MV – Chapter 118: Home and the Minor Villain

“Stepbrother, you’re going to repay all your debts here, right? You don’t have any choice but to say yes. You’ve been coming to mooch thousands of Ele from me for months and months and months!” (Nono)

“Isn’t that amount a bit exaggerated? Mostly on my end.” (Lanpeach)

“You don’t get it, do you? Listen up, Stepbrother. Back when you came to mooch, even a few thousand Ele was worth millions for you at that time, considering your current value. It’s like how water in the desert isn’t the same as water you can buy in town!” (Nono)

Nono grabbed Lanpeach by the collar and shook him. Her reasoning was strangely convincing.

“Got it?! ‘Yes’, yes?” (Nono)

“Ah, yes?” (Lanpeach)

But this forcefulness was something Lanpeach wasn’t used to from his usual companions. Maybe minor villains are just easily pressured.

[I always thought it was strange! Keeping up that muscular body requires effort, so I was wondering how Lanpeach managed to do that when he is poor. So he was mooching off his stepsister!] (Lanpeach)

In the slums, it was hard enough to get food for the next day. Maintaining a muscular physique wasn’t just about working out; it required careful attention to diet too. Lanpeach had chalked it up to the game world, but now reality was catching up, revealing his petty backstory. As expected of a minor villain.

“I’m glad. That’s a relief. Once the Stone Briar is completely removed, please be present for the next step.” (Mana)

“Leave it to us. Come on, Stepbrother, bow your head! They’re paying us a lot of money!” (Nono)

Nono forcefully pushed Lanpeach’s head down, making him bow toward Mana. She wasn’t so much like a little sister as she was acting like his mom.

“Looking forward to working with you as well. We should be ready in about three days. Until then, just stay on standby. I’ll pay you for those days too.” (Mana)

Mana generously offered extra pay with a pleasant smile. Mira, equally cheerful, added a side note.

[We don’t need a lazy part-timer who only drinks beer and complains.] (Mira)

(I already knew it, though. Yeah, I really have been nothing more than hindrances instead of help. This is maximum awkwardness.) (Lanpeach)

[Kuh, I shouldn’t have enjoyed my minor villain act so much.] (Lanpeach)

[You get caught up in negative spirals too much, Soldier. I told you so many times to work seriously!] (Libra)

[Did someone hack my memory or something?] (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach smiled back at Libra, who was wearing a grin herself. These support characters even had a punchline prepared for him.

“Now, Stepbrother, tell me everything that’s happened! You’re not getting away.” (Nono)

It seemed Nono-san wasn’t letting him go. She glared at him intensely, ready to get angry.

The people in the botanical garden were pretending to work, but were clearly watching Lanpeach’s group.

“Didn’t they say something about the Underground District?”

“Who is connected to the Underground District?”

“It’s gotta be a bluff. The Tateno family sure picked a bold strategy to save face.”

“Look at that face. He looks like a con artist. Must be a fraud.”

It seemed few believed the story. Lanpeach’s face hardly fit the image of someone who could be involved with the untouchable Underground District after all.

(This is probably the first time Minor Villain actually worked to my advantage, but is it just my imagination that I am not happy about it at all?) (Lanpeach)

The Mofumofu Brigade kept working proudly, with only Hitoshi looking a bit flustered.

“Come on, we’re going home. You’re going to explain everything—hey, wait!” (Nono)

“I’m a runaway. What kind of face am I supposed to show my parents now? Just send the money to Nono! See ya!” (Lanpeach)

Playing the part of a runaway youth who couldn’t bring himself to face his family, Lanpeach made a dramatic dash to escape.

“Wait. Hey, don’t run away!” (Nono)

Nono chased after him, furious, but Lanpeach used the unique skill of a minor villain, “Cockroach Step”, to scuttle away before she could catch up.

Talking with a family member he had no memory of would definitely expose him, so no thanks.

◇◇

Lanpeach got back safely to the Lanpeach Complex, collapsed onto the sofa, and let out a tired sigh.

“What’s wrong, Lan?” (Chihiro)

Chihiro placed a cup of tea on the table and peeked at him with concern.

“Are you tired, Papa-shan? I’ll give you a shoulder rub!” (Koume)

Koume, the good girl who had climbed onto his lap, patted him gently with her tiny hands, offering to help.

“Kyuu, I think sleeping will solve everything-usa.” (Mimi)

Mimi, just like Koume, lay on Lanpeach’s lap, nuzzling against him with her nose and quickly dozing off.

Surrounded by his worried family, Lanpeach couldn’t help but smile a little.

“I’m fine. My job just changed. Now, I’m overseeing a ruins activation experiment instead of clearing the plants.” (Lanpeach)

“It changed? That shounds tough.” (Koume)

“Thanks for worrying about me. Here, tickle tickle~” (Lanpeach)

“Kyaaa~! I’m gonna nap with Mimi now.” (Koume)

Lanpeach stroked Koume’s head and patted Mimi’s fluffy back. Koume, happy to be petted, cuddled up to Mimi and began to nap. She must have been feeling lonely, she still clung to Lanpeach’s clothes.

