Sister-in-Law, You Can't Do This - 3
At last, I bought a car.
With so many of us, I went with an SUV that had decent size and good mileage. Some models even incorporated specter materials to enhance their functions, but those were expensive. I could have bought one, yet it felt like a step too far. Because of that, buying my first car felt all the more special—especially since I had never imagined a car would ever belong in my life.
For the moment, though, it was still awaiting delivery, so we rented a car and headed for the airport. Naturally, Marie was the one driving.
“It’s comfortable and nice. Even for a rental. Korea seems pretty good at making cars.”
Marie murmured as she drove, her eyes fixed on the road ahead.
“Yeah. I think we made a good choice. Usually when someone recommends something, it feels like they’re just trying to dump leftover stock on you.”
I nodded from the passenger seat. In the back, Elodie and Camilla sat quietly, leaning against the seatbacks.
She looks nervous.
She had seemed a little awkward yesterday when her sister came up in conversation, too. One look at that shadowed expression made it clear she was feeling some distance.
“Feeling pretty awkward?”
When I asked softly, Elodie met my eyes and shook her head.
“No. It’s not that it’s awkward. I’m just worried about what to say when she sees Leo. From her voice alone, it doesn’t sound like she has good feelings about this…”
“She did sound like that.”
Even that slightly thorny voice was enough to tell whether she was favorably inclined or not. Elodie’s little sister was clearly the latter. When I nodded, Elodie sighed.
“I’m sorry.”
“Sorry for what? I already said it was fine. It’s a little awkward, but I don’t feel any aversion.”
Genetically we were complete strangers, but looking at it from the soul, she was a descendant. Thanks to the subtle sense of kinship that came from that connection, she didn’t feel terribly unfamiliar. I might be surprised when I met her, thinking, Is this girl really my descendant?
“We’ve arrived.”
Before long, Marie pulled into the airport parking lot and caught her breath. These days nearly every car was automatic, so the driving fatigue seemed lighter—no complicated gear work like a manual, and no clutch either.
“We’ll wait for now, then head to the gate once we get the call. Tired?”
I pulled the coffee from the holder by the gearshift and held it out; Marie gave a little smile.
“I’m not tired enough for that. Still, thanks for looking out for me. That feels nice.”
Twist. Marie twisted off the coffee lid and brought it to her lips. Being a sweet coffee, she didn’t seem to mind it at all.
“By the by, was that woman said to be of the strength-using sort?”
Camilla, who had been sitting quietly, crossed her arms and asked, her gaze naturally turned toward Elodie.
“Yes. It’s one of the more common types among the Awakened. Why do you ask…?”
“I was merely wondering, you see. As descendants of she who once heard the word of God, I thought they might all bear sacred potential within them.”
“It’s possible, but… I’ve never seen it. Even after her Awakened ability manifested, she’s only kept growing in physical strength.”
“That is a relief, then. Were she to suddenly spout holy power as you do, my flesh should burn away.”
Camilla curved her lips into a faint smile and leaned back against the seat. It felt like she was reviewing what she had heard yesterday—and she really was.
Physical, huh.
Awakened who awakened on the physical side were relatively straightforward. The type with nothing but raw strength. The type with nothing but speed. And the type that developed both in balance—it was no exaggeration to say that was all there was to it. Of course, once their rank rose high enough, the distinction became practically meaningless, since every average stat climbed. Still, it was hard to deny that a certain bias remained. Pure body types, weapon-using types, and so on—combat methods differed according to aptitude and interest.
Bzzzt.
A vibration buzzed from under the pocket of Elodie’s skirt. Vibration from under a skirt? That was a little suggestive.
“Hello? Have you arrived?”
“Yeah. I’m out. Where should I go? There are so many buses once you come out of the gate, I don’t think I can make it over easily.”
When she answered, the voice of Elodie’s little sister Louise spilled from the speaker. I had heard the name yesterday, so I had it memorized.
“Come to short-term parking A. Or should we come to you? Can you find us?”
“It’s fine. I’m not a kid. You came all the way to pick me up; that’s enough. Anyway, I’m coming, so just make some kind of visible sign. There’ll be lots of cars in the parking lot, right?”
“Okay. Got it.”
Click. She hung up and met my eyes. Even in the heat she was wearing sunglasses and a hat, which looked a little stifling.
“I’ll climb up onto the roof of the car and wait. Everyone else, please wait inside.”
“Then I’ll go too. Sitting and waiting for someone who came to see me feels a bit wrong.”
Thump. Citing manners myself, I got out of the car with Elodie. Stepping out of the air-conditioning, a wave of hot wind swept over me. Only a few minutes before the coolness of my body temperature would burn off completely. I hoped she would arrive within that window.
“Isn’t it hot?”
I asked, looking up at Elodie, who had climbed onto the roof the moment she got out. She was taking the scorching summer sunlight full in the face; the metal must have been searing. Yet even sitting on the roof, she showed no sign of pain. Elodie dipped her head slightly toward me and smiled.
“I’m fine. I’ve laid holy power under me like a cushion, so it isn’t hot at all.”
“You can do that?”
“Of course. If it can block magic, a little heat is nothing. Ah, but still…”
What?
Elodie cut herself off for a moment, then suddenly twisted the corner of her mouth at me. It was a sly yet alluring expression, the kind that stimulated a man.
