General 34

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Chapter 34. Little Sister, Suo Marin

-Suo-senpai's Perspective-

"I'm home..."

"Welcome back, big brother! Hmm, what's wrong? You seem down, are you okay?"

"No... I'm fine, Marin. Just a bit tired."

Upon returning home, my little sister Marin welcomed me at the entrance as usual.

She always seems to pay close attention to me, immediately sensing something amiss with my demeanor. She's sharp, for my little sister.

I quickly composed myself and reassured Marin that there was nothing to worry about.

"Is that so? Then let's have a stamina-boosting meal tonight."

Taking my bag almost forcibly, Marin trotted off to the laundry room.

Although she often insists on doing things like laundry and cleaning herself, Marin seems genuinely happy to take care of me.

"Wasn't today a day off from Soul Armor Prep School?"

"Yeah. We're entering the test period at school soon."

"In that case, you don't have to do chores..."

"Hm? Did you say something~? Big~ Brother♪"

Clang! The sound of a knife hitting the cutting board resounded from the kitchen.

"Well... since mom and dad are working overseas and it's just the two of us siblings, we should hire a housekeeper to ease Marin's burden."

"It's not a burden at all. In fact, I don't want anyone to disturb our life as siblings."

She smiled wryly, but there was a shadow on her face, a strange intensity for my little sister.

"Still, Marin is in her third year of junior high and preparing for exams."

Despite receiving a monthly allowance from our parents and earning my own salary, I've repeatedly suggested hiring a housekeeper to Marin, given her responsibilities and upcoming exams. Yet every time, Marin staunchly refuses the idea.

Despite my persistence, I can't fathom why Marin refuses to let go of household chores and take care of me, even though finances are not a concern.

"You don't need to worry about exams. I got an A grade on the recent Soul Gear Prep School mock test, so I'm fine."

"I see, you're as reliable as ever, Marin."

"Well, I am your little sister after all."

Marin puffed her chest proudly, but I haven't really taught her much about Soul Armor.

While I had established a certain status within the school until the end of last year, now it's all but vanished, possibly even negatively affecting Marin.

"Regardless, it's a burden on you, Marin. Soul Armor users face strict travel restrictions abroad, and although I can attend school as a student, I wish Marin, being younger, could join mom and dad overseas."

"Don't treat me like a child forever."

"If you keep staring, you'll burn the food."

"Whoa! That was close, chef."

Seeing Marin almost burn the food, I couldn't help but smile at her antics.

The demand I received earlier from teacher Shindo at school echoed in my mind, urging me to consider its implications.

[Spy on Kamiya and report back. Refuse it, and your sister's school enrollment will be hindered.]

I don't have the power to refuse this demand now.

Either way, there's no bright future for me.

But even so, harming my sister, Marin...

Forgive me, Kamiya...

"But, big brother, you seem softer lately."

"Huh?"

Marin's unexpected words made me ask again.

"Is that so? Some underclassmen mentioned something similar recently."

Recently, some cheeky underclassmen I've gotten close to have been teasing me, calling me a gorilla from the zoo.

"Yeah. The previous cold and elite big brother was cool in his way, but..."

"Being called cool is something only you, my family, would say."

"But I like the current big brother more. The previous one seemed to be forcing something."

"..."

"So, big brother, when you're troubled, choose to be the big brother I like."

"What's that supposed to mean..."

I chuckled involuntarily.

Marin always understands me so well.

In fact, she seems to know more about me and have a deeper understanding than I do.

"Thank you, Marin. Thanks to you, I feel much better. Hey, Marin."

"Yeah? What is it, big brother?"

As dinner was ready, Marin brought the main dish and miso soup to the dining table on a tray.

"If anything happens, I'll take care of you."

Crash!

"Hey! Marin, are you okay?"

I rushed over to Marin.

Despite making a loud noise and spilling everything on the floor, Marin seemed oblivious, staring at me with a bewildered expression.

Luckily, Marin didn't seem to have burned herself with the hot soup.

"What's this? A dream...? Big brother... me... marriage..."

Marin muttered something to herself.

My earlier statement about taking care of her was a declaration that if Marin failed to enter Soul Gear Academy because of me, I would take responsibility.

"If it's okay for you, then I'm okay too! Oh, the food got ruined, so I need to remake it."

"Well, remaking it now would be troublesome. Let's just have something ready-made for today."

"It's okay! But I need to organize a few things, so give me an hour... no, two hours."

"Why go through all that trouble for a remake?"

"There are various reasons for a maiden! Anyway, big brother, you go ahead and take a bath!"

Though I didn't quite understand, as someone who would be receiving dinner, I felt I had no right to complain, so I obediently complied.

"Hehe, what should I do? Espio"

"I just remembered that maybe letting big brother drown in guilt and binding him to me forever might not be such a bad idea..."

"Yeah, if that happens, you won't be able to attend the same school as big brother... Yeah, you're right, Espio. I understand. Please continue."

After fetching clothes from my room upstairs and returning downstairs, I found Marin having a conversation with thin air.

It's a familiar sight from childhood, but Marin is still as peculiar as ever.

Espio, the imaginary friend? Partner? Pet? I don't know what it is, but Marin often has one-sided conversations like this.

Whether it's due to this eccentric behavior or not, Marin, despite being a beautiful girl with exceptional looks, seems to be in her own world.

As her brother, I worry about Marin's future.

Come to think of it, that Kamiya guy also mentioned conversing with the soul of his Soul Gear.

Perhaps Marin and Kamiya, both with their quirks, might get along surprisingly well.

Thinking about it, if the opportunity arises, I should introduce them. Without bothering Marin, I quietly headed to the bathroom.