Sister, Can We Sleep Together?

Did I say something wrong?

Looking at Rear Admiral Shizi's expression, Noah felt his heart pounding with unease—

This wasn't right. Momousagi had told him herself that Rear Admiral Shizi was Vice Admiral Tsuru's best friend and had been Garp's longtime comrade-in-arms. They were supposed to have a very good relationship.

Could their relationship be even more complicated than he'd imagined?

Thinking back to the subtle changes in Shizi's expression just now, Noah decided that was quite possible.

A tangled romance? A friendship gone sour? He couldn't say for sure, but he had a feeling that Garp had a lot to do with why she'd quit Marine Headquarters without a word and returned to her hometown three years ago.

"Let's eat, little Gion."

At last, Shizi sighed and broke the silence at the table. "Don't overthink it. It's not your fault. Just try not to bring that man up in front of me from now on."

"Mm-hmm."

Noah nodded obediently.

Little Hina sat nearby, utterly bewildered. She picked up a bite of food but didn't dare put it in her mouth, unsure what exactly was going on between Grandma Shizi and Big Sister Gion.

...Hadn't they been getting along just fine a moment ago?

Seeing the girl's adorable, bewildered expression, Noah couldn't help laughing. He pinched Hina's cheek and resumed their before-dinner conversation—the various amusing stories about Marine Headquarters' Elite Training Camp.

He told her some funny stories involving the new recruits, recounting them from Momousagi's perspective. Hina giggled nonstop, and after listening quietly for a while, Rear Admiral Shizi, who'd been in a poor mood, shook her head and began to smile too.

The atmosphere in the dining room quickly brightened again.

Noah breathed a sigh of relief. What he feared most was the mood turning awkward and ruining any chance of persuading Rear Admiral Shizi.

But today clearly wasn't the right time to bring up what had happened with Garp three years ago. Since he'd have to wait on the island for five or six days, he decided to give it a couple of days and see how things went.

After dinner, Noah offered to help Rear Admiral Shizi clear the dishes. He even cleaned the kitchen from top to bottom.

They chatted for a while longer. When Shizi heard that Noah would have to wait here for a few days for a warship, she was so happy she could hardly stop smiling. Without a word, she went upstairs to get his room ready.

Noah had meant to help, but the stubborn old woman insisted that he stay downstairs and refused to let him tire himself out any further.

With no other choice, he went for a walk in the yard.

It was already dark outside. The night sky still glittered with countless stars, but clouds had covered the moon. A cool breeze stirred, and a sense of lonely isolation settled over him.

"By this time tomorrow, Shiryu and Rossi should have reached Celeste Island, right?"

Noah thought in silence, still feeling disappointed and frustrated. "I can't take part, but I hope you two bastards get good results in this assessment..."

As if!

His own assessment score was a big fat zero. Those two were his good buddies, so they ought to fail right alongside him and keep him company in the bottom three!

When he returned from his stroll, the guest room upstairs had already been prepared. Noah was just about to go in and rest when Shizi stopped him.

"Little Gion..." The old woman looked at him in confusion. "Aren't you going to take a bath?"

Noah's expression stiffened.

Oh no. He'd forgotten that Momousagi was a neat freak who normally bathed every day.

As someone who'd watched Momousagi grow up, Rear Admiral Shizi must know that. But he'd already promised Momousagi that he wouldn't change his clothes or bathe on his own while he was out of her sight these next few days!

He was a man. A promise was a promise.

"I'm too tired today. I'll skip it..." Noah could only give her a vague answer. "I'll get up early tomorrow and take a quick shower."

"All right."

Shizi still found it a little strange, but didn't think much of it. Smiling, she said, "Good night, then. Get some rest. I'll wake you up for breakfast tomorrow. You can try some of the desserts I've learned to make over the past few years."

"Okay, Big Sister Shizi."

