I Was Reincarnated As The Older Brother Of A Villainess Destined to Die, So I Want To Change The Future By Raising My Younger Sister With My Own Hands. I Am The Strongest In The World, But My Little Sister Must Be The Cutest In The World - Volume 4 Chapter 3.5
Dusk cast an eerie red glow over the city, and it was a busy time for the people, just like us, who had finished exterminating the Cutter Condors and returned to the capital. The market was bustling with its last flurry of activity for the day.
Amidst the crowd, I stood at the edge of the street, trying to gauge Nina’s mood.
“Please, can you just cheer up?” I pleaded.
“Muuuuuuuu,” she pouted, an unusual expression for her, with cheeks puffed out.
Her stubbornness seemed unyielding, and I was at a loss, unable to change her mood.
The reason behind Nina’s bad mood was related to how we handled the Cutter Condor extermination. We had agreed to compete in taking down the creatures, and in the end, I won with an approach that she apparently disapproved of.
“Now that I think about it, maybe what I did was unfair. Just because it falls under the category of [Body Enhancement], it doesn’t justify it as acceptable. I was wrong,” I admitted.
“Muuuuuuu.”
It was no use; she wasn’t budging. What should I do?
You see, what I did during the competition was use one of my secret techniques. It’s an evolved version of [Body Enhancement], called [Body Enhancement: Divine Overflow]. Its effect is to “bring the body closer to that of a god’s apostle.” I had developed this magic by analyzing Akatsuki’s physical structure during our combat training sessions. Without this technique, I wouldn’t have been able to stand a chance against my opponents.
I thought it would be okay to use it against someone as strong as Nina, but in hindsight, it was immature of me. This approach didn’t make me any different from Akatsuki. I need to reflect on my actions.
Despite my continuous efforts to apologize, Nina showed no signs of relenting in her mood.
As the sun started to set, I was at my wits’ end when she unexpectedly muttered something.
“…treat me,” she said.
“Huh, what?” I replied.
“If you treat me to dinner, I’ll forgive you,” Nina said.
“I-I’ll treat you! I’ll treat you!” I eagerly accepted her unexpected offer.
From the way Nina spoke, it seemed like she wanted the two of us to dine out tonight. Treating her to one meal was nothing significant for me.
Using ” Teleport,” I quickly informed the staff at the mansion that we’d be dining out and Nina and I started walking through the streets of the capital.
I thought it might inconvenience the cooks at this time, but apparently, Dan and Milia had come to visit, and they insisted on treating us. Even though they were friends, I wondered if their hearts were made of steel to come to the residence of a local lord for a visit.
By the way, Dan and his friends’ class at the academy was A2. You might wonder why they weren’t placed in A1 after learning magic from Caron, but apparently, their academic performance was disastrous. I have no idea what they were up to.
Putting that aside.
We followed Nina to the restaurant she had in mind. She had returned to her usual self and was speaking normally to me.
“What kind of restaurant is it?” I asked out of curiosity as we turned off the main street and into a small alley.
Nina replied, “My sisters said it’s the best restaurant in the capital.”
“Sisters… Ah, the ‘Crimson Rose Red Roses,’” I exclaimed.
They were an adventurer team based in Foranada, consisting entirely of Rank B female adventurers. They were quite famous in the area. Being a caring bunch, they probably doted on Nina quite a bit.
I heard they often went on expeditions to various places, so if they recommended this restaurant, it must be really good.
After walking for a while, we could see our destination. There were no other restaurants around, so I was sure this was the place.
The exterior had the atmosphere of a restaurant in a downtown area. Since it was dinner time, the place was quite crowded with customers.
“We might have to wait a bit,” I said.
“As long as it’s delicious, I can endure a little waiting,” Nina replied, her tail wagging. It was adorable.
Sure enough, the restaurant was packed. The waiter informed us that it would be about thirty minutes until a table was available. That wasn’t a problem, so we got permission to wait outside.
Leaning against the restaurant’s wall, we stood side by side, absentmindedly gazing at the street in front of us. Since it was a bit away from the main street, there weren’t as many people passing by.
However, there was a residential area nearby, making it feel closer to everyday life. Housewives and young children passed by frequently.
Though we didn’t talk, the atmosphere between Nina and me wasn’t uncomfortable. We peacefully immersed ourselves in the tranquil scenery of daily life.
But that pleasant tranquility was abruptly shattered by some loud voices.
