[Mio's POV]

I tilted to the right and rubbed my cheeks on Onii-sama's shoulder. He stroked my hair, smiling helplessly. His touch melted the claws of despair gnawing away at my soul.

"You really love to act spoiled."

"I love it when Onii-sama touches me. You avoided me for so long."

Onii-sama scratched his cheek, embarrassed at my frankness. "Can you stop using... Onii-sama? We are not related, you know."

Ah, Since Onii-sama asked for it, we are officially dating—Onii-sama is my boyfriend now! My first and only boyfriend. I almost pushed him down. The presence of Celia helped me in resisting the thought.

"No, Ethan will always be my Onii-sama."

Celia gritted her teeth. I could imagine a purple aura emanating from her. She threw her laptop on the bed and leaned on his other side.

I held my fist from flying and smacked her in the face. Onii-sama chuckled and embraced us both in his wide arms.

While I can't do anything in Avalon, I shall become his strength here. I also had to bear with Celia for that matter. She was precious to Onii-sama—I found it hard to stomach this fact. But I had to. His motivation would drop if I threw this woman out.

I don't want that.

Avalon is scary, Onii-sama needs everything to survive. He is only a Level 1. No one gave him cheats. His skills are not directly suited for fighting.

"Mio, why are you silent?" Celia asked, her voice brimming with mockery.

A scoff slipped past my kind smile. Onii-sama saw this and stroked my hair. He loved doing that. It also showed that I am cuter than her. Every time he does that, it reminds me of the time he played with the fluffy plushies Mother bought for him. He used to make the same expression back then.

"Okay, girls. That's it for now. I will train for some time."

"Alright. I am going for real this time."

Training. Onii-sama looked so cool swinging the axe. Regardless, he and Celia forgot one crucial aspect—he can't learn much like this, not without a proper trainer. I know one woman who might help. The redhead living with Regina. A woman who used to work in the military. The picture on the wall had Regina and Valentina wearing military dresses. I just went there to tell her about the hike in tax—the usual Landlord stuff.

I had to ask Valentina myself, or Celia will hire some military guy and gain another one on me.

Even so, Valentina is also a woman. She might not be able to resist Onii-sama's charm. However, the relationship between Regina and Valentina was unusual. I smelled Yuri blooming from the way Valentina always stuck at Regina's side. It could also be sisterly love.

Arrrrgh. I will have to ask Onii-sama to cover his face. There will be no problems then. Onii-sama is trying his best. I can't let my petty jealousy get in the way of survival.

I parted with Onii-sama. "Mio will buy things for lunch."

"Okay."

I didn't like lying to Onii-sama. This time was an exception!

Celia followed me out of the door. I donned my jacket and found Celia still beside me.

"What do you want now?"

She grabbed my shoulders and closed her eyes. "Mio, I am sorry. I didn't know you were suffering so much when I enjoyed playing with Ethan."

What the hell was she talking about?

"I read your diary."

I shrugged her hands off and slapped her face. The force imprinted a red mark on her cheek. She just smiled. Her face overlapped with the brunette who abandoned me and Onii-sama. Anger boiled inside me and I slapped her again.

"You bitch. Keep your hands off my things."

Unforgivable. Besides Onii-sama, no one had the right to touch me or my belongings.

"That stung," she whispered, rubbing her face. "I said I am sorry. Your diary was interesting. I never knew your hate for Ethan was only second to your father."

"Don't bring up my past."

"You heard the news?" she shifted the topic. "About him?"

I frowned. "Him?"

Celia grinned and touched my cheeks. "Your father. His balls are deep in debt. His successful organization is falling apart piece by piece."

That… was wonderful news. That bastard loved money more than his miserable life. Now it is being taken away from him.

"Why? Wasn't he on the list of top successful Entrepreneurs of the century? What happened now?"

"The new VRMMO crashed everything. Stocks for Red Reaper Studios are down by eighty percent."

"Isn't that the company that developed 'The Heaven's Chalice'?"

"The pre-orders for the new game crossed five hundred million yesterday."

That's a lot.

"The player base of the old school MMO dropped. Even the freebies and events they introduced backfired. The hashtag RedisDead is trending. Aren't they cruel for abandoning them like that?" she asked with a sigh. Her gloomy eyes were opposite to her ear-to-ear grin.

"What did you do?"

No way the gamers will jump ship so fast. It's impossible.

"A report surfaced yesterday. The cruelties of the man owning ninety-seven percent of the stock of the renowned Red Reaper Studios."

"You… made my diary public."

She shook her head. "I will never leak our private life."

Her emphasis on 'our' unnerved me.

She continued, "I just confirmed that everything was true. What the man did in his private life was confirmed by Densford's heir, Celia Densford, a close friend of the victim."

"Why would you go so far? Won't that hurt your image?"

"I don't care. That man must pay the price of committing many unforgivable crimes. If this isn't enough, I shall hire assassins to silence him in his sleep."

She suddenly hugged me. My sluggish reaction allowed her to tighten her arms. Any struggle felt useless in her squeezing, bear-like hug.

"Mio, I know you despise me. I used to hate you too. Yet, I can't help but admire your persistence. You always maintained your good girl facade before Ethan, never questioning his orders, never straying from becoming the best in his eyes. Sometimes, I cried hard. You were better than me, closer to him than me. His utmost priority. He always thought of me as a normal friend."

Her voice cracked, her arms trembled, and then she stopped to take a breath.

"You, on the other hand, gained his affection in one night. The day after that incident, he hugged you right after waking up. I could only see him from the door. I always feel like a background character with you around. Fuck, I still remember that sweet dream where I married Ethan but he still kept you around as his hidden mistress. That's when I realized I can never beat you. Your demonic powers are too broken even for a pay-to-win noob like me!"

She coughed up an entire life's worth of complaints on me. No girl will confess this type of secret to anyone except her closest friend.

Friend. I never had one. Most girls envied me. The rest turned out to be losers, wanting to use me for my money. I had stopped looking for one after the realization.

"What is your purpose for telling me this?"

"Mio, can we forget everything and start fresh as Ethan's women?"

This woman.

"Why are you so hung up on Onii-sama?"

"Because I can't feel anything for any other guy. I tried to talk to so many guys but no one could give me the warmth Ethan gives. He is like an unforgettable drug to me. Just seeing him smile lifts every ounce of stress from my heart. Kissing him is addictive. Hugging him is like embracing everything in the world. Nothing else makes me more content."

She was also obsessed with Onii-sama…

"That's why I want to always see him smile. Seeing him happy multiplies my happiness."

She also wanted the best for Onii-sama like me. With a sigh, I pushed her away and shuffled out of the room.

On the first floor, I rang the bell. The rhythmic taps of my feet echoed in the corridor. No one answered after several minutes.

What is wrong?

"Mio? Whatcha doing here?"

This rough accent. I turned around to Valentina carrying a bag full of that stuff. Older women are indeed different for flaunting their sex toys with a smile.

"Gina didn't respond?"

I shook my head and she frowned. She threw the bag and pounded on the door.

"Gina!"

Regina still gave no answer. Valentina stepped back and kicked open the door.

Regina laid there breathless in front of the door.

"Gina!"

Regina's reminded me of Mom's bloody figure lying unconscious after the accident...