Chapter Thirty-Three: Sleeping Together The Familiar Figure of the Shrine Maiden

“Ahem, ahem, I was just joking, really, it’s just you…” He waved his hand, explaining with an awkward smile.

“I like you, I like you very much. These past days, I’ve thought about you every single day, worried about you. Worried that something might have happened to you, wondering how we’d get along when you came here, wishing we could live happily together, dreaming of marrying you, having children with you, and staying by your side forever. So, I don’t want to hear you say such things again. If you have feelings for another girl… then I’ll just…” Her words were earnest, resolute, her cheeks flushed with rouge, head lowered with a mischievous smile—her face alive with emotion.

“Mom’s calling, let’s go. Nii—san.”

You’ve really gotten used to calling me that…

…

“Luriel is so sneaky, hogging Onii-sama all to herself.” Hinata grumbled in discontent.

Though the afternoon felt a bit awkward at first, they were family after all, and Qi soon blended into the household. Then the father returned, stirring everyone up again for a while. That evening, after a lavish dinner, both parents headed off to work. Only the four children remained, playing and making mischief.

As the eldest, Kuroneko pulled Qi aside to talk about something.

“After I departed, did you battle with the angels? How formidable are they? They dared plot against me—next time, we must trample them thoroughly as revenge.” Her eyes gleamed with a strange light, her smile devilish, her posture languid and seductive.

“After the Queen left, I found a way out, but didn’t cross swords with the angels—what a pity. While searching for you, my powers grew yet again. Next time, I’ll be sure to slay that angel.”

It was a kind of illness, Qi had come to understand in these past days—a sickness called “Chuunibyou,” an affliction of adolescence. But watching Kuroneko like this, he found her utterly amusing, even adorable, so he played along.

He smiled. “I’ve sensed your improvement already—your spiritual domain has broadened as well. Tell me what you’ve experienced these days.”

“Yes, my Queen…”

The paper door slid open a crack, and two small heads peeked in, stealthily spying on the scene inside. “I never expected Aniwei to be just as chuunibyou as Luriel. Tamaki, don’t learn from them, okay?”

“Oooh—” Tamaki drew out the sound, only to have Hinata quickly cover her mouth. Kuroneko’s eyes darted over. “Go shoo those two little demons away. They haven’t awakened their true demonic powers yet; hearing such things would do them no good.”

“I rather hope they never awaken,” Qi said, rising and heading for the door. “As long as they’re happy, that’s all that matters.”

He opened the door to find Hinata grinning teasingly. “Aniwei, what’s your title? Which sounds cooler—yours or Luriel’s Night Demon Queen?”

“Little rascal, my title is… let’s call it the Free Mage. Watch.” He reached out, pinched Hinata’s cheek, then circled a hand over her head, and, in Tamaki’s blind spot, withdrew his right hand.

“Wow, so many snacks! That’s amazing—what a great magic trick!” Hinata exclaimed, seeing the bag of treats that had suddenly appeared in Qi’s hand.

“Amazing, amazing!” Tamaki cheered, just as delighted.

“Take it, but don’t eat too much or you’ll get chubby. And be sure not to litter, or I won’t conjure up any more next time,” Qi said, smiling as he handed over the bag and patted his two adorable sisters on the head.

“Hai—eh?”

“Thank you, Onii-chan,” Tamaki said politely, before Hinata tugged her away.

“Sis-con,” Kuroneko muttered, glancing over.

…

That night, before bed, their parents still hadn’t returned. Hinata ran over to see the two playing on the computer and said, “The bath’s ready! You can go wash up now. Aniwei, want to bathe together?” Her eyes and smile sparkled with mischief.

“…Sure, little rascal, your big brother will scrub your back.” Qi stood up, grinning wickedly as he approached.

“Ahh! No, no!” she cried, darting away.

“Hmph. Kuroneko-chan, want to bathe together?” Qi turned and began to tease Kuroneko.

She glanced at him, stood up, and walked out toward the bathroom. Qi was left awkwardly unsure what to do.

“Come on,” she called back with a challenging look.

“Um, well… actually…” He stammered, but his feet had already followed. That’s men for you.

“Qi.”

“Yeah?”

Bang—the bathroom door shut. “You just wait outside.”

“…”

After bathing, Qi, now in new pajamas and toweling his hair, asked, “So where am I sleeping tonight?”

“In my room,” Kuroneko replied, playing on the computer without looking at him.

“Huh? Aren’t there other rooms?”

