In the bathroom.
Yuki Suou stood before the mirror, steam swirling around her like an ethereal mist. Her reflection wore a smile — soft, yet mischievous.
"Onii-chan is surprisingly energetic… fufu~ I'm kind of relieved." Her fingers lightly touched her flushed cheeks. "But... maa, he's a bit too energetic. That might be dangerous."
Yet, her expression hardened with resolve as she raised a small fist in front of her. "Yuki Suou... will never back down! Ganbatte, watashi!"
With a playful skip in her step, she wrapped herself in a fluffy towel, the scent of soap clinging to her damp skin, and darted out of the bathroom.
"Onii-chan! Help me blow-dry my hair~!" she chirped, plopping herself down on his bed with a mischievous pout.
Her eyes gleamed as if to say, "If you don't help me, I'm not leaving."
Nozomi blinked once, then chuckled. "Hai hai, wakatta. Give me a sec."
He pulled out a hair dryer from the drawer, plugged it in, and began carefully combing her damp hair while drying it, his fingers moving with surprising gentleness.
Yuki Suou closed her eyes and melted into the moment. "Haa~ this is heaven..."
Then, her eyes popped open, suspicious. "Wait a minute! Why are you so good at this?! Do you blow-dry other girls' hair too?!"
"I told you, I have a girlfriend," he replied with a shrug.
"Damn! Someone got ahead of me!" she growled, balling her fists.
But after a second, her frustration gave way to determination. "It's fine. When Onii-chan gets bored of her, it'll be Yuki's turn! I'll wait forever if I have to!"
Nozomi let out a long sigh. "For now, just focus on settling in, alright? I don't know if what you're saying is true, but you're adorable enough that I'll believe it temporarily."
He stood up and stretched. "Come on, I'll introduce you to everyone else in Sakurasou."
He gave her the lowdown on the dorm's other residents — conveniently leaving out the part about Frīeren and Fern being literal mages from another world.
Yuki, meanwhile, counted on her fingers with furrowed brows. Then, suddenly, she spun to face him.
"Onii-chan! Why are all the residents of Sakurasou girls?! Are they all your women?!"
Nozomi smirked and raised an eyebrow. "What do you think?"
"Zettai dame! That's a huge red flag! Failure, failure! Big failure!" she cried out, flopping dramatically onto the bed and burying her face in a pillow.
"You're exaggerating... I didn't do anything," Nozomi said with a wry smile.
"Mou~ I get it, I get it! Onii-chan wants to say he's serious about all of them, right?" she sniffled. "Then be serious about me too!"
He froze. "That's not how this works..."
"Yuki's serious too! So... now that my hair's dry... can I sleep here?" she looked up at him with big watery eyes. "And I don't have a change of clothes... can I borrow one of your shirts, pretty please~?"
Nozomi sighed again, grabbed one of his button-ups, and placed it in her arms. "You're staying in the guest room on the second floor. Go to bed."
"Hehe~ Thank you, Onii-chan!" she beamed and dashed off.
Later that night, Nozomi sat alone, lost in thought.
Yuki Suou…
She said everything so earnestly — could it really be true?
His memories of his childhood were hazy at best. The faces of his parents were... foggy. At first, he thought it was just the system messing with his memories. He was a reincarnator, after all.
But Yuki's story raised another possibility.
What if he really was from the Suou family?
What if there was a childhood accident… and he forgot everything, including her?
Maybe the family gave him Sakurasou as a form of apology — a house and enough rent money to live without ever working again.
"It all sounds too convenient... but still..."
...
The next day.
At the breakfast table of Sakurasou, a refined and elegant young lady sat among the usual chaos.
"Hajimemashite! I'm Suou Yuki, the imouto of my dear Onii-chan. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!"
She gave a deep, graceful bow, as if she'd stepped right out of a noble family's tea ceremony.
Sayu, Mahiru, and the others glanced over at Hozuki Nozomi, curiosity twinkling in their eyes.
Nozomi gave a casual nod, sipping his miso soup. "Yuki will be staying at Sakurasou for a while. Let's all get along, ne?"
Despite her radiant smile, Yuki sat with perfect posture, even while eating—elegance practically oozed from every movement. Mahiru couldn't help but be reminded of Yukinoshita Yukino—graceful, poised, and polished in every way. That refined behavior could only belong to someone raised in a well-off family.
Meanwhile, Yuki was quietly analyzing the battlefield—er, breakfast table.
Her gaze scanned over the two sisters, Mahiru and Mashiro, and then Sayu.
Mashiro looked innocent and blank, like a background character—but Mahiru and Sayu? The way they glanced at Onii-chan…
Doki doki!
It was love! 100%!
So these two must be Onii-chan's kanojo-tachi?
And then there was Sakurajima Mai.
Yuki already knew her by name and reputation, but that icy look toward her Onii-chan... suspicious. Definitely suspicious!
Did that mean...
Does Onii-chan have multiple girlfriends?!
Yuki gritted her teeth behind her smile.
D-dammit, how did he become the harem protagonist in real life?!
How's a girl supposed to seduce him when the battlefield is already full of cute, skilled rivals?
Yesterday's towel incident made sense now—he's built up immunity to beautiful girls from constant exposure!
She peeked around the table again. Mahiru Shiina, graceful and kind. Mashiro, the emotionless little artist. Sayu, energetic and flirty. Mai Sakurajima, the tsundere senpai. Misaki Kamiigusa, loud but charming.
