Chapter 18
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Siblings (6)
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"..."
Israfeel pulled the blanket up modestly to wipe the white fluid from her lips and fell silent.
The endless afterglow of her climax had finally subsided, and the scattered fragments of her reason had reassembled.
Even so, she hadn't been able to stop midway and had kept working her mouth and tongue. Right around the time Evan's member finally stood tall—
-Sh-should we stop here...?
With her face flushed as red as a ripe persimmon, Israfeel hurriedly pulled her head away.
The thick male scent lingered in her mouth, but she didn't show any dazed signs. Overdue shame burned hot within her.
'I'm crazy, crazy, crazy! Just how low was I going to sink...!'
Pretending to fix her bangs, Israfeel lifted the blanket to hide her flushed face.
It wouldn't completely conceal her embarrassment, but at least she could avoid meeting Evan's eyes and collect her thoughts.
Now that her mind had cleared, even she thought this had all progressed far too radically.
No matter how anxious she'd gotten from hearing rumors about Lete Heresia... Still, who could've expected things to heat up so swiftly.
"Ah... Um, ahem."
She could still feel the remnants of Evan's seed inside her. But feigning composure, Israfeel glanced at the floor beside the bed.
Her sacred robes lay there in just the right spot. Had Evan tossed them aside while undressing her?
Either way, she quickly reached out and snatched up her clothes. Squirming under the blanket, she spoke in as calm a tone as possible.
"Th-this is just... We really got carried away, didn't we? Doing something so embarrassing in broad daylight, and making such a huge scene of it..."
"..."
"...Ahem. Anyway, Evan, like you said, this won't change anything between us. I'm not awkward about it at all. Okay?"
With that, she began dressing under the blanket, eyes squeezed shut like a child playing hide-and-seek.
He could probably see right through it anyway, but the point was to block the visual.
'Ah, underwear.'
When she'd gotten about 90% dressed, Israfeel suddenly realized she'd forgotten her bra.
Her trembling gaze shifted sideways, landing on the white bra lying pitifully on the floor beside the bed.
But trying to put it on now would just look ridiculous.
'...Just leave it.'
With great resolve and no other choice, Israfeel shook off her hesitation, squeezed her eyes shut—
"W-well then, Sister's gonna head out now... Sorry for dropping by so suddenly. Next time, I'll bring some good booze, and we can toast, okay?"
On top of the emptiness from her panty-less lower half, she decided to ignore the discomfort of her precariously bouncing breasts.
Finally, she flung the blanket off with a 'whoosh!' and shot up from the bed.
Her posture screamed she was about to bolt from the room. No, she genuinely wanted to escape Evan's gaze even a second sooner.
Her lower parts were still a bit sticky from the incomplete cleanup, but it wasn't a big deal.
'...I can wash up in my room.'
If anything, the fluid trickling stickily down her thighs was a minor annoyance.
But facing Evan felt far more embarrassing, so the scales tipped quickly.
As she hurried toward the bedroom door—
"Israfeel."
Crackle!!
At the low, commanding call, the closed doorknob froze over in red light.
Israfeel yanked her outstretched hand back and swallowed dryly. And for good reason—that red divine power was Evan's.
'What in the...'
An inexplicable emotion she couldn't easily grasp welled up too.
Compared to before, the sacred art's power was unmistakably, intensely stronger.
No, even just hours ago, it hadn't been like this. This freezing attribute in his sacred art surpassed Evan's limits.
Yet the caster himself looked utterly nonchalant.
As if wielding this much divine power caused him no discomfort at all.
"Where are you rushing off to like that?"
"..."
"We haven't seen each other in ages, and you can't even spare time for a cozy chat with your brother?"
Israfeel's fingertips trembled as she turned. She dreaded facing Evan more than anything, but that relaxed demeanor grated even more.
Here she was, fretting and overthinking everything—why was he so fine?
Resentment mixed in unbidden, sparking pointless defiance.
"...Hoo, fine. Sure."
