The Castle in Another World from Zero / Everyone Is a Half-Sister ...

Not only Hime no Toki, but also Kouko-san. Kaori and Eriri went on a shopping spree, each carrying bags and packages. It just goes to show how terrifying women's shopping desires are.

Now even Shirou is carrying seven or eight bags on his back, and he's walking unsteadily, about to lose his balance at any moment.

"Don't worry about the details, by the way! I just ran into..." Hime no Toki wanted to say something more.

At that moment, Shirou's cell phone rang.

"Hello?" Shirou had no choice but to put down the bag and answer the phone.

"It's me, it's me," came the quiet voice of a young girl from the other end of the line.

"Who am I?!" the two couldn't help but exclaim.

"Ah, it's those girls who were really unique before," Eriri suddenly said, pointing ahead.

"Have they not gone back yet? Today's exhibition has already ended." Miss Xiangzi said doubtfully.

It was clearly Kousaka Kirino and her siblings; even a glance from afar wouldn't be mistaken.

Kuro Neko dressed in gothic lolita style, a tall woman named Saori Bagina dressed in deliberately standard attire with overly thick glasses that obscured her eyes, and a beautiful young girl Aragaki Ayase seemed out of place here, were standing in a corner outside the venue, making strange gestures with their hands.

"The darkest night, the crimson sky, the brightest and darkest spirits, now heed my command, come here, open the mysterious gate for us, awaken—! Black & White World Gate!"

The Kuro Neko, dressed in gothic lolita fashion, was chanting her incantation, raising her hands as if summoning something.

"Show yourself--!" Kousaka Kirino also raised her hands, making a summons.

"Wait... Kirino, don't you guys feel embarrassed?" Aragaki Ayase, who seemed normal to Kirino, tugged at Kirino's sleeve and whispered.

"Kukuku, you just don't understand," the Kuro Neko said with a smile. "The rumors about entering another world are true. You know, there are still many unsolved mysteries in this world that cannot be explained by science."

"Yeah! Am I going to go to another world to see Meruru and Illya-chan?" Kirino exclaimed, her eyes shining brightly.

"Even if such a thing existed, it's impossible for us to run into it." Kousaka Kyousuke is an ordinary person who most often draws Suekichi in lotteries and never wins the lottery. If he weren't forced to do certain things, his life would probably remain uneventful and without any surprises. Therefore, he can assert that he will not encounter the special things that only the chosen ones encounter.

As soon as he finished speaking, a black mist emerged, engulfing them and Shirou and the others.

Chapter 703 Re: Zero -Starting Life in Another World-

When Shirou came to his senses, he found himself lying on a bed. His head throbbed with pain, his memory was hazy, the ceiling was a color he had never seen before, and the surrounding decor seemed to be Western.

Upon closer inspection, Shirou noticed the exquisite details in everything—from the window screens and table settings to the paintings and carvings on the walls. Even the softness of the pillow beneath his head made him realize that this place was quite different from an ordinary family home. It reminded him of Illya's castle or Luviagelita Edelfelt's luxurious villa.

Shirou sat up in bed and found that the bed he was lying on was very large. Even with his height of 1.8 meters, it was large enough to fit three or four large beds at the same time. It seemed that he had come to a villa of a Western-style house, and the kind that only the great nobles were qualified to live in.

With a click, the white wooden door inlaid with gold was opened, and a pair of young girls walked in.

"The sleepy guest has woken up, sister."

"Yes, the sleepy guest has woken up, Rem."

"Who are you?" Shirou looked up at the door and saw two twin girls dressed in Maid Outfit, almost identical except for their hair color and the angle of their bangs. They were pushing a cart full of things into the room.

"Guest, I am Rem's older sister, Ram."

"I am Rem, my sister's younger sister."

Shirou stood up and returned the greeting to the two ladies, saying, "I am Shirou. It is an honor to meet you ladies. May I ask where this place is?" Shirou tried to greet the two ladies in the way he had learned to deal with upper-class nobles.

The twin maids looked at Shirou in surprise, huddled together, covered each other's mouths, and exclaimed in astonishment.

"Miss, the guest actually called me Ms. Ram. Could it be that Ram is interested, Rem?"

"The guest actually called her 'Ms. Rem,' it seems like he's lusting after Rem, sister."

