There was no denying that Kaiser's few words had indeed left Akatsuki Kojou completely dumbfounded.
Because he had to admit—what Kaiser said made some sense.
Leaving all the housework to his younger sister, who was still in middle school—this really wasn't good.
He was just a member of the go-home club with no club activities, and Kaiser was new to town, both his neighbor and classmate. In such unfamiliar surroundings, he should indeed help him get used to the environment.
However, although it was true that Nagisa handled all the housework at home, that was because his sister was a worrywart with a pathological obsession with cleanliness. If he tried to do anything, he'd just get scolded and criticized. Over time, it simply became this way. It wasn't because he didn't want to do anything.
And as for helping Kaiser get familiar with the environment… that wasn't a valid reason to make a move on my sister, was it?
Just as Kojou nearly got lost in his own logic, he managed to stay focused and snapped back into anger.
"Cut the crap! Take a punch from me first!"
Kojou had made up his mind. No matter what, he was going to punch Kaiser once to avenge his sister for being deceived.
"Alright." Seeing Kojou's determination, Kaiser didn't say anything more and simply replied, "Then go ahead."
Upon hearing that, Kojou didn't hesitate and punched straight at him.
And this time, Kaiser didn't even dodge—he took Kojou's punch head-on.
"Bang!"
As the punch landed squarely on Kaiser's face, Kojou's own face twisted in pain.
"Owowowow…!"
He crouched down again, clutching his fist, nearly in tears.
On the other hand, Kaiser, who had just taken the punch, burst into laughter.
"Hey, I didn't dodge this time. It's your own fault you can't deliver."
Kaiser teased with a chuckle.
No joke—his current physical strength could rival that of someone like Doni, who used the Protection of Steel Authority to become nearly undead, or Sun Wukong, whose body was indestructible. His body was as hard as steel. Forget a punch—even being stabbed, slashed, or sprayed with machine gun fire wouldn't leave a scratch.
Forget that Kojou was just a regular high schooler. Even if he did become the Fourth Progenitor like in the original story, punching Kaiser wouldn't do a thing.
To hurt Kaiser now, you'd need at least the power to cleave steel, or some special ability like the Type-100 Heavy Armament Demon-Slaying Blade that could even cut space. Without that, it was impossible.
Even if you could hurt him, Kaiser had High-Speed Regeneration, the immortality granted by the Hōgyoku, and even healing-type divine tools like the Hourai Branch. Not just minor injuries—even if he were blown to pieces and reduced to ashes, he'd still recover instantly.
For Kojou to try and hurt him with mere mortal fists—pure fantasy.
"W-why is your face so hard?!"
Kojou's face was flushed red with pain, staring at Kaiser in confusion.
"Who knows? Maybe I've got thick skin?" Kaiser folded his arms and smiled. "Anyway, I gave you the chance. If you couldn't do anything with it, that's your own problem."
Kojou nearly lost it at that remark.
"I don't believe this!"
Just as Kojou was about to go for another round, a sharp voice rang out.
"Kojou-kun!"
A voice even angrier than Kojou's erupted at the entrance of the apartment.
"N-Nagisa?"
Kojou's expression froze.
The next second, Akatsuki Nagisa came stomping over, her steps full of fury.
"What are you doing, Kojou-kun?!" Nagisa yelled at Kojou like an enraged wildcat. "You actually used violence on Kai-kun? Unbelievable!"
Apparently, Nagisa had come out just in time to see Kojou about to strike again.
Naturally, she got angry.
And seeing Nagisa this angry, Kojou—who had looked furious a moment ago—suddenly shriveled.
He might shout at her at home, but in reality, Nagisa had always been the highest-ranking member of the household.
Their divorced parents were no contest—his father was a doting dad who couldn't say no to Nagisa, and his mother was barely functional and under Nagisa's strict management. Even their grandmother back home doted on Nagisa.
As for Kojou—he was basically the family scapegoat. It was hard to imagine how disliked he was.
So in the Akatsuki household, even if you didn't count the grandmother, the ranking was Nagisa > Mimori > Kojou's dad > Kojou.
It was a good thing the family didn't keep pets, or Kojou might've been ranked below the dog or cat too.
Moreover, while Nagisa was normally forthright and didn't badmouth people, once she got mad, her verbal barrage became terrifying. Not just Kojou—anyone would have to sit up straight and behave.
Kojou still remembered back in middle school when Yaze Motoki, who brought over his country's most prized and world-renowned action films to watch, got caught and was subjected to a relentless verbal assault by an enraged Nagisa.
That rapid-fire scolding left Yaze with temporary gynophobia—just a glimpse of how fearsome Nagisa could be.
And now, Nagisa was walking over with her rapid-fire barrage ready.
"I just can't believe it. It's so unreasonable. My Kojou-kun actually used violence against his neighbor and classmate? Isn't that bullying?"
"Kai-kun just transferred here! He only arrived on Itogami Island yesterday! And he's already being bullied by his classmate and neighbor? What were you thinking, Kojou-kun?!"
"I don't remember ever raising you to be like this!"
Nagisa seemed truly furious. She launched into a full-on lecture, leaving Kojou on his knees on the spot.
"I don't remember you raising me either…"
Kojou muttered feebly, which only brought on more scolding from Nagisa.
"You dare talk back? Kojou-kun, do you even realize how terrible your behavior is right now? If someone saw this, they'd think our family had no upbringing! Using violence against a new neighbor and classmate… Even Dad wouldn't go that far!"
"What if someone called the police? You'd be taken to the station, Kojou-kun! You'd get a criminal record!"
