He overlooked the entering and exiting cars that picked up the wealthy princesses and heiresses of influential families who attended this all-girls school.
"Thank you for your hard work today, Suzuka-oneesama."
"Don't mind it. It's my responsibility as the student council's president."
Haru stopped his activity when he heard that short exchange outside of the security office. After saving his progress and storing his laptop into his bag, Haru stepped outside. He then fixed his attention on a purple-haired girl, who waved her hand to her friend, who was inside a limousine. When Haru saw Suzuka for the first time, her beauty stole his breath away.
Suzuka wore the uniform of this academy, consisting of a long-sleeved white top with a red butterfly ribbon under the light blue colored pinafore. She had tied her exotic purple hair, which was a shade lighter than Rika's hair, with a red ribbon in a high ponytail style. Her dark blue schoolbag was hanging on her shoulder.
Before long, Suzuka turned her head to Haru. She had a refined smile, yet her blue eyes that were glimmering in happiness betrayed her real feelings. She then approached Haru with skips in her steps.
"Onii-chan, sorry for making you wait," Suzuka apologized after stopping in front of Haru.
"No problems. Let's return home," Haru replied while smiling refreshingly at Suzuka.
Suzuka became silent, her expression unreadable. Haru and Suzuka silently stood there, watching each other's eyes with an unreadable expression. It looked like a tense standoff.
"Good grief," Suzuka suddenly shook her head in exasperation and muttered under her breath. In return, Haru made a wry smile.
"All right. Let's return home quickly," Suzuka exclaimed, and Haru silently nodded in agreement.
"Ah," Haru suddenly remembered something, "Could we stop at a convenience store first? Sora asked me to get snacks for her."
"That lazy, *grumble*—*grumble*!" Haru raised his brow when he couldn't hear Suzuka's low mutter, but he had a hunch that it related to Sora and wasn't a pleasant thing.
"We can visit a convenience store on our way back home. I also need to buy stuff for dinner," Suzuka finally gave her consent.
"All right, let's go!"
Suzuka gazed at Haru with an unreadable expression before following him. They walked on the roadside side by side. As they walked in silence, Haru recalled Haruka's strained relationship with Suzuka. It happened just like in the Imo-Imo series, albeit Haruka Kasugano replaced Yuu Nagami (the protagonist and the older brother of Suzuka Nagami). However, there were some twists.
Their strained relationship began after Suzuka lost in the amusement park they visited in their childhood. At that time, Sora was still living with Haruka's grandparents in the countryside.
Suzuka had run away after Haruka remarked that they couldn't marry because they were siblings. After she got separated from everyone, Haruka and their parents were searching for her. In the end, Haruka was the one who found her first.
At that time, Haruka didn't understand the concept of step-siblings. In Haruka's perspective, Suzuka was his little sister, and he couldn't marry her after overhearing his classmates' conversation.
Haruka said that to Suzuka because he had overheard that if a brother and a sister married, it would make the sister unhappy. While Suzuka had shown a sign of hopeless brother complex at a very young age, Haruka didn't know about that. He only thought that Suzuka was very close to him as any pair of siblings out there. He also enabled her bro-con inclination because he was always eager to please her. He did that to fill the emptiness in his heart because of the absence of his twin, Sora.
Speaking of Sora's past, let's backtrack a bit. Haruka and Sora lived in different places when they were young. They got separated at a very young age. It was the age when they had trouble remembering the event around that time. Haruka only knew that he had another sister, but his memory about her was limited to pictures. Sora lived with their grandparents in the countryside because of her weak body; their grandma was a doctor, and she could take care of Sora.
On the other hand, Haruka lived with his father in the city. At first, Suzuka's birth mother was working as Haruka's caretaker, but Haruka's father and Suzuka's mother hit it off and then married. That's more or less the complicated situation in their childhood.
Back to the topic of Haruka's and Suzuka's strained relationship, the incident in the amusement park was half of the cause. The other half was the accident that accosted Suzuka's birth mother's precious glasswork.
Let's backtrack a bit once again. Since a young age, Suzuka was already good at house chores. Her main drive to raise her proficiency was her dream to be a perfect housewife for Haruka. Although she was very young, she had grit, determination, and talent to refine her skill. Now, let's back to the main topic. One day, Suzuka accidentally broke her mother's precious glasswork. Suzuka was scared and began crying. Haruka found her and promised to help her. In the end, he took the blame and got scolded harshly by Suzuka's mother.
Haruka took the blame because he didn't want Suzuka to become upset. He was close to tears when his stepmother gave him that scolding. But alas, Haruka's goodwill backfired. Instead of thanking him, Suzuka snapped and became angry at him. It was the beginning of their strained relationship.
