Volume 01: Old Version (2/3)

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09: The End of Family Meeting

***

Sora and Suzuka tilted their heads simultaneously and had a perplexed expression.

"Onii-chan, are you pulling my legs?" Suzuka, who recovered from her confusion first, gave Haru a strange gaze that slightly hurt his conscience.

"No! I'm not! Just tell me your answer!" Haru shook his head and said seriously.

Suzuka scrunched her forehead and knitted her brows. Meanwhile, Sora just wordlessly gazed at Haru with an unreadable gaze. Haru waited for Suzuka's answer, and he received it before long.

"Well, something like Magic doesn't exist, and Reincarnation is unproven, right? However, some religions believe in the latter. Is that enough?"

"Yeah. Thanks for your honest answer, Suzuka," Haru turned his head to Sora, "Now, then. What's your answer?"

Sora blinked her eyes and then displayed a thoughtful expression. A while later, she gave Haru her answer. "I don't know and don't care."

Haru was speechless by Sora's answer. He shook his head in exasperation after recovering.

"So, what's with this question, Onii-chan? Is there a connection between your sudden change in behavior and this question of—wait for a second!" Suzuka abruptly stopped her words and gave Haru a pitiful look. "Onii-chan, did your 8th-grader syndrome relapse?"

Sora snorted right after hearing that, but she quickly covered her mouth with her hand and turned her head to the side. Her glimmering gray eyes and shaking shoulders spoke her mirth.

Meanwhile, Haru gave Suzuka a deadpan, apparently unamused by the absurd question.

'I never had that disease! Never mind! Haruka had his 8th-grader syndrome it seems,' Haru thought before steering the topic to the proper rail. "My 8th-grader syndrome didn't relapse. Anyway, it's as you said. My sudden change in behavior and personality is because of supernatural occurrence."

"Gufufuh~!"

Sora, who had been holding her laughter, finally couldn't endure it; her laughter leaked before she stopped and kept it in a tight leash. Still, she was pressing her stomach, and her expression was scrunching in a mixture of pain and amusement.

"Good grief. Get a grip, Onii-chan!"

In contrast to Sora, Suzuka didn't seem amused in the slightest. She crossed her arms and gave Haru a reproachful look.

"If you don't have an important topic to talk in this so-called important meeting, then let's end this farce. I need to do my homework, Onii-chan."

Haru became speechless but quickly recovered. "Wait for a moment! I'm not joking! I'm serious! Look! I will show you my Magic!"

Haru closed his eyes to access his Item Box. He then touched the rim of his cup and willed it to enter his Item Box.

"What?!"

Haru cut his access to the Item Box after hearing Suzuka's flustered voice. When he opened his eyes, he saw Sora's and Suzuka's dumbfounded expression.

"Now, do you believe that Magic is real?"

Haru's question snapped Sora and Suzuka out of their daze.

"What?! How?! Where is the cup?! It just disappeared! Was that really magic?! Magic is real?! What's going?!"

Suzuka bombarded Haru with questions with a flustered tone while alternating her wide-eyed look between Haru's smug face and the empty spot where the cup previously resided. Meanwhile, Sora wordlessly mirrored Suzuka's reaction.

"All right. You two need to calm down first."

Following Haru's advice, Sora and Suzuka closed their eyes and went through a breathing exercise to calm themselves. After that, they opened their eyes and demanded an explanation with their eyes.

Haru took a deep breath to prepare himself. "Just like what you two have witnessed. Magic is indeed real. Simultaneously, Reincarnation is also real."

Haru raised his hand in 'hold on' motion after seeing Sora's and Suzuka's expression that spoke their realization and anxiety. These girls weren't stupid. Even the lazy and withdrawn Sora was smart. They could easily connect the dots in their head.

"As you may have guessed, I have been reincarnated. I am Haruka Kasugano, the twin brother of Sora Kasugano and the older stepbrother of Suzuka Kasugano. At the same time, I have regained the memory of my past life this morning. I didn't know why I only regained those memories this morning, but I will figure it out later.

"Concerning my past life, my name was Haru Sakurai, and I was a magician with an extraordinary affinity for Spatial Magic. People knew me as a genius and a very talented magician because of my capability. I was 17 years old when I died, yet I had surpassed those Sages and Archmages, who had refined their craft for decades and even longer.

"About my death, the past me had attempted to create a spell to cross worlds as my Magnum Opus. I was successful because I discovered the existence of Parallel Worlds. Simultaneously, I failed because it killed me."

Haru finished his explanation and then inspected the reaction of his sisters.

"Hrmm..."

"Uuu..."

Sora and Suzuka groaned. Haru's declaration had torn down their common sense mercilessly.

Haru let them digest his bullshit in peace. He feigned his calmness as he watched their expression, hiding his anxiety and fear of being rejected by them.

Haru wondered whether he should use his Appraisal ability on them. After weighing his decision a little, Haru finally found his resolve and used his Appraisal ability on them. He endured the unpleasant downside of using Appraisal and the guilty conscience for violating his loved ones' privacy, but it was a price to pay to know what was Sora and Suzuka thinking in their heads.

There was nothing free in the world. Even Haru's power came with his life as the price. However, that's beside the point.

As Haru expected, the girls were in turmoil. They felt confused, conflicted, and scared. Well, it was natural. After all, Haru had just destroyed their common sense.

However, the most significant thing that Haru had gleaned was their fear, anxiety, and worry for him. They were scared that he would change and leave them because of this.

"Sora, Suzuka, listen!" Haru called them firmly; after they turned their attention to him, he continued, "Don't worry. I'm still Haruka, your brother, though I have changed a bit because of the memory and experience of my past life. Whether you like it or not, I will stay by your side, protect you two, and make you two the happiest girls in this world!"

While enduring the shame and embarrassment from spouting such a corny speech, Haru gave them a gaze that contained his resolution, determination, and sincerity.

Their reaction to his corny declaration was as expected. They had a red-faced, gawking expression, apparently embarrassed for becoming the recipients of such an embarrassing speech that Haru had spouted with such a straight face.

While watching the flustered face of his sisters, Haru enjoyed their reaction and let them collect their thoughts.

A while later, *Cough* Suzuka feigned a cough to get Haru's attention. She had recovered first, though it was something that Haru had expected from her. She was the level-headed one of his two sisters.

"So, Magic is real? And, Onii-chan is a reincarnated person? A genius Spatial Mage, at that?"

"Yup." Haru curtly replied while summoning back his cup of coffee and then sipping it peacefully.

"So, Onii-chan remembered your memories, er, from your past life?"

"Yup." Haru put down his cup on the table and looked at Suzuka.

"Ummm. I don't know what to think..." Suzuka trailed off and looked troubled.

Letting Suzuka sort her mind in peace, Haru turned his head to Sora, who had been watching him with an unreadable expression.

"What about you, Sora? Any question?"

"Are there side effects of remembering your past life's memory?"

"Well, there are some side effects, but it isn't anything alarming, nor it is dangerous things. You can expect some changes in my behavior and personality, but nothing extreme, I assure you. Objectively speaking, my personality in this life is contrasting my previous life personality. They are surprisingly balancing each other."

"What did you mean by that?" Suzuka urgently asked, and Sora gave Haru a demanding gaze. They seemed concerned.

"Well, I wasn't the most personable guy. I was a loner. I had no relatives nor family. I was always alone and became independent from a very young age. Some issues popped up because of remembering my memory in my previous life."

"That sounds concerning," Suzuka frowned and said.

"Don't worry about it. As I said, my personality in this life balanced my personality from my past life," Haru assured Sora and Suzuka and gave them a reassuring smile.

"You can talk to me if you need someone to listen to your problem, Haru. We are family, after all," Sora boldly announced.

"Ugh," Suzuka grimaced because Sora had overtaken her, "Just like she said! If you need anything, please don't hesitate to tell me, Onii-chan!"

"I suppose you have no problems with me being a reincarnated person?" Haru raised his brow and asked for confirmation.

"To be honest, my mind has problems accepting this. It's something outrageous, after all. But, as long as Onii-chan is still Onii-chan, then I don't really care about Onii-chan's past life. It's all in the past, after all~."

Suzuka announced in a matter of fact tone.

"You promised to stay with me," Sora reminded Haru of their promise.

"Of course, I won't leave you. I have promised to you today, right? Even if you get tired of me, I won't leave your side." After hearing Haru's reply, Sora turned her head to the side to hide the red hue on her face, yet she had a small smile; she was happy from Haru's statement.

*Cough* Suzuka faked a cough. When Haru glanced at her, he saw Suzuka's pretty smile that didn't reach her eyes. Haru involuntarily smiled wryly at her jealousy.

"You too, Suzuka," Haru added, dropping the "-san" honorific that his predecessor used when calling Suzuka.

Suzuka straightened her sitting posture immediately. She seemed filled with strange tension and reacted exaggeratedly just because Haru dropped the honorific from her name.

Ignoring Suzuka's behavior, Haru continued his statement. "I promise you that I won't leave your side."

Haru then alternated his gaze between Sora and Suzuka. "Let's live together in harmony from now," he said with a refreshing grin.

After that, they moved on to a lighter topic and spent their time in harmony.

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10: The Aftermath of Family Meeting

***

The time was 9.42 PM. It was already past curfew, yet Suzuka Kasugano was still awake.