"Then you'd be expelled from school, deported from Itogami Island, and your life would be completely ruined!"
The more Nagisa spoke, the angrier she got. Her imagined future scenarios began to seem real to her, and her gaze toward Kojou turned full of disappointment.
Kojou: "..."
All I wanted was to teach the guy who made my little sister stay out all night a lesson. What did I do wrong?
Does she really have to paint me as such a heinous villain?
Could it be… my little sister is siding with an outsider?
At that thought, Kojou tried to fight back.
"It's all because of this guy, he—"
Before he could finish, Nagisa cut him off sharply.
"Didn't I already tell you? Kai-kun has been really kind to me! He didn't do anything to deserve your bullying!" Nagisa said angrily. "He even helped me out a lot! I'm still grateful to him, and you dare to bully him? Too much!"
That was why she was so angry.
In her view, Kaiser not only treated her to dinner last night, but also stopped her from losing control, prevented her from making a huge mistake, and even took care of her after she lost consciousness—he even gave up his bed for her and slept on the floor. What a gentleman, what kindness!
Especially now, knowing he was an Enforcer for a special agency, responsible for handling magical disasters and terrorist attacks on Itogami Island, yet he was willing to stay close to watch over her because of her circumstances—such thoughtfulness and kindness made it impossible not to feel grateful.
Nagisa was very grateful to Kaiser and had a great impression of him.
Who would've thought her idiotic brother still tried to attack him? That was just too evil, too unreasonable.
"Apologize to Kai-kun!"
Nagisa said seriously.
"…Sorry, I acted on impulse."
Kojou didn't want to, but to calm his sister down, he grumbled an apology to Kaiser.
"There's no need to go that far," Kaiser said with a chuckle after watching the whole drama. "It's not like I got hurt."
Kojou's lips twitched.
He had come to cause trouble, ended up injuring his own hand, and had to apologize in the end…
Kojou didn't even know who to complain to anymore.
And to make things worse, under Kojou's gritted gaze, Nagisa worriedly leaned toward Kaiser.
"Are you really okay? Are you hurt anywhere? If you are, just say so—I'll go get the first aid kit."
Hearing that, Kojou really wanted to scream at her: I'm the one who needs the first aid kit!
But for the sake of his dignity as an older brother, he held back.
"I'm really fine." Kaiser glanced at the sulking Kojou and said with a smile, "Kojou's got some skills, but I'm not bad either."
At that, Nagisa recalled that as an Enforcer, Kaiser shouldn't be easily injured by a mere high schooler.
"That's good, that's good." Nagisa patted her chest in relief and then said, "Sorry, Kai-kun. It's all Kojou-kun's fault for being too rash. But he only acted out because he was worried about me, so please don't blame him."
"Nagisa…" Kojou looked at her with a touched expression.
His little sister still cared about him after all!
"Maybe you should hit him back to let out some steam," Nagisa said seriously. "Don't worry—Kojou-kun's been resilient since childhood. Even Dad says so."
The look of gratitude on Kojou's face slowly disappeared.
Indeed, all little sisters will one day betray you. All little sisters are unlovable. They always side with outsiders.
This little sister is no good anymore!
…Alright, I'll keep her anyway. She's still young and doesn't understand. (Mumbling of a siscon.)
"No need for that," Kaiser chuckled upon seeing Nagisa wasn't joking. "I'm not mad at Kojou. He was just worried about you. Besides, I did make you stay out all night, and that's not exactly a good thing."
"Thank you for being so considerate, Kai-kun."
This time, it was Nagisa's turn to be moved.
She didn't think about why, if their houses were next door, Kaiser didn't just send her home, but instead brought her to his place.
At that time, she had just been possessed and lost control, nearly causing a disaster. As an Enforcer, Kaiser would be worried she might wake up and start rampaging again—it made perfect sense.
So taking her to his place to watch over her was a very reasonable decision.
Of course, what Nagisa didn't know was that the main reason Kaiser brought her back was to get Athena to come out and help him solve the mystery behind Nagisa's condition.
In any case, this time Kaiser had earned favor and could now act alongside Nagisa openly—he hadn't lost anything at all.
Kojou was still sulking, but with Nagisa around to suppress him, he could only sulk in silence.
Besides, what else could he do?
He couldn't even beat Kaiser.
The guy stood still and let him hit, and he still injured himself. That's cheating!
However, Kojou wasn't stupid. By now, he realized that Kaiser's background might not be simple. Otherwise, he wouldn't have that kind of skill and physical toughness.
"Nagisa said he helped her with something big… Did something happen that I don't know about?"
Kojou was starting to worry.
He and Nagisa had both lost their memories of the events around Gozo Island and the Blazing Banquet. They didn't remember Avrora, nor the matter of the Fourth Progenitor. But Kojou still remembered that Nagisa suddenly fell ill, lost her spirit medium powers, and had to be transferred to the Demon District for treatment.
He also remembered that Nagisa suffered from Demonphobia.
Given the situation now, he had reason to suspect that something was wrong with her body again, and that their new neighbor and classmate was someone special who had helped her—thus earning her gratitude.
If that were true, then maybe her staying out all night had a hidden reason.
"No, I have to find out what really happened."
Kojou was no longer calm.
He had moved to Itogami Island for Nagisa's sake.
Given that, he couldn't ignore Nagisa's health.
Unfortunately, while Nagisa was chatty, she always kept the important things to herself, not wanting others to worry. And Kaiser had no reason to tell him anything either.
So Kojou's efforts ended in vain, leaving him filled with frustration.
The three of them finally headed off together toward Saikai Private Academy.
It was time for school.
(End of Chapter)
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