Early morning.
Izumi Sagiri was awoken by loud mechanical rumbling.
Rubbing her sleepy eyes, the girl stepped barefoot onto the floor and made her way to the window.
In the distance, a row of excavators were hard at work.
"Excavators?"
Sagiri tilted her head in confusion.
Her sleepy mind suddenly remembered something important.
Her face turned pale in an instant.
"No way!"
"They're here to demolish our house!"
She bolted from her room in a panic, shouting as she stomped down the stairs and burst into Izumi-san's room.
"Mom! Bad news! The Yukinoshita family's here to tear down our home!"
The sudden invasion startled Izumi-san, who had been working on her manuscript.
Clutching her chest, she sighed.
Her heart hadn't even calmed down from last night, and now her daughter had to scare her first thing in the morning...
"What are you talking about? Don't say such nonsense!"
Izumi-san gave her a helpless glare.
But Sagiri pointed outside with a serious face.
"Look, mom! Those excavators are obviously here because we refused to move. They're gonna force demolition!"
"Damn that Yukinoshita Conglomerate..."
Seeing her daughter's puffed-up cheeks, Izumi-san laughed.
"You're just afraid of being separated from your brother, aren't you?"
"Relax. They're not here to demolish anything."
"That's the start of construction for a new estate."
"Estate?"
Sagiri blinked.
Her pale blue eyes stared at her mother with suspicion.
"Mom, what are you talking about?"
"Who would build a manor here?"
Turning back to her work, Izumi-san responded casually,
"Believe it or don't. Up to you."
Hearing that, Sagiri started to believe her a little.
"Where'd you get that info anyway? You're home just as much as I am."
Where?
Obviously from the most "intimate" source—the estate's owner told her himself!
Izumi-san's cheeks flushed slightly as she gave her daughter a light flick to the forehead.
"None of your business! Now go wash up. You've got work to do!"
"Hmph, as long as it's not forced demolition, that's fine."
Sagiri pouted.
Then, something caught her attention.
At this close distance, she realized her mom's skin and complexion had improved dramatically.
Despite keeping up her late-night lifestyle, she seemed to be aging in reverse?
"Mom… are you secretly using some kind of beauty product without telling me?"
She narrowed her eyes and gave her mom a once-over.
Izumi-san's heart skipped a beat.
But her face remained calm as she flicked Sagiri's forehead again.
"Quit trying to change the topic. Go wash up—we've got manuscripts to finish!"
Meanwhile, at the nearby orphanage.
Having just woken up, Kuzeha also noticed the construction vehicles and trucks in the distance.
Of course, he already knew about this.
The moment Madam Yukinoshita heard from her daughter Haruno that Kuzeha wanted to build an estate, she immediately dispatched a construction crew.
Over a dozen architects submitted different blueprints for Kuzeha to choose from.
So many that he got dizzy flipping through them.
So this morning, he announced it to all his sisters.
He even passed around the final shortlist from Madam Yukinoshita, letting them pick their favorite designs.
But what surprised him was how quickly they shifted from excitement about the estate, to one very particular debate: Who gets the room next to Kuzeha's?
"I'm definitely living next door! I've always had the room closest to him!"
Sora declared confidently.
"But exactly because Sora-nee has been so close all this time, it's my turn now!"
Ayumi from the Otosaka family said, fingers counting her points with conviction.
"I… I want to be near Onii-san too… It'll help with my breathing technique practice…"
Kanao whispered, her voice soft but firm.
Even Sakura joined in gently:
"If I live closer, I can cook for you right away whenever you're hungry…"
Watching the commotion, Nao Tomori offered a solution.
"How about we design the rooms in a ring, with Kuzeha in the middle? That way, everyone's the same distance."
"Hm… that might actually work!"
"No way! I have to be the closest—"
Kuzeha quickly rolled up the blueprints.
"Alright, enough!"
He looked around at the girls and spoke calmly.
"Construction's only just started. There's still time."
"When it's done, we'll assign rooms based on your behavior until then."
His words instantly put them on high alert.
Based on behavior?
What could they do to stand out in Kuzeha's eyes?
Sora's eyes gleamed with confidence.
As someone who'd played through dozens of sibling-themed gal games, she knew how to please a brother.
This competition? She had it in the bag.
At Sobu High.
As Kuzeha entered the classroom, he noticed something odd, everyone was giving him strange and curious looks.
"What's with the stares? Did the world's attractiveness drop by 100x overnight and I'm the only one unaffected?"
He muttered as he sat down and looked at the girl in front of him—Katou Megumi.
Katou turned around with her usual soft but expressionless voice.
