Too Young to Appreciate an Older Sister

Kexi looked at Carlotta's puffed-up little face and suddenly laughed.

"What are you laughing at?" Carlotta glared at him.

"Nothing. I just thought you're actually pretty cute, Second Sister."

"..."

"Especially when you jump up to hit someone. You're like a-"

"Kexi Montelli, if you don't want to die right now, you'd better swallow the rest of that sentence."

Kexi wisely swallowed it.

But he silently finished the sentence in his head-

Like a little kitten with its fur all puffed up.

For the next few days, Kexi lived through hell.

The training schedule Carlotta had drawn up for him could only be described as "unspeakably cruel": wake up at five every morning to run, basic physical training at six, Resonance perception practice at eight, combat simulations at ten...

"Second Sister, this schedule... did you get me mixed up with a Tacet Discord boss?" Kexi asked, his voice trembling as he stared at the densely packed timetable.

"A Tacet Discord boss is stronger than you," Carlotta said mercilessly. "At least it wouldn't be out of breath after two steps."

"That was the old me! I've awakened now!"

"Awakened what? The power to be a real man for three minutes?"

Kexi: "..."

He discovered that Carlotta's talent for cutting remarks might be even greater than her talent for business.

But there was nothing he could do. He was in the wrong, after all.

From that day on, the residents of Ragunna often witnessed a peculiar sight:

A giant of a man, 2.14 meters tall, running in front, huffing and puffing, with a little shorty under 1.5 meters tall following behind him, megaphone in hand, shouting nonstop:

"Didn't you eat? My eighty-year-old butler can run faster than you!"

Passersby turned to stare.

"Isn't that the Montelli family's young master? The pervert who wrote those love letters?"

"I heard that a few days ago at Porto-Vino Castle, he did something to the head of Fisalia-mmph, mmph, mmph-" The person beside him hurriedly covered his companion's mouth. "Stop talking! Both the Montelli and Fisalia have suppressed the news. Keep your mouth shut if you don't want trouble!"

"Then what's he doing now?"

"Training, I think? Maybe he's finally realized he's a muggle and wants to save a little face?"

"Save face, my ass. I heard he awakened his Resonance."

"Seriously? How did he awaken it?"

"I can't say. I'd die if I did."

"..."

In this bizarre atmosphere, seven days passed in the blink of an eye.

On the morning of the seventh day, Kexi stood before a mirror, looked at his reflection, with dark circles under his eyes and cracked lips, and let out a wail.

"Seven days ago, I was a pampered young master from a wealthy family. Now I look like I crawled out of a refugee camp."

[Notice: Host's physical fitness level has risen from 'useless' to 'barely presentable.' Resonance duration has increased from 3 minutes to 5 minutes. Please keep up the good work.]

"Five days of training my ass off for just two more minutes? That return on investment is way too low, isn't it?"

[Given the host's starting point, this is already a miracle. This system has even considered awarding you a 'most hardworking good-for-nothing' medal.]

"Get lost."

But no matter what, the inevitable would come.

When Kexi stood before the gates of Porto-Vino Castle, he felt his legs trembling.

Butler Saibas opened the door and saw him, his expression even more complicated than last time. "Young Master Kexi, the head of the family is waiting for you in the side hall."

"Um... Uncle Saibas, how's Cantarella's mood today?"

"Not very good." Saibas lowered his voice. "Ever since your last visit, the head of the family has barely eaten for a whole week. She often sits alone in her room in a daze. Yesterday, she suddenly told us you were coming and had us prepare... prepare a lot of things."

"What things?"

"You'll find out when you go inside."

Kexi swallowed and walked with heavy steps into the castle he knew so well.

In the side hall, Cantarella sat by the window. Sunlight streamed through the stained glass and bathed her in a dreamlike halo. She wore a dark blue dress with a neckline neither high nor low, revealing just a glimpse of her delicate collarbones.

Hearing footsteps, she slowly turned her head.

The moment her eyes met Kexi's, he felt his heart skip a beat.

Not because she had taken his breath away-though she was indeed beautiful-but because something hidden in those eyes made his skin crawl.

"You're here?" Cantarella's voice was soft, as though she were greeting an old friend.

"Y-yes."

"Come sit down."

Kexi walked over stiffly and sat opposite her. A small round table stood between them, holding two steaming cups of black tea and a plate of delicate pastries.

If he ignored the chain in Butler Saibas's hands in the corner, which clearly had Resonance runes engraved on it, and the several fully armed guards dimly visible outside the window, this looked just like a normal afternoon tea.

"Have a taste." Cantarella gestured for him to help himself. "I prepared it especially for you."

Kexi looked at the cup of black tea, ten thousand possibilities for poison flashing through his mind.

"What's wrong? Afraid I poisoned it?" Cantarella chuckled, picked up the cup in front of her, and took a sip. "Relax. If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't use such a crude method. I'm the head of Fisalia, not some peddler selling fake medicine on the street."

Kexi gave a couple of strained laughs, picked up his cup, and took a small sip.

