My younger sister is Sagiri

In April, the season of cherry blossoms, the gentle morning breeze mingles with the fragrant petals as I open the window wide in the living room.

Sitting quietly on the sofa is a young man with short black hair, holding the telephone in his left hand as he answers a call from a friend.

"Tetsuya, something's not right," the phone broadcasts an anxious voice.

"The restaurant we worked at earlier is being investigated by the industry and commerce departments for serving expired food. And guess what? The boss, sensing trouble, took the money and went on a trip with his sister-in-law. We won't be receiving our wages this month!"

"What about recovering it somehow?" Tetsuya calmly asks.

Hearing Tetsuya's composed response, the person on the other end of the line pauses and sighs. "There's nothing we can do. The restaurant's higher-ups have abandoned us. We're left with just the servers. We can't get involved... If you're short on money, I can help you out."

"No worries, it's just a minor setback. I'll try to find a solution. Thank you, Tomoya-san." After expressing his gratitude, Tetsuya ends the call and leans back on the sofa, wearing a perplexed expression as he gazes at the tidy living room.

"So, it's really happening," Tetsuya laments inwardly. He was just a struggling young author, someone who was barely making ends meet, and now he finds himself in this strange place after waking up from a night of intense writing. Little did he know that he would end up in this unfamiliar world, a parallel version of Earth that closely resembled his own, but not quite the same. This was not kuala Lumpur, Malaysia but a Tokyo, Japan.

In this world, his current body is also named Tetsuya. He's a typical 17-year-old Japanese student attending high school. A year ago, his father moved their family from Singapore to Japan to open a restaurant. Shortly after their arrival, his father married a beautiful woman who became his stepmother. Then tragedy struck during their honeymoon trip...

Now, Tetsuya and his younger sister, Izumi Sagiri, are the only ones left in their home, She locked herself in a room on the second floor. After the accident, Tetsuya withdrew from the outside world, becoming a recluse, refusing to attend school, and taking on the responsibility of caring for Sagiri alone.

Sagiri, his precious younger sister, is a girl with long silver-white hair that reaches her waist, watery blue eyes, delicate features, and fair, smooth skin like freshly fallen snow. However, Tetsuya hasn't seen Sagiri for a year; the image of her he holds in his memory may no longer reflect reality.

Summing up his memories, Tetsuya realizes that he has a younger sister who lives in a room, his parents are gone, and this younger sister is not even related to him by blood. Although he had always fantasized about having a cute younger sister, now he has to deal with the reality of living with a hikikomori sister who rarely leaves her room and doesn't take care of herself.

But now, faced with a looming crisis, Tetsuya must focus on their survival. His wages were supposed to sustain them for the month, but his boss ran off with the money, leaving them penniless. Tetsuya pulls out his pocket, finding only 80,000 Japanese yen left, which would last them for about half a year. Once this money was spent, they would be facing starvation.

Suddenly, a low and deep knocking sound from above interrupts Tetsuya's thoughts. Startled, he raises his voice and shouts,

"Wait, I'm coming!"

"Why do I know what the knocking means?" Tetsuya wonders, a forced smile appearing on his face. In his memory, Sagiri stays at home, and their only means of communication is through the sound of knocking on the floor. But his predecessor must have developed a talent for understanding foreign language during this time.

foreign language, at its max level!

With this extraordinary talent, Tetsuya has a good understanding of what the recent knocking meant: "I'm hungry. Why isn't the food ready?"

As he looks at his phone, Tetsuya's expression changes. He realizes that he has been lost in thought for far too long and now risks being late for his first day of school. Unbeknownst to him, he has traveled back in time to his 17-year-old self, beginning a new life in high school.

But setting aside his complaints, Tetsuya focuses on adapting to his current situation. He hurries to the kitchen, located adjacent to the living room, and is pleasantly surprised by its advanced facilities. He checks the refrigerator for food, finding eggs, cabbage, spinach, tomatoes, and other vegetables, but no meat since Sagiri doesn't like it.

Fortunately, Tetsuya cannot afford meat at the moment. He muses inwardly, grateful for his sister's preferences, as it makes it easier for him to prepare meals. Donning an apron, he begins to cook, planning to satisfy Sagiri's hunger.

Suddenly, an electronic prompt resounds in his mind: "Ding! The Fantasy Cooking System is examining the host's energetic ideas, and the corresponding system is loading."

