Hm~ He sure is working hard~
Never would I have ever thought I'd seen that super playboy Keith breaking this much sweat.
Though... Lu-nii, you sure are not showing any mercy. Even I kinda feel bad for watching him got beaten up that much...
"Oh my~ That boy is surprisingly working hard~ It is quite different from the impression I have of him at first~"
"A-Ahahaha... Lu-nii isn't giving him a break, though... Eh? Impression? Do you know about Keith-sama, mom?"
"Of course~ He's famous amongst the young ladies, you know~?"
Mom smiled helplessly.
Ahhh... Right, of course. He's a playboy after all. Even when he first met me, he immediately tried to seduce me. Well, his skills were bad compared to mine, I wonder how he could woo that many young ladies...
"Ufufufu~ It seems that he's trying to impress someone~?"
"Impress someone...? Ahhh, I see. He must be aiming to get Lu-nii's approval huh...?"
From the shounen mangas I've read in the past, there have been characters who'd try to prove themselves to their close friends/rivals so they could be equal and become true friends.
Honestly, I don't really understand why, though...? I mean, Valerie-chan is stronger than me in magic, but I don't feel any kind of desire to fight and defeat her. I'm just trying my best to improve myself, and then one day show her that I've become as powerful as her!
Valerie-chan, being the humble cinnamon roll that she is, told me that I'm stronger than her and that she's trying her best to improve as well. Now, we're both encouraging each other so that we can become stronger together, not fighting against each other!
Hah... Boys are so weird, aren't they? I really don't get them...
"Oh my~ It seems you're still too young to understand, huh...?"
"Hm? Pardon me. Did you say something, mom?"
"Ufufufu~ It was nothing, dear~"
"...Okay?"
I turned my attention back to Lu-nii and Keith's spar as Kiara nuzzled into my embrace, sitting comfortably on my lap, while Fubuki-chan snuggled around my legs.
"Lu-nii is really strong... It'll be hard to win against him with just my spear."
"...Risa-chan, I am happy that you are growing into a strong young lady capable of defending yourself. But you shouldn't immerse yourself too much in battle, okay?"
"Ah..."
A-Aahhhh... S-She's right. My training with Roland-sama and Lawliela-sama had been everything going through my mind, aside from my shampoo and conditioner making, that I began to think like that.
...I only wanted to train in these so I could protect myself in case I had to face one of Alterisa's bad ends in the otome game at first, but it seems it had gotten a little bit too far. I should probably dial it back and only do it during my training sessions.
"I-I'm sorry, mom. I promise I will limit such thoughts to only during my training."
"Mm. It isn't like mommy doesn't like you becoming stronger, but if you keep thinking like that, you may become involved in those kinds of fields. I don't want my little baby angel to be in any danger."
"Uhn... I'm reflecting."
She's right. I should just limit this to being a hobby. After all, I don't plan on entering the military or become a royal court magician. I'm only aiming to live a wonderful life together with my friends and family and avoid all bad ends and flags!
"Nee-cha! Aaaahhhn~!"
Ah, Kiara~ What an angel~ She looks so cute when she's trying to feed me a macaron~
"Kiara~ Thank you~ Aaauum~"
"Derishious?"
"Uhn~ It's so delicious~ Especially since Kiara fed it to me~"
I hugged her tighter and rubbed my cheeks with her.
"Ehehehe~ Nee-cha, it tickles~"
"Alterisa-sama, here is your tea."
"Ah, thank you, Maria-chan~"
"Hehe~ You are very welcome. Kiara-sama as well. Please enjoy the tea."
"Yesh! Thank you, Maria-chan!"
Ahh~~ Now this is bliss~ Being surrounded by these cute girls is heaven itself!
*Bam*
"Ow!"
Oh? What happened?
"O-Ow... You really didn't hold back at all did you..."
"How do you think I was going to react if you suddenly rushed to tackle me?"
"You could've done anything but make me trip and fall! Kuh... I-It really hurts. Ah, it's bleeding..."
"Stop being a baby. It's just a scratch."
Eh? Did Lu-nii just trip Keith?
Seriously, what are you doing, Lu-nii? Even if he's like that, he's still the son of a duke, you know?
Hah...
"Oh~? Did Lucas do something?"
"He seemed to have tripped Keith-sama..."
"Oh my~ Ufufufu~ It seems he became too excited and went a little too far."
