“Cough, cough!!”
Siloque choked for a moment, grabbing the boxed iced tea and gulping a big mouthful before regaining his composure.
A wife and a brother?
What kind of self-contradictory statement is that?
“Even so, if anyone’s marrying Hil, it should be me. That’s a grammar issue… Though I’m quite popular with girls, I have no interest in paying tribute to Yosuga no Sora.”
“Hehe… That’s not so bad either.”
“Hey, don’t make that serious face, Hil, you’re joking, right?”
“…”
The girl’s moist eyes looked at him, her pale golden hair adding an invisible layer of nobility, and her smile, poised between innocence and maturity, was especially charming.
What?
She’s serious?
”…Let’s eat before it gets cold.”
“…”
Being gazed at so earnestly by such a cute girl, Siloque felt awkward.
The last time someone stared at him like this was back in the previous life at the Game Hall, during a Street Fighter match, when the older guy in line behind him glared holes in his back…
No, these are completely different concepts!
Don’t joke around, she’s my sister!
I’m not that kind of degenerate!
Seeing Hil remain silent, Siloque suddenly recalled Father’s famous saying—use magic to defeat magic.
In terms of emotional adjustment, Siloque was also a veteran.
He shifted to a poker face, locked eyes with Hil, and calmly picked up a tempura shrimp, golden silk threads crisped from frying, from the lunch box.
Mmm, as expected of my carefully blended sauce of Pine Fish Essence, Soy Sauce, and Shrimp Essence, paired with the crispy-yet-tender shrimp, the flavor is on another level.
Just as Siloque devoted his full attention to his cooking—
Hil’s delicate brows relaxed, then her mouth curled up in a wide arc.
And—
“Pff—hahahahahaha!!!”
The twin-tailed girl burst into laughter, tears streaming from her eyes.
“I was kidding, just kidding. Who’d have thought Onii-chan would take it so seriously, kahaha—”
”…I admit your acting is pretty good.”
Siloque’s stern tone made Hil stifle her giggles, turning bashful instead:
“Uh, Onii-chan, are you really mad?”
“Why would I be angry? My adorable little sister expressing her affection for me—how could I not be overjoyed?”
Siloque flashed a fearless smile.
He truly meant it—no lies.
Precisely because of that, Hil couldn’t meet his gaze, turning away and mumbling in frustration:
“That’s exactly it, Onii-chan. You never understand how I feel… Too sly.”
“What did you say?”
“Nothing. Hil just thinks this food is too delicious. Do you have more, Onii-chan?”
With a change of mood, Hil brushed away the gloom.
“…I only made this much, but I can share some tempura with you.”
“Thank you, Onii-chan.”
Something faded away with Hil’s shift in attitude.
Siloque watched as Hil’s cheeks puffed adorably from eating too much, resembling a squirrel nibbling on a nut.
***
“(Pure Black Annihilation Ray)? Onii-chan, that skill sounds just like an Ultraman finisher—though more like one used by villains.”
“Mhm, you’re the only one I’ve told about this.”
“Really?! So this is a secret just between Onii-chan and me?”
“What secret, don’t get so worked up… And don’t think I’m nagging, but information about these farming points—absolutely don’t tell anyone.”
“Hil would never talk about this with anyone else, not even to boast to her best friends. Onii-chan only told Hil because he trusts her, right? There’s no reason to share resources that help you grow stronger with outsiders.”
This girl’s got good sense.
“Wow, for someone who cried the first time she fought monsters, your sense of secrecy is pretty solid, Hil.”
“Th-that’s only because Onii-chan, you pervert, wanted to watch a girl get tentacle play’d by vines, so you made Hil fight a disgusting monster for her first battle, right?”
“I just wanted to raise your mental fortitude quickly, so I picked a scary-looking monster.”
“So you admit you want to see girls bound up, Onii-chan?”
I do not have that kind of fetish.
Mainly because I lack suitable props.
After finishing lunch, Siloque and Hil chatted about personal matters.
Leveling up solo, holding onto trump cards of key information, waiting for the day to dominate the battlefield and show off in style—
Once, he’d thought that way.
But thinking more carefully, he’d given up on it.
The butterfly effect would eventually snowball into something unmanageable.
Even the twenty-loop worth of walkthrough info he held—who knew how long it would remain useful?
The midgame events are literally life-and-death battles.
Properly sharing confidential intel and building strong trust with Hil was necessary.
…Though she was already pretty trusting to begin with.
Ever since arriving in this world and blocking Hil’s headbutt, her trust in him had been mysteriously high.
“Hey, Hil…”
“?”
“Aren’t you curious how I know about these farming points, hidden areas, and skills…?”
Hil stared blankly at Siloque, a dazed expression indicating she wasn’t thinking at all.