Sitting on her swivel, Suzuka rested her upper body on her desk; her folded arms on the surface of her study desk became a pillow for her head.

She just finished her homework late because of the family meeting that happened after dinner.

At this time, she was wearing a lavender-colored Pajama; she let loose her long purple hair.

"So, parallel worlds exist, and Onii-chan was a genius space magician in his past life," Suzuka muttered under her breath. "Honestly, it sounds like a plot of a cheap fantasy story."

Although Suzuka had seen the so-called magic, her mind had yet to accept it fully. It was natural to have a hard time accepting something outrageous and unscientific like that.

Before tonight, Suzuka was blissfully unaware of the fact that the supernatural existed. If not in this world, then in another world.

Suzuka didn't know what to think about that. It was something unknown, and humans were creatures that were scared of the unknown the most. Fear of the unknown was humanity's motivation to understand everything in the universe.

Suzuka would be lying if she said she wasn't scared of the unknown, and magic was something she deemed as "unknown." It was unscientific, after all.

What if magic exists in her world too?

Was there a hidden community of magic users somewhere?

Were they good people?

Were they bad people?

Would they abuse their magic?

Do evil magicians exit?

How could she defend herself from a supernatural threat?

Could police deal with it?

The more Suzuka pondered, the more scary and hopeless it became.

'Do ghosts also exist?' Suzuka wondered and dearly hoped that ghosts didn't exist.

Suzuka became overly conscious of her surroundings. She turned her head and body around, her eyes viewing her room; her gaze lingered on the dark gap under her bed.

Suzuka got spooked and felt silly for being scared of a fictional monster or ghost. After all, that kind of story was something that adults used to scare children so children would behave obediently.

But, what if they actually existed? Could her chili spray and taser make them disappear? Perhaps, she could use salt? Such questions popped up in her distressed mind.

Suzuka suddenly shivered and then hugged her legs on her bosom.

"Ugh! Get a grip, Suzuka! Ghosts and monsters don't exist! That's just silly! Yup! You're paranoid for nothing!"

Suzuka tried to assure herself, yet a part of her was still scared. She felt unsafe in her own room, which usually gave her safety and comfort.

"Onii-chan is stupid! Uuu~ What should I do now?" Suzuka became teary-eyed and asked herself with a helpless tone. "I wonder if Onii-chan will mind if I sleep with him tonight?"

Usually, Suzuka would feel embarrassed about thinking such a thing. However, the crippling fear of the unknown lowered her inhibition.

For a while, Suzuka weighed her options. But, the longer she stayed alone in her bedroom, her fear became harder to ignore. In the end, she succumbed to her paranoia and decided to evacuate to her brother's bedroom.

"All right, let's evacuate to Onii-chan's room!"

***

While lying on her bed, Sora Kasugano was blankly staring at the ceiling of her bedroom. Just like her stepsister, Sora was mulling over the topic of her family meeting.

Sora would be lying if she said that she wasn't disturbed by the topic. To think her twin was a reincarnated magician. Thinking back at her twin's status, Sora couldn't help but become concerned about her twin.

Sora might look headstrong, willful, lazy, withdrawn, and apathetic, but she really cared, no, loved her brother. And her love for him was more than familial love.

She, Sora Kasugano, loved Haruka Kasugano as a woman. She even fantasized about having sex with her twin and used him to relieve her sexual frustration; she began doing so after her puberty began, and she started showing interest to her opposite gender.

However, the catalyst that planted the seed of romantic feeling for her twin brother in her heart was their first kiss in their grandparent's clinic in the countryside. Without that event, Sora wouldn't be conscious of her twin brother as a male.

"Haah," Sora closed her eyes and sighed in the mix of exasperation and resignation.

A moment later, Sora opened her eyes and had glazed eyes as she recalled their kiss at lunch. It had been so long since they kissed like that. Usually, she would secretly kiss her brother when he was sleeping.

Sora really enjoyed their kiss, and she preferred this version of her brother. After all, he was decisive.

It was when Sora made up her mind.

"Reincarnation or not, Magician or not, Haru is Haru. He has promised to be always at my side. My Haru..."

Thinking about her brother, Sora suddenly wanted to see him. No, she needed to see him, or she wouldn't be able to calm her restless heart.

"Would Haru mind it if I crash into his room?"

Sora contemplated for little.

"I don't think that he will mind it. Not with his more decisive personality. I guess his chance isn't bad. Okay! Let's sleep with Haru tonight!"

Just like that, Sora left her bed and walked out of her room. She then stopped in front of her twin's room. Unfortunately, before she could knock the door, someone called her.

***

"Ah! You! Why are you standing outside Onii-chan's room? What are you planning?"

Frowning, Suzuka gave Sora a suspicious gaze.

Right after Suzuka exited her room, she found Sora, wearing her sleeping gown while carrying her doll, standing in front of Haru's room. She knew just how degenerate her stepsister really was and became guarded.

In the past, Suzuka had accidentally seen Sora masturbating while calling out Haru's name. That event just exacerbated their rivalry further.

And no, that incident didn't give her idea how to release her pent up frustration safely and pleasantly, alright! Never mind that! Let's return to the topic!

"Not your damn business," Sora curtly replied while giving Suzuka a condescending look from the corner of her eyes.

Suzuka inflated her cheeks and pouted in vexation and resentment. She also sent a mean glare to her rival.

Sora ignored Suzuka's pitiful attempt to intimidate her and turned her gaze to Haru's room. She then knocked on the door and loudly called out the room's owner.

"Haru! It's me, Sora. Are you awake?"

Sora waited for any answer from the other side. In the meantime, Suzuka stopped her petulant, childish tantrum and fretfully looked at the door of Haru's room.

Before long, they heard Haru's voice, shouting "Coming!" from inside. A moment later, they saw the door open.

Sora and Suzuka became speechless. They never expected Haru to wear only boxers and display so much skin. Red hue smeared their lovely face to the tip of their ears; they got stimulated by Haru's half-naked appearance. However, unlike Sora, who shamelessly ogled her twin's slender yet masculine figure, Suzuka was unable to endure the stimulation and averted her eyes quickly.

Haru raised his brow at their flustered reaction and then grinned knowingly. "Do you like what you see, ladies?" He teased them while wagging his eyebrows suggestively.

"O-Onii-chan! What are you saying?! Why are you wearing nothing?! Are you a pervert?!" Suzuka uttered in a high pitched voice.

Meanwhile, Sora had a different reaction. She nodded her head approvingly and shamelessly said: "Yup. I like it."

She even raised her thumb to show her honest opinion.

Suzuka turned her head to Sora immediately, apparently scandalized. "You! How could you be so shameless?!"

"What's your problem? There's nothing to be ashamed of." Sora narrowed her eyes and glared at Suzuka, seemingly displeased by Suzuka's admonishment.

"You! You!" Suzuka pointed her shaking finger at Sora and was at a loss for words. She was outraged by her stepsister's shamelessness.

"Girls! Stop it!" Haru suddenly exclaimed, stopping the girls before their fight could escalate.

In the past, Sora and Suzuka would ignore Haru when he attempted to stop their fight, but it was different this time. They flinched and stopped their confrontation because of the sternness in Haru's voice. It reminded them that their beloved brother had changed. In truth, they had complicated feelings regarding his changes.

Haru seemed more mature and dependable. A part of them was happy and proud of it. No girl doesn't want to have a man she can depend on; even the most independent woman needs a break and a shoulder to rely on sometimes.

On the other hand, they felt losing something precious and a bit lonely because the unreliable Haru was no more. They would be lying if they said that they weren't happy from being relied on by Haru.

"So," Haru continued, snapping them out of their thoughts, "Why are you here?"

Sora and Suzuka unconsciously turned their heads to each other and silently conversed with their gaze. They decided to have a truce and nodded at each other. After that, they turned their heads to Haru and said,

"Onii-chan, can I sleep with you tonight?"

"Haru, lemme sleep with you tonight."

Caught off guard, Haru blinked his eyes and looked at his sisters with an uncomprehending gaze. He then nodded and said, "Okay. Come inside!"

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11: The Refreshed Lottery

***

In the past, Sora and Suzuka would ignore Haru when he attempted to stop their fight, but it was different this time. They flinched and stopped their confrontation because of the sternness in Haru's voice. It reminded them that their beloved brother had changed. In truth, they had complicated feelings regarding his changes.

Haru seemed more mature and dependable. A part of them was happy and proud of it. No girl doesn't want to have a man she can depend on; even the most independent woman needs a break and a shoulder to rely on sometimes.

On the other hand, they felt losing something precious and a bit lonely because the unreliable Haru was no more. They would be lying if they said that they weren't happy from being relied on by Haru.

"So," Haru continued, snapping them out of their thoughts, "Why are you here?"

Sora and Suzuka unconsciously turned their heads to each other and silently conversed with their gaze. They decided to have a truce and nodded at each other. After that, they turned their heads to Haru and said,

"Onii-chan, can I sleep with you tonight?"

"Haru, lemme sleep with you tonight."

Caught off guard, Haru blinked his eyes and looked at his sisters with an uncomprehending gaze. He then nodded and said, "Okay. Come inside!"

Chapter 0011: The Refreshed Lottery

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Early in the morning, it was not an alarm that woke up Haru and Sora; it was Suzuka's shrilly, mortified shriek.

