After picking up Reo from elementary school, Seiji bumped into Kaede in front of his apartment.
"Oh my... this must be your new little sister, Harano-kun." The blonde health teacher's eyes lit up upon seeing the little girl.
She had already heard that there was now a new person living together with Seiji.
Kaede didn't know the specifics—she only knew that Seiji had been busy doing something for the past few days. When he appeared again, he brought back a little girl who would temporarily be living with him.
Seiji did the introductions for Kaede and Reo.
"H-hello, Juumonji-neesan," the little girl greeted politely. "Please take good care of me."
"So cute!" Kaede crouched to meet Reo's eyes and smiled. "Hello, Tachibanchan. Let us get along well in the future." Kaede's eyes flashed as she turned back to Seiji. "Harano-kun, where did you find yourself such a cute little sister?"
"I'm sorry," Seiji said, chuckling, "but that's a trade secret."
"I'll pay you, so can you sell me this trade secret? Or… you could even sell Tachibanchan to me."
"I'm sorry, but neither is okay—especially the second."
"How stingy, Harano-kun."
"Is stingy really the right word?"
"Tachibanchan, don't live together with this stingy big brother anymore. How about coming to live together with me?" Kaede asked with a wide grin.
Reo didn't know how to respond to Kaede's question and tone. She turned around to look at Seiji.
Seiji assumed a severe expression. "Please don't try to kidnap the cute child from my family, Juumonji-sensei!"
"I'm not kidnapping; I'm just inviting her! But… for my actions to be described like that…" Kaede rose to her feet, a helpless, disappointed expression on her face.
Seiji exchanged glances with Kaede, then they both laughed.
"Do you need any help taking care of this child?" she asked seriously.
"No... not for the time being."
"If I can be of any assistance, feel free to call me any time," Kaede said before looking back at Reo. "When you have free time, can I come find you to play, Tachibanchan?"
"S-sure," Reo stammered, making the blonde teacher reveal a gentle smile.
Seiji brought Reo inside the apartment. He then left it to print out, sign, and mail his book contract.
It was now certain that Brother Monogatari would be published! But first, he would still need to edit his final draft according to Editor Yoshizawa's suggestions.
Later that night, Seiji carefully edited his draft and gave it a final inspection before emailing the finished version to Editor Yoshizawa. He also mentioned in the email that he had mailed out the signed contract.
Then, he stretched, intending to relax for a while, but his chatting application rang, notifying him of a new message.
Seiji raised his brows when he saw who it was from. He immediately opened the conversation window.
"Hey, hero from another world." The message was from Cat-loving Flying Fish… his younger sister, Hana Haruta.
"Hey there, Angel NEET," Seiji responded.
"Don't call me an angel!"
"How about Witch NEET instead?"
"That feels somewhat strange as well, so don't call me that either!"
"Alright then, I'll just call you cutie cat."
"Meow to hell!"
They had fun joking around for a little while.
"Hero, do you have any plans for the upcoming holy battle?"
"Of course. Rushing together with my companions to the battlefield, fighting heroically, collecting the reward loot of combat... You should come with us, little sis."
"I'm currently being sealed and can't move."
"You can break free from that seal any time you want."
"No, I don't want to go outside!"
"Then you won't be able to participate in the holy battle or obtain the spoils of victory. How regrettable."
"No, I can participate!"
"In your dream?"
"Of course not!" Hana sent a cool-looking emoticon. "I have a perfect plan, and I've already prepared all the necessary equipment. Now, I just lack a familiar."
"Are you going to perform a summoning?" Seiji sent an emoticon of a summoner uttering an incantation and performing a ritual.
"I've already summoned my familiar: it's you!"
"Eh... But I didn't hear any summoning incantations, nor did I sign any contract."
Hana immediately sent him a video that automatically began playing.
