Living Room
Ketsueki, Namida, and Sachi were sitting on the couch while Shiro sat on the reclining chair on the side. Reiki made his way from the kitchen while hiding something behind his back, he said. “Onee-chan, we have two broken knives.” Ketsueki placed her elbow on the armrest of the couch and kept her gaze on the TV, she said. “How did you break them?” Reiki glanced at the action movie showing, he said. “... I dropped them on the floor…” Namida let out a laugh and said. “He dropped them on the floor?! Those are some fragile knives.”
Ketsueki elbowed her in the ribs which made her lean forward in pain while Sachi let out a chuckle. Ketsueki turned her head to face him, she said. “Let me see.” Reiki gave her a wry smile and said. “I’ll just throw these in the trash-.” His older sister interrupted him, Ketsueki said. “Reiki.” He showed her the knives Reiki was hiding behind his back. Ketsueki’s brows furrowed as she took both of them off his hands, she thought. That’s a clean snap. Namida placed her spoon in her bowl and took the dull-edged knife.
She lowered her black-frame glasses and stared at the worn edge, she thought. What did he use this on? Steel? Namida passed the dull knife to Sachi and said. “Here, you're good with… Tools, what do you think?” Sachi quickly ate a spoonful of ice cream, placed the spoon in her bowl, and took the knife off Namida’s hands. Sachi used her thumb to feel the dull knife, she placed it on Namida’s lap and said. “By the looks of it, he tried to slice high-quality monster leather.” Ketsueki stared at the knife that was snapped into two, she thought. How did this even happen…
She turned her head to face Reiki and gave him an odd look, Ketsueki said. “I’ll properly dispose of these, just remind me to add a few knives to the shopping list.” She pocketed the broken knife while Namida placed the dull knife on her friend's thigh. Reiki nodded at her and said. “Yes, Onee-chan…” He moved his gaze onto Shiro, Reiki continued. “Shiro, how’s the ice cream?” Shiro had some ice cream in her mouth as she gave her older brother a thumbs up with a small smile. Ketsueki pocketed the knife Namida placed on her thigh, she moved her gaze back on the movie.
She said. “Reiki, you’re stalling. What is it?” Reiki let out a forced laugh and said. “I need to go over there…” Ketsueki was watching the movie, she thought. Go where-? She realized what her little brother said as Reiki was already by the window and vanished. Namida let out a chuckle and spoke under her breath, she said. “Reiki going to his lover next door.” Ketsueki’s pupils faintly glowed as she glared at her friend and said. “He doesn’t have a lover next door.” Shiro gulped down the ice cream in her mouth.
She had a hint of confusion on her face and said. “Sachi-nee, what did Namida-nee say?” Sachi gave her a sweet smile, she said. “Don’t mind the man who can’t speak properly.” Shiro ate another spoonful of ice cream while Namida spoke with a mocking tone. She said. “Don’t mind the guy.” She let out a scoff and continued. “Like I said, you two need new jokes.” Namida ate a spoonful of ice cream while Sachi moved her gaze onto Shiro who was glancing at the bowl of whipped cream on the coffee table.
Sachi waved her hand as the bowl of whipped cream floated toward her. Shiro’s eyes sparkled as she used the plastic spatula to put more whipped cream into her bowl, she said. “Thank you, Sachi-nee.” The bowl made its way back onto the coffee table, Sachi said. “Didn’t you used to call us by our name followed by onee-chan?” Namida’s spoon had some ice cream on her spoon, she moved her gaze onto Shiro and said. “Yeah, cottontail. What happened?” Shiro scooped some ice cream and whipped cream from her bowl, she said. “Too long, when I greet all three of you I get out of breath.”
She ate a spoonful of ice cream while Ketsueki was watching the movie, she said. “She has a point.” Namida rolled her eyes at her and said. “You’re just happy at the fact you're the only one who gets to be called onee-chan by her.” Ketsueki’s lips curled into a smug smile, she said. “Next time ask for your parents to give birth to a little sister.” Namida let out a sigh and said. “I would’ve loved a younger sibling, but my parents stopped trying when I was born. Mom had enough of the scars from pregnancy.”
