Ryoshu stared at the man before her and could not help but feel that something about this situation was off.
The first thing that stood out was the obvious fact that he really did look like her younger brother. There was no denying that part. On top of that, the way he greeted her and the tone he used were also familiar, only a little more lively than usual, and there was no trace of fear in his voice at all. That, by itself, was strange enough to make her uneasy, because he was usually terrified of her. That alone made the whole thing feel wrong.
For a moment, she thought this might have been some sort of ambush, but the idea of someone trying to ambush her and then cleaning up the target's home first was so absurd that even she could not take it seriously for long. It was too stupid to be a real trap, and yet it was also too strange to simply ignore.
"What happened to you?" Ryoshu asked in an intimidating tone, glaring directly at him.
"Oh, c'mon now, I just cleaned up this dump of a house. What's wrong about that?" Ryoko replied with a casual shrug, showing no fear at all under her stare.
That reaction only made her more suspicious. He was still standing there, looking at her like this was a normal conversation, and there was not the slightest bit of hesitation in his expression. No flinching, no discomfort, no attempt to avoid her gaze. It was almost irritating how calm he was being.
Ryoshu began walking toward him, her footsteps steady and unhurried as she closed the distance. Then, all at once, she released her killing intent and drew her massive odachi, swinging it toward his neck without warning.
The blade stopped against his skin.
Yet he did not move, nor react.
He did not even so much as flinch as the sharp edge pressed against his neck and a thin line of crimson blood slowly ran down the blade. She had not pushed any further than that, only enough to draw a little blood, but even that should have gotten some kind of reaction from someone. Instead, he remained standing there as if nothing had happened.
That only confused her more.
Ryoshu pulled her blade back and lowered it slightly. Then, with a calm and casual motion, she licked the blood from the edge of the weapon. After a brief pause, her killing intent disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.
"Same taste..." she murmured before swinging the blade once to clean it, sending the blood off the metal and onto the floor before she sheathed it.
"I just cleaned that spot," Ryoko said, glancing at the stain on the ground.
Ryoshu ignored that and kept looking at him instead. "Ryoko, what is with the change?" she asked. "Did you suddenly get a growth spurt?"
She stepped closer again and placed one hand on the back of his head, pulling him in just a little as she leaned in. Then she licked the blood from his neck, only to pause in the next instant.
It had already healed.
She frowned slightly, realizing she had only managed to lick the blood left on the skin and not the wound itself, because there was no wound there anymore. That was not how it usually worked.
"You could say so," he replied with a shrug, still completely unbothered by the whole thing.
Ryoshu looked at him for another moment, her eyes narrowing slightly as she tried to make sense of what had changed. RCT had already finished healing the cut before she could even properly look at it, and now the strange calmness in his voice, the lack of fear, and the fact that he was acting like this was all perfectly normal made the whole thing feel even stranger than before.
"Take off your clothes and shower. I already turned on the hot water for you. Once you are done, come out to eat. I made dinner," Ryoko said calmly before turning away and heading off to get the cleaning supplies so he could deal with the fresh bloodstain on the floor.
Still confused and more than a little thrown off by the sudden change in her younger brother, Ryoshu did not question it for long. Instead, she quietly made her way toward the bathroom, her eyes narrowing briefly toward the other rooms as she passed by. She noticed that they had also been cleaned, just like the rest of the apartment, which only made the whole situation feel stranger than before. By the time she reached the bathroom and confirmed that it had also been cleaned properly, the feeling that something was off had only grown stronger.
"Am I dreaming or something?" she murmured to herself.
To make sure she was not imagining things, she snapped one of her fingers and felt the pain immediately. That was enough to confirm it. This was not a dream.
Sighing to herself, she rubbed the side of her head and started removing her clothes before turning on the shower. Warm water poured down over her body soon after, washing away the blood and sweat that had clung to her skin. The heat was comfortable, and for a moment she simply stood there under the water, letting it run down over her head, shoulders, and down her back while she tried to sort out the mess in her head.
When she finished, she dried herself off with a towel and stepped out of the bathroom wearing nothing but it, still thinking about the sudden change in her brother's behavior. It was not just that he had cleaned the apartment. It was the way he had spoken, the lack of fear in his voice, and the way he had acted so casually around her, as if he had become a completely different person overnight.
"Did someone from the DGP cause this?" she murmured, then immediately shook her head at the thought. "No, that cannot be it. What does my little brother have to do with them?"
Her gaze drifted down toward the DGP staff badge she had with her. After looking at it for a moment, she casually tossed it into her drawer and shut it, as though putting the thought away with it.
Once she stepped out into the kitchen, the smell of food immediately hit her.
The aroma was rich and warm, filling the space in a way it had not a few moments ago. It was enough to make her pause briefly before turning toward the kitchen to see what was waiting for her.
There, she saw her brother setting up the now-clean dining table with a full meal already prepared. There was home-cooked omurice, a bowl of onion soup, a crisp potato salad, and two thick, juicy pork cutlets arranged neatly beside it all. The food looked surprisingly good, and the fact that he had made it himself only made the entire scene feel even more unreal.
"Since when do you know how to cook?" she asked, watching as he skillfully placed the cooked egg over the fried rice with a single flip of the pan.
Tsutsumi glanced over at her for a moment before answering. "I learned it some time ago."
His reply came without hesitation, which only made it harder for her to believe. The way he said it made it sound like it was the most normal thing in the world, and that was exactly what made it strange. Ryoshu slowly approached the table and sat down while her brother placed the other plate of omurice on his side before taking his own seat opposite her.
Even then, she still could not quite wrap her mind around the fact that the man sitting in front of her was really her little brother.
The same little brother who could barely survive without her.
The same little brother who used to be too afraid of her to even look her in the eye.
