The paint stand was in the middle of the room as its back was facing toward him. Reiki placed the last tube of paint in the pouch he got from Akemi and looked around the room with Cherry sitting on the bed frame. On the workbench was a wooden palette that had a variety of paint on it and six brushes that were used. He made his way to the workbench as Cherry stared at the painting with one side of her face. Reiki picked up the palette and placed the brushes on top of it, he said. "How about it, Cherry? Is it good?" She let out a caw and flapped her wings.

Reiki made his way to the door as she turned into a streak of white and appeared on his right shoulder. He glanced at her while simultaneously opening the door, Reiki said. "I'm still not opening another jar." He walked down the stairs as Cherry opened her beak and pulled on his hair. Reiki rolled his eyes and said. "Fine, eat all of them. Just don't blame me when you can't fly because of your weight." Cherry let out a caw as she flew in the air and brandished her talons at him.

He stopped walking down the stairs and glanced at her, Reiki said. "I'm not afraid of pain." He went back to walking down the stairs and noticed a streak of white land on his right shoulder. From the living room, he could hear the sound of girls chatting. Yuki said. "And that's how we all became friends." Reiki reached the bottom of the stairs as he made his way to the living room and saw eating elven chocolate. Ketsueki gave them a wry smile and said. "Is all of that true, Shiro?"

Mio glanced at her friend with a frown on her mouth, she said. "A lot of important details have been exaggerated or hidden." Shiro was about to take a bite of a piece of chocolate in her hands but stopped, she said. "Really? I thought that was it?" Mio let out a sigh and turned slightly leaned forward to get a better view of Shiro. Mio said. "Shiro, don't humor her whimsical stories!" Reiki made his way to the side of the couch while carrying the items, he said. "Stories, count me in." Mio turned her head to face him and said. "Reiki, not you too-."

She paused when she noticed the palette and six brushes that still had wet paint on them. Shiro looked at the things her older brother was carrying as she munched on a piece of chocolate. Yuki gave him an odd look and said. "Did you just… Paint?..." Ketsueki's brows furrowed as she pondered her thoughts while Reiki nodded at her and said. "Yup, is there anything wrong with it?" Yuki shook her head as her gaze wandered to the brushes on the palette, she continued. "No, I was just surprised."

Ketsueki's eyes pierced through her little brother, she said. "Reiki, where did you get those?" He glanced at her and tried to keep a straight face, Reiki said. "The old man handed me these." Ketsueki's eyes had a hint of coldness to them, she said. "Even when they look recently used?" Cherry turned into a streak of white and landed on Ketsueki's left shoulder as she snuggled her head on her cheek. Shiro kept her eyes on her older brother as she slowly moved her mouth to cover her mouth. She spoke in a whisper and said. "Don't make any sudden movements."

Yuki was completely still like a statue, she slightly turned her head sideways and whispered. "I've seen my mother scold Aniki, Shiro. I know what to do in these situations." Reiki watched the albino bird cozy up to his sister, he thought. Suck. Up. He faked a smile and said. "That's the main reason the old man gave it to me, he never used it." Mio had a confused look on her face as she stared at her two friends' forced expressions. Mio followed their lead and spoke in a whisper. "What are you two-?" Yuki placed a hand on Mio's knee as she kept the smile on her face. Yuki whispered. "Mio, don't do anything unless you want to take his place."

Ketsueki placed her right foot on her left knee and crossed her arms to intimidate him, at the same time making her large breasts press against each other. She said. "What else did that old man give you?" Reiki's smile turned stiff, he said. "Nothing but cheap second-hand items." Mio moved Yuki's hand away from her knee, she whispered. "Can either of you at least explain-." Yuki placed a hand over Mio's mouth which got her a glare. Shiro slowly leaned forward and gave Mio a pleading glance.

Shiro whispered. "Mio, we know you're an only child and you always did your best to meet your parent's unreasonable expectations." Mio's eyes widened as she looked offended, she opened her mouth to say something and remembered Yuki's hand was on her mouth. Ketsueki gestured at him to come closer while Cherry quietly stood on her left shoulder. Reiki subconsciously gulped and thought. Well… That's one less excuse I have in my pocket. Ketsueki got impatient as she coldly said. "Reiki." Cherry turned into a streak of light as she turned invisible mid-air vanishing from the room.