"Ding! The Dimension Fantasy System is open, and as the host is opening the system for the first time, the initial required talent is provided for free."

"The Fantasy Cooking System talent opening is loading, Yes, Yes."

"The Fantasy Cooking System is installing."

"Host confirmation."

"Installation complete."

____________________________________________________________

'System? Dimension Fantasy Cooking System? Is it real or fake?' Hearing the sudden prompt sound, Tetsuya is slightly taken aback, but as an author and someone who has experienced the benefits of crossing over, he quickly calms down and becomes filled with curiosity.

Host: Tetsuya

Age: 17

Occupation: Student

Synthesized Strength Rating: First-order [Approaching the level of a normal adult]

Two-dimensional fantasy talents:

Cooking System [Level 1]

Light novel talent [Level 1] - Brings initial abilities.

[Not opened]

[Not opened]

[Not opened]...

Special Ability: [Not opened] - Will open after activating five talents.

Store System: [Not opened] - Can be opened using fantasy points.

Fantasy Point(s): 0

Current primary mission: [Prepare food for cute younger sister Sagiri!]

Introduction: This system is designed to enhance the daily life of a versatile male lead in the two-dimensional world. By using sufficient fantasy points, various skills can be obtained in the commercial city of the two-dimensional world. We wish you to become the strongest male lead in the two-dimensional world.

'Haha, a system that trains a versatile male lead in the two-dimensional world. It's perfect for me!' Tetsuya looks at the panel in his mind and realizes that it's a simple interface. Although he can generally see his current abilities, fantasy talents, and the commercial city where special abilities can be obtained, the parts that haven't been opened yet leave Tetsuya with many doubts. As he continues to read the mission below, his mouth twitches involuntarily.

'Prepare food? I'm making breakfast for Sagiri. How does it turn into throwing food?'

Is this System being serious? Is it not just a rare and beautiful flower compared to other Systems?

But what exactly does throwing food mean?

'Right, there seems to be a new gift parcel!' At this moment, Tetsuya remembers the gift parcel given by the System. He explores the backpack of the System and discovers the Novice Gift. His spirit trembles upon seeing it and he shouts in his mind, 'Open the Novice Gift!'

After finishing his words, the Novice Gift in his backpack emits a clear opening sound, and several golden rays of light fall into the System space.

"Congratulations, host! You have obtained the Primary Cooking Skill: Chinese-style noodle-making secret system plain noodles manufacturing method."

"Congratulations, host! You have obtained 1 Synthesized Strength Intensifying Pill!"

"Fantasy Point(s) x1."

Cooking Skill secret system plain noodles: After studying this, you will become skilled in making this type of noodles. Synthesized Strength Intensifying Pill: After use, it provides an opportunity to strengthen your physical strength.

"Use!" Tetsuya feels a surge of happiness in his heart. These two items are extremely helpful to him. His current Cooking Skill is at Level 1, already surpassing his previous cooking abilities. By using the acquired Cooking Skill, he can at least prepare a delicious meal. As for the Synthesized Strength Intensifying Pill, it brings his physical strength close to that of a normal adult. If used, it should surpass the physical capabilities of an adult.

Both items disappear from Tetsuya's backpack space. The memory of how to make plain noodles floods into his mind, bringing him an extremely comfortable and familiar feeling throughout his body.

"Congratulations, host! Synthesized Strength has evolved: Second-order [Surpasses the level of a normal adult]!"

Upon hearing the System prompt, Tetsuya instinctively clenches his fist, creating a whistling sound as it cuts through the air. Even someone standing at a distance can feel the strength emanating from it.

Feeling the immense power within his body, Tetsuya's heart fills with wild joy. He senses that his current strength is approximately one level higher than before, and he also feels that his speed and physical abilities have improved. 'In this case, even an ordinary adult wouldn't be able to defeat me!'

Full of joy, Tetsuya realizes that this Synthesized Strength pill is truly a good item. If he can obtain more of them in the future, how invincible will he become after eating them? However, Tetsuya isn't anxious for another Synthesized Strength pill at the moment. With the System on his side, he knows that he will have plenty of opportunities to acquire items in the future, starting with the Novice Gift.