"Guest, you are Roswaal's nephew, so there's no need to be so polite with Rem. Even if you let Rem satisfy your lust, we won't resist."

"Guest, you're Roswaal's nephew, so you can insult your sister without any regard for her feelings."

The twin sisters hugged each other, pretending to be trembling, but their expressions showed no sign of tension.

"I would never do such a thing!" Shirou retorted irritably.

However, Shirou understood that the pink-haired one seemed to be the older sister, and the blue-haired one was the younger sister. They were talking and exchanging words with each other in a continuous and almost uninterrupted manner.

With a snap, the door opened again, revealing a blonde girl with twin ponytails, wearing an exquisite white lace dress with sleeves that flared out like trumpet flower petals—she was as beautiful as a legendary elf.

Shirou greeted the girl, saying, "Yo, Eriri."

"This isn't the time to talk! You're really carefree, Onii-chan! It's such an important time, everyone's so excited they can't sleep, and you're sleeping in! Everyone's waiting!"

"Ni-chan?" Shirou looked at the girl in surprise, his face full of doubt.

"What are you doing? Are you still half asleep? We've been siblings for over fifteen years!" Eriri said to Shirou, annoyed.

"The host has been waiting in the restaurant for quite some time. The other guests are already inside. Please change your clothes and come with us."

The two maids pulled out Western clothing from the cart, Shirou realized that he was actually wearing pajamas.

At this moment, the twin maids picked up the trousers and underwear respectively, and were about to help Shirou change his clothes.

"Um, I can change it myself," Shirou said awkwardly, raising his hand to stop them.

"Let me handle this!" Eriri stepped forward at that moment.

"We're siblings, why worry about these things? Hurry up and change your clothes! Uncle Roswaal is waiting." Eriri grabbed a shirt and started putting it on Shirou.

Although Shirou still didn't understand what was going on, he knew that he and Eriri had been drawn into a fantasy world again. The only thing he was sure of was that the story was set in a Western-style world, and Eriri seemed to have become an NPC character whose memories had been replaced.

Shirou finally managed to persuade Eriri to leave, and then quickly changed into the clothes he had prepared. It was a Western-style ancient nobleman's outfit, which fit him very well, but strangely, it was impossible to tell which country's design style it was from.

Upon exiting the room, one is greeted by a wide corridor with walls and floors painted in warm colors. Whether viewed from the left or the right, the corridor stretches endlessly, seemingly so long that even with Shirou's keen eyesight, it appears to have no end in sight.

Shirou took ten steps from the door of the guest room to the window outside. He looked out at the exquisite garden with a fountain, the lush green lawn, and the flowerbeds full of flowers that attracted butterflies and bees. This was the courtyard of the mansion, which was already the size of a small town.

This is a scale that only extremely wealthy families in ancient times could possess.

"Roswaal?" Shirou asked, puzzled, as the name was completely unfamiliar to him.

"Of course it's Earl Roswaal! Our uncle, he will now distribute the family fortune to us on behalf of our deceased father," Eriri said irritably.

Seated at the head of the table was a strangely dressed man with heterochromatic eyes and makeup. He had long purple hair, wore a small top hat, and his face was painted deathly white. One eye was blue, and the other was yellow, adorned with bizarre patterns. His formal attire was divided into two colors in the middle, one side purple and the other blue. He looked very strange, like the Joker from a deck of cards.

He greeted Shirou in a peculiar, almost singing tone, "Good morning, Shirou-kun! We've been waiting for you to have breakfast. It seems you slept well last night, which is the best thing ever. Well then, please take a seat. This is your home, so don't be shy."

"Good morning." Shirou nodded in response. He knew nothing about the setting of this world, so it was best to talk less and observe more.

Eriri had already returned to her seat. Beside her sat Hime no Toki, who looked like she hadn't woken up yet, and on the other side was Fujiwara Kagako, who was drinking tea. None of them seemed to have noticed anything unusual; they appeared to have completely integrated into this world.

Chapter 704 Everyone is a Half-Sister

A long red cloth was laid out on the rectangular dining table, on which fruit, flowers, and plates were placed. It was clearly time to eat. Shirou couldn't stand there any longer and keep the others waiting, so he quickly took his seat.

At this moment, Roswaal was seated in the main seat, and three girls in Western-style dresses were seated on each side. Only the middle seat on the right was empty. Shirou had no choice but to sit down there.

