Zongman, Rebirth of the Heaven-Defying Kirito

The shadow of the cherry blossom tree twisted into strange shapes on the floor. Suguha stood in the entrance hall, clutching the protective gear bag she had just brought back from the dojo.

The living room lights were on, but they couldn't bring in any warmth.

Kirito sat on the sofa with his back to her, his shoulders looking much stiffer than usual.

Suguha said, "I'm back."

"You're back~" The answer she received wasn't from her brother, but from another voice that was as unsettling as an ice pick.

The scene shifts, and the siblings are now sitting at the dining table with another person in the family.

Only then was Suguha able to observe the new people who had appeared in the family.

She was a sharp-tongued woman with bright red lipstick on her lips and a slightly plump figure. Her facial expression was obscured, as if shrouded in a thick fog.

Is this my brother's girlfriend? No, why would my brother choose a girlfriend like this?

Originally, her brother was supposed to be sitting opposite Suguha, but instead, a woman appeared before her, with her brother sitting next to her, as if deliberately trying to distance himself from her.

"Let's eat," the woman said, speaking like the head of the household.

Suguha's gaze fell downwards; the dishes on the table all looked unfamiliar, and she couldn't believe they were made by her.

The scene shifts again, this time showing only the brother and sister in the dojo.

Suguha excitedly exclaimed, "Onii-chan, let's have a spar!"

A look of disgust appeared on her brother's face that she had never seen before.

"You're too weak. I won't spar with you anymore."

Every word he uttered seemed poisoned, and then Kirito turned and left without a trace of pity.

Finally, without realizing it, Suguha arrived at the front door of her house.

Kirito was much taller than she remembered, and his shadow completely enveloped her.

He blocked the doorway: "Zhiye, you should be more sensible now. This house will belong to us from now on. You're just getting in the way by staying here all the time."

"Get in the way?" Suguha's voice trembled uncontrollably.

After saying that, Kirito turned around, took the woman's hand, and watched them walk side by side into the gate, where the door was then locked shut with a "click" in front of her.

The shadow of the cherry blossom tree crawled across the ground, wrapped around her ankles, like countless cold hands, dragging her toward the door.

"No... Onii-chan... no..."

Suguha suddenly opened her eyes. The moonlight from outside the window was falling on her pillow. She was still clutching the sweat-soaked sheet in her hand, and her bangs were a little messy.

It was just a dream...

Just then, the door was gently pushed open, and Kirito asked anxiously, "What's wrong, Nao?"

"No...it's nothing, I just had a nightmare."

Kirito half-jokingly tried to distract his younger sister: "I didn't expect her to have nightmares at this age. Looks like Nao hasn't grown up yet~"

What was said in jest was taken seriously by the listener, and Naoya blushed with embarrassment.

Seeing this, Kirito breathed a sigh of relief, rubbed his sister's head, and comforted her, "Are you alright now?"

"Um..."

"Then go to bed early, you have school tomorrow, I'll head out now."

"Onii-chan..." Suguha hesitated, wanting to say something but then stopping herself.

Kirito asked with concern, "What's wrong?"

Suguha picked up the bed sheet, half of her face hidden behind it: "Let's...sleep together tonight?"

"I'm fine with it, but is it in Nao's room?"

Kirito was taken aback, showing his surprise. After all, the two of them had slept in his room before, but this seemed to be the first time in Suguha's room.

Suguha lay down and burrowed into the blankets, patting the only pillow with her exposed hand: "That's right."

Although the voice was weak, the tone was unusually firm.

Kirito came to the bedside: "Are you really not going to reconsider? I feel like the identity of 'older sister' is more suitable for this situation..."

"Stop talking, come here quickly!"

It's unclear where the other party got such strength from, but they managed to pull Kirito from the head of the bed into the room.

"I understand, I'll do it myself."

Kirito gave up resisting and finally lay down on the bed, then he felt an arm being tightly hugged.

Suguha's entire face was buried under the blanket, with only half of her head showing.

Her voice was barely audible: "Right now, Onii-chan is better than my sister. Onii-chan is better."

"Is it."

Kirito didn't say anything more, but simply used his free hand to comfort the exposed head.

Although I don't know what kind of nightmare Xiaozhi had, there's only one thing I can do as her older brother right now.

"In my opinion, Xiao Zhi is still a child."

Suguha didn't answer, but slowly fell asleep in her brother's presence, though her arms remained tightly clasped around him.

The next morning, Suguha woke up to a warm embrace, feeling a sense of peace she had never experienced before.

Blinking her sleepy eyes, her nose caught the familiar citrus scent first—the smell of her brother's shower gel.

When her vision returned, she saw her brother smiling and waving at her from beside her pillow.

"Good morning, Xiao Zhi. It's a little embarrassing to say, but my arm is a bit numb. Could you please be kind enough to help me?"

"W-why is Onii-chan here?!"

Suguha withdrew her hands, lifted the blanket and tried to get out of bed, but she almost tripped over the blanket because she was moving too fast.

"Be careful." Kirito quickly grabbed her arm, the heat from his fingertips seeping through the fabric, making Suguha flinch away as if she'd been electrocuted.

This is so early in the morning, it's outrageous!

"I...I'm going to wash up!" Suguha practically fled, without even changing out of her pajamas.

I turned on the tap, scooped up some cold water and splashed it on my face; the icy touch temporarily cooled down my shame.

After calming down a bit, memories of last night came flooding back like a tide.

Suddenly, a face so red it looked like it was about to bleed was reflected in the mirror.

Ugh, so embarrassing...

After spending some more time in the restroom, Suguha finally came out once she had completely calmed down.

But everything that happened is still vivid in my mind, which led to the scene at the dinner table.

Kirito asked worriedly, "Nao, are you really okay?"

"no problem!"

This was the only conversation between the two. After that, Suguha never spoke again, but quickly ate her own breakfast, occasionally making eye contact with her brother before quickly looking away.

By the way, Kirito made breakfast while his younger sister locked herself in the bathroom. The taste wasn't bad, but it wasn't exactly delicious either.

After changing from her pajamas into her school uniform, Suguha went out with her brother.

As Kirito stepped out the door, he let out a big yawn, and only then did Suguha notice the faint dark circles under his eyes.

"Didn't you sleep well last night, Onii-chan?"

She already knew the answer in her heart, and Suguha felt quite ashamed.

She was the one who insisted on having her brother sleep with her, but she only cared about sleeping herself.

"It's okay, I've already learned what the teacher taught, so I don't think the teacher would mind if I took a nap during class."

Kirito ruffled his sister's neatly styled hair, trying to cheer her up in this way.

"Did you sleep well last night, Suguha?" His voice trailed off with a hint of probing.

"Mm," Suguha replied quickly, not daring to say another word.

"Then there's no problem. I was startled when I heard noises coming from your room last night."

The tips of Zhiye's ears turned bright red instantly.

Kirito opened the door first: "Let's go, we'll be late if we don't hurry."

"Hmm~"

Suguha responded with a drawn-out tone and quickly followed in his footsteps.