"U-Uhn... Lu-nii does tend to become too serious during training. But since it was usually against me, Alex, and Luke-sama, it was never too much of a problem..."
In the past, when he goes too far when he's sparing against me, I'd just splash his entire body with freezing cold water and snap him out of it. It works everytime~
"Risa!"
Lu-nii yelled my name and waved his hand at me.
"Hah... Please excuse me for a moment, mom."
"Ufufufu~ Okay~ Go ahead and treat your brother's friend."
"Yes. Kiara, I'll go first, okay~?"
"U-Uhn..."
"Good girl."
I stroke her beautiful hair for a moment before standing up and place her on my chair.
"Maria-chan, please take care of Kiara for a while."
"I understand, Alterisa-sama. Please leave it to me."
I approached Lu-nii and Keith, who was sitting on the ground and holding onto his scratched knee.
"A-Ah- L-Lady A-Alterisa...?"
I smiled softly and nodded before kneeling before him to inspect the wound closer.
I let out a sigh and glared at Lu-nii.
"You went too far again, Lu-nii."
"It wasn't my fault, this time. He rushed at me and I reacted."
"Hah... I understand. But remember, you're not fighting against his highness or Raeven-sama."
"I know. Now, can you please help him?"
"Of course."
I turned to Keith, who was staring at me in a daze, and smiled before closing my eyes.
With my hand raised towards him, a soft undulating blue light appeared. A clear, shimmering ball of water that was conjured from my hands began to envelop his wounds and immediately healed the scratches and cleaned it.
"You are fine, now. Next time, please do not be so rash as to rush towards a stronger opponent."
"...Yes."
Hm? Is he still in shock? Well, don't be too down~ You'll get him next time.
...Maybe. In terms of sword skills, you are below Lu-nii even back in the game, but if you stop flirting with girls and do your best with your training, I'm sure you can at least be on par with him~
"Then, I will excuse myself now. Please feel free to resume your training."
"Y-Yes! T-Thank you very much, L-Lady Alterisa..."
"Yes. Then, please excuse me."
I rose to my feet, dust my dress, and returned back to my paradise.
Honestly, I should ask Lu-nii for compensation later on for interrupting my blissful time with my sister, cute little maid, and dearest mom~
--------------------------------X--------------------------------
[Third Person POV]
Keith stared at the figure platinum-haired angel as she receded into the distance. The happiness, excitement, embarrassment, and nervousness that he felt in his heart didn't fade even as she walked away.
He could feel the heat on his cheeks and hear the loud thumping of his heart. She was truly the most beautiful and mesmerizing young lady he had ever seen...
"...Alright, you've been staring at her for too long."
"H-Huh?!"
A high-pitched yelp of surprise escaped his mouth as he turned around towards Lucas.
"Hah... Your face is so red, I don't know if its from our training or because of her."
"W-W-What are you talking about!"
A little sigh escaped Lucas and he shook his head tiredly as Keith averted his face away.
His little sister... Even without her noticing, she had captured the heart of yet another man.
Just how many suitors are you trying to get, little sister? You're even making girls fall in love with you...
If Alex or any of her "friends" knew about this, it might be impossible to stop a carnage from happening.
After all, not only had she seduced the boys, she had also made the girls fall in love with her, including Maria, Iris, and Vincent!
It may not be obvious to them since they're still young, nor to Alterisa because she's Alterisa, but Lucas and Lily had noticed how much Evelyn, Celine, Illya, Noir, and Valerie love her. They clearly had feelings for her that go beyond regular friendship.
I would've understood it more if Alex is the one attracting all these girls. But it's his fiance, my sister instead!
Now that he truly contemplated the situation, Lucas could feel a headache coming to him.
Things would be fine for now. But in the future... Would he need to take care of the repercussion of the harem his little sister unintentionally made?!
...No, considering who the members of her harem is, I don't think there'll be any problem.
With the crown prince, children of the royal guard commander, daughter and apprentice of the head royal court magicians, and children of prominent noble families, perhaps there won't be anyone who'd dare criticize them.
...Well, let's see the situation in the future. I'll just watch over her.
He let out a sigh and helped Keith stand back up to his feet.
"Let's continue our training."
"A-Alright!"
AN: I hope you guys enjoy this chapter~! Please vote and comment your thoughts~!