Pressure... immense pressure.
And on top of that, there were still two more—Frieren and Fern. Mysterious roommates who hadn't even appeared for breakfast.
Yuki pouted.
Are they part of the harem too?! This isn't fair!
After the meal, Nozomi walked Mashiro to Suimei as usual, while Mahiru decided to escort Yuki to the train platform and squeeze in a little friendly interrogation.
Since Yuki claimed to be his sister, she must know some juicy childhood secrets, right?
As unofficial members of Nozomi's heart, Mahiru and Sayu were naturally very interested.
Yuki beamed, like she'd just pulled the ultimate uno reverse card.
So what if you got here first? I've got those sweet childhood memories! Take that!
"When we were little," Yuki began, dramatically clutching her chest, "Onii-chan always looked distant. Even when he stood next to me, he felt like he belonged in another dimension. Like... a lone wolf from an isekai!"
Mahiru blinked. "I-is that so...?"
"But then I discovered Onii-chan's deepest secret! He loved the second dimension! Anime! Manga! Light novels! He even said the third dimension was a kuso game, but luckily, I was there to save him!"
Sayu's eyebrow twitched. "Kuso... game?"
"Un! I adored Onii-chan so much I begged him to read stories to me every night. He always talked about his favorite character—Yuuki—and how he wanted to try... German orthopedics someday."
Both Mahiru and Sayu froze, their expressions slowly morphing into a perfect blend of confusion and horror.
Wait. Did she just say German orthopedics...?
Who is this guy? And what kind of "big brother training arc" did he run with this girl?!
Yuki kept talking, oblivious to their inner turmoil.
One thing was clear.
This new character in the Sakurasou story wasn't going to be a background NPC.
And the love war...
Had just gotten a new challenger.
Ready... fight!
=======================
On the way to school, one more listener had joined Suou Yuki's enthusiastic storytelling.
It was Sanshokuin Sumireko.
She hadn't expected it at all—Hozuki Nozomi actually had such an adorable little sister?! And she even transferred schools just for him?
"Suou-san," Sumireko leaned in with genuine curiosity, "Did you just say Nozomi-san used to be an otaku? Like... the full-on 2D-loving kind?"
"Hai! That's right," Suou Yuki replied proudly, then glanced around at the other girls, clearly testing the waters. "So? Now that you know, what do you think about that?"
Ogiwara Sayu giggled softly. "I think it's totally fine. Nozomi-senpai still makes anime with Misaki-senpai, after all. He's not just someone who consumes—it's cool that he creates too."
"Un," Shiina Mahiru nodded seriously, eyes sparkling. "It makes sense now. I always wondered why he could write such amazing scripts… Turns out, he's been into manga and light novels since forever! Sugoi."
Suou Yuki froze for a moment.
She'd planned to drop the 'otaku bomb' thinking it would turn them off… but instead, they all praised her brother?! They even said he had evolved from a mere consumer to a creator?
When did she fall so far behind...?
Wasn't it a known fact that most beautiful girls hated otakus? Weren't they supposed to be grossed out?
…Although… she was secretly one herself.
As if reading her thoughts, Sumireko let out a mischievous laugh. "Suou-san, as a little sister, looks like you've got some serious catching up to do."
"Tch! Don't underestimate me! I'll work hard, and I won't lose to any of you! Yuki will definitely not lose!"
...
Later that morning, they arrived at Sobu High.
After completing the transfer paperwork, Yuki was assigned to the elite class—coincidentally, the same one as Yukinoshita Yukino.
She'd originally wanted to go to Class F and be with Onii-chan.
But… in order to maintain the dignity of the Suou family name, she reluctantly accepted being placed in the top class.
After a graceful self-introduction, Yuki walked elegantly to an empty seat, her every step exuding elegance and poise. The classroom buzzed with whispers and awe.
Her sharp gaze scanned the room until it landed on Yukinoshita Yukino, sitting at her desk like an unapproachable snow queen.
To the untrained eye, Yukino's aura screamed distance and cold perfection. But Yuki Suou knew better. She had seen through that mask before.
She remembered the last social banquet she'd attended as the Suou family's heir. The Yukinoshita sisters were both present—and even back then, Yukino had the same frozen demeanor.
But Suou Yuki? She'd handled every introduction and conversation like a true ojou-sama.
Still, Yukinoshita Yukino was undeniably beautiful. She was the type who checked every box in Yuki's own aesthetics.
Although… Yuki couldn't help but pout slightly at her bust size.
"Hmm… she's an A-cup at best. But my C's got her beat," she thought smugly. "Still, looking at her mother and Yukinoshita Haruno… Yukino's got potential. By second or third year, she might blossom into a solid C-cup."
Of course, if Nozomi-kun got involved…
That might speed things up considerably.
Recalling what Sumireko said earlier—that both she and Nozomi were in Yukinoshita's club—Yuki's eyes gleamed.
Then I'll join too! I can't fall behind!
Yukinoshita Yukino, sensing the gaze, glanced back at her calmly.
She didn't think much of it. She had always admired Suou Yuki in a quiet, distant sort of way.
After all, Yuki was the only heir to her family. She didn't have an older sister who could constantly overshadow her in every way.
At that banquet, Suou Yuki had held her own against her sister—gracefully entertaining guests, always composed.
Meanwhile Yukino… had only been able to sit stiffly or escape to a quiet corner, watching Haruno shine.
Yuki Suou, huh… it's going to be an interesting semester.