***

The time was 6.28 AM. Kasugano Household had begun breakfast—what an awkward breakfast it was!

Other than Haru, who had a calm expression, the rest were eating their portion with rosy hue smeared on their cheeks. Sora had glazed eyes as her mind ventured somewhere unknown; she automatically fed herself with mechanical movements.

On the other hand, Suzuka was trying and failing to look calm; the rosy blush on her face and ears destroyed the façade that she wanted to portray.

This strange atmosphere was because they woke up in the same mattress in Haru's room.

When Sora and Suzuka woke up, they had yet to regain their full awareness, so they reacted strongly. Suzuka was the most vocal of the two sisters; she shrieked in mortification when her mind finally registered that her hard pillow was actually Haru's chest and that she had drooled in her sleep. Meanwhile, Sora was oddly silent with glazed eyes, but if you ask Haru about his opinion, he was wary of Sora's imagination.

Last night, everyone had a sleepover in Haru's room. When Haru asked their reason, he received the answer as follows:

"Uuu~ I-I'm scared to sleep alone because Onii-chan has said that supernatural is real! What if an evil magician breaks into our home?! What if ghosts and monsters invade our place?! Onii-chan, this is absolutely your fault! Take responsibility like a real man and let me sleep with you!"

"I'm not scared, really! I don't care about evil mages, ghosts, and monsters! I miss sleeping together with you! Haru, you have no problems if I sleep here tonight, right?"

You could guess who said which.

Be that as it may, Haru agreed to let them sleep in his room, after which Haru brought the spare mattress because one mattress wasn't enough to accommodate all of them.

When they slept, Sora and Suzuka confiscated his arms and used his body as their pillow. Although Haru felt happy because of their close distance, he found that it wasn't as pleasant as how it depicted in stories; it wasn't only hot but also uncomfortable!

It was Haru's first time sleeping together with someone else, two in this case. Because of his past experience as an orphan loner, he had a hard time adapting to this new situation. The assimilated memory of Haruka didn't help him either; Haruka had stopped sleeping with them years ago. Haru was on his own last night!

Soon, the breakfast, filled with a strange tension, ended.

"All right, I'll escort you today, Suzuka," Haru said.

"Y-y-yesh!"

Suzuka unintentionally bit her tongue as she replied in high tension.

Haru wryly smiled at such Suzuka before turning his head to Sora. "Sora, can I leave the dishes to you?"

Sora blinked her eyes and then regained her awareness. She looked at Haru for a short time before wordlessly nodding her head.

"Thanks." After thanking Sora, Haru returned to his room to prepare himself.

After seeing Haru off, Suzuka sighed deeply in exhaustion, though her blush had yet to fade. Her mind was still in chaos from the shock of what happened when they woke up. She also felt mortification because she'd drooled on Haru in her sleep.

Remembering her involuntary mistake, Suzuka wanted to crawl into a hole to hide her shame and embarrassment! It was too much for her!

"Get a grip, Suzuka! Last night, you slept with Onii-chan! You should be happy about that! Let's forget everything else! You have never done anything shameful! Yup. Nothing happened! Now, smile! A new, wonderful day awaits you!" Suzuka slapped her cheeks and motivated herself.

After regaining her mental balance, Suzuka turned her head to Sora and immediately gave her stepsister a deadpan. 'This degenerate pervert is hopeless,' she lamented in her head.

It wasn't like Suzuka couldn't empathize with Sora, but it seemed like Sora had gone to the deep end. She didn't want to know what her closet pervert of a stepsister imagined in her rotten mind! She didn't need to know what kind of fantasy a shameless girl like Sora fantasized in her mind! It's safer for her that way, thank you very much!

After that, Suzuka went to the living room to get her school bag before waiting for Haru, and thankfully, she didn't need to wait for a long time.

Haru soon entered the living room, ready to escort her to her school. Then, Haru and Suzuka left their apartment, heading for Hakuo Academy together.

***

Four days passed by leisurely since Sora and Suzuka began sleeping with Haru.

The night after that night, they joined Haru in his bed again. Granted, Haru didn't stop them. Then, the night after that, and finally last night, the same thing repeated.

After four consecutive nights of sleeping together, Haru had adapted to his new routine; he had even come to enjoy Sora's and Suzuka's warm and soft figures. The same thing happened with Sora and Suzuka. In fact, those two seemed eager to sleep together with him.

All that aside, let's focus on the present; Haru finally finished writing the first volume of his plagiarized work. As he sat on his swivel, he stretched his stiff body and made several popping sounds. After that, he looked at his desktop clock and found that the time was 10.12 AM. There was still an hour or so before lunch.

"Now that I finished writing the first volume, I need to print it. I guess I can do it now."

Haru transferred the document file to his flash drive and then prepared himself for going out.

A short time later, he walked out of his room in a plain white shirt and dark-colored jeans combo. He only carried his flip phone, wallet, and flash drive in his pocket.

When Haru found the living room and the kitchen empty, he went to Sora's bedroom; he wanted to tell her of his plan.

"Sora, are you there?" Haru called for her after knocking her door.

Haru heard sounds from Sora's room and soon saw the door got opened from inside. He then saw Sora with a blushing face. He looked at her with a strange gaze but held his opinion; he had a hunch that Sora had been releasing her stress before he unintentionally interrupted her.

"What do you want?" Sora glumly asked, but her red face ruined her attempt to look menacing.

Haru replied with a casual tone and a calm face. "I am going out. Don't worry. I'll return at lunchtime."

Both of Sora's blush and frosty look faded after hearing Haru's reply. "Where?" She asked.

"I'm going to print out then sent my novel to a publishing company."

"Ah," Sora made an expression as if she remembered something, "I forgot that you're writing a novel."

Haru formed a wry smile after hearing that.

"So, it's finished?" Sora asked, changing the topic abruptly.

"Well, yeah. Do you want to read it? I can give you a copy later."

"If you don't mind," Sora said as if she was reluctant to accept the offer, but her expectant eyes betrayed her real feeling.

Haru's wry smile deepened at Sora's inability to be honest with herself. Well, he didn't mind it; he thought it was a bit cute. A Tsundere that didn't go physical was adorable, after all.

"Okay. I'm off."

"Be careful on your way!"

After saying his farewell, Haru left his apartment to visit a nearby bookstore that offered printing and photocopy services. He had his novel and the letter for the publishing company printed out. He also made several copies for Sora, Suzuka, and an extra for his own use. He then went to a nearby post office to send his novels to the publishing house that he'd chosen. It was Dangoki Bunko, the parody of Dengeki Bunko of this world.

Haru returned to his apartment to have lunch with Sora after his business finished.

The menu for today's lunch was rice, Salted Salmon, Sweet-sour Pork, Egg Rolls, Sausages, and pickled veggies. Sora then washed the dishes without being told; she started doing it since they started sleeping together.

Haru could see that Sora was trying to be more considerate lately, and so he thanked her for her consideration; he didn't tease her because he didn't want her to regress to her old lazy self.

After Sora finished her chores, Haru gave her a copy of his plagiarized work; he told her that he would ask for her opinion later before retreating to his room to continue writing the next volume.

And so, a few hours passed after Haru retreated into his room. The time was 2.53 PM.

Haru had made a plan to go to Hakuo Academy to pick Suzuka up at 3.30 PM. There were more than 30 minutes left before the time. He stopped after achieving the one-fourth mark of the second volume. Although he could continue, he decided to take a break because the cooldown of his Mysterious Lottery ability had come to an end.

It was time to try it out again!

"I have a feeling that I will get something good!" Haru said out of the blue. He felt like he was confident with his luck because of his Plot Armor. After all, one of Plot Armor's effect was amplifying his good luck.

Haru used his Mysterious Lottery ability without hesitation. A notification screen soon popped up in his field of vision. He then dismissed it and accessed his Item Box. Within Item Box, he saw his prize, but he became perplexed by the appearance of the random Lottery's prize; it looked like a green-colored seed.

Haru used his Appraisal ability on the unknown green seed and became dumbfounded. 'H-holy shit! Wow! Just wow! I don't know what to think!'

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12: Jackpot!

***

Haru was speechless by the information of the seed that he obtained from his second try of Mysterious Lottery.

After cutting off his access to Item Box, Haru saw a pop-up notification in his field of vision.

—————

Would you like to activate [Longinus: Innovate Clear]?

Yes ←

No

—————

'Longinus, Innovate Clear!' Haru exclaimed in his head and then recalled what he knew about it.

It was one of the original thirteen Longinus Sacred Gears from the High School DxD series.

What are Sacred Gears? They, also known as the God's Artifacts, are items with powerful abilities bestowed upon humans by God of the Bible in the Universe of High School DxD. They are one of the main points of interest in the High School DxD series.

In that Universe, the original God of the Bible created the Sacred Gears as part of his heavenly system to enact miracles on Earth. It has been stated in the series that specific individuals with Sacred Gears have grown to become very powerful and influential and that a large number of the people who have had their names etched into history, were most likely Sacred Gear possessors.

Only humans or human hybrids can be born with Sacred Gears. Angels and Devils can obtain them by resurrecting someone from the human race or the human-hybrid as one of their own. The Fallen Angels have devised a ceremony to extract and possess a Sacred Gear from the original user. As to why Angels and Devils are never born with them, yet keep them when transformed from humans, is another mystery. One theory is that God never foresaw the new systems of reincarnating Devils and Angels, which arose after His death. Granted, God of the Bible in the DxD universe was quite underwhelming.