“No. Mom and Dad share one, Hinata and Tamaki share one, so you’ll be with me.” Kuroneko’s voice trembled a little.

“I want to sleep with Aniwei,” said Hinata.

“I want to sleep with Onii-chan,” said Tamaki.

The door burst open and the two little girls ran in. In the end, Kuroneko lost her temper, chased them out, made up a bed on the floor for Qi, said goodnight, and turned off the light to sleep.

Half an hour later, “Are you asleep?” Kuroneko whispered.

“No. What’s wrong?” Qi, who’d been meditating, opened his eyes at her voice.

“I can’t sleep. Back when I lived in a cave, even if I was nervous, I could fall asleep after a while. But tonight, I just can’t.”

Because of the angle, Qi couldn’t see her expression. “You’re overthinking. Try to get some rest.”

“Will you leave?” Kuroneko suddenly asked.

“What are you talking about? Why would I just leave for no reason?”

“It’s just… when you’re home, it feels so happy it’s almost unreal. Someday, you’ll return to your own world. Maybe I’ll go with you, or maybe I’ll stay because I can’t leave my family. Thinking about it, I just can’t sleep.”

“It’s a bit early to worry about that. For now, I’ll be staying in this world for a while. When the time comes, we’ll look for a solution together. Don’t worry—if I ever have to leave, I’ll tell you. Now get some sleep, there’s still time.”

“Mm.”

…

The next morning, daylight streamed through the cracks in the window, illuminating the chaotic scene inside: three girls and one boy squeezed together on a small futon. The two who’d been unwilling to give up last night had snuck into Qi’s bed in the middle of the night. Sensing them, Qi had only smiled wryly and pretended to sleep.

Then Kuroneko, up for a bathroom break, discovered them. Unable to bear waking her sleeping sisters, nor willing to let her boyfriend be stolen away, she gritted her teeth, dragged her own bed over, and joined it to Qi’s, finally falling into a deep sleep.

With Hinata’s noisy awakening, everyone got up. In the aftermath, only Qi was left hiding under the covers while the three girls rushed off to wash up.

He’d never needed to wash his face or brush his teeth in the morning—no dirt could enter his body anyway.

“Onii-chan, time to get up!” Tamaki came running to wake him.

After breakfast—his parents already out for work—Qi asked, “Do you have any plans today? Or are you just going to play at home?” He eyed the trio watching TV and playing on the computer.

The answer was to stay home and play. “Such nice weather, and it’s Sunday—why not go out? Shopping, hiking, swimming, all good options,” Qi suggested.

“Let’s go to Akihabara,” Kuroneko proposed.

“Denied,” Qi shot back at once.

“That was fast,” Kuroneko protested, but she knew bringing her little sisters to Akihabara wasn’t a good idea—she’d just thrown it out there. Still, being rejected so quickly annoyed her a little.

“Let’s go to the beach!” Hinata raised her hand.

“Tamaki wants to go to the amusement park,” Tamaki echoed, raising her hand as well.

“All in favor of the beach, hands up,” Qi said, deciding to go with the majority. Only Hinata and Tamaki raised their hands.

“You wanted to go to the amusement park, so why raise your hand?” Qi looked at tiny Tamaki in exasperation.

“I do want to go, but I also support my sister,” she said, tilting her head.

“All right, all in favor of the amusement park, hands up.” This time, all three raised their hands.

“…”

After changing clothes, the four of them set out, excited for their day.

…

Gao Jizhai had been in this world for several days now. After fleeing the battlefield between those two, he’d been struck on the head by a rock thrown by the shockwaves. Driven by survival instincts, he’d kept away from the danger zone until, at some point, he’d lost consciousness.

When he awoke, he found himself in a room—he’d been saved. And his savior was Manami. The family was kind, and by pretending to have amnesia, he’d managed to stay with them. Luckily, his Japanese was quite good—studied for anime, finally proving useful.

The weather was fine today, and with his head much healed, he decided to look for work—he didn’t want to freeload forever. But with no ID, no diploma, and nothing to his name, it was hard to get hired.

Unconsciously, he found himself at the gates of the amusement park. It was still early, and the place was deserted. As he hesitated, wondering whether to inquire about work, his gaze swept over a flowerbed by the entrance. His expression grew odd—it seemed he’d caught sight of a shrine maiden’s back, one that looked strangely familiar.

(A hundred thousand words at last! To celebrate a spike in bookmarks and nearly double the paid clicks, Fangyuan is posting a 2,000-word draft as a second update. Let’s all work hard together! Now, can you guess her identity?)