My Sister is Bronya

Cocolia clapped her hands, and immediately two women also dressed in military uniforms walked in. They seemed to be her subordinates, carrying the instruments that would be used for the upcoming measurements in their arms.

After a short period of preparation, the ability test officially began.

The little girls took turns testing their abilities, and Cocolia had specially brought along researchers responsible for this area to record the children's ability control data, so as to set suitable training plans for them in the future.

Once the preparations were done, Cocolia did not stay to watch the little girls' tests. Instead, she strode over to the chair beside the training room, where Ishiu was sitting.

"Auntie Cocolia, you look even more beautiful today," Ishiu said, standing up obediently and greeting her with a smile as she approached.

"Ishiu, you're still such a smooth talker. At such a young age, you already know how to charm girls. What will you be like when you grow up?" Faced with Ishiu's compliment, Cocolia would be lying if she said she wasn't pleased. No woman dislikes hearing nice things, let alone when it came from Ishiu, her 'son.'

Cocolia chuckled and tapped Ishiu on the head as a punishment for his glib tongue, then took his hand and sat down on the chair.

"Hehe, I haven't been charming any other girls. Auntie Cocolia, you know I'm the most honest person. I always love telling the truth." Ishiu scratched his cheek, his skin thicker than a city wall, and his flattery knew no bounds.

"You, you still have the nerve to call yourself the most honest? Of all the children I've adopted, you're the sharpest." Cocolia pinched Ishiu's cheek with a hint of playful reproach.

If Bronya was the child Cocolia felt most at ease with, then Ishiu was the one she liked the most.

In her eyes, Ishiu was far more sensible than the other children. Although he usually seemed unreliable and loved to joke around, when it came to critical moments, he was tougher than anyone else and full of clever ideas.

Moreover, this child knew how to please her. Even though no matter how she coaxed him, Ishiu refused to call her "Mom," which left her a little disappointed, his strengths perfectly covered up these minor issues.

"By the way, how are things progressing between you and Bronya?" Cocolia seemed to think of something, her purple eyes flickering with interest as she asked.

"Uh... what progress? Auntie Cocolia, what are you talking about?" Ishiu's forehead instantly broke out in three lines of black marks. Cocolia's face was practically screaming "I want to hear some gossip," which left him both exasperated and amused.

"You little rascal, don't play dumb with me. Do you think Mom doesn't know anything?" Cocolia gently pinched Ishiu's ear, as if displeased that he would lie to her. "You're so close to Bronya. Dare you say you have no feelings for her?"

"Hey, hey, Auntie Cocolia, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't just say whatever comes to mind. I've always seen Bronya as a little sister. I don't have those kinds of thoughts!" Ishiu was speechless. Here was a single woman of who-knows-what-age, and she was so nosy about other people's romantic affairs?

Besides, Bronya was only fourteen! How depraved would he have to be to have those kinds of thoughts about a little girl?!

"Oh? Really?" Cocolia raised an eyebrow, leaning in close to Ishiu, her exotic purple eyes staring directly into his.

Ishiu inexplicably felt a bit nervous. It wasn't that he felt guilty, but Cocolia was too close—less than a finger's width apart. He could even clearly smell her fragrance and feel the warmth of her breath.

"R-really."

"I don't believe you." Cocolia's eyes darted, and she suddenly reached out, slipped her hands under Ishiu's armpits, lifted him up, and placed him on her lap.

She held him like a doll, her arms wrapped around his waist, her chin resting on his shoulder, and said with a smile, "Unless you call me 'Mom,' then I'll believe you don't have feelings for Bronya."

Ishiu was speechless. So that was her real goal—to get him to call her "Mom."

To be honest, Cocolia was being a bit unreasonable, lacking any dignity as an elder. But women were inherently unreasonable, so he could understand.

Still, what did whether he called her "Mom" have to do with whether he had feelings for Bronya?!

Even if you wanted to exercise a woman's special privilege, you couldn't just do it like this!

Ishiu ranted internally. Of course, he definitely wouldn't call Cocolia "Mom." Although he had been an orphan in his past life too and had never had a mother, so there was no psychological burden.

But having a soul that was an adult call a young, beautiful woman "Mom" was just too embarrassing and shameful.

So Ishiu made up his mind. He would rather die, jump off a building, than...

[Ding! System has issued a mission: Call Cocolia "Mom." Mission reward: Unknown.]

"..."

Chapter 6: Seven Nights Assassination Technique!

At this moment, Ishiu's feelings were incredibly complicated. He felt like his system was someone else's, useless except for messing with him.

But the most infuriating thing was that even though he knew this damn system wanted to screw him over, he still couldn't help but jump into the trap.

He had no choice. He was just greedy for the system's rewards. He was honest.

"Little Ishiu, are you going to call me or not? If you do, Mommy will give you a reward~" Cocolia was like a creepy uncle luring a little girl with candy, eagerly waiting to hear Ishiu call her "Mom."

"M-Mom..."

Cocolia froze, thinking she had misheard. She had tried every trick to get Ishiu to call her "Mom" before, but had always failed. This time, she had just said it casually, not really expecting him to obey. But... had she succeeded?

