Reiki was lying down on the bed as he made a mana circle with his left hand, he slowly moved his hand upwards as the mana circle made its way toward the ceiling. He watched the mana circle slowly make its way to the dozens of mana circles floating in mid-air as it hit one of them starting a chain reaction causing all of them to collide. Reiki thought. I need to start making dinner. He sat up on the bed, glanced at the window, and saw that the sun had already set.
He moved to the edge of the bed, put on a pair of white indoor slippers, and made his way to the door. Reiki placed his hand on the doorknob, he continued his train of thought. Ender, where’s Cherry? He opened the door and walked out of the room while closing it behind him, Ender’s voice rang in his head. He said. [I sent her to England, she’s there to verify something for me.] Reiki made his way to the stairs and thought. England? For what? Ender said. [To see if I can complete my collection of swords.]
Reiki stopped walking down the flight of stairs, he thought. I still remember that… Greatsword? Broadsword?... It had the length of a longsword and as wide as a greatsword but the handle was long enough for one hand… How many swords are there? Among all the realms. Reiki started walking down the stairs again as Ender’s voice rang in his head, Ender said. [Countless, but there are rankings for them. Anything above the million rank is useless.] A hint of interest appeared in Reiki’s eyes, he thought. If it’s from this plane then it’s a low rank one.
He reached the bottom of the stairs as he saw his two sisters sitting on the couch eating cake and ice cream. Reiki smiled at them and made his way to the kitchen while Ender’s voice rang in his head. He said. [Rank number three, Excalibur-.] Reiki’s hand was on the fridge as his eyes were filled with shock, he interrupted Ender and thought. That sword is number three?! Change of plans, I go to England, steal it, and rule over the world with an iron fist. Ender let out a chuckle and said. [You can’t pull that sword out of the stone.]
Reiki opened the fridge and took out a few large cuts of meat from the freezer as his brows furrowed in confusion, he thought. Didn’t king-. Ender instantly cut him off and said. [Arthur.] Reiki opened a drawer with his free hand, took out a large wooden cutting board, and placed it on the counter. He placed the frozen cuts of meat onto the cutting board and thought. … Ok… Arthur, pull it out of the stone? At least that’s what he did in terms of story in my old world. He made his way to one of the cabinets on the bottom, Reiki turned his head to the side and said. “Onee-chan, Shiro. I’m making pasta, what do you two want?”
From the living room, Ketsueki said. “I want some beef in mine.” Reiki thought. Tomato beef pasta does sound good. Shiro’s voice quickly came after, she said. “Onii-chan, I want mac and cheese.” Reiki squatted down, opened the cabinet revealing it was stocked with different types of canned goods along with large bags of pasta and rice, he thought. And three cheese mac and cheese for Shiro. Reiki took out a few different types of pasta and placed them on top of the counter, Ender said. [He placed it back in the stone before going to the realm above this one.]
Reiki closed the cabinet, stood up, and thought. How do you know that? He opened the cabinet next to him revealing pots and pans as he took out a couple of large pots, Ender said. [I’ve read a few other’s minds out of boredom.] Reiki placed the pots on top of the two burners and opened a drawer, he thought. I’m not going to comment on that… If Arthur had such a powerful sword in his grasp, why did he leave it behind? If it were me, the only way you could take excalibur from me is by prying it from my cold bare hands.
He took out a knife from the drawer and closed it as he placed it beside the cutting board. Ender said. [How would he know? I’ve been searching for that sword most of my life and learned it’s in this realm of all places.] Reiki picked up one of the pots, placed it in the sink, and turned on the sink as he filled it with water. He thought. You mentioned that you have a collection of swords, how many?
Reiki turned the faucet as the large pot was half filled, he placed the pot back onto the stove and took the empty one. Ender’s voice rang in his head, he said. [I own ranks one through ten, except for number three.] He filled the pot with water and turned the faucet off when it reached roughly in the middle, Reiki placed the pot on the other stove. He thought. … Then what stopped you from sending an avatar to this realm? He turned both of the stoves on.