'I wonder if it is similar to what happened in Imo-Imo,' Haru pondered in his mind.
Since Haru had read the series until the last volume, he had an inkling about Suzuka's unreasonable outburst. In Imo-Imo, Suzuka Nagami was angry at herself because she caused what she perceived as Yuu Nagami's sufferings due to their father's scolding. She didn't understand her feelings at that time. Thus, she unreasonably snapped at Yuu Nagami. Just like Yuu Nagami, who wanted Suzuka Nagami to be happy, Suzuka Nagami also wanted the same thing for Yuu Nagami; it was a misunderstanding that caused their strained relationship.
'If Suzuka Kasugano is similar to Suzuka Nagami, which is very likely, then I know how to mend our relationship.'
Thinking so, Haru stole a glance at Suzuka from the corner of his eyes. At the same time, Suzuka also sent a glance at him. Their eyes met, and they stopped suddenly and turned their head to each other.
◇◆◇◆◇
07: Returning Home
***
"What's it, Suzuka-san?"
"What's it, Onii-chan?"
They asked at the same time and immediately became silent. The silence stretched out until five minutes or so passed.
"Good grief! You're hopeless, Onii-chan!" Suzuka suddenly snapped at Haru, who could only smile wryly in return.
Haru reacted like that involuntarily because he noticed that Suzuka also used the famous line of Suzuka Nagami from Imo-Imo when she scolded Yuu Nagami.
"No need to be angry, okay!" Haru said, trying to soothe Suzuka's temper. "You look cuter if you're not angry."
Haru aimed to fluster Suzuka, but Suzuka had a dumbstruck expression instead; her eyes opened wide, and her jaw hung open, out of disbelief.
Haru blinked his eyes in befuddlement, wondering why Suzuka had reacted like that. He then remembered how Haruka would apologize to Suzuka whenever she scolded him.
It was Haruka's habit because of his subconscious attempt to appease Suzuka's anger. However, Haru wasn't Haruka. Although Haru had assimilated Haruka's memory, experience, and feelings, he didn't inherit Haruka's habit. Or maybe, the assimilation was yet to truly complete.
Whichever the case, Haru realized his blunder. It was also the reason as to why he wanted to talk with Sora and Suzuka quickly.
'No wonder she reacted exaggeratedly. I was acting out of character, huh? Darn!' Haru couldn't help but feel frustrated because of his slip.
"Onii-chan, what happened? Why are you acting like a creep all of a sudden?" Suzuka asked after recovering from her shock; she got close to Haru and watched his face in worry.
Haru almost took a step back in reflex but stopped at the last moment. Suzuka had caught him off guard when she suddenly entered his personal space.
Moreover, Haru's heart was throbbing because of the close distance between their faces. He could even smell her sweet fragrance! It was very stimulating!
"Nothing! I just want to change a bit," Haru lied to Suzuka with a straight face.
"Hmmm." Suzuka stared deeply into Haru's eyes with her half-lidded eyes.
Unable to accept losing, Haru held his ground and gave her a deadpan. He had thrown all subterfuges out of the window after his previous slip. He had resolved himself.
Suzuka scrunched her forehead and knitted her brows. She then plainly said, "I see."
Suzuka took steps back and then shook her head. "Well, whatever. Let's return home."
"Okay," Haru agreed without hesitation.
They silently walked until they arrived at a nearby convenience store. After entering the store, they took a basket to keep their groceries and separated. Suzuka went to the cooking ingredient section while Haru went to the snack section.
While filling his basket with snacks and other stuff that piqued his interest, Haru thought about his strained relationship with Suzuka. He had a hunch that his Suzuka was similar to her counterpart in Imo-Imo.
Haru felt confident with his assumption because of the specific memory of Haruka, which was about their latest fight because Haruka decided to drop off his school to lessen their financial burden.
Well, it wasn't just that. Suzuka wanted to transfer into a cheaper academic institution, but Haruka strongly opposed her idea. As expected, Haruka and Suzuka quarreled, and Suzuka snapped at Haruka.
After analyzing the memory, Haru realized that Suzuka was angry at Haruka and herself.
Haru recalled that Suzuka Nagami in Imo-Imo finally became aware of the reason behind her unreasonable outburst toward Yuu Nagami in their childhood after Yuu rejected the winning spot of a light novel competition for Suzuka's sake. Her rage was mostly pointed at herself because she made Yuu Nagami suffer for her sake.
Suzuka Kasugano's rage a few days ago was similar. She blamed herself for inconveniencing Haruka.