“If my bottom gets hot and gets hurt… will you blow on it for me?”
She’s teasing me here?
The words “go ahead and try it once” nearly slipped out of my throat before I could stop them—even though we were about to meet a first-time guest.
Is that why she did it?
It was a little over the top, but a consideration so I wouldn’t get too tense right before meeting the guest. Thinking of it that way, it made sense. Of course some sincerity was mixed in, but the consideration aspect felt larger.
“There she is.”
Elodie glanced sideways, then gave a little wave. With so many cars you couldn’t see well, but someone was clearly approaching.
“Sister!”
A moment later, that someone dashed right up to the front of the car and called out. Black hair that called the old Elodie to mind. A woman with striking pink eyes that shone luminously in the middle of it. On top of that, thoroughly familiar French.
She looks like her.
Not the face so much as the build, the air about her, and so on. She had inherited the superior genes of Joan of Arc without any shame to the lineage. My children. Just as the children of those children—my grandchildren—had been.
“You must be tired from the trip.”
Elodie alighted lightly onto the ground and wrapped Louise in her arms. The way she held her gently and patted her back made a strong maternal affection plain. The woman in her arms seemed to feel the same; she closed her eyes and smiled bashfully. Elodie had claimed she felt awkward—yet you could feel that the younger sister loved her older sister a great deal.
Pat, pat.
The two of them hugged for a long while even in the heat, and only put distance between them when someone approached. From how close they stood, it seemed to be a companion.
“Are you the man who’s supposed to marry my sister?”
Louise asked, flapping the collar of her thin white shirt. Unlike the voice she had used calling her sister, wariness was nakedly on display.
“Yes. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Seo Ji-hyuk.”
Fortunately she was speaking French as well, so I answered comfortably in French. These days I was learning English from Marie, but I wasn’t at a usable level yet.
“You speak French well. Did one of your parents happen to be French?”
Not in this life, but I had French parents in a past life, sure.
“No. Both of them were Korean, and both have passed away now.”
“Ah……”
The moment I mentioned they had passed, Louise’s expression darkened sharply. If she had been truly brazen, she would have reacted with something like “So what?” It showed what people meant when they said she only looked a little rough on the outside.
“I’m sorry. I was rude without meaning to be.”
Louise took a rigid, squared posture and slowly bowed her head. It felt almost military, and carried a fair amount of presence.
“Not at all. It’s fine.”
If she had been picking a fight on purpose, there might have been room to smack her bottom. But it wasn’t like that, so I intended to let it slide.
“…Thank you.”
Louise straightened her posture and smoothed a hand over her chest. She finally looked relieved. I nodded and indicated the car with a glance, exchanging a light greeting as well with the woman standing behind Louise.
“Please get in for now. We can do the detailed talk and introductions after we change locations. It must be very hot for you.”
All in all, the first impression wasn’t bad. Even though she had touched on a rather sensitive subject without knowing, she let it go easily enough. On top of that, even the look in Elodie’s eyes as she gazed at Seo Ji-hyuk—from Louise’s perspective, it gave her the feeling that he was worth watching.
However—
Why are there so many women?
The moment she climbed into the car and took her seat, that thought went flying off, and a fresh sense of dislike began to sprout. Marie at the wheel, and Camilla seated beside her as well. Because he was with women who were, every one of them, beautiful and overflowing with sex appeal.
Just because he’s got a decent face, he pulls this kind of stunt?
Even by Louise’s standards, Seo Ji-hyuk’s current face ranked as extremely outstanding—enough to count on one hand, even. Because of that, the misunderstanding that had sprouted in her heart grew larger without her intending it.
“We’ve arrived. I’ll go return the car, so please head up first.”
Marie let everyone else out, then drove off alone. Since the rental car had to be returned.
Is this the house?
Louise’s gaze carefully scanned the parking lot and the clean new building. Smaller than our house. There wasn’t the slightest comparison of the “is this all?” variety. What kind of person he was—whether he was the type who lived off his looks or not—that was what mattered most. Louise, like her older sister, had a tendency to focus intently on the measure of a person. Ability? From the start, their family was outstanding in both background and ability, so there was no need to weigh that. Just like the ancestor who had once saved Joan of Arc when she was regarded as nothing but a sinner.
“The house is nice.”
Louise said the moment she entered the fifth-floor home, thinking that it was a good enough house that there would be no discomfort.
“Thank you.”
Seo Ji-hyuk nodded and seated Louise at the living-room table. He himself headed for the kitchen to brew tea.
“You’ve got a lot of questions, don’t you?”
Elodie sat down across from Louise and asked. The glances she had been giving Marie and Camilla, the unfriendly feelings toward Seo Ji-hyuk—she had seen all of it, and it made her laugh. Louise nodded and spoke.
“Yeah. A lot. These women who are here with you. And the one who was driving—who is she? Do you all live together?”
“They’re all family.”
Elodie paused a moment, then gave an honest answer. Because she didn’t think it was something that needed hiding.
“All family? What do you mean?”
Louise’s brows drew into an inverted V. Even though she had roughly guessed, from the psychology of wanting to deny it.
“I’ll say it clearly. It means they’re all Ji-hyuk’s women.”
But the moment Elodie’s firm confirmation struck home—
Louise’s eyes went wide as saucers.