"My little sister?"
Castorice frowned. Hearing that she had a younger sister, she was a little confused. In her memory, she had always been alone.
"Polysia. Your sister is in the underworld, watching over the sea of flowers all year round and accompanying the lost souls who wander there." Koji explained.
"Really? Can I go and see her?" Castorice asked with anticipation.
If she could meet her face-to-face, maybe she would remember something.
"Of course there's no problem. Let's go." Koji took Castorice's hand.
Castorice froze again. She clearly hadn't died, yet she could enter together with him. Had her own power failed?
Seeing her dazed, Koji smiled. The influence of death was also a kind of debuff, so naturally his blessing against evil could block it.
[Blessing of the Reaper: Moving in and out of the underworld is as easy as going home.]
Koji led Castorice into Amphoreus's underworld. It was not as dark and terrifying as most people imagined. Instead, it was filled with a vast sea of flowers.
"So this is the underworld?"
Castorice felt a strong sense of familiarity. There was no rejection in her heart at all.
"Castorice, you've never come here even once?" Koji asked.
Mydei, by contrast, was a regular of the underworld. Every time he died, he would start over from here and then marathon his way along the River of Souls back to the living world.
"I haven't. I can bring death to living beings, but I've never entered the underworld myself." Castorice shook her head.
She didn't know why; perhaps it was because she still hadn't fully become a true death demigod.
"Look over there." Koji pointed ahead.
In the sea of flowers, a girl sat quietly in a wheelchair. Her eyes were closed, and her serene posture made her look like an ordinary girl from next door.
Sensing that someone had entered, she turned her wheelchair to face them.
"You are… Polysia?" The name slipped from Castorice's lips before she realized it, and a dull ache surged in her chest.
"You still remember me?"
Castorice shook her head. She did not possess those memories, yet she could feel a gentle, intimate aura from the other girl.
"I didn't expect you to return here in the end, my dear sister."
"Polysia is in the past. You should call me Thanatos now."
"And this one… who is he? It doesn't surprise me that you can enter here, Sister, but for a living human, the laws of the underworld should never allow entry." Polysia turned her gaze to Koji.
Castorice was still trying to organize her words, but Koji spoke first. "I'm Koji. Polysia, little sister—how would you like to suddenly gain three brother-in-laws?"
"Eh?"
Castorice's face went scarlet. She had never expected Koji to say something like that, and in front of her own little sister no less. It was far too embarrassing.
"For real? You've set your sights on my sister?" Polysia perked up, happily munching on melon seeds. This was far too entertaining—she practically wanted to stand up to watch.
She had been in the underworld alone for so many years that she was bored out of her mind. A bit of drama like this was exactly her favorite kind of entertainment.
Castorice wrote those borderline-taboo novels; as her younger sister, having some fujoshi tendencies herself was only natural.
"Polysia, Koji and I are not like that," Castorice explained, cheeks burning.
"Sis, if you have to explain, it means you're trying to cover it up; and if you're trying to cover it up, then it's basically true. Besides, it's not like I'd oppose the two of you." Polysia giggled behind her hand.
This big sister of hers was really hopeless—her skin was still so thin. A few teases were all it took to turn her into a blushing maiden.
"Koji, how old are you?"
Polysia asked curiously. As a Goldenborn, her lifespan was unimaginably long.
"Not even thirty yet," Koji answered.
"Sis…"
Polysia looked at Castorice with a complicated expression. Compared to her, that age was basically still that of a child.
Was her sister into… very young ones?
"Polysia, you're really thinking in the wrong direction." Castorice said helplessly.
Still, she hadn't expected Koji to be that young. People really couldn't be judged by appearances.
"Here's the situation…"
Castorice told her younger sister everything about Re-Creation.
"…"
After listening in silence for a while, Polysia smiled faintly. "Sis, even if we exist in a world that's virtual, so what? The traces I've walked together with you all—so long as we believe they were alive and meaningful—are enough."
"Polysia, I didn't think you'd have such a perspective." Castorice said with emotion.
"Hehe, I am Thanatos after all. I can understand death itself—how could I not be able to accept something like this?" Polysia shook her head with a smile.
"Besides, we still have my brother-in-law here, don't we? Brother-in-law, you'll save us, right?"
For Polysia, calling Koji "brother-in-law" came completely naturally. The only one whose worldview was getting shattered was Castorice, whose whole world had become one where she had a brother-in-law.
"You trust me that much?" Koji asked with interest.
"Of course. I trust my own judgment." Polysia replied with a grin.
"All right, Sis. You should leave the underworld for now. Seeing you has made me really happy."
Polysia rolled her wheelchair up to Castorice, gently took Castorice's hand, and pressed it to her own cheek.
"Polysia…"
Castorice looked at her with reluctance. She didn't want to leave her little sister alone here in the underworld.
"Sis, don't worry about it. I've long since gotten used to it." Polysia comforted her.
"Little sister, come with us."
Koji placed the Blessing of the Reaper upon Polysia as well.
"This power…?"
Polysia blinked, stunned. She felt that she could now leave the underworld—and return whenever she wished.
"Brother-in-law, you're amazing!"
Polysia happily gave him a thumbs-up. Now that she could leave, of course she wanted to go with her sister. Being alone was really far too lonely.
Castorice was speechless. She was happy that her sister could leave the underworld, but the way she called him "brother-in-law" rolled so smoothly off her tongue…
"Sis, with such an amazing brother-in-law, you'd better make your move quickly—three steps straight to the finish." Polysia said in a very experienced tone.
"I…" Castorice's face flushed again. "Polysia, where did you even learn all this stuff?"
Polysia scratched her head. "Don't worry about that. But once I'm outside… will I even have a place of my own?"
Out there, she was probably someone with no records at all.
The only people who knew of her existence were Castorice and this "brother-in-law."
Castorice chuckled softly. "My home is pretty big. If you want your own place, I've saved up a fair bit over the years. I can buy a house for you."
She had lived for so long that her net worth was anything but small. There weren't many places for her to spend money, so it had all piled up.
"We'll see when the time comes. If I live together with you, sis… won't I be getting in the way when you and brother-in-law are doing naughty things?"
Polysia teased. Castorice naturally knew exactly what those "naughty things" referred to; her entire face turned bright red, and even her ears felt like they were steaming.
Aaaah! Polysia, just how much do you even know?!
(End of Chapter)
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