About half an hour later, Yusei appeared at the entrance of the Kazami Household carrying a pastry bag.
He touched the wound on his cheek and couldn't help but hiss in pain.
He was somewhat frustrated. Clearly, the wound wasn't big, but it still hurt so much when touched.
But then he thought about how he had taken a renowned master today, confronted firearms head-on, and rescued a beauty, which lifted his spirits considerably.
Especially the first and second points filled him with confidence about his future.
Living in a slice-of-life world yet gaining extraordinary abilities… that was what brought joy and happiness.
Opening the front door, Yusei entered.
The Kazami Home wasn't large, and you could see the living room as soon as you entered. At that moment, Shiro was sitting on the sofa in the living room, watching TV.
Seeing Yusei return, she glanced his way but soon turned back to the TV.
Yusei didn't know if it was his imagination, but he thought he saw the ahoge on Shiro's head twitch slightly.
Combined with Shiro's reaction to him coming home just now...
'Did she seem displeased?'
Thinking about the empty house with only her in it, Yusei quickly realized what Shiro was unhappy about.
Then, he couldn't help but smile, walked over with the pastries, and sat down beside Shiro.
"Want some cake?"
"No." Shiro immediately shook her head.
"I bought this specially for my cute little sister. Doesn't Shiro care if I feel sad?"
Yusei smiled and gently patted Shiro's little head.
Shiro was just a child. No matter how high her IQ, she still needed her brother's affection and coaxing.
Shiro narrowed her eyes, seeming to enjoy Yusei stroking her little head very much.
Yusei smiled, picked up a small piece of cake, and fed it to Shiro.
Shiro wasn't shy or evasive either. She obediently took a bite, but because her mouth was somewhat small, she only managed to eat a little of the small cake.
"Nii, I don't want to eat anymore. I'm not hungry."
Yusei wanted to continue feeding his little sister, but Shiro leaned closer to him, hugged her knees, and started watching TV again.
The TV was showing a gaming channel explaining various games.
But that wasn't the main issue. He hesitated, looking at the cake in his hand with a piece missing.
'This... shouldn't be wasted, right? If I put it away, it'll probably go bad.'
Yusei's expression changed several times, he was very hesitant. But ultimately, thriftiness triumphed over his bottom line.
'Right, I'm doing this to avoid waste.'
Yusei gave himself a reason and stuffed the cake into his mouth in one bite.
He didn't know if it was his imagination, but this piece of cake tasted exceptionally good...
Especially with Shiro leaning against him nearby, he felt the cake tasted even better.
While Yusei was enjoying the cake, he suddenly felt Shiro tug on his clothes.
Looking down, he saw Shiro looking at him, more precisely, at his face.
"Nii, what happened to your face?"
"Got hurt by accident. It's nothing serious."
Shiro looked at the spot, and her small hand suddenly reached up to touch it. Her soft little hand gently stroked the wound.
Yusei felt the pain disappear completely, replaced by an itchy sensation, as if it was healing rapidly.
"Done, Nii." Shiro looked at Yusei calmly.
"Thank you, Shiro."
Yusei patted Shiro's little head, smiling, feeling that having a little sister was wonderful. She knew how to care for her brother.
'No wonder everyone said having a little sister was good. A little sister is truly her brother's little sun.
Feeling the warm, large hand on her head, Shiro enjoyed it very much. However, she didn't continue watching TV but tugged on Yusei's clothes again.
"Nii, that... I want to play."
Yusei looked at what Shiro was pointing to on the TV. It was the SAO's press conference, with various introductions and the price...
Having known about this already, Yusei hadn't paid it much mind because he had originally planned to play this game with Shiro.
However, the moment he saw the price, his eyes nearly popped out.
'If the Sharingan's insight wasn't malfunctioning, I should be seeing 500,000 yen, right? Not 50,000 yen, right?' (T/N: About $3,300)
Five hundred thousand yen was no small amount. From what he knew of his predecessor's life, his father, Akira's monthly salary was only 200,000 yen.
In Tokyo, where even drinking water costs a lot, 200,000 yen wasn't much, just enough for the Kazami Family to live a modest lower-middle-class life.
Two basic game helmets would cost 1,000,000 yen combined, a full five months of Akira's salary.
That meant the family would have to go without food or drink for five months just for the siblings to play a game.
This was clearly impossible!