Chapter 54: Lala Slowly Turning into a Heroine Side-Character.
...
Inside her private garden planet, Momo carefully handpicked ten distinct varieties of plant fruits suitable for brewing liquor. These ten fruits covered every genre of alcohol she knew of, leaving zero room to worry about Ibuki Suika being picky.
"Mmhmm, not a single flaw!"
Double-checking the harvest once more before leaving to ensure she hadn't missed or dropped any, she stepped through the teleportation gate and returned to her bedroom.
"Phew... making a round trip like that really makes you notice how subpar Earth's air quality is. For the sake of brother-in-law's long-term health, I should consult him later about transplanting a few air-purifying plants from my garden over here."
Carrying the bamboo basket loaded with fruits downstairs, Momo scanned the living room for Ibuki Suika. Instead of finding the Oni, she unexpectedly spotted Nana sitting right in Kihara's lap while they played video games together.
Meanwhile, Lala—who ought to have been sitting in that very spot—was nibbling on snacks with a beaming smile, watching the two of them play.
'I must be hallucinating...'
Momo raised her hand to rub her eyes, taking a long, focused look afterward, only to find that the incomprehensible scene before her hadn't shifted in the slightest.
"No way... Could I have wandered into an alternate timeline?"
Just as she began concocting bizarre misunderstandings, Lala noticed her standing by the doorway holding the bamboo basket. Walking over with curiosity, she asked, "Momo, what kind of fruits are those in your basket? They look super delicious!"
"Before answering that question, big sister, you need to answer one for me first."
"Sure thing~"
Momo pointed directly at Kihara and Nana sitting on the couch playing games. "Are you absolutely certain you're Kihara's fiancé?"
"I'm certain! Why do you ask?"
"Let's take this upstairs to talk."
"Mmhmm!"
The twin sisters returned to the attic. The space here had been expanded considerably by Lala using her sci-fi technology, transforming the central area into a vast common lounge. It was filled with plush cushions and furniture customized to their individual tastes.
The three wooden doors along the left side of the entrance led to their private bedrooms.
Setting the basket of fruits down by the entrance, Momo led Lala by the hand to sit down on the thick rug at the center of the lounge, speaking with heavy earnestness: "Big sister, even if you already share a formal engagement with brother-in-law, you can't waste your precious time with him like this!"
"Am I not watching him play games with Nana right now? How is that wasting time?"
"Under normal circumstances, you ought to be the person held in brother-in-law's arms!"
"Hmm..." Lala tapped her index finger lightly against her cheek, nodding with half-baked comprehension. "While I really do want to be held by him, it's also very important that you two get along well with him. After all, you're my most adorable younger sisters—everyone has to live happily together!"
"Even though you and Nana didn't say it out loud, both of you were more or less wary of Kihara when you first arrived. Seeing your relationship with him gradually improve gives me total peace of mind."
"Big sister..." A sparkling tear of deep emotion flickered in Momo's eyes.
No matter how naturally innocent she was, Lala remained the eldest sister among the three. Without either of her younger sisters realizing it, she had already picked up on the potential issues that might arise.
She was proactively sacrificing her own time and opportunities with Kihara, handing them over to her sisters purely to foster a better bond between them and her fiancé, nipping potential troubles in the bud.
"I understand your intentions, but I simply cannot agree with your approach."
Momo didn't believe that Nana currently required Lala to sacrifice her own couple time with Kihara to deepen their bond. Nana had already developed favorable feelings toward Kihara in her subconscious; she simply lacked someone to point it out to her.
"You don't need to worry about Nana's situation. I guarantee you that we will get along wonderfully with brother-in-law, so all you need to do is enjoy your private world with him."
Lala blinked her green eyes in bewilderment. "What does a 'private world' mean?"
"While I expected big sister to be completely clueless in this department... I really didn't expect to start from the absolute basics..."
Momo felt an immense weight settling onto her shoulders.
She genuinely wanted to take her sister straight through a couple of dating sims. Yet the moment she thought about how the content inside might corrupt her pure, innocent sister, a surge of guilt washed over her, making her deeply reluctant to execute such a plan.
Racking her brain for a while, Momo decided to begin with the most fundamental knowledge: "Big sister, romantic love between a man and a woman... Wait, I think I've uncovered an even more severe issue!"
"What issue?"
"Big sister, you and brother-in-law are merely betrothed on paper—you're not actually a romantic couple, right?"
"Huh? Is there a difference between the two?"
"Of course there is!" Momo's voice suddenly spiked by several decibels. Placing her hands firmly onto Lala's shoulders, she stared intently into her blank, confused eyes. "What I just said is correct, isn't it?"
"Hmm... strictly speaking, that's true."
"This is an unprecedented major crisis, big sister!!"
"Ah?"
"If things keep going like this, your marriage with brother-in-law is very likely to become a cold, emotionless contractual marriage!"
"I-Is it really that serious? But I feel like Kihara likes me quite a lot, and I like him too," Lala stammered, thoroughly startled by her sister's deadly serious expression.
"Big sister, is your idea of 'liking' brother-in-law similar to how you like eating a certain food?"
"It's kind of similar, yeah."
Slap!
Momo clapped her hands over her face in utter despair. Previously, she had been so focused on evaluating Kihara's character that she had completely forgotten how dense Lala was when it came to romance.
"Romantic love isn't a simple emotion like enjoying a snack, big sister!"
"Is that so?"
"If you maintain your current mindset and offer brother-in-law zero romantic affection, you're very likely to turn into a total heroine side-character—the kind no one even remembers unless someone specifically brings you up!"
"Ah... That does sound a bit unpleasant."
It wasn't that Lala didn't value her relationship with Kihara; she simply believed their bond was strong enough that she didn't need to worry about issues arising. That was why she had generously yielded the chance to interact with him to her sister.
Now that Momo had solemnly warned her of the unexpected consequences, she instantly took it to heart. "Momo, what do you think I should do?"
"Leave it to me, big sister!" Momo patted her chest, declaring with total confidence: "I anticipated a scenario like this long ago, so I specifically put together a bride training manual for you. All you need to do now is follow the steps written inside!"
As she spoke, she retrieved a pink-covered notebook from her teleportation device and placed it into Lala's hands. On the cover were the large characters she had written: [Super Bride Training]
Flipping to the very first page, a line of text stood out clearly: [No matter the time or place, whenever you see your lover, give him a passionate, affectionate hug and a kiss!]
"I do give him hugs every day, but as for kisses... I guess I really haven't done that yet..."
Lala suddenly felt that this training manual—written by her younger sister who possessed zero romantic experience—actually had some real substance to it, pointing out her exact shortcomings right at the start.
She decisively flashed a thumbs-up to Momo in high praise: "You're amazing, Momo! To think you could write something so professional!"
"It's... it's nothing much."
Even though she was praised by her big sister, Momo didn't look particularly thrilled. She really didn't want to admit that this was simply a step-by-step romantic note she had compiled for herself after playing countless galactic dating games.
....
Thank you for reading.