"Big brother, stop talking about divine punishment and come eat the omurice I made!"
"Today's a special edition!"
Ayumi jumped down from Kuzeha's body.
Adopting a tug-of-war pose with both hands, she pulled him backward toward the dining room.
Sora also clung to Kuzeha's other hand, following closely behind.
"I cooked too—you have to try my wood ear mushrooms first!"
"That's cheating, Sora! You just washed them. It was Sakura who actually made the dish!"
Bickering the whole way, Ayumi and Sora dragged Kuzeha toward the dinner table, completely ignoring and even disinterested in the conversation he'd just had with Nao Tomori.
Seeing this, Nao couldn't help but laugh in disbelief.
If anyone else had heard that conversation, it would've caused an uproar.
But in this household, dinner with Kuzeha was far more important.
Divine judgment? Abysses?
Ayumi and Sora couldn't care less.
They were like satellites, eternally orbiting Kuzeha, all to show him more of their best, most beautiful selves.
"Ta-da! This is the newly upgraded omurice!"
On the table, Ayumi brought out a steaming plate of omurice, placing it before Kuzeha.
Written in ketchup were the words: "Exclusive for Onii-chan!"
"Looks alone are worth 10,000 yen!"
Kuzeha took a bite.
Hmm, a bit sweet, a bit tangy—but overall, delicious.
Then he looked at the beaming Ayumi and gently ruffled her head.
"Because Ayumi made it by hand, it's worth at least a million yen."
As soon as he said that, Sora silently pushed a plate of mushrooms and wood ear toward him.
"Yuu, try mine."
"Mm… very clean, tender, and springy!"
At his words, a hint of satisfaction blossomed on Sora's delicate face.
Opposite them, Sakura, who had been watching silently, sighed.
Sora was already in high school, yet still argued with Ayumi over this sort of thing...
Just then, Kuzeha's voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Of course, Sakura's cooking has also improved so much. If I couldn't eat your meals anymore, life would lose its flavor."
Sakura looked up and met his gaze, her heart thudding wildly.
She brushed aside her bangs, her cheeks softly flushed.
"I'll always cook for you, Kuze-nii…"
After dinner, Nao sat on a bench in the garden, listening to music on her MP3, gazing dazedly at the star-filled sky.
It had been a long time since she'd seen stars like this.
Back then, her favorite thing was to lie in Kuzeha's arms, his hand in hers, identifying each star together.
If they knew a name, they'd call it that.
If not, they'd make one up together.
Nao thought she had forgotten all those silly names, but under this familiar sky, they came flooding back.
Her body sank lower into the bench, eventually slumping into a lazy sprawl.
On impulse, she reached for the DV camera next to her to record the moment, then paused.
She remembered someone had tampered with her camera.
"What am I even thinking... the House of Evolution has already been wiped out by Kuze-nii."
She set it aside and let a new thought take root.
"Nao, aren't you going to sleep?"
Kuzeha's voice cut through her thoughts.
She straightened up from the bench and looked at him, then hesitated before speaking seriously: "Kuze-nii, I want to transfer schools."
Kuzeha blinked.
He walked over and sat beside her.
"You want to leave Hoshinoumi Academy?"
Nao hesitated, then nodded.
"Yeah."
She had joined Hoshinoumi Academy and even become student council president with a simple goal: to help shoulder Kuzeha's burden.
As student council president, she earned a generous salary, built connections in the supernatural world, and after graduation, could join the Hero Association as a trainee commander.
Though the job was risky, it had a promising future.
She thought that if Kuzeha ever faced something he couldn't handle, she'd be able to help.
But after seeing his true power today, and watching Sora and the others depend on him so naturally, a thought grew stronger in her heart.
With Kuzeha's strength, everything she had done… was probably unnecessary.
Maybe even a burden.
She'd only ever wanted everyone to grow up healthy and live happily.
But now, Kuzeha could carry all of that easily on his own.
So what was the point of her staying at Hoshinoumi Academy?
She might as well transfer to Sobu High.
Return to Kuzeha's side.
Spend more time with him—as his sister… or maybe even something more.
"Do whatever you feel is right," Kuzeha said softly.
Then he pulled out a feather and handed it to her.