There can be more than one Sacred Gear of the same type, with the only exception being the Longinus, which are all unique in their own way. If a Sacred Gear gets removed from the owner, the said owner will die. It is possible for an individual to own more than one Sacred Gear at a time.

Sacred Gears can have a variety of effects, such as Twilight Healing that grants near-instantaneous healing power and Twice Critical that doubles the power of the user. The Sword Birth, for example, can create Demon Swords imbued with different attributes, examples include creating a sword that absorbs holy energy, a sword that devours flame, and a sword that absorbs wind. Sacred Gears can also adapt and evolve based on their wielder's thoughts, needs, and feelings, gaining abilities or qualities as time passes.

Meanwhile, the Longinus, also known as "Tools that Destroy God," are the thirteen original top-tier Sacred Gears with enough power to kill Gods, as well as five additional Sacred Gears that evolved to the same level later in the series.

This class of Sacred Gears named after True Longinus, which is the first as well as the most potent Sacred Gear, which pierced Jesus Christ in the legend, and unlike other Sacred Gear that has more than one of the same type, the Longinus Sacred Gears are unique, and only one of each may exist at a time.

In the series, all Longinus is just a combination of one ability with another. Essentially, they combine the powers of other Sacred Gears, which shouldn't have gotten mixed in the first place! Because of this trait, all of the Longinus is considered the most potent Sacred Gears in their respective categories!

Innovate Clear is one of the original thirteen Longinus in "High School DxD." Also known as the "Miniature Garden of the Green Tree of Innovation," it has the ability to create an ideal world in another dimension with nearly-perfect imitations of living beings inside that world. However, anything made inside this world can only exist there. It's basically the mix of high-ranked Longinus Dimension Lost, which can create a replica of a world in another dimension, and Annihilation Maker that can create nearly-perfect imitations of living beings, with only one downside. Granted, it seemed to have a severe restriction.

'I suppose it is ranked low because of its only restriction, but in the right hand, this item can become extremely overpowered!'

Haru was so happy because of obtaining this powerful artifact. He didn't know how the Mystery Lottery got it for him, nor he actually planned to figure it out; he was satisfied with merely obtaining it.

With Innovate Clear, Haru could create something like "Instant Dungeon" from "The Gamer" story and fanfiction to grind his level.

Speaking of his Level, Haru only accumulated less than three points of EXP; he'd discovered that completing chores and other menial tasks rewarded him with 0.1 EXP. At this time, Haru had accumulated 2.7 out of 50 EXP required to level-up.

'This surely is because of my Plot Armor! Without Plot Armor, I wouldn't be this lucky! Anyway, let's activate it! I hope it won't be a painful process!'

After gathering his courage and resolve, Haru picked the "Yes" option on the screen. Then, he felt something clicked inside him, after which he received the information on how to use Innovate Clear. As usual, there was a headache accompanying the transferral of the knowledge, but he endured it silently.

After his headache subsided, Haru wasted no time to play with Innovate Clear and tested its limits; he spent a few dozens of minutes doing this.

In the end, he discovered that he started with a circular barren island with a total width of 78.53 square meters; the island was floating in colorful space that reminded him of his Item Box.

Other than that, the green seed had sprouted into a small green tree. Regarding the creation of near-perfect imitations of living beings, Haru could only create small and harmless animals for the time being, and the numbers were also limited; he could only create 200 mice, or 100 rabbits, or 40 dogs, or 20 cows, or ten bears, or five elephants. He hadn't tried creating humans or humanoid beings because he had yet to resolve himself to do it.

Haru wasn't discouraged by this result because he knew that Innovate Clear's power and quality would grow with him.

Still, Haru felt physical exhaustion and mental strain from using Innovate Clear; he discovered that it consumed his stamina and mental energy. Of course, he could magic energy in exchange, but he had yet to unlock his MAG attribute.

'I need more stamina and mental fortitude, meaning higher VIT and INT!' Haru thought in realization before taking a short break.

When Haru checked the time, he was surprised because he was almost late to pick Suzuka up. He then forced his tired body to move and go to the Hakuo Academy.

***

"Suzuka, sorry that I am late," Haru sincerely apologized to Suzuka.

Haru had arrived at the gate of the junior high division of the Hakuo Academy. As expected, he was late; Suzuka had been waiting for him next to the security post. Haru arrived there at 4.21 PM, and it looked like Suzuka had waited a dozen minutes or so.

"Ah, don't worry about it Onii-chan, I am not angry, really!"

"Really?" Haru looked at Suzuka with a skeptical gaze. He tempted to use his Appraisal ability on her but decided against it at the last second.

Although using Appraisal would surely tell him about Suzuka's real feelings, Haru felt like it was kind of cheap. He didn't mind using it if the situation demanded, though.

"Really!" Suzuka firmly nodded her head and answered.

After they had a sleepover every night, Suzuka had mellowed out and acted less strict with him. It helped Haru with his plan to mend up their strained relationship. Haru decided not to question the horse's gift in the mouth and accepted Suzuka's change with open arms.

Haru decided to conclude this matter and changed the topic. "So, do you want to stop somewhere before we return home?"

"Let's return home immediately."

"All right."

After saying goodbye to Rika Minami, who had watched their interaction from the sideline, Haru escorted Suzuka to the bus stop. As they waited for their bus to come, they had a casual chat.

"So, what were you doing today, Onii-chan?"

"Well, I have finished my novel and sent it to the publishing house."

"Really?" Suzuka seemed surprised by that; she knew that Haru wanted to become a novelist to support their lives, but she didn't think that he would finish it this fast.

"Yup. Do you want to read the draft? I have prepared a copy for you."

"Then, please," Suzuka replied with a firm nod and a faint smile before perking up all of a sudden. "Oh! Look! Our bus is coming!"

Haru turned his head around and saw their bus. He turned his head to Suzuka and nodded at her. After the bus stopped, they climbed it up and picked an empty bench to sit. Since the bus wasn't filled to the brim by passengers, they found a place to sit side by side in the middle of the bus with no problem.

After that, Haru and Suzuka talked about Haru's (plagiarized) novel while waiting until their bus arrived at their destination.

◇◆◇◆◇

13: Experiments, and Power-Leveling

***

The Kasugano Siblings were currently eating their dinner. The menu was rice, Miso Soup, Scrambled Eggs, Salad, and other dishes. As always, Suzuka had outdone herself; the food she cooked was delicious. They savored their food while chatting about Haru's novel. It started when Haru asked Sora about her opinion regarding his work.

"So, how far have you read, Sora?"

"I have read one-third."

"Then, what do you think?"

"It is fun to read! I never read anything like that before! Still, it is kinda scary if something like that happens in real life."

"Meh, don't worry about it. It is just a story. Besides, the world's technology isn't advanced yet to build the first functional VR-tech."

"Excuse me," Suzuka, who stayed silent so far, suddenly interjected, "Is it about Onii-chan's novel?"

"Yeah."

"Yup."

Haru and Sora answered at once, though Sora lacked her previous enthusiasm.

"Is it really that good?" Suzuka inquired with a touch of curiosity. Sora silently nodded her head and continued to concentrate on her food.

Suzuka then turned her attention to Haru, who had a wry smile from their detached interaction. Although Sora and Suzuka had stopped their intense rivalry after the family meeting four nights ago, they were still behaving awkwardly around each other. The cause was their awareness of each other's status as a rival-in-love. Both of them were possessive girls, and as the saying goes, "One mountain doesn't need two tigers, (or tigresses in this case)."

Still, they made an effort to interact cordially for Haru's sake; Haru was aware of this, so he was happy with their efforts.

"I will give you the draft after you finished your homework," Haru said before Suzuka could say.

"You promise?" Haru answered Suzuka's question with a silent nod.

Their dinner continued until everything was eaten clean. Then, Sora offered herself to wash the dishes.

Before Haru and Suzuka went to their respective bedrooms, Sora suddenly called out for Haru.

"Haru."

"What's it?"

"We will have another sleepover, right?"

Suzuka, who had stopped because of her curiosity, was quickly filled with tension; she gave Haru an intense look as she waited for his answer.

Haru was speechless but quickly recovered. He then nodded at Sora and said, "Well, sure. Actually, since we have been sleeping together so far and won't likely stop, it will become another habit sooner or later, right?"

"Good. Then, let's sleep together every night," Sora said with a pleased expression.

"M-Me too! You won't snub me out, right, Onii-chan?!" Suzuka asked in a high pitched voice.

"Okay, okay! No need to get high tension like that."

After that exchange, Haru and Suzuka left the kitchen. They entered their own bedrooms.

Haru decided to give Suzuka the draft now because he wanted to use his free time to experiment with his new toy; his sisters wouldn't knock his door until 9 PM at the earliest. After handing over his draft to Suzuka, Haru returned to his room.

After entering his room, Haru didn't immediately start doing some experiments with the Innovate Clear; he accessed his Status Board and inspected it.

"I guess I am gonna spend my Stats Points," Haru remarked.

In the past four days, Haru had tried to increase his Stats with exercise.

According to his past-life memory, Protagonists with the power of "The Gamer" could raise their Stats with exercises. Haru was full of expectations when he started his training. But alas, he met with disappointment after finding that his Stats didn't go up from muscle exertion. He was irked because he couldn't raise his stats like how the protagonists from "The Gamer" fanfiction! It was so unfair!

