Had this brat finally realized her own nature as a scrub?
That’s right. An older brother will always be an older brother—even if we’re from different parents, different places, different countries, different eras, different civilizations, different species, different dimensions, different universes, or even different realities.
Sophie remained silent for a moment.
Then, she let out a ruthless laugh.
“Hahahaha! Dino, you’re weak!”
“Elder Brother.”
Shironaka Fueno puffed out her cheeks.
“You’re the one who taught me, yet you were the first one to be sunk by it.”
Sophie put her hands on her hips and strode forward. Her deep blue skirt swayed gently with her steps, and the little top hat wobbled slightly atop her long silver-white hair.
“How about it?” she said triumphantly. “Were you sunk by this young lady... by yours truly?”
Shironaka Fueno stood in place, watching Sophie’s receding back.
Her gaze lingered on Sophie’s back for a moment, then traced over her head, body, arms, and feet.
A moment later, she resumed her steps, quietly trailing half a step behind her brother, just as she had countless times in the past.
“Yes.”
Fueno replied softly.
“Elder Brother is very cute.”
“I almost couldn’t hold back.”
“Hmm?” Sophie asked casually. “Couldn’t hold back what?”
Shironaka Fueno didn’t answer immediately.
She simply watched Sophie’s back. After a moment of silence, she suddenly asked softly:
“Elder Brother.”
“Yeah?”
“What if one day, Dino becomes completely different from the Dino in Elder Brother’s memories?”
Without turning her head, Sophie said casually:
“Then we’ll just get to know each other all over again.”
Shironaka Fueno was slightly taken aback.
Sophie continued walking, stepping over the cracks in the bluestone path.
“Anyway, Dino is Dino. No matter what you become, you’re still my sister, right?”
“Unless Dino actively decides she doesn’t want me as a brother anymore—then I’d have to find somewhere to go and start shedding pearls.”
“Otherwise, no matter what you turn into, Dino is just Dino, right?”
She paused, then added:
“Of course, if you get too arrogant, I’m still going to give you a licking.”
Shironaka Fueno stood still, watching her quietly.
“I see.”
She said softly.
“Elder Brother is still as unreasonable as ever.”
“That’s the privilege of being the older brother.”
Shironaka Fueno didn’t respond. She simply focused her gaze, her expression showing a hint of nostalgia.
Twilight lingered as they circled back from the wilderness to Silvervein City. The houses on both sides of the street were beginning to light up, though a faint golden-red afterglow still clung to the roofs and chimneys.
Occasionally, small boats loaded with wine barrels and hay glided slowly across the water. The oil lamps hanging from their prows swayed, dyeing the canal into a warm, golden river.
Sophie walked with her hands behind her head, stepping on the cracks of the bluestone path.
She wasn’t worried about Dino falling behind.
In their past life together, Dino had always followed half a step behind her.
Not too close.
Not too far.
In those past days, they didn't often hold hands.
A Puppeteer’s hands were meant for holding silk threads.
Not for holding someone else’s hand.
Compared to a body of flesh and blood, threads made of pure mana possessed far more sensitive senses. When their threads intertwined, the feedback was far stronger than any physical touch.
Sophie only had to turn her head slightly to see her sister’s exquisite little top hat.
Shironaka Fueno only had to look up to see her brother’s reassuring back.
Hiso would say whatever came to mind—whether it was a trivial complaint or a sudden whim—and Dino would always respond perfectly.
This was how they had always interacted, just as they always had.
Just as... they always had.
“This river in Silvervein City isn’t bad,” Sophie commented.
“Once we’ve handled everything, we could open a floating restaurant under the bridge. We could do tourist business by day and partner with the church for couple’s night-tour packages by night.”
“...”
“I wonder how the river fish taste here. I’ll have Modi send someone to catch a couple tomorrow. Little Yue would probably like them too.”
“...”
“Dino?”
Sophie finally noticed something was wrong.
There was no response from behind.
She instinctively slowed her pace.
“Dino, are you listening to—”
“Elder Brother.”
Shironaka Fueno suddenly spoke.
“What—”
Sophie turned her head, about to ask, but her words were cut short.
A pair of slightly cool, small hands cupped Sophie’s cheeks.
