Antagonist Protection Service

Wearing a look that clearly displayed her curiosity, Ina shook her head.

"No? I told you, I'm serious. Why else would you have turned into such a normie? It's too big of a change that I want to throw up and cut you open. Well, not actually, but you know what I mean, right? There has to be a girl involved... Oh my god, wait, it's Valentine's Day in a week. Is that it? Are you seriously going on a date while under the same roof as me? Uegh!"

Making a face and pretending to throw up to the side, I couldn't tell if the shock on her face was genuine or a facade. Either way, it made me sigh.

"You're wrong."

"Are you doing this to spite our family name? Sicko."

"Just shut up, Jesus Christ..."

"Sorry. But, really? You really, really don't have one...? I woulda thought they'd be lining up by the dozen with the 'new you' and all that... you sure? You know, if it's about what happened, it's okay to m--"

"Ina. Please."

Exhaling an even greater sigh and rubbing my aching head, I firmly denied all claims before 'that topic' could be brought up again.

Sure, I could understand why she thought something might have changed due to my recent shift in lifestyle and acquisition of Charismatic making it seem like I've gone through some dramatic change, but it's really nothing like that at all.

"It's not what you think. I've mostly been doing my own thing anyway, so it's not like I talk to anyone even when I go out, and I don't want to."

The exception to that would obviously be when I was in Drakon-Rasa, but the only girls around my age I encountered there were a few of the maids in the residence, like Isabella. Even then, because I knew I wasn't going to be staying for long, I felt bad getting to know them too well.

"What about Ella? Oh, that's right, is she back this week too?"

"She isn't. And you know we're not like that, come on."

At that, Ina smirked and shrugged her shoulders in exaggeration.

"Well, I don't know about that. How would I be aware of what goes on behind closed doors, hmm~? You two were always close when you were kids, you know? And you know what they say about boy and girl childhood friends! If they don't get married when they grow up, it's ntr. That's how it is! There's a reason it's such a big trope. Aah, how I, too, have longed for a childhood sweetheart..."

"What the fuck are you talking about?? Saying that is weird, drop it."

In response to her deranged ramblings that resembled the monologuing of an insane person, an open-mouthed, incredulous expression naturally painted my face.

That was such a clichéd trope that bringing it into reality was preposterous. Although it was certainly true that Ella and I have been friends since we were kids, we by no means had that kind of relationship, and I'm sure she felt the same way.

Speaking of story tropes, though...

"By the way, you read a lot of manga and stuff, right? Do you think you could teach me a bit about it?"

Changing the subject like so, I made a request, upon which Ina paused.

"Sorry? Oh my. Oh my oh my. Is this real? My little brother showing interest in his sister's hobbies...? He really has been exchanged with a doppelganger..."

"Hey."

She clapped her hands together.

"Oh well! Of course, I would be just delighted to teach you, Mr Mimic~! Oh, would you like to help me out with my work, too? How generous~!"

"No, I don't care about--"

"Now now, come on. Let's not waste any precious time~ Gosh, I have so much you'd be interested in~! Eek, ow, why're you so damn cold?! Ah, just hurry up!"

In such a chaotic manner, Ina dragged me up the stairs by the arm and proceeded to inundate me with knowledge surrounding the plots of fictional novels, modern tropes, and all sorts of common developments she was well-versed in.

[―Wow! My goodness! What a mirthful family you have, Enki! As your prided assistant, I suppose I should work hard to ensure no face is lost! Allow me to commit to some further research as well!]

...At least I might be able to make my job a bit easier, I guess.

❖─────☆☆☆☆☆─────❖

A couple of hours after being dragged upstairs and having esoteric knowledge shoved down my throat about anime, manga, and some other things I had never heard of, a saviour finally arrived to save me.

"Ina~! Your brother-- Oh, Enki! When did you come home?"

Like a pair of firemen coming to rescue a civilian from a burning building, my parents appeared, breathing a moment of respite into the suffocating atmosphere that was Ina's room―both literally and figuratively.

Of course, whether it was tiring or not, it nevertheless wasn't an experience I could call entirely fruitless.

'I assume you got all of that, right? Librarian.'

[Most certainly! Your sister's knowledge is indeed exceptional, Enki! There are terms even I have never heard of here...]

'I mean, is that not just because you're a bit clumsy?'

[Ahem! Anyway! Perhaps, would it be a clever idea to recruit her to the team too...?]

'Ah, that's not happening. Wait, is something like that even possible?'

[Mmm, not whilst the Spirit of the Illusory Library is recovering! Since the Spirit is the owner of the Library and the technical CEO of the Service, only it has the power to recruit people!]

'Weren't you the one who recruited me?'

[Erm, sort of? I merely performed the method of recruitment as a proxy for the Spirit of the Library; the Spirit is the one who provided that power to me temporarily, but as a result of expending that energy, it is now recuperating in hibernation! Even after the Spirit recovers to the extent where consciousness is regained, there may or may not be enough energy to recruit another employee... Although, with you here, Enki, a third employee is not necessary, and an unnecessary sink of precious World Stability!]

[Even if we possessed the means to do so, it is a simple matter of quality over quantity that we shall not recruit any additional employees! So, fret not!]

Following the Librarian's clarification of how our Protection Service functioned best with ourselves as the only two employees, everyone took a seat downstairs.

There, I began to explain what was going on.

"――You're dropping out...?"

Naturally, the first concern was that.

Hearing those two words 'drop out', my parents both sighed.

"...Enki, I do wish you would have let us know beforehand... but, if that's what you feel is best for you, then we have nothing else to say. So long as you're happy, you have our full support. However, you must ensure you have a plan now that you don't have that stability. What are you going to do now?"

The ends of my lips subtly curled at my mother's reassurance, and upon receiving her reasonable question, I nodded.

"A while back, I Awakened, so I want to challenge the Tower."

Without an ounce of doubt, that was the path I was going to take.