Reiki followed the faint trail of white with his eyes, he thought. That bird… she left my side and went to hers… When things were looking grim she left… He hesitantly made his way to the armchair Ketsueki was sitting on. Yuki slowly moved her hand away from her friend's mouth, she whispered. "You've never known what it's like to be in trouble, Mio." Mio's brows furrowed as she gave her friends a weird look, she whispered. "Trouble?" Shiro nodded in agreement as she glanced at her friend and whispered. "Yuki's right, Mio. You're a goody-two-shoes."

Mio stared at her friends as she accidentally spoke in a normal tone of voice, she said. "I. Am. Not." The three of them tensed up and glanced at Ketsueki who was glaring at Reiki. Shiro, Yuki, and Mio let out sighs of relief while Reiki gave his older sister a flattering smile, he said. "Onee-chan, can I at least clean these?" Ketsueki glanced at the wooden palette and the half a dozen brushes in different sizes that still had wet paint on them, she said. "I can do that for you." She raised her hand as the bristles and the palette was enveloped with a thin layer of mana.

Reiki stared at the items he carried with his right hand as he smelled a hint of burnt paint. He watched the paint vaporize and thought. That smell is going to be a pain in the ass to get rid of. Ketsueki smiled at him, she said. "There, all cleaned." She placed her hand back on the armrest while watching her little brother staring at the burnt bristles of the brush and the charred wooden palette. Yuki placed a hand on Mio's shoulder as she spoke with a hint of pity and said. "You were once the teacher's pet."

Mio swatted her friend's hand on her shoulder, she said. "I was the representative for one day because he was absent." Yuki voided her gaze as she looked at the wall. Mio leaned forward as she moved her gaze onto Shiro. Mio continued. "Shiro, you don't think it's true. Do you?" Shiro slightly reeled back as she glanced at Yuki for help which she ignored. Shiro looked around the room in a panic and grabbed the edge of her shirt, she said. "Well… I've never seen you oppose someone before…"

Reiki stared at the items in his hand and continued his train of thought. It's a good thing I was done with these. He took out the pouch Akemi gave him and placed them inside. Ketsueki gave him a sweet smile which gave her little brother a chill down his spine as he took a step back while placing a brush in the pouch. She said. "Reiki, where did you get those?" He tried to keep a straight face, Reiki said. "From an old man." He placed the last brush in the pouch and pocketed it.

Mio stared at her friends for a moment, she said. "I… There's that one time…" She let out a hmph and continued. "I don't need to explain myself to you two." Yuki comforted her friend by rubbing her back while Shiro gave Mio condolences by smiling. Reiki felt the gaze from Ketsueki pierce through his very soul as he tried to maintain the stiff smile. Ketsueki let out one long sigh, she said. "This better be the last time I hear this old man excuse." Reiki let out a long sigh of relief, he gave her a nod and said. "Yes, Onee-chan."

Mio tried to shake her friend's hand on her back, she glanced at Ketsueki and spoke normally again. Mio said. "Let's talk about something else." Shiro and Yuki glanced at each other and nodded simultaneously. Yuki cleared her throat and said. "In that case, what topic goes into your mind?" Shiro's eyes sparkled as she excitedly raised her hand, she said. "How about we talk about sweets?" Reiki slowly moved his way closer to his older sister, he said. "Onee-chan, how about a foot rub?" Ketsueki glanced at him from the corner of her eye, she spoke in a dry tone and said. "Pass me the remote."

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Yuki's brows furrowed as she pursed her lips into a line, she said. "Did you two forget? I don't have a sweet tooth." Reiki quickly fetched the remote that was on the coffee table and gave it to his older sister like a dog. Ketsueki took the remote off his hands as she slightly turned up the volume and browsed through the channels. Reiki took the white indoor slippers his older sister was wearing off her foot and placed both her feet on the coffee table as he squatted on the floor.

Mio cautiously picked up a piece of elven chocolate on her plate, she said. "Then would you rather talk about homework?" Yuki rolled her eyes at her and swiped the chocolate on her plate and said. "How about you go back to school?" The two of them stared at each other while Shiro glanced at her older sister to gauge her mood as she took a piece of chocolate from the wooden box on the coffee table. Reiki started adding pressure on Ketsueki's pressure points as she tried her best to act as if his massage wasn't effective.

