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18: To Yggdrasil
***
"Wow! It's an amazing sight from up here!"
"Putting the fact that we are dozen of thousand meters from the ground aside, you have a valid point, Sora-san."
Sora and Suzuka remarked as they looked the mesmerizing view from their spot on the back of a massive, beautiful avian creature; they were sitting close to and holding Haru in fear of falling from that ridiculous height.
Haru had assured them that nothing would happen; even if they fell from that height, they wouldn't fall to their death because Haru could grab them with his telekinesis. But, they still had their misgivings.
Sora and Suzuka never flew in a plane, yet their first experience flying was quite intense.
They were mounting a massive bird that looked like Phoenix but with rainbow-colored feathers; they were dozens of meters long from the tip of their beak to the tip of their long feathery tails, and their wingspans were as wide as their length. Haru named this breed of bird Rainbow Phoenixes. Unfortunately, these birds had no magical abilities in spite of their appearance that looked like the legendary bird.
These Rainbow Phoenixes were one of many breeds of creatures that Haru had created to fill his empty world.
The flock of Rainbow Phoenixes was flying in a Delta formation, and the leader was carrying Haru and his little sisters in the front. They were getting closer to their destination, the foot of the supermassive tree, Yggdrasil.
Haru accompanied Sora and Suzuka sightseeing the fantastical sight far below them. There was a vast forest around the Yggdrasil. When they got closer to the humongous tree, they saw the big forest ended, and beautiful flower fields spread to the base of Yggdrasil.
""Wow...""
Sora and Suzuka made a voice that conveyed their amazement. Such a view their eyes feasted upon wasn't something they could see in their original world. Not even the famous Hitachi Seaside Park in Japan nor the world-class flower fields on Earth could contend against it.
"Amazing, is it not?" Haru couldn't help but brag his creation. In return, Sora and Suzuka wordlessly nodded their heads in awe and wonderment.
"Anyway, we will land at the outskirts of the flower field, so we can walk through it while enjoying the sight."
After notifying his sisters, Haru told the Rainbow Phoenix he mounted via a telepathic connection.
As the creator of these creatures, Haru could control them with his thought. What's more, he could share his senses with each of them and turn them into something like a typical mage's familiar in fantasy stories.
After receiving Haru's order, their Rainbow Phoenix let out a beautiful voice that entranced Sora and Suzuka.
As an aside, when those two saw the Rainbow Phoenix at the close distance for the first time, they got intimidated by and became afraid of them, but Haru's assurance, its pretty appearance, and the beautiful voices it produced quickly wiped away their fear. Other than their misgivings for carrying them flying high in the sky, they had unceremoniously agreed that Rainbow Phoenixes were amazing creatures.
After landing safely, Haru led Sora and Suzuka through the seemingly endless field of flower, which actually was around 1 kilometer in length. There were countless butterflies with mesmerizing colors and unique marks on their wings floating around in the field.
"Ne, Onii-chan, what kind of flowers are these?" Suzuka stopped not far from the entrance, crouched down at the edge of the stone-paved path to get a closer look at an unknown flower, and asked Haru without turning around.
Haru walked up to Suzuka with Sora following behind him. "Actually, I haven't named that flower yet. I focused on their appearance more than their name when I created them."
Suzuka stood up, turned her body around, and put her knuckles on her hips. She had a serious expression as she looked at him.
"That's not good! You are very irresponsible, Onii-chan. Pretty flowers like these must have a name. As their creators, you should give them a name, so they can become unique and not just 'that pretty flower with purple color'!"
Haru smiled wryly at Suzuka, who was full of tension. "My bad. I'll think about s name later. For now, let's go to the other end. We can start our picnic there."
"Well, okay. Lead the way, Onii-chan."
After that short talk, Haru led Suzuka and Sora to the other end of the flower field. They chatted casually to pass the time.
"Haru," Sora suddenly called him when they had walked halfway to their destination.
"What's it?" Haru turned his head to Sora. Suzuka also did the same.
"Did you do something?"
Haru and Suzuka blinked their eyes in bewilderment by Sora's sudden accusation. They looked at each other for a little; Haru's gaze was asking for Suzuka's help because he didn't know what Sora was talking about, while Sora shrugged her shoulders in a sign of unawareness. They turned their heads to Sora again, and Haru asked for a confirmation.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I've been walking for a while now, but I don't even feel tired."
"Now that you mentioned it," Suzuka also realized something, "I don't feel tired too, not even a little bit."
They then looked at Haru, demanding an answer.
"Well, I told you about how I was basically a god in this world, right?"
At Haru's question, they nodded slowly, apparently still unable to get it.
"It means that I'm literally Omnipotent in this world. I can do anything in this world, from creating life to destroying it with a thought, and other impossible stuff in Earth. However, changing stuff in this world still consumes mental energy and stamina. The cost is negligible, though. For example, I can blow up a mountain simply by wanting it to happen, and the drain is small that I won't sense it. Only when I create new lives from nothing that my stamina and mental energy get consumed significantly."
Haru's casual confirmation of his apparent omnipotence in Paradise made Sora and Suzuka dumbstruck; they looked at Haru with a blank expression.
When Sora and Suzuka previously heard that their brother was like a god in this world, they couldn't really grasp the scale of Haru's capability. But, now, they became aware of how overpowered their beloved older brother in this world.
Their beloved Onii-chan was literally a God here!
It was no wonder that they were in deep shock.
Haru then continued, ignoring their dumbfounded looks. "There are strict limitations, though. Anything created here cannot exist outside of this world. Someone with stronger willpower and magic power than me can resist the influence of this world and even escape this world."
However, Haru intentionally didn't tell them that his willpower was a little above eleven times higher than an ordinary human, and his magic power was the same, a bit above eleven times higher than an average mage.
As of now, Haru's Status Board would look like this—
—————
Haruka Kasugano — Human — Male — 16-years-old (February 5th)
Job: Isekai Protagonist | Level: 1/80 | EXP 80,000/3.6
Stats — STR: 10.7 — VIT: 10.8 — DEX: 10.7 — INT: 11.2 — MAG: 11.1
Stats Points: 349
Status Effect: Healthy
Job's Abilities: Plot Armor — Deus Ex Machina — Aura of Harem Protagonist — Red String of Fate — Spell Creator — Alchemy Meister
Notable Abilities: Enhanced Memory — Mysterious Lottery — Item Box — Appraisal — Longinus: Innovate Clear — Magic Detection — Magic Control — Telekinesis — Fire Affinity — Water Affinity — Wind Affinity — Earth Affinity — Extra Affinity
—————
Haru decided to stop power-leveling his Isekai Protagonist Job in spite of his capability to raise it quickly. His reason was because of the downside of this new Job.
Regarding the Job's details, it is like this—
—————
[Isekai Protagonist]
They are creatures that are both lucky and unlucky because they will get summoned/transported to another world, at least once in their life. The moment the System's Holder achieved Level 40 of this Job, the System's Holder will experience their first foray in another world.
—————
As the Job's description stated, Haru would get reincarnated or transported to another world. However, he was content with his present life. He didn't want to be killed by Truck-kun again. Once is enough, thank you very much.
Although Haru preferred the summoning trope, he still had his misgivings. He didn't want to leave his little sisters behind; they would become concerned about him if he got summoned abruptly. At the very least, he must save up some money for Sora and Suzuka's livings before a god or a bunch of magicians kidnapped him to another world.
Such was Haru's reason behind his decision to put power-leveling his new Job on hold. After he had saved enough money (legally, of course!) and told them about the likelihood of him getting summoned to another world, he wouldn't mind visiting other worlds for a while.
In fact, after making sure those worlds were safe for Sora and Suzuka, Haru didn't mind bringing them there.
◇◆◇◆◇
19: Picnic Under Yggdrasil
***
Other than the new Isekai Protagonist Job, Haru had a bunch of new abilities after maxing out his Fantasy Protagonist Job. He obtained Grand Sorcerer at Level 20 Fantasy Protagonist Job, while Alchemy Meister got unlocked at Level 40.
For the abilities descriptions, they are like this—
—————
[Grand Sorcerer]
In some universes, Magicks were extremely flexible and easy to use for the creatures called Protagonist. More often than not, they only need to envision the effect and form of their magicks to cast one. With this ability, the System's Holder can freely cast a spell according to what the caster envisioned!
—————
—————
[Alchemy Meister]
Alchemy is the process of transformation, creation, or combination. Concocting potions and elixirs, as well as crafting tools and artifacts with various effects and functions, is one of a magician's capability. With this ability, the System's Holder can instantly understand the structure and operation of alchemy without special education or training.
—————
Those two Job's Abilities became Haru's trusted aide in the path of magic and supernatural; he was so happy when he obtained those abilities.
