Rumors — Big Brother and Uncle.

Since we found Arc at the academy and rescued him, the Spirit World had been in a constant uproar, all without so much as a by-your-leave from the man himself.

Me included — Arc hasn’t even been allowed out of his room yet, still recovering.

I suppose I’ve been overwhelmed by all the events, and ended up with a fever; Arc’s been resting in a separate room, same as me.

Arc, who’s been in charge of the flow of magical essence for nearly three centuries and had been missing all that time, was apparently on the verge of needing the Spirit World to quietly begin creating new spirits, if things kept going like this.

Monster Tempests, which happen roughly every two hundred years, affect not just humans, but the spirits bound to them as well.

The spirits had been discussing measures to prepare, even involving my father — but when the dust settled, it turned out to be yet another mess caused by humans. The spirits were furious.

But now I’d forgotten all that, just rejoicing in Ark’s safety, making a cheerful fuss over it.

***

After being rescued, I collapsed straight into bed and spent my days lying there, bored out of my mind while Father tended to me.

Occasionally, other spirits would peek in, asking how I was doing.

And when I’d clearly be happy about it, Father would pout, which was oddly stressful.

Then one day, Licht—the spirit of light—showed up.

“Elen, how are you feeling?”

Licht gently stroked my head, concerned.

“I was shocked to hear you saved Ark. You’re still so little… thank you for saving my brother.”

I smiled back, feeling warm inside—just a little too happy, maybe—and replied with a grin, “You’re welcome.”

My father had been there until then, but he kissed the top of my head and slipped out of the room, saying he’d been called away by another spirit.

We watched him go. Then suddenly, Richt turned back toward me, his expression suddenly serious.

"...Brother?"

"Ah... Elen, uh... about my brother..."

Richt’s voice trailed off. I blinked, tilting my head in confusion, then cleared his throat and pressed on.

"...Is it true your brother proposed to you?"

"Guh...!! Hah-hah-ha—!"

I nearly laughed out loud, but choked instead, and Richt frantically patted my back.

"Of course not!! Arku-sama is Arku-sama! We’re siblings!"

"Wait—what?"

"You can’t marry your own sibling!"

He said it flatly. After a moment of stunned silence, he mumbled, voice shaky, "...So... that’s how it is..."

"Brother?"

I was staring at Richt, lost in thought, when I noticed the door behind him slowly creaking open.

Who could it be? I glanced over, and there, poking his face through the crack, was Ark. I blinked, startled—my eyes went wide. But Richt didn’t notice.

“Ah… um, Elen. It’s about your brother…”

“Huh?!”

Richt still hadn’t realized what was behind him.

Ark spotted me and instantly lit up, waving his hand cheerfully.

But Richt just kept talking, oblivious.

“It’s your brother—he’s been sneaking out of his room and wandering around. I thought he might be here, but guess I was overreacting. Good thing. If he starts causing trouble, don’t hold back—just squash him.”

Richt, with this look of relief on his face, casually suggests it—so I hesitate, trying to find the words.

“What’s wrong?”

Richt tilts his head. I point, muttering, “Ah…,” and instantly, Richt turns, then shouts.

“Brother!?!”

“Elen! Found her!”

Arc lands lightly beside my bed, and both Raffilia and I just stare, stunned.

Before he can reach for me, Richt scrambles in front of me, shoving Arc back.

“Brother! Stop getting near Elen!! Lovell will kill you!!”

“Hmph.”

Arc frowns, eyebrows knitting in annoyance. I’m shocked—Arc was supposed to be recovering, not wandering around freely. I blurt out, “Oh, brother… is Arc really okay now?”

“Onii-chan?”

“Ni-sama?”

Arc and Richt speak at the same time.

I blink, then ask them both again.

For some reason, I’d been calling Richt “onii-chan” and Arc “ni-sama.”

Huh. Why exactly? I tilt my head, not even sure myself. Maybe it started when I was little and blurted out “onii-chan” to Richt without thinking—but the memory’s fuzzy.

Anyway, Arc points at himself and says, “Onii-chan. Onii-chan.”

“…Arc, onii-chan?”

I blink back, and Arc beams, delighted.

Watching this, Richt pipes up, “Ni-sama! Ni-sama!”

“…………Richt, ni-sama…?”

I squint, half-amused, half-stunned at their enthusiasm.

Is it really that big a deal just because we’re using different honorifics? I frown, a little annoyed.

"Never mind that! Brother, you're sneaking out again!! Reuben and Crelain were looking for you!!"

"Ugh... cheating, Richte, only you, Elen, aah..."

I pout, annoyed, as Ark whines about wanting to see me too, and Richte snaps at him.

The two of them bicker back and forth, their conversation as mismatched as a pair of broken gears, and I instinctively cover my ears—too loud, too much—when suddenly, a freezing wave erupts from the door.

We three blink in horror, eyes darting toward the source, and there, standing in the frame, is Father—his face twisted into a wrathful demon’s visage.

"Kiiii-sa-maaaaa……!!"

The moment Richte and Ark lock eyes, they vanish in a blink—both gone.

Watching them disappear right in front of me, I blink rapidly. The silence that follows is so sudden, so absurd, I can’t help it—I burst out laughing.

"Elen!? Are you alright!? Did you get hurt!?"

Father rushes to my face, eyes wide with panic, but I just keep laughing, unable to stop.

“W-what’s wrong with you, Elen?”

“Arc and the others… they really are brothers, aren’t they?”

I giggled, barely able to stop, watching how perfectly in sync their movements were. Father glanced away, sighing, “That’s just how they are…”

Later, Rihit suggested with a smile, “I’d be happy if you called me ‘nii-sama’ too.”

“Elen calls Mother ‘kā-sama,’ right? So it feels more like family… that’s nice.”

I nodded. True enough. I could feel it. Rihit lit up, delighted.

I pretended not to notice the faintly disappointed look he gave Arc when I kept calling him ‘nii-sama’ as usual.

After that, Arc seemed to have found his rhythm—appearing now and then among the other visitors, only to be shooed off by Father again and again.