The Worst Reunion with My Sister
“Hmm-hmm!” I hopped in place a few times, bending my knees repeatedly. My body felt incredibly light. My chest didn’t hurt anymore. The breaths that used to catch in my throat came easily now, and the constant ringing in my head that had always lingered had quietly faded away. In other words, I was completely free from the mana erosion syndrome.
“I won!”
“Huh? Won what?”
“Anyway, there’s something like that. Hmm-hmm.”
I brushed off Leaf’s words with a light grin as she watched my reaction quietly from the side. What an achievement after all that effort! They say the scariest pain is the kind that’s just barely not fatal. So, I’d overcome the most terrifying thing of all.
Of course, if we’re talking about my effort, it was basically just curling up in Leaf’s arms and sleeping all day… but whatever.
In my past life, I’d been possessed before even reaching adulthood, and above all, I was always sick. Hmm. And in the end, it was me who suffered that pain, and it was me who endured it without giving up. Yeah, I’m awesome. Super awesome.
I nodded to myself in satisfaction, wiggling my body round and round, when Leaf, who’d been watching quietly beside me, reached out her hand.
“Sigh, cute little Kael. Aren’t you going to end up crying from pain again in just a few days after acting all fine like this?”
“N-no! I’m not gonna hurt anymore. Hmm… who do you think I am? I’m the son of a hero, you know? Super strong.”
“Kael, even if you keep calling yourself the hero’s son, you’re still a boy in the end. You’re already so frail, so you should start living more masculinely now.”
Leaf stroked my head while letting out a deep sigh.
“At least you don’t picky eat, study hard, and listen well…”
“You’re only doing that because the hero’s been on edge lately. Normally, you don’t.”
“What matters is that I did it, right? Hmm.”
Lately, Mom had been stressed out over my sisters, so I’d been on my best behavior, trying to read the room.
“Wait, how do you even know that? Only I know Mom’s on edge.”
“The hero calls me over a lot. She asks how you’ve been doing lately. You won’t go to her and just stay in my arms, so of course she’s curious about her son. And she’s a hero, after all. Her sensitivity means I can feel her mana power even from a distance.”
“…Ahem.”
I was at a loss for words. Come to think of it, I had been sticking only to Leaf lately and avoiding Mom.
“And why are you so obsessed with femininity? You’re a boy, so shouldn’t you focus on being masculine instead?”
“I hate that! It’s weird.”
“What’s weird about it? You’re the weird one, Kael. You’re a boy, but you dress all loose and sloppy like a girl, and you should keep your legs together politely. Spreading them like that makes people call you a slut. You’re still young, but you’ll be nine soon. Time to start acting like a proper man.”
“Ugh…”
Leaf pressed firmly on my forehead, scolding me gently. I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head at her words. It wasn’t that I hated her touch. It was the whole situation I was in that I couldn’t stand.
The Three Obediences. The three duties men must follow: obey your mother in youth, your wife after marriage, and your daughter in widowhood. And if you can’t bear a daughter, you could even be cast out.
Submissive, obedient, frail, always bowing your head, existing only to be protected by women—that’s what a “man” is in this world.
The original Kael had always been cradled in Mom’s arms, coughing up blood and wheezing as his daily routine, so he hadn’t been forced into these customs… but ever since I possessed him, recovering my health while staying in Leaf’s arms, Mom and the servants had started piling expectations of masculinity onto me.
And then there was the huge event called Débutant, where noble boys around nine or ten debut into high society. Dancing, showing their faces to various monsters, drawing the gazes of women trying to lure them in.
In my case, since my mom was Aurelia la Elion, the hero who shaped this current world, my status was high. But still, as a boy, my limits were set—I was expected to marry eventually.
If I were the original Kael, I probably wouldn’t have cared. This was the world he knew and lived in. But my essence was Seo Na-ho, not Kael, and my gender identity was far removed from this place.
And above all…
I hate living with monsters…
It was just an instinctive revulsion, too strong to ignore. The sound of scales scraping every time they moved, the head detached and carried separately when they greeted me—it felt like my lifespan shortened by a year each time I saw it.
In my memories from my past life, monsters were things you killed, enemies that tried to murder the protagonist—my mom.
But nope. Now they served Mom and doted on me like crazy?
My core self was Seo Na-ho, so there was no way I could accept them as easily as Kael would have from the start.
“…Leaf, do I have to take lessons?”
“Of course. You listen so well to my tutoring without complaint.”
“Yeah… because it’s you, Leaf. The other teachers… they scare me. I hate them.”
And Leaf didn’t force masculinity on me too harshly. Sure, she’d say things like earlier, but her intent to treat me gently came through, putting me at ease.
“Um, Kael. I’m a monster too, you know.”
“It’s fine! I’m used to you now, Leaf, and you’re nice!”
“…That applies to the other monsters too, though…”
I leaned fully into Leaf’s arms, letting out a goofy laugh. We were in the middle of history lessons right now, but since Leaf could keep a secret…
We’d spent a year together, always in each other’s arms, so even if she was a monster, I had no aversion to Leaf anymore.