Letting out a tired sigh, she scratched the back of her head as if that might somehow help her process what was going on. It felt like her CPU was overheating from trying to make sense of his sudden shift in personality.
Seeing that he was already eating, Ryoshu decided it was probably best not to overthink it for the moment. She picked up her spoon and took a bite of the omurice.
The moment it touched her tongue, the flavor practically burst across her mouth. Her eyes widened slightly, and a faint flush rose in her face as she chewed. The eggs were soft, the sauce had just the right richness, and the rice underneath tied everything together in a way that made it all feel warm and satisfying. She swallowed, then took another bite without hesitation.
After that, she stood up, walked over to the fridge, and took out one of her sake bottles before grabbing a cup. She poured herself a drink, returned to her seat, and sat back down with a satisfied smile, continuing to eat and drink at the same time.
"Now this is the good stuff..." she said with a smile. "If I knew you could cook this well, I would not have wasted money on takeout."
"Well, you learn something new every day," Ryoko replied with a small smile of his own, finding that he was actually enjoying this more than he expected.
Having an older sister who genuinely felt like an older sister was not something he had complained about, either. Oguri Cap did not count in that regard since they were twins, and she was only older than him by five minutes in that world. Ryoshu, on the other hand, was actually older than him by ten years, which made the dynamic feel a lot more natural to him.
Ryoshu noticed the bottle and the cup in her hand and then, without warning, pushed a cup toward him.
"Here, drink up," she said. "Drinking alone is a bit boring. Drink with me."
Ryoko accepted the cup and drank it in one gulp.
The strong alcohol immediately hit him hard enough to make him cough slightly, which caused Ryoshu to laugh in amusement.
"Only one gulp and you are already red?" she teased. "Tch, little brother, you are still too weak. It is only ninety percent alcohol."
She poured them both another cup.
With a wicked little smile, she added, "We will not stop until you get used to it or pass out."
Ryoko raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you trying to turn me into an alcoholic?"
"Tch. Your big sis drinks a lot," she replied with a teasing tone. "If you do not learn how to drink and accompany your big sis out, what happens if some random fool tries to take advantage of her?"
By now, she had already relaxed enough to fully accept that her little brother had grown up, even if the change was still strange. And if she was being honest, she liked this version of him more than the weak, nervous one she remembered before.
Seeing that she was not backing down, Ryoko let out a quiet sigh and picked up his cup again.
Ryoshu smiled back, and the two of them drank together while eating dinner.
After dinner, Ryoshu stepped out onto the balcony and rested her arms against the railing, staring out into the heavy rain pouring down from the night sky.
The apartment building's overhang kept most of the water from reaching her, leaving her standing comfortably beneath the shelter while the cool wind drifted past. The air carried the scent of wet concrete and rain-soaked asphalt from the streets below, a familiar smell that had long since lost any sharpness to her. Compared to being caught outside in the middle of a storm, standing here and simply listening to the rain was actually relaxing.
After showering and changing out of her usual clothes, Ryoshu now wore a simple white tank top with the words "No Smoking" printed across the front, paired with a loose set of blue sweatpants. The irony of the shirt had long since stopped amusing her, but she wore it anyway. She stood there quietly for a while, watching the distant city lights blur behind the curtain of rain, while the steady sound of water striking rooftops and streets below filled the silence around her.
After a moment, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a cigarette, placing it between her lips.
"You know smoking isn't good for your health."
Ryoshu paused at the familiar voice behind her.
Tilting her head back slightly, she looked over her shoulder and saw Ryoko walking toward the balcony. He stepped outside and stopped beside her, resting his arms against the railing as he looked out at the same rain-covered city below.
"It's a form of art," Ryoshu replied without missing a beat. "And it helps ease the mind."
Ryoko stared at her for a second. "I don't think that is how doctors describe cigarettes."
"Tch. Doctors do not understand art."
Without waiting for another response, Ryoshu reached into her pocket again and pulled out a second cigarette before offering it to him.
"Here."
Ryoko looked at the cigarette, then at her, then back at the cigarette again.
"Join me. It is natural for siblings to share this type of activity," she said seriously, as if she were stating an obvious fact.
"I am pretty sure that is not-"
He stopped halfway through his refusal when he saw the look on her face.
Ryoshu was staring directly at him with an unusually serious expression, as though this were somehow an important family tradition that absolutely needed to be upheld.
After a few seconds of silence, Ryoko let out a small sigh.
"I do not think that is how siblings usually bond either."
"Your argument is invalid."
"...Fine."
Deciding it was not worth arguing over, he accepted the cigarette and placed it between his lips.
Immediately afterward, Ryoshu pulled out a lighter.
Rather than lighting her own cigarette first, she stepped a little closer and leaned forward until the tips of their cigarettes touched. Then she flicked the lighter open.
A small flame appeared.
The ends of both cigarettes glowed orange as the fire spread through the tobacco. A moment later, Ryoshu snapped the lighter shut and slipped it away again.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
They simply stood side by side on the balcony, listening to the rain and watching the city beyond the storm.
Ryoko took an experimental puff, only for the smoke to hit his throat and make him cough a few times.
Ryoshu glanced sideways at him, a faint smirk appearing on her face. "Weak."
"I have literally never smoked before," he said before trying again, still a little stiff but continuing anyway.
"You will get used to it," she replied, taking another drag before slowly releasing the smoke from her mouth.
Despite her dismissive tone, the corner of her mouth twitched upward slightly.
The two of them remained there a while longer, sharing the quiet atmosphere beneath the shelter of the balcony. As another cool breeze drifted across them, Ryoshu took another drag from her cigarette and glanced toward him from the corner of her eye.
Neither of them said anything as they simply stood together, sharing a smoke while the rain continued to fall across the city below.