My Sister is Bronya

Ishiu planned to adopt a rotation system to take care of Bronya, so he and Seele had to split up, because in the orphanage only he and Seele were reliable—the other kids were either too young or, like Rosaliya, not exactly the type to put one at ease.

So to better care for Bronya, this kind of team-up was necessary. Even if Rosaliya was unreliable, he could still manage her, and the same logic applied to Seele and Liliya.

After hearing Ishiu's explanation, the orphanage children filed out of the hospital one after another, leaving only Ishiu and Rosaliya behind.

"Bronya, are you bored lying in bed? How about Rosaliya puts on a stage play for you?" Watching Ishiu peel an apple for Bronya by the bedside, Rosaliya, who had nothing better to do, proposed enthusiastically.

Chapter 13: Discharged

Rosaliya was a girl who loved to dream. She had a trait common to girls her age: the dream of becoming a yangko star!

Ahem, wrong flavor—it should be idol.

For that dream, she and Liliya had been working hard, like rehearsing plays and such. Whenever there was an event at the orphanage, they never held back their desire to perform, always being the first to take the stage.

So now, she brought up the idea of putting on a stage play.

"A stage play? You're all alone—Liliya isn't here. How are you going to do it?" Bronya asked doubtfully.

"Isn't Ishiu here?" Rosaliya giggled, patting Ishiu on the shoulder.

"Hey, I don't know how to act in any stage play. I don't even know any lines. If you want me to be a wooden post, fine, but performing? No way." Ishiu quickly shook his head and waved his hands. He had no interest in playing some childish game with Rosaliya—it was way too embarrassing.

"Come on, come on, just play along with me. It's your fault for splitting me and Liliya up. Now it's just you—if I don't ask you, am I supposed to ask Bronya?" Rosaliya pouted, tugging at Ishiu's arm.

"That's not a bad idea. You could have Bronya play Sleeping Beauty." Ishiu raised an eyebrow, teasing.

"She plays Sleeping Beauty, then you play the prince?" Rosaliya blinked, grinning.

Ishiu instinctively glanced at Bronya. She was half-lying in bed, her upper body slightly propped up, nibbling on the apple he'd fed her.

Even though Bronya was wearing a hospital gown, her face pale from illness, completely bare-faced, her charm hadn't diminished at all—if anything, she had the air of a sickly beauty.

Remembering the plot of Sleeping Beauty, Ishiu's gaze unconsciously drifted to Bronya's lips.

Little Pudding's mouth was small, her thin lips showing an unhealthy pallor. But because she'd just drunk some water, her lips were slightly moist, like freshly made pudding—soft and bouncy, making one want to take a taste.

"What are you looking at?" Suddenly, Bronya's voice snapped Ishiu out of his daze. Seeing her slightly annoyed expression and the faint blush rising on her cheeks, he scratched his head awkwardly.

"N-nothing."

Damn, had he been without a woman for too long? He'd actually been drawn in by this Little Pudding just now... Oh, he was still a virgin, never touched a woman before—so never mind.

Bronya raised her right hand to cover her cheek, turning her head away in the opposite direction. Was she... embarrassed?

"Ishiu, come with me. Even just one act is fine." Rosaliya launched into a full-on cutesy assault, hugging his arm and shaking it nonstop.

"Uh... fine, fine. Just one act. Don't blame me if I can't remember the lines." Unable to withstand Rosaliya's cutesy assault, Ishiu reluctantly agreed.

"Mm-hmm, I knew you were the best, Ishiu! When I become a big idol in the future, you'll be my first fan!"

And so, under Rosaliya's direction, Ishiu performed a ridiculously cheesy stage play with her. He played the male lead, Rosaliya the female lead. The plot went without saying—Ishiu guessed it was some scene she'd copied from a romance novel somewhere. In short, it was as cliché as it could get, as cringeworthy as it could get, the kind that left you speechless.

But Bronya watched with great interest, occasionally letting out bell-like laughter. It was only because of that that Ishiu gritted his teeth, endured the shame, and stuck with Rosaliya through the whole play.

Meanwhile, back at the Cocolia Orphanage, things weren't so calm.

After Seele and the others returned, they told the other kids the truth about Bronya falling down the stairs, which made everyone furious at An.

They thought An would never show up at the orphanage again, but unexpectedly, Cocolia brought her back and made her apologize to everyone.

No one knew what Cocolia had said, but although it was obvious An had no intention of apologizing, she eventually gave in.

Then, facing the children's doubts, Cocolia had to spend a lot of effort convincing them to reluctantly accept An's apology and stop trying to drive her away.

They thought the matter was settled, but no one knew that on that very night, Seele quietly slipped into An's room.

No one knew what was said between them.