Come to think of it, my mana poisoning was almost fully cured, so our contract would end soon. Then Leaf would leave the mansion, and I wouldn’t be able to spend time in these arms or fall asleep together anymore?
…I hate that. I don’t want that. I want to stay with Leaf forever.
“Leaf. Hey. About our contract…”
“Oh, yeah. Since you brought it up, I remembered. Once your illness is fully cured, the contract ends, and my commission is complete.”
“Yeah… but, you know, what are you gonna do after this commission ends?”
I lifted my head, buried snugly between her soft breasts, and looked up at Leaf. With a bit of worry, I tilted my head slightly and hugged her waist even tighter.
“Hmm, I plan to keep doing mercenary work. Maybe settle at the imperial guild. I got a good advance payment, so I can take it easy for a while without working.”
“Oh, r-really…? I see…”
This isn’t good. She’s already treating the contract end as a given! What do I do? I don’t want to let her go… I want her by my side forever…
It was complicated. We’d been together constantly for a year, and since it was an indefinite contract, I hadn’t worried much. I just didn’t expect my illness to heal this fast.
“What if you stay here? I’ll keep paying you! If there’s a position you want, I’ll ask Mom for it…”
“Hmm, as an elf, I’m more comfortable in a forest cabin on the imperial border than in a holy castle full of dark-attribute monsters like this.”
“S-still! What if my illness isn’t fully cured? And there’s still so much magic I need to learn from you.”
“…To be honest, our affinities aren’t that compatible.”
…Wait, what?
We’d slept cuddled up together, spent all that time side by side, and my condition improved—so what was that about?
“Even if you’re mostly human, Kael, at your core, you’re half-monster. And strangely enough, your aptitude is close to dark attribute.”
“Huh?”
“Mine is light attribute. I taught you this—light has the property of extinguishing darkness if its power is weak.”
Right, I remembered learning that. That must be why my symptoms improved. Mom, the hero, was strong against monsters because she had top-tier light aptitude.
But I inherited that blood, yet her attribute didn’t help treat my illness at all.
“So? Why’s that a problem?”
“Your aptitude is dark. And… very high-level.”
“…Wait, then that means… I…”
“Yes. If I stay by your side much longer, your condition might actually worsen.”
Leaf gently brushed my hair back, smiling softly as she finished her explanation. She smiled just as gently as always. I wanted to say more, but seeing her refuse for the sake of my health, my mouth clamped shut.
“I’ll visit whenever I get the chance. After the commission, I’ll probably run some guild quests for a while. Even looking like this, I get called for jobs pretty often.”
“…Yeah, good for you, Leaf, being so popular. Hmph, lucky you! Super lucky! Must be great being so popular you can just leave me!”
“…You’re this cute and crybaby-ish, and you’re gonna keep denying you’re unmanly? Sigh. Who’re you gonna whine to once I’m gone?”
She let out a slow sigh and hugged me tenderly. My face pressed deep into her ample chest, enveloped in that familiar warmth.
Warm…
…That’s why I hate this even more.
And already, a faint prickling pain like needles jabbing my chest began to form in my mind. That must be the sensation Leaf mentioned, my dark attribute slowly being extinguished. It hurt more than I expected. It’d probably get worse in a few days.
I squeezed my eyes shut. Tears were already flowing.
…We have to part.
…Hiiing. Why’s Dad the Demon King! I hate Dad. Hiss…
Today, my hostility toward monsters just grew even more.
…
And a few days passed.
In the end, Leaf fulfilled the contract, completed the commission, and left the mansion. Her hands that used to hold me close, gently stroking and soothing me when I coughed or had a fever—they still felt so vivid.
The more I thought about it, the more I missed her. All I could do was puff out my cheeks with air.
…I won’t think about it.
“So, about the pact between monsters and humans… Young Master Kael. Do you still miss her that much?”
“No! I don’t miss her at all! Just teach the lesson. Pout…”
“I’d be happy if you’d sit still for lessons, Young Master, but if you keep this up, I might get purged by the hero and have to resurrect for days.”
“Like I care! I don’t know about that stuff. Monsters and whatever…”
The lich, holding open a book in front of me for history class, looked somewhat troubled. He closed the book, scratched his skull, then looked at me as if something occurred to him.
“…Oh, right. I hear your second miss will finish the academy soon and return home. You’re the late baby, so seeing her after so long wouldn’t be bad, would it?”
The skeleton grinned as he closed the book. The clacking of his bones every time he spoke grated on my nerves.
…At that point, I just brushed it off as no big deal.
…
And the next day.
“My little Kael~! Even after so long away from home, you’re still so cute~! No wolfish girls bullying you while sis was gone, right? Cutie, cutie! You’re the prettiest boy I’ve ever seen, hands down! Sis brought some dresses—they’ll look amazing on you~”
“Ugh, get away!”
And so, my first meeting with my second sister after possession… was a total disaster.