Sachi gulped down a mouthful of ice cream, she said. “... My little brother stays with my grandmother since mine are… Needy to say the least…” Namida scooped some whipped cream on her bowl and said. “Which is fair, being the youngest child of seven. I can only imagine how fed up she is with labor.” Shiro had a look of confusion on her face, she said. “What’s pregnancy?” Sachi, Ketsueki, and Namida completely froze on the couch. Sachi cleared her throat and said. “You see, Shiro… This is a topic that your older sister would rather explain to you personally.”
Ketsueki felt the sting of her words while Shiro cutely tilted her head to the side, she said. “Onee-chan?” Namida quickly nodded, she patted Ketsueki on the back a couple of times and said. “Sachi’s correct, since it’s something you should talk about with your family.” Ketsueki glared at her friends, she said. “You two are lucky Shiro is here, I would’ve smashed those bowls on your heads.” Namida scooped some ice cream with a spoon, she said. “That’s assuming you’re fast enough to catch me when I’m trying.” Sachi used a handkerchief to wipe her lips, she said. “As if you’re brave enough to take my ice cream away from me.”
Ketsueki ate some ice cream and thought. … Fuckers think they’re smart just because they have a point.
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Somewhere In Kiru’s House
Kanzei was in a dark warehouse, he snapped his fingers as the enormous warehouse lit up. He stared at the large stacks of bills formed into the shape of a cube resting on top of metal pallets that almost reached the ceiling. The currency was organized by country and number while Kanzei made his way to the metal door on the other side, he glanced at all the bills and thought. Dollar, yen, pound, rubles, yuan, won, and peso… All banknotes from the smallest to largest denomination are untouched… He reached the metal door as the screen beside the door lit up.
A mana hand started growing from the top of Kanzei’s shoulder as it was reflected on the screen. The door let out a gush of air as it automatically slid open as the light in the next warehouse turned on revealing jars filled with coins from each country. The mana arm on his shoulder stayed still like a mannequin he walked past the jars, Kanzei said. “... The bronze, silver, and platinum coins haven’t been moved either…” He reached the door as a similar screen from the last door turned out and scanned the mana hand on his shoulder.
The door let out a burst of air as it slid open while the lights turned on. He gave a quick look at all the rectangular-shaped storage units that were stacked on top of each other with the name written on the side. On the wall beside the entrance was a large touchscreen, Kanzei tapped on it as it turned on. He thought. Time to do a quick system scan in the background while checking inventory. Kanzei tapped on the screen a few times.
He continued his train of thought. Five hundred thousand tons of silver, two hundred tons of gold, two hundred tons of platinum, A hundred tons of mythril, A hundred tons of orichalcum, and two thousand tons of mixed steel she bought in secret before coming here… Ojou-sama told the truth when she said those old men limited the amount of resources they gave her… Kanzei swiped on the screen downwards as the list looked like it could go on forever. He spoke to himself and said. “... Processed ores were also ignored…” The system scan was finished as it popped up on the screen, Kanzei read it, he thought. No anomalies detected.
He swiped the notification to the side and tapped on the screen a couple of times as it turned off. He turned around and quickly made his way to the door on the other side as the sound of his footsteps filled the silent warehouse. The screen lit up as it scanned the mana arm on his shoulder as the door opened while letting out air. The light turned on revealing a warehouse similar to the first one as bars of precious metals bars were neatly stacked on top of each other that almost reached the ceiling.
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Kanzei walked past the tall towers of metal bars, he thought. … Since Cherry only had a golden feather on her. I think it’s safe to assume the rest are untouched. He stopped near a section of the metal ingots stacked high that had a metallic shade along with a tinge of purple. Kanzei thought. It’s been a while since I last saw the tower of orichalcum. He did a half turn and continued walking down as he reached a section where the ingots looked like worn-down silver.
While walking Kanzei thought. It still surprises me to see the contrast of a finished product using mixed steel… He noticed a single pillar of ingots missing as he slowly made his way to the section where the gold bars were placed. Kanzei standing between two tall towers of gold bars, in between them was an empty section. He took out his smartphone from his pocket and tapped on the screen a couple of times, Kanzei said. “... Ojou-sama, I have good news and bad news… Good news, other than gold everything else is untouched… Bad news, that bird just stole around six hundred kilograms of gold bars.”
