Chapter 40: Big Brother Frey

By the time Frey’s Asterion Vanta XR-9 pulled up in front of Inez’s academy, the school was already closing for the day.

Students were pouring through the enormous gates in groups, some talking excitedly about their classes while others hurried toward waiting vehicles where parents, family drivers, or private security personnel were already waiting for them.

The academy was one of the most prestigious schools in Zenith City, so the cars arriving at pickup time were almost as impressive as the students themselves.

Luxury sedans, expensive Mana-powered SUVs, and several sleek sports cars lined the road outside the gates, creating a constant flow of engines and voices.

Then Frey arrived, and somehow the entire atmosphere shifted. The midnight-purple Vanta XR-9 rolled to a stop beside the curb, its crimson headlights fading as the engine settled into a low mechanical growl.

Several students immediately turned their heads, and more than a few parents glanced over despite trying not to stare. Frey stepped out first, casually adjusting his black shirt before closing the butterfly door.

Jet followed, looking far less interested in the attention as he leaned against the side of the car and folded his arms.

Frey joined him, also folding his arms, and the two stood there watching the academy gates while waiting for Inez to emerge.

"You know," Frey said after a moment, glancing at the students looking toward his car, "I think they’re admiring the vehicle."

Jet didn’t even look at him. "They’re admiring the price tag."

Frey smiled. "Same thing."

They continued talking while students gradually disappeared into waiting cars, and the conversation naturally drifted toward their Dungeon experience.

Frey complained about his jacket again, Jet reminded him that the jacket had been damaged by a monster and not by him, and Frey insisted that if Jet had been watching his surroundings properly, the Hound would never have gotten close enough to damage anything.

Jet pointed out that he had actually saved Frey’s hair from being cut off, which Frey considered a completely separate matter.

Their argument had become so ordinary that neither noticed how naturally they were slipping back into the rhythm they’d shared for years.

The Second Red Moon had changed the world, awakened their Divine Runes, and thrown them into Dungeons, yet standing outside a school and arguing over an expensive jacket somehow felt more familiar than anything else they’d done since awakening.

Jet was about to mention their next Dungeon when a familiar voice suddenly rang across the entrance.

"Big Brother!"

Jet’s head turned immediately.

Inez came running through the gates with her schoolbag bouncing against her back, her platinum hair moving behind her as she hurried toward them.

Her white eyes were already fixed on Jet, and her little face had brightened the instant she’d spotted him. Jet instinctively pushed himself away from the car and opened his arms, ready to receive the hug he knew was coming.

"There you are," he said, smiling as she ran closer. "I was starting to think you were planning to..."

He never finished.

Inez’s eyes shifted.

They landed on Frey.

Her entire expression changed.

The excitement on her face doubled so quickly that Jet almost wondered whether he’d imagined it. Inez didn’t even slow down.

She ran straight past him, abandoned the perfectly prepared hug she’d apparently intended to give her brother, and launched herself at Frey.

Frey caught her effortlessly, laughing as she wrapped both arms around his neck and her legs around his waist.

"Big Brother Frey!" she squealed, hugging him tightly.

Frey’s eyes immediately lit up as he adjusted his grip and spun her slightly before settling her against his chest. "Hahaha! Inez! This big brother of yours missed you so much! Look at you! You’ve gotten even bigger since I last saw you."

Inez giggled and squeezed him harder. "I missed you too!"

Jet remained standing beside the car with both arms still spread apart, his smile slowly disappearing as he stared at the two of them. After several seconds, he lowered his arms and let them fall naturally to his sides. His lips twitched.

His expression became painfully awkward. "I see how it is."

Neither of them paid attention.

Frey continued talking to Inez as though he’d just returned from a ten-year war instead of seeing her recently, asking about school, her teachers, what she’d eaten, and whether anyone had bothered her.

Inez answered everything with the enthusiasm of someone who had just discovered the world’s greatest audience.

Jet watched them with a mixture of amusement and resignation.

Frey had always been weak against Inez. It didn’t matter how expensive something was, how unnecessary it was, or how ridiculous her request sounded.

If Inez asked with the right expression, Frey’s wallet practically opened by itself.

Jet had witnessed it countless times before, and apparently becoming an awakened A-Rank Divine Rune user had done absolutely nothing to improve Frey’s resistance.

Eventually, Inez looked over Frey’s shoulder and noticed Jet again. Her white eyes widened slightly before she pointed at him. "Big Brother Frey, Big Brother Jet is an Awakener. You also awakened after the Red Moon right?"

Frey’s expression immediately became smug. He adjusted Inez comfortably in his arms and nodded. "That’s right. Your Big Brother Frey is an Awakener now."

Inez’s attention returned to Frey almost instantly. "Really? That’s so cool! Big Brother Frey must have awakened something amazing because you’re already so strong and you have that really expensive car and your clothes are always nice and...."

Frey’s smile widened with every compliment. Jet watched the transformation happening before his eyes and shook his head.

"Unbelievable."

Inez continued praising Frey until his ego had visibly expanded, and eventually Frey reached into his pocket and pulled out one of his bank cards.

Without hesitation, he tossed it toward her. Inez caught it neatly with both hands, then looked directly at Jet with the unmistakable expression of someone whose carefully executed scheme had succeeded.

"Take it," Frey said casually. "Go buy whatever you want. You already know the password."

Inez’s mouth opened in delighted surprise before she immediately leaned forward and planted a loud kiss on Frey’s cheek. "Big Brother Frey is the best in the whole world!" Frey laughed proudly while Jet stared at the card in her hands.

"What about me?" he asked, unable to stop himself.

Inez slowly turned toward him.

She looked at Jet.

Then she looked at the card.

Then she looked back at Jet with the expression of someone evaluating a particularly disappointing investment.

She gave a small snort, turned her head away, and returned her attention to Frey’s card without saying anything. Frey raised one eyebrow toward Jet, his expression carrying the unmistakable message of poor bastard.

Jet stood there silently for several seconds before sighing. "I’ve been replaced by my own friend."

Frey laughed. "You were never competing with me. You just didn’t realize there was a competition."

Jet shook his head. "I hate both of you."