Haru dumped one Stats Point into his VIT and INT each. His Stats Points got reduced to 23 points, but his VIT and INT got increased to 1.8 and 2.2 points each.

With that, the value of Haru's vitality and mental capability was roughly around two ordinary men in their twenties. Haru also noticed the change; he felt more energized and had a better mental capacity. His mental fortitude got increased too. Basically, the INT attribute is like the fusion of INT and WIS attributes in "The Gamer" story and fanfiction.

Haru then inspected his Status Board silently. Other than the change on his Stats, he had a new ability listed in the Notable Abilities attribute. It said [Longinus: Innovate Clear]. When he used his Appraisal ability on it, he found that his Sacred Capability had gone up!

The world of Innovate Clear had expanded. In addition, the limits of the nearly-perfect imitations of living beings had risen up!

'Is the growth of Innovate Clear tied with my VIT and INT attributes?' Haru pondered silently. After a while, he put the topic aside and promised himself to figure it out later.

Haru then fixed his gaze on the Stats Points attribute. There were still 23 points left. After thinking a little, Haru decided to dump another point for VIT and INT each once again. Then, his VIT and INT became 2.8 and 3.2 each.

'It developed again! It looks like the development of Innovate Clear is really tied to my VIT and INT!'

Haru was excited when he discovered this information. He then dumped another point for VIT and INT each, raising them to 3.8 and 4.2. He repeated his action until Innovate Clear stopped developing.

'Huh? It stopped going up?!'

At this point, there were only 15 Stats Points left; meanwhile, his VIT and INT were 5.8 and 6.2.

'Hm, I guess I need to achieve Balance Break of Innovate Clear now. But, I don't know how to unlock its Balance Break.'

Haru felt like he had met a wall in his development of Innovate Clear. However, Haru quickly put this matter at the back of his mind. At least, for the time being.

'Now, let's see how far my capability in utilizing Innovate Clear has grown!'

With the help of his system, Haru discovered that the world of Innovate Clear had become a proper planet with the same size as Earth, but it had more landmasses than Earth. He also could control the flow of time inside this world from 1:1 scale in the second to 1 second: 1-month ratio or five years in the Innovate Clear's world was 1 minute in the real world.

Regarding the creation of near-perfect imitations of life, he discovered that he could create 10,000,000 mice, or 5,000,000 rabbits, or 2,500,000 dogs, or 1,250,000 cows, or 612,500 bears, or 312500 elephants.

In addition, the green-colored little tree had grown up into a supermassive tree that reminded him of the Yggdrasil tree in Alfheim Online from the SAO series.

Haru decided to set the time's flow into 1 second: 1-day scale and entered the world of Innovate Clear.

'This place is beautiful...' Haru was amazed by the scenery in this world. 'The air is also fresh... Well, no wonder that the Innovate Clear is said to create a paradise; this place is amazing!'

Haru decided to enjoy the scenery for a while since he had ample time in this world. After spending his time for sightseeing, Haru finally focused on his reason for entering this world.

It's time to find out if the living beings in this world could give him EXP!

Haru created a single mouse; it was a cute, white mouse that often became a pet instead of a pest. He felt a negligible drain in his stamina and mental energy.

When Haru killed the mouse by twisting its neck, the dead mouse then disappeared like an illusion. It was interesting. Still, he felt bad for killing it, but he convinced himself that this was for SCIENCE!

"A mouse only gives me 0.1 EXP. Next, let's try a rabbit."

Haru created a cute rabbit with white-colored fur. After twisting its neck, Haru obtained 0.1 EXP.

"Next, it's a dog, but a dog can be dangerous for a human if it's wild and cornered. Since I am the master of this world, can I control elements in here as I please?" Haru wondered loudly and then experimented with how far he could control this world.

Several hours later, Haru discovered as to why the possessor of Innovate Clear called "Someone Who Impersonates God" in "High School DxD"; he could control anything in this world, even life-and-death of this world's residents, with a mere thought. It was both a scary and exciting experience.

Haru also discovered that all animals he killed, irrespective of their size, rewarded him with 0.1 EXP.

'Well, since animals, irrespective of their sizes, only give me 0.1 EXP, I should use a mouse to power-level because I can create them in a ten of million,' Haru thought before creating exactly 471 mice.

By killing them all, Haru would obtain the exact amount of EXP to raise his level to 6. What's more, the stamina and mental energy were quite low.

Haru looked at the hundreds of mice floating a few dozen meters away from his spot. He then used his Absolute Authority over this world to kill those mice.

—————

Level Up! You're now Level 6! You obtained 5 Stats Points!

—————

And just like that, Haru leveled up.

'I have around 9 hours left until one day passed there. By the way, I haven't felt hungry or tired. Perhaps, it's because of my high VIT and INT? Well, whatever. Now, I'm going to power-level myself until I max out my Protagonist Job's Level.'

◇◆◇◆◇

14: Disgustingly Useful Abilities

***

—————

Level Up! You're now Level 10! You obtained 5 Stats Points!

—————

—————

You acquired a new Job's Ability from achieving Level 10 of Protagonist Job!

—————

—————

You maxed out a Job: Protagonist!

Your Job has changed to Harem Protagonist!

—————

Haru was speechless by his new Job. 'What kind of Job is Harem Protagonist?!' He retorted before calming down, 'Well, I have a hunch that this Job can help me with my love problems in the future.'

In fact, Haru had a love problem he was presently facing; it's his love for Sora and Suzuka. He was aware that his sisters also loved him romantically, but each one of them was a possessive girl. He didn't think that he could create a harmonious harem with the two of them if he didn't cheat.

Haru put his love problem to the back of his mind for the time being. He then accessed his Status Board to see his new Job's Ability.

—————

Haruka Kasugano — Human — Male — 16-years-old (February 5th)

Job: Harem Protagonist | Level: 1/20 | EXP 100/0

Stats — STR: 0.7 — VIT: 5.8 — DEX: 0.7 — INT: 6.2 — MAG: (Locked)

Stats Points: 65

Status Effect: Healthy

Job's Abilities: Plot Armor — Deus Ex Machina

Notable Abilities: Enhanced Memory — Mysterious Lottery — Item Box — Appraisal — Longinus: Innovate Clear

—————

—————

[Deus Ex Machina]

All protagonists are creatures beyond understanding that can break your common sense. They are hard to kill like a cockroach, extremely lucky as if Lady Luck loves them and always in the correct place at the right time for important events. This skill increases the potency of Plot Armor.

—————

Haru gave the screen a deadpan. He was at a loss for words. Well, it wasn't like he disliked the ability. In fact, he loved it because of how disgustingly useful and overpowered this skill was.

After dismissing his Status Board, Haru then continued his power-leveling; he created exactly 1,000 mice before crushing them with incomprehensible pressure of gravitational force.

"Huh? A mouse only gave me 0.01 EXP now? What the heck?!"

Haru was speechless when he discovered how his EXP acquisition dropped by ten times. However, he quickly recovered and created 99,000 mice before killing it heartlessly.

As for how Haru could kill those innocent animals without remorse or guilt, it was because he had adapted with killing and committing the act of animal cruelty.

—————

Level Up! You're now Level 2! You obtained 5 Stats Points!

—————

Haru dismissed the notification and created another batch of mice. He then killed it, then created another batch, and then killed it, rinse and repeat.

Haru discovered that the EXP requirements were increased by 100 units, meaning that at Level 2, he needed 200 EXP to reach Level 3, 300 EXP to Level 4, 400 EXP to Level 5, and so on, so forth.

When Haru felt that his stamina and mental energy got depleted by more than half, he took a break for a couple of hours before carrying on the next genocide.

After Haru killed the last batch, containing 900,000 mice, he finally received a Level-Up notification.

—————

Level Up! You're now Level 10! You obtained 5 Stats Points!

—————

—————

You acquired a new Job's Ability from achieving Level 10 of Harem Protagonist Job!

—————

"This time, I got a new ability after reaching level ten. I guess the next ability will be unlocked after I maxed out this stupid sounding Job, huh? Well, let's see what kind of skill it is!"

Haru accessed his Status Board and immediately formed a deadpan when he saw another stupid-sounding name with a disgustingly useful effect.

—————

[Aura of Harem Protagonist]

You can't call yourself a Harem Protagonist without producing the aura that helps you pick up lolis, schoolgirls, and MILFs. With this skill, you passively give off a presence that subtly influences your opposite gender; you will have an easier time getting their trust and affection. Your lovers will become more open-minded with the idea of sharing you. However, beware of the same gender because they will show animosity at you and act upon it.

—————

Dumbfounded, Haru was at a loss of what to do. Although his new skills seemed very good at first glance, Haru wasn't the type of person who actively chased girls or women who caught his fancy.

The skill also acted like an Aggro to males. He had a feeling that he would have a hard time finding a real Bro.

"Should I continue?" Haru wondered loudly.

He was wary of the next skill he would unlock at Level 20. If the unlocked second skill of the previous Job was an amplifier type, it might become a trend. He didn't really think that he wanted to have women throwing themselves on him and men swearing themselves as his archenemies.

However, if he didn't continue, his progress would stop. But, the most important, he wanted to unlock his MAG attribute to use magic.

