Walking down the street, Kasumi Haruno turned her head and called out to her cousin.
"Mhm, what is it, Kasumi-nee?"
Ryūto Haruno looked up and asked Kasumi Haruno.
"Tonight, Alistair is taking me out, so I probably won't be able to make dinner for you. Gomen (I'm sorry)."
Kasumi Haruno said with a hint of apology.
"Is that so? Hmm... then Kasumi-nee should go out with Big Brother Alistair. I'll take care of myself."
Ryūto Haruno agreed, sounding slightly disappointed and reluctant.
Ryūto Haruno had always admired Kasumi-nee. The fact that she now had a boyfriend made him a little sad, but he wasn't overly heartbroken. At least, Big Brother Alistair seemed like a decent person so far. As long as Kasumi-nee was happy, that was enough.
Ryūto Haruno thought silently.
"Here, take this money. I don't know if Kasumi gives you an allowance, but this is an extra gift from your future brother-in-law. You can go eat at a restaurant or buy groceries and cook something yourself. You solve your own dinner; your brother-in-law is taking your sister out."
Alistair walked around Kasumi Haruno, approached Ryūto Haruno, took some Fukuzawa Yukichi notes (Japanese currency) from his wallet, placed them in Ryūto Haruno's hand, and said with a smile while ruffling his hair.
Although Ryūto Haruno wasn't Kasumi Haruno's biological brother, Alistair could call him his brother-in-law. The relationship between Ryūto Haruno and Kasumi Haruno wasn't like his and Chiaki's, and it couldn't become like that. Frankly, given Ryūto Haruno's appearance and personality, it was more likely that someone else would take both siblings. Ryūto Haruno's look was especially suitable for sissyfication.
Alistair further appraised Ryūto Haruno's overall image: a weak-looking but extremely clean and delicate face, very pure eyes, and a physique that was very slender for a male, even leaning more towards a feminine style than Alistair's own had been. Although Alistair was similar before, the [Partial Nature of the Twelve Labors] ability helped him grow to about 175cm (5'9") and gain some muscle. While he was still a androgynous youth, he was no longer the weak uke style (perhaps).
And if Ryūto Haruno were to put on a dress, he might even look better...
Alistair surveyed Ryūto Haruno's appearance, imagining him in women's clothing, finding it strangely fitting.
Wait! No! Why the hell am I thinking about Ryūto Haruno wearing a dress? I'm not gay! I need to find Xuancheng for treatment!
Alistair, suddenly jolted awake, felt his thoughts were completely outrageous. He was supposed to be a straight man, a straight straight man.
So, Alistair immediately circled back to Kasumi Haruno, took her hand, and, under her confused gaze, embraced her, burying his head in her neck and inhaling her faint, sweet fragrance to clear his mind of the inappropriate thoughts.
"Alistair, what's wrong?"
Kasumi Haruno's face flushed slightly. She placed her hand on Alistair's back, gently stroking him reassuringly, and asked confusedly.
Alistair's behavior was certainly abrupt and strange. He was just talking to Ryūto Haruno, then suddenly came over and hugged her, burying his head in her neck. His breathing tickled her a little, and they were on a public street with quite a few pedestrians. This was the first time they had done something so intimate in public, making her quite shy.
"I thought of something unclean. I need you, Kasumi, to cleanse my thoughts."
Alistair's voice was muffled as he kept his head lowered.
"Unclean thoughts? Mmm, alright."
Kasumi Haruno felt the stares of the passersby, her face burning, but being habitually obedient, she didn't ask Alistair to get up and allowed him to hold her.
The surrounding pedestrians cast friendly glances with a hint of amusement. Such a bold couple was uncommon, but the scene looked quite sweet. Some older people sighed, remembering their youth. They continued on their way, heading home, where their families were likely preparing dinner.
"Phew, I feel much better now~"
Alistair raised his head, feeling the abnormal thoughts vanish. He sighed in relief. He was straight, absolutely straight. He could only say that certain internet content was truly weird. Thankfully, there were no furries or other heavy-BDSM kinks here; otherwise, Alistair would probably have to move house.
"What unclean thing did you think of, Alistair? Can you tell me?"
Kasumi Haruno slightly lifted her head, looked into Alistair's eyes, and asked curiously.
"Uh, that, it's not very convenient to tell you, I'm sorry."