"Ishiu, what did you just say?" Cocolia was a little excited. She wanted to hear it again.

"I said, 'Mom Cocolia,' are you satisfied now?" Ishiu took a deep breath. As the saying goes, the hardest part is the first step. After calling out that embarrassing title for the first time, Ishiu's skin thickened rapidly, and he felt like he might as well go all in.

At the same time, he cursed the brain-dead system in his heart. He had thrown away all his dignity this time. If it didn't give him something good, he would take this brain-dead system down with him!

[Ding! Congratulations, host, on completing the mission. Reward obtained: Seven Nights Assassination Technique - Flash Step.]

Hearing the system's notification, Ishiu was momentarily stunned. He had no idea what the Seven Nights Assassination Technique - Flash Step was. The name sounded cool, so it probably wasn't a useless skill, right?

"Satisfied, I'm more than satisfied. You little rascal, I've been working on you for so long, and today you finally called me 'Mom.'" Cocolia hugged Ishiu happily, unable to hide the smile on her face. The fatigue from work seemed to have been thrown away like a burden, and she felt completely refreshed.

"I'm glad you're happy." Ishiu smiled, touched to see Cocolia so delighted.

In both his lives, Cocolia was probably the kindest person he had ever met, and her kindness was completely selfless, without any ulterior motives.

Besides, he was an orphan anyway. Maybe having a mom wasn't so bad?

"Little Ishiu, do you want a reward?" Cocolia asked with a smile.

"Uh... I don't want anything." Ishiu shook his head. He was telling the truth. He had everything he needed—food, clothes, and a bunch of little girls at the orphanage. As for the power he wanted, Cocolia couldn't give him that.

"Really?"

"Really."

"Mm... fine then. Since you don't want anything right now, Mama will remember it for you. If you ever want something or have a request in the future, you can bring it up to me, and I'll definitely satisfy it." Cocolia lightly touched her red lips, her smile blooming like a flower. The wispy fragrance of her beauty made Ishiu feel a little intoxicated.

However, a cool female voice ringing out from behind shattered this warm atmosphere.

"Mama, we've finished the tests. Please review them."

"Mm, I know, Bronya. I'll be right there." Cocolia let go of Ishiu, smiled at the approaching Bronya, then couldn't resist pinching Ishiu's cheek again before rising and walking toward the testing area, leaving only a trace of fragrant breeze.

"What were you talking to Mama about just now? She seemed really happy." Bronya didn't follow Cocolia. Instead, she narrowed her eyes, her expression turning somewhat hostile as she looked at Ishiu.

"Huh? Nothing much, just chatting normally." Ishiu had always been good at playing dumb. There was no way he'd say that Cocolia had asked how things were progressing between him and her... If he dared to say that, he'd undoubtedly get beaten into a pulp by Bronya.

And, whether it was his imagination or not, he vaguely felt like Bronya... was jealous of him being close to Cocolia?

Uh... that was a bit awkward. Even though he hadn't intentionally tried to get close to Cocolia, this cheap mama just liked him. What could he do about it?

Ishiu knew that all the kids in the orphanage adored Cocolia, but Cocolia favored him the most. If he didn't have some tricks up his sleeve, he'd probably be targeted by every kid in the orphanage.

"Really?" Bronya stepped closer, her eyes fixed straight on Ishiu. She was a bit shorter than him, and though she was looking up, her presence somehow made Ishiu feel inferior.

"Really." Ishiu forced himself not to look away, nodding with an obedient expression.

Because she was so close, even though Bronya had some sweat stains from training, it couldn't hide her fragrance. Ishiu caught a pleasant scent of green lemon, making him instinctively lean his neck back.

"Hmph..." Whether Bronya believed him or not, she didn't press further. Instead, she took his hand and led him toward the testing area.

"There's no point in you staying here alone. Come along."

"You're probably first again this time, right?" Though Ishiu phrased it as a question, his tone held no doubt. Even without looking, he knew the ability test would have Bronya in first place again.

He had to admit, people were just different. Bronya was a genius when it came to controlling Honkai Energy.

For example, everyone trained for three hours, but Bronya could achieve in three hours what took others six or even ten.

"Of course. Bronya is the best." Hearing Ishiu say that, Bronya didn't act modest. Instead, she puffed out her small chest a little and said it with some pride.

Ishiu glanced at her chest, a faint, ambiguous smile crossing his face.

God really was fair. When giving someone something, He also took something away.

Bronya was actually a few months older than Seele, but Seele's chest was several sizes bigger... Thinking about it that way, Bronya's excellence was understandable.

"Hm? Were you just thinking bad things about me?" Bronya frowned, vaguely sensing a hint of malice lingering around her chest.

"No, I wasn't." Ishiu shook his head innocently. "Why would I think bad things about you?"

Though Bronya's intuition told her that Ishiu had just had some ill intent toward her, she had no evidence, so she couldn't do anything about it. She silently made a mental note to settle the score next time he provoked her.

Chapter 7: Xing

On the way to the testing area, Ishiu took the opportunity to claim the rewards stored in his system space.