It was magic!

Since he had lied to Sora and Suzuka about his past identity as a magician, he must keep his façade, or they would feel suspicious.

"Ah, well. To hell with it! Let's continue!" Haru shouted in resignation before continuing his mice genocides.

A while later, Haru received the notification about his level up; it was the last level up for his Harem Protagonist Job.

—————

Level Up! You're now Level 20! You obtained 5 Stats Points!

—————

—————

You acquired a new Job's Ability from achieving Level 20 of Harem Protagonist Job!

—————

—————

You maxed out a Job: Harem Protagonist!

Your Job has changed to Fantasy Protagonist!

—————

—————

Due to unlocking Fantasy Protagonist, the MAG attribute now is available!

—————

Haru dismissed the notifications. Then, with a healthy dosage of trepidation, he accessed his Status Board.

————��

Haruka Kasugano — Human — Male — 16-years-old (February 5th)

Job: Fantasy Protagonist | Level: 1/40 | EXP 2000/0

Stats — STR: 0.7 — VIT: 5.8 — DEX: 0.7 — INT: 6.2 — MAG: 0.1

Stats Points: 165

Status Effect: Slightly Fatigued

Job's Abilities: Plot Armor — Deus Ex Machina — Aura of Harem Protagonist — Red String of Fate

Notable Abilities: Enhanced Memory — Mysterious Lottery — Item Box — Appraisal — Longinus: Innovate Clear

—————

Haru's gaze immediately zeroed to his new Job's Ability, Red String of Fate, and appraised it. Then, another smaller screen popped up in his field of vision.

—————

[Red String of Fate]

A Harem Protagonist can't be called True Harem Protagonist without the ability to protect his harem from all unscrupulous attempts on them. With this skill, all your lovers will become eternally loyal to you until death do you apart! You needn't be paranoid of Netorare and other trashy stuff! You only need to 'tie the knot' with your lover, who truly loves you, to activate this ability's effect!

—————

Haru, once again, was struck dumb by his latest Job's Ability. However, unlike his the questionable Job's Ability, he obtained for leveling his Harem Protagonist up to level 10, this Red String of Fate ability was really a godsend.

Although it seemed like a shackle that bound his lovers to him, Haru couldn't deny its usefulness. With this ability, the love of his lovers had for him would be lasting until death did them apart.

Haru knew that one's love could wane by the test of time. If love could last until death did the couple apart, such a thing like a divorce wouldn't exist in the first place! Of course, Haru didn't reject the existence of a loving couple who could survive the test of time, grew old together, and stayed at their partner's last moment.

But, those couples were only normal humans who lived a bit over a century if they were lucky, and less than a century according to the norm. They didn't really survive the real test of time.

At this point, Haru's natural lifespan was a bit less than six times a natural lifespan of an ordinary human; such was the effect of increasing his VIT attribute.

"Not all Job's Abilities are weird and questionable, I suppose," Haru remarked and dismissed the detail of Red String of Fate, returning his Status Board.

When Haru fixed his gaze on his stats attribute, he couldn't help but feel anticipation and excitement. After all, he had unlocked his MAG attribute. He didn't seem to care that his MAG attribute was pitifully low, only 0.1 value.

"Now then, let's turn the bullshit I fed to Sora and Suzuka into reality."

◇◆◇◆◇

15: Magic, and How to Do It!

***

Haru's body was vibrating in both excitement and anticipation.

Magic———it was a concept that only existed in fantasy stories in his past life.

As someone who had watched anime and read manga and novels with such a concept, Haru had dreamed wielding this mystical power. But alas, it was impossible to happen in his past life.

Thankfully, Haru had a chance to wield this mysterious force in this life.

"All right, there are several hours left before 42 hours pass. Let's spend my remaining time here to do some magicks!"

Like a child in a toy or candy store, Haru was so energetic and full of excitement and anticipation.

Haru then sat cross-legged on the ground and started meditating. Since there was a lush grass under him, he had no problem with his location. At the very least, sitting on lush grass was better than sitting on a barren wasteland. He was feeling glad that Innovate Clear had developed to the point of creating something that seemed like a Paradise.

After meditating for a little, Haru could feel something he labeled as Magic Circuits and Magic Energy in his body. It felt weird because Magic Circuits overlapped the location of blood channels such as major and minor veins and arteries, yet their location was conceptually different. Meanwhile, Magic Energy felt like his blood, though it traveled across the Magic Circuits. Magic Energy also originated from something he labeled as Magic Core that overlapped his heart; it moved through Magic Circuits and would enter what he dubbed as Magic Reservoir if he didn't use it. For your information, Magic Reserve existed between his bellybutton and crotch.

In truth, the existence of Magic Core, Magic Reservoir, Magic Circuits, and Magic Energy only existed in a spiritual/metaphysical plane. An ordinary human who never dabbled in the field of mysticism would be impossible to sense their existence.

As a former ordinary human, Haru shouldn't be able to sense their existence. However, he cheated; he used his authority as the possessor of Innovate Clear to help him sensing his Magic Core, Magic Reservoir, Magic Circuits, and Magic Energy that resided in his spiritual/metaphysical body.

After discovering their existence, a notification screen popped up in Haru's vision in spite of him closing his eyes. In fact, Haru could see his Status Board and the pop-up screen, whether his eyes were open or shut. After all, the system was a divine artifact that fused with his existence.

Putting all digressions aside, Haru shifted his focus to the notification. It was a notice about a new Notable Ability he had obtained.

—————

You obtained a new ability: Magic Detection!

—————

—————

You obtained a new ability: Magic Control!

—————

Haru dismissed the notifications and focused his attention on his task; he wanted to know his limits in utilizing his newly unlocked mystical power. Before long, he found his limits; his magic energy's reserve and quality were too low because of the low MAG stat.

Without breaking out of his meditative state, Haru accessed his Status Board and put 1 Stats Point to his MAG attribute, increasing it to 1.1 points. He immediately noticed the difference; the space of his Magic Reservoir improved, the potency became thicker, and the quality grew higher.

Haru exited his meditative state and raised his right hand until it became parallel to his chest, his palm facing upward. He controlled his magic energy to move to his right hand, coaxed it to come out of the openings or nodes in his palm, and condensed the energy into a ball of raw magic energy—no, let's call it Mana to shorten the name.

When Haru saw a softball-sized something floating on top of his palm, he knew that he succeeded. But alas, it broke off his concentration and dispersed his Mana into the air.

As an aside, it seemed like Mana didn't have color, or maybe, Haru's Mana didn't have any. Other than the Magic Detection that helped him sensing Mana, space where the Mana appeared seemed distorted as if caused by the heat.

Haru sighed exasperatedly and then formed a wry smile. "It looks like it won't be easy. Concentration is vital in controlling my Mana, and a small lapse in concentration can break the spell structure. Since it's only a ball of raw Mana, it didn't explode and hurt me. But, I can't be sure if I will stay unscathed if it explodes when I am crafting a complicated spell," Haru hypothesized calmly. "Fortunately, I have raised my INT stat. If I utilize the full potential of my mind, controlling my Mana won't be a problem."

Haru then thought about another matter; he wanted to know if he could produce elemental spells. He tried to convert his neutral Mana into elemental Mana but found that he was unable to do it.

"It seems like I'm unable to cast an elemental spell. Is it because I have no aptitude?"

Disappointed, Haru ended his meditation and flopped back on the soft grass; he absentmindedly stared at the clear blue sky with fluffy white clouds floating leisurely.

Haru forcefully suppressed his disappointment and tried to be optimistic. "Maybe, I need to unlock the aptitude for elements first? Well, I'll figure it out later. What's important is that I can control my Mana well. I wonder if I can use telekinesis with my neutral Mana."

Haru decided to test it out. He raised his body to a sitting posture and created a wooden cube with his Absolute Authority over this world. The wooden cube had a precise weight of 1 kg.

"Let's see," Haru licked his bottom lip and muttered. He then thrust his right hand forward, with his open palm pointing at the wooden cube. He put his concentration on controlling his Mana.

After his Mana existed through the metaphysical nodes in his palm, he made the colorless energy wrapping the wooden cube, and then he tried to lift the wooden cube with his Mana.

"Oh! I did it!" Haru exclaimed energetically.

However, Haru immediately lost control over his telekinetic grip because his concentration broke; the wooden cube fell on the ground as a result. He wasn't discouraged; he quickly repeated his action and made the wooden cube fly around him with his telekinetic grip.

Although it was simple telekinesis, Haru was so happy. He was like a child with his new toy. Granted, he was doing MAGIC!

Haru experimented with the limits of his telekinetic power. He discovered that his maximum weight was 67.5 kg; he could hold on that for a while before his Mana got emptied.

When Haru experienced the phenomenon called "Mana Depletion" for the first time, he realized how awful it was. It felt like you have a fever as well as having no energy to move your body; your mind was very sluggish.

Haru finally passed the first 24 hours in "Paradise" moaning and whining because of Mana Depletion. For your information, Haru had called the world of Innovate Clear as "Paradise." Although he'd spent that long inside Paradise, only one second had passed in the real world. Even though Haru was able to endure the lack of company in Paradise because he was a loner in his past life, he slightly missed his little sisters in the real world.

Several hours later, Haru recovered from his Mana Depletion condition. He also discovered that he must rest for 8 hours to fill his Mana Reservoir to the brim.

