Chapter 4. Seele: Yo, You're Blushing~
Spring break of just over ten days ended, and it was time to go back to school again.
Those ten or so days passed fairly peacefully, without any twists and turns.
Bronya had made up her mind to shut herself in completely, and sometimes even Seele couldn't get her door open.
If not for the AI confirming that Bronya's status was okay, Xander might have just barged right in.
As for the other side, well, Xander's life was much more comfortable.
Every day he ate the three meals Seele carefully prepared, worked in the morning, stuck to Seele in the afternoon, and at night the time was split half and half between Seele and work.
Life was full of flavor, far better than when he was by himself.
The school terms in the Far East were a bit special.
They used a three-term system, and with the short spring break over, it meant they were moving up to their second year of high school.
"Big Bro, why is your collar not tidied again?"
In the morning, after breakfast, Seele and Xander stood at the door with their schoolbags, ready to head out.
Looking at her brother's loose bow tie, Seele sighed a little, then stepped forward, drew close to him, and reached up with her small hands to gently fix it.
The sweet scent of a young girl washed over him, and Xander couldn't help but smile.
This was deliberate, of course.
Ever since the last time he fixed it himself and saw the faint disappointment in Seele's eyes, he had never done it by himself again.
Seele certainly understood this too, but the two of them tacitly left it unspoken.
After finishing the meticulous adjustments, Seele triple-checked that it was fine, then reluctantly withdrew her hands and picked up the silver-gray scarf she had knit for her brother, looping it around his neck.
"The wind is a bit strong today, Big Bro, remember to keep warm~"
Speaking of this scarf, when Seele presented it a few days ago, Xander couldn't resist and smacked a kiss on Seele's little cheek.
As a result, Seele was so shy she barely talked to him the whole day.
"You too, Seele."
Xander picked up the sky-blue scarf and put it on Seele.
That was the Christmas gift he had given her last year.
"Hehe, then Seele will go find Bronya-sis first.
Big Bro, don't forget your bento."
Tapping the tips of her toes in her little leather shoes, Seele opened the door.
The chilly air rushed in, and she let out a tiny breath.
The sun had already risen to mid-sky, and the soft light fell over Seele, outlining her school uniform.
A red collar, red cuffs, and a red pleated skirt, topped with a black jacket.
A bright yellow ribbon full of youthful energy.
Below was a pair of warm black tights up to the waist, reflecting a tempting sheen in the sunlight.
This was the uniform of Sakuramiya Girls' High School.
That's right, a girls' high school.
A year ago, after a falling-out with Bronya, she gave up Toyogasaki Academy—the one everyone had chosen—and took Seele to the nearby Sakuramiya Girls' High School instead.
When he heard that news, Xander practically blacked out on the spot.
But a year later, Xander felt that this might actually be pretty good.
If he let Seele mingle with those jokers in his class and she got "polluted," that would be bad.
Standing at the door, the cold wind made him shrink his shoulders.
Fortunately, the scarf Seele knit blocked those rascals trying to sneak down his collar.
The corner of his eye caught the tiny heart Seele had embroidered on the edge of the scarf.
Alright, now it was even warmer.
He didn't wait long before the door across the street opened.
Seele led a clearly still-sleepy Bronya outside.
There were obvious dark circles around Bronya's eyes, her steps were a bit unsteady, and while her uniform was worn properly—likely thanks to Seele's help—her hastily handled hair was simply tied back with a band.
Xander frowned inwardly at the sight.
Such beautiful silver hair would be a shame to ruin with all-nighters.
Noticing Xander across the street, Bronya jolted instinctively and forced herself to perk up.
Her tired eyes looked at him stubbornly, as if she refused to show weakness in front of him.
Seele led Bronya over, and Xander silently followed alongside them.
Along the way, the two were a bit quiet.
Only Seele chirped away, trying to spark topics.
Either Xander took the thread and Bronya fell silent, or Bronya answered and Xander fell silent.
Soon, they reached the intersection where they had to part.