After watching Shizi head downstairs, Noah closed the door and wearily climbed into bed. He hadn't even had time to stretch when he felt something poking him from beside him. Then—

"Ha!"

A little pink-haired head popped out from under the covers. Grinning, she pulled a face at him. "Good evening, Big Sister Gion!"

"Hina?" Noah's eyes widened. "When... when did you...?"

"When Grandma Shizi finished getting the room ready and went downstairs to call you, Hina sneaked in and hid."

Hina scooted closer and wrapped her arms tightly around Noah's waist. Catching the faint, pleasant fragrance, she giggled.

"So, Big Sister Gion, did Hina scare you?"

"Scare me? That's putting it mildly..." Noah looked a little awkward. "Don't be a pest, Hina. Big Sister's been walking all day and is exhausted. I just want to get a good night's sleep. Go downstairs and find Big Sister Shizi."

"No!"

Hina huffed and buried her face in Noah's ample chest. "Hina wants to hear more stories about the Elite Training Camp. Hina wants to sleep with you tonight, Big Sister!"

Yikes...

The feel of her skin made Noah suck in a sharp breath. Realizing something was wrong, he hurriedly pulled Hina away from him.

You've got to be kidding!

A girl who was almost thirteen was, in a way, already on the threshold of becoming a young woman. They had to keep a proper distance.

To stay true to his principles and keep his moral boundaries intact, he had no desire to spend the night carrying a sack of rice up and down the stairs.

"No, you can't."

Hina looked utterly confused, unable to understand why she was being turned away. Noah could only answer as gently as possible. "Hina, after more than ten years in the Marines, Big Sister's gotten used to sleeping alone."

"If someone suddenly appeared in my bed, I might not sleep a wink all night. Big Sister's been tired all day. Would you really want me to wake up tomorrow with dark circles under my eyes?"

"...All right."

Hina was a sensible girl. Though she looked a little disappointed, she obediently climbed out of bed. But just before leaving, she suddenly seemed to think of something. Her eyes lit up, and she turned to ask him:

"Then can Hina sleep on the floor?"

"Hm?" Noah didn't understand at first.

"I mean, make a bed on the floor!"

Hina hurried over to the closet and brought out a huge stack of thick bedding. She looked at Noah expectantly.

"Hina wants to stay with Big Sister Gion and listen to you talk about Marine Headquarters' Elite Training Camp. If you get sleepy, Hina will close her eyes and go to sleep. I definitely won't bother you. Is that okay?"

Why was there another person who wanted to sleep on the floor? Was this some kind of traditional talent?

Wait, why had he said "another"?

"..."

Noah hesitated for a long time. Looking at the little girl's hopeful expression, he couldn't bring himself to turn her down again. "All right. But you're still young, so you can't stay up late. We'll only talk for a little while, and then you need to go to bed early."

As long as they didn't have close physical contact, there shouldn't be a problem with sleeping in the same room, right?

"Mm, no problem!"

Hina beamed happily, set down the bedding, and began spreading it out on the tatami.

Seeing that she was struggling, Noah got out of bed to help. He worked quickly and skillfully, and soon the floor bed was ready.

After they turned out the lights and settled into their respective beds, Noah continued telling her the funny stories he'd shared during dinner, adding plenty of jokes from his previous life.

For instance, he took the suicide squad Watanabe had mentioned, made a few changes, and cut out the dirty jokes. That made it perfect as a funny story to tell in the barracks...

Before long, the night deepened.

Noah's voice grew quieter and quieter, and Hina grew sleepier and sleepier. Her eyelids struggled to stay open for a while, then her head tilted to one side and she fell into a deep sleep.

Looking over at the sweet, contented smile on little Hina's face, Noah breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn't very sleepy, so he gazed at the ceiling and quietly thought things over for a while before opening the system panel.

Then he went straight to the inventory page and opened the "Swordmaster Ryuma's Insight Notes" he'd exchanged for earlier that day.