Chapter 2: Not siblings

It took Yanase Naoto a long time to gradually get used to life as an Agent.

In two years, she started as a rookie Agent, climbed the ranks step by step, and eventually became the city’s foremost individual—the so-called “Chief.”

Her most important duty was the day-to-day battle against the Erosion organisms that had invaded the Seikyo City urban area.

When she wasn’t assigned to a dispatch mission, she cross-dressed as a man to maintain her original identity as an older brother, continuing to play the part of “Yanase Naoto.”

In short, she was putting on an act in front of her sister.

Having become a girl, she looked a bit too delicate among boys, and deliberately lowering her voice only made her sound strange.

The disguise was far from perfect, but she could always come up with excuses to get by.

No one had ever suspected she was an Agent, because… only females could resonate with the Beacons and gain their power.

Thanks to this, as long as the secret that “Yanase Naoto is a girl” wasn’t revealed, she didn’t have to worry about her identity as an Agent being exposed in front of her sister.

This was her life, which had continued uneventfully for nearly two years.

In the beginning, just carrying out missions took all her effort, let alone considering her sister’s feelings.

It was only later that she finally became proficient enough to handle her missions with ease.

As for her activities as an “Agent Idol,” that was something that had started in recent months.

In this apocalyptic age, people needed faith and a spiritual pillar.

The organization also urgently needed a spokesperson accepted by a sufficient number of people.

Thus, the “project” to create a hero was decided upon.

At that time, Ephnel was already showing the potential to become the city’s strongest Agent, a rapidly rising star among them.
Her outstanding appearance and comforting affability led to her being unanimously approved as that “symbol.”
What surprised most of the project planners, however, was that after Ephnel was pushed into the public eye as a hero, she immediately evolved into something similar to an “idol.”

So, the project planners went with the flow, having Ephnel try some offline promotional projects based on idol activities, which turned out to be a great success.

In the end, Ephnel was called an “idol” almost as often as she was called a “hero.”
It could be said that Ephnel becoming an Agent Idol was an unintentional accident.
Yet the process that led to this accident and the final results were unexpectedly successful.

As for Ephnel, she didn’t have much of a real sense of being an idol even now; to her, it was all more akin to carrying out a mission.

But, “an idol who fights with all her might”—such a persona was truly popular in an era like this.

Indeed, it could be called a very successful “accident.”

“Hah…”

Looking at the chibi version of herself printed on the mug, Yanase Naoto let out a soft sigh and carried the cup to the table.

There was gauze taped to her face, and a thick bandage wrapped around her waist.
These were injuries sustained in yesterday’s bloody battle, slowly healing thanks to the power of “Order.”

With an Agent’s regenerative ability, such wounds would heal within a week, but the sharp pain and mental fatigue were not so easily erased.

She really wanted to sleep, but the thought of this being the rare time of day she could have breakfast with her sister suddenly filled her with energy again.

Thinking of her sister, she hummed a little tune as she leisurely poured oatmeal milk into the mug and placed it on the table.
Soon, the final step of breakfast was complete.

The aroma wafted playfully under her nose.
She arranged the bread, sausage, and grilled tomatoes into a pleasing shape before nodding in satisfaction.

Making a mouth-watering breakfast was a rare pleasure for her.

It was just that her sister hadn’t commented on Yanase Naoto’s cooking in a long time, which left her feeling a little disheartened.

She rubbed her brow and took a deep breath.

If she were back at headquarters, she would probably be humming a little song right now.

But doing something like that at home might expose her identity, so she could only hide her excitement in her heart.

She arranged the cup and spoon, took off her apron, and walked to her sister’s room.
She raised her hand, and just as she was about to knock, the door opened from the inside.

The figure of a girl in a snow-white nightgown appeared before her.

Her younger sister, Shiomi Yukina.

Her raven-black hair fell to her waist.
She had clear eyes, slightly moist lips, curled eyelashes, and a high-bridged nose.
Though her figure had yet to fully mature, she was slender and graceful, beautiful and charming.

In Yanase Naoto’s eyes, Yukina was a flawless princess, exquisite and noble.

Unfortunately, this princess was not particularly fond of him.

As for the reason… it was probably rather complicated.

“Yo, good morning, Yukina.”

She withdrew the hand she was about to use to knock and greeted her.

Although she was in a relatively good mood, she didn’t deliberately put on an overly broad smile, just a faint one.

Shiomi Yukina stood at the door, showing no signs of morning languor.

“Mm… good morning.”

She replied, her voice as gentle as a light autumn rain, yet unusually flat, without the inflection Yanase Naoto had hoped for.

Shiomi Yukina walked straight towards the bathroom.

Their brief morning exchange had likely ended there.

It was a thought that only made Yanase Naoto sigh, but she had to admit, their current dynamic didn’t resemble that of siblings at all.

It was more like that of roommates in some sort of contractual cohabitation.

Yanase Naoto showed no particular expression regarding the change in Yukina’s attitude toward her from two years ago to now.

Her sister’s attitude hadn’t formed overnight; it was something she herself had intentionally orchestrated, and she had no defense for it.

“Breakfast is ready. I made your favorite grilled tomatoes and oatmeal milk. Come eat after you’ve washed up.”

“Mm…”

Yukina entered the bathroom, and the door clicked shut with a crisp sound.

Yanase Naoto pursed her lips and sat down at the dining table.

Ever since that accident more than a year ago, she had deliberately put distance between herself and her sister.

Gradually, her sister stopped clinging to her and became this lukewarm version of herself.

Yukina was actually the daughter of her parents’ distant friends.

Her parents had died in an “accident” when she was very young.

The still-young Yukina was sent to this city to live with Yanase Naoto’s family.

There was no blood relation between them, but they still addressed each other as brother and sister.

A few years ago, Yanase Naoto’s parents had insisted on going abroad, saying they had “important matters to attend to,” and simply left her and Yukina behind in the country.