V1 Chapter 18: Days Without Big Sister—How I Miss Her

"Ouch! That hurts, Big Sister!" Higokumaru clutched her head, tears welling in her large eyes as she gazed tearfully at Yae Sakura.

"I told you not to call me Big Sister! If you do it again, I'll cook you up and make roasted fox!"

"Roasted... fox? Big Sister, I'm sorry! Please don't turn me into roasted fox! Fox meat doesn't even taste good!" Higokumaru wailed and threw her arms around Yae Sakura's leg.

"You're really pushing it!"

Big Sister, Big Sister... The words echoed endlessly in Yae Sakura's mind.

"Big Sister, is this really another world? Wonderful! Now I can stay by your side all the time!" Higokumaru said happily, gently releasing Yae Sakura and looking around with obvious delight.

"......" This is bad. Really bad...

Yae Sakura felt like she was going to lose her mind from being called "Big Sister" all day long.

"Big Sister, do you know how much I've missed you?" Higokumaru continued. "Ever since Schicksal opened its headquarters in the open world, you haven't returned to Yae Village once. I haven't seen you in over half a year.

Every day, I waited at the shrine, hoping you would come back. But no matter how long I waited, you never did...

I know you have Ai-chan at Schicksal headquarters to keep you company, so you're not lonely... but I can't help feeling resentful.

I miss those days when we would gather resources and complete quests together in Yae Village..."

As she spoke, tears began streaming down Higokumaru's face.

Fried tofu and grilled meat used to be Higokumaru's favorite foods, but without her Big Sister, they had lost all their flavor.

"Hey... hey! Stop crying now..."

Seeing Higokumaru's genuine tears, Yae Sakura felt utterly helpless.

It was true that Yae Sakura hadn't visited Sakura Samsara in over half a year, having been busy grinding at Schicksal Headquarters.

After all, she had nearly exhausted all the rewards from Sakura Samsara, and the rewards at Schicksal Headquarters were simply more worthwhile.

Being a game, she hadn't considered Higokumaru's feelings. She never imagined...

Still, Yae Sakura was certain this was the Higokumaru from her own account.

Wait a minute!

"Didn't we see each other all the time in the Valkyrie Dormitory?" Yae Sakura suddenly remembered. She had a Higokumaru there!

"Well... hehe..." Higokumaru scratched her head awkwardly.

"Hehe my foot! You're ruining my mood!" Yae Sakura slapped Higokumaru on the head.

"Forget it. Just come with me!"

"Yes, Big Sister!"

"......"

I'm not five hundred years old...

Even if I were, you're a Herrscher from the previous era—practically tens of thousands of years old! How dare you call me "Big Sister"?

Where's your sense of shame?

Still, since you're kinda cute... I...

I still can't accept this!

Big Sister my ass!

With Higokumaru in tow, Yae Sakura's first priority was to introduce her to Kikyō. If all went according to plan, Higokumaru would be joining them on missions from now on.

"Good afternoon, Miss Yae!" villagers greeted Yae Sakura with warm smiles as she returned to Maple Village with Higokumaru.

"Good afternoon!" Yae Sakura replied with an equally warm smile. Thanks to Kikyō's endorsement and Yae Sakura's year of actively helping the villagers with their quests, they no longer harbored any prejudice toward the half-demon.

This was understandable. The villagers held Kikyō in such profound reverence that they believed everything she said to be true, practically worshipping her as a living god.

"Big Sister is amazing! You're so well-liked in other villages too!" Higokumaru trailed behind Yae Sakura, gazing up at her with wide-eyed admiration.

"..."

"I wonder if the villagers here have any Spirit-Repelling Cannons or Soul-Absorbing Urns? It's been ages since I last got to play with those!" Higokumaru's eyes sparkled with anticipation as she scanned the villagers.

"..."

No! You're getting ahead of yourself. Not every village is like Yae Village!

Isn't the truly baffling thing Yae Village's absurdly advanced technology?

-

Finally reaching Kikyō's side, Yae Sakura immediately explained, "Kikyō-chan, this is my familiar, Flying Fish Maru... no, wait! Higokumaru!"

"A familiar? Flying Fish Maru?" Kaede, who was standing next to Kikyō, saw Higokumaru and her eyes lit up.

Fox ears and a fox tail!

How adorable!

"Are you called Flying Fish Maru? I'm Kaede! Can we be friends?" Kaede rushed over to Higokumaru, gazing at her expectantly.

"...B... Big Sister?"

Flustered, Higokumaru glanced up at Yae Sakura.

After receiving a nod from Yae Sakura, she finally turned her full attention to Kaede.

"My name is Higokumaru, not Flying Fish Maru!"

"Higokumaru? Oh, right! Higokumaru, can we be friends?"

"Hmm... Since you're asking so sincerely, I suppose I'll reluctantly agree!"

"Really?! Yay! Are you a little fox? Can I touch your ears and tail?" Kaede's eyes sparkled with anticipation.

"Absolutely not!" Higokumaru refused without hesitation.

Those areas are sensitive...

Only Big Sister is allowed to touch them.

"A familiar, huh? If she's not going to cause any trouble, then do as you please." Kikyō glanced at Higokumaru before looking away.

After a year of getting to know each other, Kikyō had come to trust Yae Sakura completely. The best proof of this was Kikyō's presence on Yae Sakura's friend list.

Currently, Yae Sakura had only three friends: Natsuki, Kikyō, and Kaede.

Aside from private messaging, Yae Sakura hadn't yet discovered any other functions of the system.