With Grand Sorcerer, Haru had learned affinity for Five Basic Elements. Regarding the Five Elements, they are—
Fire, governing over flame, heat, and combustion.
Water, governing over liquid and its other states such as ice and vapor.
Wind, governing over the wind, which can generate electricity and be utilized in a covert action like refracting lights to appear transparent and suppressing sound, smell, etc.
Earth, governing over minerals such as dirt, stone, metal, crystal, etc.
The last element was Extra, governing over abstract concepts such as space, time, life, death, etc.
So far, Haru favored Extra Element because of its flexibility and the broad scope of application; he could even enchant an already produced item or healing wounds and disease with this unique element.
Putting Haru's progress aside, let's return to the story.
Haru raised his brow in bemusement when he saw Sora's and Suzuka's stiff expression; he wondered as to why they showed such a reaction.
After thinking a little, Haru realized that it was likely his mistake. He was too passionate in his bragging that he forgot how his power seemed in an ordinary person's perspective; his power was so ridiculous that it wasn't funny.
Smiling wryly, Haru scolded himself in his mind for scaring his lovely little sisters.
"Sora, Suzuka, are you afraid of me?"
Sora and Suzuka showed a surprised expression. When he saw that, he couldn't help but wonder if he misunderstood something.
He contemplated using his Appraisal ability on them. After weighing his options carefully, he appraised them and found that they were indeed scared, but they weren't scared of him; they were scared for him.
Sora and Suzuka exchanged a silent conversation with their eyes and then nodded their head in unison as if coming to an agreement. Sora then jerked her chin to Suzuka, wordlessly telling her to speak before an understanding happened. In return, Suzuka sighed in exasperation, but she immediately shook her head to clear up all distracting thoughts in her mind and then gave Haru a solemn gaze.
"Ummm, Onii-chan," Suzuka began, "Firstly, we aren't afraid of you; what we fear isn't you; we are afraid of your power. Next is, well, we don't want Onii-chan to change—Ahem! I mean, we don't want Onii-chan to get corrupted by your power. After all, there is a saying, 'Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely.' We don't want our Onii-chan to become a wicked and corrupt person."
Sora nodded her head in agreement; she let Suzuka talk because she was aware that her oratory skill sucked. Since Suzuka was the student council president in her school, and Sora had seen Suzuka's speech in the past, she was confident that Suzuka could speak clearly without causing more misunderstanding.
After listening to Suzuka's explanation, Haru's wry smile deepened. A part of him felt a tad guilty because he was ready to abuse his power to get what he wanted. However, that guilt was like a breeze that he quickly ignored and forgot without problems. After all, that part was something that got affected by Haruka's assimilated memories, experiences, and feelings.
Although his little sisters told him to be careful with his power, Haru had set his mind to use it to have a good and peaceful life. He wouldn't mind a little excitement so he wouldn't get bored, though. But, we digressed.
"I see," Haru replied and gave then an understanding nod, "Don't worry. Your Onii-chan won't become a wicked and corrupt person. Anyway, I am glad that you two aren't scared of me. Your Onii-chan will be extremely sad if his cute and lovely little sisters fear and hate him," Haru joked to ease the tension.
In return, Suzuka released a loud sigh, out of exasperation. Meanwhile, Sora snorted at him and turned her head away peevishly.
"All right. Let's continue our walk. I want to begin our picnic as soon as possible!"
At Haru's declaration, Sora and Suzuka exchanged a silent conversation with their eyes and nodded in understanding. They then approached Haru and confiscated his arms before dragging him to their destination.
"Come, Onii-chan!"
"I want to start our picnic too."
Haru smiled wryly at their teamwork. However, his smile disappeared when Sora and Suzuka didn't see his face. He had noticed how his little sisters had become in synch lately. When he pondered the cause, he remembered one of his Job's Abilities.
Aura of Harem Protagonist———Haru was a bit unsure if that ability was really the cause of their subtle change. If so, Haru didn't really have problems with it as long as it didn't harm their mental and physical condition. They didn't seem to realize the subtle change in their dynamic.
'That ability, it is quite a scary ability,' Haru thought. However, he kept his expression to remain neutral because he didn't want Sora and Suzuka to feel something is wrong with him. He then decided to put this problem at the back of his mind and set his mood for their picnic.
Before long, they arrived at the other end of the flower fields.
***
"So, where are we going to have our picnic?" Suzuka asked after they exited the flower field.
In front of them was a space covered by green grass that ended with another grove. However, the forest in front of them was incomparable to the massive forest they had seen as they flew here on top of the Rainbow Phoenix. Back to the grass field, it wasn't long. The length was only ten meters, more or less.
"Wherever around this area is fine, is it not? Besides, Yggdrasil shades us from the sunlight," Haru replied nonchalantly.
"Let's spread the blanket near the flower bed," Sora suddenly gave her opinion.
Haru and Suzuka contemplated for a little, shared a silent glance of agreement, and nodded their head at each other.
"Okay. Let's spread the blanket near the flower bed. By the way, help me with the preparation, Sora-san."
"Why? I don't wanna." Sora replied sulkily and hugged Haru's arm tighter.
Suzuka released a loud sigh in exasperation. "Onii-chan has made a massive contribution to this picnic. Without Onii-chan, we cannot have fun in this place. Meanwhile, I was the one that cooked our food. Now, get going! If not, you won't get your share of lunch!" Suzuka said with a tone that adults usually used on a troublemaking child.
*Tsk* Sora clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction, yet she released Haru's arm and went to help Suzuka, who had liberated Haru's other arm first.
Haru crossed his arms in front of his chest and watched his two little sisters working together. When he saw it, he felt like the effect of Aura of Harem Protagonist wasn't bad. As a matter of fact, it did an excellent job of helping them to have a better relationship. Then again, all Haru's abilities had the potential for good and evil; it was up to him, the Ability Holder, to apply it for good or bad.
After Sora and Suzuka finished their task, Haru joined them on the blanket. They sat in a triangle formation with a small space in the middle.
Suzuka took out the packed food one by one. The menu was Kaarage, Fried Egg Rolls, Fried Sausages, and Sandwich. For the drink, Suzuka had brought orange juices, milk, and iced tea.
"Onii-chan, try this one! Say, aaah~" Suzuka said while offering a piece of fried sausage to Haru with her chopsticks.
"Aaah~" Haru opened his mouth wide and received the offered food into his mouth.
"Haru," Sora called him after he swallowed the sausage. She was holding a sandwich with bacon and lettuce as fillings for Haru.
Just like what Haru had done with Suzuka, he accepted the food offered by Sora. Both Sora and Suzuka alternated feeding Haru; they ate their portions when the other sister was feeding their older brother.
Although they made it into a competition, they lacked their usual intensity that usually ended in a toxic bickering or a passive-aggressive confrontation.
Haru silently thanked his Aura of Harem Protagonist for creating such a harmonious mood.
◇◆◇◆◇
20: Stay, and A Surprise
***
"Man, that hit the spot," Haru remarked contently after drinking his iced tea.
Next to Haru, Sora and Suzuka nodded their heads in agreement after lowering their plastic cups; Sora had chosen milk while Suzuka had picked orange juice.
"Still, it feels strange that I don't feel full from eating that much," Suzuka commented while looking at her half-filled cup.
"Haru, have you done something outrageous again?" Sora, turning her head to Haru, asked.
Haru nodded his head and replied, "I made us not to feel hungry and tired in this place. At the same time, you won't feel full even though you engorge yourself in food."
Sora looked at Haru with a strange gaze before shaking her head in exasperation. She then returned to her milk and emptied it in one gulp. At Haru's other side, Suzuka released a deep sigh, feeling both amazed and exasperated at her stepbrother's casual disregard for common sense.
"By the way, what are we going to do next?" Suzuka turned her head to Haru and asked all of a sudden, gathering Haru's and Sora's attention.
A moment later, Sora turned her head to Haru and waited for his answer. Both Sora and Suzuka had expectant gazes.
Seeing that, Haru mischievously smiled at them and then spoke up. "I have prepared some surprises for you too!"
Sora and Suzuka perked up when they heard that. Their expectant gazes got stronger as if they couldn't wait for this so-called surprise.
Haru suddenly clapped his hand. Then, many strange creatures came out of the woods. Those creatures quickly circled their spot. Sora and Suzuka had a dumbfounded expression when they saw the appearances of those creatures.
"Cute," Suzuka muttered under her breath.
"Hey, hey, Haru! Aren't you going to get sued for copyright infringement with this?!" Sora turned her head to Haru and said.
The reason as to way Sora mentioned copyright infringement is because of the shape and appearance of those creatures that are similar to specific creatures from a famous franchise in their world. That's correct! Those creatures are Pokemon!