Sitting next to Shirou was a girl with long orange hair, the same girl he had met at the anime convention. Now, she had her hair up, with the ends spreading out like wings. She was wearing a brightly colored dress, exuding confidence and charisma, which suited her personality quite well.

"Hey, why are you so slow?!" The girl with long orange hair slapped Shirou's thigh under the table with her hand and complained rudely.

"..." Shirou felt a slap on the thigh and thought suspiciously, 'Are we that close? We haven't even spoken to each other in this world, have we?'

"That's right, Nii-chan. Kirino and I have been waiting for you for ages. Kirino kept saying she'd wait for you to arrive before we ate together, and our stomachs are growling." The long-haired girl next to her leaned over and chimed in.

'Nii-chan? We shouldn't have met before, right?' Shirou looked at the black-haired girl, then at the orange-haired girl, and felt that things were getting more and more complicated.

"Ayase- chan, don't talk to people like that," Kousaka Kirino quickly called out to her best friend, her face slightly flushed.

"Hehehe, as the eldest son, you're quite confident, aren't you afraid that the family fortune will be seized?" The other speaker was a girl with a beauty mark at the corner of her eye. She hadn't changed much, wearing a black gothic gothic lolita outfit, only more refined, with a headband that swayed gently like cat ears, making her very cute.

"Well, everyone, please don't make things difficult for my brother." The young lady from a prestigious family covered her mouth and laughed, trying to smooth things over. She was the woman most suited to this kind of attire. Although Fujiwara Kagako also came from a prestigious family and had served as a lady-in-waiting in the Imperial Palace, while her attire had an exotic and beautiful feel, she was actually more suited to traditional Japanese clothing.

This young woman possessed a quiet elegance in her eyes and brows, exuding confidence without being aggressive, and kindness and gentleness. Her slightly wavy long hair cascaded down her back perfectly, and the dress she wore was especially fitting, appearing as natural as everyday clothing on her.

"Who are you?" Shirou asked, puzzled. Apart from the clown-like uncle, she was the only girl he didn't recognize among the group.

"Oh, you're so annoying, Nii-chan! Stop joking around! I'm Saori!" The young lady rolled her eyes at Shirou, her previous docile demeanor replaced by a playful and adorable one. She seemed quite close to Shirou, a side she only showed to people she knew well.

'But... I'm sorry, I really don't know who you are...' Shirou thought to himself, carefully examining the young lady in front of him. She was from a prestigious family, with a tall and slender figure. If she were wearing high heels, she would even be taller than Shirou. She had a full bust and a slender waist. However, her round face did look somewhat familiar.

Shirou saw the girl making circles with her hands and placing them over her eyes. It looked like she was wearing thick, round, mosquito-coil-like glasses...

Shirou recalled the tall, otaku girl who was with Kirino and the others...

It was that child! Even if they were going to disguise themselves, they didn't need to be so completely covered up. The contrast is just too great.

What's going on? Does this mean everyone here is my sister? Even Kouko-san is my sister? She looks like a married woman, doesn't she?

As if to confirm Shirou's guess, Kouko-san smiled at Shirou, winked, and said, "Is there something you need, brother?"

"No, I was just saying, wouldn't it be better to wake up Hime no Toki?" Shirou said awkwardly.

"Onii-chan, the Princess can't eat anymore." At this moment, Hime no Toki was lying on the table, was talking in her sleep.

Shirou thought to himself, feeling ashamed, that his guess had actually come true. Wasn't the setting of this fantasy world a bit too absurd?

But then, what about that boy who shouted so loudly, the one with the air of King David?

"By the way, did you see anyone else?" Shirou asked, puzzled.

"No, there's only Lord Roswaal and a few guests inside this castle, right, Rem?" the twin maid replied.

"Yes, there are no humans in this castle other than Roswaal and the guests, sister." The twin maid nodded in agreement.

"Is that so? Then I have no further questions," Shirou replied.

"Then let's serve the food." At this moment, Roswaal, who was sitting in the head of household seat, snapped his fingers.

"Yes, Lord Roswaal."

The twin sisters agreed and began to orderly bring out plate after plate of breakfast covered with silver lids, distributing them to everyone in turn.

"Who exactly are you asking about? Could it be your brother's girlfriend?" The girls all looked suspicious.

