Feeling movement in the kitchen below, Sora woke from her deep sleep.
"It's already this time..."
She rubbed her eyes, sitting up in bed with her silver hair cascading down.
She stretched her body and yawned. Lazily, she tilted her head, gazing at her reflection in the mirror.
On her small, cute face, though not fully awake, there was a gentle expression that felt comforting just to hear her voice.
"Yuu is amazing, being able to wake up early every day..."
She smiled unconsciously and murmured.
Unlike herself, who played games until midnight every day and woke up lazily, extremely unwilling.
"Hmm..."
She sat on the bed with half-lidded eyes for a while, then shook her dazed head. She slid her bottom to the edge of the bed, used her white foot to pull out slippers from under the bed, put them on, and walked out of the room like a ghost.
After washing her face in the bathroom, she was sufficiently awake—after breakfast, she'd take a short nap, and only then would her day truly begin.
But before that, she couldn't go downstairs looking disheveled.
Back in her room, Sora sat in front of the vanity, combing her long, troublesome silver hair—which Yuu loved so much.
Then, she tied two pigtails on the sides of her head with two black ribbons. The pigtails made her look cute and mischievous.
This was also the hairstyle Yuu liked.
To make Yuu like her more, Sora kept changing herself, from the past until now.
"Hmm, this should be fine, right?"
She checked as usual, and after confirming nothing was different from normal, she left the room hugging her black rabbit plushie.
Before closing the door, Sora glanced back, seeing the dolphin plushie Yuu gave her lying alone at the head of the bed.
If it weren't for the difficulty and slight awkwardness of carrying two plushies at once, she wouldn't have had to make this difficult choice.
"Haah~"
Sighing without reason, Sora firmly closed the door and walked down calmly.
Her small nose twitched mid-way. She could smell the delicious aroma from the kitchen, even from the stairs.
(How annoying!)
(Whenever Yuu cooks such delicious food, he makes me want to eat it all without thinking. If one day I get fat, it'll definitely be his fault!)
(But since he'll take care of me for life, being a little fat is fine, right?)
(Is this what they call happy fat?)
"Meow~"
As she was daydreaming, the little gray cat approached and rubbed its face against her leg.
Sora squatted and stroked its head. Her tone and expression unconsciously softened:
"Yukinon, have you eaten?"
Since Yukinon was picked up from the street by her brother, this little cat had been keeping Sora company when her brother went to school or work, reducing her loneliness.
They ate together, watched anime together, took naps together, and even went into her brother's room together...
Hmm, not together. Otherwise, leaving cat paw prints would be troublesome.
In short, they were like a real family—for Sora, besides her brother, the second most important thing in the world might be the little gray cat before her.
After stroking the cat's head, Sora entered the living room. Without hesitation, she directly took a large spoonful of food from the bag and poured it into the bowl.
Then, she squatted, propping her chin on her hands on her knees.
She watched Yukinon quickly devouring its food and smiled contentedly: "Eat lots, let's get fat together!"
"Meow~"
Her cat had started breakfast. Sora placed her rabbit plushie on the chair and turned toward the kitchen.
Though she didn't intentionally walk quietly, she, naturally as agile as a cat, entered the kitchen noiselessly, unnoticed by the other person there.
Her brother seemed too focused on what was in front of him, unaware of her presence as usual, not reacting to the gaze directed at his back.
Sora walked behind him to the side. She saw two trays on the kitchen table.
Today's breakfast was Western-style: Eggs Benedict and salad with Japanese dressing. Everything looked delicious and complete—portioned perfectly for the two of them.
(Then, why isn't he bringing the dishes out and still doing something?)
(Is he making a bento? But tomorrow's only Monday?)
"This person, what's he doing..."
Feeling displeased at being ignored, she frowned and murmured. Sora leaned forward until she could clearly see what her brother was holding.
It was her mug, filled with the milk she always drank every morning.
And now her brother...
Was holding a suspicious small crystal bottle, with a strange smile at the corner of his lips. Her brother carefully dripped one drop of suspicious pure white liquid into it.
The liquid quickly disappeared into the milk, as if evidence had been erased without a trace.
Sora: "..."
So shocked, the silver-haired girl with pigtails widened her eyes and froze in place, as if struck by a petrification spell.
Meanwhile, Yuu put away the crystal bottle. While slowly stirring the milk, he murmured:
"I hope this benefits Sora."
Right after he finished speaking, he turned and saw Sora, her face full of disbelief.
Yuu: "..."
Sora: "..."
An awkward, tense silence filled the kitchen.
The silence felt heavy, pressing on both of them as they stared at each other. The air felt cold, as if it would freeze.
Finally, Sora spoke first.
"I-I didn't see anything... Please continue."
She suddenly turned around. As her silver hair swayed, the blush on her ears and cheeks was clearly visible: "And, this is just my personal opinion... Isn't one drop too little? It's practically the same as nothing, not serious at all."
"Hah???" Yuu instantly snapped to attention. He reached his hand toward her like Elkon in a drama, "Sora, my sister, this isn't what you think!"
"I don't mind if you like games like this."
Sora seemed unwilling to listen to her brother's defense. She muttered dissatisfiedly and deliberately acted relaxed as she walked out of the kitchen: "But I didn't expect you to have such a weird interest... I thought only cowards liked doing things like this."
"That's a misunderstanding! I did put something in your milk, but it's not a suspicious drug!" Yuu quickly raised his voice, so she wouldn't keep imagining weird things. "Do you think I'd give you milk that knocks you out or computer components? I'd never forgive myself if that happened! You should know what kind of person I am!"
Though in his previous life he had a collection of videos with similar themes, after being reborn and meeting Sora, he'd truly locked away that genre...
His sister was the most important person. He'd never forgotten that.
Besides, if he really wanted to do something, would Yuu need to use something from outside?
Wasn't his face enough?
"So, the content is normal?"
Coming to her senses from embarrassment, shock, and a hint of happiness, Sora, who trusted him more than anyone, stopped walking. She turned and looked at the crystal bottle confusedly: "Is it artificial sweetener or creamer? Why must it be stored in this bottle?"
"...Well, I'll be honest."
After asking the system and getting a positive answer.
Yuu put on a rare serious expression. He handed over the crystal bottle and said earnestly to Sora:
"I can't hide it anymore. This bottle contains a Spiritual Elixir from Another World I obtained through a transaction! It's absolutely not a suspicious item. I've already tested it myself. Drink it with peace of mind. I'll protect you!"
Sora: "..."
(After you say that, how can I possibly be at peace!)
(What should I do if my older brother's brain is broken?)
(Help me, this is an emergency)