My Sister is Bronya

To give an analogy: if one in ten thousand people might be a girl with resistance to Honkai Energy, then even among ten thousand of those with resistance, not one might awaken a Stigmata!

For certain individuals with antibodies, those antibodies construct a pattern on their bodies—and that is a Stigmata.

As mentioned before, the Valkyries of Schicksal gain their power by having Artificial Stigmata implanted, while those with natural Stigmata obtain that same power without any cost to their lifespan.

And now, a Stigmata has appeared on Seele's body. What that means, I believe, needs no further explanation.

Cocolia walked behind Seele in disbelief, reached out, and gently touched it.

"Ah..." Seele let out a startled cry like a small animal.

"Seele, when did you awaken this Stigmata?" Cocolia confirmed it was indeed the legendary mark, then asked with some excitement.

"It was... a few months ago, I think..." Seele recalled with a blush, uncertain. "It seems like... the day Bronya-sister was sent to the hospital, this appeared on my body. But I was too scared at the time, so I didn't dare tell anyone..."

"I see." Cocolia nodded in understanding.

"Then... um, can I... put my clothes back on now?" Feeling Ishiu's burning gaze, Seele was so shy she wanted to crawl into a hole. If she hadn't been so anxious earlier, she never would have undressed in front of someone.

Still, seeing that Ishiu seemed very interested in her body, a strange shyness rose in the girl's heart.

"You may." Cocolia nodded. Turning back, she saw Ishiu still staring at Seele without blinking, and she laughed as she smacked him on the head. "You little brat, still looking? Wait until Seele grows up, then you can take your time."

"Mom!" Seele was mortified, her face so red it seemed ready to bleed as she hurriedly scrambled to dress herself.

"Cough, cough..." Ishiu rubbed his nose awkwardly. He hadn't noticed how good Seele's figure was when she was dressed—that skin so white... tsk tsk.

"Mom, can I take part in the experiment now?"

After getting dressed and spending some time calming her emotions, though her cheeks were still flushed, Seele looked seriously at Cocolia.

She didn't want Bronya to undergo such a dangerous experiment. Bronya had always taken care of her, and now it was her turn to do something for Bronya.

"This..." Cocolia hesitated. "Seele, are you sure you want to do this?"

"Mm!" Seele nodded firmly, a smile spreading across her face. "I trust Mom."

"Alright. Since you've made your decision, the experiment will be in three days. Be prepared." Cocolia said.

"Okay. But Mom, can you please not tell Bronya-sister for now?"

"Seele... alright, I promise you."

"Thank you, Mom."

"Sigh... silly child, it's me who should thank you." Cocolia pulled Seele lovingly into her arms, gently stroking her little head.

Watching this tender mother-daughter scene, Ishiu sighed silently in his heart. He could do nothing—he didn't even qualify to take the experiment in Seele's place, simply because he was a man...

The only thing he could do was silently pray for Seele in his heart, praying that this experiment would succeed.

Ishiu quietly slipped out of the room, leaving the space to Cocolia and Seele. He knew they still had much to say to each other, and staying there any longer would be inappropriate.

"Ishiu, what are you doing here? Where's Mom?" Just then, Bronya came hobbling over from the stairway on her crutches. After months of recovery, her leg was mostly healed; in another month, the bone plate could be removed, and she'd be fully recovered.

Chapter 16: Little Pudding Is Jealous?

"Mom? Oh, she and Seele are discussing how to marry you off to me." Ishiu winked, looking at Little Pudding as she approached, a mischievous grin curling his lips.

"Marry your head!" Bronya's face flushed red, and she angrily swung her crutch at Ishiu.

Ishiu dodged nimbly, easily evading Bronya's strike while reaching out to pat her head.

"Haha, just kidding, don't mind me."

"Don't touch Bronya's head!" Little Pudding's cheeks puffed up like a bun; she seemed utterly intolerant of Ishiu touching her head.

"Why not?" Ishiu said with a smile. He loved seeing Bronya angry yet completely helpless against him.

"Because Bronya is the older sister!"

"But I never agreed to that." Ishiu teased Bronya a bit, then smoothly changed the subject. "Alright, no more jokes. Mom and Seele are having a private talk, so let's not disturb them. How about I take you for a walk?"

