n

n

n

nRin sat in the backseat of the car, doing her best to not burst out into laughter.

nAfter that drama in the morning, everyone gathered their things and got ready to head over to Myth Inc. HQ to both visit Mister John and see the new baby.

nBut while both Asako and Alphy played it cool and brushed things off as nothing happened while they were getting ready, now that everyone was stuck together in the back of Sakura’s sports car while they drove downtown, an awkward tension was in the air.

nIn fact, Rin was sure that both Asako and Alphy would be completely knocked out if she wasn’t there to serve as a buffer.

nEspecially since Rin’s mom kept glancing back occasionally, as if she was pondering whether or not to tease the two.

nRin shook her head and then glanced at Asako, to her left.

nThe former Seiryuu Heiress had dressed casually for the trip. Loose sweat pants with a black hoodie. Sneakers.

nNo coat, apparently. Though if Rin had to guess, that was because her Aneue still felt a bit hot under the collar, hehe.

nAs for Alphy… She was dressed similar to Asako. A comfortable black hoodie and sneakers. But instead of loose sweatpants, she wore some snug blue jeans that hugged her legs.

nA fact that Asako seemed to either appreciate or was overly conscious about considering how often she kept glancing over and tracing Alphy’s curves when she thought Alphy wasn’t looking.

nOf course, Rin saw all of that.

nAlso noteworthy was the fact that Alphy didn’t wear a coat either. Though considering how red she was right now, Rin was pretty sure that if Alphy had been wearing a coat, she would be unconscious from the heat.

nAs for Rin, she was wearing the usual outfit she did when they went out. A comfortable and puffy orange jacket. Some cozy jeans and fur boots.

nSeeing how awkward her Onee-chan and Aneue were being, Rin decided to throw them a bone. “So what do you think Mister John has planned for the day?” She looked at Alphy and said, “Is your dad going to have another big party again like with the baby shower, Onee-chan?”

n“A-Ah.” Alphy was surprised at being suddenly addressed, but she quickly recovered and smiled. “Well… When Meggie was born, Papa did a lot of silly things to celebrate. I think it should be fun.”

nAsako looked over and said, “Silly things? Like what?”

nAlphy hummed and looked to the side, thinking. “Well, he declared that her birthday would be a holy day and that everyone could take the day off to celebrate. He also ran around the entire realm searching for materials to make toys and gifts. Meggie never played with them though since she liked just spending time with Papa more.”

nAsako blinked and then said, “So. Just what did John do before coming here again?”

nRin laughed and then looked at Asako. “Why are you asking, Aneue? Worried that Onee-chan is out of your league?”

n“Wha-” Asako blushed and then reached over to grab Rin in a headlock. “You brat! Looks like you need your big sister to teach you some manners!”

nRin squirmed, trying to break free. “Onee-chan! Help! Aneue’s being mean!”

nAlphy looked at Rin and then looked away, her face a bit flushed. “W-Well, maybe Asako has a point! You’ve been a bit too cheeky lately anyway.”

nRin gasped. “Onee-chan! You traitor!”

nAlphy giggled.

nSakura glanced back at the girls through the rearview mirror and then shook her head, a faint smile on her face.

nRin squirmed some more, trying to break free. But then she realized something and paused.

nAsako paused as well and said, “Finally give up, brat?”

n“No. I’m just wondering why Aneue smells like Onee-chan. Did you steal her shampoo?”

n“…Good night, Sis.”

n“W-Wait, Aneue! That’s dangerous!”

n“You’re tough! Deal with it!”

n—–AI|IA—–

nJohn paused and stared at the giant pile of gifts in front of him. “…Did I overdo it?”

nIt was the first Christmas Party that he had with his family. Because of that, he wanted to make sure to make great and happy memories. Especially for the kids. So he made a bunch of presents to make up for it, but…

nJohn rubbed his chin and said, “…Maybe I do have a bad habit of giving way too elaborate gifts.”

nIt was John’s office. He had taken some time to clear it of the desk and chairs and used the space to fill up with gifts for everyone. But as a result, the floor was filled with various toys and knick-knacks.

n“Hm.” He picked up a collection of CapsuMon on the ground and said, “Yue mentioned she wanted these, so this is fine. But…” He glanced at the other dolls on the ground and said, “Should I give some of these to Meggie too?”