Pokemon franchise existed in the parallel world that Haru lived in; Haru discovered them when he gathered information about Japan's sub-culture of his new world.
Since Sora was lazy and Shut-In due to her weak body, she killed her free time by watching a TV program, and the Pokemon series was well-known in Haru's present world.
"There is no way they can sue me when these creatures stay in another dimension, right? Besides, people wouldn't believe they exist," Haru nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders and replied.
"Well, you're right," Sora commented while nodding her head in agreement.
Sora then joined Suzuka in inspecting those creatures.
"By the way, they are a pair of male and female, so they can reproduce and fill this world," Haru suddenly remarked.
"Let's see... There are Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, Pidgey, Pikachu, Mew, and others from first Generation Pokémon Anime." Sora counted while pointing at the creature in question. "I also see from other Generations like Chikorota, Cyndaquil, Totodile, and Celeby from the second generation; Trecko, Torchick, Mudkip, Ralts, Poochyena, and Jirachi from the third generation; Turtwig, Chimchar, Piplup, Bunneary, Shinx, and those Legendary Lake Trios from the fourth generation. There is also Pokemon from the fifth generation."
From the list of Pokémon that Haru had created, it was clear that Haru only created the small and cute ones.
"Onii-chan, can I play with them?"
Haru looked at Suzuka, who had an expectant gaze. He gave her a nod of confirmation. After Suzuka moved to the nearest Pokemon, a pair of Mareeps, Sora asked Haru a question.
"Is it safe?"
Haru wryly smiled at Sora because she had asked him after Suzuka leaving. "Don't worry. It's safe. There's no way that I'm creating something that can harm you two in this world," Haru assured Sora, who was understandably concerned by those fantastical creatures if she had seen the series on the TV.
"Can they use strange moves like on the TV?"
"No," Haru shortly answered.
"Why? That seems half-hearted."
"Creating creatures with sentience or unique abilities significantly drains my stamina and mental power," Haru paused and called the Mystical Pokémon via telepathy. The pair of Mews, Celebies, Jirachis, legendary lake trios from 4th generation and Victinis went to him and flew in a circle around him and his little sisters.
Haru then continued, "Let's make them as examples. Creating these pairs were quite tiring, and their unique ability is only floating around like this. Creating one of these guys consumed energy as much as creating many Pokémon without unique abilities."
"So, they can't throw a fireball or shoot lightning, huh? What a shame," Sora showed a disappointed expression and said.
Haru was speechless by Sora's taste.
After that, Sora joined Suzuka in frolicking with the Pokémon around them. While they played to their heart content, Haru stayed on the picnic blanket and watched them with a fond smile. Some Pokémon were accompanying him, and he spared them his attention like petting their heads and body. A while later, Haru took out his laptop from his Item Box and killed his time by writing the draft of SAO's second volume.
Sora and Suzuka continued to play until they became satisfied. They searched for berries in the woods to feed them after Haru explained about those creatures' unique diets.
Haru had intentionally made the Pokemon living in Paradise have berries as their only diet. It would be weird if those cute creatures killed each other for food.
The sky slowly turned dark, signifying the arrival of the dusk. Those Pokémon went to the woods when evening came. Sora and Suzuka had returned to the picnic spot, joining their brother. Haru saved his progress and closed his laptop when they arrived.
"Satisfied?" Haru asked casually.
"En," Sora nodded her head and replied shortly. She had a satisfied expression on her face.
"Are we going to return now? It's already evening." Suzuka said, apparently in a hurry to return home. Granted, she must go to school tomorrow.
Haru gave Suzuka an amused gaze and said, "Do you forget that 24 hours in here is only a second in the real world?"
"Ah, I forgot!" Suzuka became wide-eyed in surprise when she heard that. She then shook her head and gave Haru a quizzical stare. "So, are we going to stay here? How long?" She curiously inquired.
"A week, maybe?" Haru looked at his sisters, waiting for their objection. However, they didn't seem to object.
"A week, huh? I guess this will be a long vacation."
"A week, a month, or a year, I don't really care as long as I can stay with Haru," Sora stated her opinion, earning a wry smile from Haru and an exasperated look from Suzuka.
"By the way," Haru said, changing the topic, "I want to show you something amazing. I guarantee it will take your breath away!"
Other than creating fantastical creatures, Haru had also created a day-and-night shift. Everything he prepared for today was for his little sisters' sake.
Sora and Suzuka exchanged a gaze, conversing silently, before giving Haru an affirmative nod. Since they had ample time in this world, they decided to enjoy everything to the fullest. They had yet to feel tired in spite of actively playing with those cute Pokemon.
After that, Haru helped Sora and Suzuka cleaning their picnic equipment. Haru then stored the basket and blanket in his Item Box.
"I can't help but feel envious with that ability," Suzuka muttered after witnessing how Haru stored away their belongings.
"I seconded." Standing next to Suzuka, Sora nodded her head in agreement.
"I can enchant your purse or something to have bigger space inside it if you want," Haru offered after listening to his sisters' words.
Sora and Suzuka became wide-eyed in surprise. They never expected Haru to offer such a thing to them.
"Really, Onii-chan?!"
"Will you do that for me, Haru?!"
Haru nodded with a confident smile.
"But, wait for a minute!" Suzuka suddenly raised her voice, gathering Haru's and Sora's attention. "If people see us taking out stuff beyond the container's capacity, won't it cause an uproar?"
"Well, now that you said about it…" Sora then imagined what kind of chaos it would create if something like that happens.
They exchange a glance and then wryly smiled at each other.
"I guess I'll pass."
"Me too, Onii-chan."
Haru offhandedly shrugged his shoulders and said, "If you say so, but if you need something, you can tell me."
Sora and Suzuka nodded their heads. A moment later, Sora thoughtfully narrowed her eyes.
"Actually, can I learn magic?" Sora asked and looked at Haru; her gaze held curiosity and expectation.
"Now, that's a good question," Suzuka praised Sora for her question and looked at Haru with the same gaze as Sora's.
Haru was speechless. He then sunk deep in thought.
Could he teach them magicks? Haru was unsure. After all, he could use magic because of the system.
Sora and Suzuka waited for Haru's answer. A while later, Haru looked at them with a wry smile.
"To be honest, I don't know. Allow me to look at it first, and tell you the answer after I have the result, okay?"
Sora and Suzuka became deflated. Although they had a low expectation, to begin with, they still felt disappointed when they heard Haru's unclear answer.
"All right. It is time for another surprise that I prepared for you two!" Haru suddenly changed the topic of their talk, snapping Sora and Suzuka out of their disappointment.
They looked at Haru with a confused expression. When Haru pointed at the flower field behind them, they turned around and followed where his index finger pointed.
Sora and Suzuka sucked air deeply and became dumbfounded; they were speechless by the fantastical sight before them.
The flowers resided in the field———each one of them was producing a colorful glow that brightened the night.
◇◆◇◆◇
21: Haru's Confession
***
"Wow!"
"So pretty!"
Sora and Suzuka commented on the magnificent sight spread in their visual field.
Haru smiled at their reaction and then silently created a bench from wood and root behind them. Because it didn't produce any sound, Sora and Suzuka missed it.
After creating the bench, Haru grabbed his little sisters' shoulders, snapping them out of their daze. They turned their heads to him with a faint red hue on their cheeks.
"Let's sit and enjoy the view together," Haru smiled and said.
"Huh? When this bench appeared?" Suzuka voiced her confusion when she noticed the bench behind them.
"I made it when your attention focused on the view of the flower field."
After answering Suzuka's question, he pulled his sisters to the bench; they showed no resistance and sat there with Haru between them. When Sora suddenly rested her head on Haru's shoulder, Haru and Suzuka turned their heads at her with a speechless expression.
"What are you doing?!" Suzuka asked Sora with a raised voice and envious expression; she didn't move away from her spot at Haru's left side.
Sora moved her head slightly without leaving Haru's shoulder to see Suzuka. "You can see, right? Got a problem with this?" She asked without hesitation.
"All right. No need to fight. If you want, you can use my other shoulder too, Suzuka." Haru said, stopping all chances of escalation into a fight.
When Suzuka heard Haru's words, she became speechless; her face and even her ears turned very red in embarrassment. She then alternated her gaze between Haru's face, his shoulder, and Sora. She seemed struggling with something.
Finally, Suzuka nodded her head and rested her head on Haru's shoulder bashfully. After that, the three of them silently enjoyed the fantastic view together.
"O-Onii-chan?!" Suzuka raised her voice in high tension when Haru started petting her head. Meanwhile, Sora reacted calmly, though she nestled her head deeper to Haru.