"There are more than 12 hours left until another day passes in this place. I guess I can do some power-leveling to kill time."

Haru decided on his next action and wasted no time to implement it. He created another batch of mice and killed them with a thought.

—————

Level Up! You're now Level 2! You obtained 5 Stats Points!

—————

'Man, power-leveling becomes harder as I get stronger. Previously, I need 2000 EXP to level up, but I need to collect 4000 EXP to go up to Level 3 now!'

Haru complained after discovering that the speed and efficiency of his power-leveling had dropped. Yet, he gritted his teeth and continued power-leveling.

Whenever Haru became fatigued because of depleting his stamina and mental power for creating those EXP Cashes, he would get a break and take a nap. Haru repeated it with a single-minded zeal; he convinced himself that he must milk the advantage he had.

And so, several days passed.

"Aaaah! I can't take it anymore! I miss Sora and Suzuka, goddammit!"

Haru's roar echoed in the empty Paradise.

The next moment, he exited the world of Innovate Clear and returned to his bedroom. He then exited his room in a hurry and went to find Sora in the living room.

Haru's hurried footsteps grabbed Sora's attention; she was reclining on the sofa while reading Haru's draft and snacking without a care in the world.

"Sooooora~! I miss you~!"

"Eep!"

Haru exclaimed loudly, catching Sora off guard. He ignored Sora's confused yelp and hugged her soft body tightly; he rubbed his face on Sora's head as if she was a fluffy animal.

"H-Haru! W-What are you doing?! Release me! It's embarrassing!" Sora tried to resist Haru's hug to no avail; her physical strength was lower than Haru's.

Haru ignored Sora's desperate attempt to release herself from his grip while rubbing his face on her hair and sniffing her fragrance; he really missed Sora after staying in Paradise for several days.

Because Haru was too focused on Sora, he missed that the chaos he caused had grabbed Suzuka's attention.

Suzuka had exited her room to check out the ruckus, but she became dumbfounded when she saw Haru hugging the flailing and blushing Sora. She then snapped out of her daze and shouted at them in jealousy.

"ONII-CHAN! WHAT. THE. HECK. ARE. YOU. DOING?!"

◇◆◇◆◇

16: Invitation To Paradise

***

Right after registering Suzuka's scandalized roar, Haru stopped hugging and fluffing Sora, much to Sora's silent disappointment; she was actually enjoying the contact in spite of her resistance.

Haru turned his body around and went to Suzuka; his movement was so fast that it blindsided Suzuka. In her perspective, she just finished shouting at Haru, and the next moment, she found herself in Haru's embrace and got fluffed by him.

"Ah~ Suzuka, I miss you too~" Haru had a blissful expression as he rubbed Suzuka's head with his face.

Suzuka had become tense and frozen like a statue, her mind unable to catch up. Her face and ears also had turned extremely red.

"Awawawawa~" Suzuka produced an incomprehensible voice as she was at a loss of what to do. Yet, she also felt blissful and happy; as expected of a closet bro-con, Suzuka decided to enjoy the rare treat.

Sora watched everything that happened with a deadpan for a short time. Then, with a frosty look that indicated her jealousy, Sora approached Haru and Suzuka before separating the former from the latter.

"That's enough."

"Ah!"

"Wait, Sora! I still need to recharge!"

Suzuka yelped in a mix of surprise and disappointment before sending a resentful look at Sora. Meanwhile, Haru shamelessly spouted nonsense that pissed Sora off even more.

"Stop this foolishness, or I'll hate you!"

"This isn't foolish, I tell you! It has been a while since I see my lovely and precious little sisters!"

At first, Sora gave Haru cold eyes, but she turned her gaze into utter befuddlement after she listened to Haru's response.

Suzuka, who had recovered from Haru's surprise attack, mirrored Sora's reaction. She felt like she had heard something strange coming out of Haru's mouth.

"What did you mean by that?" Sora asked, overtaking Suzuka's attempt to ask Haru first.

Haru, who had finally calmed from his Little Sister deprivation, made a contemplative face and became silent for a little. Sora and Suzuka kept their eyes trained on him as they waited for his answer.

"Well," Haru finally said, "Maybe it didn't feel long for you two, but it has been several days since I met you, you know."

"Explain, please," Suzuka demanded with a no-nonsense tone, and Sora nodded her head in agreement.

Haru alternated his gaze between Sora and Suzuka. A little while later, he nodded his head and spoke up.

"Okay, sure. But, let's sit down first."

***

Around 30 minutes or so later, Haru finally finished his explanation. He was sitting on a single person sofa in the living room. Meanwhile, Sora and Suzuka were sharing the recliner.

"Correct me if I'm wrong," Suzuka finally opened her lips after trying to wrap her mind around Haru's latest shenanigan, "Onii-chan has regained one of your powerful magical artifacts from your past life. So, this artifact can create an imitation of a world in another dimension. As the owner, you are like a god in that place. You can even control the flow of time in that place. Then, you have an idea to use the time difference between that world and this world to retrain your magical abilities. Thus, you have spent several days there while it is only a short time has passed in this world. So, that's the summary of everything, correct?"

"Yup," Haru nodded his head in confirmation, "You sum it up nicely!"

Suzuka put her face on her palms; her elbows nicely rested on her thighs. She was trying to stave off a headache from Haru's outrageous story, which sounded unbelievable, that he said in a casual tone as if he was talking about the weather.

In truth, Suzuka had voluntarily shelved the topic of Haru's magic and reincarnation in the back of her mind because she couldn't wrap her mind around it. In addition, she had been over the moon because she felt that she had gotten very close to Haru lately.

It was understandable that Suzuka chose to keep her priority on the development of her relationship with her once estranged brother; she was just an ordinary girl who normally grew up in 21st-century and loved her brother too much to cope. So, do forgive her for her skewed up priority.

Sora, who had been silent so far, changed her sitting posture; she lowered her feet on the floor and straightened her back, her eyes on Haru. "Haru, can you bring me to this other world?" She plainly asked.

""Huh?""

Haru and Suzuka looked at Sora, apparently surprised by her request.

"What are you saying?" Suzuka asked Sora with confused eyes, apparently unable to understand Sora's thoughts.

"I'm curious about this other world," Sora plainly answered without turning her gaze away from Haru.

"But that is..." Suzuka was at a loss for words by Sora's casual attitude in this situation.

"Don't you also feel curious about this so-called another world?"

"Well, it's true that I also feel curious, but..."

Suzuka replied Sora's inquiry with a troubled expression. Unlike Sora, who didn't really care about what she wasn't interested in, Suzuka was grounded in reality. She had her misgivings when facing something that challenged her belief and common sense. So, it was understandable that she was a bit wary.

At this point, Haru decided to chime in: "Well, I don't mind bringing you there."

Haru could invite someone into Paradise. He also could forcefully drag someone into Paradise, but if he forced someone into that place, the target could resist it through pure willpower or magic power. However, ordinary humans wouldn't be able to give significant resistance.

Innovate Clear got labeled as Longinus, one of "Tools That Can Destroy Gods," for reasons. It surely was a powerful tool with the potential to destroyed the world or slay gods if mastered.

"Huh? Really?" Suzuka turned her head to Haru and gave him a surprised look.

Haru nodded his head in affirmation, "Of course, but I can't promise you that it's an interesting place. I mean, I just create that world; there are no lifeforms there, not even animals," and told them bluntly.

Suzuka had a wry smile after hearing Haru's outrageous statement that he uttered with a casual tone.

"As expected, hearing Onii-chan creating a world all of a sudden is..." Suzuka trailed off, seemingly at a loss of words to describe the absurdity of the situation.

"Can we go there now?" Sora suddenly asked.

Unlike Suzuka, who had trouble accepting her stepbrother's ridiculous feat that broke common sense, Sora didn't really care about something that didn't interest her.

"Well, I don't mind, but how about the day after tomorrow instead? It's a weekend, and Suzuka won't go to school. We can have a picnic and stay there for a vacation."

"How about tomorrow instead?" Sora asked.

"Well, Suzuka has a school tomorrow."

"Then, let's go there with only the two of us."

"There's a snowball chance in hell I'll leave Onii-chan alone with you!" Suzuka stood up, glared at Sora, and strongly objected.

Sora returned Suzuka's glare with her own glare, apparently unable to accept losing. When Haru saw them starting another quarrel, he felt mildly exasperated.

"Okay! Cool down, you two! Do you want to make me angry again?"

Sora and Suzuka slightly flinched as they remembered the last time they'd angered their brother. The broke off their glaring contest and moved their eyes away from each other. They then started sulking.

Haru sighed in exasperation at their behavior. Although they had lowered the amount of their confrontation, it didn't mean that they really dropped it. They were willful and stubborn; they didn't want to lose in their rivalry.

'I should confess my feeling to stop this stupid rivalry between them, but...' Haru was troubled when he thought about his feeling for his little sisters.

Although Haru trusted his new abilities, he didn't have faith in it. He had his misgivings in confessing his feeling and desire to have both of them.

Because Haru had come to love them and experienced loving someone else for the first time, he didn't want his first love to end in heartbreak. He also had his possessive side because of his past life.

As an orphan who had little personal belongings, Haru treasured his possessions so much. It affected his feelings for them; he was really possessive of both of his little sisters and didn't want to lose them or be hated by them.

