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ID Chapter 15: Rising Concerns
🕑 Added 2020-10-10 02:48:41 +0000 UTCEthan opened his eyes to the ceiling of his room. He had to live two lives from now on. A student in the daytime while an otherworlder during the night. A blissful life with two beauties in the day and running for his damn life in the night. The contrast between them was too much!
Celia slept with her head leaning on the chair. Mio snored right beside him. He stroked her hair with care, bouts of affection flooding his heart.
"Alyssia." He tried calling Alyssia. "Can you hear me?"
"Master, is that you?!"
"Yeah. I will talk to you later."
"Alright, Master."
"Onii-sama!" Mio yelped and pushed up his dirty shirt. "You aren't injured today, right?"
"What's with the commotion in the morning…?" Celia rubbed her eyes. "Ethan… you are back!"
She squeezed his left hand within her grasp, relief apparent in her eyes.
"I am fine and have no injuries today."
"Onii-sama," Mio whispered and caressed his face. "Welcome back."
He nodded silently and gazed into her eyes carrying undeniable affection. She had been quite silent after the first night of his disappearance. She let Celia stay without any complaints. Was her condition improving… or this was the sign of a silent eruption in the future? But the gentle smile on her face made her quite adorable.
"Urgh, can you two stop ignoring me?" Celia broke the pink atmosphere forming between him and Mio. She left her chair and snuggled with him. "It's better here."
"What's the time?"
Mio checked her smartphone. "It's only nine in the morning."
What? Ethan couldn't believe his ears. He was up until four or fine and spent almost half a day in Avalon. They only counted as four or five hours here?
"We can still go to school."
Skipping a lecture counted as everyday's occurrence here.
Celia pressed her lips on his cheeks. "Darling, the school had some trouble with staff, so they declared today as a break."
"You are behind it."
Only she and Andrew could do it as their families donated tons of money every year. Andrew wanted him to come, so no way he would cancel the school.
"Please bear with it. I don't want to see you getting bothered by pests."
"...I can just use a mask to cover my face."
Celia poked his cheeks. "Idiot, it's about your eyes. They are more dangerous than your face."
"I have sunglasses as well."
"Why are you so stuck up on going there?"
"Because I promised Andrew."
Celia buried her face in his neck. "Fine. I won't do anything tomorrow… let's rest now."
A rumble in his stomach reminded him to eat something. "I am hungry."
"Should I cook?" Celia giggled.
"Buzz off. The kitchen belongs to only me." Mio directed a mocking glare at Celia. Her gaze fell on Ethan and became meltingly soft. "Onii-sama, leave it to Mio!"
Celia growled at Mio walking out of the room.
Ethan collected himself from the bed. "I need a shower."
"No, don't. You don't stink at all!"
"Pervert." Ethan deadpanned and escaped from her clutches.
"Ethan."
He turned around. "What?"
Celia loosened her lips, barely uttering a hum. She shook her head softly from side to side.
"What is it?"
"We need to have a serious talk about Mio."
Her unusual serious expression cane up again. Ethan shut the door and plonked himself down on the bed beside her. "Go on."
"I checked the documents regarding your family. Mio isn't there."
"Was it Mio?"
"No, Mio was never there. Arima Akihiko, the man aunt Claudia married, was never listed as her spouse."
Ethan closed his eyes. His mother fooled the cops as well as Mio's bastard father. She never loved the man. Their interactions looked too unnatural for husband and wife.
"This is fishy. From Mother's disappearance and my summon to Avalon. Everything is so damn fishy. As if someone is pulling strings to control everyone around me."
Celia snuck into his embrace and patted his back. Her soft fragrance subdued his heart crashing against his ribs.
"We just need to stay strong. Every answer will eventually come to us."
He hugged Celia back and let out a soft sigh. "We will."
Is Mother behind everything?
—x—x—x—
The late breakfast passed with Ethan changing the gears of his brain to find a way to disclose this matter to Mio. The result would either be her happiness tearing down the roof or her breaking from finding they shared no connection whatsoever. Though the former had over ninety percent probability.
How should I bring this up?
His lack of experience in everything women-related came to bite him in the ass.
"Mio, are you free now?"
Mio bobbed her head. "I have nothing else to do."
"Then let's play some games after this."
"I can't join you two. The duty calls."
Mio shot a narrow-eyed glance at Celia, who smiled calmly in response.
"What?"
Mio covered her mouth, her eyes smiling with ridicule. "Is your mother finally marrying you to some fat-ass noble?"
Celia snorted and pushed back her chair. "Step out of your house, girl. That clichéd ending stopped working after the nineties. My darling is sitting beside you."
She grabbed her coat and stepped out of the room.
Mio glared at the door. "Bitch."
"Mio. Can you—"
"I am back," Celia announced and followed up with pressing her body on his back. "I forgot this."
Celia turned Ethan's face and planted a kiss on his lips. "Goodbye."
The pink spark burst again, merely for a second. Ethan touched his lips still wet from the kiss.
Crack! The chopstick in Mio's hand snapped.
"Onii-sama, she dirtied you." Mio took the napkin and wiped his lips. "This isn't enough."
She grabbed him and before he could stop her, she pushed her lips against his. A softness exceeding Celia enveloped his lips and a black spark crackled in his mind. His hands froze on Mio's shoulder, who took this opportunity and forced her tongue inside. Her tongue playfully tangled and teased him. He sighed inwardly and went along with her kiss.
Almost two minutes later, Mio released him and clutched his collar. Her face flushed the deepest shade of red and she gasped as with her head with her head on his chest.
"Onii-sama~," she purred and hugged his neck. "Make Mio yours now. Mio can't wait anymore."
Her sweet words tugged at his heart. However, the talk with Celia let him hold onto his sanity. He took a deep breath and pushed her away. "Mio, we aren't related... My mother and your father never married. They were either faking the marriage or just had some other plans."
The sultriness inside Mio's eyes vanished, replaced by panic. "H-How is that possible? I-I am not related to Onii-sama?!"
Ethan squeezed her shoulders. "Cool down your head. No one is leaving you."
The whole ordeal with her mother traumatised Mio to the point she developed abandonment issues. What would happen if he really left her? The answer was too horrible to think.
Mio slipped her shaking hands around his chest and nodded.
Ethan pulled her in his embrace and soothed her tension by stroking her head. "Doesn't that make it better? We can… date each other…"
As the words left his mouth, his gaze drifted from her. He finally said it. No taking it back now. Their relationship will change now, for the better or the worse. Mio loved him a lot more than he loved her, to the point it clouded her heart.
Mio buried her face in his chest. "Onii-sama, can I ask one thing?"
"Go on."
She looked up and revealed a mischievous smile. While he was dazed by her sudden change, she pecked his lips.
"What took you so long?"
He formed a wry smile in response. "...I was originally going to deny your feelings until you gave up."
Mio puffed her cheeks at his honest answer. "You underestimate the devotion of a Japanese woman."
You were supposed to be my sister, for fack sake. I can't date my sister in this society… what am I thinking...?
He swallowed those retorts and rubbed her back. "All's well that ends well."
"Umm… Onii-sama, let's go to the bedroom and celebrate our first night already. This is the only time I can strike to leave that bitch in dust."
"That is not happening Mio!"
Ethan snapped his head to the voice. Celia revealed herself from behind the door, a playful smirk playing at the corner of her lips.
"Darling, did you miss me?"
"..."
