It seems Lanpeach has a younger sister.

[Help Shukou Nono! Level 2]

Yesterday, saving the girl from the male student with the dagger wasn’t purely out of goodwill. Well, it partly was, but half the reason was that a quest had popped up. He earned 10,000 EXP thanks to that.

“This is my older stepbrother, Shukou Arata.” (Nono)

“Nice to meet you. My name is Mana Tateno. They say I’m pretty smart for someone my age in the magic world.” (Mana)

The beautiful girl with her green hair tied in a half-up style introduced Lanpeach to another girl in a white coat. She spoke with a familiarity that made Lanpeach instinctively understand they were family.

[And she even calls you ‘Onii-san**’, Soldier.] (Libra) <Brother>

[That’s right. I always thought the name Lanpeach Kouza was pretty awful, but it turns out it’s just a fake name. I didn’t give it much thought, assuming it was a typical game world name.] (Lanpeach)

It was quite clear now that they were family. Though she was acting cold, there was an underlying affection that said “I have to look after my hopeless brother”. Moreover, the girl with the half-up hair didn’t introduce herself.

However, the other girl in the white coat did introduce herself and extended her hand for a handshake, her eyes brimming with curiosity, as if Lanpeach was some sort of experimental subject.

[This is bad. Support character! Quick, tell me my real name!] (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach asked for help in this dire situation. He hadn’t caught his sister’s introduction because of how surprised he was.

[It’s Lanpeach Kouza, right?] (Libra)

It was clear now that the first girl wasn’t the support character. She tilted her head slightly and wrapped her arm around Lanpeach’s neck, but he didn’t mind. 

(You can press your chest on me more.) (Lanpeach)

[Your real name is Shukou Arata, Pla-san. I didn’t think such a ridiculous name could be real, but it suits a minor villain, so let’s stick with Lanpeach Kouza.] (Mira)

Thankfully, the second girl is a reliable support character. She quickly and calmly provided his real name. Of course, coupled with her usual biting tone. He realized that he should be prioritizing the first girl whose body is soft everywhere.

[The girl in front of you is Shukou Nono, your younger stepsister from your father’s second marriage who is not related to you by blood. She’s exactly the type you like, Pla-san. If you invite her to take a bath with you while drooling all over the place, her affection points will skyrocket.] (Mira)

Mira, who had hacked into the data banks of the Surface District, had gathered every possible piece of gossip, surveillance camera footage, and information to provide this helpful supplement.

[A stepsister… I had no idea Lanpeach had such a miraculous existence in his life! But can you please stop trying to lower the  affection points I have? Sure, I like the idea of a stepsister, but right now what’s more important is to act in a way that doesn’t rouse suspicion.] (Lanpeach)

[That’s why I think you should say “Let’s take a bath together”. Based on my research, Arata has been taking advantage of his brief moments of kindness in his childhood to ask for money multiple times, so if you act sleazy, it won’t seem strange.] (Mira)

[Asking for money and asking to take a bath are two entirely different levels of sleazy.] (Lanpeach)

Despite knowing Mira’s advice was no good, Lanpeach couldn’t help but grin internally at the thought that he could be sleazy enough to ask for money. That kind of confidence wasn’t something to brag about at all.

“Nice to meet you, uh, Mana-san, right? But it’s been a while, Nono. I was trying to ignore you, so what’s the meaning of this?” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach decided to take the challenge of playing the role of the old Lanpeach. Even though he thought it might not be a good idea, he went for it anyway.

(I’ve seen this trope a million times in anime and novels! It’s like one of those bully scenes from a movie, right?) (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach spoke to Nono with an odd burst of confidence. She glared at him, but she didn’t seem to feel anything was off here.

“You’ve really grown, Stepbrother!” (Nono)

“I’ve grown enough to hold down this job, haven’t I?” (Lanpeach)

“You were drinking beer yesterday! It was embarrassing to watch you acting like a crook!” (Nono)

It seemed like Nono knew about how he acted. Her gaze was filled with shame rather than hatred. Of course, that was to be expected.

If Lanpeach saw a family member acting bossy and not working on a part-time job, he’d probably pretend not to know them too.

“Well, there were, uh, circumstances… as deep as the ocean and as high as the mountains…” (Lanpeach)

(This is bad! I didn’t expect this kind of penalty! I should have just worked properly!) (Lanpeach)

[It might be a bit too late, but maybe you should pretend you have amnesia? What if they figure out I am a different person possessing his body?] (Lanpeach)

[Possessed? Oh… I see.] (Libra)

Libra looked away, whistling poorly, clearly trying to cover something up.

[Worrying about things like that will make you go bald. Don’t worry, no one will figure out you’re a different person.] (Mira)

Mira shot him a cold look. It was clear they were hiding something, but neither seemed willing to explain.

(Could it be that I am not someone else possessing this body, but rather that my consciousness from a previous life overwrote my current self? It’s possible. I have read many stories with such a theme, so I would be able to understand, but…) (Lanpeach)

He could tell it was something different from how they were acting.

