I had to admit that seeing Lana like that did surprise me. I had been fairly sure of the efficacy of the potion I had given her, but it had reacted far quicker than expected. It was good that she kept silent and didn’t reveal that I was the one who had made this happen. It was a smart decision to test it out on a fellow witch who understood the need for discretion.

If I were to use similar magic in the future, I would need to be far more conservative. This was a world that didn’t believe in the existence of magic. Although it seemed like it wasn’t as big of a deal these days, it wasn’t too long ago that someone could be burned at the stake or drowned depending on what was known as witchcraft. The people of this world demanded an explanation for everything. Even if that explanation was a complete lie, they were happy with the lie as long as it made sense within their limited brains.

Pointless lies seemed like a waste to me, but every time I tried to point them out in an academic setting, that only seemed to put me into more trouble. I was starting to realize it was better to just keep my mouth quiet and do what the teachers asked. There was no place for academic thought within the theater known as the education system.

After work, I returned home having already completed all of the tasks left for me from school. There was a cold plate of food waiting for me on the stove. Mother had returned to work as well, so she didn’t have the time to cook dinner normally. Instead, she had made food for everyone to heat up on their own, which was probably the normal situation for the Higa household. This was why her attempts to have sit-down meals during the week she had off had failed so miserably.

After eating, I was interested in seeing how the progress was going with my sisters as well. Seeing Lana had alarmed me that maybe their experiments might turn out to be problematic as well. When I knocked on Kio’s door, all I got was a shout to go away. Kio seemed to be as angry and cold as she always was. I knocked on Hina’s door next, and after a little bit of rustling, Hina opened the door. Hina had a blanket over herself and was hiding her body and face almost completely. She looked up at me from a crack in her blanket.

“Did you need something?” She asked quietly.

“I wanted to check if you were okay,” I explained. “After what happened, I want to make sure that you’re well.”

“After what happened…” she repeated quietly. “What… did happen?”

“Don’t you remember?”

“Of course, I remember!” She looked away. “I’m doing fine!”

She tried to slam the door in my face but learning from Kio, I blocked her door with my foot. She let out a surprised cry.

“If there is anything wrong, come to me immediately,” I spoke darkly. “I will fix it.”

“B-b-brother…” She shuttered as she looked at me in surprise before her eyes narrowed somewhat. “What about if you can’t fix it.”

“If I can’t fix something, unlikely.” I scoffed, but when I saw her still staring at me unconvinced, I reluctantly added. “Then, I will walk through hell by your side.”

“Th-that!” Her face turned red and she tried to shut the door on my foot again.

This time, it hurt a bit, so I moved it out of her way, and then she slammed the door the third time. I had only been around the Higa family for a bit over a week, but I had already decided that I would protect and help them when possible. In a way, they were like the demons I had once made my family. Perhaps, I was just someone who attached themselves to others too easily. It was something I should work on.

“You shouldn’t make promises you won’t keep.”

I turned to see a crack open and Kio looking out from her room. She similarly was hiding her body. I had made those changes specifically to improve upon their looks, but both girls seemed to be determined to hide my work. Being more conventionally attractive was supposed to improve confidence, not lead to increased conservation. I truly didn’t understand them at all.

“I keep my promises,” I responded. “If you need anything, or if you have any concerns, I will be there.”

She didn’t respond, staring at me silently for a minute. Then, she softly closed the door without a word, leaving me in the dimly lit hallway by myself. I could only let out a sigh. If they needed any help, I had to trust in them to come to talk to me. I used the computer for a bit to continue my research, and then returned to my room where I worked on various potions, salves, and tricks. One could never have enough magic at their disposal. Who knew when I’d encounter the next Higa Aiko.

Ahem, I was Higa Aiko now. I just meant that there could be a dangerous person who could break through all of my defenses and place me in a dangerous situation. I only had to die once to know I didn’t want a repeat of such a thing, which was why I was preparing so many tricks just in case. I worked until I fell asleep at my desk and was woken the next morning to my alarm clock.

I quickly changed my clothing as I got ready for school. Mother wasn’t able to drive me this time. She was no longer off from work so I had to go on the so-called bus. My sisters were remaining silent. They were both dressed rather conservatively, their bodies hidden by oversized coats and even their faces obscured by scarfs, glasses, and the like. It was like they both had decided they didn’t want to be seen by anyone.

As we stepped outside, I heard a shout. “Aiko!”

I turned to see a girl standing there in the back of the house. Unlike my sisters, she was showing off her body. She wore a tank-top shirt and shorts which were new, as they hung tightly against her body, showing off her curves. She didn’t seem to be wearing as much black makeup though.

“Lana. Are you not coming to school today?” I could see she wasn’t wearing a jacket despite the weather being just a bit crisp this morning, and she had no backpack either.