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Arashi’s Apartment
Reiki appeared near the window, he said. “Hey, Arashi. Mind if I borrow the kitchen for a bit?” He saw Arashi lazily lying down on the couch while watching TV. She kept her gaze on the show and said. “Sure, knock yourself out.” Reiki made his way to the kitchen, he said. “Where’s Asami?” He opened a drawer and took out a knife while Arashi picked up the remote next to her on the couch and slightly lowered the volume of the TV. She said. “At Kiru’s house for their scheduled tea time.”
She let out a scoff with a hint of disgust while Reiki took out a tattered pouch from his pocket and said. “Just because someone enjoys a hobby you don’t approve of, doesn’t mean you have to show your hate for it.” Arashi’s brows furrowed as she sat up on the couch to look over the backrest and saw Reiki slicing through twenty kilograms of dragon meat that was on top of a wooden cutting board. She said. “You sound like an old man…” Her gaze quickly moved to the dragon meat he was cutting, Arashi continued. “Where’d you get more dragon meat?”
She thought. What kind of special treatment is he getting? Reiki opened a drawer, he took out a digital scale, and another smaller wooden cutting board. He said. “I made a deal with Kiru.” He closed the drawer, opened a cabinet on the bottom, and took out a plate. Arashi’s eyes had a hint of understanding, she said. “Same deal you made with us?” Reiki placed the plate on top of the digital scale and started cutting thin strips of meat, he said. “Yep.” He placed the thin strips of meat on the plate while Arashi was stealing glances at him while cooking. She turned her head to face the TV and said. “Are you making jerky?”
Reiki glanced at the scale, he thought. Two more grams until fifty. He sliced a few more thin strips and said. “I’m making hamburger steak.” Arashi turned her head to look at the thin slices of meat on the plate, she said. “Are you cooking for a mouse by any chance?” Reiki glanced at the scale and saw that it had the number fifty on it, he thought. Fifty grams exactly. He said. “No, my little sister can eat fifty grams at most.” Arashi watched Reiki pick up the tattered pouch on the counter as he took out a packet of ground beef bought from a supermarket.
Arashi’s brows furrowed, she thought. Little sister… She thought for a moment and said. “Oh, you mean the one with the white hair?” Reiki put the packet of ground meat on the counter and moved the large piece of dragon meat to the side. Using the knife he took all the thin strips of meat on the plate and placed them on the chopping board, Reiki said. “Same one.” Arashi watched him skillfully mince the thin strips of meat, she said. “How much meat can the older one eat?” Her lips curled into a slight smile.
Arashi thought. I highly doubt it would be higher than mine. Reiki finished mincing the thin strips of meat, he turned the sink on to thoroughly wash his hands with soap, he said. “I’m planning on making two steaks that weigh about a kilogram each.” He turned the sink off and opened a drawer that had a box of tissues in it, Reiki thought. Thank god Asami bought a lot of necessities, last time I cooked here it was terrible. He made sure to dry his hands while Arashi raised a brow at him.
Arashi watched him try to evenly mix the dragon and the beef into a patty, she said. “So, your older sister is going to eat a kilo of steak? In one sitting?” After Reiki started tossing the patty to his left and right hand repeatedly, he said. “Steak and some side dishes I’m going to make.” A couple more throws in his hands he placed it on the plate which was still on top of the digital scale. Arashi was trying to see if he was lying while Reiki moved the twenty kilos of dragon meat that was on a wooden cutting board closer to him.
Arashi said. “So she can eat a kilo of dragon meat a day.” She thought. So she can stomach four hundred grams more than me, not that much of a difference. Reiki picked up the knife and started to make an incision from the top, he said. “My older sister can eat this entire lump of meat in one sitting if she had the same appetite as me.” Arashi’s eyes narrowed as Reiki placed the two large steaks on the other cutting board from earlier and placed the rest of the dragon meat back into his tattered pouch.
Reiki thought. Ender never explained how Ketsueki can eat the same amount as me... He turned his head and saw Arashi’s expression still had a hint of suspicion in them, Reiki said. “Did Asami leave her share of dragon meat here?” Arashi turned her head to face the TV, she said. “No, only my share is in the fridge.” Reiki started putting the steaks and the hamburger patty in his tattered pouch, he said. “I’ll return the cutting board and the plate next time I drop by. Can you text Asami?”
Arashi shook her head sideways and said. “No, before going off to Kiru’s house across the street she specifically told me not to text her unless the world is ending.” Reiki made his way to the fridge, he opened it and took out a glass cylinder-shaped bottle of water, he thought. This brand of expensive water takes me back… He twisted the cap off and said. “Then I’m going to have to use your share of-.”
