"Mio? You mean Mio Khalifa?"
Yae nodded with a serious expression.
"…You know Mio?"
Yae's eyes suddenly dimmed.
"There were some problems, and Mio saved me from all of them."
"What did you say? Why didn't you tell me?! Tell me—who was bothering you? I'll beat them to a pulp!"
"Pfft! Hahaha! You're really funny when you're angry."
Instead of answering my question, Yae laughed and brushed it off with a joke.
"Yae, answer me seriously. Who was bothering you?"
Yae fell silent, looking at me with her large, beautiful eyes.
"The problem is already solved. You don't need to worry."
"But I still have to teach whoever bothered you a lesson!"
Yae gave a faint smile.
"Thank you for getting angry for me, but… I'm sorry. I can't tell you."
"…"
Yae wasn't a foolish girl. She definitely knew that if I found out, I'd immediately go and confront whoever had bothered her.
The fact that she kept it a secret meant there was only one possibility—I couldn't win against them.
Now the list of suspects narrowed down. If it wasn't the child of a powerful politician, then it had to be a top-class adventurer.
And if it was neither, then at the very least, they had strong connections to powerful politicians or high-ranking adventurers.
I'm still too weak. No matter what, I have to get stronger—and fast!
…..
The next day, Yae and I went to the adventurers' shop to buy the weapons we needed.
I bought a longsword, while Yae bought a pair of daggers that were more expensive than my sword.
For safety's sake, I deliberately gave Yae the best equipment. It wasn't that I was neglecting myself—I bought a cheap sword because I was confident it would still be enough to defeat goblins.
On our way home, Yae suddenly stopped in front of a family restaurant, staring at the discounted sweets on the menu with drool practically coming out of her mouth.
"…Want to stop by and try it?" I asked casually.
"Huh? But aren't we almost out of money?"
Yae was clearly shocked by my suggestion.
"True, but I'd feel guilty making you go home with drool still on your cheek."
I pinched Yae's soft cheek.
She blushed and nodded shyly.
We only ordered one serving, specifically for Yae. Aside from our limited money, I wasn't that fond of sweets anyway.
But Yae thought differently—she probably believed I was giving it up for her, which made her feel guilty.
"Akio, let's eat it together."
"Huh? No, I'm fine."
"But—"
"I really don't need any. You can eat it all."
I did my best to smile.
"…Alright, then."
Yae took the first bite and immediately fell in love with the taste, completely forgetting her concern for me.
It stung a little to be forgotten so quickly, but seeing Yae's happy smile made me glad.
Yae is really cute. I'm relieved we're not blood-related siblings.
"Eh? Yae? What are you doing here?"
A cold, mature woman's voice suddenly rang out.
I instinctively turned toward the speaker and was instantly captivated by her mature beauty.
She was about 170 cm tall, with long, wavy snow-white hair. Her chest was easily an F-cup. Her eyes were a clear sapphire blue, and her face was flawless—so beautiful it could make even other women jealous.
Her body was slender, yet all the right curves were perfectly defined.
Her long, slim legs complemented her overall figure beautifully.
Who could resist such beauty? I was a normal man—of course I'd be drawn to a perfect beauty who suddenly appeared before me.
Thud!
"Aw!"
Something slammed into my leg, making me cry out in pain.
When I looked down, I saw Yae had just kicked my shin.
"Yae?"
"Humph!"
She didn't answer me, instead turning her face away with a pout.
"…"
"Yae?"
The beautiful woman beside our table called out to her.
"Ehem! Sister Mio, what a coincidence to meet you here."
Yae instantly switched back to her cheerful mode—the one everyone loved.
"A coincidence? Do you need something from me?"
Yae nodded, then secretly glanced at me.
"Not just me—my older brother too."
"Older brother?"
Mio turned her sapphire-blue eyes toward me, mesmerizing and beautiful.
"I see. So you're Yae's older brother."
"Uh, my name is Akio. Thank you for taking care of Yae."
Mio smiled casually and waved her hand repeatedly.
"Yae has helped me many times too. We're even."
"Even so, I still want to thank you. How about I treat you to the same dessert Yae's having?"
"Huh? No, I couldn't trouble you like that."
"It's fine. Think of it as my way of saying thanks."
Mio was about to say something else, but Yae grabbed her hand and pulled her down to sit beside her.
"Just accept it, Sister Mio. Akio won't give up until you do."
"…Alright then."
Once Mio agreed, I immediately called the waiter and ordered another discounted dessert.
While waiting for it to arrive, we explained our situation to Mio.
"I see. So you're planning to enter a level-one dungeon."
"That's right. Can you help us, Sister Mio?"
Yae looked at Mio with her large, pure eyes.
She probably didn't mean to, but her gaze looked so pitiful that it was impossible to refuse.
Mio smiled gently, her gaze warm and full of affection as she looked at Yae.
"Alright, I'll help you. But may I ask something first?"
Yae tilted her head, making her look even cuter.
"What is it?" I asked hesitantly.
"Yae only had her birthday about a month ago. How did she reach level ten so quickly?"
Mio's suspicious gaze turned directly toward me.
"And not just that—you also had your birthday shortly before Yae, yet you've already reached level ten as well."
"…"
"Sister Mio, that—"
Yae tried to stop Mio, but fell silent when she saw the firmness in Mio's expression.
"I don't think there's a problem telling her."
"Akio! Are you sure?!"
Yae reacted sharply.
I gave a faint smile, reached out, and gently patted Yae's head.
She slowly calmed down, blushing shyly.
Mio waited patiently, pretending not to notice the intimacy between the siblings.
"If you trust her, then that means she's trustworthy."
"…"
Yae fell silent, unable to refute my words.
I continued smiling as I patted her head, stopping only after she had fully calmed down.
Then, I told Mio about my unique ability—Harem Leveling.
An experience boost of one hundred times for me and fifty times for Yae was clearly unbelievable information.
Even Mio, who had plenty of experience, couldn't accept it right away.
"You're saying your unique ability multiplies the experience gained from killing monsters?"
I nodded in response.
"And the effect on harem members is fifty percent of the owner's?"
I nodded again.
Mio took a sharp breath and asked seriously,
"Is it possible for that ability to work on me?"
"Eh?!"
Yae and I froze at Mio's question.
We looked at each other, and Yae blinked her clear eyes at me.
"It's possible, but I don't know the long-term effects of this ability. If you don't mind, you could become one of my harem."
"…"
"Ah—I mean, a member of my party."
Afraid Mio might misunderstand and get angry, I quickly corrected myself.
… .. .
To be continued…