"Even though I'm already here..." Aragaki Ayase's face fell, her eyes darkened, and she muttered to herself.

After breakfast, Ram and Rem cleared the table and served everyone black tea. Roswaal didn't leave; he seemed to have something important to say to Shirou and the girls.

"Then let's get straight to the point," Roswaal said, drawing out his words with a sing-song tone. His heterochromatic eyes swept over the people present as he slowly began, "Regarding the distribution of your inheritance of my brother's, your father's, estate."

The story's deceased father, though born into a prominent family and holding the title of Earl, was not a peaceful man. In his lifetime, he was a navigator who commanded fleets on round-the-world voyages, searching for treasures, engaging in piracy, and running a maritime business.

In this age of great exploration, he was considered a prominent figure in the country, having received the King's praise and earned huge rewards for serving the kingdom through maritime trade.

He had traveled to dozens of countries and was particularly promiscuous, leaving mistresses everywhere and bringing them back to his country, settling them in various places. Shirou and the girls here are all half-sisters; some of them didn't even know their origins before they were summoned here today.

"The inheritance this time is divided into several parts. In fact, my brother's property is widely distributed. Some is in docks, some is overseas, and the rest is relatively small inland. My brother has a house in the capital, a vineyard, and several shops. This castle was also entrusted to me by my brother for safekeeping, and now it will be returned to you."

Roswaal first looked at Shirou and said, "First, Shirou. As the only male and the eldest son, he will inherit his brother's title according to Shirou, and the right to inherit this castle will naturally pass to you. This is the family's arrangement, so don't let the family down."

Roswaal then looked at the girls and said, "Shirou has inherited the title and will be assigned to a position in the royal palace. The shops and manors in the city are no longer suitable for him to manage, so we need someone to stay in the city."

Roswaal explained his plan, and the girls here immediately showed nervous expressions. There were only two houses and two properties, which meant that only two people could stay in the city. One of them was naturally Shirou had already been chosen to stay. So there was only one spot left, which would be inherited by one of the girls here.

"Huh? Are we going to be sent to a faraway place? No way! I've been with my brother since I was little, I don't want to be separated from him!" Eriri her hand on the table and exclaimed in surprise.

"Well, after all, my brother's estate needs an heir. Before he died, he was willing to arrange for you to live in various places. But now, no one can afford such expenses. Of course, I won't let you leave empty-handed. As your uncle, I will naturally give you some compensation and won't stand idly by. I will write a letter to the lord of the place where you are located, and he will take good care of you there." Roswaal said with a smile, but his tone left no room for refusal.

"I won't make the specific arrangements myself; you siblings can discuss it yourselves. Don't rush, stay here for a couple more days, and let me know when you're done. Although this place is located in a remote mountain area, it's quiet and peaceful, with no outsiders to disturb you. You can think about it carefully here."

"I have something to say," Fujiwara Kagako said, raising her hand.

"Kyoko, from the island nation of the East, this is your home. What do you say?" Roswaal casually agreed.

"I'm willing to relinquish the inheritance, but I have one request." Fujiwara Kagako walked up to Shirou, took his hands in Shirou, and looked into Shirou eyes pleadingly.

"I'd be content just to see the books my father left behind, whether they're from our own country or from some distant land in the East. I want to read them all. May I stay and be a librarian, Shirou- nii-san?"

"Of course... if you wish to stay, then stay. You'll be in charge of managing the family's library." Shirou wasn't a stingy person to begin with, especially not in a fantasy world.

"Yes, thank you, brother." Fujiwara Kagako hugged Shirou and said with a sweet smile.

The girls around them reacted differently to this scene, but all shared a complex look in their eyes. Each of them was lost in thought, and no one spoke again.

This continues from daylight until nightfall...

"Aaaaaaahh..."

In the middle of the night, a scream rang out.

Chapter 705 The Murder at the Mountain Castle

"What's wrong?" Shirou was startled awake from bed, jumped out of bed, and ran outside.

That day he visited everyone in the castle, the girls, from the younger sister to the twin maids, including Roswaal of the family, but he got no clues other than about the division of the inheritance.

He tried to leave the castle, but was blocked by Black Mist when he reached the gate.

In other words, the main storyline is still within this castle, and there are things that haven't happened yet, or things that are in progress but haven't ended.