Chapter 100: Cleo’s POV

The inept older brother had always been a source of constant irritation, but then...

"If anything happens to Mom, I’ll make sure to provide for you and Yuna."

When he said those words as he stepped out the front door,

Cleo was astonished to realize just how much her feelings had already changed.

*’...Am I really going to take responsibility for him?’*

The brother she had only ever regarded as a hindrance in her life...

Merely a month ago she had despised him so deeply that she wouldn’t have felt a shred of remorse if he had died. Now she couldn’t even clearly remember what kind of person he used to be.

Undoubtedly he was still a perverted older brother.

Still trying to sneak peeks at his sister’s underwear...

Yet within him there was a tenderness she had never experienced before, and that tenderness had completely melted Cleo’s heart.

*’Worrying about an A-grade issue for a D-grade person. How laughable.’*

Before she knew it,

Cleo found herself wanting to support even her dysfunctional older brother.

After all... they were family.

*’There might be people who can’t succeed no matter how hard they try.’*

She had no choice but to look after her D-grade brother.

And with that decision, the situation became a little more complicated.

**Coins.**

In their society the importance of coins could not be overstated. Emphasizing them only brought pain.

Everything needed to survive stemmed from these coins.

There was even a saying that as long as you possessed enough coins, you could overcome any challenge, even when standing on the brink of death inside a dungeon.

That was because of the transcendent being who gathered coins: the Devil Merchant.

The Devil Merchant dealt in stats as well.

Cleo had already reached the limit of leveling up in D- to C-class dungeons. To grow stronger she needed to learn how to negotiate with the Devil Merchant.

A named magical beast carrying the grace of an external deity? That was a lottery one might experience once in a lifetime if at all. There was no point getting one’s hopes up.

Cleo faced two choices:

Remain in the academy and advance to the third year,

Or drop out, become a hunter, and start amassing real wealth.

"I can’t keep burdening Mom."

They still hadn’t paid off the mortgage on their home.

Tears filled her eyes at the thought of her mother, who had to care for three grown children.

Yuna still possessed immense potential for growth within the academy, so she needed to continue her studies.

Her older brother, a Class D, wouldn’t provide much practical help... but Cleo still planned to live with him. In order to make that work, someone had to assume the role of head of the household.

Cleo needed to earn money. To be honest, dropping out before reaching the third year would be like discarding a perfectly good meal.

*’It’s okay. We have Yuna at home,’* she told herself.

She wished that Yuna could simply walk a path of flowers, adorned with the title "from a prestigious family." Over the weekend Cleo organized her thoughts.

"I can do this," she assured herself.

Wasn’t this her original plan? Become a hunter, support Yuna, and pay for both her own and Yuna’s tuition.

By sleeping only three hours a night for a single year she could achieve it all. The fact that she now had to support her older brother as well hadn’t been part of the initial plan.

Still, Cleo was determined to make it work. As she recalled her newly caring older brother, she made a quiet promise to herself.

The wind on the rooftop was cold.

*Ring.*

"Oh, how I wish I had 50,000 coins right now..." she sighed.

Master Hunter... she desperately wanted to attend Teacher Regina Dean’s class.

It was at that exact moment that Cleo let out a long, heavy sigh.

[**Ren Asahi**]

Ren Asahi has sent 300,000 coins.

[Cleo]

?

[Cleo]

What is this?

It was just a little past lunchtime.

Cleo was so startled she nearly dropped her phone.

Naturally, her first thought wasn’t "My Class D brother worked hard and earned money."

It was *300,000 coins*.

That wasn’t an amount one could earn by merely running a few 3D dungeons at the academy.

Yet the coins deposited on the student ID were real, and Cleo was thrown into full panic.

"Did my brother sell his organs?!"

Her panicked thought process became so tangled it led her to a very simplistic conclusion.

She rushed to Class F and immediately searched for Ren’s girlfriend.

"What’s going on?"

"Do you happen to know who my brother’s girlfriend is?"

That was when Elle and Aria appeared together.

"Why are there *two* girlfriends?"

With no time to ponder such a question, she demanded to know her brother’s whereabouts.

"If it’s Ren, he must be with the student council president right now."