'I need to fix this problem as soon as possible. Perhaps, when we are in Paradise?' Haru pondered for a little before putting the topic aside. He would think it through later.

Haru turned his attention to his little sisters and saw them still keeping their look away from each other peevishly. He decided to get their attention by clapping his hand. After they turned their heads to him, Haru spoke up.

"I've made up my mind. The day after tomorrow, when Suzuka has a day off, we will visit my world———Paradise. In addition, let's make it into a date!"

Sora and Suzuka immediately got filled with tension after hearing "Date" from Haru's mouth. Their cheeks flushed slightly, and anticipation mixed with anxiety was visible in their eyes.

Haru had a wry smile on his face as he watched his little sisters' a bit over the top reaction.

◇◆◇◆◇

17: Visiting Paradise

***

Two days later, it was the weekend, which was also Suzuka's day off.

Haru had created many fantastical creatures and sites in his world for his date with his sisters. Other than that, Haru had used his fourth try of his Mysterious Lottery; he had also used his third try in the middle of his magical training montage. Regarding the prizes of his third and fourth Lotteries, well, it was a topic for another time.

Early in the morning in Haru's room, the alarm resounded loudly, waking up the sleeping residents of the room.

Haru immediately opened his eyes as he registered the sound of an alarm and turned it off using his telekinesis. Because of his high VIT stat, Haru could stay awake for 136 hours, with only 8 hours sleeping in those six days.

"Morning, Onii-*Yawn*-chan~" Suzuka rubbed her sleepy eyes and greeted Haru after raising her head from Haru's chest.

After sleeping together with Haru in the past several days, Suzuka had developed a bit resistance, meaning that she wasn't as shy as her past self that had shrieked in surprise when she woke up in the same bed as Haru.

It showed the powerful adaptive ability of humanity, and Haru could say that Suzuka was an outstanding example of a mundane girl.

"Morning to you too, Suzuka," Haru greeted Suzuka back before shaking Sora's body to wake her up.

"Muuu~ five minutes more, let me sleep..." Sora snuggled deeper into Haru's body and mumbled incoherently.

Haru involuntarily formed a fond smile at the adorable sight. But alas, he must wake Sora up because she also needed to prepare herself for their plan.

"Come on, Sora. Wake up. Do you forget about our plan today? We will visit and have a date in Paradise." Haru coaxed Sora.

"That's right. We will have a..." Suzuka paused abruptly and became wide-eyed out of realization, "...d-d-date, yeah?"

As Haru watched his stepsister from the corner of his eyes, he let loose an amused chuckle at Suzuka's adorable reaction.

"Onii-chan! Don't laugh at me!" Suzuka raised her voice in embarrassment.

"Hey! I'm not laughing. I'm chuckling. It's different."

Suzuka pouted at Haru's words, feeling a mild resentment from his teasing.

"You two are loud! I can't sleep in peace," Sora grumbled in an irritated tone as she raised her body.

At the same time, one of the laces of her nightgown slid down, almost displaying her nipple. Haru could see her pink areola clearly, thanks to his high INT stat.

Haru had discovered that his INT stat didn't only govern over his mental capacity and capability; it also affected his acuity, spatial awareness, and observatory prowess.

"W-what are you doing? Fix your appearance quickly!" Suzuka, who realized how her stepsister's nipple almost got shown, covered Haru's eyes with her hand and shouted in a fluster.

"What are you doing? You're troubling him! Look!" Sora retorted peevishly and pointed at Suzuka's hands that covered Haru's eyes.

From how she intentionally disregarded the state of her dress, it was clear that Sora didn't intend to fix her appearance; she didn't mind to give Haru a show, as a matter of fact.

"Y-you! Stop being shameless!" Suzuka replied heatedly.

"I'm not shameless. I don't mind showing off my body if it's Haru."

"Aren't you very bold lately?! Can't you stop doing that?!" Suzuka rebuked Sora's blunt declaration, seemingly peeved by her boldness.

Although his eyes got covered by Suzuka's hands, Haru didn't really feel troubled. In fact, he enjoyed the banter of his sisters.

Although Haru seemed like a hypocrite by letting them trade banter like this while often decisively stopped their fight, Haru had his reason for allowing them to do it.

In truth, Haru didn't mind them trading banter; what he disliked was their violent and toxic confrontation. As long as they didn't get carried away and showed hatred to each other, Haru would ignore and even enjoy their verbal sparring. He wanted his beloved little sisters to coexist in harmony because it would be troublesome later if they couldn't coexist. After all, Haru had decided to confess to both of them soon.

"Okay, that's enough, you two!" Haru stopped their argument when they escalated their banter into a real fight. "Suzuka, could you move your hands? Also, Sora, fix your dress, please."

Sora and Suzuka obediently followed Haru's demand. After Suzuka moved her hands away from Haru's eyes, Haru raised his body to a sitting posture.

"All right. Let's freshen ourselves."

Sora and Suzuka nodded, agreeing Haru's decision. They then walked out of the room after folding the sleeping mattresses. Since they would get dried under the sun today, they didn't put it inside Haru's closet.

They entered the washroom and brushed their teeth together. Sora and Suzuka stood in front of the washing stand and the washroom's mirror while Haru, who was a head taller than them, stood behind them.

After they brushed their teeth and washed their faces, they went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

***

When the clock in the living room showed 9.11 AM, Haru and his little sisters were ready to visit Paradise.

"Onii-chan, I have locked the door," Suzuka reported as she approached Haru and Sora, who sat on the sofa in the living room.

Suzuka wore her casual getup, consisted of a yellow one-piece under a Tosca-green cardigan. She tied her hair in her usual high ponytail style with black and red ribbons. She also donned outdoor shoes over comfortable white socks that sopped under her knees. Her bag, which kept her smartphone and other girly stuff, was hanging from her shoulder. She was also holding a three-storied lunch box wrapped in a green cloth.

Meanwhile, Sora chose to wear one of her Gothic Lolita collections, consisted of frilly white top and frilly black skirts. She donned a pair of boots that stopped below her knees and carried a small bag filled with her belongings on her shoulder. Her hands were holding her rabbit doll as always. She let her hair loose.

Lastly, Haru wore a simple Tosca-colored jumper over a plain white T-shirt and a pair of black jeans. He also wore a pair of sneakers.

Haru kept his belongings in his Item Box. When Suzuka saw how Haru made his laptop, flip phone, and charger disappeared, she had a blank look on her face. Apparently, Suzuka had yet to adapt to the supernatural phenomenon around her brother, unlike Sora, who had adapted to it without problems.

"So, how do we do this?" Suzuka suddenly asked, apparently anxious.

Sora looked at Haru with curious eyes, wondering the same thing, though she lacked Suzuka's nervousness.

In truth, Sora was feeling nervous, but she hid it under her aloof mask.

Haru had a mischievous smile and said, "Like this."

""Huh? Kyaaa!""

Sora and Suzuka were dumbfounded when their surroundings changed abruptly; the familiar sight of their living room turned into an endless greenfield. Whether it was Haru's fault or not, a strong wind blew their hair and clothes, making them yelp in surprise.

Suzuka ducked her head slightly; her long ponytail got blown by the wind. She couldn't hold her purple hair because the lunch box occupied her hands. Meanwhile, Sora had her free hand on her silver hair. They had shut their eyes in reflex.

A short time later, Sora and Suzuka opened their eyes and viewed their surroundings. The beautiful scenery immediately blew their mind away.

""Wow!"" They made an awed voice at the same time.

Then, their gazes stopped at something that caught their attention.

"Onii-chan, that tree..."

"...it is so huge and tall!"

Sora continued for Suzuka; they got their attention stolen by a supermassive tree that seemingly stood taller than mountains at its surroundings. The tree had a faded green colored trunk and glimmering emerald-colored leaves.

"That tree is the core of my artifact. I called it Yggdrasill after the same tree from Norse Mythology," Haru answered their questions.

"How tall is it?" Suzuka asked, and Haru replied, "Around twenty thousand kilometers or so," in a casual tone that made her and Sora speechless.

"It's taller than Mount Fuji!"

"it's even taller than Himalaya!"

Sora and Suzuka remarked in disbelief.

"Don't be surprised with just that. In truth, it is still growing."

""Huh?!"" They made a disbelieving voice after listening to Haru's comment.

"How tall it is after it fully matured, Onii-chan?" Suzuka asked in extreme curiosity. At her side, Sora also gave Haru curious eyes.

Haru involuntarily formed a wry smile. "I don't know."

"What did you mean with 'I don't know'?" Suzuka retorted.

"Well, I have yet to see it fully matured in my past life. I died first before it fully matures. When I reincarnated, it got reset into a seed. The fact that it has grown so much in several days is already surprising," Haru told them another lie with a straight face.

"That's a valid point," Suzuka believed Haru's words without hesitation.

Sora wordlessly nodded her head, agreeing with her stepsister. When she thought about it a little, she agreed with many things with her stepsister lately, and she was mildly surprised by the change. However, this realization occurred in her mind with Haru and Suzuka unaware of it.

"Ah," Haru made a voice as if he finally remembered something, grabbing Sora's and Suzuka's attention, "This is a little late, but... Sora, Suzuka, welcome to my world———Paradise!"

Haru welcomed his beloved little sisters in the world of his Innovate Clear with a refreshing smile.