Chapter 53: Shunsuke's Future Plans
Sakuta was happy to see this. Although he was a bit of a siscon, he wasn't the creepy, borderline incestuous type.
However, if any man tried to make a move on his little sister, Kaede, he would show no mercy.
"Good evening, Shunsuke-onii," Kaede Azusagawa greeted cheerfully as she approached.
"Long time no see, Kaede," Shunsuke replied, ruffling her hair in front of Sakuta. "I got you a little gift."
Shunsuke handed her a box of cream puffs he had bought on the way over.
Cream puffs, in his opinion, were a delightful treat that brought joy to people.
He first learned about them from the anime OniAi ("Onii-chan dakedo Ai sae Areba Kankei Nai yo ne!"). Although cream puffs weren't as common in anime as puddings, nor as famous as donuts or melon bread, they were beloved by many girls and had become his favorite dessert.
"Wow, these look amazing! Thank you, Shunsuke-onii!" Kaede exclaimed happily, accepting the gift and even nuzzling her head against his hand.
Sakuta couldn't take it anymore. He yanked Shunsuke away and put him in a headlock, dragging him towards his room. "Alright, my dear friend, let's go play some games in my room!"
Shunsuke understood how Sakuta felt. If any guy ever tried to get close to his own sister, Sagiri, in front of him, he would undoubtedly beat the guy senseless, just like Star Platinum delivering a flurry of "Ora Ora" punches.
"Wait a second, I haven't given Kaede everything yet," Shunsuke said, managing to steady himself. He pulled out a letter from his bag. "Kaede, this is a letter from Sagiri. She misses you a lot."
The fact that Kaede and Sagiri had managed to build a close bond despite both being shut-ins was largely thanks to Sagiri's efforts.
In contrast, Kunimi, another close friend of Sakuta's, didn't have a shut-in sister like Sagiri, so he rarely visited Sakuta's house. It was usually the other way around, with Sakuta going to Kunimi's place to hang out.
Kaede, delighted, carefully took the letter and held it close to her chest. She then dashed back to her room and returned with a cute pink envelope, visibly as thick as Sagiri's letter.
"Shunsuke-onii, this is my reply. Please deliver it to Sagiri for me," Kaede requested.
Shunsuke accepted the letter with a serious nod. "Of course, I'll make sure she gets it."
Due to Kaede's fear of electronic devices, the two shut-ins could only exchange letters. Each time, they would write full pages, reminiscent of pen pals from decades past, creating a charming, old-fashioned vibe.
This slow-paced style of communication felt romantic, and it seemed like their friendship was more genuine and lasting compared to today's fast-paced digital interactions.
Seeing Kaede's delighted expression as she ate the cream puffs, Sakuta couldn't help but smile. "Thanks, Shunsuke, for helping Sagiri become friends with Kaede."
Shunsuke gave him a light punch on the shoulder. "What are you thanking me for? Kaede is Sagiri's only friend of the same age. Seeing them chat so happily makes me just as happy."
"Yeah, they're both such kind kids," Sakuta agreed.
"True, though Kaede seems a bit more empathetic," Shunsuke added.
"Hey! I'm warning you—don't even think about making a move on Kaede!" Sakuta snapped.
Shunsuke smirked. "Oh, relax. Kaede's personality might be better, but Sagiri is clearly cuter!"
"That's nonsense! There's no way there's a little sister in the world cuter than Kaede!"
"I hope you can set aside your bias and make a rational, objective judgment," Shunsuke retorted.
The friendly atmosphere between them suddenly vanished as they locked horns. However, after staring each other down for a moment, they both burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Come on, Shunsuke, there's no way you'd actually make a move on Kaede, right? You're my best friend, after all," Sakuta laughed.
"Hahaha, to be honest, both Kaede and Sagiri are equally adorable. You really can't say one is better than the other," Shunsuke replied with a grin.
"...I'm going to take you down right now!" Sakuta exclaimed, making a comically exaggerated angry face.
"You're such a hopeless siscon. You really need to learn to let go!" Shunsuke teased without any self-awareness.
...
"Hey, Shunsuke, that underclassman you mentioned—is she the cute girl who handed you a towel during the basketball game? You sure move fast!" Sakuta teased as he grabbed a can of Coke from the fridge and tossed it to Shunsuke.
Shunsuke popped open the can with a "click" and took a satisfying sip before replying leisurely, "No, it's someone else."
"Someone else?" Sakuta's voice rose in disbelief. "School just started a few days ago, and you've already got another one?"
Shunsuke rolled his eyes at him. "Calm down, it's just a pure friendship."
"Normal friends don't hang out this late," Sakuta scoffed. "I won't say much, but let me give you one warning: watch out for a yandere with a knife."
"Believe what you want," Shunsuke replied confidently. For now, he genuinely considered it a platonic friendship, no matter what might happen in the future.
Seeing Shunsuke's nonchalant attitude, Sakuta thought of their mutual friend Rio Futaba and sighed internally, choosing not to say anything. It was a delicate topic, one that was hard to bring up in conversation.
Although Shunsuke had kept to himself during their first year, Sakuta had gotten to know his personality well enough to see through some of his friend's behavior.
After hanging out a bit longer, playing a few games with Kaede, Shunsuke decided it was time to leave.
The Azusagawa household, without smartphones or other electronic devices, tended to go to bed early.
While this was the start of the night for someone like Shunsuke, it was already bedtime for Sakuta and especially for Kaede, whose psychological age was closer to that of a toddler.
"Shunsuke-onii, please come over again next time," Kaede said in a sweet, almost pleading tone as she stood at the entrance, seeing him off.
"I will," Shunsuke nodded.
As he looked at Kaede, he made up his mind. He decided to finally activate the Stand system that had been dormant for forty chapters. He checked his points.
1,500 points.
In just a few days, he had accumulated as many points as he had managed to gather in the past decade. But it still wasn't enough.
During this initial period of regaining his memories, while he focused on specific strategies, the influx of points would be high.
However, as time went on, the rate of point accumulation would inevitably slow down.
To achieve Star Platinum Over Heaven—the ultimate, world-altering Stand that exists only in games—he would need 10,000 points.
Shunsuke estimated this might be the upper limit of points he could ever gain; there might be a little room beyond that, but not much.
Thus, his initial goal wasn't to reach Star Platinum Over Heaven. Instead, he aimed for the 3,000-point Heaven's Door.
With Heaven's Door, which could alter consciousness, memory, and thoughts, he would face no obstacles in modern society.
It would be the key to easily positioning himself at the top of the social pyramid.
Additionally, gaining points would become much easier, especially with the invincible battle prowess of Star Platinum, making it the perfect Stand for him.
However, considering the current pace, there simply wasn't enough time to achieve it.
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