"Can't I?" Haru stopped and asked.
"N-never mind! You may continue," Suzuka bashfully replied and closed her eyes.
After receiving Suzuka's approval, Haru continued petting Suzuka's head with his left hand. They continued enjoying the fantastical sight of the glowing flower field and the starry night sky in silence.
While Sora and Suzuka marveled at the view and enjoyed their close contact with their beloved brother, Haru was contemplating something serious. He weighed his choices———to confess his feelings for them or not.
After a while passed, Haru called his little sisters all of a sudden.
"Hey, Sora, Suzuka."
"Hn?"
"What's it, Onii-chan?"
Sora and Suzuka turned their heads slightly to see Haru's face. At the same time, Haru was looking forward to the flower field; he had a solemn expression on his face.
When they saw Haru's solemn expression, they couldn't help but become tense. They had a hunch that Haru would speak something, which was very important and would likely affect them.
After a tense silence passed for a while, Haru moved his body slightly and patted Sora's and Suzuka's shoulders. They understood the meaning behind his silent gesture and raised their heads. After that, Haru left the bench and turned his body around. He then put his hand on his heart.
When Sora and Suzuka saw Haru's posture and solemn expression, they became nervous. They couldn't help it; they never saw their brother like this.
"Sora, Suzuka... I want to tell you something..."
Sora and Suzuka swallowed their saliva loudly and kept their gaze on Haru. They were unable to open their mouth as they got transfixed by Haru's appearance with the glowing flower field and the starry night sky as the background.
Haru breathed in and out loudly, gathering his courage and resolve. Then, he declared to them.
"Sora, Suzuka, I love you both. My feeling for you isn't familial. I love you not as a brother but as a man."
Haru's declaration stunned Sora and Suzuka silly. They froze on the spot with a wide-eyed, dumbfounded expression.
Several seconds later, they exploded.
"Haru! What the hell?!"
"Onii-chan! Are you an idiot?! No, you're really an idiot for confessing to two girls at the same time!"
Sora and Suzuka immediately left their seat, stood up, and glared at Haru before raising their voices in outrage. Haru had a wry smile because he had expected their reaction. He raised his hands and waved them in front of him in a "hold on" gesture.
"All right. Please, calm down! Let me explain first!"
Sora and Suzuka had an enraged expression on their faces and crossed their arms in front of their bosoms. When Haru saw them become silent, though they still had their scary glare, Haru knew that it was his time to start his explanation.
"Firstly, Sora." Haru turned his head to Sora and said. "Well, I started harboring this feeling for a long time ago. Around the time when you came to live with us, I think. At that time, I can't see you as my younger twin sister because my relationship with Suzuka got strained around that time."
When Suzuka heard that, she flinched and dropped her left hand; she rubbed her left upper arm with her right hand.
As Haru had said, their relationship got strained around that time. It happened after she snapped at him after he took the blame for their mother's broken glasswork.
At that time, Suzuka didn't understand why she felt so much rage. After their fight regarding her idea about transferring to another school, Suzuka had come to realize why she felt angry at Haru.
However, this and that were different matters. Now, it was about Haru's feelings for Sora.
"When I see you, I felt like a missing piece that I didn't know finally appeared and made me feel complete. I wanted us to become closer, but I didn't know how to do it. After all, my relationship with Suzuka got strained at that time. In addition, you're so pretty. Because we didn't grow up together, we couldn't build a proper relationship between a brother and a sister.
"At the same time, we were at the age when we started noticing the differences between boys and girls. Because of that, I couldn't see you as my sister. In my eyes, you are a girl whom I liked. As we grew up, my feeling for you became the love of a man to a woman whom he loved. Sora, I really love you, not as a brother, but as a man to a woman whom he loved."
Haru finished his explanation and looked at Sora's unreadable expression. He waited for her response, hiding his nervousness behind his severe mask.
Sora clicked her tongue and threw her face away from Haru's vision. She felt complicated by Haru's confession; she was happy because her twin, whom she loved dearly as a man, shared her feeling. However, he also confessed his love for their stepsister at the same time!
Outrageous!
"All right. I've heard it. Now, what's your explanation for your feeling to Suzuka?"
Suzuka flinched when she heard her name left Sora's mouth. Haru and Sora then turned their heads to Suzuka.
Sensing their attention on her, Suzuka timidly raised her face to meet their gazes. Suzuka had a pale complexion because of Haru's confession to her and Sora, as well as the reminder of her past mistake. Her mental state was in a mess.
"Suzuka."
Suzuka quivered when she heard Haru calling her name. When she was going to lower her face, hiding it from Haru's gaze, Haru stopped her.
"Don't lower your face! Look at me when I talk to you."
Suzuka held her head somehow. She looked at Haru with a teary-eyed and complicated expression.
Haru released a loud sigh. He felt mentally drained for speaking to Sora, but he forced himself to continue.
"Well, the cause of my feeling for you is complicated. In the beginning, we're extremely close in spite of our non-blood-related status. You always follow me around when we're little."
"Yeah. I always followed Onii-chan around. At the very least, until that day," Suzuka remarked meekly, nostalgia lacing her low voice.
"That day, huh?" Haru understood what Suzuka meant by that. "Sora had yet to join our family at that time. We went to an amusement park with Dad and Mom. However, you got separated from us after you got angry when I told you 'we can't marry because we are siblings,' and then, you snapped at me after I took the blame for breaking Mom's important glasswork."
"Ah... That, huh?" Suzuka had a faraway look as she recalled that moment. She regained her focus and gave Haru an apologetic gaze, "Although this is kind of late, I'm sorry for snapping at you at that time."
"Don't worry. That's already in the past. I think I understand why you snapped that time. I kinda realized it after we fought several days ago when I opposed your decision to transfer to another school."
"I see..." Suzuka nodded and lowered her gaze, unable to meet Haru's eyes. "Me too. In the past, I was confused and enraged; I was unaware of why I felt so angry at Onii-chan. But, after our latest fight, I finally understand the reason."
"I think we are the same, you know."
"What did you mean by that, Onii-chan?" Suzuka quizzically looked at Haru.
Haru smiled wryly and then replied: "That we are selfish. I want you to be happy without caring if I am happy by doing so. You're the same, are you not? You also want me to be happy without caring for your own happiness."
"When you put it like that, Onii-chan, we are really selfish, huh?"
Haru and Suzuka laughed at the same time. Haru had guessed right; the cause of their strained relationship was due to misunderstanding. At the same time, Suzuka also realized that miscommunication and misunderstanding had caused their relationship to become strained.
At this moment, Sora cleared her throat and glared at them peevishly. "Why are you two laughing like idiots? And you, Haru, finish your explanation! Be quick!"
Haru and Suzuka stopped their laugh and turned their heads to Sora; the latter had an irritated glare as she looked at Sora, while the former had a wry smile.
◇◆◇◆◇
22: The Answers
***
"All right. *cough*..." Haru faked a cough and continued where he left before, "So, our relationship got strained, and then, Sora came to live with us. As you already know, I tried to get closer to Sora. At the same time, it was an attempt to distract me from our strained relationship. I was confused at that time."
Haru paused and recalled Haruka's past. Several seconds later, he snapped out of it and looked at Suzuka. "And then we grew up without mending up our relationship; it destroyed the foundation of our sibling bond. Then, I became conscious of you as a girl. After all, you have blossomed into a pretty and amazing girl. Before I realized, I fell in love with Suzuka, in spite of my feeling for Sora."
Haru paused and then alternated his gaze between Sora and Suzuka. "I know that my feelings for both of you are wrong. It's unfair for you two. But, when I imagine how you end up with another guy, I can't accept it! Sora, Suzuka, I am in love with both of you! Please, give me a chance to make you two happy!"
Haru ended his confession and lowered his head.
Sora and Suzuka looked at their beloved brother with a complicated expression, seemingly at a loss for words. A couple of minutes later, they exchanged a gaze, conversing silently. Haru kept his head low in front of them.
Sora and Suzuka shared a curt nod. Then, they called Haru at once.
"Haru."
"Onii-chan."
Haru straightened his posture and looked at his sisters, who had an unreadable expression. For this moment, he didn't want to use Appraisal because he wanted to know their answers from their own mouths.
"Get here!"
"Come closer!"
Haru followed his sisters' demand and approached them.
*SLAP!*—*SLAP!*
Haru got slapped by them.
"All right. I suppose I deserved that," Haru remarked while rubbing his cheeks; Sora and Suzuka had slapped each one of his cheeks.
Then, Sora and Suzuka pulled his hands, separating them from his cheeks. After forcing his body to get closer, they kissed the spot where they slapped before.
