Antagonist Protection Service-Chapter 88: Home

Originally, it might've taken a while to pack what I needed.

Even if I was only going home for a week, I had a tendency to overpack on things like clothes and other stuff, whether I thought I would need it or not. Fortunately, there was no need to worry about that this time.

Other than the clothes on my back, I carried no further luggage.

Before me was a simple two-storey house that could only be described as ordinary. Needless to say, it was my family home, one three-hour train journey away from university.

To be honest I thought it was absurd, as taking a car would cut that time in half, and yet the train was not only slower because there was no direct route home, but also exorbitantly priced. Anyway, having taken that into consideration, I made sure to leave early enough that I arrived here at noon.

Taking a singular suitcase out of the Storage and plopping it on the ground―only then did I reach out and ring the doorbell just once.

'It can even be used like this, just for convenience. So nice.'

Roughly thirty seconds later, the front door opened, revealing a fatigued-looking woman.

Her eyes bore the same shade of emerald as my own, just with prominent dark circles underlining them, and with messy balayage hair that indicated just how recently she must have woken up, I was sure she must have been irritated at the disturbance.

No, as it was, my ringing the doorbell had undoubtedly woken her up, so she really must be peeved.

Such a possibility was also indicated by the black short shorts and white tank top she wore―a, to be blunt, skimpy outfit that, if I wasn't mistaken, I had witnessed the woman sport for multiple weeks in a row on frequent occasions.

It must then be true that this time was the same, and I held absolutely zero doubt in that. Only, this time, she appeared to have also donned a zip-up fleece due to the winter climate.

'How lazy. Aren't her legs cold like that?'

After all, this individual―

"Enki...? God, you didn't tell me you were arriving this early..."

―Really was my sister, Inanna Valentine.

Not bothering to stifle the fat yawn exiting that lousy mouth, she stepped back, opening the door for me to enter while roughly scratching her head with her free hand.

Watching her, who appeared just the same as she was some months ago, I sighed.

"This is probably the first time you've gotten out of bed this early since the start of the year, right? Sorry."

Saying so without a hint of genuine apology, I casually walked in and set my luggage by the staircase, upon which she closed the door behind me.

"Ey, watch it. Why's the first thing outta your mouth gotta be so rude when you're coming home for the first time in ages? Anyway, you're one to talk; isn't it you who couldn't shut up about being 'nocturnal' all the time, you vampire? Just look how bloody pale you... huh...?"

Watching her expression crumble into a silent, distorted frown as her words trailed off into nothingness, staring at my face as if something was wrong, I couldn't help but give a smirk.

"What was that? Something about a vampire?"

"...Heh? What the hell happened to you then?"

Faced with her burning curiosity, I shrugged.

"They call me a changed man."

"Get outta here. You're not Enki, who are you? What did you do with my brother?"

"I'll be unpacking my things..."

"Ah! Don't just walk away from me! Hey! I'm talking to you, little bastard!"

Picking back up the bag I just placed down, I hurriedly fled up the stairs, escaping the eldest's tyrannical roars that resounded throughout the house.

Thereafter, opening the door to the room that used to be my own, it was as if a faint wave of nostalgia washed over me.

"..."

Standing at the entrance of this bedroom, which was only small, I felt a bizarre sense of solace.

Taking a step, I stood in the quiet centre of the room, my eyes scanning over everything around me.

As if something that was previously missing was now filled in, relief washed over my still-frozen heart, and a sort of comfort I didn't even realise I was quietly craving coursed through me.

The last time I was home was just before I stumbled across that magical critter, so probably about four-and-a-half, or almost five months ago by this point. The calculation was complicated due to all the time distortion I had experienced since then, but that was roughly it.

I always saw myself as a rather independent person, but still, being here like this...

Behind me, a voice suddenly echoed.

"Enki, I'm making coffee, you want something? ...Oi. What're you standing around for? You hit your head or something?"

Swivelling my head around, I spotted Ina's head poking out from behind the banister on the stairs.

"Ah, I'm alright..."

"Okie dokie. Hurry up and come downstairs when you're done."

Like that, she vanished. Gazing at the empty spot she disappeared down the stairs, I received a certain feeling, and as if to symbolise that, the curling up of my lips was so faint that I didn't even realise it.

Somewhat overwhelming, somewhat peaceful, somewhat peculiar.

It was only small, but nevertheless, it was powerful.

A feeling of having returned home.

❖─────☆☆☆☆☆─────❖

With a family gathering of just two people, I took my seat across from Ina in the living room.

"So, is it just you home at the moment?"

Ina, who sipped her coffee on the sofa with the crumpled posture of a gremlin, lightly shrugged at my query.

"Everyone's out. I don't think anyone expected you home so soon either since they're out, and Gil's still at school."

In other words, it really was just this social terrorist who had all the house to herself.

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"I see. Meanwhile, you were in bed."

"Ahh, snoozing real nice until you came barging in, that's right. But it's okay because I work from home."

Hearing her say that as she donned a smug smile, I glanced down at her "outfit".

"Right. And is that your work uniform?"

"Hey! Don't pretend as if anything's changed just because you got somewhat of a life since you were last home. If need be, I'll drag you back down to the depths of depravity with me, where we belong."

All of a sudden, she said something sinister with a snarl. Instinctively, I frowned.

"Why would you do that?"

"Because! You're not allowed to have good things when your lonely big sister is sitting here all tied up and wrung dry from overwork. Do you know how cruel that is? You should feel ashamed, actually."

'What? Me?'

"Don't complain about work when you haven't left the house in weeks."

"Excuse me. Have you been here for weeks? I don't think so."

"No, unlike you, I've been out doing stuff. Look in the mirror. Also, there's a stain on those shorts; it's in the same spot I remember from like five months ag--"

Just as I was about to expose her for what she truly was, I was interrupted.

"Ah ah ah! Why―are you acting like this now when you were the same as me before?! Huh! This is unforgivable betrayal. Just 'cause you started working out a bit and taking care of yourself, you think you're so much better than me? Wrong. I will bring you back to the dark side."

How selfish, but more than that, shamelessly ill-mannered.

Honestly, she wasn't always like this, but certainly in the last five years or so she's really begun to reek, both literally and metaphorically, of overt incivility.

That is to say, she became a pig. And even more of a degenerate than me.

Now that I think about it, was that where I inherited such behaviour from...?

"Don't worry, I'm sure there are plenty of weird guys who would want to look after a smelly girl like you. You have personality where it matters, so as long as you shut your mouth, you'll be fine."

"Of course. Two big personalities, in fact. It's just a little troubling because no one seems to take any notice of me despite that."

"You don't go outside."

"Irrelevant. Valuable women like me don't need to go outside."

'Uh-huh...'

Taking another drawn-out sip of her coffee mug, she finally dropped the act and moved on with an actual topic.

"Seriously though, what's with you? Did you actually get a girlfriend or what?"

"That's funny."

I averted my gaze at her question. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed her head tilt subtly.