nShe liked CapsuMon as well, didn’t she? After all, that was what she went to first when they went to the convention. Though, she also liked Creature Hunter, so maybe he should make some plushies of the mascots?

nJohn checked the time first and then clicked his tongue. “I spent that long already?”

nIt was getting close to 10 AM. Meaning that people would be arriving soon, if they hadn’t already.

nAnd there was also sorting out Meggie and the whole situation with Kai and Tsuki’s mom. Not to mention checking up on everyone else. And getting his sisters over… wherever they were.

nAnd then later on, there was still that onsen trip he wanted to take everyone on-

nAh, wait. The girls had their own plans for an onsen. Alphy mentioned something about that… And Suzume did too.

nSo maybe not an onsen then.

nA private island? It would be good to go somewhere warm after all the cold. Needed to look into that too…

nOr maybe he could sneak a trip back to the Three Realms?

nNo, too soon.

nJohn absentmindedly pulled out a giant ruby from his Heavenly Realm and started carving it into a rose. Something pretty to leave around the house-

nOh right. There was that too. Still needed to get a house. Bai was looking into that, but John should double check.

nAnd then there were a few other things…

nJohn sighed and then ran his hand through his hair. “I should definitely get a secretary sometime to help me run things. Remembering stuff like this is such a pain-“

n“I can help with that!”

n“@#email protected#email protected!”

nJohn stumbled and knocked over the pile of gifts. After that, he spun around to look at the person who snuck up on him. Something that should definitely be impossible except for two people.

nThe first was Titor, which couldn’t be the case considering he was tied up by Amadeus wanting to see their new niece.

nThe second…

nJohn sighed and started fixing up the gift boxes, smoothing out any that had crumpled. After that, he said, “You know, you could just call and visit like a normal person.”

nJenny giggled and then stepped forward to help John sort out the gifts. “Sorry. But I can’t help it, you know? I’ve always wanted to mess around a bit with my big brother.”

n“Right.” John sorted out the pile of CapsuMon plushies and then made a giant plastic container to stack all of them. After that, he wrapped it up like a giant Pok- giant CapsuBall. “Jury’s still out on whether or not you’re my sister though.”

nJenny pouted. “Do you hate me that much, Onii-chan?”

n“If you keep calling me that, yes.” John sighed and said, “I’ve dealt with more than enough psychotic women calling me their big brother for one eternity, thank you very much.”

nJenny tilted her head. “I’m not psychotic though? And I really *am* your sister!”

n“But not by blood you said, didn’t you?”

nJenny paused and then said, “Oh yeah. I did say that… But I still am? I mean, if we did a DNA test… it would probably… Oh. It probably wouldn’t match.” She frowned, looking lost for a moment.

nJohn sighed and ruffled her hair. “Don’t think about it too hard. You’re weird, and I’m still super confused and disturbed by how you look like a genderbent twin of me… But as long as you aren’t secretly a sleeper agent meant to disrupt my family dynamics here on Earth, I won’t make you regret your existence.”

nJenny flinched and then let out a nervous laugh. “A-A bit overprotective, aren’t you?”

n“Of course.” John smiled and said, “And if you really want to be my baby sister, then you should be aware of that. I don’t take kindly to threats against my family, you know?”

nJenny sweated.

nJohn laughed and then pulled his hand back. “Don’t worry about it.” He stretched and said, “Even though we don’t know exactly what you are, I can tell that you mean well. And I guess I’ve always wanted a baby sister- Ah.” John paused. “…That suddenly explains a lot.”

n“Eh?”

nJohn waved his hand. “Don’t worry about it. Anyway… Help me pack these up, would you? I think these should be enough gifts for everyone to have a fun time.”

nAnd to create a lot of unboxing footage to embarrass the kids in the future with their reactions.

nJenny looked at John for a moment, confused. But then she let out a warm smile and placed her hand over her chest. “Leave it to me, Onii-chan!”

n“Stop calling me that. I’ll take Big Bro, Bro, or even just John, but-“

n“Whatever you say, Step-“

nJohn narrowed his eyes.

nJenny laughed and started grabbing some of the unpacked gifts. “Okay, Big Bro. But you have to call me Sis, kay~?”

n“…Hah. If I have to.” John started grabbing some more gifts as well and then muttered, “Now how am I going to explain this relationship to everyone…?”

n_________

n