“Lana where? That’s Lana!” Kio couldn’t help but cry out.

“Our neighbor?” Hina seemed just as surprised.

Under the other two girls’ shocked expressions, Lana blushed cutely, stroking her black hair behind her ear. “Mom and dad want me to take another few days after my illness. I told them I’d be fine, but they worry.”

“It’s good to rest and not push yourself,” I responded, still a bit worried myself at the extreme change my weight loss potion caused in such a short period. “However, if something feels wrong, come to me.”

Lana’s cheeks grew even more flushed. “I will.”

I nodded. “Good, then, rest properly.”

“H-have a good day.” She waved, still looking a bit awkward as she waved me off.

I turned away from Lana and joined my sisters. I noticed that both of them were staring at me and so I quirked an eyebrow in their direction.

“Brother has become a womanizer.” Hina declared.

Kio nodded dumbly.

“What nonsense are you saying?”

“You told her something like you told us last night,” Kio responded.

That was because you were all my test subjects, so I was worried something might go wrong. I had just wanted to test out how my flesh magic faired in this world. I wasn’t looking to cause dangerous changes or cause people to become permanently disfigured.

“I only say such a thing to the people I care about,” I answered stiffly.

The girls stiffened and then spun away, walking quickly down the street without another word. Why did they act so oddly when I said something that should be obvious? If I didn’t care, why would I say anything? It was only common sense I’d help someone if I cared about the outcome. I found myself needing to chase after my sisters down the street as they quickly made their way to the bus stop. They positioned themselves in such a way they took up the entire sidewalk, and other than walking on the grass, I had no choice but to walk behind them.

The bus stop wasn’t far away, and it was soon that we approached a bench with a yellow sign indicating the school bus would be stopping nearby. The school wasn’t as close as work, so I needed to take the bus. When school let out, that didn’t give me enough time to arrive home and ride to work. I had managed to work out a means of getting there using the busses after school. It took longer than being driven there, but I managed to arrive on time.

This public transportation system was truly a marvel. They even had a bus system not restricted to education, but available to all commoners. I could take a bus after work that would arrive near my house. In the end, I had worked out a means of going to and from work without depending on biking or my family to drive me.

“Aiko!” A cry came out from the bus stop.

I stiffened slightly as I heard an unfamiliar man call out my name. I had been relatively left alone all day yesterday, so I had hoped that I had skipped any friendships I couldn’t remember. I hadn’t considered the other Aiko had acquaintances on the bus he spoke to, although now it seemed like something painfully obvious. I noticed my sisters shot back worried looks at me. They knew my memory wasn’t particularly good, so they might have worried about it too.

It ended up being two boys who walked up to me. One was skinny and shorter than me with glasses and freckles on his face, while the second was a larger guy with a rather dumb expression.

“Hello.” I gave the most general response I could.

The two guys approached me and without another word, threw their arms around me. I could see Kio’s lips tighten, while Hina seemed to look away shamefully. The two boys pulled me to the side, turning out backs to my sister and the three other people waiting at the bus stop. Lowering me down to the shortest guy level, he started to speak.

“Where you been, Eggo? You have been out for a week and you didn’t even take the bus yesterday. Don’t say you’ve been avoiding us.”

“Eggo?”

“Hah… we’re friends, remember. It’s a nickname for a friend.”

“Cause when we cracked those eggs on your head and you had such a funny look.” The dumb guy said, chuckling to himself.

The freckled boy shot his friend a glare before smiling back at me. “I’ve even heard you got a job recently. I’ve been going hungry the last week without your lunch money and now I hear you’re loaded? Don’t you owe your best friend a little bit of recompense?”

As the pair spoke to me, it didn’t take a genius to immediately size them up. One of these boys was the so-called brain, while the other was the bronze. They used their combined attitude to bully other students. How could I be unfamiliar with this kind of behavior? Surrounded by demons, I had spent a lifetime overcoming bullies.

To think that the man who would go on to kill me, the blonde-haired handsome bastard with the perfect hair and a harem of women chasing him, would not just be unpopular at home, but bullied at school. I could take responsibility for bringing the ire of Daryl, but this all was the original Aiko’s issue. It seemed like his sisters had known about the bullying, but as they were doing now, they looked a blind eye. At least, they kept looking back with uncomfortable expressions on their faces.

“Give us what you have on you.” The dumb one was less patient than his friend when I didn’t say anything, even making a threatening fist.

I closed my eyes and sighed. I had promised myself that I wouldn’t be getting in trouble today. Fighting broke the school’s rules, after all, and I had even held myself back against the brute Daryl. Yet, these low-level boobs had decided to get in my way.

However, we weren’t on the school premises at the moment, and so the school rules didn’t need to apply. I cracked my neck. It was time to deal with these guys the way a demon did.