Kai stared at Ash and Elsa, still trying to process the situation. He scratched his head, bewildered, and then narrowed his eyes at Ash.
"A love confession? Just like that? You can't drop a bomb like this without warning, Shiro-san! And what's with the tight hug? Are you trying to squeeze her into agreeing?" Kai crossed his arms, his protective big brother instincts kicking in.
Elsa, still blushing, detached herself from Ash and tried to calm Kai down. "Brother, it's not what you think. Shiro and I, despite our brief interactions, shared some meaningful moments. He saved me, and I'm deeply grateful to him. Now, he's expressed his feelings towards me. I've come to realize our emotions for each other. It's not as abrupt as it may appear. So, Brother, I want to spend my remaining life with him!"
Kai sighed, still processing the situation. "Alright, alright. But no rushing into things, you hear me? I want to see some proper courting and all that. And Shiro-san, you better not break my sister's heart."
Ash nodded, understanding the seriousness in Kai's tone. "I promise, I wouldn't do anything to hurt her."
Kai eyed them both for a moment before finally letting out a resigned sigh. "Fine, just promise me you won't rush or do something 'inappropriate' before you have an official marriage. And Shiro-san, you're going to have to win over Dad when he's around. He's protective too, you know."
Ash and Elsa exchanged a glance, smiling at each other. Elsa, especially, felt happy that her brother didn't mind her relationship with Ash. she tactically hid the fact that Ash wanted to build a harem, which is something Kai didn't need to know since it involved their own affair.
As for Kai, he picked up the fallen grocery bags and grumbled, "I can't believe I have to deal with this drama after a simple grocery run."
...
In the cozy kitchen, the aroma of spices filled the air as Elsa hummed a soft tune while preparing lunch. Her nimble fingers expertly moved around, chopping vegetables and stirring pots with an effortless grace. The clinking of utensils against the countertop provided a soothing backdrop to the scene.
Meanwhile, in the living room, Kai and Ash sat on the couch, engaged in casual conversation. Kai couldn't help but sneak glances toward the kitchen, where Elsa worked diligently. He cleared his throat, breaking the silence.
"Hey, Shiro-san, when did you realize you were in love with my sister? And, more importantly, when do you plan to make her an honest woman?"
Ash glanced at Elsa's silhouette through the kitchen doorway. "Well, I guess it started the day I healed her. I saw this innocent and naive side of her soul, and I couldn't help but be drawn to it. Over time, that admiration turned into something deeper, and I decided it was time to officially confess."
Kai raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "Confession, huh? And marriage?"
Ash nodded, a serious expression on his face. "As for marriage, Kai, I want your father to be there for the ceremony. It's important to me that he witnesses our union. I don't want to rush things; I want it to be a special moment for Elsa and her family."
Kai smiled, satisfied with Ash's response. "Well, what can I say besides wishing you both good luck? Just promise me you'll take good care of her."
Ash nodded earnestly. "There is no need to ask me this, Kai. I care about her a lot, and I'll do everything to make her happy."
Kai smiled in his heart, thinking it's not a bad idea for his sister to marry a caring and strong person like Ash.
...
Ash, Kai, and Elsa sat around the dining table and enjoyed a hearty meal together. The warm glow of the dining room lights illuminated their faces, creating a sense of familial comfort.
As the trio savored the food, a thoughtful expression crossed Ash's face. He cleared his throat, breaking the silence. "Hey, Kai," he began, locking eyes with Elsa's brother. "I've been thinking. In order to ensure everyone's future safety, Especially in place like heavens arena city where you won't know when to bump into a crazy Nen user, I decided to teach you Nen."
Kai paused mid-bite, looking up at Ash with surprise. "Teach me Nen? Really! When can we begin?"
Kai was surprised; learning Nen is something he wanted for a long time. He was waiting for the right time to ask Ash if he could help him, but he didn't expect Ash to be the one to suggest it first.
'Just like what Ash said, if I learn Nen, then I could protect my sister better and prevent something like the previous incident from happening. Not to mention that Heavens Arena is a huge hot pot, and who knows, maybe someday I will bump into an evil Nen user like he said, so I must be prepared. I can't wait to start right now!' Kai thought excitedly in his mind.
"Mmm. . . I'm currently free so lets do it after lunch. after all, the method i'll use considering your though physique is initiation, which doesn't take a lot of time. "
Ash, aware of Kai's excitement, decided to fulfill his desires and let him learn Nen today, not only to increase the favorability of his future brother-in-law but also to add a second layer of protection for Elsa. The first layer naturally is Ash.
"Shiro, and me?" Elsa felt she was being ignored and said in a pitiful tone. Her adorable expression melted Ash's heart, but he shook his head.
"Elsa, you are not suitable to learn Nen yet."
"Eh? Why? Didn't you say that after I regain all my life energy, I can start learning Nen?" Elsa asked curiously, although she was disappointed, but she trusted Ash and felt he must have a reason behind his words, so she asked.