In the video, a beautiful witch in pitch-black ceremonial clothing was reciting an incantation with her melodious voice. With some grand background music, the witch drew an extravagant spell formation, and then stuck her magic wand into the ground, opened her arms, and called, "Come! My familiar!!" making her ample breasts jiggle.
Colorful words shook in his conversation window. Seiji sighed, surprisingly impressed. Then, he responded: "This hero from another world has answered your summons! Are you my master?"
"That's right!"
"The contract has been sealed, and I shall fight for your cause!"
"Excellent." Hana sent him an expression of satisfaction.
"By the way, just what exactly do you want to do?"
"Make you livestream the event."
"What?"
"I've already prepared a full set of top-tier livestreaming equipment, so just wear these, start livestreaming when you participate in the holy battle, and listen to my orders!" Hana explained her "perfect plan" using only a single sentence.
Seiji was rendered speechless. 'This is indeed a method that can allow you to participate without taking a single step outside. What a smart idea to come up with, my master, but...'
"This top-tier equipment must be really expensive... is it really alright to buy a full set and send it to me?"
"I'm rich!"
Fine then, his younger sister was rich.
"If you don't have any problems with it, and that's what you want to do, then it's fine with me." Seiji agreed to livestream for her at the otaku doujinshi convention.
Just like he promised her before, if he had the chance, he would stream again, just for her only.
"Give me your address. I need to mail the equipment I purchased to you."
Seiji gave Hana his current address, and she wrote it down.
Hana was currently smiling delightedly. Participating together in battle with him... er, joining the doujinshi convention with him in this form made her quite happy.
Although it was through a livestream, his livestream was only for her, and her alone. To her, was no different to the two of them going outside together…
'Wait a moment!' Hana suddenly recalled Seiji's earlier words.
"You said 'together with my companions…' are you intending to go together with some friends?" she asked.
"Yes," Seiji said, "I've already agreed to go together with two of my friends."
"Male or female?"
"Female."
"Both female?"
"Both female."
"Are they beautiful?"
"I think they're both quite beautiful."
Hana was rendered speechless. She was overcome by a huge influx of complex emotions, and soon they formed into a single sentence: "Winners in life should go explode and die!"
Then, she sent an exploding emoticon, as well as a funny face emoticon, and logged off.
Seiji was left staring at his computer screen, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
The final exams had ended. No matter how everyone did, at least they were finally over.
The homeroom teacher reminded the students about the things they were supposed to do over winter break, and then the students were freed.
"It's the Winter Snow Festival in just a few days. Seigo, do you have any plans?" Chiaki asked.
"I'm going to accompany President Yoruhana," was his answer.
Chiaki and Mika were shocked and confused to hear this. They had never expected to hear this answer, so they were completely astounded.
"Did you say President Yoruhana... Natsuya Yoruhana!?" Chiaki asked with wide eyes.
Seiji nodded and told them about the request Natsuya made yesterday.
"She probably just wants me to casually accompany her to have a little fun, basically the same as hanging out together with classmates... that's what I think."
Chiaki and Mika were both temporarily rendered speechless. The same as simply hanging out together with classmates? They instinctively refused to believe that was possible!
This was Natsuya Yoruhana, a person who every single student at Genhana High School knew. Had this lady scion ever had a record of hanging out and having fun together with an ordinary student?
Never! Not even once!!
Her behavior wasn't arrogant, and she had a friendly attitude, but actually, as the scion of a rich and powerful family, she wasn't easy to approach or get close to.
Apart from Hitaka Shuho, was there even a single other person that was rather intimate with her?
The answer was that there wasn't anyone! At least, nobody knew of anyone who was. Natsuya Yoruhana was a high-up, isolated existence who nobody could reach.
Even if she didn't give others this impression, this was actually the case. And now, she had actually requested a boy to accompany her for an entire day on a holiday like the Winter Snow Festival...
This wasn't even at the news of major gossip—it was a torrential flood! If news of this spread out, the entirety of Genhana High School would be astonished!!