Because of the difference in their heights, they tiptoed and made Haru bend lower slightly. Haru became wide-eyed, dumbfounded by the kiss.
After pulling their faces, they averted their eyes; red hues stained their cheeks; they couldn't meet Haru's eyes due to their embarrassment.
"Does this mean…" Haru trailed off.
"We are annoyed because you have a gut to confess at two girls at the same time, but… well…" Sora began with an irritated tone but became flustered as she continued; in the end, she trailed off.
"Just take the kiss as our acceptance to give you a chance to show us that you can make us happy at the same time," Suzuka said in a matter of fact tone, but her roaming eyeballs and red hues on her cheeks destroyed the calm and assured impression that she wanted to portray.
Haru had a silly grin after hearing their confirmation. "Thank you!" He raised his voice, slipped his hands on their backs, and pulled them in a tight embrace.
"E-Eep!"
"H-Haru!"
They became flustered by Haru's sudden action and raised their voices, yet they didn't push Haru's body away. They rested their face, which had gone very red, on his chest.
Several seconds later, Haru grabbed their shoulders and pushed them a bit. They were confused by that, but their minds turned blank when Haru pecked their lips.
"Thank you, girls. Thank you very much for this chance! I swear that you won't regret it!"
Haru didn't care if they accepted this crazy relationship because of one of his abilities————the Aura of Harem Protagonist. As a matter of fact, Haru felt grateful for that ability. After all, without that ability, he was sure that it wouldn't end up with a slap; knives would join in, and blood would splatter. Such a thing was something Haru absolutely didn't want to happen!
Now, the problem is their new relationship. 'It is impossible to show it off on the other side, huh?' Haru thought with a complicated feeling.
Although Haru and Suzuka weren't related by blood, their romantic relationship still raised some questions because they grew up together as siblings. Then, his relationship with Sora, who was his twin, was a taboo in society's perspective.
People wouldn't care about Haru's and Sora's happiness; what they cared for was how it appeared in their eyes.
Furthermore, Japan was a country that didn't accept polygamy. Society would strongly oppose their relationship if it became public.
Although there were many problems in their future, Haru didn't really put them in his eyes. If push came to shove, Haru would bring his new girlfriends somewhere that wouldn't oppose their relationship. As a matter of fact, Haru thought about moving to another world to start a life as a married couple with his sisters.
However, it was a topic for another time.
Returning to the present, Sora and Suzuka finally recovered from their daze. However, their minds went chaotic because of Haru's surprise attack.
"Hwawawawa... K-K-Kiss! O-Onii-chan has k-kissed me! Awuuu~" Suzuka, with an extremely red face, mumbled incoherently; her glazed eyes were roaming around, apparently unfocused.
Suzuka's condition was very concerning; Haru felt worried that Suzuka would faint. In fact, he had a feeling that Suzuka would fall on her butt if he released her.
Meanwhile, Sora had a blank look, yet her eyes seemed intense. Haru felt like a piece of meat under Sora's intense leer.
Then—
"HMPH?!"
Sora pulled Haru's head and kissed his lips deeply. She repeatedly licked his lips, asking for entrance. Haru involuntarily parted his lips, and Sora immediately took the chance and shoved her tongue into his mouth.
Sora was giving Haru an A-Grade French kiss! In addition, she roamed her hands on his back before settling on Haru's butts. She then groped his butts with fervor.
'Does she has a butt fetish?!' Shocked, Haru wondered in his mind.
In truth, Haru felt uncomfortable with Sora's bold action, but he didn't want to stop the kiss.
"W-What in the world are you doing?!" Suzuka came to the rescue and forcefully split Sora and Haru.
Sora glared at Suzuka menacingly. "What's wrong with you?!"
"No! That's my line! What's wrong with you, r-ravishing Onii-chan's mouth like that?! How envi—*cough*, how scandalous and improper!"
Suzuka almost made a slip, but she quickly faked a cough and corrected her words. However, it was already late; Suzuka had made an irrecoverable mistake, and Sora caught on it.
Sora gave her stepsister an unimpressed look. Under Sora's blank gaze, Suzuka squirmed as she felt self-conscious.
Haru, who had recovered from asphyxiation, wryly smiled at their byplay.
***
After stopping any potential of escalation of his little sisters' verbal fight, Haru decided to bring Sora and Suzuka somewhere.
Sora and Suzuka, holding each of Haru's arms, were following him; they were curious about where they would stay in Paradise for several days.
Suzuka, who had her misgivings for staying here, had agreed to enjoy an extended vacation in Paradise. After all, only several seconds would pass on the other side in spite of several days would cross here.
As of now, the three of them were walking through a cobblestoned path that cut through the woods. When Sora and Suzuka saw the woods splitting up and stone pavements appearing from the ground to create this path, they had a dumbfounded expression.
Although they have experienced fantastical views after arriving in Paradise, they still felt surprised by the new stuff; they had yet to become numb by how out of the norm it was.
"I can't see those Pokemon even though they entered these woods earlier," Sora suddenly asked.
"Well, I intentionally made them diurnal creatures."
"Diurnal?" Sora had a confused expression, seemingly unaware of the meaning of the word.
"It means only active at day," Suzuka said before Haru could answer. Well, Suzuka was smart as well as diligent in her study; it was understandable that she knew difficult words.
"I see," Sora shortly replied before lapsing into another silence.
With the light produced by the glowing coconuts that attached to three meters tall coconut tree at the sides of the road, they continued walked until they arrived on the other side.
"Onii-chan, is that where we will live in the next several days?" Suzuka asked after seeing a comfortable two-storied wooden cottage.
"Yup."
"Hmmm..." Sora hummed with a strange glint in her eyes.
"What's it?" Curious, Haru couldn't help but ask Sora. Suzuka also looked at her stepsister.
"It feels like we have a honeymoon, don't you think so?"
"Ho-Honeymoon?!" Suzuka suddenly became filled with strange tension; she unintentionally raised her voice. Her face turned very red, and her eyes roamed around in panic.
"Right?" Sora had a mischievous smirk as she looked at Suzuka's worked up behavior.
Haru became exasperated and pinched Sora's waist.
"Ouch! That hurts!" Teary-eyed, Sora complained at Haru.
"Stop teasing your little sister."
Haru reprimanded Sora, but she pouted petulantly and threw her face away.
"You're no fun. Besides, look! Her mind has dived into the gutter!"
Haru followed Sora's eyes and saw Suzuka's silly expression; Suzuka had a toothy, foolish grin and glazed, dreamy eyes; she also muttered something incoherent under her breath.
In the end, Haru shook his head in resignation and decided to drop the matter.
"All right. Let's go inside. I will show you around," Haru declared and brought his little sisters inside the wooden cottage.
After that, Haru led his sisters-slash-lovers into the cottage. After entering, Sora and Suzuka inspected the first floor of their residence in the next several days.
"There are only a living room, kitchen, and a bathroom on the first floor. Meanwhile, there is only a bedroom on the second floor," Haru explained, and his little sisters nodded their heads in understanding.
Suddenly, Sora tugged Haru's arm, catching Haru's attention.
"What's it?"
When Haru looked at Sora, he saw a predatory glint in her eyes. At this time, Suzuka also turned her head to Sora.
"Ne, Haru, since we now are lovers, does it mean that we can have sex?"
There was a beat of silence; Haru and Suzuka were stunned by Sora's frankness. Then, Suzuka recovered from her shock-induced daze and exploded, screaming in a shrilly voice.
"S-s-s-sex! W-w-w-what are you saying you pervert?!"
◇◆◇◆◇
23: End of Vacation
***
The sound of nature graced the new day in Paradise. A beam of sunlight went through the gaps of the canopy of the Core of Innovate Clear, christened as Yggdrasil, entering the second floor of the quaint wooden cottage that stood next to its base.
The whole second floor of that wooden cottage was a bedroom, as well as a bathroom. There was a queen-sized bed with lacquered wooden stand with beautiful ivy and flower engravings, a wooden wardrobe with a mirror attached to the door, and finally a dressing table. The floor was covered by a fluffy green carpet, giving off nature touch.
In the bed, threw children, no, one young man and two young ladies were sleeping contently; white blanket covered their figures but their content sleeping faces.
The young man was Haru, and he was sleeping in the middle. At his sides were his little sisters, who were also his lovers, Sora and Suzuka; they rested their heads on his shoulders.
Suddenly, Haru and Suzuka stirred awake; the light that came through via the window had woken them up. Meanwhile, Sora groaned in displeasure and pulled up the blanket to shield her face from the irritating sunlight.
"Goooood morning, Onii-chan~ *Yawn*~" Suzuka greeted Haru sleepily while rubbing her eyes. The soft blanket stuck on her developing chest, covering her naked figure beneath it. Her purple hair fanned behind her.
