Happy 18th Birthday!

Haruto turned around as the door creaked open, revealing his stepmother, Chiyo, standing there with a gentle smile, dressed in her apron.

"Ah, yeah, we're coming, Mother" he said with an awkward smile.

Despite the years that had passed, it still felt strange calling her his mother.

Chiyo gave a small nod, her soft eyes lingering briefly before she turned and left them alone.

Haruto sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, and refocused his attention on his sister. 

"I'm just glad you're okay. I had a nightmare about you, Haruka."

Haruka's stern expression softened the sincerity in his voice. "I get it, but don't go barging into my room like that!"

She shot back, pointing at the door handle hanging loosely. "You broke the lock!"

Haruto blinked in surprise, his gaze snapping to the broken door handle. 

He grimaced, rubbing his temples. "Ugh… I'll fix it. Promise."

Rising to his feet, he stretched his arms above his head. "Anyway, let's go have breakfast."

"No way! You go first. I need to change!"

Haruka insisted, pushing him out of her room and closing the door behind him. "And don't you dare peek!"

Haruto rolled his eyes as he shrugged. "I'd never do that."

Once alone, Haruka let out a relieved breath, leaning against the door. "Stupid brother…" she muttered. She hesitated for a moment, glancing toward her desk. 

"I'm glad he didn't see it…" she whispered under her breath, her face shadowed with unease.

Walking quickly, she returned to the table, grabbing a piece of black cloth and draping it carefully over the items she had hidden. Whatever it was, it needed to stay hidden. 

*** 

Haruto still struggled to believe everything he'd experienced. 

As he looked around the dining area and kitchen, the familiar surroundings confirmed his suspicion: this was indeed a year ago.

The simple, old table with four chairs, the wooden kitchen set, the old stove, and the refrigerator still decorated with their childhood drawings and a photo of their mother—it all felt too real to be a dream.

He glanced toward the living room, noting the old TV and the door to the bathroom beside it. A sketch of Haruto and Haruka's height was marked on the wall next to the door.

In just a few months, his drunken father would leave the family, never to return, and they would be forced to leave this house, needing the rent money for their survival.

'This is the second semester of my second year in high school,' Haruto thought, eyes narrowing in contemplation. 

'It'll take another five or six months before I'm in third grade… and Haruka will enroll in my school.'

The thought made his heart race. 'I need to do something before then,' he mused grimly.

He clenched his fists, frustrated by the limitations he knew he had. Haruto was tall, sure, but he was lanky—his long limbs weren't backed by strength. 

Violence had never been his go-to. And intelligence? He grimaced at the thought. He wasn't exactly known for his brilliance in academics either.

'So how do I crush them… all of them?' he pondered, staring off into the distance.

As if in answer to his silent question, a familiar chime echoed in his mind, and the system screen flickered into existence before him.

[Ding!]  

[Automatic scan completed.]  

[One potential target identified with elevated Libido levels.]  

[Target Information:]  

[Name: Chiyo Hayase]  

[Age: 35 years old]  

[Status: MILF]  

[Libido Percentage: 60%]  

[Would you like to designate Chiyo Hayase as the host's first target?]  

[Yes/No]

'What the hell? Why is her libido so high? Has Father never touched her?' Haruto furrowed his brows. 

He glanced at Chiyo who was still busy cooking. Her blue aprons were tight to her curvy body and her big ass jiggled everything she moved. 

He gulped, his step mother was indeed sexy. 

"Haruto, why don't you sit down? The food is almost ready," Chiyo called, smiling at him. 

Her blue eyes were warm, and her short, curly black hair with blue in the bottom bounced as she turned back to the kitchen.

"Ah, yes," Haruto replied awkwardly, still processing the system's prompt.

[Ding!]  

[Target confirmed! Chiyo Hayase has been designated as the host's first target.]  

[You can now access the target's status within the system interface.]

'Wait, what? That's not what I meant!' Haruto ran his hands through his hair in frustration.

Before he could process it any further, the sound of soft singing broke his thoughts. He turned around to find Haruka, his sister, walking toward him, a birthday cake in her hands. 

Her voice was sweet as she sang:

"Happy birthday to you~

Happy birthday to you~

Happy birthday, my lovely brother~

Happy birthday to you~"

She stopped in front of him, smiling brightly, her eyes sparkling with joy. The cake had two candles shaped like the number '18,' flickering brightly.

"Blow out the candles and make a wish!" she said excitedly.

Haruto rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed but touched by the gesture. 

He hadn't even realized today was his birthday—time had been a blur ever since he was sent back to the past.

'Today's my birthday, huh?'

He smiled bitterly, remembering how, in the future, he never had the chance to celebrate. 

His sister had been kidnapped, and he had spent that birthday in agony, searching for her in vain… only to find her in the most nightmarish way possible.

'A year… I've been sent back a year,' he thought, his heart heavy with memories and regrets.

'This time, for sure.'

'I won't let you suffer again, Haruka.'

'I promise… I'll destroy anyone who even thinks of hurting you—even if they haven't done it yet.'

As he leaned forward to blow out the candles, his resolve solidified. 'God, if you're the one who sent me back, thank you… but I won't be a good person anymore.'

'I'll be worse and cruel if I have to be.'

With that final thought, Haruto closed his eyes, made his wish, and blew out the candles.