"Kuzeha-kun, after you left class yesterday, some other students tried copying your behavior… and got punished harshly by Nakano-sensei."
"Now everyone's wondering what kind of relationship you have with her."
Kuzeha raised an eyebrow.
"Katou-san, are you curious too?"
"A little."
She nodded.
So Kuzeha briefly explained his connection with Nakano Rena.
"Exorcism?"
"You can exorcise spirits?"
Katou's eyes widened slightly, a hint of admiration flickering in her gaze.
"Would you like to experience being exorcised?" Kuzeha asked sincerely.
Katou tilted her head, lips pursed.
"…That sounds weird."
After a moment's pause, she added,
"You mentioned Nakano-sensei has five daughters?"
"Yeah."
"Are they pretty?"
Kuzeha met her gaze.
Katou didn't flinch.
"More or less. They all look pretty similar."
"I see. I thought for sure they'd be beauties."
Katou said offhandedly.
Kuzeha smirked.
"Don't worry. Your standing is quite solid."
"So Kuzeha-kun's already added me to his harem?"
"Curious what rank you are?"
Before she could respond, she turned toward a newly arrived classmate.
"Good morning, Kujou-san."
"Morning, Katou-san."
Alisa sat beside Kuzeha, glancing between him and Katou.
Their interaction seemed way closer than usual.
"…Totally ignoring me now, huh?"
She muttered in Russian.
PE class. Volleyball court.
Kuzeha set the ball up slightly above net height.
Moments later, a girl leapt high, her figure arching gracefully in mid-air, body outlined perfectly even through the loose school uniform.
Her talent made the fabric look tight.
With a smack, Alisa's palm slammed into the ball.
It compressed mid-air, then smashed into the court.
"Nice shot!"
Kuzeha praised genuinely.
Still in mid-air, Alisa's lips curled up slightly at his compliment.
But upon landing—
Snap!
She twisted her ankle.
"You okay?"
Kuzeha caught her before she hit the ground.
"My ankle… it's twisted."
Tears welled in Alisa's eyes as sharp pain shot through her.
"I'll take her to the nurse's office. You guys keep going," Kuzeha said, cradling her bridal-style.
His strong arms and refreshing scent made Alisa's mind go blank.
Everyone watched as she was carried off—
And in that moment, a strange emotion surged in her chest.
Meanwhile, in the nearby basketball court, Yuki saw what happened.
Face darkened.
"Oh no. Big bro's getting stolen…"
Next second, she executed a horribly fake fall.
"Oof! My stomach hurts! I better go to the nurse too…"
At the nurse's office.
They were greeted by Shizuka Marikawa, a bombshell blonde with a beauty rivaling Hiratsuka-sensei, overflowing curves, and a bubbly airhead charm.
"Marikawa-sensei, she twisted her ankle in volleyball."
Marikawa looked at Alisa's ankle and said gently,
"No swelling. Take off your sock, I'll grab medicine."
She left for the storage room.
"Can you help me take it off?"
Alisa asked, face flushed.
Before Kuzeha could respond, she placed her leg before him.
Wearing white thigh-highs, his fingers brushed against soft thighs as he slid them down.
She trembled faintly.
Looking up, Kuzeha saw her biting her lip, unable to meet his gaze.
As the sock came off, her smooth, jade-like legs were revealed.
Upon touching the ankle, "Does it hurt?"
"Y-yeah, a little."
Kuzeha activated Undying Grasp, dulling her pain and stimulating touch.
Suddenly, her ankle no longer hurt, but his warm fingers gave her a strange, tingly feeling.
She almost reflexively tensed up.
"That was fast… I kinda wish it lasted longer…"
Then Marikawa returned with balm.
"Apply this and rub gently—it helps absorption."
Alisa's eyes lit up.
Kuzeha sighed.
"Um, Kuzeha-kun… my… stomach hurts. Could you rub it for me?"
A voice interrupted from the doorway.
Alisa's eyes widened.
It was Yuki.
She walked right up, grabbed Kuzeha's hand, and pressed it to her abdomen.
"Your hand's so warm, Kuzeha-kun… Just like always."
Always?
Meaning this wasn't their first time?
Alisa's mind spun.
"Let's not disturb Alisa while she's applying medicine. Let's go next door."
Yuki said with a sweet smile, pulling Kuzeha toward the rest area.
As they disappeared behind the door, Yuki's mischievous smirk haunted Alisa's thoughts.
"Yuki… this woman definitely has impure thoughts about Kuzeha!"
Alisa clenched her fists.
But she wasn't backing down.
Her gaze drifted to the closed door.
If only she had x-ray vision…
Read advance chapters on: patre on.com/Bored_Mortal