The current Suzuka was different from the Suzuka from a week ago. She unconsciously gave off the presence of a refined, adult woman that screamed, 'I'm a little girl no more!'
Suzuka had stepped into the stair of adulthood three nights ago. Granted, she was a bit slow compared to her stepsister, who became a woman the next night after Haru confessed to them. Then again, unlike Sora, who was ready to throw away her virginity to Haru, Suzuka needed time to find her resolve and courage.
"Morning to you too, Suzuka," Haru returned Suzuka's greeting languidly.
The blanket had dropped off to his laps, displaying his figure that could make Adonis run for his money.
"Onii-chan~ where's my morning kiss~?" Suzuka puckered her glistening pink lips and asked in a very spoiled tone.
Haru grinned wryly but still gave to her demand before long.
After receiving a quick peck from her beloved brother and lover, Suzuka became fully awake, after which she began stretching out her body, making the blanket fall off and displaying her naked figure for Haru to feast.
"Mooo~ Onii-chan~ Stop~ I must prepare breakfast for us~" With a coquettish tone and behavior that she lacked a week ago, Suzuka tried to push away Haru, who had embraced her soft body.
"Ne, Suzuka, let do it! I'm really in the mood now. Look! It has gone hard!" Haru whined at Suzuka and pointed at the tent that was erect on his blanket-covered laps.
"Ara~ Ufufufu~" Suzuka released a mature chuckle and covered her lips gracefully; her blue eyes glimmered with mirth. "Good grief, what a beast, but it is Onii-chan, after all~."
"So, are we going to do it?" Haru asked impatiently.
*Sigh* Suzuka released a loud sigh as if bothered by something and put her hand on her cheek like a housewife next door. "Sure. But, just one round, okay? I must prepare for breakfast."
"Thank you, Suzuka! I love you so much~."
"Ara~ Ufufufufu~."
Haru tightened his hold on Suzuka's soft body. However, he stopped before he could push her down on the bed. And the reason?
"Hey, are you two going to ignore me? I'm going to get angry if you two ignore me, you know!" Sora uttered loudly, catching their attention.
It looked like Sora had woken up when Haru and Suzuka were in the middle of their diabetes-inducing flirting.
Haru and Suzuka turned their heads to Sora and saw her looking at them with a blank stare; she hid her lower face with a blanket. They formed a matching wry smile.
"Well, if Onee-chan wants to join, the more, the merrier, right, Onii-chan~?" Suzuka grinned at Haru after sparing the sulking Sora an amused glance.
She had started calling Sora 'Onee-chan' after the night of her 'graduation.' Although she had resolved herself to enter the third base in relationship with her beloved brother, Suzuka had been extremely nervous and asked Sora to accompany her. In the end, they had had their first threesome that night. When Suzuka got high in pleasure, she started calling Sora 'Onee-chan.' Since then, it stuck with them until this day.
"Yup! Nothing beat threesome~."
Haru gave his opinion in a sagely manner.
"Haru, you perv~" Sora feigned her bashfulness and averted her eyes away.
Haru's grin widened when he witnessed that. "But, you love this perv, right?"
"Hmph!" Sora harrumphed in faux resentment.
"All right, you two. As much as I enjoy this banter, we have something to do, aren't we? Unlike you two, lazy bums, I must prepare breakfast to feed us," Suzuka finally steered the talk that had gotten off of the rail.
Sora turned her eyes to Suzuka before agreeing. "Fine. You're right. Like they say, never piss off the person who feeds you."
"Good. At least, Onee-chan has a tact. Unlike certain someone," Suzuka commented and gave Haru a mock accusing glare.
After that, Sora grabbed Haru's shoulder. His other shoulder got held by Suzuka. With a mock scared expression, Haru feigned a whimper. "Mercy, please..."
Sora and Suzuka ignored Haru's antic and pulled them down, after which they covered themselves as well as Haru.
What happened under the blanket was up to your imagination.
***
Several hours later, Haru, Sora, and Suzuka were standing outside of their love nest. They were looking at the wooden cottage that had served them well in their honeymoon in the past week.
They had melancholic feelings when they were about to leave their love nest soon. But, they couldn't help it; they had stayed here, in Paradise, for a week. They needed to return to the other side before they lost connection to what they perceived to be their 'real world.'
The temptation to stay here was strong, but Haru, Sora, and Suzuka must leave before they closed themselves off. After all, each one of them had lives and responsibilities on the other side.
Well, Suzuka was the one with the most responsibilities. She was the student council president in her school, the representative of her class, and a model student to her classmates. She also wanted to pass the last exam in junior high school.
Unlike Suzuka, Sora had no responsibilities on the other side. She was a bona fide shut-in who enjoyed staying indoors and only had the interest outdoor if it related to Haru or her interests, which was very little. Ultimately, she joined them back because Haru was going to return to the other side.
Meanwhile, Haru decided to return because he had many things to do on the other side. He also wanted to support Suzuka, who had chosen her path, as best as he could. What kind of a big brother and a lover he was if he disregarded Suzuka's needs and desires?
"Are you two ready?" Haru turned his head to Sora and Suzuka alternately and said.
"I'm ready."
"Me too."
Sora and Suzuka turned their heads to him and answered at the same time.
"Don't worry. We can visit there next time. It isn't like we are leaving this place forever," Haru said, feeling like he needed to point it out after seeing how moody Sora and Suzuka were.
After that, Haru ejected them all out of Paradise. In the blink of eyes, they found themselves in the living room of their apartment. They looked around, inspecting their surroundings with strange gazes.
"It feels like we haven't been there for a long time," Suzuka muttered wistfully.
"En," Sora nodded her head and shortly replied.
Haru felt nostalgic when he checked the surroundings. Although they only spent a week in Paradise, many things happened here. Most importantly, their relationship had changed radically.
"It really is still the same day when we left a week ago," Suzuka commented after looking at the clock that also displayed the date.
"You're right," Sora chimed in, "But, is it really only several seconds passed here?"
They had forgotten the time they left this place. It was understandable because they had experienced many things and changed big times.
"Well, yeah," Haru said, "Including the time passed for our talk and checking around the room, around two minutes have passed. Well, make it three minutes."
Sora suddenly released Haru's hand, held her rabbit doll with both of her hands, and approached the sofa. "I'm going to take a nap. I'm still tired from what happened this morning."
After dropping her body on the sofa, Sora quickly fell asleep.
Haru and Suzuka exchanged a wry smile after witnessing Sora's straightforward attitude, but they let her have her rest.
"What about you? Do you want to take a nap too?" Haru asked after a few moments passed.
"Thank you for your kind offer, but I'm going to put this lunch box and then clean up my room," Suzuka replied. "Oh my gosh! I miss my room so much~."
"Well, it's not like you have been using it other than making it a place to keep your personal belongings. You have been sleeping in my room so far." Haru felt like he must point that out.
"Detail, detail," Suzuka offhandedly responded and dismissively waved her free hand; her other hand was holding the cloth-covered, three-tiered lunch box. She then walked to the kitchen, leaving Haru behind.
After contemplating a little, Haru decided to visit his room; he planned to print the manuscript of his novel's second volume later. He had finished it and even wrote half of the third volume's draft.
Haru only needed to receive the call about the approval from the publishing company before he could officially debut as a Novelist.
***
Three days later, in the afternoon before Haru went to Hakuo Academy to pick up Suzuka, he received his long-awaiting call from the publishing company.
◇◆◇◆◇
24: To The Publishing Company
***
Four days after Haru and his sisters returned from a week-long vacation in Paradise, and a day after Haru received a phone call that invited him to a meeting about his novel, Haru was ready to visit that publishing company. Sora and Suzuka were aware of his plan, and they were extremely happy for Haru and glad that Haru's novel got approved.
As an aside, Haru had used the fifth and sixth tries of his Mysterious Lottery and obtained useful items, though it was a topic for another time.
The time was 10.09 AM on Wednesday. Haru was waiting for Sora in the living room while playing with his flip phone to kill time. Although his phone wasn't a smartphone, it still could be used to access the internet and surf in the World Wide Web network; he was surfing in some forums about Japan's subculture.
As of now, Haru donned a tidy appearance, consisting of a white shirt with a gray-stripped black tie, black slacks, and a pair of black leather shoes. He looked formal, which was his decision because he would have an important meeting that related to his future career.
Several minutes later, Haru moved his attention away from his phone. He had sensed Sora's arrival. Soon, he saw her entering the living room.
Haru had invited Sora to go out with him, and she had happily accepted the invitation. When he saw Sora, he immediately noticed Sora's new style.