...
It didn’t match.
Not at all.
Shironaka Fueno silently looked at the figure before her.
The brother of the past always felt like a passerby, as if the changes of the world had nothing to do with him. He was someone who simply enjoyed the world itself without caring what it became.
But the current brother had become soft. He would stop for a stranger’s cries, he would be flustered by a bouquet of wildflowers from Miss Knight, he would seriously worry about Miss Moon’s absurd and heavy traumas, and he even worried about whether he was a scrub or not.
Shironaka Fueno didn’t like this change.
A Puppeteer must understand every puppet in their hands.
They needed to know the toughness of the wood, the range of the joints, the wind resistance on the falling threads, and every minute deviation as mana passed through the main and secondary strings.
Any oversight would make the movements on stage stiff.
If one suspected something was wrong with the puppet, the performance had to stop.
Open the joints, check the bearings, see if the wood had warped from moisture, confirm if the threads were frayed or misaligned, ensure the mana circuits still conducted smoothly, and verify if every movement matched the original records.
If the angle of an arm was wrong, recalibrate the shoulder axis.
If the timing of a fingertip was slow, readjust the lead string.
If the expression lost its charm during a pause, recarve the eye sockets.
If the entire puppet could no longer respond to the Puppeteer’s will, tear it down and rebuild it until it became what it was meant to be on stage.
That was the procedure for handling a puppet.
But Sophie was not a puppet.
Shironaka Fueno didn't want to turn her brother into her puppet.
A puppet was just a puppet; what she wanted was her brother.
As long as her brother still had the strength to protect himself, Shironaka Fueno would respect her—so long as she could be sure her brother would eventually come home.
A powerful Puppeteer didn't need to cover a puppet in strings; they only needed one. Just one critical thread.
Shironaka Fueno was confident she held that critical thread.
No one understood her brother better than she did.
And as for her brother...
Dino naturally understood him even better.
Part of it was their inheritance—a legacy that could only be fully realized by siblings who shared a connection of hearts despite being completely different.
Though their bloodlines differed, they had compensated for it with their respective talents, even surpassing the Puppeteers of the Chenzhong family throughout history.
Otherwise, the Puppet King should have been Chenzhong Ze, not Shironaka Fueno.
The other part was simple familiarity.
The time spent together, the hardships endured, growing up together, laughing together, worrying together...
Understanding the body, the habits, the thoughts, and the heart.
Everything. Everything.
She understood it all.
None of the other Destined Crowns could steal her brother away, because they would never experience the process of “her brother going from weak to strong.”
This was Shironaka Fueno’s confidence as “Hiso’s Return.”
Unless her brother became weak once more.
But how could that be possible?
And yet.
For no reason at all, five hundred and fifteen years ago, Hiso disappeared.
She had waited bitterly for nearly eight hundred years, finally waiting until her brother completed his so-called main quest and solved the problems of the seven Destined Crowns... just when he should have come home.
He didn’t say goodbye.
He left no instructions.
Not a single word.
He had simply vanished without even a greeting.
That death in front of Miss Moon was nothing more than a trick to fool that simpleton.
Her brother, who should have resurrected somewhere and been teased by her for being a “little prince of the flowers” or a “white dragon of the waves”—was he finally done?
That tease never got the chance to be spoken.
The wind blew for three days, and she stood in the outskirts for three days.
She traveled to every location where her brother might resurrect, every place he might feel nostalgic for, and even to the top of the World Tree where he claimed he would open the Gate of Truth with great ceremony. She searched the entire Red Moon Empire.
Still nothing.
There was nothing at all.
Her brother wouldn’t leave without a word; he wouldn’t run away, because she was waiting for his answer.
Shironaka Fueno didn’t believe Hiso would abandon her, because just as she valued their relationship, Hiso must have valued it too. Otherwise, it would be too pathetic.
Something must have happened to her brother.
But it was fine. Shironaka Fueno was good at waiting.
One year, ten years, a hundred years, a thousand years.
She had already waited so long; she could continue waiting.
From the moment she was born, she had been waiting for her brother to return home.
From the moment she attained the status of a Destined Crown, she had been waiting for her brother to return home.