"Bronya doesn't need your company." Little Pudding said with a sour face. But though her words were sharp, when Ishiu took her hand, she didn't refuse.

Hand in hand, the two walked out of the Orphanage. Ishiu led Bronya to the cliffside he often visited.

That damn system would often spawn quests for him here, but the rewards were always a mess—never reliable.

Still, the scenery here was beautiful. Adjacent to the sea, this spot offered a panoramic view of the blue ocean and the vast sky.

"You sure know how to pick a place." Bronya gazed at the distant horizon where sea and sky met. Each breath carried the cool, slightly salty sea breeze. She had to admit, this place was really nice.

"Hehe, of course. Who do you think I am?" Ishiu grinned smugly.

"Idiot." Bronya shot him a disdainful glance, then let go of his hand and hobbled a few steps forward on her crutches.

"Hey, hey, be careful. Don't fall off." Ishiu quickly followed, worriedly grabbing Bronya's hand again.

They had been about five or six meters from the cliff's edge, but now Bronya was nearly at the edge. Ishiu was genuinely afraid she might slip with her crutches and fall—that would be a disaster.

"Do you think Bronya is as clumsy as you? Bronya won't fall." She said that, but seeing how much Ishiu cared, Bronya felt the power core in her chest warm, and even the sea breeze didn't feel so cold anymore.

It was four in the afternoon. The sun was beginning to set. On the other side of the sea, the orange sunset dyed most of the sky amber, blending with the ocean's blue. For a moment, it felt as if heaven and earth were cut off from the rest of the world.

The sight left Bronya almost spellbound.

"Do you... do you often watch the sea here with Seele?" After a while, Bronya suddenly asked.

"Ah?" Ishiu blinked, then without overthinking it, answered honestly, "Pretty much. Sometimes I watch the sunrise, or the sunset, stuff like that."

"Tch..."

"Huh? Did you just click your tongue?"

"No!" Bronya turned her face away, giving Ishiu only the back of her head.

Ishiu scratched his head. He felt like Bronya was a little angry. Wasn't she just fine a moment ago? How did she suddenly get mad for no reason?

Could it be...

"Little Pudding, you're not jealous, are you?" Ishiu tested the waters.

He knew not to fall for the three great delusions, but he felt that Bronya's attitude toward him was different from how she treated the other boys at the orphanage. He couldn't say for sure if she liked him, but there was definitely some fondness.

So when she heard that he and Seele often came here to watch the sea, she got jealous?

"Wh-what nonsense are you spouting! Why would I be jealous? Don't tell me you think I like you? Don't make me laugh. In my eyes, you're just a little brother! I'm just worried that Seele is too obedient and might get tricked by you." Bronya looked at Ishiu with disdain, her face showing no trace of the panic or shyness that came from being caught out.

"Uh..." Ishiu was left speechless.

Damn. He really had misunderstood!

So awkward. So awkward. He wanted to find a rock and just smash his head against it!

What Ishiu didn't know was that behind her back, Bronya's right hand was fiercely pinching her own butt. The sharp pain helped her forcibly suppress her surging emotions.

After she finished speaking, she quickly turned her head away, as if she couldn't be bothered to say anything more to Ishiu.

But her real purpose was to hide her cheeks, which had instantly flushed bright red.

Ishiu rubbed his nose awkwardly. Because of his earlier self-flattery, he didn't dare to start a conversation with Bronya. The empty cliffside suddenly grew quiet, with only the howling of the sea wind echoing continuously.

Seeing Bronya's small frame shiver slightly in the sea breeze, Ishiu instinctively took off his jacket and draped it over her.

"Bronya, are you a little cold? Should we head back?"

"Let's stay a little longer." Bronya pursed her lips and shook her head.

Thinking about the experiment that would take place in a few days, even she couldn't help feeling a bit afraid.

She was afraid the experiment would fail, and she really wouldn't come back.

If that was the case, she might as well take the chance now to watch the sea a little longer.

And besides, she was with... with this idiot little brother.

"By the way, why do you want to get stronger so badly? You clearly don't have a constitution that resists Honkai Energy. No matter how much you train, you'll only be strong among ordinary people. But when it comes to fighting Honkai Beasts, even the weakest Mothership-class is beyond your ability to handle. You..."