Ender said. [It’s one of the realm's laws, you can’t go to a plane you don’t belong to. It doesn’t apply if you go up and even if someone uses an avatar the law will attack if they stay too long.] Reiki put the stoves onto medium heat, he thought. … While we’re on this topic since I’m going to inherit everything you own. There’s no harm in telling me the location of all nine of them. Reiki opened a drawer as he took out another wooden cutting board, he carefully pushed the cutting board on the counter that had meat all over it to make room.
Ender said. [You don’t even know the name of the sword I use, what makes you think I’ll tell you the location?] Reiki closed the drawer, placed the cutting board on the counter, and tiptoed as he could barely reach the cabinets at the top. Ketsueki was standing behind her little brother as she watched him struggle. She was holding onto a couple of plates with two bowls stacked on each other on top next to two spoons and forks. Ketsueki said. “Reiki, do you need help?” Reiki stopped tiptoeing and said. “I was almost there, but I won’t turn down any assistance.”
Ketsueki placed the dishes in the sink as she let out a chuckle, she said. “Assistance?” She raised a brow at him while Reiki turned his head to look up to his older sister. He said. “I’ll wash the dishes, I need salt.” Ketsueki opened the cabinet at the top and grabbed the tall see-through plastic salt container, she thought. We’re going through a lot of salt lately. She placed it on the counter, placed a hand on her hip, and said. “What’s on the menu?” She watched Reiki take the cap of the salt container and pour a large handful onto his palm.
Reiki moved his hand that was holding onto a lot of salt, he said. “I’m making tomato beef pasta for you and three cheese mac and cheese for Shiro.” Ketsueki nodded as her eyes were glued onto the large amount of salt Reiki poured into one of the pots of boiling water. She said. “Reiki, doesn’t that look like a lot of salt?” Reiki poured a handful of salt into the other boiling pot, he said. “Always salt the water you boil pasta in.” He put the cap back on the salt container and passed it to his older sister.
Ketsueki placed the salt container in the cabinet she left open, she closed it and said. “Then how much salt are you supposed to put in the water?” Reiki did a half turn and placed his left hand on the counter, he said. “If it doesn’t taste like seawater, add more salt.” Ketsueki glanced at the other side of the sink with all the bags of pasta, she said. “What are you making?” Reiki’s expression turned slightly odd, he said. “You already asked this question.” Ketsueki rolled her eyes and lightly pinched her little brother’s cheek.
[System: User has received 1 Damage.]
Reiki kept a straight face and said. “Onee-chan, that hurts.” Ketsueki playfully tugged on her little brother’s cheek for a bit before letting go, she said. “When I asked that question to know what you're making for yourself, Reiki.” Reiki rubbed the cheek his older sister pinched, he thought for a moment and said. “I wanted to make some pesto.” Ketsueki’s eyes lit up slightly, she said. “Are you?” Reiki shook his head sideways as the expectation in his older sister’s eyes quickly vanished, he said. “I need parmesan cheese.”
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Ketsueki crossed her arms as her large chest rested on top of her forearms, she said. “Then what are you making?” Reiki blatantly stared at her chest and said. “Chicken parmesan… Since I’m already going to make tomato sauce, I’ll just increase the amount and make meatballs while I’m at it.” Ketsueki's eyes turned slightly cold, she said. “I thought you said we didn’t have any parmesan?” Reiki let out a nervous laugh as he made eye contact with her, he said. “We don’t, I’m going to use the precut square slices of cheese and…”
Reiki thought. The last thing I need to tell her is that I stole a restaurant’s entire pantry… Ketsueki’s gaze narrowed, she said. “Why did you say three cheese when we only have one type of cheese in the fridge?” Reiki felt the hole his older sister was staring at her, he said. “... Because I was planning to use three times the amount of cheese?...” He quickly moved his hand on the counter and stood up straight while Ketsueki kept glaring at him, she said. “How many slices of cheese are you going to use?” Reiki glanced at the fridge and said. “All of it?”
Ketsueki had a hint of surprise on her face, she said. “Reiki, I bought ten packs, that’s a hundred slices of cheese.” Reiki nodded at her and said. “I know, the chicken parm needs cheese on top, Shiro’s mac and cheese. Plus I want some cheese on top of my pasta.” Ketsueki stopped crossing her arms as she placed her hands inside her pockets, she said. “You’re going to put cheese on top of pasta?” Reiki placed his hand inside his pocket to feel the tattered pouch inside of it, he said. “Specifically melted cheese, you don’t want any on yours?”
