It had been over a year since the Kitahara Family's father passed away. Although he had a good income as a university professor and left a large inheritance, it wasn't enough for the Kitahara Family, with three children, to squander freely.
Nevertheless, owning a detached house in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward was enough to show that the underage Kitahara siblings wouldn't have to worry about living expenses.
But...
Walking to the full-length mirror, Kitahara Sosuke sighed slightly, looking at the unfamiliar body and face in the reflection.
His height of 1.82 meters should be considered excellent in Japan, but his posture, slightly hunched from long hours in front of a computer, his haggard face and dark circles from staying up late, and his protruding belly from overeating high-calorie foods, actually diminished the advantage of his height.
No wonder his four-dimensional stats, according to the appraisal, were all hovering around 50, except for his slightly higher intelligence.
However... "Body Enhancement!"
As he silently recited the skill name, the back that had been somewhat hunched in the mirror instantly straightened. His slightly protruding belly also tightened abruptly, revealing neat eight-pack abs underneath.
"Hmm, not bad. It shows potential for correction and improvement."
Just the messy long hair covering his eyebrows and ears was not something he could deal with at the moment. Kitahara Sosuke finally concluded:
He was an average high school student in all aspects, even a bit weaker physically than his peers. Not fair-skinned or handsome, but with careful grooming, he should be able to reach a decent standard.
...
"Good morning, Airi."
After washing his hair and taking a quick shower, Kitahara Sosuke sat down at the dining table, picked up a slightly toasted slice of bread, took a bite, and greeted his sister, who was drinking milk nearby.
Like Marina, Airi had also been fostered in the Kitahara Family since childhood. Kitahara Sosuke vaguely remembered seeing the sisters in swaddling clothes for the first time when he was about three or four years old.
From then on, his childhood gained two little tagalongs. Unfortunately, now...
"Hmph, don't stare like that, it's disgusting."
The girl sat on the chair with her legs curled up, holding a cup on her knees with both hands, lowering her head and sticking out her little tongue, teasing the milk in the cup like a cat, sip by sip.
Hearing Kitahara Sosuke's voice, her toes, wrapped in over-the-knee socks, shyly recoiled a bit. She turned her delicate little face, tilted her head back, and chugged the remaining half-cup of milk until it was empty.
His younger sister was a tsundere. Kitahara Sosuke was used to this attitude. The sight of her licking the milk with her tongue, sip by sip, suddenly reminded him of the widely circulated 'bunny drinking water' meme from his previous life.
Hmm, it wasn't great, it was just very...
So, as if by a strange impulse, Kitahara Sosuke blurted out:
"Does Airi like bunnies?"
"Hm... Eh?... P-pervert!"
Kitahara Airi's pink little face flushed instantly from her earlobes. She jumped off the chair, frantically clutched her skirt, and took two steps back.
Her over-the-knee socks landed directly on the floor with a "thump-thump-thump" sound. She scurried back to the living room sofa, grabbed a pillow, hugged it to her chest, and glared at Kitahara Sosuke from a distance.
"..."
Ah, this. Kitahara Sosuke paused for two seconds, his gaze climbing up her over-the-knee socks. He quickly realized and couldn't help but curl his lips; he hadn't seen anything.
"You're still looking!"
Airi, with a red face, threw the pillow at Kitahara Sosuke. With a strength attribute of only 32 points, the pillow flew less than half a meter in the air before sadly falling to the ground.
"Who would care about someone like you... Ah..."
Kitahara Sosuke mumbled, turned his body, and focused on his breakfast.
"Ni-san, would you like another slice of ham?"
"Yes."
Marina came out of the kitchen with her breakfast, sat opposite Kitahara Sosuke, and used a fork to add a slice of ham to his plate.
Unlike his younger sister, his older sister was much cuter. Not only did she thoughtfully take care of the housework, but when their mother, Kawayo, was busy with work, the bento boxes for the three siblings were also made by Marina.
Most people are members of the 'looks-first' club, and Kitahara Sosuke was no exception. Although the Kitahara Family sisters had very different personalities, they both, without exception, possessed delicate features and impressive... figures.
Well, compared to Marina's cup size, which far exceeded her peers, Airi was truly just a little sister.
If Marina was the type to accidentally get stuck in a front-loading washing machine while helping with laundry, crying, "Oni-chan, save me!", Airi was probably the type who could easily slip through the school fence to skip class and then stand with her hands on her hips, showing off.
Alright, that's a bit too harsh. Airi is still young, with a promising future.
"I feel like Baka Sosuke is thinking something very rude."
Airi, sitting on the sofa not far away, suddenly felt a wave of malice. Her brother at home had been looking back and forth between her and her sister for a while, and then suddenly cast a sympathetic gaze at her.
"I'm wondering when was the last time Airi sweetly called me Oni-chan like Marina does?"
"I-I never called you that!"
Heh, tsunderes are so easy to manipulate...
"Oni-chan, are you going out today?"
"Probably not. Nana-chan, is something wrong?" (Marina -> Nana -> Nana-chan)
"Eh?...Um (ano), Mom will bring Uncle Akizuki to visit after her night shift. Ni-san wasn't home the last two times, so should we meet him today...? She said there's something important she wants to tell us..."
So cute. Just by calling her childhood nickname, Marina's face turned shyly red. Kitahara Sosuke was about to continue teasing the cute girl when he heard the words "Akizuki" and frowned.
"Ni-san... if, if you don't like it..."
Marina was a very observant child. Noticing her brother's expression change drastically at the mention of Uncle Akizuki, she immediately rephrased.
"No, it's nothing. Let's just meet Uncle together, Nana-chan."
Kitahara Marina, Kitahara Airi. Speaking of which, the family still inherited their deceased father's surname, so it was no wonder he felt his two sisters' names were strangely familiar yet he couldn't place why.
He could probably guess some of the "important matters." If the so-called "Uncle Akizuki" were to become his stepfather, his sisters would likely change their names to Akizuki Marina and Akizuki Airi.
"Such familiar names..."
Kitahara Sosuke didn't continue to ask what Uncle Akizuki's full name was, nor was there a need to. There was no such thing as coincidence in the world; everything that was meant to happen was an inevitable outcome.
He just sighed that his life, which had just started from scratch, was already facing a major crisis in less than 24 hours.
Kitahara Sosuke didn't care if he was "Kitahara Sosuke" or "Akizuki Sosuke" after his mother remarried, but after integrating his memories, his protective instincts for his family were deeply ingrained.
Thinking about what might happen next... Ah, his fists clenched.
"What about Airi?"
Kitahara Sosuke turned his head to look at his younger sister, who was still sulking on the sofa.
"I hate him! That perverted old man who only stares at Airi, he's even worse than Baka Sosuke. I don't want to see him a second time."