Bronya had only meant to change the subject, but as she spoke, she felt something was off. Her words seemed a bit too discouraging.

"Well... at first, it was probably just my male pride acting up. I didn't want to be outdone by a bunch of little girls like you. But now..." Hearing Bronya speak such cruel yet truthful words, Ishiu smiled calmly.

At first, he only wanted to train so he wouldn't be overshadowed by the girls. But today, Cocolia's words had given him a new idea.

My wife is amazing!.jpg

Chapter 17: Exposure

Cocolia wanted to use the children from the orphanage in her experiments. She wasn't wrong, because her goal was simply to give the children a better chance at survival.

Seele wanted to take Bronya's place in the experiment. She wasn't wrong either. She just didn't want her favorite Sister Bronya to face danger.

So if neither of them was wrong, then who was?

Simple. It was the Honkai.

For humanity, the emergence of the Honkai was a mistake.

Ishiu didn't have the grand ideal of saving the world. He just wanted the people he cared about to not get hurt. But the existence of the Honkai already threatened the safety of Seele, Bronya, and the others. That left him with only one path—to drive out the Honkai!

Of course, right now, he didn't have the qualifications or the power to do such a thing. In fact, aside from seeing them in videos, he had never even witnessed a Honkai Beast in real life.

So all he could do for now was try his best to complete the tasks the system gave him, and obtain the power to realize his ideals from them.

"What about now?" Bronya asked curiously.

"Nothing." Ishiu shook his head and changed the subject. "By the way, Bronya, how's your leg recovering?"

"Mm, much better. I believe in two more weeks, I'll be able to walk without crutches." Bronya replied.

"So that means I can still pat your head for two more weeks?" Ishiu curled his lips, and while Bronya wasn't paying attention, he ruffled her little head again.

"Ishiu!!!"

"Hahaha! You can't catch me now, nya nya nya~~"

On the cliff, a shy girl and a laughing boy formed a beautiful scene. Their shadows stretched long, long under the setting sun.

Three days later, Seele got into the car Cocolia had sent, and quietly left the orphanage without attracting anyone's attention.

Ishiu stood by the window on the second floor, his gaze complicated as he watched Seele's departing figure. Before she left, it seemed like she saw him too, and waved at him.

Though the distance was too far for him to make out the expression on her face, he thought it must have been a smile.

This silly girl. She was always like this. Clearly very timid, but to keep others from worrying, she always put on a brave face. But she didn't know that it only made people's hearts ache more.

Ishiu didn't go over, because he was afraid that if he saw Seele's expression, he wouldn't be able to stop himself from keeping her there, not letting her go participate in that X-10 experiment.

But he didn't go over, because he had no right to deny the decision Seele had made for herself.

All he could do was wait here, while praying in his heart, praying that the experiment would surely succeed.

Over these past two days, he had asked Cocolia no fewer than a dozen times, and every time Cocolia's answer was the same—even if the experiment failed, Seele would be fine.

Ishiu stood in place, staring blankly at the spot that was now empty. He didn't know how long he had been standing there, until Bronya's voice rang out behind him, jolting him from his daze.

"What are you standing around here like an idiot for? Where's Seele? Why haven't I seen her?"

"I... I'm looking at the scenery." Ishiu forced the corners of his mouth into a smile, grinning at Bronya.

"Looking at the scenery? Here?" Bronya shot him a suspicious glance, then her little face stiffened. "Are you hiding something from me?"

"No way, how could I possibly hide anything from you." Ishiu's heart skipped a beat, and he gave an awkward laugh. "Hey, Bronya, have you eaten yet? I'm a little hungry, you..."

Before Ishiu could finish his sentence, the system's familiar mechanical voice suddenly rang out in his mind.

[Ding! System has issued a mission: Stop the X-10 experiment, save Seele. Reward: Unknown.]

Ishiu's body froze in place instantly.

The expression on his face also became extremely vivid in that instant.

The system wouldn't issue an unnecessary mission, which meant... Seele was in danger!

Thinking of this, Ishiu didn't care that Bronya was still beside him. He quickly pulled out his phone from his pocket and dialed Cocolia's number.

"Hey! Mom! Stop the experiment right now! This experiment can't go on! Seele's in danger!" As soon as the call connected, Ishiu shouted desperately into the phone.