Chapter 2
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: I Love You (1)
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There had been a minor mishap where my little sister tried to drag me to the hospital, but I played it off as a joke and somehow managed to convince her.
In exchange, I took a punch to the side, but that was the kind of thing I could chalk up to sibling affection.
"Let's eat."
"Yeah."
Right on cue, my eldest sister emerged, and our family breakfast began.
Not much conversation happened over the meal.
Everyone was just clinking spoons, happily digging into the breakfast I'd prepared.
Watching the plates I'd filled slowly empty out brought a satisfied smile to my face.
"That was delicious."
"Yeah~"
My eldest sister was the first to finish and get up from the table.
As the Raid Team Leader of a major guild, she always polished off her breakfast first.
She had such a hectic morning routine that I wouldn't have minded if she'd left some behind.
But she always made a point to clean her plate out of consideration for me, the cook, and I appreciated it.
Once she stood, my second sister and little sister— who'd been watching her cues—followed suit, heading off to get ready for work.
Every single soup bowl was scraped clean. I smiled warmly as I cleared the table and started on the dishes.
"I'm heading out."
"Okay, take care."
By the time I was nearly done with the dishes, my eldest sister had left the house, followed one by one by my second sister and little sister as they headed to work.
Now, I was the only one left in our penthouse, which spanned over 100 pyeong.
I neatly put away the washed dishes and sank back into the sofa.
With all my chores done and a moment to relax, my mind drifted back to the ability I'd just awakened. I should probably take a closer look at it.
I switched on the sofa's massage function and let it knead my back as I murmured softly.
"Status Window."
S-rank Ability 'Family Manager' has been awakened.
Rewards are obtained every time a quest is completed.
Tell little sister Jeong Yu-rim "I love you" (1/100)
🎁 Reward: Yu-rim's Mana Regeneration +10%, Family Points 100
Looking at the status window made my head throb again.
It seemed like my ability was a growth-type power that got stronger by completing quests and claiming rewards. But even the very first one looked daunting.
"How am I supposed to say 'I love you'...?"
Having to tell my little sister "I love you"—not ten times, but a hundred? The thought alone was overwhelming.
Someone might argue that it's no big deal for family to toss around "I love yous."
But anyone who's actually tried it with their little sister—instead of their parents—knows just how cringe-inducing and embarrassing it is.
"If there was a bigger age gap, maybe I could've pulled it off..."
If she were 6 or 7 years younger, I could've said it sweetly without any awkwardness, treating her like an adorable kid sister.
Unfortunately, our age difference was an awkward four years, and we'd always been more like rowdy buddies than the cute-sibling type.
Impossible to start seeing her that way now.
"Maybe I should just... not do it."
I'd prayed desperately every day for an awakening, but now that it had happened, my motivation was fizzling out faster than expected.
If I were some struggling everyman scraping by, I'd grit my teeth and push through the quests.
But as an unemployed guy already living a lavish life off my three S-rank hunter sisters' incomes, I had to wonder if it was worth grinding such a tough quest just for this.
After agonizing over it, I flipped on the TV without reaching a conclusion.
No point racking my brain right now—it wouldn't lead anywhere anyway. Better to chill with some TV and clear my head.
If the quest had a time limit, I wouldn't have this luxury, but the one I'd been given had none.
[Ra Yu-jeong's Hunter Show! Kicking off energetically today too!]
The channel happened to be running a news program dedicated to all things hunter-related.
It mostly covered industry gossip and goings-on, and since my whole family (minus me) were hunters, it was a daily must-watch for me.
[What's today's topic?]
[Today, we're diving into the Jeong family—the one that produced three geniuses.]
[Oh, I know exactly who you mean!]
"Whoa..."
The broadcast was spotlighting my family for once.
No other family in the world had churned out three S-rank hunters. We got mentioned on TV pretty often because of it, but it still felt surreal seeing my sisters on screen.
[Viewers, you're all familiar with the Jeong sisters, the three S-rank hunters, right?]
[Of course.]
[So this time, we're focusing on someone a little different.]
[Ooh, who?]
[Not many people know this, but the Jeong family has a man too. Let's talk about him.]
"Huh?"
The show was clearly talking about me.
It felt absurd that a mere civilian like myself warranted airtime, but curiosity kept me from changing the channel.
[There were tons of rumors about this guy early on. With three S-ranks in one family, people wondered if he was one too.]
[Makes sense.]
[The Hunter Association had high hopes for him as well, but his precise exam came back showing zero mana. A perfect civilian. Usually, if the family's stacked with powerful hunters, even relatives show faint traces of mana.]
"Ah..."
Bittersweet memories flooded back.
After my sisters all tested as S-ranks, everyone expected latent talent from me too, so I underwent a precise exam.
I'd despaired right there in the testing center when they labeled me a perfect civilian.
[No sightings of him outside since then, so the theory is he became a shut-in after that shock.]
[That's a shame...]
Hearing the pundit spout off without knowing the full story made my blood boil.
Sure, I'd graduated college and turned into a full-time home guard who never left the house.
But it wasn't because I'd despaired over having no talent. The house was just too damn nice to leave.
It stung a bit, getting dismissed even after awakening an S-rank ability. I pulled up the status window again.
Tell little sister Jeong Yu-rim "I love you" (1/100)
🎁 Reward: Yu-rim's Mana Regeneration +10%, Family Points 100
I couldn't recall it now, but the first time the status window appeared, it mentioned I could spin a Random Gacha with Family Points.
The "random" part made me uneasy, but as a reward from an S-rank ability, it probably wouldn't spit out junk.
Hell, I might even pull mana—the basic stuff all awakened folks got.
"Fine, screw it. I'll give it a shot."
It wasn't like the quest was telling me to hunt an S-rank monster out of nowhere. Saying "I love you" a few times? I could grit my teeth and do it.
Beep beep beep.
Right then, the door lock chimed crisply.
Glancing at the clock, it was already noon.
I'd zoned out for a bit, and lunch hour was upon us.
The only one who'd come back this early was my little sister.
I steeled myself and stood by the front door.
Beep~
The lock finally disengaged. The door swung open, revealing my little sister.
Her hair, bleached snow-white since becoming a healer, and her sparkling amber eyes like polished gems.
The ponytail my second sister had tied with care.
Even as her brother, I had to admit she was undeniably cute. She paused while taking off her shoes upon spotting me.
"Wh-what? You need something?"
She eyed me suspiciously as I greeted her at the door.
I took a quick breath, got my head straight, and flashed the brightest smile I could muster.
"Great job out there today, little sis. You know your big bro loves you tons, right?"
"What...?"
She froze on the spot, staring up at me like I'd seen a ghost after hearing my confession.
Then...
"You crazy bastard..."
Her face twisted in genuine disgust as she bolted to her room.
The door slammed shut with a bang. I dragged a hand down my face.
A deeper wave of regret crashed over me than after bombing three strikes in a row.
This quest... was way too hard.
Tell little sister Jeong Yu-rim "I love you" (2/100)