Chapter Thirty-Two: The Cheap Mother Turns Out to Be Siblings

Page 1 of 3

“Qi, why is it that you’ve come back but haven’t returned home? I know your father and I wronged you in the past—losing you by accident, which forced you to grow up alone in the outside world, struggling all these years. But now you’re home, you have a family now, so don’t wander anymore. Mom will make it up to you, just don’t leave again. The last time, when we reunited, I knew your heart was in turmoil and that’s why you ran away. Maybe you even hate me for it, but it doesn’t matter—Mom will make it up to you from now on. Promise me, don’t leave again, or I’ll truly faint from crying.” The young woman clung tightly to Qi, as if she feared he would take flight the moment she let go.

In truth, her intuition was spot on—Qi really did want to fly away. He had always wondered about the identity the lunatic had assigned him; after crossing worlds and receiving no news about it, he’d almost forgotten, thinking it was nothing but the madman’s twisted sense of humor, a cruel joke. Never did he expect to meet someone today who claimed to be his mother.

Though she was not his real mother, her emotions were genuine, not false. This left him, who had always been alone, at a loss, making him want to escape. But as the young woman held him so tightly, he couldn't bear to push her away. His face flushed as he stammered out, “Uh, ah, well, um, you… Anyway, please let me go first.”

Wiping her tears, the young woman shook her head vigorously. “What if you try to run away again?”

“Well, anyway, I’ll be staying here for now, I won’t leave. (The madman said I’d meet the black cat today—she must live nearby. Could she be… this young woman’s neighbor?) Just let me go for now; the way everyone’s staring is awkward.” Qi struggled a bit, but not seriously—he didn’t dare use any real force.

The young woman glanced at the curious stares around them, her cheeks flushing. She released him, but before Qi could sigh in relief, she seized his arm in a death grip to keep him from escaping. “You’re not allowed to run away from home again. Now come with Mom and let’s go home.”

The people nearby, now understanding the situation, turned away to mind their own business. Qi, meanwhile, was dragged toward what was supposedly his home by this newfound mother, who kept asking if life outside had been hard or tiring—her words a little nagging, but Qi… didn’t mind.

After nearly ten minutes of walking, his newfound mother brought him to a simple, single-story Japanese-style house. This direction was the opposite of the path he’d been searching—could it be that the black cat lived nearby?

“Our family isn’t wealthy, but as long as we’re happy together, that’s what matters most. Come on, hurry up! Today’s Saturday—Dad should be home early this afternoon. And, and… Ah, I’m so happy! Last time, after we reunited, you ran off before you met the rest of the family, but this time we’ll finally all be together. Mom is so happy.”

“Haah! Maybe… I should go back and sort out my things today, and come back tomorrow,” Qi said, suddenly losing his nerve and trying to excuse himself.

His newfound mother clung to his hand. “We’re family now—what’s there to sort? From now on, you’re living at home, no more wandering. Who knows how much you’ve suffered out there alone? Now that you’re home, you must enjoy life, or Mom will never forgive herself. Come on, let’s go inside.” With that, she dragged him forcibly into the yard, opened the door, and called out excitedly, “I’m home! Everyone, come out and see who I’ve brought back!”

“Who is it? Mom, you’re so happy,” came a voice from inside.

The golden slant of the afternoon sun cast a gentle, warm glow into the Japanese-style house. From one side of the corridor, a door opened, and framed in the light, a petite figure emerged. This was their first meeting in this world—one neither of them could have imagined.

The person who came out was…

The black cat.

She was dressed as always in her gothic lolita outfit, two flowers in her hair, a beauty mark beneath her left eye. Her eyes were wide with astonishment, her mouth slightly open in shock, making her look especially adorable. “Qi,” she murmured softly.

Qi was equally stunned—he hadn’t expected to see the black cat like this. But when the young woman spoke her next words, both their expressions became truly remarkable.

Page 2 of 3

“Ruri, this is the twin brother I told you about a few days ago. When we first reunited, his emotions were unstable…”

Whatever else the young woman said was lost on them; they were both frozen in shock. They… were siblings—twins. Siblings—twins. Siblings—twins.

Damn that lunatic, you’ve tricked me again. Qi’s lips twitched incessantly, a storm raging in his heart. He wanted nothing more than to summon his personal grimoire and curse out that lunatic. Was this the nerd’s vicious curse upon those who live the dream life? “May all lovers under heaven turn out to be long-lost siblings.”