"I was summoned by the president."

No way.

Cleo’s heart plummeted.

*"A blemish on our academy. This is the only way for you to contribute to society."*

*"Aaaaaaa!! No! Don’t slice open my stomach! Please! I’ll live a good life without penalty points from now on!"*

In her imagination the student council president smirked sinisterly.

*"Now? It’s too late! Let’s see what color the blood of a potential criminal is!"*

*"No, no, nooo!! Save me, Cleo! Our adorable Cleo! I’m going to die!!"*

Gasping for breath, Cleo hurried to the student council room.

She happened to run into the student council president right in front of the door.

Even with Liliana present, Cleo was in no state to be formal.

"Ren Asahi’s sibling?"

"Where is my brother right now?!"

"..."

"Where is he?! I’m warning you even if my brother is a pathetic D-grade student with a ton of penalty points... I won’t let it slide if you take him away!!"

"He’s in the infirmary."

Having confirmed that Cleo was not in any state to listen attentively, Liliana promptly directed her to where Ren could be found. Thus Cleo was able to rush into the infirmary faster than anyone else.

"It’s just a minor injury from the dungeon. I didn’t get involved in anything serious like selling organs."

As the misunderstandings were finally dispelled, an overwhelming sense of relief washed over her. Cleo sobbed while nestled in Ren’s strong arms.

"How did you get hurt?"

"I was trying to work a bit harder than usual."

"You fool... Don’t push yourself too hard. Think about leaning on me instead! If something were to happen to you... I couldn’t bear it."

In that moment Cleo realized a truth about herself that she hadn’t been aware of before. The thought of supporting her brother in her already harsh life made her understand how lonely and empty she would feel without him. While embraced in Ren’s sturdy arms, she felt a sense of melting comfort.

*’I wonder if having a father would have felt this reassuring...’*

Her thoughts briefly wandered to the unknown father she had never met.

"What color are your pants today?"

"..."

Surprisingly, Cleo didn’t even feel angry.

Just a month ago it was a perversion she had loathed... but now she found herself elated by it.

"Pink..."

She lifted her school uniform skirt and showed him.

Cleo harbored boundless generosity toward her brother Ren.

Seeing her Grade D brother lying there, injured from working so hard to earn an absurd amount of money and connected to a healing serum...

Feelings of admiration, a desire to care for him, and a longing to erase all his worries and bring him happiness welled up inside her.

Except for the times they had joked around or embraced inside the dungeon,

this was the first time they had shared a genuine, quiet embrace.

Cleo found herself loving the warmth of Ren’s arms.

Everything about him became endearing—from his head to his toes, even his masculine scent and the sound of his voice.

As she relaxed into his embrace, Ren’s erect cock brushed against her body.

*’...Did this happen because of me?’*

It wasn’t an unpleasant feeling at all.

Far from disgust...

Cleo even felt a quiet sense of pride in being his "little sister."

Perhaps there was something a woman could do in a moment like this.

"...Are you uncomfortable? What can I do for you?"

"Cleo?"

*If you promise to do anything...*

*What will my perverted brother ask of me?*

"I’ll help you. Just a little."

...

Cleo quickly regretted her actions. What had she been thinking?

The gravest sin was being caught by the diligent Yuna.

*’What must Yuna think of me?’*

Even though she used to grit her teeth and express pure hatred for her perverse older brother,

she had ended up stroking his cock herself and even assisted him in reaching climax.

It was all the more frightening that Yuna hadn’t yet struck her.

She couldn’t tell what her sister was thinking.

"Cleo. What should we have for dinner tonight? Brother is coming home after finishing his work."

"Well... I’m not sure."

"Even though we’re a little short on money, I want to have a luxurious dinner with the family."

Upon hearing Yuna’s worries, Cleo moved as swiftly as lightning.

She briefly explained the events of the day excluding the sordid details

and entrusted the money to Yuna.

"Really? Is this the money brother gave you?"

"Can you believe it? I thought he had sold some organs or something."

"I’ll go to the market again! We need to feed Big Brother better meat than hind-leg cuts!"

"Yes... sure..."

Tonight’s dinner would be braised short ribs!