'It looks like my Suzuka is alike with Suzuka Nagami from Imo-Imo. I know how to handle her now. However, let's proceed with her route later. I need to concentrate on tonight's talk and then the plan to become a Novelist.'
Haru dropped the matter and went to the counter. It looked like Suzuka had yet to finish her shopping.
After paying his purchase, Haru walked out and stayed in front of the store; he waited for Suzuka there. Before long, Suzuka came out of the store.
"Onii-chan, sorry for making you wait," Suzuka apologized right after stopping in front of Haru.
Suzuka was holding her grocery bag with her right hand, her other hand holding the cord of her schoolbag that hung on her left shoulder.
"Don't worry about it. So, you finished, right?" Haru asked, and Suzuka nodded in return. "Well, let's go."
"Okay," Suzuka agreed with Haru.
They walked together to a nearby bus stop. Haru and Suzuka waited for a while until their bus arrived. After entering the bus, they took the seat in the middle. They then put their belonging on their laps before casually chatting to kill time.
"So, what will the diner be?"
"Well, the main menu is rice and miso soup. However, I'm thinking about cooking Spinach Salad, Ham Katsu, and Chilled Tofu as side dishes."
Haru's expression was full of wonderment after hearing Suzuka's answer. In his old life, Haru rarely ate foods that were exclusively cooked for him by someone else. He always prepared his meal by himself and focused more on nutrition and something that could fill his stomach.
"I can't wait for it. Your cooking is always delicious," Haru exclaimed with a hint of excitement.
Haru felt impatient to eat Suzuka's cooking. Although he had Haruka's memory and experience, he wanted to try it firsthand.
"Good grief!" Suzuka threw her face away from Haru's field of vision. She tried to hide the red hue smeared on her pale cheeks because of her embarrassment. In fact, her ears were also reddening.
Haru had caught that. He realized that Suzuka couldn't be honest with herself; she had a mild Tsundere trait in her character.
"You don't seem to dislike it, though. Do you like to get spoiled by your Onii-chan so much? If you want, your Onii-chan will spoil you more, you know~" Haru teased Suzuka.
Suzuka looked at him with a perplexed expression. After a while, "Onii-chan, you did change," Suzuka pointed that out.
"What do you think? Is it a good change or a bad change?" Haru asked for Suzuka's opinion.
Haru had resolved himself to behave like the usual him. Although he had taken over Haruka Kasugano's body, he was Haru Sakurai deep down. It was not his style to change himself to indulge others.
"I'm not sure," Suzuka replied after thinking a little, "It looked a bit weird, to be honest."
Haru was speechless by Suzuka's blunt reply. "Are you calling your Onii-chan a weirdo?" He asked after recovering.
Suzuka gave Haru once over. "You're a hopeless weirdo." She then continues in a low voice, "But, this isn't bad..."
"Pardon me? Your voice was too small," Haru said with a curious expression.
"Never mind that! It wasn't important!" Suzuka pouted, turned her head to the side, and crossed her arms in front of her chest.
Haru involuntarily made a small smile when he saw Suzuka's cute reaction. He felt convinced that Suzuka was really a mild Tsundere. At the very least, her Tsundere was not the violent type.
Although Haru was a bit fond of Tsundere character in anime, manga, and light novels, he didn't want to become the target of venting of Tsundere girls in real life.
Haru couldn't tolerate the idea of being turned into a doormat by a Tsundere. His pride and self-respect wouldn't allow such a thing.
Thankfully, Suzuka wasn't a violent Tsundere.
'Well, she has a very sharp tongue according to memory.'
The conversation stopped, and an awkward silence filled the surroundings. Nevertheless, Haru didn't mind it.
'Connecting with your loved ones sure is nice. I never experienced something like this in my previous life,' Haru thought, feeling content. Happy even.
Haru and Suzuka exited the bus after it arrived at the bus stop near their apartment. They walked to their apartment complex in silence, and soon, they arrived at their home.
As Haru and Suzuka were in the middle of taking off their outdoor shoes, they registered the sound of footsteps; someone was approaching. They easily guessed the source of that sound.
Before long, Sora appeared in Haru's field of vision.
"Welcome home, Haru," Sora sweetly smiled and welcomed Haru.
"I'm back, Sora."
Haru returned Sora's smile. He couldn't help but be happy from that simple "welcome home" greeting. He had never experienced something like that in his past life, after all.
*Tch!*
That rude sound of a clicked tongue grabbed Haru's and Sora's attention; they turned their heads to Suzuka, who was standing in front of the shoebox with her back facing them. Obviously, Suzuka was the source.
