Unlocking the door and stepping into the genkan, Aragaki Miyahito instinctively called out into the apartment.
"I'm home."
Swapping into slippers, he stepped up from the entryway's dirt-catching ledge and walked down the hall to the living room, casually dropping his newly bought guitar case onto the sofa.
Only now, back at home, did the fatigue finally hit him. Miyahito let himself flop onto the cushions.
Instantly, an incredibly soothing softness enveloped his tired body.
"Phew... nothing beats home."
For some reason, despite only walking around and visiting a couple of shops, he felt completely drained.
Ah, I'm done for. I'm turning into a total couch potato.
In a matter of moments, as if every bone had been extracted from his body, his posture grew increasingly slouched.
Just seconds ago, he could still sit upright on the sofa, spine perfectly straight. But now...
"Can't move a single finger... Save me, Ayase!"
They say you shouldn't tempt fate by calling someone's name out of nowhere. Case in point: the moment Miyahito called out for his sister, his phone rang with the caller ID "Little Sister."
"Struggling" to move his boneless form across the sofa, Miyahito wriggled like a caterpillar from one end to the other.
Summoning every ounce of his remaining strength, he laboriously reached out a slightly trembling arm toward the phone resting on the armrest.
After about ten seconds of frantic wiggling, he managed to swipe accept just a second before it auto-disconnected.
"Hello, Ayase."
"Big Brother!"
Hearing her still energetic, sweet voice through the line, the already "useless lump" that was Miyahito couldn't help but smile with utter doting affection. And somehow, that made him even more useless.
Ah, you're hopeless.
"Big Brother, what are you doing right now?"
"Me?" Rolling over to lie flat on his back, Miyahito slowly closed his eyes and replied in a deeply affectionate tone. "Just thinking about you, Ayase."
"Mou! Big Brother, you're lying to me again!"
Even through the phone, just from her tone, Miyahito could vividly picture her: pouting, a mix of happiness and mild annoyance on her face.
"Of course not." The fond smile on his lips deepened as he rolled onto his side again. Letting his arm dangle off the sofa, he asked, "What about you, Ayase? Is there something you want to talk to me about?"
".....Um, there's something." Hearing her pause for a few seconds, Miyahito instinctively perked up a little.
"Yeah? What is it? Good news or bad?"
"Eh." Hearing his suddenly serious tone, Ayase—who was lying on her stomach on her bed, kicking her feet in the air—paused, then quickly clarified.
"It's not what you're thinking, Big Brother!"
"I just wanted to consult you about something."
Her answer instantly put Miyahito at ease. In fact, he completely scrapped his plan to catch the earliest train back to Chiba tomorrow.
"Oh? Is my adorable little sister finally keeping secrets? Want to chat with Big Brother about it?"
"Mhm, very good, that's very good, Ayase."
"Mou! Big Brother!" Blushing at her older brother's lifelong habit of teasing her, Ayase huffed playfully. She tried to sound serious. "Big Brother! If you keep teasing me, I'm really going to get mad!"
"Alright, alright." Rolling over again on the sofa, Miyahito played along. "So, what did you want to discuss with me?"
"Um, well..." After organizing her thoughts and taking a deep breath, Ayase spoke, her tone decisive but laced with a hint of nervous hesitation. "Big Brother, I... I... want to be a magazine model."
"Hmm, that sounds great."
"Eh?"
Eyes closed, bracing for judgment like a defendant in court, Ayase's mind went completely blank at his response. When it finally registered, still struggling to believe her ears, she clutched the phone with both hands and asked quietly, "Big Brother... you're not against it?"
"Against what?" Amused by her cautious attitude, Miyahito sat up, his tone light but sincere. "Why would you think I'd be against it, Ayase?"
"Because... it's modeling, you know! You'd be taking photos for magazines!"
"So, what kind of magazine? Fashion? Or something else?"
"No, no, just a regular fashion magazine."
As she spoke, Ayase hopped off her bed, walked over to her bookshelf, grabbed a magazine, and read the title to her brother over the phone. "It's a popular fashion magazine called MORE."
Not only did she give him the magazine's name, but she also briefly explained how she'd been scouted earlier that day and invited to model for them.
"Ah, that magazine's fine." After quickly running through his memory and confirming MORE was a legitimate fashion magazine, Miyahito smiled. "Looks like my little angel is gonna start making money too. Big Brother is so proud."
"Mou! Stop making fun of me!" Face flushed with embarrassment, Ayase threw herself back onto her bed, burying her face in the blanket as she mumbled, her voice slightly muffled.
"But, Big Brother... I'm scared to tell Mom and Dad about this."
"Why? Afraid they'll get mad?"
"Yeah."
Nodding glumly, Ayase sounded a bit downcast. "Mom and Dad probably won't approve of me modeling."
"I wouldn't be so sure, Ayase." Recalling his parents' legendary soft spot for their daughter, Miyahito replied with a mix of exasperation and agreement. "Honestly, I think Mom and Dad will absolutely support your decision."
After all, his little angel Ayase was just that adorable. Forget modeling—if she asked for the stars, the Aragaki parents and Miyahito would somehow find a way to get them for her.
Hearing his certainty slowly settled Ayase's wavering heart.
"Then... should I talk to them about it?"
"Yeah, go ahead and tell them." Slowly sitting up straight and stretching, Miyahito encouraged her. "Mom and Dad will definitely say yes."
"Mhm! I'll go tell them then, Big Brother."
"Go on, go on."
"Okay, bye-bye!"
"Bye."
Beep... beep...
Looking at the ended call screen on his phone, Miyahito chuckled. "Mou, still as impatient as ever, Ayase."
But.
Since his sister wanted to model... well, he'd better find her a manager himself.
With that in mind, he tapped a few times on his screen, found his own agent's contact, and dialed.
After a few rings.
"Hey, Maki-nee."
"Yeah, I need a small favor."
"Nothing major. My little angel called today and said she wants to be a magazine model."
"Exactly! I figured, instead of letting my parents pick someone, I'd rather handle it myself."
"What? It's not that I don't trust them. You know how they are. I definitely don't want to saddle my sister with some overly strict, no-nonsense manager."
"Yeah, yeah, I'll leave it to you then. Maki-nee is the best!"
30 Power Stone = Bonus Chapter
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