Big Bro Actually Goes to Work?

"Hehehe..." Umaru let out a silly giggle as she clutched the book, then curled into a ball and sighed, "My life is complete..."

First of all, it was a dream come true to spend so much money without getting scolded. Then, she had obtained the first-ever signature from her favorite author. Finally, she could show it off to Erina. As expected... having Sogo Doma draw a few circles on her face was a small price to pay!

He rubbed his hair, which had been ruffled by Umaru.

"Sigh..."

Sogo Doma sighed inwardly, but after a moment, he put on a genuine smile. "Forget it, forget it. As long as this brat is happy."

With that thought, Sogo Doma headed toward the second floor.

"Eh?" Hearing his footsteps, Umaru Doma quickly turned around. "Onii-chan, why are you going upstairs now?"

"Idiot, didn't I tell you? We have less than 600,000 yen left for living expenses. I need to find a job in peace, otherwise, we'll actually starve to death in two months!"

"Tch!"

Umaru Doma tucked her signed book away and said bluntly, "600,000 yen for two months is terrifying, but on the other hand, you working..."

At this point, Hamster Umaru froze!

Then.

"Nani!!" Hamster Umaru let out a shrill scream. A moment later, she slowly backed away, muttering, "The one who said 'working is impossible, I'll never work in this life, I can only rely on the Doma Family for food and drink, the people in the Doma Family are super nice and speak so well'..."

"And now you're talking about going out to work? Are you insulting me or the Doma Family—Sogo Onii-san, you, you are actually going to work?"

Sogo Doma: "..."

Cough, cough. Seriously, what kind of image does he have in his foolish little sister's mind?

"C-could it be that the end of the world is coming..." Umaru Doma continued in a tone of disbelief.

Sogo Doma suddenly felt a headache coming on.

"I said, Umaru, that's enough. Why does me working have to mean the end of the world? That's too dramatic!!"

"Eh, it's not the end of the world..." Umaru Doma tilted her head. "Could it be that the Doma Family fortune was squandered by Onii-chan?"

Sogo Doma: "..."

So, what exactly is his image?

"Cough, cough. Umaru, Onii-chan is a mature adult now; how could I possibly ask the main family for money? Besides, no matter what, your Onii-chan is one of the Totsuki Elite Ten. Even if I'm a former member, does that mean I'm no longer one of the Elite Ten? Is a rotten apple no longer an apple?"

"Soka!" Umaru Doma clapped her hands. "So Onii-chan is a rotten apple!"

"You're focusing on the completely wrong thing, hey! Forget it, I need to think about work!" Sogo Doma's mouth twitched. Although the rotten apple analogy was just a slip of the tongue, why did he feel like, 'Yes, I suppose I have already rotted,' after Umaru added those other descriptors? Was it because he started worrying about money?

Sure enough.

Oh, filthy money—please rot me to your heart's content.

He shook his head and resumed his pace toward the second floor.

Umaru Doma: "Eh, since Onii-chan is a former member of the Totsuki Elite Ten, why not just find a job as a chef?"

Sogo Doma: "..."

He looked at his skill panel once again.

Cooking LV6 (1/999999) {Represents the pinnacle of human Cooking. After tasting it multiple times, one will never want to eat another chef's food. Level up; perhaps if you transcend this level, the faintly glowing dishes will stir the appetite of certain existences.}

He sighed. Damn it, this peasant-like cheat code is trying to kill me.

To be honest, after years of playing cat and mouse with this cheat, he had figured out some patterns. As long as the atmosphere was right and he was in a state of "no-mind," the skill's experience points would skyrocket like a rocket, to the point where even his own mother wouldn't recognize him.

Take that Piano competition, for example. The crowd's appreciation of the music felt like a sacrifice of some sort. In that atmosphere, he had fallen into a state of no-mind, and his Piano skill, which originally only had 22 experience points, was maxed out instantly, almost attracting Cthulhu to hand out some "candy."

Or back at Totsuki.

During a Shokugeki, although it wasn't quite "no-mind," the atmosphere caused his Cooking experience to grow at the speed of a high-speed rail.

However, that wasn't the most treacherous part. The worst part was that in such an atmosphere, Sogo Doma couldn't hide his talent. Just like Cthulhu wouldn't hide its nature upon waking, whenever he tried to hold back, a deep sense of disdain would flash through his heart—as if he disdained himself for caring about the thoughts of ants.

That disdain acted like hypnosis, and by the time he regained his senses, the skill experience...

This was also why Sogo Doma had dropped out of Totsuki.

However.

It wasn't impossible for these skill levels to drop.

Take memory, for example...

Brain cells responsible for memory could be killed by large amounts of ethanol, and there were other equally effective methods, such as physical amnesia, physical amnesia, and more physical amnesia...

Then there was the Piano. Because he hadn't touched it for five years, likely due to his body losing its familiarity, it had dropped to LV4 (A world-class performer; you can pay tribute to Chopin and others).

This discovery made Sogo Doma breathe a sigh of relief. Fortunately, it could be suppressed; otherwise, if he ever got drunk and encountered a Piano at a party, and he went up to play a piece, he would likely see demons dancing the next day—the end of the world.

He shook his head.

He couldn't be a chef; he would never go to a place with such a thick atmosphere to cook again in this life. He had better consider other professions.

But how was he supposed to explain this to his foolish little sister?

"Etou?" Before Sogo Doma could speak, Umaru Doma tilted her head and said, "Could it be that Onii-chan doesn't like being a chef?"

Good, sometimes this guy is actually quite understanding.

"That's right, Umaru! Listen to me, in this life, one must constantly look forward. Being a chef is already a thing of the past. Only by broadening one's horizons and seeking other paths can a human being grow!" Do you feel like Onii-chan's image has become taller?

"The truth is?" Umaru Doma asked with a smile.

"Being a chef is such a hassle, having to stand by the stove all day, it's exhausting." A white lie.

Wait.

Sogo Doma seemed to realize how his image had been formed in the heart of a certain dumpling. As expected, it was all the fault of that damn golden finger!

"As expected, Onii-chan is just a giant salted fish!!!"

"You, a dried-fish little sister, have no right to say that about me! Besides, I've already decided to work, understand? A salted fish would never work!"

"But..."

"Relax, relax, when has Onii-chan ever let you down!" Seeing that Umaru still wanted to say something, Sogo quickly interrupted and changed the subject: "Even Utako Kasumi, who has never signed anything for anyone before, signed your book, and there's even a personal message!"

"Ahem, what's even more precious is that Utako Kasumi said herself that every word she wrote came from the heart."

"Na, Nani!?"

As expected, this dumpling is easy to coax. Even though they were just discussing whether he was a salted fish, the moment she heard about the personal message, she had already forgotten all about it.

Fine, a salted fish is a salted fish. Anyway, Onii-chan will always find a way.