"You too, Suzuka," Sora added as an afterthought.
From Sora's disinterested tone and a smile that didn't reach her eyes, Sora clearly wasn't sincere with her greeting.
"I'm home," Suzuka turned her head to Sora and replied.
However, just like Sora, Suzuka had a smile that didn't reach her eyes. She and Sora then had a passive-aggressive confrontation with a speechless Haru watching them.
◇◆◇◆◇
08: A Family Meeting!
***
Although Sora and Suzuka had mellowed after the death of their parents, there was still lingering tension between them. They were barely tolerating each other existence, and their animosity toward each other spoke the volume of their dislike of each other.
Haru was aware of this. Actually, he understood that he was the reason for their severe rivalry.
'This is troublesome,' Haru thought in exasperation.
From Haruka's memory that Haru had assimilated, the reason behind their passive-aggressive behavior was something that happened in their childhood.
A while after the event that strained Haruka's relationship with Suzuka, Sora joined their family. When Haruka saw Sora, who looked like a fragile, pretty doll, he was hopelessly smitten.
Haruka felt like he had recovered a missing piece he never knew existed; he felt complete with Sora's presence close to him. He came to realize that his eagerness to please Suzuka was something he did to fill the emptiness because of his twin's absence.
With the accident that strained his relationship with Suzuka still fresh in his mind, Haruka then focused his attention on his twin sister he just met. They had lived separately for years and finally met and lived together; he was eager to connect with her.
As expected of a child he was at that time, Haru disregarded Suzuka, who was utterly at a loss by their strained relationship, and tried to get closer to Sora. It destroyed the fragile foundation for a familial bond that they had.
At the same time, Haruka didn't know how he should think about his twin sister. In his perspective, Sora was a stranger, yet she was also someone precious to him. Haruka didn't know how to treat Sora.
Moreover, Haruka's falling out with Suzuka was still fresh in his mind. Thus, he was unable to treat Sora as his "sister." It was the root of Haruka's forbidden romantic feeling for Sora.
Then, as they grew up, Haruka became very close to Sora. Their closeness unintentionally alienated Suzuka, who could only watch them from a distance.
As they grew up, Haruka then became conscious of Suzuka's blossoming charm. He couldn't stop himself from getting smitten by Suzuka, though he was also in love with Sora at the same time.
Simultaneously, Sora and Suzuka harbored feelings toward Haruka. They then became aware of their feelings for Haruka, which created friction in their already tense and unstable relationship. They had confronted each other many times after they realized that they were rivals in love. Haruka's position was an observer, more or less.
Haru felt exasperated when he realized that.
'My predecessor is a damn useless, indecisive imbecile!' Haru cursed Haruka in his mind.
Whenever Sora and Suzuka confronted each other, Haruka always stood at the side and watched his two little sisters fighting. At least, it was how it looked in the third person's point of view.
In truth, Haruka was between a hard place and a rock. He feared to upset them if he stopped their catfight. Although he tried to be the middle ground between the two headstrong and willful girls, they always ended up lashing out at him whenever he tried to stop their fight.
Something like that often happened when their parents were still alive. Since then, Haruka would watch his sisters' confrontation in silence and only stopped them if they got physical in their fight.
Haru understood how messed up Haruka's relationship with his sisters. He also felt annoyed because it felt like he was fixing someone else's mistake.
Haru strongly believed that someone must fix their own mistake. His independence in his previous life heavily influenced his way of life. Thus, he despised fixing someone's else problem.
'But it can't be helped...' Haru helplessly thought.
Although Haru abhorred fixing someone else's mess, he couldn't disregard the passive-aggressive confrontation of his loved ones. Moreover, it happened in front of him.
After experiencing the joy of having loved ones, though it only happened in a short time, Haru wanted Sora and Suzuka to treat each other well. He wanted the three of them to live in harmony.
Haru disliked troublesome matters. He didn't want to have a stressful life. Thus, he was going to fix his sisters' confrontational behavior towards each other.
'Then, let do this!' Haru made up his mind and then did something.
*CLAP!*
Haru clapped, creating a loud sound that immediately took Sora's and Suzuka's attention. They turned their heads at Haru with an expression that conveyed their annoyance mixed with confusion.
Before they could lash out at him, Haru overtook them. "All right!" Haru declared sternly, "No fighting! No passive-aggressive confrontation! No exchange of malicious barbs or insults! I'm sick of it! We don't have parents anymore! There are only three of us left in this family! If you keep this shit, don't blame me if I forcefully straighten you two!"
Sora and Suzuka were dumbstruck; their eyes opened wide, and their bottom jaws hung loosely.