In any case, by the next day, everyone saw An limping as she walked, her face bruised purple and blue, as if she'd been thoroughly beaten up, her leg nearly broken.

After that, whenever An saw Seele, she would silently take a detour...

She thought she was crazy enough, but she never expected someone crazier than her!

A month later, Bronya's injuries had mostly healed. Aside from not being able to walk, she was basically fine. So Cocolia handled her discharge paperwork and bought her a wheelchair.

When Bronya returned to the orphanage, the kids threw her a party to celebrate her discharge. Ishiu even made a three-layer cake, sending the little brats into wild cheers.

Life at the orphanage seemed to return to calm, but a new storm had already arrived silently.

"You said an experiment?"

Ishiu stepped off the treadmill, took the towel Seele handed him, wiped his sweat, and asked in confusion.

"Mm. Mom said she's going to conduct an experiment involving Honkai Energy." Seele's expression was complicated, as if it were hard for her to speak.

"Honkai Energy?" Ishiu exhaled, puzzled. "Isn't it just an experiment? Mom's done them before—what's there to talk about?"

"But..." Seele opened her mouth, hesitated for a long time, then whispered, "This time, the test subjects are going to be chosen from among us..."

"What did you say?" Ishiu froze, thinking he'd misheard. But Seele's expression didn't look like she was joking, and she wasn't the kind of kid to make such a joke.

"No way? Honkai Energy experiments are that dangerous. How could Mom bear to use you guys?"

As mentioned before, Honkai Energy was a very dangerous energy. Only people like Bronya and Seele, who were born with special constitutions, could withstand and, to some extent, manipulate it.

If an ordinary person comes into contact with Honkai Energy, there is only one outcome.

They become a Zombie.

Chapter 14: Honkai Experiment

Therefore, experiments involving Honkai Energy are also extremely dangerous.

Ishiu knew that the organization Cocolia belonged to, called Anti-Entropy, was one of the top organizations in this world fighting against the Honkai. Its influence was beyond what ordinary people could imagine, and Cocolia seemed to hold a fairly high position within it. He wasn't surprised that she conducted experiments on Honkai Energy, but the fact that the test subjects had to be chosen from among the children in the orphanage left him puzzled.

He didn't believe Cocolia was unaware of the dangers of Honkai Energy experiments, yet if she truly chose to do this...

Ishiu pressed his lips together and turned to walk outside.

As luck would have it, Cocolia had come to the orphanage today, so he was going to find her and get some answers.

Ishiu arrived at the hall, with Seele closely following behind him. Cocolia was currently chatting with a group of children there, their faces all beaming with bright smiles, the atmosphere warm and cozy.

"Ishiu, Seele, you're here. Come, try the pastries Mommy brought today. They were made by a very famous master—if I didn't have the face to ask, they wouldn't have made them for me," Cocolia said cheerfully, waving them over as soon as she saw them.

Ishiu walked over, his expression serious. "Mom, I have something I want to ask you."

Perhaps it was Ishiu's stern face and Seele's timid demeanor that made Cocolia understand something. The smile on her face gradually faded.

"Alright, I know you have a lot of questions. I wasn't supposed to tell you this..." Cocolia sighed, explained a few things to the children, and then led Ishiu and Seele to her room.

Cocolia had her own room in the orphanage. Though she rarely stayed there, the children cleaned it for her every day, so it was always neat and tidy.

The three of them entered the room. Cocolia locked the door behind her, then plopped down on the bed, looking at Ishiu. "Alright, go ahead and ask."

"Mom, I heard you're going to have Seele and the others participate in a Honkai Energy experiment?"

Ishiu didn't beat around the bush with Cocolia. There was no need for all that roundabout nonsense between them—he just said what was on his mind.

"Yes." Cocolia pulled a pack of cigarettes from her pocket, took out a slim cigarette, and put it in her mouth. "Seele told you, didn't she? Honestly, I told her not to tell you... But whatever, since you already know, I'll tell you straight: yes, I'm having them take part in the X-10 experiment."

Ishiu frowned, stepped forward, and snatched the cigarette from Cocolia's mouth. "Smoke less. You're under so much work pressure—don't ruin your health on top of it."

Cocolia was taken aback, then let out a wry laugh. "You little brat, now you're bossing me around?"

Though her words sounded like a scolding, her tone carried no blame at all—in fact, she seemed quite pleased. She obediently stuffed the cigarette pack back into her pocket.

"Can I ask why you're making them do this experiment? You should know the dangers of Honkai Energy better than I do, right?" Ishiu asked in a low voice.

"That's right, I know it well." Cocolia nodded, then turned her gaze to Seele, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

After a long pause, she sighed and said, "It's precisely because of the danger of Honkai Energy that I have no choice but to do this experiment. It concerns the future fate of Seele, Bronya, and the others."

"What do you mean?"