The black tea was delicious, with an indescribably light sweetness, as though it had been brewed from some kind of deep-sea plant.

"How is it?"

"It's delicious."

"Then drink some more."

The two drank their tea in silence, the atmosphere so bizarre it made his scalp tingle.

Finally, just as Kexi finished his second cup and was about to explode from nerves, Cantarella spoke.

"Kexi, the ability you awakened... what is it?"

Here it comes.

Kexi's fingers tightened slightly, but he tried to keep his face calm. "It was just an ordinary Resonance awakening."

"Does an ordinary Resonance awakening require that?" Cantarella's gaze sharpened. "I've looked through a lot of records these past few days, and not one awakening method requires touching someone else's Tacet Mark with your mouth. What are you hiding from me?"

Kexi's heart began to race.

Carlotta's words rang in his head: If she finds out you kissed her to steal her ability, you're a dead man!

"Actually..." Kexi took a deep breath and decided to stick with the "devoted pervert" approach. "I didn't mean to hide it from you. It's just... everything I said that day was true. Those love letters, those confessions, and that kiss... they were all real. As for the awakening, that was an accidental byproduct. Maybe my feelings for you were so deep that even the Resonance energy was moved, and that's why..."

"Is that so? But I'm more than ten years older than you," Cantarella suddenly said, seemingly out of nowhere.

"Age has never been a problem." Kexi looked utterly devoted.

"I already missed one of your eighteenth birthdays, Sister. I don't want to miss the next one."

Seeing him spout nonsense with such a devoted look on his face, Cantarella couldn't help laughing.

"Then you don't mind that I'm old?"

"You're not old, Sister. Your beauty just blossomed earlier." Kexi looked completely serious.

Cantarella was amused again, the corners of her mouth lifting just as she'd managed to lower them.

"You've got a sweet mouth. Then tell me, what do you think of how I look today?"

Kexi stood up, walked around her twice, and studied her carefully before saying, "From a distance, Sister, you're as beautiful as a painting."

"Oh? And up close?"

"Up close, you're beautiful beyond words."

"Pfft."

Cantarella was overjoyed by her compliments.

"Enough." She raised a hand to interrupt him. "I didn't ask you here today to listen to your sweet talk."

"How is that sweet talk? My words can only describe part of your beauty, while your beauty encompasses far too much."

Kexi looked innocent.

Cantarella stood, went around the table, and came to stand before Kexi. She bent down slightly, bracing her hands on the arms of his chair and trapping him at an extremely intimate and dangerous distance.

Her eyes were inches away, her pupils reflecting Kexi's face, distorted with tension.

"I don't care what ability you awakened, and I don't care how much of what you said was true."

Cantarella's voice was very low, her breath brushing Kexi's ear and sending a tingle through him.

"I only care about one thing-what you took from me, you must return. For every day you don't, don't even think about escaping my control."

Kexi's pupils contracted slightly.

He felt Cantarella's fingers climb to his chin and turn his face toward her, gently but irresistibly.

"Today... I'll collect a little interest first."

"Bang-!!"

The side hall doors were kicked open.

"Stop talking!!!"

Carlotta rushed in like a white whirlwind, cold air billowing from her body. She seized Kexi by the hair and dragged him backward.

"Cantarella! Didn't you say you were having tea?! What kind of tea is this? Mouth-to-mouth black tea?!"

"Ow, ow, ow-Second Sister, what are you doing here-"

"If I hadn't come, you'd have been done for today!" As Carlotta dragged Kexi toward the exit, she shouted at Cantarella, "This idiot still has important business to attend to! He'll come back next week! Goodbye!"

Cantarella stood where she was, watching Kexi being dragged away and Carlotta brimming with murderous intent. Her expression shifted from shock to amusement, finally turning into a soft, meaningful chuckle.

She extended the tip of her tongue and lightly licked the corner of her lips.

"Next week... it won't be so simple."

Outside Porto-Vino Castle, Carlotta dragged Kexi three blocks before letting him go.

"Huff... huff... I'm saved..." Kexi leaned against a wall, panting.

"Is that brain of yours just for decoration?" Carlotta jumped up and punched him in the knee. "She got that close and you didn't even move? Do you want to spend another three days in bed?"

"I was... overwhelmed by her..."

"Overwhelmed, my ass! She's got you completely wrapped around her finger!" Carlotta marched forward, puffing with anger, then stopped after a few steps and turned to glare at Kexi.

"And you're not allowed to come alone next week."

"Then will you come with me, Second Sister?"

Carlotta froze for a moment, then her face reddened slightly. "I... I have official business! Let Zani come with you!"

"All Zani knows how to do is take pictures and post them online. What good would she be?"

"She'd be better than you coming alone!" Carlotta turned her back to Kexi, her voice suddenly growing a little quieter. "And... I only came today because I was passing by. I didn't come specifically to rescue you. Don't read too much into it."

Kexi looked at Carlotta's small figure and the slightly reddened tips of her ears, and the corners of his mouth lifted uncontrollably.

"Right, right. You were just passing by, Second Sister."

"That's exactly what happened!"