Now, it was just another new wait.
There was nothing to worry about.
There was nothing to fear.
She was just continuing to do what she was best at.
Waiting.
Waiting.
Waiting.
Finally, her brother had returned.
This was something to be happy about.
At first, he had hidden away and said strange things, playing dumb to brush her off. Was he trying to confirm her attitude? What was there to confirm? She hadn't changed. It was fine; she would have plenty of opportunities to give her brother a hard time later.
Fortunately, the second time, he didn’t hide anymore and directly revealed his identity.
She was happy.
Very happy.
As she should be.
And she should have stayed happy.
But was this one who returned truly her brother?
The brother who was once so powerful and peerless had vanished; that immense strength was now completely gone.
Becoming weak again—was he looking for a new sister?
It was fine; this might have been caused by an accident.
That personality that looked down on everything and treated life like a game had vanished.
It was fine; that too might have been an accident.
But now, his attitude toward the people and things around him had changed. His body had changed, his gender had changed, and his likes and dislikes had changed.
Why did you erase all your advantages? Who are you laying the groundwork for?
Why did you do this?
Why are you still refusing to come home?
Does the thread that once linked them still exist today?
Or should she simply, before everything slid toward the point of no return, use more threads to ensure the puppet’s loyalty and make her a marionette who only danced for her alone?
Wouldn’t that be better?
Such a thing was possible.
In those past years, her brother’s clothes had all been measured and tailored by her own hands.
The width of the shoulders, the length of the arms, the habits when walking, and at which word he would turn back to check if she hadn’t responded.
She already understood the new body perfectly.
She had easily grasped every weakness.
When her brother walked, he always liked to tilt his head up slightly.
When he mentioned something he found interesting, his pace would quicken a little.
If he said two sentences and received no response, he wouldn’t stop immediately. Instead, he would continue forward for exactly two and a half steps at his original speed before turning sideways to check if she was still behind him.
Even with a new body, it didn’t matter.
Shoulder width.
Chest circumference.
Waist circumference.
Arm length.
The most natural stride of the legs.
How much her brother’s step had shortened compared to the past.
Whether she needed to trail by half a step, or half an inch more.
How that silver-white hair would flare out slightly with inertia when Sophie turned around.
With the current height difference, how far she needed to step forward and how much she needed to stand on her tiptoes to perfectly close the distance between them.
Everything.
Everything had been precisely calculated.
Creating a perfect puppet was easy.
She could even do it without her noticing. After all, with Sophie’s current strength, she would easily become a helpless plaything without Miss Knight.
Better to be hers than someone else’s.
Keep the good stuff in the family.
Mm.
Just kidding.
“Elder Brother.”
Shironaka Fueno suddenly spoke.
Sophie turned her head.
Of course her brother would turn back.
It was all calculated.
If she couldn't even calculate something like this, then she really wouldn't be like her brother at all.
Right now, at most...
It was just the start of the second act.
Shironaka Fueno reached out both hands and cupped Sophie’s face just as she turned.
Sophie didn't even have time to react.
Fueno stepped forward half a pace and stood slightly on her tiptoes.
She applied a little pressure.
Precise and elegant.
One second, two seconds, three seconds.
The water in the canal continued its slow crawl forward.
From the distance came the soft sound of oars cutting through the water. The lamplight flickered in the evening breeze, casting their shadows together onto the bluestone road.
Sophie’s eyes widened.
Her brain completely ceased to function.
A cool, soft sensation climbed onto her lips. A faint aroma of black tea spread through her breath, leaving a trace of pancake-like sweetness at the end.
A moment later.
Shironaka Fueno retreated to her original position.
If the old thread couldn't be confirmed, then she would just attach a new one.
Her brother was her brother; she wanted her brother, not some puppet.
However.
She seemed to have miscalculated slightly.
Her face was burning.
Her chest was thumping wildly without stop.
The doubts, calculations, confirmations, comparisons, remeasurements, re-acquaintances, and messy thoughts like “what if Elder Brother really has changed completely” that had been churning in her mind just a moment ago vanished instantly.
No puppets.
No threads.
No main quest.
No Destined Crowns.
No Miss Knight or Miss Moon.