Before he could finish his sentence Arashi appeared beside him by the fridge and grabbed the glass bottle from his hands. She said. “You touch my dragon meat, I will throw hands.” She emptied half the water in the glass bottle and passed it back to him. Arashi made her way to the couch and said. “... Tastes the same as regular water.” Reiki unashamedly stared at her butt, he said. “I think it tastes fresh and clean.” He emptied the rest of the water while Arashi sat back down on the couch, she said. “Does it?”
She scratched the back of her head and thought. I’ve only drank mana water for my entire life and bought that on a whim cause I wanted to see what regular water tastes like… Reiki put the cap back on, he said. “Can I keep the glass bottle?” Arashi picked up the remote on the couch, she said. “Knock yourself out, I was just going to throw it at the next guy who stared at my ass.” Reiki was in the middle of placing the glass bottle into his tattered pouch, he turned his head at her and said. “Me?”
Arashi laid back down on the couch and said. “You think I didn’t notice you drooling over my butt? But no, it’s only fun if the glass shatters on the guy's face.” Reiki thought. I wasn’t drooling… He opened the freezer compartment and saw that it only had the ice he carved in various gem-like shapes. Reiki closed the fridge and said. “Arashi, where’d you hide the meat?” He made his way to the couch while Arashi lazily lay down on it, she said. “No, you made me go through… Hoops for that kilo of dragon meat. You on the other hand have twenty, use yours.”
Reiki shrugged his shoulders, he opened the fridge again and thought. You could’ve asked for more from Asami but I guess that means I can try my luck if she’ll give me some. He picked up the large carton of milk and started drinking straight from it. Arashi kept her gaze on the TV, she said. “You better not be drinking my carton of milk again.”
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Kiru’s House
Asami took a sip of tea from her cup as she placed it back on the coaster, she saw the slightly annoyed look on Kiru and said. “Oh, I love that expression of yours. It means something funny happened to you.”
From the three-tiered stand, Asami picked up a cannoli while Kiru pocketed the phone. Kiru said. “Asami, my misfortune is nothing to laugh at.” Asami used the cannoli to point at her, she said. “Fine… Tell me what happened first and then I’ll laugh at you.” She took a bite of the cannoli while enjoying seeing Kiru’s soured expression. Kiru took a deep breath to calm herself and said. “You’ve seen Reiki’s familiar, correct? That albino crow with the red eyes.” Asami took a sip of her tea as she nodded at her.
Kiru let out a sharp sigh and said. “... She stole around six hundred kilograms of gold…” Asami’s eyes were filled with surprise that quickly turned into interest, she said. “Really? Any idea how the bird managed to pass through an entire foot of anti-magic?” Kiru picked up her cup of tea as she took a small whiff of it, she said. “Kanzei didn’t bring it up during the conversation on the phone. Which leads me to assume that the crow managed to phase through it somehow…”
Asami raised a brow and said. “Phase through?... What else did that bird crow pass through?” She took another bite of the cannoli she was holding. Kiru took a sip of her tea, she said. “Cherry managed to go through Kanzei’s mana hands.” A hint of surprise appeared in Asami’s eyes, she swallowed and said. “The same mana hands that are capable of ripping islands from land without any effort?” Kiru nodded as she placed her cup of tea onto the coaster, she said. “The same spell that can crumple mythril and orichalcum like a piece of paper.”
A moment of silence passed by as Asami finished off her cannoli as she took a sip of tea. She said. “I should try my hand to see if I can force a contract on that crow.” Kiru picked up an eclair and said. “Not if I can get my hands on that bird's neck first and order Kanzei to grill it alive for lunch tomorrow.” Asami gently swirled the tea in her cup, she said. “You think Kanzei can catch it when he failed the first time when it flew away?” A door opened revealing Kanzei as the other side of it was a large warehouse, he said. “Ojou-sama.” He closed the door behind him and gave Asami a slight bow and said. “Lady Asami.”
Asami lazily waved her hand at him while Kiru turned her head and said. “Kanzei, find Reiki and tell him to give us back the gold that crow stole from me.” Kanzei moved the handle to the other side, he said. “Right away, Ojou-same.” Asami had a pondering expression on her face, she said. “I think he should be in Arashi’s apartment, since I did ask him to cook the steak for us today.”