Yuki waved a piece of elven chocolate in her hand, she said. "Can you think of anything other than learning?" She took a bite out of it while Mio gave her a stiff smile as she spoke through gritted teeth. Mio said. "That depends, are you capable of sitting down for half an hour?" The two of them ate some chocolate while pouting as Mio and Yuki turned their heads to look away from the other one. Shiro gulped down a mouthful of chocolate, she glanced at her two friends arguing and said. "How about we talk about Cherry?"

She took another bite out of the piece of chocolate in her hands while Yuki and Mio's had a mix of realization and awkwardness in their eyes. Reiki maintained the flattering smile on his face while Ketsueki pretended not to notice, he said. "Onee-chan, how about I fry up some croquettes?" Ketsueki's eyes slightly lit up as she glanced at him, she saw the smile on his face as she moved her gaze back to the tv and said. "... Do what you want…" Reiki let out one long sigh of relief and stood up, he said. "I'll bring out a few plates."

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Arashi's Apartment

Asami was sitting in the middle of the couch while watching tv with both her feet on the table as she wore indoor slippers. She glanced at Arashi who was planking with an expressionless face. Asami moved her gaze back to the television, she said. "What's with the sour mood?" Arashi's body was completely straight while doing the plank as she glanced at her and said. "Madam, I'm not in a sour mood." Asami's lips curved into a small smile, she said. "Alright then." The sound of the tv enveloped the atmosphere in the room as a moment passed.

Asami glanced at Arashi again and said. "Your ten minutes are up." Arashi positioned her hands and placed her palms flat on the floor as she did a push-up. She stood on her own two feet and did some light stretches, she said. "I'm not asking him to spend twenty-four hours with me." Asami glanced at the ceiling and thought. Yeah, scarred him and extorted a crystal worth billions of dollars... Arashi was wearing a red sports bra that exposed her midriff showing off her toned six-pack, it was paired with loose black jogging pants as she grabbed her left ankle with her left hand.

Arashi easily brought her left leg up as she did a standing second position stretch without grabbing onto something. Asami watched Arashi stretch as the loose jogging pants she wore stretched. Asami's gaze wandered onto the faint outline of Arashi's camel toe. Arashi watched the show with people with forced smiles and over-the-top reactions, she said. "All I want is him to…" Asami rolled her eyes at her and moved her gaze onto the tv, she thought. Be at your beck and call? Have a collar around his neck with a chain that could reach around the world?

Arashi let go of her ankle as her left leg slowly came back down as she did the same stretch with her right leg. Arashi said. "... Open up to me…" She moved her gaze onto Asami and continued. "Madam, do you have anything that could help me with him?" Asami pretended to think as she repeatedly threw the remote into the air and caught it, she said. "How about you treat him as an equal?" The two of them stared at each other for a few seconds as Arashi let out a chuckle and said. "Here I am being serious for once."

Asami gave him a doubled-meaning smile, she thought. So was I. She moved her gaze back to the tv and browsed through the channels while Arashi finished her stretches. She didn't even break a single sweat as she made her way to the couch and sat at a respectful distance from Asami. Arashi said. "I'm confident about my figure compared to others but…" An image of Ketsueki came into her head as she remembered her beauty, large chest, and thighs. Arashi's eyes slightly narrowed as she spoke in a serious tone, she said. "Until I met her…"

Asami thought. I've been sensing two large quantities of mana coming from the Reiki's hole next door… She glanced at the window that he keeps popping out of and saw the dense and pure mana radiating to the sky. Asami continued her train of thought. How exactly is this supposed to be hiding? Arashi tapped her feet on the floor a couple of times, she said. "Maybe I need to show him an iron fist…" Asami glanced at her, she said. "You do that and Reiki might just run away." Arashi crossed her arms as she laid down on the backrest of the couch.

A moment passed by as Asami let out a small yawn and covered it with her hand, she turned her head to look at Arashi making herself comfortable on the couch. Arashi felt the stare she was getting from her and sat up straight, she said. "Madam?" Asami gave her a bit of an odd look and said. "What did you decide on?" Arashi leaned on the backrest of the couch again, she said. "Oh, I'm planning on making grilled chicken breast and 120oz steak for lunch." Asami's brows furrowed, she said. "Good for you?"