Finally calming her pounding heart through some miracle, Israfeel flipped the 'big sister mode' switch for the first time in ages.
With the gentlest, most benevolent smile, she spoke softly.
"So, what does my little brother want to talk about with Sister? Anything on your mind...?"
"Do you like me or something?"
"..."
And she was shot down in one second flat. A perfect counterpunch exploiting her opening.
With a rigid smile, Israfeel revved up her thoughts. Wait, what had she just heard?
'Like... Do you like me...? Like me...?'
Her mind blanked. Her cool intellect screamed to play it off calmly and feign composure—but
"Uh... Um... Ah, er..."
It had little effect.
She froze in place like a nailed statue, dying a natural death on her feet.
"...I mean, come on. That meaningful thing you said during the kiss earlier, and those unnecessarily affectionate looks."
Whether his benefactor wanted to spit blood or not, Evan barreled straight ahead.
Just leaning back with arms crossed, machine-gunning her.
"It's weird to say it's just pure lust when you waited without seeing other guys until I grew up. And now, clinging to realm advancement... You've already ripened, haven't you?"
"Cough, w-wait. Evan, hold on a sec..."
"No matter how I think about it, there's only one possibility. You're not joking about affection, Israfeel. Don't tell me you really—"
Krunch!
Evan paused mid-sentence. A menacing crack as the freezing chill on the doorknob shattered forcibly.
She'd broken it with raw strength alone. Evan looked up with a sullen expression.
"...What kind of... misunderstanding you're having, I really have no idea, little brother."
Israfeel averted her gaze in confusion, mumbling excuses.
"First off, it's unpleasant, so let me correct you. I never seduced you with those feelings. It was purely heat—honest."
"..."
"...Yeah, today's all about lust. No other emotions, not even a speck. I see you purely as family too, just like you..."
Her voice trailed off lower with each word until it dwindled to an inaudible whisper, and Israfeel fell silent.
She squeezed her eyes shut preemptively.
'...Maybe confess right now.'
The sudden impulse urged her to spill her love.
-Sorry, Israfeel. I only see you as family.
-You always say that, but we're like siblings, right?
"—Ah."
A fleeting scene flashed by like a panorama. So recent, it felt all the more vivid.
Israfeel dropped her head powerlessly with a bitter smile. Her water-blue hair cascaded messily with the motion.
The moment Evan instinctively reached to tidy it—
"...It really was just lust."
"..."
"That's all. Don't worry about it."
Israfeel stepped back from his touch, wiped away her gloomy expression, and flashed a bright smile.
"Sister's really heading out now? It was amazing. If you're cool with it, let's do it again sometime."
With a playful 'hee' smile, she spun on her heel.
And—
Creeak, thud!
"..."
Before he could grab her, Israfeel fled Evan's quarters.
Evan's half-open lips closed.
-Idiot, moron...! You're such a fool, Israfeel Hael...! Ughhh, aaaah!
The fading voice was unmistakably Israfeel's—no need to strain to hear it.
Evan retracted his aimless hand and scratched his cheek awkwardly.
Something felt deeply off.
*****
The next day.
"...Wh-what?"
The written exam always followed the quarterly evaluation trials. Heading to the library with her glasses for prep, Lete jolted to a stop in surprise.
Turning the corner, she'd bumped into her frenemy-cum-sex partner, Evan Lane.
She'd never seen Evan with such hollow eyes.
Swallowing dryly, she asked in a genuinely worried voice.
"You... why do your eyes look like that? Did you not sleep?"
"..."
"No way, did you pull an all-nighter...? Let me see."
Lete approached in shock, grabbing his arms and shaking him as he dangled limply, managing a weak reply.
"Nah, just... some damn woman who's been nagging at my mind kept me up."
"...Huh?"
That answer widened Lete's eyes for a whole different reason. She flinched, then puzzled it out.
"A... a woman nagging at your mind..."
She quickly hit on the answer, blushing and dropping her gaze.
'Israfeel, that damn bitch.'
Oblivious to her thoughts, Evan inwardly cursed Israfeel.
It was spring.