What burst into her view was a man with a face flushed bright red, flexing his muscles as hard as he possibly could.
The sheer shock of the scene… made the girl who had just entered the room weakly collapse to the floor, her legs giving out beneath her.
「Oraaa～!」
「Hiiii!」
At the man’s roar, tears welled up in the girl’s eyes, and she looked ready to burst into sobs any second.
She had heard he was hot-blooded, but… this was way beyond anything she had imagined.
「Huh? A visitor?」
Peeking out from behind the terrifyingly straining man was an utterly ordinary young man, so plain he could blend in anywhere.
Compared to the overwhelming shock right in front of her, he somehow felt reassuring at first glance.
「Grrraaa～!」
Creak-creak
A strange sound echoed through the room… and Halfren raised the jar triumphantly overhead.
「…How’s that!」
「This guy… destroyed the lid instead.」
「Impressive.」
「Wait, what’s with this lid?」
Halfren looked at the crumpled lid, then checked the jar itself.
「You were turning it the wrong way. No wonder it wouldn’t open.」
He placed the opened jar on Argusta’s desk, put his discarded shirt back on… and turned to the girl still sitting bonelessly on the floor.
She had a youthful face that unmistakably resembled someone familiar. Of course, she was her little sister.
「Arg. The one trembling down there is your other subordinate. Starting today, take good care of her.」
「He’s saying stuff like that, you know? That muscle idiot.」
「…Impressive.」
「Listen to people properly.」
Halfren gave an exasperated look to the little brothers whispering while staring at the opened jar, then reached a hand out to the collapsed girl.
「It’s been a while, Krea. It’s Halfren… do you remember me?」
「…Halfren-sama?」
「Yeah. Since the time I was a brat and your family took care of me… it wouldn’t be surprising if you forgot.」
He grabs her arm, pulls her to her feet, and brushes the dirt off her brand-new dress.
「Work hard starting today.」
「Yes. I’ll do my best.」
「…By the way, your superior is that guy over there.」
「Eh?」
Following his words, the girl looks toward… the young man spreading jam on a biscuit.
-0-
「Nice to meet you, Argusta-sama. I’m Krea von Crostpurge.」
「Hey there. Crostpurge? That name sounds kinda familiar…」
I feel like I’ve heard it recently. And her face looks like someone I’ve seen before too.
「She’s Frea’s little sister. Fourteen this year, right?」
「Yes.」
Onii-chan’s helpful explanation, everything clicks.
The golden hair, the cute features, now that he mentions it, she really does look just like Frea-san.
「Onee-sama is in your care. Please take good care of me as well from now on.」
「…..」
She loves her onee-chan so much she’s asking me to look after her? If she hated her, she wouldn’t say something like that, right? So she’s a total big-sis lover?
「I see… you’re her little sister.」
「Yes.」
「Nice to meet you. Little sister of Frea-san, who’s aggressive enough to devour her boyfriend in black lingerie.」
Crack, a sharp sound like something breaking echoes through the room.
With stiff, creaky movements like a rusted screw, she turns her head toward the muscle idiot, silently pleading for help.
But the way he’s grinning like an idiot tells her it’s true, and… with the same creaky motion, she turns her face back to me.
「…Argusta-sama.」
「Yes?」
「Where is my onee-sama right now?」
「Probably outside the castle town… at the standby post on the outer perimeter of the capital?」
「Which direction is that?」
「Lean out that window and look left?」
Just as told, she leans far out the window and turns her face left.
「Onee-chan’s an idiot～!」
She shouted with all her might in a voice that sounded like she was about to burst into tears.
The brief glimpse of her underwear… was white, unlike Frea-san’s.
「…I’m very sorry.」
「Well, there are days when you just have to yell, right? Yeah.」
「That’s why onee-chan… hahaha…」
Seeing her laugh darkly as if she’d realized something, I finish explaining where everyone’s seats are.
「Alright. Everyone’s here, so let’s do introductions. I’m Argusta von Draguknight. Head of the Draguknight family, and royalty, that about covers it?」
「Pretty much. He’s technically out of the main line, but still fourth in succession.」
「As explained. So, this place is mostly for cleaning up after my wife’s squad while casually handling royal guard paperwork. Our enemies are these never-ending documents and the idiot prince right in front of us. Let’s all work together and take down the idiot prince first.」
「Come at me, idiot little brother? You’ll get crushed.」
「Heh… I’ll use my forbidden move too?」
「You little… that’s way too dirty, even for you!」
My panicked brother pretends to bolt for the door.
I was just thinking of introducing my wife to the newbies a bit. Really.
「Anyway, they’re not here right now… but the field team, the ones actually out slaying dragons, are outside handling that.」
「Um～ Argusta-sama?」
「Yes? Ah… Inel-kun, you can do your self-intro with Krea later, just the two of you.」
「Okay… We won’t ever get dragged out to fight dragons, right?」
His timid, nervous fidgeting is adorable.
Any shotacon lady in the world would probably faint from moe overload.
「Probably not. I wouldn’t give that order, and if someone higher up tried, I’d negotiate with force. Mostly by visiting them with my wife to persuade them.」
「Little brother. That’s called extortion.」
「It’s persuasion. All I want is to be with Noie because I love her so much. Always and forever.」
「As a national policy, that might be the model answer… but coming from you, it feels way too loaded with ulterior motives.」
Don’t compliment me like that～.
「Well, anyway… looking forward to working with you all.」
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