Ketsueki pursed her lips and thought. Melted cheese on pasta sounds delicious… She faked a cough and said. “I just thought you were going to put slices of cheese on top, but since it’s going to be melted. Make sure there’s enough for everyone.” Reiki nodded at her, he said. “I will, shouldn’t you go back to the living room? Shiro’s going to wonder why you’re taking so long.” Ketsueki stared at him and said. “You’d rather stare at water boiling?” She pointed at the two points that started to boil.
Reiki smiled at his older sister, he said. “I would love nothing more than to be in your company forever.” Ketsueki was caught off guard by what he said as a faint blush appeared on her cheeks, Reiki gestured at the fridge and continued. “But you’re blocking the fridge and since I’m making chicken parmesan I need to start defrosting.” Ketsueki turned her head to the side to break eye contact, she said. “Then start with that.” She made her way to the living room while Reiki walked toward the fridge and opened it. He opened the bottom drawer revealing the freezer and took out six packs of chicken breasts.
~One Hour And Thirty Minutes Later~
Ketsueki, Shiro, and Reiki were sitting around the dining table as the two girls were already eating dessert while Reiki was still eating pasta and chicken parmesan. Ketsueki was holding onto a fork and used to cut a bite-size piece of cake on her plate, she said. “Reiki, I remember the slices of cheese tasting different.” She stabbed the piece she cut off with her fork and ate it while glancing at her little brother from the corner of her eye. Reiki gulped down a mouthful of food and picked up a napkin to wipe his mouth clean.
He said. “I added a few things to mellow down its flavor.” Reiki was holding onto a knife and fork and used the fork to hold down the large piece of chicken parmesan on his plate while cutting it into small pieces with the knife. Ketsueki used her other hand to pick up her glass of water and took a small sip, she said. “Such as?” She placed the cup back on the table while Reiki used a fork to stab a large piece of chicken on his plate, he said. “Some lemon juice to cut through its richness and some herbs.”
Ketsueki nodded as she used a fork to cut a small piece of cake and stabbed it while Shiro used her fork to scoop the whipped cream on her plate. Reiki shoved a large piece of chicken parmesan into his mouth while Ketsueki turned her head to face her little sister. Ketsueki let out a chuckle and said. “Already done, Shiro?” Shiro had some whipped cream on the corner of her mouth as she gave her older sister a nod, she said. “Yes, Onee-chan.” Ketsueki placed her fork onto her plate with the half-eaten cake and used her index finger to point at her cheek.
Shiro had a look of confusion on her face while Reiki inhaled his food and quickly finished. Ketsueki let out a soft laugh and said, “You have whipped cream near your mouth.” Shiro placed her hand on the other side of her mouth while Ketsueki’s laughter got louder as Reiki pulled the chair he was sitting on back and stood up. Shiro got more confused while Reiki picked up his empty plate along with the knife and fork as he made his way to the kitchen. Reiki walked past the chair his little sister was sitting on, Shiro turned her upper body to the side and said, “Onii-chan.”
Reiki stopped walking as he did a half-turn to face his little sister, he said. “Shiro, what is it?” His gaze was locked on the whipped cream near the corner of her mouth. Shiro pointed at Ketsueki who was visibly shaking from trying to contain her laughter. Shiro said. “Onii-chan, Onee-chan laughing at me-.” Before she could finish her sentence Reiki used the tip of his finger to wipe the whipped cream from the corner of her mouth. Shiro saw the whipped cream on the tip of his older brother’s finger as Reiki licked it off and took the plate in front of his little sister.
Ketsueki’s laughter burst as the sound of it filled the room while Shiro glared at her older sister with puffed cheeks. Reiki made his way to the kitchen and thought. Time to escape before I get forced to pick a side. He reached the sink, placed the dishes in, and grabbed the sponge near the faucet's handle. Reiki pressed on the soap dispenser a couple of times as the sponge got hit with the two spurts of dishwashing soap.
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Living Room
Ketsueki’s laughter slowly died down as she wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, she said. “Thanks for the good laugh, Shiro.” She moved her gaze onto her little sister who was staring at her plate of cake. Ketsueki picked up her plate and stood up from her seat while Shiro moved her gaze onto her older sister. Shiro said. “Onee-chan, where are you going?” Ketsueki nodded toward the living room couch and said. “I wanna watch some TV.” She made her way toward the kitchen as Shiro’s brows furrowed. Shiro said. “Then why are you headed toward the kitchen?”
