Chapter 375 376: Could My Sister Harm Me?

"Aaah!!!" The girl screamed awake from her dream — a nightmare thick with the stench of death, where countless ghostly hands had reached to drag her into an abyss.

"Where... where am I?" She looked around the unfamiliar room, uneasy.

Jhin pushed open the door and greeted her, "Hey, how are you feeling?"

She remembered having a heart attack in the park. Judging by her current situation, this warm-looking man in front of her must have saved her. With that thought, she quickly thanked him, "Big brother, thank you for saving me! I feel great!"

"Good, you look full of energy. Head home soon then — don't make your parents worry too much."

"Okay!"

Jhin walked her back to the park. She bowed politely, thanked him again, and waved goodbye.

He glanced sideways at Nymph, who had activated her cognitive interference field, and patted the top of her head. "Are you sure you don't want her to thank you in person?"

"You're the one who provided the technology and materials, Master. I only performed the surgery."

"Ah... come to think of it, I forgot to ask her name."

"Could it be that Master sees her as a project to nurture?"

"No way. Do I look like that kind of person?"

Nymph didn't answer that question, instead moving on to the artificial heart. "That special energy of Master's life force really is remarkable — to fuse machine and flesh together so seamlessly. Her physical condition will probably keep improving from here."

Jhin laughed. "Don't tell me we just teamed up to create a superwoman?"

"There's a limit to how far it can go, Master. I've finished drafting the plan we discussed earlier — when can we carry it out?"

"Now I'm wide awake. Come on, let me show you how much I've grown!"

Nymph flashed a hungry, teasing smile. "It would be my pleasure."

The two of them returned to Kazami Kazuki's villa, and the battle that followed shook heaven and earth. Even Kazuki, hunkered down in her bedroom, was frightened enough that she fled the house that very night, terrified of getting caught in the crossfire, and moved into the student dormitory at Mihama Academy. The house's security cameras, of course, kept running as usual, faithfully recording the entire battle.

A body honed through relentless training clashed evenly with an angel that never tired. If the company's system hadn't been hacked, the two of them probably would have kept fighting.

Nymph raised her smooth arm and swept it through the air a couple of times, then pulled on her sticky socks. The advantage of the Synapse Technology uniform was its self-cleaning function — by the time she finished dressing, she was spotless again. "Master, I'm heading to the company. There's a little rat trying to hack our system, and I intend to teach it a lesson. Kazuki's waiting for me there too."

"Okay."

Jhin used a trickle of elemental power to tidy up the room, then headed for Mihama Academy.

Synapse Technology Company.

Kazami Kazuki pointed at the pixelated hamster head icon blinking on the projected screen. "This is the hacker who broke into the system?"

Nymph nodded. "Yes. Its signal source has been locked. It's begging for mercy nonstop."

"Oh? What's it saying?"

"It's hoping we'll show mercy and let this ignorant little pawn off the hook."

Tapping her index finger on the desk twice, Kazuki scoffed. "This company was founded for my little brother. Does it really think it can walk away scot-free without paying any price? Does it take me for a charity?"

"Should we negotiate terms with it?"

"Negotiating is what the weaker side does. Just pull up its personal information — see if it's worth anything."

"...It already sent its information over before you even said that."

"Well, it knows how to read the room." Kazuki opened the transmitted file and skimmed through it carefully, the corners of her mouth curling up in amusement. "Interesting. Nymph, put me through to this hacker. I have a deal to propose."

"Understood."

After finishing her conversation with the hacker, Kazuki ended up buying a coffee shop — a fact Nymph reported to Jhin once she returned. He had no idea why she'd bought a coffee shop, but he didn't bother asking.

She's my sister — it's not like she'd do anything to hurt me, right?

"Big brother, did you bring me a souvenir from your trip?" Irisu Makina clung to Jhin like a koala, blinking expectantly.

He hoisted her up by the bottom and sat down on the dormitory sofa. "Of course I did. Why don't you guess what it is?"

"Big brother, you're so mean~ Just give it to me already~"

Just as Irisu Makina started wriggling and rubbing against him, Jhin quickly held her still and pulled out some gem candies, a specialty of the continent of Astraea.

The novel treat instantly stole her attention. She couldn't wait to unwrap one and pop it into her mouth, then narrowed her eyes in satisfaction. "So good!"

"Glad you like it."

Jhin fondly patted her on the head. He'd actually prepared a pendant for each of his lovers, but given Irisu Makina's personality, candy suited her as a gift far better than jewelry. He decided he'd give her the pendant some other time.

"Ah! Makina, you're sneaking candy again! Didn't we agree to diet together!?" Suou Amane appeared beside them in a loose long-sleeved top and shorts, ruthlessly confiscating the rest of the gem candies. "You can have them again in a week!"

"It's Amane-nee who's the one who got fat — why drag me into dieting with you!"

"That's because you keep begging for new desserts every day! I only got fat from having to taste-test them!"

"I don't care, I don't care! Give back the candy big brother gave me!"

"No way!"

Jhin's face got squished back and forth between an unripe apple and a ripe watermelon, his heart utterly unmoved — he even wanted to laugh.

Having just sparred with a master (Nymph), my resolve was now solid as bedrock!

Kato Megumi sat off to the side, calmly holding a teacup, her dark eyes flicking over him twice. She thought to herself: as expected of the experienced Jhin.

Once Suou Amane and Irisu Makina had finished their squabble, Jhin finally asked them, "Where's everyone else? Today should be a day off, right?"

"Sachi went out shopping, Yumiko's reviewing her schoolwork, Kazuki, Sawamura-san, and Kasumigaoka-san all seem to have gone out for something, Michiru's out walking NyanMelu around the school, Miyake-san's working part-time at the convenience store, and Kato-san..."

Hearing herself mentioned, Kato Megumi spoke up on her own. "I'm right here next to you."

"Waah!" Suou Amane jumped, startled. She patted her chest a couple times. "Sorry, Kato-san, I didn't notice you there."

"It's fine. More importantly, I'm curious whether Jhin brought gifts for the rest of us too."

"Oh right! Where's my gift?"

Jhin smiled mysteriously. "You'll find out at dinner tonight."

Once everyone had gathered back at the dormitory, he cooked them a meal using ingredients from Another World. Suou Amane wailed, "My diet's ruined!" — then wolfed down four bowls of rice. The other girls ate no less than she did.

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