As for the remaining Fantasy Points, Tetsuya decides to temporarily put aside the Store System and focus on preparing a meal for Sagiri. He recalls the memories of making Chinese-style good food, and with his present skills, he can only make plain noodles. Noodles are one of the most common traditional Chinese dishes, well-established and renowned worldwide. Plain noodles, also known as consomme noodles or consomme refacing, have a clear and light taste...

Feeling satisfied with his thoughts, Tetsuya realizes that plain noodles are the perfect dish for Sagiri. In his memory, Sagiri prefers light flavors and dislikes greasy or meaty food. If he makes plain noodles, with Sagiri's preference for light tastes, she will definitely enjoy it.

With this in mind, Tetsuya quickly mixes bread flour and water together, combining them into a dough. He recalls various techniques in his mind, enabling him to skillfully pull and stretch the dough, making the noodles thin and resilient. Although his ramen-making skills may not be exquisite yet, with careful attention, he can achieve the level of expertise that specialized chefs possess. Soon, a bunch of thin and resilient noodles appears on the cutting board.

Having completed this step, Tetsuya finds a box of concentrated soup stock in the refrigerator and pours it into a pot. The rich aroma immediately fills the air. Then, he takes the washed spinach, small rapeseed greens, and other green vegetables and fries them in the pot to enhance the aroma. He adds water to adjust the consistency of the broth. Meanwhile, the water in another pot boils, and Tetsuya places the noodles in it. After boiling, he retrieves the cooked noodles and places them in two large bowls. He then adds the thick soup and green vegetables to both bowls, completing two servings of plain noodles.

As Tetsuya brings the two bowls of plain noodles to the living room table, a rich and savory aroma quickly fills the entire room.

"So fragrant!" Tetsuya can't help but salivate at the enticing aroma.

At that moment, a prompt sound from the System resonates in Tetsuya's mind:

[Plain noodles: Rating - 60 points! Host must continue to work hard. At the moment, the food you make can barely satisfy your younger sister's appetite. It's not enough to make her fall in love with your cooking.]

Upon hearing the System's assessment, Tetsuya wipes the sweat off his forehead. This time, the plain noodles he made should be the best he's ever made, both in appearance and flavor. Yet, the System only gave it a rating of 60 points.

What is the key to winning over his younger sister's taste buds? He didn't prepare food for any other younger sisters at the moment.

Tetsuya feels speechless but also understands that he should take the System's evaluation seriously. Making delicious food requires both skill and cooking expertise, and his Level 1 cooking skill naturally falls short of the System's expectations. Additionally, the ingredients in his possession, such as the soup stock, seasoning, and green vegetables, cannot compare to the specialized ingredients used by professional chefs. Therefore, a rating of 60 points seems quite reasonable.

Although it's only 60 points, Tetsuya still holds high hopes. As long as Sagiri enjoys it, his first mission will be accomplished, and he can continue to improve his cooking skills.

"Thump thump~"

As Tetsuya ponders, he hears a low knocking sound coming from within the building. It appears that Sagiri is growing increasingly hungry.

"Coming!" Tetsuya shouts and quickly takes out a dinner plate from the kitchen. He walks upstairs and opens the door to Sagiri's room, making sure not to hit the door with the dinner plate. He knocks on the door and says, "Sagiri, I'm about to go to school. I'll leave the meal outside your door."

After waiting for a while, there is still no response.

Tetsuya shakes his head helplessly. Sagiri doesn't want to come out, and he cannot just barge into her room. It wouldn't be polite. He will have to wait for another opportunity to have a chat with Sagiri.

Thinking this, Tetsuya returns to the table and quickly finishes the noodles. After finishing, he can't help but lick his lips. Although it's his first attempt at cooking, the System's memory provided a delicious meal. Tetsuya is quite satisfied with the flavors of the dish.

Once he's finished, Tetsuya prepares to leave. However, his attention is suddenly drawn to a newspaper on the living room table.

"Metro International: There have been reports of people behaving strangely in Akihabara, removing their clothes. Please be cautious when going out."

Upon reading this news, Tetsuya can't help but tremble. He never expected such bizarre behavior to occur in Akihabara. Society seems to be deteriorating day by day.

With this in mind, Tetsuya quickly places the newspaper in his backpack, carefully checks upstairs and downstairs, and locks the door before leaving home. He understands that his sister Sagiri is someone others find cute, so it's important to lock the gate when leaving. Otherwise, it wouldn't be good if those people with the strange behavior targeted his sister.