Shinguuji Airi—Shinguuji Akira's little sister.
Although, at present, Akira didn't have any clear memories of her. Just vague flashes in his mind—scenes of a little girl chasing after him, calling out "Onii-chan!" with a smile.
Still, perhaps it was the lingering sentiment left behind by the original "Shinguuji Akira," but every time he thought of that sister, something warm stirred in his chest. He couldn't help but soften a little.
"I'll reach out to Airi in a little while," Akira said after a moment's thought. "Right now… I'm not ready yet."
Refusing outright wasn't an option. So he might as well buy himself some time—give it a few days, figure out how best to handle it, and reach out when he was prepared.
"…It's between the two of you. I won't interfere. Just don't hurt her, that's all I ask. She's always loved her big brother, you know…"
"I understand, Father."
What kind of love are we talking about here, exactly?
Akira muttered internally.
Before reincarnating, he'd never had a sister—so he'd often joked about being a hardcore siscon, but now that one had actually materialized out of nowhere, he honestly didn't know what to do with that.
In anime, sisters loving their older brothers? Super common. But in reality? That kind of close bond wasn't as widespread as fiction made it seem. Most sibling relationships were way more distant.
No way his luck was that good.
"Well, I'll leave it at that then…"
His father's tone made it clear the call was about to end. Akira relaxed a bit and took a sip of water from his glass.
Whew… made it through.
And things had gone surprisingly well.
But just as he let his guard down—
"I've heard everything about you and Kanade."
PFT!!
He spat the water out in a full-blown spray, startling the Labrador curled up at his feet. JOJO jumped up in alarm, let out a little whimper, and only after confirming there was no real threat did he flop back down.
"Cough—cough! You—how the hell do you know everything?!"
Akira hacked out a cough, looking like he'd seen a ghost.
Don't tell me you installed hidden cameras in my apartment?! What kind of father watches his future daughter-in-law getting defiled live on tape?!
Of course, he knew it wasn't possible—but even so, he couldn't stop the sarcastic thought from bubbling up.
"…Heh."
As if fully aware of Akira's current panic, his father let out a quiet chuckle.
But Akira's nerves were now running wild.
He'd forced himself on her.
Even if she was technically his fiancée—that kind of thing didn't exactly look good when said out loud. And Kanade wasn't just some girl off the street. Her background was not something that could be brushed aside.
"I've said it before—your generation's choices aren't mine to judge. That said… you did go a bit too far this time."
His father's voice turned stern, sharp.
"Kanade is a beautiful girl. Gentle, too. At your age, it's not strange to act on impulse around her. I get that. But she's your fiancée. Her background ensures she'd never be allowed to run off with some other man. She's yours, and always will be. You just needed to be patient and let things unfold naturally. But instead… your decision was careless. If this had happened in public, it could've been a massive scandal."
Akira had no response.
He could only nod along like a schoolboy being scolded—because he had crossed the line.
He wasn't some spoiled heir like the others. He didn't make excuses for his mistakes.
"…She didn't tell her family, did she? There won't be any fallout for us?"
Unconsciously, Akira had already begun thinking from the Shinguuji family's perspective.
No matter what happened between him and Kanade, he'd take full responsibility. That was his own mistake to fix. But if it damaged the family in any way—
That couldn't be allowed.
This wasn't just any girl.
Kanade was a royal—a princess of the Japanese imperial family.
"She didn't say a word to them. I heard about it from Ritsuko. And that's where this ends. Kanade isn't the type to go around telling everyone, and Ritsuko is a smart woman. Just be more careful going forward. As for the imperial family… there's no need to worry about them. This isn't seventy years ago. They can't dictate terms anymore. If anything—they need us more than we need them."
His father's voice carried a cold edge now.
And in those words, Akira could clearly hear it:
No matter what you've done… you're my son.
Even if Akira's actions had technically been criminal, his father would never allow others to disgrace him. That was the kind of absolute protection he gave.
Overindulgence, some might call it.
But whether that love led to ruin or greatness—depended on the child.
"Still, don't let your guard down."
The stern tone returned.
"The current Emperor has only two daughters. And Kanade—being the elder—has a very real chance of becoming Japan's first Empress. That would be quite advantageous for our family."
"…Huh?"
That floored Akira.
He scrambled for his phone, opened a browser, and started frantically looking up the royal household.
Sure enough—two princesses. No sons.
Kanade was the eldest.
"…No f*cking way."
The curse slipped out before he could stop it.
Eyes wide, mind blank, Akira just stared at the screen.
To my ancestors in this alternate world—I have no idea what kind of karma you racked up, but your shameful descendant is about to reach the summit of life. I might actually end up getting the future Empress pregnant…!
"...Are you still listening?"
"Ah—yeah, yes! I'm here, Father!"
Akira jumped back to attention, scrambling to recover.
"As long as this doesn't affect the family, I'll take care of it. This mess was my fault to begin with."
"…I'm pleased to hear you put the family first."
There was real satisfaction in his father's voice.
"Alright. It's getting late. One last thing before we end this."
"Yes, Father. Go ahead."
"One of my old friend's children is coming from England to Japan. I'll be sending her directly to your place. Help me take care of her."
The statement was casual—like it was nothing.
"…Wait, what? Father, why my place?! I don't have anything! The family estate has staff, servants—they'd take better care of her than I could!"
Akira protested immediately, brows furrowed.
"I originally planned to have her stay here too. But then I remembered you're working on a manga lately. Figured you might be the better fit."
What does manga have to do with this?!
Akira's brain filled with question marks.
"…Also."
His father hesitated, then added in a more serious tone:
"That child… she's a bit unusual. Keep your eyes open. And one more thing—she is not Kanade. So don't get any funny ideas. If something happens, I won't be able to explain it to my friend. Don't make me lose face—especially not at my age."
"…Relax, Father. I'm not going to get her pregnant."
The words left his mouth before he could stop them.
"..."
There was a long silence on the line.
"…I'm hanging up now."
The call ended with a flat tone—beep… beep… beep…
Akira stood there, frozen, a deep awkwardness settling over him.
They'd gotten so caught up in the conversation, he'd completely forgotten—that man was still his father.
This wasn't the kind of joke you made lightly.
Still—he hadn't seemed to take it too badly.
"…But if even Father says she's weird… just how weird is this girl supposed to be?"