Chapter 9: Awkward Sisters

Chapter 9 - 9: Awkward Sisters"Quick, quick, I need to call the... police! I need to call the police!" Marina Akizuki's hands trembled as she fumbled with her phone, ready to dial. A home invasion, assault, and—even worse—her sister being violated by their own father? This was beyond outrageous. It was the kind of horror story you saw on crime documentaries, not something that actually happened in real life. "Sis, no! You're mistaken!" Airi Akizuki, still sprawled out on the bed, flailed her arms weakly in protest. "...Mistaken?" Marina froze mid-dial, blinking in confusion. "Sis, come here. Let me explain," Airi sighed, rubbing her temples. She motioned for Marina to come closer, feeling exhausted in more ways than one. Despite this being her first time, it wasn't technically her first time, considering she had been with Blake Silva several times now. Either way, her legs felt like jelly. With a deep breath, she carefully recounted everything that had happened. "So, you're telling me that Dad—" she practically gagged at the word, "—sprayed you with some kind of aphrodisiac and tried to assault you? And just when things were about to get worse, your boyfriend showed up, beat him senseless, and saved you?" Marina stared at her sister as if she had just read the most ridiculous soap opera script of all time. "Pretty much," Airi confirmed, sighing. Marina was silent for a moment, processing the absurdity of it all. "I told you Kouzou Akizuki was a scumbag," Airi huffed, scowling. "But you didn't believe me! Stay away from him. If he did this to me, what makes you think he won't try it with you next time?" "I... I understand," Marina mumbled, suddenly feeling like an idiot. She had ignored Airi's warnings before, assuming she was just exaggerating. But now, faced with the grim reality, guilt gnawed at her insides. "Good," Airi nodded firmly. With Marina's help, Airi hobbled to the bathroom for a much-needed shower. They ended up having an awkward but oddly sweet sisterly moment, with Marina shyly asking about certain adult matters while Airi, despite her exhaustion, tried her best to answer without dying of embarrassment. By the time they returned, changed into comfortable nightwear, the ambulance had arrived to haul away Kouzou Akizuki, who was still bleeding from the head and blissfully unconscious. --- Meanwhile, ... "Whew, finally finished cleaning." Blake Silva collapsed onto his new living room couch, looking like he had just run a marathon. "This place was a mess," he groaned. He had been expecting a move-in-ready house, but instead, it looked like the previous tenants had abandoned it weeks ago. Dust was everywhere, and the air had that musty, no-one's-lived-here-in-ages smell. So, naturally, he had spent the past few hours doing some heavy-duty cleaning. "Master, this is a result of altering the world," Sia explained sweetly in his head. Blake sighed. "Right... Because in the original timeline, people were still living here, but now, thanks to my request, they conveniently 'moved out' a couple of weeks ago." "Exactly!" Sia chirped. Ding-dong! The doorbell rang. Blake, sensing a familiar presence with his spiritual awareness, smirked. As he opened the door, Airi stood there with her hands on her hips, looking much livelier than before. "Hello, Blake. I came to see you. You should be thanking me, you know?" she teased. Blake raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And why's that?" "Because I went through a lot today, and yet, here I am, gracing you with my presence." "Uh-huh," he chuckled. Beside her, Marina shifted nervously before bowing politely. "Silva-san, hello. Thank you for saving my sister. I'm Marina Akizuki, Airi's older sister." "Nice to meet you, Marina. Airi, Marina, come in. I was just about to make some tea," Blake said casually, stepping aside. Marina's face turned red at hearing her first name used so casually. In Japan, that was considered pretty forward, especially from someone you just met. She opened her mouth to say something, but Blake had already turned and walked inside. Seeing her sister's flustered expression, Airi smirked. "Don't overthink it, sis. Blake's American. In America, calling someone by their first name is totally normal." Marina hesitated but then nodded, her expression softening. However, she was still a little surprised at how fluent Blake's Japanese was despite being from the U.S. Blake made them tea, and soon, the three of them were chatting comfortably. With his extensive knowledge from two lifetimes, Blake had a way of making people laugh, and he effortlessly bridged the gap between himself and Marina. Even the initial awkwardness faded, and Marina found herself actually enjoying his company. However, when she learned that Airi and Blake had only known each other for a day, she nearly spit out her tea. "Wait, hold on," she coughed. "You two met yesterday... and you're already dating?" "Yep," Airi said proudly. "...And you've already...?" Marina trailed off, looking between them. Airi turned red but nodded. Marina's brain short-circuited for a second. "One day?! Who does that?!" She wanted to lecture her sister, but Airi looked happy. And Blake, despite the crazy circumstances, actually seemed... reliable? Still, Marina couldn't shake off a nagging thought. Deep down, she felt a tiny pang of envy. Not that she'd ever admit it—after all, she had a boyfriend, Oono-san. Even so... Blake was undeniably better than Oono-san in every possible way. Marina shook her head. Nope, not going there. "Anyway, we should get going," Marina announced, clearing her throat. "Our door is still broken, and it needs fixing." Blake scratched the back of his head. "Ah, right. That was my fault. Tell you what, let me fix it for you. It's the least I can do." Marina blinked. She had planned to use that as an excuse to leave, but now she couldn't exactly refuse his offer. "Alright... if you insist," she said, sighing. --- Meanwhile, at the hospital... Kouzou Akizuki groggily regained consciousness. His head was wrapped in thick bandages, and his entire body ached. "I failed... I lost her..." he muttered bitterly. His eyes burned with rage as he remembered Blake carrying Airi away. But then, a sinister smirk formed on his lips. "If I can't have Airi... I'll take Marina instead." Ignoring the nurse's warnings, Kouzou angrily stormed out of the hospital, his mind filled with twisted plans. And then— Thunk! "AHHHH!" Kouzou tripped over a loose stone on the pavement, faceplanting into the concrete with a loud crack. Pain shot through his body as something very sensitive took the full impact. Nearby, people gasped, but when they saw the absurdity of what had happened, they couldn't hold back their laughter. "Did he just...?" "He totally did!" A kind passerby helped call for a nurse while chuckling under their breath. S~eaʀᴄh the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. And just like that, Kouzou was wheeled back into the hospital—only this time, for a completely different injury. --- Back at Airi and Marina's house, Blake finished fixing the door, feeling oddly satisfied. Little did he know, Kouzou's ridiculous streak of bad luck was far from over... and his own fate was already entangled with what was to come. ------- Re Worked