Of course, he didn't claim that ridiculous Masochistic Constitution. Instead, he took the Seven Nights Assassination Technique - Flash Step, which sounded impressive just from its name.

When all the techniques of Flash Step merged into Ishiu's mind and were deeply imprinted there, he finally understood what the Seven Nights Assassination Technique really was.

The Seven Nights Assassination Technique wasn't just an ordinary assassination skill. It was a comprehensive masterpiece integrating movement, technique, stealth, ambush, and more.

Its original form seemed to be designed specifically for fighting inhuman monsters. Though Ishiu hadn't tried it yet, from the memories he'd gained, he could imagine its power.

It seemed this brain-dead system had finally shown some kindness, giving him an SSR reward.

Unfortunately, what he got this time was only half of the Seven Nights Assassination Technique—the Flash Step part.

The Seven Nights Assassination Technique was divided into two parts: Flash Sheath and Flash Step.

Flash Sheath was the arms, Flash Step was the legs. Flash Sheath represented the means and techniques of killing, while Flash Step was the movement—allowing free movement anywhere, even the ability to turn and retreat at will during high-speed travel, achieving feats ordinary people couldn't.

Feeling the deeply etched memories in his mind, Ishiu couldn't help but get excited.

If the timing weren't wrong, he'd want to test this amazing skill himself.

When they reached the testing area, Cocolia checked everyone's results and announced Bronya as first place. The little girls immediately let out cries of lament.

But the complaints only lasted a moment. After all, Bronya taking first place was practically a foregone conclusion. They knew the gap between themselves and Bronya, so they quickly recovered.

However, "they" didn't include one person.

"Waaah!!! Ishiu, I'm last again! Waaah!"

Rosaliya wailed as she threw herself into Ishiu's arms, wrapping her arms around his neck and rubbing her face desperately against his chest. Snot and tears all smeared onto his clothes, giving him a face full of exasperation.

"Alright, alright. So you're last. It's not your first time. Get used to it. Stop crying, stop crying. There, there." Ishiu patted this pink-haired idiot on the back, helplessly trying to console her.

"But I worked so hard... waaah..." Rosaliya sobbed.

"Rosaliya's idea of 'working hard' means eating, drinking, and having fun every day, sleeping until she naturally wakes up, and slacking off during training, right?" Liliya ruthlessly exposed her from the side.

"Uh..." Rosaliya's sobbing abruptly stopped.

"Rosaliya..." Ishiu was speechless.

"Wha—what's that supposed to mean? Liliya's not much better than me!" Rosaliya, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, flushed red and retorted emotionally.

"At least I'm not last place." Liliya said lightly.

"Waa... Liliya is just too mean!" Rosaliya let out a kitten-like whimper, and Ishiu felt like his neck was about to be snapped clean off by this idiot.

"Sigh... what a troublesome sister I have." Liliya sighed like a little adult, then stepped forward and ruffled Rosaliya's little head, just like petting a cat. Soon enough, Rosaliya's sobbing gradually quieted down.

"Rosaliya, try your best next time, okay?" The well-behaved little angel Seele softly cheered Rosaliya on from the side.

"Mm, I'll definitely work hard next time and aim to surpass Bronya!" It had to be said, an idiot's moods always came and went in a flash. Just moments ago she was wailing in Ishiu's arms, and now she was already full of energy again. If not for the tear tracks still on her face, Ishiu would have thought the whole scene was just an illusion.

"Then I'll be waiting for you to surpass me." Bronya walked over from Cocolia's side just in time to catch Rosaliya's last words, and she replied with a smile.

"Heheh, Bronya, just you wait!"

"Bronya-sis took first place again this time, that's really amazing." Seele looked at Bronya with the expression of a devoted fangirl, deep admiration in her voice.

"It's nothing, just luck." When facing Seele and the others, Bronya wasn't as smug as she was with Ishiu; instead, she shook her head modestly.

"Hmph! That's right, it was just luck. Don't think that means you've beaten me, Bronya. I haven't lost yet!"

The speaker was a purple-haired girl not far away. She was fairly cute, but the fierce expression on her face, along with the sharp teeth faintly visible in her mouth, instinctively made people feel a bit of fear.

Her name was Xing, and she was also a member of the Orphanage. But unlike the other children, her personality was very withdrawn and unsociable. She often clashed with the other kids over trivial matters, and the children in the Orphanage dared not speak up against her, because aside from Bronya, she was the strongest among them.

So she frequently went out of her way to pick fights with Bronya, as if trying to get the upper hand and prove herself.

This test was no exception. She came in second place, losing to Bronya, and watching Bronya get along so well with Seele, Ishiu, and the others, jealousy immediately flared up inside her.

"You can't beat Bronya, Xing." Bronya glanced at her, her eyes devoid of any particular emotion. To her, Xing wasn't a rival, just one of her companions.

"You say I can't beat you?" Xing's face instantly darkened. She opened her mouth slightly, revealing a neat row of shark-like teeth, her viciousness fully exposed.

"That's right." Bronya wasn't intimidated by her fierce look at all. She nodded without changing her expression. "You've still got a long way to go."