Give Me the Younger Sister, Not the Older One - 3
Even after the wedding was over, I still couldn’t stay in my in-laws’ house for long.
“No! Absolutely not!”
“Isolde…”
That was because Isolde, the eldest daughter, was vehemently opposed to my moving in.
“If I can’t get married because of that ugly man, are you going to take responsibility for it, Mom?! Don’t make me live under the same roof with him before I’m married!”
“W-well, that…”
The moment Isolde brought up marriage, Adelia went completely quiet.
Normally, a wife would live in her husband’s house after the wedding, but Ian was an outsider, so he had to rely on his wife’s family instead.
Of course, the fact that unmarried Isolde was uncomfortable because of me wasn’t just some emotional issue.
I’ll have to get married eventually, sure. But that marriage has already gone up in smoke.
Isolde seemed convinced she’d marry John, the village chief’s son, but her fate was the village’s communal sex toy.
That probably wasn’t going to change.
The man she loved so much, John, would make sure of it.
No need for me to interfere right now.
Besides, living in my in-laws’ house wasn’t exactly good for me either.
I still had plenty of work to do at night.
“My sister-in-law is right. If I live under the same roof as an unmarried woman, the villagers will start suspecting her of being impure.”
“R-right…”
At my words, Adelia wore a complicated expression.
Both she and I knew very well that Isolde was anything but pure.
But what could we do?
I had already taken the money, and I’d agreed with the village chief not to mention that matter again.
So it was none of my business.
“I’ll spend the days with Isabel and stay in the forest at night.”
“Will that really be all right?”
“It’ll be fine. And Mother-in-law, you can speak casually with me.”
“Oh, no. You’re the head of the family now, Ian.”
“It’s because I feel awkward.”
“Then… I’ll, I’ll try. No, I will try.”
Adelia scratched her cheek as she spoke.
“Could you speak casually with me too, Ian? It feels a little awkward when I’m the only one doing it.”
“This is more comfortable for me, but if you’d like, I’ll speak casually.”
“And call me by my name. I’m not used to being called Mother-in-law yet.”
“Very well, Adelia.”
Calling my mother-in-law by her first name felt strangely unnatural, but if I considered our ages rather than our relationship, it made sense.
She and I were only ten years apart.
“Adelia, I look forward to working with you from now on.”
“Mm. Me too.”
After I’d finished the pleasantries, I asked Adelia a few questions.
“Adelia, I’m going hunting soon. Is there any kind of meat Isabel likes?”
“As for Isabel…”
I planned to prepare something nourishing for Isabel.
When the body was sick, the spirit grew weak too.
At the very least, if she could eat something delicious, it would give her body a little life.
“Rabbit. I want rabbit meat.”
“....”
But then Isolde, who had been loafing around the house, suddenly butted into the conversation.
She was the one who’d acted like she couldn’t stand being near me because I was ugly, and now that I was going hunting, she was voicing what she herself wanted to eat.
“Why aren’t you answering? I said I want rabbit meat.”
“Sigh… Isolde, today is a day for Isabel, isn’t it? Let’s eat rabbit another time.”
“So I’m second again? Tch.”
Apparently dissatisfied with Adelia’s answer, Isolde sulked and stormed out of the house.
Her behavior was no different from that of a teenage girl going through puberty.
“I’m sorry. Isolde still doesn’t know better.”
“It’s fine. More importantly, does Isabel have any food she especially can’t eat?”
“Not really, but Isabel’s stomach isn’t in good shape, so she probably can’t digest tough meat.”
“How about quail?”
“Of course that’s fine. It doesn’t have to be quail either—bird meat is tender, so anything like that should be okay.”
“Then today I’ll try hunting quail.”
“Don’t push yourself too hard, all right?”
Adelia took my hand and worried over me.
Looks like I’ve been building her affection properly.
I did my best to ease her concern.
“Adelia, don’t worry. I may not look it, but I’m very skilled at hunting.”
Of course, that was a lie.
I still couldn’t hunt, let alone gather herbs.
But Ian wasn’t me.
The village chief didn’t try to settle Ian down in the village for no reason.
The hunting skills Ian had shown in the game were enough to feed the entire village.
And I had possessed that body.
It’s time for this body to do the work for me.
It was time to show off possession click.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Archer (lv: 7)
- Understanding of archery has increased.
- Strength +7, Focus +7
Ian’s archery was far more developed than I’d expected.