Although she was wearing one of her Gothic Lolita collections, she changed her hairstyle. She didn't let her silvery-white hair loose or tie it in twintails like the usual. She was tying her hair in a side ponytail fashion that gave her a fresh appearance.
"How do I look? Is it good?" Sora tilted her head to the side, displaying her new hairstyle, twirled on her feet, and asked.
Haru gave his twin and lover a once-over while pocketing his phone and then nodded. "Yup. You look good, Sora," he praised Sora and then left his seat.
Sora was wearing a white-colored frilly top with a black frilly skirt. She also wrote a silver cross as an accessory.
Although she wore a cross, it didn't mean that she was a religious person. As a matter of fact, Haru and his family were atheists. That cross was only an accessory to compliment Sora's appearance.
Haru then approached Sora's figure and wrapped his arms around her thin waist. Sora formed a sultry grin, her face going red slightly. Then, their mouths overlapped in a short yet passionate kiss.
"Come on. Let's get going," Haru said, snapping Sora out of her daze.
Sora shook her head to regain her calmness before nodding her head in affirmation. After that, they left their apartment.
***
Haru brought Sora to a bookstore to print the manuscripts of Volume 2 and 3 of his novel; he also made several copies for Sora and Suzuka.
After reading the first volume script, Sora and Suzuka got hooked by the story. Well, Haru was confident with the popularity of his chosen novel. In spite of receiving mixed reactions, both support and hates, in his past life, SAO was still a title that had the highest-selling copies in Japan.
Sora and Haru walked out of the bookstore after they finished their business there and then went to a nearby train station. His destination was one of the publishing company's offices, which resided in Fujimi, Chiyoda-Ku, Tokyo.
Since the apartment Kusagano siblings resided in Seta, Setagaya-Ku, Tokyo, Haru must take a train from Youga Station, which was around 12 minutes' walk from their home. From there, their train would take them to Iidabashi Station.
Haru and Sora had a little problem navigating their way. Thankfully, Sora's smartphone GPS was always active; therefore, they could get to their destination without getting lost.
Along the way to Shinjuku, Sora stuck on Haru like glue and hugged his arm. From the third person's point of view, they looked like a pair of close twins because of their resemblances and almost nonexistent distance.
However, if you ask Sora's honest opinion, she wasn't satisfied with how reserved their action in public. She wanted to show everyone that Haru was hers, but she obediently acquiesced Haru's instruction and Suzuka's argument to hold herself in public.
Haru's reason for showing some reservations in public was due to what he knew about Yosuga no Sora. There was a snowball chance in hell he would make the same mistake as the canon Haru and Sora, who got caught by Haru's class representative and childhood sweetheart, who took his first time.
On the train, they got a bench facing an elderly couple. Those elders were surprisingly kind and openminded, but Sora was still shy in front of strangers. She preferred to keep her silence, but if she opened her mouth, her lack of social skills gave off a rude impression. Haru had small problems apologizing to the elderly couple, but thankfully, the elderly couple tolerated Sora's rudeness because they were aware of that Sora was a shy young woman.
Around 30 minutes later, they arrived at Iidabashi Station. Haru didn't immediately bring Sora to their destination, and he led her to a nearby restaurant instead.
The time was around 10.45 AM, and it was almost lunchtime. Besides, the appointment started after lunch, and therefore, Haru had an idea to treat Sora for lunch outside. Thankfully, they wouldn't waste Suzuka's cooking because Suzuka had intentionally not prepared lunch for them after hearing Haru's plan to go to Chiyoda.
Haru and Sora visited a restaurant called Old Thailand that served Thailand's cuisines and requested a private booth. Haru intentionally did that because he speculated that Sora wouldn't be able to hold herself from acting like a lovestruck girl having a date with her hubby when they had lunch.
Haru's speculation hit the mark. The moment their food arrived, Sora immediately displayed sweet behaviors that a little sister, even a Bro-Con one, wouldn't do in front of her blood-related brother.
"Ne~, Haru~, try this Kai Zou Mu Sapp~. It tastes good, you know~. Come on, say, Aaah~," Sora said while offering a piece of fried egg with minced pork with her chopsticks. Her smile was energetic and bright, laced with mischievousness and blossoming love, but anyone with a healthy mind and working eyes could see that something was wrong with her demeanor because of how sweet she was being.
Haru involuntarily formed a wry smile. For the umpteenth time, he felt so glad that he had requested a private booth in spite of coming off a little pricey.
"Aaah~," Haru opened his mouth and let Sora had her fun.
Well, it looks like Haru himself was at fault for enabling his lovestruck twin sister.
"How is it? It tastes good, is it not?"
"Yup. But, I think it tasted good because you're feeding me, Sora."
"Oh, you~ flattery won't get you anywhere." Sora averted her eyes and then put her free hand on her reddening cheek, feeling bashful and happy from Haru's flirty words.
Anyone who saw this stupid couple would surely vomit due to excessive sweet display (or because of disgust for witnessing how a pair of blood-related twins could be so lovey-dovey). Thankfully, this idiot couple was staying in a private booth.
"All right. My turn now. Try this Guy Yarn. Say, Aaah~." Haru offered the marinated chicken barbeque to Sora, who opened her mouth widely to receive it.
"Aaaah~ Haup~ Mmmh~ It's good~."
"Right?" Haru grinned at Sora before seeing sauce on the corner of her lips, "There is a sauce on your face, Sora."
"Where?" Sora rubbed the wrong place, and Haru made a helpless expression as if saying, 'It can't be helped, huh?'.
"Over there." Haru then wiped the sauce while tracing Sora's soft, pink bottom lip.
Their eyes met, and they froze for several seconds. Then, their reddening faces got closer while they closed their eyes. Soon, their lips met, and they forgot their lunch.
***
After finishing lunch, Haru led Sora to the publishing company. They stopped at the gate for security check before they got allowed to enter a large building, after which Haru approached the receptionist lady who sat behind the counter in the lobby.
"Pardon me," Haru began; he was looking at the pretty receptionist who seemed in her mid-twenties. Sora was standing next to him while hugging her rabbit doll close to her bosom.
"Yes? May I help you with something, Mister...?" The receptionist lady responded politely with her refined business smile.
"Kasugano. Kasugano Haruka. I have an appointment with the head editor of the light novel publishing team of this company."
"Kasugano-san, is it? Allow me to check it out first."
"Please," Haru responded and gave her a shallow nod. He then waited for the receptionist lady to finish her work.
A short while later, the receptionist lady raised her face and looked at Haru. "I've checked the appointment. It seems like you do have an appointment with the head of the light novel publishing team. I shall inform her immediately. In the meantime, please wait in the lobby."
Haru quirked his brown when he heard that the head of the light novel publishing team was a woman. Personally, he had no problems; he was just surprised because he thought it would be a male.
"Pardon me, but would you be kind to ask her if I can bring my little sister to the meeting?" Haru said, and the receptionist lady turned her head to Sora before nodding after thinking a little, "Thank you."
"You're welcome, Kasugano-san."
After that, Haru led Sora to the sofa in the lobby.
"Can I really join the meeting? Won't it be a problem?" Sora fretfully asked after they sat down on a recliner.
Haru turned his head to Sora and gave her an unsure expression. "I'm not sure. But, if you get permission to join the meeting, you may kill your time playing with your phone. As long as you don't disrupt the meeting, I don't think those people will have problems. Of course, it is if you get permission. Well, I prefer it if you are with me. I feel concerned about leaving you here alone..."
Sora faintly smiled at Haru's rambling. She was so happy that Haru felt concerned for her.
"Even if I don't get permission, I won't mind waiting for you here. After all, this meeting is important for your, no, our future, right?" Sora said and smiled in understanding.
Haru was speechless for a few moments. He knew that Sora became more considerate of him and Suzuka after returning from their week holiday in Paradise. Even so, it still filled his chest with warmth whenever Sora showed such consideration.
"Thank you, Sora. I love you." Sora faintly whispered into Sora's ears; he voluntarily used a low voice.
"Me too. I love you, Haru." Sora replied in a low voice.
After that, Haru and Sora waited for a while until the receptionist called his name. It seemed like Sora got permission to join the meeting. Then, they went to the meeting place on the 14th floor together.
◇◆◇◆◇
25: Epilogue
***
The meeting had gone smoothly. The publishing company side had a big expectation for Haru because of the quality of his novel and his writing speed; they got hyped up after Haru presented the clean hard copy for Volume 2 and 3. Haru's (plagiarized) work—Sword Art Online—would get published in the next couple of months—to be exact, at the beginning of summer.
There was also a talk about an illustrator for his novel. The specific illustrator that both Haru and Sora intimately knew got mentioned. The publishing company side was surprised when they discovered that the mentioned illustrator was Haru's and Sora's aunt, as well as their present legal guardian.