This was the only stretch of overlap between Xander and Bronya in a day.
In the past, the two could still talk.
Only after Bronya's work flopped did the silence fall between them.
His steps paused.
He didn't look at Bronya, only said flatly, "You should stay up less from now on."
Hearing that, Bronya's forward motion also stopped.
She bit her lip, parted her teeth slightly a few times, and at last answered softly, "...I don't need you to worry about that."
"But I don't want to see your body get hurt."
Staying up late is bad for your health—this wasn't just something people say.
Before, with Seele watching her, it was still okay.
Now that she was alone, with a suffocating anger in her heart, she would probably wring every last drop out of her body.
Of course, "handing Seele back" or anything like that was impossible.
Shaking his head, Xander finally looked in Bronya's direction.
But she still didn't turn back.
She even quickened her steps, leaving Seele behind.
"...Mm."
A calm reply drifted along the faint breeze through the quiet street, and Xander finally smiled.
He waved to Seele; the little girl smiled and waved back; then he headed down the other road.
Seeing her brother leave, Seele hurried her pace to catch up to Bronya, who was already waiting.
Clinging to her arm affectionately, Seele had just turned her head when her eyes widened in surprise.
Then she snorted a laugh, pointing her little finger at Bronya-sis's face.
"Bronya-sis, you're blushing~"
"I—I am not..."
Bronya turned her head away, not wanting Seele to see her cheeks, which were a little hot.
"Hehe, don't be shy, let Seele see~"
"Don't wanna..."
"Let Seele see!"
...
Leaving aside the laughing and teasing sisters, Xander soon ran into an acquaintance.
"Yo, Key-kun, morning."
"Oh, it's Xander .
Morning~"
Wearing something like a black suit-style school uniform, Ken Sugisaki tossed his brown short hair that fluttered in the wind and waved at him with a grin.
At first, Xander thought this was just a parallel world of Honkai.
But after seeing Sobu High School, Toyogasaki Academy, and a series of familiar names, he realized it was actually a big hodgepodge.
Ken Sugisaki—the protagonist of Student Council's Discretion that he had watched in his previous life.
Just like in the plot he remembered, he was upright and rather broad-minded.
The two clicked at once and quickly became good buddies.
Besides him, there was also that guy Iori Kitahara, who got along well with Xander.
Oh, and even Grandpa Kirito was around.
But since that guy preferred holing up at home playing games, even though they were on decent terms, they didn't hang out together much.
As for why the ones he got along with were all guys—honestly, with Seele and Bronya by his side, he really didn't have much interest in those so-called former heroines.
They casually slapped hands and walked shoulder to shoulder.
"Brought a bento today?"
Noticing that besides his schoolbag, Xander held a small tote, Ken asked curiously.
"Yeah."
"Eh~ Then can I have a taste at noon?
Come to think of it, I haven't tried your cooking yet."
Ken rubbed his hands in anticipation, curious.
"This one's not made by me."
Tilting his head, Xander answered mysteriously.
"Not made by you... Wait, don't tell me..."
Ken's eyes widened bit by bit, his voice tinged with disbelief.
"Yup, it's exactly that 'don't tell me' you're thinking of."
"...What the heck.
A homemade bento from a girl or whatever—I'm not jealous at all."
Even as he said that, Ken's eyes were already turning red.
"Indeed, indeed.
Living together with the girl you like, and even eating the meals she cooks for you every day.
That should be a very simple thing, right, Key-kun~"
"..."
With ease, Xander stepped ahead to dodge Ken's hands reaching for his neck.
He weaved left and right, and Ken couldn't even lay a finger on his collar.
This was thanks to the training at the orphanage throughout his childhood.
Cocolia was, after all, a soldier by background, and her education for the kids was done her way.
"Aaaargh, you really deserve to die!"
The law of the conservation of smiles—smiles do not increase, do not decrease, and only transfer from one face to another.
For example, right now, the smile had transferred from Ken Sugisaki's face to Xander's.
Perfectly reasonable, right~
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