“Uu—uh, not really?”
“…It was just a coincidence. I found them while reading in the Library.”
“As expected of Onii-chan, so learned!”
“But… Since Onii-chan is willing to share this with Hil—”
Hil paused, licking her lips.
“There’s something I want to tell Onii-chan too. When Hil underwent institutional testing, a skill called (AT Field Defense) appeared. Do you know it, Onii-chan?”
Obtaining a skill early on without farming monsters was rare.
About as rare as Panda Blood.
“Why didn’t you mention this sooner?!”
“Hil didn’t understand! So she didn’t say anything! The name sounded just like something from EVA, so Hil thought it was fake!”
Ugh, this skill really was a gag and homage from the dev team.
The activation condition is equipping any Shield on either hand, forcibly attracting enemy attacks.
With practice, a new counter-defense branch effect unlocks.
“Hil… Let’s test your skill later, and mine too.”
“OK!”
Hil mimicked Bibi-kun and gave a thumbs-up.
***
“Hil!”
Siloque ran.
Chasing him from behind was one of the Newbie Village’s resident mobs—a Dire Wolf.
The monster called “Dire Wolf.”
It was about twice the size of a normal wolf, with a muscular build and clear muscle definition.
Its blue-gray fur shimmered as if frosted with dew, cold and glossy.
Unlike normal wolves that hunted in packs, Dire Wolves usually acted alone.
Siloque lured the Dire Wolf, weaving left and right, baiting it into using the(Assault Bite)skill.
“Owooo!!”
Unable to restrain itself, the wolf activated its skill and leapt, drawing a Line through the air.
“AT Field, deploy!”
Hil mimicked a line she’d always wanted to try, and pointed the small leather Shield in her left hand at the Dire Wolf.
The airborne Dire Wolf’s amber beast eyes locked firmly onto Siloque, but it suddenly veered at an impossible angle.
“Owo?”
With a swoosh, it charged Hil, its wolf head drawn as if magnetized, crashing into the small leather Shield.
“Oo—oo—”
The Dire Wolf hit the ground, emitting a shrill whine as it rolled.
Looking closer, Hil had even buffed the Shield with the Gifted Ability: Superhard Material’s golden glow.
Having once been on the receiving end of his sister’s headbutt, Siloque realized that for this Dire Wolf, it was like ramming into a block of solid iron.
Kinda pitiful.
“I’m sorry! Mr. Wolf!”
“Ugh—!!”
Hil added the Gifted Ability: Superhard Material to the Gauntlet on her fist, and her golden fist smashed the Dire Wolf’s head, killing the monster in one blow.
“Onii-chan, this skill is really good!”
“Mhm. Not bad.”
Half of Hil’s face was splattered with blood as she smiled, like a child with a new toy—or perhaps, a player who’d just learned a new skill.
Her combat style was a little terrifying.
Thank goodness she’s my ally…
“Dummy, don’t go punching people with your fists so much. The splattered brains get all over your clothes.”
“Ah, sorry, Onii-chan…”
Siloque once again retrieved a Cleaning Towel item from the Ring Chart, its stain-removing power even greater than Mr. Clean.
“Mm… Huhu…”
Hil let out a pleased sigh as he wiped her down.
This little brat isn’t doing it on purpose, right?
She was like this when trying out weapons too—monster blood kept getting on her, and Siloque always ended up cleaning her off.
“I bought you one of these too, you know. Can’t you wipe yourself?”
“Hil likes it better when Onii-chan does it.”
“Fine, fine. I can’t do anything about you.”
“Hehe…”
Once clean, Hil promptly carved the Crystal Core from the Dire Wolf, her technique quick and practiced.
From what they’d seen so far,(AT Field Defense)could forcibly attract physical attacks from enemies.
But would it work on magic attacks?
Like, say, the attack magic (Pure Black Annihilation Ray) he had on hand?
No, that definitely couldn’t be used!
Leaving that aside for now.
After confirming Hil’s skill, it was Siloque’s turn.
Second-loop skills were unpredictable, so Siloque didn’t have high hopes.
“Alright, Hil, help me test my skill.”
“No problem. Hil trusts Onii-chan and will protect him, so use your skill boldly.”
He had Hil wait ten meters away.
Earlier, they’d tested and found that low-damage but useful late-game skills were a no-go.
This time, he’d try a high-damage late-game skill like (Pure Black Annihilation Ray).
If anything happened, Hil would drag him to safety.
“Hil, is your Gifted Ability active?”
“Reporting to Onii-chan, it’s been at full power this whole time!”
“Whatever you do, don’t activate your skill—you can’t handle being pulled in.”
“Understood.”
Alright, experiment start.