When he left the High School DxD world for the Campione world, it had been late at night-or perhaps early morning.
Because the relative flow of time in the first world he entered was fixed at twenty-four hours, Hiro only felt the light dim briefly before his eyes.
The scenery shifted from the bright Mediterranean sun to the dim yet spacious interior of a castle, almost identical to how it looked when he had left.
The only difference was a pair of dark purple women's outdoor shoes placed in the shoe cabinet not far away.
They probably belonged to a friend of Asia, Rias, or Sona who had come to visit.
The darkness posed no problem for Hiro.
He immediately spotted the time and date displayed on the wall in the distance.
"Three in the morning of the second day... thankfully, the system didn't mess up this part."
After confirming his situation, Hiro muttered inwardly.
"But with nearly a twelve-hour time difference, won't traveling back and forth between the two worlds become a pain in the future? An eternal night owl?"
Imagining that future, Hiro shook his head, feeling a bit helpless.
After changing into his indoor shoes, he used magic to erase the sound of his footsteps and quietly walked toward his room.
Although, considering the current size of the Kirigaya house, even sounds far louder than footsteps-like lovemaking in the dead of night-wouldn't be noticed by ordinary people such as Nanamiya Yasuko or Kirigaya Suguha, as long as it wasn't too excessive.
Still, there was no helping it.
Most of the people currently living in the Kirigaya house weren't human.
Even so, despite being extremely careful and not even using Haki perception, accidents still found him at just the wrong moment.
Gurgle-
Splash, splash-
Just as he reached the staircase on his floor and had taken fewer than two steps, Hiro heard the sound of flushing and running water from nearby.
A moment later, Kirigaya Suguha appeared in his field of vision.
Black hair.
Floral pajamas.
Sleepy eyes.
The top three buttons of her pajama shirt were undone.
Yawning, she walked out, the bright light behind her outlining her figure.
Whether by coincidence or instinct, Kirigaya Suguha turned her head to the right-despite her room being on the left.
Her eyes widened instantly.
What kind of coincidence is this?
Hiro complained inwardly.
He twitched his lips, forced a not-too-awkward smile, looked straight into her startled eyes, and raised his hand in greeting.
"Yo, Suguha. Funny running into you this late."
"Nii... Nii... Nii-chan..."
Even though he had only been gone for a day, Kirigaya Suguha looked as if she had seen something unbelievable.
Her shoulders trembled violently, and she almost jumped on the spot.
That movement made her suddenly notice something shiny and reflective below, flickering in her vision.
She looked down.
Only then did she realize her current state-and exactly what that reflective object was.
...!
Kirigaya Suguha's eyes widened further.
She hurriedly raised both hands to cover her chest, a blush instantly spreading across her cheeks.
When she looked back at Hiro, her gaze carried shyness, embarrassment, and a hint of anger.
Getting tangled up with a bunch of girls is one thing.
Bringing them into this house under the pretense of "home" is something I can pretend not to see.
But now-seeing me like this, and he didn't even remind me.
And... and... he kept staring.
Was he still not satisfied?
"Ahem."
Ignoring the complicated look in her eyes, Hiro coughed lightly and walked past her with a composed expression.
"Suguha, it's late. Go back to sleep after you finish taking care of your physiological needs. Lack of sleep is the number one enemy of a woman's skin."
As he passed her, he deliberately patted her left shoulder and reminded her gently.
"Oh... oh."
Watching her brother's back, Kirigaya Suguha nodded blankly.
Could it be that Nii-chan didn't notice?
Is that why he didn't say anything?
She glanced down while still shielding herself.
It should be pretty obvious, though.
How could Nii-chan not see it?
Lowering her arms slightly, Kirigaya Suguha followed Hiro for a few steps-then suddenly remembered something important.
"Wait! Nii-chan!"
Huh?
Feeling his sleeve being tugged from behind, Hiro turned around and looked at Kirigaya Suguha.
One hand was still protecting her front.
The other was holding onto his sleeve.
She tilted her head slightly.
Before he could ask, she spoke first, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Your room... over there."
She released his sleeve, raised her right hand, and pointed toward a door about ten meters away, with the name "Hiro" hanging on it.
"Rias, Akeno, Rindou, Asia, Xenovia, and Sona-along with Tsubaki Shinra-are all squeezed inside, waiting for you to come back."
A siege, huh.
Hiro followed the direction of her finger.
After seeing his own name, he silently complained in his heart, feeling at a loss for words.
"So if Nii-chan goes in now, there'll definitely be a huge problem!"
"...Mm. You're right."
Hearing that, Hiro nodded slightly.
Several high-profile girls all taking leave at the same time due to 'illness'-no matter how you looked at it, that was a big problem.
The biggest problem, in fact, was this chapter.
Or this book.
Unless he personally interfered and altered the consciousness of everyone at Kuoh Academy, making them ignore the situation entirely.
"In that case, I'll go out for a walk. I'm not sleepy anyway. I'll trouble you to explain things to Mom and Yasuko tomorrow morning."
After explaining, Hiro shook his head absently and turned to leave the way he came.
However, unexpectedly, Kirigaya Suguha reached out again and stopped him.
"That's not necessary, Nii-chan."
She tugged at his sleeve.
"You can stay with me. For something like this, I believe Mom and Aunt Yasuko will definitely understand."
Her right hand held onto him.
Her left hand's attempt to protect herself had already failed.
Her eyes shimmered faintly with tears.
She looked up at him, pleading-like a pet about to be abandoned.
"Even though there are many empty rooms, they haven't been cleaned in a long time and aren't suitable for staying in. In this situation, compared to Koneko, Momo, and the others... I'm the one who can accept it, Onii-chan."
Hiro: I understand everything you're saying.
But why do you look like you really don't want me to go out?
Are you worried I'll mess around outside?
"...Since you've put it that way, Suguha."
Under Kirigaya Suguha's brightened gaze, Hiro rubbed her head and smiled indulgently.
"Then we'll do as you say."
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