Ketsueki placed her index finger in front of her lip as she did a shushing gesture, she beckoned her little sister to follow her as Shiro stood up from her seat. Shiro followed her older sister as Ketsueki walked toward the fridge, she spoke in a whisper and said. “There’s another slice of cake in the fridge and I’m thinking of taking it.” The two of them stood beside the fridge as Shiro glanced at her older brother who was doing the dishes. Shiro spoke in a whisper and said. “But isn’t that Onii-chan’s share?”
Ketsueki waved her hand in dismissal, she whispered. “If Reiki wanted to, he would’ve already eaten it.” Shiro didn’t believe her older sister as Ketsueki spoke in a blunt tone and whispered. “If you distract Reiki so that he doesn’t see me taking the last slice of cake in the fridge, I’ll give you half of it.” Shiro turned around and walked toward her older brother, she said. “Onii-chan, do you need help?” Ketsueki smiled at her little sister and thought. That’s my girl. She opened the fridge and quickly placed the slice of cake onto the plate she was holding.
Reiki turned his head as Shiro was standing at the exact spot to block what Ketsueki was doing at the fridge. He smiled at her and said. “I’m fine, Shiro. You can eat my share of the cake Onee-chan took from the fridge.” Shiro froze in place as she had a hint of nervousness in her tone, she said. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Reiki let out a laugh as he used his elbow to point in the direction of the living room. He said. “I think you should go after Onee-chan before she eats everything.”
Shiro turned around and saw that Ketsueki wasn’t by the fridge as her eyes widened in disbelief. Shiro said. “Onee-chan, I want my share of cake!” She ran toward the living room while Reiki finished doing the dishes and shook his hands above the sink to get rid of the excess water on his hands. Reiki thought. That was lucky, neither of them looked up. He looked up at the ceiling as half a dozen mana circles were starting to disappear, Reiki turned the faucet off and continued his train of thought. Since I can make mana circles with both my hands now, is my training going to change?
He made his way to the living room and saw Shiro and Ketsueki sitting on the couch watching TV while sharing a plate of cake. Ender’s voice rang in his head, he said. [Make a thousand mana circles before going to bed, then we’ll talk.] Reiki let out one long sigh, he thought. I need to start early then. He said. “Onee-chan, Shiro. I’m calling it early today.” Ketsueki turned her upper body to the side to look above the backrest of the couch, she said. “Night Reiki.”
Shiro managed to peek her head above the backrest of the couch as she was hiding her mouth with her hand while she was still chewing. She said. “Onii-chan… Good night.” Reiki had a helpless smile on his face, he said. “Shiro, don’t talk with your mouth full.” Shiro nodded at her older brother while Reiki let out a chuckle and made his way up the stairs. Shiro sat back down on the couch as she gulped down a mouthful of cake while Ketsueki smiled at her and said. “See, Shiro. I told you Reiki wouldn’t mind us taking his share of the cake.”
Shiro gave her older sister a deadpan look, she said. “... Onee-chan… I’m not going to forget the fact that you ran away with the cake.” Ketsueki felt the sting of her little sister’s words, she said. “Shiro, I didn’t run away. I just made sure Reiki didn’t see me take that cake… Oh, and remind me to take the empty plate out of the fridge.” Shiro’s eyes narrowed as she stared a hole through her older sister while Ketsueki cleared her throat and used the fork to cut off a piece of the cake with plenty of whipped cream.
She used the fork to scoop the cake and moved it closer to her little sister’s mouth, Ketsueki smiled at her and said. “Say, ahh.” Shiro had a hint of drool from the corner of her mouth as she stared at the black forest cake covered in whipped cream. She opened her mouth while Ketsueki fed her little sister, she said. “Good, right Shiro?” Shiro's eyes had stars in them as she gave her older sister an enthusiastic nod.
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Reiki’s Room
Reiki was lying down on the bed, he thought. One thousand mana circles… Five hundred per hand… Might as well get started. He started to make mana circles with both his hands simultaneously.