"I plan to improve your physical fitness first and let you open your aura nodes through your own efforts, which is a safer and better way. The initiation I'm going to do to Kai won't harm him since his body is probably three times tougher than mine, so I think he can endure it. But you are different, not to mention that you are still recovering, but your physical fitness, I'm afraid, won't allow you to touch Nen with your body safely."
Ash patiently explained his reason. Hearing his explanation, Elsa nodded and understood that Ash is worried about her and intends to use a safer way. She couldn't help but feel a sense of warmth in her heart.
Kai, on the other hand, also agreed with Ash's view. "Elsa, you have to follow Shiro's words."
Ash suddenly thought of something and looked at Kai. He said, "Do you know if there is someone nearby here who wants to rent his house or some agencies responsible for this thing? I plan to rent next to you and stay closer. After all, it's troublesome to keep running between her and Heavens Arena."
Ash also had another hidden reason he didn't say, which is, I believe, is already predicted by you, men of culture. That's right, to have more contact with Elsa.
Ash looked at his system status and saw a new change in it.
Harem Members:
Elsa Kumomichi : 50% conquered
That's right, now Elsa is included in his harem members section. But he seems to need to spend some efforts to conquer her heart. She may be in love with him, but conquering is more than simple love. He needs to make their bond even stronger, so naturally, Ash wants to stay closer to her.
Elsa's eyes shone when she heard this sentence. Shiro wants to live next to them, doesn't that mean she will be able to see him more often? Maybe he can come over to their house, watch movies with her, and have fun. Thinking of this possibility, Elsa was excited.
In the end, it's not Ash alone who wants to have more opportunities to meet each other. Both of them unconsciously want to spend more time with the other party.
Hearing Ash's question, Kai thought for a moment, then he shook his head.
"I don't have any information. Maybe we can go to see the agency responsible for this area and see if there are some houses available for rent."
"Fine, I just hope to find one nearby available." Ash nodded.
"Mmm...Brother...can I ask you something?" Elsa, with a hesitant expression on her face, looked at her brother and signaled him to get closer.
"Huh? What's wrong, Elsa? Is there something you want to say? Shiro isn't an outsider; you can say it in front of him." Kai saw the gesture of his sister and didn't choose to follow her request. After all, it's inappropriate to talk secretly in front of someone, especially in front of Ash, who had given them a lot of help.
Ash smiled and waved his hands. "Kai, just fulfill her request. Maybe she is very shy to say it in front of me."
"Sigh...fine." Kai nodded helplessly, then he leaned closer to Elsa. She whispered in a low voice in his ears some words. When Kai heard this, his eyes opened in surprise.
"What do you think, brother?" Elsa looked at Kai with her puppy-like eyes full of expectation; she couldn't wait to hear her brother agree to her sudden proposal.
Kai thought for a moment, after considering her proposal carefully, and weighing the pros and cons, he nodded his head, making Elsa almost jump from excitement.
"Let's see the opinion of Shiro. After all, it's his choice." Kai looked at Ash and said.
"Huh? Me?" Ash was surprised. He politely chose to ignore their whispering, so he didn't know why they suddenly turned back to him.
'Could it be...' Ash's brain quickly linked the dots, from Elsa's reaction when Kai nodded to the latter's last words. All means one thing...
"Would you like to live with us?"
Kai and Elsa said the same thing at the same time. they looked at Ash with an inviting expression on their face. this request was genuine from the bottom of their heart, not just out of politeness.
Elsa's intent from this proposal is to have more time with Ash, knows more about him, and develop her relationship with him. after All, he will become her husband in the future. she must at least knows what he likes to eat, what things he dislike, so she can become a qualified wife, and gain advantage over future harem members. although she appears naive and innocent, Elsa in essence is very competitive girl. she wants to seize this opportunity to occupy a huge space in his heart so that no matter what new woman he married in the future, she will remain his first wife, and why not, be the Queen of the harem!
as for Kai, his intent is simple, first is to observe Ash closely and see if his personality is suitable for his sister, after all, although he said he agreed to their relations, but in fact, by telling him to wait until his father's return, he intended to use this buffer time to observe Ash and see if he had any bad traits that will harm his sister. he can't affords throwing his sister into the hands of a bastard. as for his second goal, is to have more learning time about Nen, in this way, whenever he faced an obstacle he could find Ash near to him to ask his doubts. thus killing two birds with one stone.
even though Kai appears to be simple minded with his muscular appearance, and gives the vibes that he is the type who use muscles instead of reasoning to solve his problems, but in fact, he is a very considerate person, who tend to measure the weight of every decision he make.
Ash's initial shock transformed into a warm smile, with a nod he said : "Really? I'd be honored to live with both of you!"
Elsa beamed with joy, her eyes reflecting excitement and anticipation for the moments they would share together in the future.
'Living with Elsa under the same roof... doesn't that mean I can sneak into her room at night?' he pondered with a sly grin. Imaginations of late-night 'study' sessions danced through his thoughts.
(to be continued)