Arashi nodded at her and continued. "Would you like to join me for lunch?" Asami shook her head sideways, she said. "No, thank you." She thought. Is meat the secret to a big chest? Her gaze wandered to Arashi's large bust and looked down at her huge breasts. With a pondering expression on her face, Asami said. "Arashi, what do you think of meat?" She moved her gaze onto her as Arashi's eyes sparkled. Arashi said. "It's the only thing you need to eat to grow big." Asami's gaze wandered onto Arashi's chest, Asami thought. Hmm… Now that I think about it… She made sure to include meat in all my meals… Though it was a misconception on their part…

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Inside A Luxurious Living Room

Kiru was wearing silk pajamas as she sat on a couch while pinching the bridge of her nose. She let out a sigh while Kanzei appeared out of thin air, he stood in front of the couch on her left while carrying a tray with one hand. Kanzei said. "Ojou-sama, your tea." Kiru glanced at him and picked up the ceramic teacup by the round white handle, she said. "Kanzei, be honest with me. How much did we lose?"

She stared at the light green liquid in her cup and took a sip while Kanzei took a smartphone out from the inside of his breast pocket. Kanzei turned it on using the power button on the side and tapped the screen a few times, he said. "After tallying everything and selling a few things at the black market, we lost ten trillion yen." Kiru took a whiff of the tea, she said. "So we lost seventy-nine billion dollars." Kanzei casually pocketed the smartphone back into his breast pocket, he said. "More accurately seven-eight billion six hundred-."

Kiru raised her left hand as she took another sip of tea, she said. "With numbers like these, it might as well be rounded up…" She placed the teacup back on the coaster that was on the tray Kanzei was carrying. Kiru continued. "Even if we waited for them to reach eighteen and then sold them off, everything they owned, and their parents' knowledge. It won't even add up to two hundred million dollars…" She moved some stray hair that was blocking her vision behind her ear, Kiru continued. "I can't even remember the last time I lost money…" Kanzei placed the teacup along with the coaster on the coffee table.

While holding onto the tray, Kanzei shook his hand once as it vanished. He said. "... Ojou-sama, you've never lost money before…" Kiru placed her feet on the coffee table as Kanzei moved the teacup farther from her feet. Kiru said. "I'm fairly certain I did." Kanzei placed both his hands behind his back, he said. "In the rare occurrence it did happen, we always managed to break even." Kiru ran her index finger on the rim of the teacup, she said. "Now I remember, whenever that happens I just try to forget about it."

Kiru stood up from the couch and placed her hands on her hips, she said. "Kanzei, bring me a simple shirt, a pair of baggy pants, and cyan blue sports shoes." Kanzei picked up the teacup along with the coaster, he said. "Where are you headed, Ojou-sama?" Kiru's lips curved into a slight smirk, she said. "To the only one who made the potion. Oh, and Kanzei, can you bring out my change of clothes as fast as possible." Kanzei gave her a nod as he vanished.

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Ketsueki's House By The Living Room

In the middle of the coffee table was a large plate of freshly fried croquettes along with a large bowl of tartar sauce. Reiki was giving Ketsueki a foot rub as she watched tv while Yuki and Shiro watched him while they munched on some elven chocolate. Yuki was holding onto a fork with a croquette stabbed on it and dipped into tartar sauce as she took a big bite out of it stretching the melted cheese inside. Reiki glanced at them and said. "Are you sure about the extra plates?" Mio nodded at him and gulped down a mouthful of chocolate, she said. "Yes, the forks are enough."

She gestured at the fork that was on the side of hers and Shiro's plate along with six pieces of chocolate. Shiro wiped a small smudge of chocolate on the corner of her mouth, she said. "Onii-chan, where's Cherry?" Before he could answer, all of them heard the sound of knocking from the front door. Ketsueki glared at the door before moving her gaze back to the tv while Reiki stood up from his squat and said. "I'll get it." He quickly made his way to the front door and opened it revealing Kiru in casual clothes as she gave him a smile.

The two of them stared at each other for a few seconds as Reiki heard his older sister's voice from the living room, Ketsueki said. "Reiki, who is it?" He casually closed the door and said. "Just some more pamphlets." Reiki locked the door using the doorknob, turned around, and heard something unlock behind him. He thought. Why do I even bother? Kiru walked in and said. "Pardon the intrusion."