"Kaito? Little Kai~"
"Little Bro? Dear brother~"
"Bro? Good brother of mine~"
Elysia knelt on the bed, cautiously extending a finger to give Kaito's stiff cheek a few gentle pokes.
Truthfully, she really could explain. The reason this group chat existed in the first place was that they hadn't gotten into the same university and ended up in different cities.
"Ms. Elysia, please watch your choice of words."
Kaito kept a straight face, his tone unusually solemn. Usually optimistic and easygoing, he had genuinely been blindsided and "shield-broken" by the discovery of this group chat.
One Big Happy Family. A "big family" of thirteen people—and he hadn't even known it existed.
"No, I'm still too annoyed."
"Tomorrow, I'm finding a girlfriend and kicking you out of the house."
Kaito ruffled his hair, unable to sit still. This was a hundred times worse than when they were renting that tiny apartment and Elysia hid the AC remote, lying to him that the temperature was stuck!
Elysia weakly raised her hand. "Um... my name is on the property deed too..."
"E! LY! SI! A!"
This time, it was Kaito's turn to playfully throttle her. Elysia looked even more fragile, putting on her best "damsel in distress" face.
It wasn't that she didn't want to invite Kaito into the group; it was mostly that Kevin hadn't invited Mei, Sakura hadn't invited Rin, and even Griseo hadn't invited Blanca or Trace. Everyone kept their families out of it, silently maintaining a shared understanding—a pact among roommates.
Murder is illegal, murder is illegal! Even if it's your own sister, killing her is still a crime. Kaito lectured himself internally for a moment before letting go, feeling a bit dejected.
"Forget it."
"I figured this day would come eventually, anyway."
Most of the time, there was no point in getting angry over stuff like this. People are busy; they have their own reasons. If you selfishly demand things, people just get confused or call you dramatic. Until you actually find someone worth chasing relentlessly, most people don't believe such a connection exists—and for most of their lives, it doesn't.
"I'm done arguing. Go contact your 'friend,' then follow me to the hospital this afternoon. We're getting your head checked first."
Kaito mentally ran through today's plan. He headed for the bathroom to splash some water on his face, but as his hand touched the doorknob, he couldn't help but glance back.
His usually radiant sister was currently sitting dejectedly on the edge of the bed like a child who had done something wrong, looking pitifully withered. He spoke calmly.
"And also, go back to your own room to sleep."
Elysia sniffled. She felt like she should put on a red clown nose, though she figured a red nose would look just as fitting on Kaito's face right now.
[One Big Happy Family]
Elysia: "Help! My brother found out about this group and now he's sulking. What do I do? [Crying Cat Face.jpg]"
Griseo: "[Bubbling Up.jpg]"
Griseo: "Then... just explain loudly! Kosma said there's nothing that can't be cleared up with an explanation! [Go for it.jpg]"
Kosma: "..."
Kosma: "By the way, is Senior Elysia's brother still that Kaito guy?"
Kevin: "Can your brother just change into someone else?"
No, but lately Kosma had been having nightmares for several nights. The source was the ghost stories Elysia used to tell at dinner back in the day, featuring her "rascal" younger brother as the protagonist. Thankfully, he had already started university; he didn't have to worry about it affecting his high school study efficiency anymore.
Kevin: "But whenever Kaito is involved, it feels like things get really troublesome."
Kosma: "Did Senior Kevin have nightmares about Kaito too?"
Kevin: "No."
Everyone is just slacking off, Elysia muttered to herself.
Elysia: "[Small mouth, no talking.jpg]"
Elysia: "Everyone! You're getting off track! [Mad Cat.jpg]"
The problem now was that her brother's mental state was shattered, and he was threatening to disown her.
Kalpas: "Why didn't he know about the group?"
Sakura: "+1"
Elysia: "He never used to look at my phone! Plus, he didn't contact me much during university. Aren't boys all like that?"
Aponia: "They contact you when they need money."
Kosma: "..."
Kevin: "..."
Kalpas: "..."
Kalpas: "Then why is he looking at your phone now?"
Elysia: "He thinks I've fallen in with a 'bad crowd'..."
Moreover, Kaito seemed to attribute her mental issues to the "Master" friend who was supposed to perform the ritual. But Elysia truly believed the problem was the Feng Shui; otherwise, how could she have so many nightmares lately?
Aponia: "And your group chat with this 'bad crowd' is called One Big Happy Family, while the chat with your brother is just the two of you, without even a proper group name... [Sigh.jpg]"
Aponia: "[Prayer.jpg]"
Kevin watched the messages in the top right of his screen. He was about to reply when he spotted his supervisor out of the corner of his eye. He instantly switched tabs back to his coding interface.
"Ahem. I have one piece of good news and one piece of bad news. Which do you want first?"
The supervisor cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention.
Kevin: "..."
Seeing his subordinates weren't exactly enthusiastic, the supervisor coughed and tapped on the wall.
"The good news is that a major company wants to collaborate. If we finish this contract, everyone's salary this year is guaranteed to double."
"As for the bad news... the collaboration was proposed by the Chief Producer of Reason Studios, Bronya. It's industry knowledge that she's incredibly picky, so expect the proposal to be revised multiple times."
Bronya?
Kevin blurted out instinctively: "The Useless Bronya? The one who gets knocked out in the top eight every year and the top sixteen occasionally?"
Oh, for the record, that was Elysia's evaluation in the group chat. But Elysia had claimed it was Kaito's old roast, so Kevin had just memorized it because it sounded catchy.
Supervisor: "..."
The supervisor looked at Kevin with a complex expression. He hadn't realized this kid had such a sharp tongue. Kevin immediately put on a stone face and went back to work without a word.
"Everyone, get ready. If we nail this project, our company's reputation will soar, and we won't be lacking for partners after this."
After the supervisor left, Kevin suddenly thought of something and quickly looked up the members of Bronya's team. Sure enough, Kaito's name was right there at the top.
Switching back to the chat, it seemed no one had found a solution yet. In fact, things were getting even more chaotic now that Mobius and Vill-V had jumped in.
Kevin: "Looks like I'll be collaborating with Reason Studios soon. I might have a chance to meet Kaito and help you talk him out of it."
Elysia: "Waaa... Kevin, you're as reliable as ever!"
Aponia: "The sibling relationship is strained because of 'bad friends,' and the sister still chooses to trust the 'bad friend' to meddle in family affairs instead of explaining herself personally?"
Aponia: "[Prayer.jpg]"
Sakura: "[Prayer.jpg]"
The two women, who had worked for years and weren't too eccentric, offered their prayers simultaneously.
Elysia: "..."