At this level, I could make a living as an archer.
Unlike the common sword, a bow took at least several years of proper training before you could use it well.
Yet Ian’s level as an archer had reached seven.
Now I’m curious what Ian was like before.
Hunter (lv: 10)
Swordsman (lv: 5)
Archer (lv: 7)
The total of the job levels I’d unlocked so far came to twenty-two.
Considering Ian’s talent, that was absurdly high.
Did he have a master or something?
Unfortunately, Village Affairs in the Countryside only covered the story after Ian’s marriage, so nothing about his past ever came up.
Still, maybe I should check the campsite later.
For now, I focused on hunting.
“Is this enough?”
The hunt went far more smoothly than I’d expected.
I used Search, a hunter’s skill, to locate game, then loosed arrows from a distance.
Simple, and the most efficient method.
“That should do it for today… huh?”
The sun was starting to set, and I was about to return to my in-laws’ house when a familiar flower caught my eye.
“That’s a Golden Flower.”
As befitted the world of an eroge, there were plenty of perverse little details, and the golden flower before me was one of them.
Its effect was definitely…
When its golden petals were brewed into tea and drunk, it caused a powerful diuretic effect, and one of the little delights in the game was forcing the heroine to pee and then enjoying the sight of it.
“I should keep this for later.”
While I was gathering the Golden Flower, I collected the medicinal herbs nearby as well.
“This is Green Herb, this is Blood Herb, and… this one has a lip-shaped cap turned upward, so it’s the Jester Mushroom.”
Finding the herbs I’d seen in the game gave me a small thrill, and before I knew it, I was so absorbed in gathering them that time slipped away from me.
“If I mix Green Herb and Blood Herb in a two-to-one ratio, it should make a recovery potion, and if I combine Ghost Mushroom with Blue Herb…”
[Job: Alchemist (lv: 1) has been unlocked.]
And just as I’d expected, a new job unlocked.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Thanks to the quail Ian had hunted, Isabel was able to eat a special meal with meat in it for the first time since her father died two years ago.
That alone would have been enough for her to thank Ian, but he even took care of feeding her.
“Isabel, please open your mouth.”
“Y-you don’t need to go this far. My mother will feed me soon.”
“Adelia is busy with the housework.”
“I’ll wait until Mother comes.”
“It’ll taste bad once it gets cold. Or do you dislike it when I feed you?”
“N-no, that’s not it.”
“Then please eat.”
When Ian held out the spoon, Isabel had no choice but to let him feed her.
“How does it taste?”
“Y-yes… It’s very delicious.”
“I was worried it might not suit your taste, so I’m glad it does.”
Smiling, Ian continued to attend to her.
“Isabel, one more time—ah.”
“Ah…”
Was it because the porridge had meat in it? Or because it was her husband, not her mother, feeding her?
Her appetite stirred, and Isabel emptied an entire bowl for the first time in ages.
“Would you like more?”
“I-I’m sorry.”
For Isabel, eating carried guilt with it.
She couldn’t forgive herself for consuming the family’s daily food despite being unable to do anything at all.
“There’s no need to apologize.”
Perhaps he understood what was in her heart.
Ian spoke as if it were nothing.
“If you want more, then eat more. If there isn’t enough, I’ll just make more.”
“....”
At his words, Isabel hesitated for a moment, then spoke in a voice so soft it barely crawled out of her throat.
“More… please. I want more.”
“Of course.”
At her request, Ian immediately brought more food to her mouth.
As her husband kept tending to her like that, Isabel’s guilt deepened, and she asked carefully,
“Aren’t I… making things hard for you?”
“Not at all. If anything, I’m happy that you’re enjoying your meal.”
“...I’ll probably have to live like this for the rest of my life.”
“That’s lovely. I’ll be responsible for Isabel’s meals from now on as well.”
Seeing Ian answer with a smile made Isabel’s head spin with confusion.
Why is this person doing this for me?
Even her dead father had treated her like a burden, and yet the man before her was cherishing her instead.
“Isabel, you’re my wife.”
Perhaps he’d noticed what was on her mind.
Ian gently took her hand.
“As your husband, it is my duty to take care of you. So don’t burden yourself with it.”
Then he kissed the back of her hand.
The electrifying sensation of it made Isabel’s face turn red without her meaning to.
“Because I love you enough to want to love you.”