“Seems like you’ve got a difficult job now. Please take care of yourself, Lan. If you collapse, this whole district will be in trouble, and I’ll be worried too.” (Chihiro)

“The job starting the day after tomorrow doesn’t sound too hard. From what I’ve heard, it’s just a botanical garden.” (Lanpeach)

Mana had explained it was just about activating the ancient ruins’ botanical garden system.

“A botanical garden, huh? Isn’t that where they just grow plants for people to enjoy? The people from the Surface District sure are strange, spending so much money on that. I’d rather use the money for something else.” (Chihiro)

“True, they should invest in a machine that makes more food or something.” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach sipped his synthetic coffee, agreeing with Chihiro. The way surface dwellers spent money was clearly different from ordinary people.

“Well, I’ll just relax here until the day after tomorrow. I’ve been busy with work.” (Lanpeach)

He made it sound like the work had been hard, though all he’d really done was lounge around drinking beer. But he didn’t let on, lifting his coffee cup.

“What do you mean, you’ve just been lazing around!” 

“Pffft! Wa, Nono?!” (Lanpeach)

A familiar voice made Lanpeach spit out his coffee. 

Turning toward the door, he saw Nono standing there, arms crossed. 

How had she found him? Sure, she could’ve tracked down his address, but getting into the building shouldn’t have been this easy.

“W-What are you doing here?!”

“Told me she is Peach-oniichan’s sister, so Dry -as a little sister too- decided to guide her here.” (Dry)

“She might have had her memories tampered into thinking she is the relative of an alien, so I brought her here just in case.” (Touka)

“Oh, I see…” (Lanpeach)

Dry and Touka peeked in from behind her. It seemed Nono had approached them while they were at school.

“How’d you figure out these two were connected to me?” (Lanpeach)

“Touka-chan was dancing in the cafeteria, celebrating her encounter with an alien.” (Nono)

Touka was clearly causing trouble again.

“I wasn’t just dancing. The teacher said if I created a new spell, I’d get extra credit, so I showed off my best magic!” (Touka)

“Touka failed supplementary exams. So, the teacher had to come up with a way to let her avoid it as last measure.” (Dry)

Dry sighed, giving Touka an exasperated look.

“Touka, don’t trample on the teacher’s kindness. Make a better spell next time.” (Lanpeach)

“But summoning Nono-chan, who was altered by aliens, means half the summoning spell was successful! The teacher said I passed!” (Touka)

“Teacher went home with dead eyes though.” (Dry)

The more he heard, the worse it got. How Touka even got into magic school was the real magic.

“Never mind Touka. Stepbrother, you’re the owner of this fancy place? It’s like a luxury hotel!” (Nono)

“Brother? Lan, you never told us you had a sister?” (Chihiro)

Hearing the word sister, Chihiro’s eyes widened, and she questioned him sharply. Lanpeach had never mentioned his family before, so it was surprising to her.

“Yeah, well, I do. This is my stepsister, Shukou Nono.” (Lanpeach)

“Oh, I see. Well, I’m Lan’s girlfriend, Chihiro. Nice to meet you.” (Chihiro)

Chihiro quickly collected herself, smiling at Nono as she introduced herself. Her ability to stay composed and recover quickly was impressive.

Touka and Dry were different though. Their mentalities were far from normal.

“G-Girlfriend?! Huh, I’m Shukou Nono. I’m not related to him by blood. Not that it means anything weird. I care about him as family, but he’s not my type at all. He is someone that won’t do anything decent when you take your eyes off him after all.” (Nono)

[So no sparks flying between the girlfriend and the stepsister. Sorry, Soldier, you missed out on that drama.] (Libra)

[I didn’t want any such sparks! I’m glad it ended peacefully.] (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach sighed in relief. He’d feared things might get messy, just as Libra had suggested.

[Normally, someone who keeps mooching money off his stepsister wouldn’t earn much affection. She’s practically a saint for putting up with him.] (Mira)

Mira’s remark was painfully accurate.

[If helping me is all it takes to be a saint, anyone could be canonized.] (Lanpeach)

But not letting it end there is the minor villain modifier of Lanpeach.

“Koume is Papa-shan’s daughter! Nice to meet you, Nono-oneechan!” (Koume) 

“Eeeh?! I wasn’t that shocked about the girlfriend, but you have a daughter too? Do our parents know about this?” (Nono)

And there it was -a bombshell. Koume proudly declared herself his daughter with sparkling innocent eyes, and there’s no way Lanpeach could deny it.

“Is she your child with Chihiro-chan? You should introduce her to your parents, you crook!” (Nono)

“Don’t use crook as if it were a verbal tick. There’s a lot to explain here. I’ll explain later, I promise.” (Lanpeach)

The thought of facing his parents was terrifying. He’d definitely get found out.

Lanpeach panicked, trying to figure out how to talk his way out of this, but…

[A devil’s seed has sprouted. Time to weed it out. Level 7]

A quest notification suddenly popped up in front of him, making him stumble.

[What is this?] (Lanpeach)

[Strange. The seeds in the botanical garden were supposed to be locked in a secure vault. How did they open it?] (Mira)

[It’s quest time, Soldier!] (Libra)

It seemed something had gone wrong at the botanical garden the moment he left it.

“Sorry, but I’ve got work!” (Lanpeach)

“Stepbrother?!” (Nono)

Lanpeach got a reason to leave this place, so he dashed out of the mansion.

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