Only Elder Brother.
And she had just kissed him.
Shironaka Fueno: “...”
She kissed him.
She kissed him.
She really kissed him.
Her fingers resting on the sides of Sophie’s face didn't immediately let go.
Not because the follow-up movement was precisely calculated.
But because she forgot to let go.
Shironaka Fueno kept her eyes open, quietly looking at Sophie.
She tried her best to pick the most suitable line from her prepared script to complete this flawless performance.
Like, “This is what I almost couldn't hold back just now.”
Like, “A girl’s advantages should be put to good use.”
Like, “To have even your first kiss stolen by your sister, Elder Brother really is a scrub.”
But all those lines seemed to have been scattered by that kiss, turning into a pile of little wooden puppets rolling around in her head.
So she opened her mouth.
“Mm.”
Perfect. She made a sound.
Shironaka Fueno lowered her head slightly, trying to reorganize her words.
“T-this...”
No.
That opening was too weak.
“Just now...”
Also no.
That made it sound like Dino was savoring it.
“Elder Brother...”
Even worse.
Because the moment she said that title, that cool, soft, slightly bitter black tea and sweet pancake sensation came flooding back unreasonably.
Shironaka Fueno’s cheeks turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Several blue threads dangled from behind her, tangling and knotting. One even accidentally caught her little top hat, pulling the brim askew.
Sophie finally snapped out of it.
She raised her hand, her fingertips lightly touching her own lips.
【Log: You have achieved the achievement [Breach of Defense], gaining 2 Free Attribute Points.】
The scent of black tea lingering on her lips didn't seem to have fully dissipated.
Even with a vampire’s body, her cheeks burned hot.
How... how could this happen?!
This kind of thing... was supposed to happen during a romance CG!
Why, why did it trigger during a random afternoon tea time?
She looked at Shironaka Fueno blankly.
The Puppet Witch, who was usually able to calmly manipulate tens of millions of threads, disassemble her body into countless parts, and even casually drag the moon back below the horizon, was currently standing half a step away.
She still looked gentle, well-behaved, and flawless.
If one ignored the crooked top hat, the knotted threads, the beet-red ears, and that expression clearly trying and failing to load a language module.
Sophie blinked.
Then.
She suddenly became calm.
What was there to panic about?
Dino was panicking too.
Even more than she was.
Sophie took a deep breath, trying to suppress the heartbeat that was practically jumping out of her chest. The newly learned [Scrub Taunt] activated on its own. She narrowed her eyes slightly, attempting to show a smile sufficient to reclaim her brotherly dignity.
“Wh... what?”
Her voice hitched.
Sophie immediately shut her mouth.
Damn it.
Why did she have to be so useless at a time like this?
A hint of a smile flickered in Shironaka Fueno’s eyes.
Though her cheeks were still incredibly red, she seemed to have found a thread to hold onto, and the corners of her mouth slowly curled up.
“Elder Brother.”
Fueno said softly.
“Your current expression is much cuter than the one before.”
Sophie: “...”
She couldn't lose.
She absolutely couldn't lose.
Otherwise, she really would be a scrub brother for the rest of her life.
Sophie steeled herself and took a step forward, compressing the distance between them to almost nothing. She raised her hand and, as she had many times in the past, firmly pinched Fueno’s soft cheek.
“Was it Miss Hero... who made you feel threatened, you brat?”
Sophie said stutteringly.
Shironaka Fueno’s smile froze.
“I...”
She tried to retort.
However, the distance between them was still very close.
So close that if Sophie just lowered her head a little, what had happened once before seemed like it would naturally happen again.
Fueno clearly realized this as well—realized that her control was slipping.
The acting skills accumulated over decades, the composure honed over centuries, and the Puppeteer’s precise control over every detail all lost their function at this moment.
A sky full of blue threads suddenly cascaded down.
“Wait—”
Sophie didn't even have time to finish.
Shironaka Fueno’s body was gently pulled by the threads, instantly leaping onto the roof.
At the same time.
The threads wrapped around the edge of the moon loosened.
The scarlet crescent moon rose abruptly.
Twilight ended.
Cold moonlight poured down from the distant sky toward Silvervein City like a floodgate being opened.