“You’re so clumsy! How on earth are you better academically than us!”
“You probably seduced the teachers with that body of yours. It’s just your looks, nothing else.”
“Disgusting creature. You’re nothing more than a beast.”
“Why don’t you show off your so-called skills to us then! Come on!”
“P-please stop!”
After the unpleasant verbal abuse, a higher-pitched female voice resounded.
Furrowing my brows to identify the source of discomfort, I saw five girls in the adjacent alleyway. It was dimly lit, making it somewhat difficult to notice them.
Four of them were surrounding one girl. From the content of their words, it was evident that they were bullying her.
“Wait, aren’t those academy students?”
“Really?”
“No doubt about it.”
I tried using [Appraisal] on the girl being bullied, and as expected, it was her. Yurika, the only commoner in Class A1—excluding Nina, the hero, and the saint. That’s how she was noted.
Merit students were given money by the country. It was a system where the top ten commoners in grades received financial support. As long as their grades didn’t drop, they would receive monthly payments, totaling around 7.2 million over three years. There was generally no obligation to repay the money, making it quite an exceptional treatment.
Even so, the top-performing students were usually dominated by higher-class nobles who received advanced education, so the merit system was rarely applied to commoners. Therefore, Yurika must be exceptionally talented.
On the side of the bullies, there was one countess and three viscountesses. I didn’t recognize them, so they were probably students from a different class.
After observing the situation for about ten seconds, I understood.
“One God Faction, huh?”
Those countesses seemed to belong to the One God Faction. Yurika became the target of bullying due to her being a white rabbit beastkin.
Furthermore, the strong jealousy of the fact that Yurika was more talented might have been another reason. In the aristocratic view of the One God Faction, losing to a beastkin was probably unacceptable.
It was utterly absurd. Instead of wasting time like this, they should work on improving themselves. That’s why they couldn’t even rank in the top fifty, let alone the top ten.
Then, Nina looked at me.
“Zecks.”
She must be worried and didn’t want to leave me alone. I felt the same way, so she didn’t need to worry.
“I’ll help her. But Nina, please wait here.”
Since the other side belonged to the One God Faction, it would be unwise for her to get involved. As a higher-ranked noble, it would be better for me to handle this situation.
“…Okay.”
Nina seemed to understand that too. Although she had a regretful expression, she obediently stepped back.
Having confirmed her response, I distanced myself from the restaurant’s wall and walked toward the scene of bullying.
Along the way, the group noticed me approaching and responded with clicking tongues and intimidating glares. They hadn’t figured out my true identity yet.
“What do you want? We’re not here for your entertainment.”
“We’re nobles. If you don’t want to get hurt, you better leave now!”
“Or do you want to become a target of our magic?”
As I got closer, the three viscountesses started hurling insults at me. Though the countess didn’t speak, her hostile expression was clear as day.
Not wanting to drag things on unnecessarily, I was about to speak when an unexpected voice came from somewhere.
“Um, um, Yurika will be fine, so you should, um, run away. Th-this person here is a noble-sama…”
The trembling voice belonged to Yurika, who had been the target of bullying. From her timid demeanor earlier, I had assumed she was a shy and timid girl, but I was mistaken. She seemed to muster courage and concern for others in times of crisis, displaying a kind-hearted nature.
This only fueled my determination not to leave her alone.
I smiled reassuringly at her and then glared at the bullies.
“I am Zecks Leviat San Foranada. Your actions are intolerable. Disperse quickly.”
“F-Foranada!?”
Whether they recognized my face or felt the slight intimidation, they didn’t doubt my identity. They were immediately frightened and scattered like frightened spiders.
It seemed they had enough intelligence to pick their battles. I’m glad it didn’t escalate into a pointless fight.
Yurika stared blankly at the whole scene with a dumbfounded expression. It seemed she would remain in shock for a while, so I called Nina during that time.
“Are you okay?”
“Huh? Y-yes.”
As a man, I thought it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to touch her, so I had Nina check on her well-being. It appeared she hadn’t been physically harmed since she didn’t seem to have any injuries.
“Attention, everyone! A table is available now!”
As we finished checking on Yurika, we were notified that a table was now available in the restaurant.
Whether it was good or bad timing, Nina and I exchanged wry smiles. Then, Nina gave a small nod.
Our understanding had been built up over the past six years. Having received Nina’s approval, I made a suggestion to Yurika.
“If you’d like, would you join us for dinner?”
“Huh?”