"What's this?"
"A gift from a god," he chuckled.
Then added,
"Keep this feather with you. It'll let me sense your state. If you're ever in danger, I can come to you immediately."
It was one of the eighteen wings from his divine essence.
In the world of No Game No Life, the war god Artosh had used them to create the Flugel.
Kuzeha had only recently acquired the War God's core, so building something that complex would take time.
But making protective charms for his sisters?
That was easy.
He'd outfit the others with them soon too.
Then he'd have no worries left.
Nao stared at the feather in her palm.
Pure white, with a faint golden glow.
"Kuze-nii, if I wear it during my bath… would you be able to feel that too?"
Her curiosity slipped out before she could stop it.
"…Want to test it out?"
"No! What if it awakens something weird in you?"
She pouted and stashed the feather away.
"But… once I finish transferring to Sobu, I'll be living at home again. So if you want to test anything… you can come find me, okay?"
Nao twirled her earphones and winked at Kuzeha.
Back in his room.
Kuzeha waved his hand and released Dr. Genus.
After half a day of spiritual restoration, the mad scientist had mostly regained his faculties.
"So this is what being a soul feels like… fascinating!"
Typical mad scientist, his first instinct was to analyze his own form.
Kuzeha cleared his throat.
Dr. Genus snapped back to reality.
"Ah—sorry. First time being a ghost. Got a little excited."
He adjusted his ghostly glasses and composed himself.
"What does Master need of me?"
He knew the situation well.
He could feel the brand Kuzeha had left on his soul, an anchor that controlled his life and thoughts.
There was no escape.
Better to submit willingly and retain his mind.
"You've got other labs, don't you?"
Kuzeha smiled faintly.
A nearly hundred-year-old genius who had reversed aging, created clones, and unlocked immortality—wasn't dumb enough to put all his eggs in one base.
Under Kuzeha's gaze, Dr. Genus sighed.
"Yes… I still have six more labs."
He listed them out.
"Good. Let's clean them up."
Even if no more clones came after him, Kuzeha didn't want to leave loose ends.
He wasn't unfamiliar with the idea of cutting weeds at the root.
Guided by Dr. Genus, Kuzeha visited the remaining labs.
There weren't many monsters stationed there—most were for side projects.
Kuzeha made short work of the clones, but left the labs mostly intact.
They were his now.
His things, he'd take care of them.
"One ghost like me doesn't need this many labs," Genus remarked.
"No problem. I'll build a new lab near home, and move the gear there."
Kuzeha wasn't interested in making monsters.
He had simpler goals: Weakened commercial versions of youth-restoring and anti-aging tech.
No need for real estate scams or property bubbles.
The true goldmine was cosmetics and medtech.
Make money from women's wallets—that was the real king's road.
"As for the rest… Dr. Genus, focus on breaking the limiter."
Genus's eyes lit up.
"Doing research even after death… what a thrill!"
Two hours later, Kuzeha returned to the orphanage.
He noticed Mrs. Izumi's light was still on.
She hadn't gone to sleep.
So he texted her.
"Izumi-san, waking up all night isn't good for your health."
Three seconds later, the silver-haired widow peeked out her window, cheeks slightly flushed.
She looked toward Kuzeha's room—dark.
"Huh?"
Confused, she glanced down.
There he was, at her door.
Biting her lip, she quickly hurried to the entryway.
Late that night, Izumi Sagiri rubbed her sleepy eyes and padded toward the bathroom.
She heard… noises.
"Thief? Burglar?"
As soon as the thought crossed her mind, she woke up fully.
Barefoot, she tiptoed to the stairwell.
She saw light still coming from her mom's room.
Muffled voices floated up.
Sagiri, being a doujin artist, had seen her share of "films."
She froze.
Then blushed deeply.
"Mom… seriously…"
Embarrassed, yet strangely stirred, a complicated emotion bubbled in her heart.
"She's still at that age of yearning… and has only herself to rely on…"
A familiar face surfaced in her mind—Kuzeha.
Clenching her little fists, she muttered to herself:
"I've got to grow faster… so one day, I can do that with Kuzeha-nii too!"
TL: o.O
Read advance chapters on: patre on.com/Bored_Mortal