“You—you—you—what’s going on? How did you become my…” The black cat’s words, full of shock, trailed off as Qi shot her a look that said, “Let’s talk later.”

“Oh my, you two already know each other—what a coincidence!” Their newfound mother was overjoyed.

At that moment, two even smaller figures poked their heads out to look. “Ah, it’s that big brother!” the younger one, about six years old, called out, running up to peer curiously at Qi. The older one, about ten, approached as well. “So it’s big brother—thank you for saving Kuroyoru last time. I never got to thank you properly.”

“Well, it seems both Hinata and Tamaki know your brother already—such fate! Let me introduce him: this is your real brother, Ruri’s twin brother—the one I told you about before. I never expected you’d all meet before the formal introduction,” their mother said, delighted.

“Onii-chan? Really Onii-chan?” Six-year-old Tamaki beamed with wide eyes.

“Eh, really? Big brother is actually our brother? Just like in TV dramas,” Hinata gasped in amazement.

“Come outside with me for a moment—I have something to say to you,” the black cat said, fixing Qi with a sardonic smile before stepping out.

Qi hastily freed himself from his new mother’s embrace. “We just need to talk for a bit. I’m not running off,” he explained, then hurried after the black cat.

“Oh my, I wanted to help them get closer, but it seems their relationship is already quite good,” his new mother sighed happily.

…

“Nii-san, do you have some kind of… fetish? Pervert. I need an explanation,” the black cat said, eyeing Qi with disapproval.

“Eh, no, it’s not my fault—it’s all because of that lunatic…,” Qi explained everything he felt he should, “That lunatic must have arranged all of this just to see us in awkward, conflicted situations.”

“All right, I’ll believe you for now. But why didn’t you come looking for me these past few days? I was… I was a little worried about you.” Her voice grew softer.

“I wanted to—but you never gave me your phone number, contact info, or even your address. With just your name and appearance, how could I find you? I tried every school I could, hoping to run into you. I’ve searched all over.”

Page 3 of 3

“It was a tense moment back then; I forgot. Anyway, let’s not talk about the past. It’s the next problem that’s troublesome. In this world, everyone believes we are biological siblings—twins, no less. So… what about our contract? What will we do about it?” The black cat spoke in a low, troubled voice.

“Don’t worry, everything will work out. Over the past few days while I was searching for you, I’ve been learning about this world’s knowledge and customs. Siblings aren’t forbidden from being together everywhere—just under Japanese law and the laws of most countries. There are a few countries where sibling marriage is legal. As long as we can get citizenship from one of those, we can still be together, at least legally,” Qi said confidently.

“Why would you know something like that? I smell conspiracy,” she accused with a suspicious glare.

“It was just by chance—there’s all sorts of stuff on the internet. I happened to see it, and it stuck in my mind. By the way, you’ve been giving me that suspicious look this whole time. Aren’t we contracted lovers? Shouldn’t there be at least a little trust between us?”

“All right, let’s say we can… can… marry. But we’ll still be living in Japan, and people will look at us strangely. And how will we explain it to Mom and Dad?”

“Well, no one else knows we’re siblings—because we’re not, really. As long as we act normal, no one will suspect anything. As for your parents, once we have our papers in order and our relationship is a done deal, there’ll be nothing they can do.”

“You, you, you—what’s going on in your head, pervert, sis-con. I know all men are like this once they’re in a relationship, but…” Her cheeks flamed as she looked away. “Anyway, there’s still time. We’ve got plenty of it. Let’s go back. From now on… we’re living together as family, right? Nii-san.”

“It feels strange—suddenly I have parents and three younger sisters. Well, I’ll just think of them as your parents; when we get married, they’ll be my parents too. That way, it doesn’t seem so bad. The family doesn’t seem wealthy—should I chip in some money? I do have a few tens of millions.”

“So rich? Don’t tell me you robbed a bank…” she said, eyeing him suspiciously.

“I robbed the mafia.” He spread his hands in mock resignation.

“Um… so how will you explain the source of the money to Mom and Dad?”

“I’ll just say I found it,” he replied offhandedly.

“No one would believe that. Anyway, it’s fine for now. The family may not be rich, but we’re happy. Wait until you really start earning money, then bring it home,” she said forcefully, putting an end to the matter.

“My, my, you’re already acting like the lady of the house. Aren’t you worried about the possibility of breaking up with me?” he teased.

She gave him a sharp, scrutinizing look, as keen as a blade. “Do you have another girl?”