(Well, they will eventually tell me. I have more pressing matters right now.) (Lanpeach)

In just a few seconds, he finished thinking and gave Nono a mischievous smile, lightly tapping her on the head.

“I’ve gained power, incredible power. Enough that I can drink beer during work.” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach played the role of the older brother drunk on power. He guessed that her older brother had likely run away not because of their family’s fall but out of despair over his own lack of talent.

The way it often played out would be that the older brother would reappear with a completely changed personality after obtaining strange powers. Lanpeach Kouza used novels and anime as reference.

Although the power to drink beer during work wasn’t exactly impressive, it seemed fitting for a minor villain.

Nono inhaled sharply, about to shout “Stop fooling around!”, but…

“I’ve heard that story. You seem to have made some excellent negotiations, didn’t you? You negotiated with the Underground District, right? Honestly, you’re better at negotiating than anyone from the Surface District. And now you’re taking on missions for the Underground District, aren’t you? You could say you’re an excellent coordinator.” (Mana)

Mana, who had been left out of the conversation, suddenly pushed Nono aside and inserted herself, praising Lanpeach.

Lanpeach, however, wasn’t negotiating. It seems she has assumed that Lanpeach is a negotiator that solves things with his fists and is a genetically modified human. 

“Underground District? Who knows. I just called in a favor and gained some power.” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach gave Mana a sly grin and waved his hand dismissively, clearly not planning to explain anything.

“Fufufu, I don’t think it is a coincidence that an agent showed up as soon as the effort to activate the ancient ruins began. If I hadn’t been investigating Lanpeach Kouza all along, I might have believed you were just a small fry. The data banks only listed you as the head of a low-level explorer group after all.” (Mana)

“Wait, Stepbrother, you negotiated with the Underground District? Is that why you’ve gotten so strong? You struggled with even a giant rat before!” (Nono)

Nono, shocked by Mana’s words, confronted him. Mana puffed out her chest proudly and began explaining like an eager professor.

“Exactly. I first became aware of Lanpeach through an incident, and I’ve been gathering information on him since then. Despite accessing the perfectly secure data bank, I couldn’t find anything useful, so I had to do some good old-fashioned fieldwork. I’m quite good at it despite appearances, you know.” (Mana)

No matter how much Mira controlled the digital world, there was no beating someone who physically investigated things. With the data bank tampered with, suspicions would quickly turn to certainties.

“Heh, I bet you didn’t expect a surface-dweller to go around digging for information, did you? Stories about Lanpeach City are spreading, but strangely, no one here knows about it. You thought you could get away with it by tampering with the digital records, didn’t you? That’s such an Underground District way of thinking.” (Mana)

The super detective Mana smirked triumphantly.

[Bwahaha! This person is hilarious. There’s nothing funnier than someone confidently giving a completely wrong deduction.] (Mira)

[Toot toot! A clown nose for you!] (Libra)

[Cut it out, that’s just mean.] (Lanpeach)

It was easy to see what they were getting at. Mana was like one of those young outstanding side characters in detective stories who made flashy but incorrect deductions.

“Well, think whatever you like. Anyway, I’ve got work to do. Nono, we’ll talk later.” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach spoke as if hinting ‘Please stop boasting about the Underground District’. Lanpeach didn’t want to stick around, so he tried to excuse himself and get back to his part-time job.

However, Mana grabbed his arm with a mischievous smile, refusing to let him go.

“I’m planning to conduct an activation test within the next few days. I’d like you to be present. What do you think?” (Mana)

“What’s in it for me? That sounds outside the scope of my part-time job.” (Lanpeach)

“Why would an agent from the Underground District be here? To investigate, right? Attending the test would let you complete your mission with certainty, don’t you think?” (Mana)

(That’s not it. I’m here to investigate a different ruin altogether.) (Lanpeach)

“Hey, hey, how about it? I can even pay you. One million Ele a day sound good?” (Mana)

“O-One million Ele?!” (Nono)

Mana offered a large sum casually, causing Nono’s eyes to widen in shock, while Lanpeach remained unfazed. A million Ele wasn’t enough to motivate him.

Besides, being tied down like that would be a huge inconvenience. He was planning to investigate the underground ruins soon.

“Sorry, but I’m just a part-timer—” (Lanpeach)

“Stepbrother, take the job! Got it, he accepts!” (Nono)

Nono interjected excitedly before Lanpeach could refuse.

“Stepbrother, our living expenses alone are over a million Ele per month! You should send money home sometimes!” (Nono)

She jabbed him sharply in the side with her elbow. Not only was it painful, but Lanpeach was also shocked at the amount of money their household required.

“Even after falling from grace, life in the Surface District is still on a whole other level, huh.” (Lanpeach) 

“Mana-san, we’ll accept the job!” (Nono)

“That’s great. Thank you, Nono-kun.” (Mana)

Although Lanpeach was taken aback by the cost of living, Nono firmly shook hands with Mana and agreed to take on the task.

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