Alistair's gaze flickered. He said somewhat guiltily that he couldn't possibly say this. If it were about another girl, he could tell her casually, but this... He couldn't possibly say, I just imagined your cousin wearing a dress, could he? That was just too weird. Alistair didn't mind being called a jerk, but this really crossed a line.
Seeing that Alistair had no intention of telling her, Kasumi Haruno tactfully refrained from asking further. She knew that Alistair was usually open about his thoughts concerning other girls. If he couldn't say it, it might genuinely be something confidential, so she dropped the subject.
"Alright, alright, let's go. Ryūto, are you going straight home?"
Alistair changed the subject.
"Me? I... I'll go home first. There are convenience stores and ramen shops nearby. Uh, Big Brother Alistair, are you sure about giving me so much money? Maybe take some back. One bill is enough for me."
Ryūto Haruno looked nervously at the bills in his hand. This was the first time he had ever held so much money.
Although the cost of living in Japan was slightly high, it wasn't outrageous. Mina Morita's monthly allowance was only about ten-plus Fukuzawa Yukichi bills. The amount Alistair had just given was about one-third or one-fourth of her monthly allowance. This was why Ryūto Haruno was slightly terrified; he understood the weight of the currency he held.
However, Mina Morita wasn't short on money now. Although Alistair was genuinely short of money before, causing Mina Morita to consider taking money from home to please him, Alistair didn't refuse. At the time, only she and her brother were home; Alistair didn't care what happened to her brother, and Mina Morita was under his protection, so she wouldn't suffer.
After Alistair obtained the [Golden Rule] ability, he no longer lacked money. Mina Morita had only given him money once at the very beginning; Alistair was the one who mostly gave her money, so Mina Morita was never short. The allowance from her parents was practically untouched, and Alistair gave her quite a lot, more than she could spend.
Thinking about it, only about a week had passed in reality, and Alistair already had a considerable amount of money. Unless a major emergency arose, his daily expenses were more than covered. Alistair didn't have huge ambitions, so this was perfectly fine.
"No need. This amount of money has no impact on me. And since I've already given it to you, how can I take it back?"
Alistair shrugged nonchalantly, pulling his thoughts back to the present.
Alistair's casual tone was a shock to Ryūto Haruno. Such a large sum of money was an irrelevant trifle to Alistair. Just how rich was Alistair's family? Ryūto Haruno couldn't imagine. He figured Alistair's family must own a major company or something impressive. This made Ryūto Haruno think highly of him.
Kasumi Haruno also learned about some of Alistair's financial capacity for the first time. Her family's monthly allowance wasn't huge, but it was enough for the two of them since they didn't have major expenses. The money Alistair casually gave out was a fraction of their monthly living costs. This indeed shocked her and gave her a new understanding of Alistair, filling her with a pleasant surprise.
Kasumi Haruno's ambition, like that of most Japanese women, was to become a homemaker. Being a housewife and raising children was a fine ideal for her. Therefore, she paid occasional attention to financial matters, as her parents traveled constantly to earn money. It was natural to be concerned. Since she was still in school, she didn't know Alistair's family background, but based on his ordinary demeanor, she assumed they were comfortably well-off, which relieved Kasumi Haruno. If Alistair's family situation hadn't been optimistic, she might have had to consider taking a part-time job to supplement their future household income.
However, since Alistair's family situation exceeded her expectations, she no longer had to worry. She just needed to practice her domestic skills to prepare for becoming Alistair's housewife in the future.
Thinking this, Kasumi Haruno began to consider whether she should join some domestic science clubs and perhaps even learn about tea ceremony...
"Alright, Kasumi and I will head off then. You watch out... wait, Kasumi and I will walk you back first. We can stroll around the commercial area in Beika Town; I haven't checked out that area yet. We'll come back later."
Alistair thought for a moment and decided to walk Ryūto Haruno back first. It was a good excuse to stroll through the commercial area in Beika Town. Every place had its own characteristics. Karakura Town's most famous feature was that one dessert shop. Other places weren't bad, just average. He didn't know why people here thought this way, but local specialties truly were local specialties; they had no desire to open branches elsewhere.
This resulted in different places having different specialties, and once you left that area, they disappeared. In a way, this encouraged people to move around and boosted consumption in different areas. After all, once you were there, you might as well buy something else, right?