In the end, they decided to have another meeting in the next several days to iron out other details.
Haru and Sora left the publishing company at 2.47 PM. They then decided to go to Hakuo Academy to pick Suzuka up. At first, Sora had her misgivings going there because she'd dropped off of the senior high school division several days ago. But, she changed her mind after Haru persuaded her. She agreed to accompany Haru in picking Suzuka up, but she would wait in a family restaurant near Hakuo Academy.
After ±30 minutes on a train, ±5 minutes walk, and ±10 minutes on a bus, they arrived in the restaurant built near Hakuo Academy. Haru then led Sora inside the establishment and approached the counter.
"Pardon me, is there an empty private booth left?" Haru asked the young female staff behind the counter.
She seemed to be in her late teenage; she had light brown hair in a short bob style and amber-colored eyes. Her height was 159 cm. She wore a green Polo shirt with a red collar under a dark green apron with a red-colored logo of the restaurant. Her uniform and apron couldn't properly hide her ample bust. There was also a name tag, displaying "Nitta Io/新田 維緒."
In truth, the counter keeper was within his strike zone. He wouldn't mind acting a bit flirty with her if he was alone. But alas, he couldn't do it because there was Sora with him.
"Yes? Pardon me! Let me check out the book first!" she replied in high tension, and red hue smeared on her pale cheeks; apparently, she got flustered because of Haru's attractive appearance and 'unique' presence.
Haru unintentionally formed a wry smile after witnessing the staff's reaction. He was aware that it was the effect of the Aura of Harem Protagonist, but he kept it inside him.
Looking at the flustered girl behind the counter, Sora felt vexed and vented on Haru; she pinched his waist with a sulking expression.
"Ouch! What's wrong with you?"
"Hmph!" Sora ignored Haru's inquiry and threw her face out of Haru's vision.
Haru was speechless by her moody behavior before recovering quickly. "Are you jealous?" He moved his face close to Sora's and teased her in a low voice.
Sora inflated her cheeks and sent a resentful glare at Haru from the corner of her eyes. It was clear that she was absolutely jealous.
'What's wrong with her? She is already sharing me with someone else and knows that I love her, yet she acts possessive. How unreasonable,' Haru couldn't help but comment in his mind. He didn't dare to say it loudly because it would get the wrong attention from anyone who overheard it and Sora's ire.
Haru shook his head in exasperation and then lovingly smiled at Sora. At the same time, he gave Sora a head-pat. A moment later, Sora's expression relaxed, but she still stubbornly kept her face out of Haru's vision.
"Ano, pardon me..."
Haru turned his head to the restaurant's staff after hearing her awkward calling. "Yes?" He intentionally ignored the girl's awkwardness and asked as if nothing happened.
"There is an empty private booth. Would you like to use it?"
"Oh? Of course, I would like it," Haru replied, feeling glad that he could get a private booth, "By the way, is there a problem if we use it for a couple of hours? We are waiting for someone else."
"We don't have problems with such arrangement," she politely replied.
"That's good. Very well, then. Could you lead us to our private booth, or is there someone else who might lead us there?"
"Ah, I don't mind to lead you there. All right. Please wait for a moment," the girl replied before leaving the counter. She then led Haru and Sora to their private booth.
After that, Haru and Sora ordered cold drinks. Then, they waited for their order in silence.
The tension was due to Sora's unreadable stare on him.
"Haru," Sora finally called him, breaking the tense silence.
"Yes?"
"Do you like them big?"
"Pardon me?"
"Do you like big boobs?"
Haru was speechless but quickly recovered. "Why did you ask?"
"You are glancing at that girl's boobs," Sora sulkily pointed out, and Haru unintentionally made a wry smile, which Sora didn't miss. "So, you really like them big, huh?"
"Is this about yours and Suzuka's size?" Sora nodded glumly, and Haru continued, "Don't worry about it. I don't care if yours and Suzuka's are big or small. Either way, I still love them because they are yours."
"But, you would rather like them big, right?"
Haru decided to keep his silence.
"Geez, you're hopeless..." Sora pouted in dissatisfaction and turned away her head.
Then, their drinks came. They sampled their drink in silence.
"Haru," Sora called him again.
"What now?"
"You can do magical stuff, right?" Sora asked in a low voice that only Haru could hear.
"Yes?" He looked at Sora with an uncomprehending gaze.
"Could you make mine big with magic?"
Haru gave Sora a deadpan. He wanted to retort at her funny question but stopped when he saw her pleading expression. It looked like she wasn't joking.
'Well, sure, I can do something about her washboard...' Haru contemplated silently and imagined Sora and Suzuka with an over-inflated pair of tits. He unintentionally made a strange face because of how odd they looked with them.
Haru snapped out of his imagination when Sora threw him a splatter of her drink. He blinked and gave her a narrowed gaze.
"You're thinking something rude, right?" Sora said, overtaking Haru's attempt to complain.
Haru closed his mouth and decided to change the subject into something safer. "Anyway, I am going to look at it first," he vaguely told Sora.
Sora gave him a scrutinizing look before nodding in acceptance. "All right. I'll wait for the good news."
"Pressuring me, aren't we?"
"That's for your own good. You like it big, right?"
Haru decided to shut his mouth. After their weird talk ended, Sora asked for the script of the second volume of Haru's novel. Then, she read it in silence. Meanwhile, Haru waited until the time to pick Suzuka up came.
***
Around 4 PM, Haru waited for Suzuka in the gate of the junior high division of Hakuo Academy. He had a small talk with Rika Minami, but it got cut short when Suzuka came out.
"Onii-chan~" Suzuka called him and hurried over. She then threw herself to Haru and hugged his waist, snuggling her face on his stomach.
Haru helplessly smiled at his over-affectionate stepsister. Well, he let her do it because the alternative would raise some questions they wouldn't feel comfortable answering.
"By the way, Suzuka, let's go. Sora is waiting for us," Haru ended Suzuka's hug and said.
"Okay~" She energetically replied.
After that, Haru said farewell to Rika and then led Suzuka to the restaurant where Sora was waiting for them.
"I guess we are going to celebrate for Onii-chan's novel got accepted by the publishing company, right?" Suzuka, holding Haru's arm tightly, said.
"Yeah. By the way, it looks like Aunt will likely become the illustrator for my novel."
"Her, huh?" Suzuka made a thoughtful expression. "The last time we met each other was a bit over a week ago when she became our legal guardian, no?"
"Yup."
"She came to our place with her daughter, right? She is a first-year student in junior high school, right?"
"Yeah." Haru nodded in confirmation. He then thought about his aunt and cousin.
In truth, Haru only knew about them from his predecessor's memory and experience. From that, he assumed that his aunt was a bit perv, er, openminded, and she liked to tease Kasugano twins to see their funny reactions. The woman was the little sister of Haru's and Sora's true mother, who had died when giving birth to them.
Both of their deceased mother and her sister actually came from Russia. Their mother had accompanied her little sister to Japan in the past because of the latter's fascination with Japan's subculture. Then, their mother met their father by chance, and they married after dating for a while.
Well, all digressions aside, let's return to the topic about Haru's and Sora's aunt and legal guardian.
She was already in her mid-thirty, and yet she seemed to be in her mid-twenties. She had a pretty face and a sensual figure. In addition to her exotic white hair and bright, blue eyes, she would make any straight, healthy man covet her.
As a matter of fact, she got abandoned by her irresponsible and cowardly boyfriend after getting pregnant. She had been taking care of her daughter as a single mother.
That woman was really something, and Haru thought that her former boyfriend was a fool to abandon a keeper like her.
Then, there was also her daughter—
'Another top-class Imouto character, huh? And if I am not wrong, she shows a sign of crush on me,' Haru was almost unable to stop his wry smile when he thought about his cousin.
Haru snapped out of his thoughts when he and Suzuka finally arrived at the restaurant. They entered the establishment and went to the private booth where Sora was waiting for them.
Sora and Suzuka greeted each other amiably, something that impossible to happen in the past. Then, they ordered food and drinks to celebrate Haru's novel, that would get published in the future. There was no alcohol because they were still underage, though.
After their orders came, Haru, Sora, and Suzuka held their glass and readied themselves for the opening of the celebration party.
"So, who is going to start it?" Suzuka asked and then looked at Haru.
Sora wordlessly gazed at Haru, silently telling him to open the celebration.
Haru was speechless when his sisters double-teamed him, but he quickly recovered and acquiesced.
"All right. For my future novel and our harmonious and peaceful life together. Cheers!"
Haru pushed his drink forward. Then, Sora and Suzuka lightly bumped their glasses with his and said, "Cheers!"