Haru then pressed for their answers, snapping them out of their shocked state. "Am I understood?!"
"Y-yes..."
"U-understood..."
Sora and Suzuka involuntarily stuttered; they were intimidated by the serious expression and the stern voice of Haru for once in their life.
***
Dinner in Kasugano Family passed tensely nowadays. There was no merriment nor casual talk in the middle of the procession, which was a common occurrence when a close-knit family had dinner together.
In the past, it wasn't like this. It only became like this after the unfortunate death of Mr. and Mrs. Kasugano.
This time dinner also passed tensely. However, the cause was different. Several things stood out before and after dinner.
First, Sora and Suzuka were behaving very docile. There was no passive-aggressive exchange between the two, and it really stood out when they dropped their usual passive-aggressive routine.
Second, Sora had voluntarily prepared the table before dinner and cleaned the table as well as washing the dishes after dinner. Such a thing stood out because she wouldn't do it usually. After all, Sora had become lazy and withdrawn after the death of Mr. and Mrs. Kasugano, and she often ignored her obligations and responsibilities without hesitation.
Third, Suzuka was brewing tea and coffee with her back facing the dining table. At first glance, nothing seemed unusual. However, if you know where to look at, you would realize that something was indeed wrong with Suzuka tonight: her movement was too rigid, and such a thing was unusual!
Lastly, the only boy in the room was alternating his watch on Sora's and Suzuka's backs. His view was sharply scrutinizing the girls' movements as if trying to find a mistake to exploit. It was the behavioral pattern of a strict adult who was searching for a reason to scold troublemakers.
Sora and Suzuka were behaving like obedient children because they didn't want to make Haru angry again. They had gotten a heavy dosage of scolding from Haru, and it shocked the girls and made them scared.
Of course, Haru preferred not to make them afraid of him. However, he must be strict with them so they wouldn't fight in front of him.
Haru also felt guilty for scaring them, but he hid it behind his calm expression. He understood that Haruka's assimilated emotions and feelings were the sources of his guilt because Haru's predecessor, Haruka, had spoiled his sisters too much that he didn't mind being the girls' metaphorical doormat.
But alas, Haru wouldn't accept such humiliation. Haru, after all, was a prideful boy. He had a bottom line, which he wouldn't ever relinquish even if it was for his new sisters that he came to love. It was the byproduct of his independence in his previous life.
Before long, Sora finished her dishwashing. After drying her hands with a towel, she returned to the table and then sat on her chair. She kept her face low because she was unable to meet Haru's gaze. Sora was wearing her usual white-themed Gothic Lolita dress. However, she let her silvery-white hair down.
The scolding that Haru gave her and Suzuka was still fresh in her mind. It had affected her so much because Haru never scolded her like that. She was also scared of being hated by Haru.
A while later, Suzuka finished brewing tea and coffee. She went to the table while carrying their drinks on a wooden tray. She had changed her attire. She was wearing a tosca-green cardigan over a frilly shoulderless yellow dress that stopped at her mid-thighs. Just like Sora, she let her long purple hair down.
Suzuka served everyone's share; the tea was for herself and Sora, while the coffee was for Haru. She received "Thank you" from Haru and Sora, after which she sat on her chair and put the wooden tray on the table.
Haru sipped his coffee silently, his expression still bland as ever. It was another proof that Haru was different from Haruka. Unlike Haru, who loved coffee, Haruka disliked coffee. Haru was a coffee addict because he needed caffeine to operate in his previous life. It was a habit he was fond of and wanted to preserve in his new life.
At the same time, Sora and Suzuka glanced at Haru furtively. It's obvious they noticed Haru's choice of drink, but they kept their opinion to themselves.
Haruka put his cup on the table. Simultaneously, Sora and Suzuka braced themselves. They had heard from Haru that there would be a family meeting after dinner, and it was time to start it.
"All right, let's start this family meeting," Haru declared.
Right after that, Sora and Suzuka unconsciously straightened their posture and turned their head to Haru.
Haru gazed at his sisters alternately and then said, "Let's talk about the main topic of this meeting. You two are very sensitive and extremely perceptive if it is something related to me, correct? Therefore, you two must have sensed the change in my behavior and personality. Well, I never actively tried to hide it from you. Anyway, this sudden change must confuse you two, so I want to talk about it now before a disastrous misunderstanding appears in the future."
Sora and Suzuka exchanged uncertain gazes, and for once, their short exchange wasn't passive-aggressive. They then turned their heads to Haru and waited for his next words.
"Sora, Suzuka, do you believe in magic and reincarnation?"