"Simple. You should know what happens if an ordinary person comes into contact with Honkai Energy, right?"

"They become a Zombie."

"Right. But Bronya and the others are different. They were born with a constitution that resists Honkai Energy, and they can even manipulate and use that power to a certain extent." Cocolia fixed her gaze on Ishiu. "But do you know? Everything has a limit. Like a stretched spring that will snap, or a full cup that will overflow... Bronya and the others are the same."

"Even their antibodies have limits. As Honkai Energy invades and changes, their bodies will eventually be unable to hold out. That's why the X-10 experiment is meant to find a way to resist Honkai Energy's invasion."

"B-but, that doesn't mean Seele and the others have to be the test subjects! Can't you find someone else?" Ishiu gritted his teeth.

He had to admit, he was never a good person. It was like that classic trolley problem: a train is racing down the tracks, and ahead, five people are tied to the rails, while on the other track, only one person is tied. You hold the lever that can switch the train's path. What do you choose?

Save the five by sacrificing one?

Or save the one by sacrificing the five?

Ishiu didn't know what others would choose, but he knew that if someone he cared about was among them, he would unhesitatingly choose that side, no matter how many people died on the other side. That had nothing to do with him.

As long as the people he cared about were safe, that was enough.

So, since the experiment had to be done, Ishiu naturally wanted someone else to be the test subject, not the children from the orphanage.

Hearing Ishiu's words, Cocolia gave a bitter smile. "Ishiu, do you think there are many people in this world with a constitution that resists Honkai Energy?"

"You should know about an organization called Schicksal, right? They gather girls from around the world who have this resistance, then implant them with Artificial Stigmata to grant them great power. But the price is that those girls' lifespans are drastically shortened, and every battle brings their lives closer to the end."

"So, people like this are very rare. In Anti-Entropy, Bronya has the highest adaptability to Honkai Energy, so my original plan was to have her participate in the experiment."

"Then... if the experiment fails, will Sister Bronya... die?" Seele asked, her face full of worry.

"Don't worry. Bronya has the highest adaptability to Honkai Energy. Even if the experiment fails, she'll be fine, and we'll gain more relevant data to help us move forward."

Cocolia looked at Seele, her voice softening. "Seele, Bronya is willing to take part in the experiment so that everyone can live. I hope you won't let her efforts go to waste."

"...In that case, let me take part in the experiment instead." Seele lowered her head, silent for a long time, then suddenly lifted it, her expression serious.

Chapter 15: Seele Starts Taking Off Her Clothes

Cocolia frowned and said sternly, "Seele, don't you understand yet? I already told you, Bronya is the most suitable candidate. Even if the experiment fails, she can survive. But you... your adaptability to Honkai Energy is far lower than hers. If it were you, then..."

Cocolia didn't finish the sentence, but the meaning was clear enough.

Ishiu pressed his lips tightly together. He wanted to say something, but the words stuck in his throat, unable to come out.

Because he had no standing to speak.

Cocolia was conducting the experiment so that Bronya and the others could live better lives, to prepare for the future.

And Bronya chose to accept the experiment so that Seele and the others could survive.

And Ishiu had neither Honkai Energy aptitude nor any way to stop this experiment, so he truly had nothing to say.

A profound sense of powerlessness surged through Ishiu's heart. Even though he had already cultivated the Seven Nights Assassination Technique gifted by the system to perfection, he still had no means whatsoever to do anything about this.

Honkai...

Only now did Ishiu truly understand what those two words meant.

—Calamity.

Seele bit her lip, then suddenly turned around and began taking off her clothes.

"Se, Seele? Wh-what are you doing?"

"Wait, Seele, sh-should I step out first? You and Ishiu can take your time?"

Ishiu and Cocolia were stunned speechless by this sudden turn of events. After all, Seele's usual impression was that of an obedient, pure, good child—yet now she was suddenly stripping in front of them. The shock was no less than a nuclear bomb going off.

"M-Mom, it's not what you two are thinking..." Seele explained, flustered and embarrassed. By now she had already taken off her upper garments, leaving only a small undershirt. Though her back was turned and Ishiu couldn't see the front view, just gazing at her jade-white back was already more than good enough for him.

Then Seele turned around. She tightly clutched the clothes covering her chest, revealing only the area above the valley.

"This is... a Stigmata?!" Cocolia's pupils sharply contracted. Unlike Ishiu, whose focus was elsewhere, she almost instantly noticed the abnormality on Seele's chest.

There, on the gently rising peaks, a mysterious pattern was faintly imprinted. Cocolia could clearly sense a faint energy fluctuation emanating from that pattern. If her senses weren't mistaken, this was absolutely the legendary Stigmata!

A Stigmata was an extremely special power. Its rarity could no longer be described by mere words like "scarce."