Sophie: “?”
Wait.
You brat!
If you’re going to run, run, but why did you let go of the moon!
The moonlight was only a few meters away from Sophie.
In the next moment, countless blue threads shielded the sky, completely blocking out the light in all of Solitude.
The citizens, mistakenly believing night had arrived, hurried to make contact with their Night Companions.
After stalling for a moment, the sky-covering threads completed their mission and promptly disintegrated, vanishing.
Scarlet moonlight illuminated the stone path in front of Sophie.
Sophie, who had hurriedly ducked into the shadows, looked up.
On a distant roof, Shironaka Fueno glanced back.
The night breeze brushed the girl’s long blue hair. She stood under the moonlight, yet the moonlight could not consume her.
Under the reflection of the scarlet moonlight, it was impossible to tell exactly what shade of red that usually gentle and composed face had become.
Then, as if finally realizing she was still looking back, Dino turned around sharply and disappeared among the staggered roofs of Silvervein City.
Sophie remained silent for a long time.
“What a dramatic brat of a sister, such a drama queen.”
...
By the time a dispirited Sophie returned to the inn, moonlight had completely covered the roofs of Silvervein City.
The inn’s curtains were tightly drawn, the heavy lead-black fabric isolating the scarlet moonlight outside. Only a single small lamp was lit in the room, its dim yellow light falling on the edge of the bed and on Kaila, who was sitting quietly on it.
Miss Hero was still awake.
She was still wearing her greyish-white nun’s robe, her golden hair draped over her shoulders, and the solar pendant on her chest reflected a soft gleam in the lamplight. She sat very upright, as if performing a nocturnal mission that required her personal attention.
Seeing Sophie return, Kaila looked up.
“Sophie.”
“Mm.”
Sophie floated into the room in a daze.
“You’re back?”
“Mm.”
“Are you hurt?”
“Mm.”
Kaila frowned slightly.
“Where?”
“Mm.”
Sophie’s brain currently felt like it had been tied into a ball by a thousand blue threads. Her gaze was unfocused, and her steps felt like she was walking on clouds; she didn't even realize what she was answering.
Kaila was silent for a moment, then stood up and walked over to Sophie.
She reached out, gently touching Sophie’s forehead, then looked into her eyes.
“Sophie.”
“Mm.”
“You’re not acting normal right now.”
“Scrub.”
Sophie said, as if possessed.
【Log: You have achieved the achievement [Friendly Fire], gaining 2 Free Attribute Points.】
The air went still.
Kaila’s hand stopped in mid-air.
Sophie finally snapped out of it.
She blinked and looked at Miss Hero, who was waiting for her return.
“No,” Sophie stammered. “Miss Hero, I wasn’t talking about you. I just practiced this too much today, and my mouth moved on its own. Listen to me explain...”
Kaila remained silent for a moment.
Then, she turned around and moved from the edge of the bed to the chair beside it.
“Tonight.”
She said calmly.
“You sleep by yourself.”
Sophie: “...”
Wait.
Why does this skill have friendly fire?
...
A moment later, in Ming City.
Shironaka Fueno pushed open her bedroom door.
She closed the door.
Locked it.
She took off the little top hat, walked two steps forward, and buried her head in the soft bedding.
The room was quiet for a moment.
Then.
The blankets on the bed began to roll around frantically.
“Scrub brother...”
“He’s clearly just a scrub brother.”
“Why would he say something like that...”
“What does he mean, Miss Hero made Dino feel threatened...”
“Dino didn't...”
Dozens of blue threads poked out from under the covers.
Several little wooden puppets on the table simultaneously clutched their heads and rolled back and forth on the surface. The curtains hanging by the bed were tangled into a ball by the threads, and even the pillow was tossed high into the air before falling back down gently.
After a long time.
It finally became quiet under the covers again.
Shironaka Fueno covered her head with the blanket, leaving only a stray lock of messy blue hair visible.
She raised her hand.
Her fingertips lightly touched her lips.
“...But.”
“The thread is attached.”
“No matter what happens, Dino will always be in the lead.”
To borrow her brother’s words.
Regardless of how the meta changes, she is still T0.
...
Rate on N.U.
