Chapter 48: Are you sure we can’t?

After discovering that Salem had awakened a quirk, Kai spent the rest of the day experimenting with the size-variable cat in the gym. He concluded that the quirk was quite intriguing, as Salem's strength only increased with his size but didn't decrease when he shrank. This meant that the cat, even at his smallest size, was just as strong as he was at his normal size.

In his largest form, Salem's strength matched Kai's base strength, which was measured in tens of tons. This made the cat quite terrifying, especially considering that even at five meters tall, he was incredibly agile and fast.

"Sage, create a slot in the schedule to study yoga, chakras, and similar things more thoroughly. They might hold more surprises for us. Furthermore, don't forget to check tonight if my unconscious state affects you now. Ah, and also remind me to create an Accomplice for Salem."

In the middle of the gym, Kai commented as he removed the weights from his wrists and ankles. Even though his house was sturdy enough to support him moving around, it would be a hassle to find a bed capable of holding that weight. Not to mention the potential for an unnecessary accident, as one of those weights could easily kill a person.

"Understood, Master. Everything is set. I also took the liberty of searching online and in the library for more information on the subject and created a theoretical framework. Additionally, I developed several experiments based on the hypotheses we discussed."

As Sage displayed a holographic screen to Kai, she cheerfully responded while sitting on the boy's shoulder, and Salem shrank in size before jumping onto his free shoulder, meowing 'adorably'.

"Perfect."

As Kai left the gym, he nodded in satisfaction with Sage's response. Despite now having a playful and sometimes annoying personality, Sage was just as, if not more, useful than before.

When Kai arrived home, he found Nemuri dressed in a loose black sweater and white shorts. She was absentmindedly scrolling through her computer with a glass of what looked like whiskey beside her. She seemed lost in thought. With a smile, the blue-eyed boy approached from behind and kissed her on the cheek, greatly surprising the woman.

"Kai?!"

"Haha, you were so focused, I couldn't resist." Kai replied after laughing as he took a seat at the dining table.

"Don't scare me like that!" Nemuri responded, glaring fiercely at Kai. He quickly dismissed her look with a smile, commenting playfully yet accusingly.

"Isn't it a tradition in this house to bother someone when they're focused?"

"Hmph."

Hearing Kai's words, Nemuri could only huff in annoyance. After all, she was usually the one who teased the blue-eyed boy when he was concentrating. However, ever since Sage arrived, she hadn't been able to do so because Sage always alerted him when she was nearby.

A short while later, a dark purple-haired woman, around 45 years old, brought a bunch of dishes to the table, to which the blue-eyed couple expressed their thanks. Meanwhile, Salem settled near his bowl, which was soon filled with heaps of kibble and large chunks of meat.

After a calm meal where they chatted about random things, Kai took his laptop and settled into his favorite couch, where he started working on the design of a new chip to upgrade his supercomputer. It had been a couple of years since he last upgraded it, and it was beginning to lag behind his current needs, especially now that Sage had been updated.

For her part, Nemuri continued to go through the messages her editor had sent her while a whirlwind of conflicting emotions tore through her heart. On one hand, she felt terribly guilty for what she had done, knowing it was unforgivable, but on the other, she was terrified of losing her beloved Kai.

This inner battle was affecting Nemuri so much that she had even started drinking, something she had only done in social situations before. But now, she felt she needed something extra to numb her heart, or she might go crazy from the immense weight of her guilt.

As time passed, Nemuri only sank deeper into her guilt and fear, drinking more aggressively to the point where she began to lose consciousness in the alcohol. She could no longer hold back, and tears began to fall from her face as a soft sob escaped her lips.

She felt like a traitor, one of those Kai despised so much, having betrayed his trust and, worse yet, the trust of Alisa-san. Furthermore, she believed she didn't deserve anything she had and no longer deserved to be by Kai's side. The only thing she felt she deserved was to die in a ditch like the perverted bitch she was.

The pain and guilt consumed Nemuri deeply, as tears streamed down her beautiful face like a waterfall. She felt stupid and like a horrible person, not just for what she had done. But she had even considered moving forward as if nothing had happened, something that could only cross the mind of someone as twisted as her.

Although Kai was completely focused on his work, he quickly snapped back to reality when he felt an urgent call from Sage. The fairy was flying in front of Kai with a grave expression while silently pointing at Nemuri, who was crying silently and drinking furiously, as if she were seeking to induce alcohol poisoning.

Alarmed, Kai rushed at full speed toward Nemuri, embracing her tightly and asking, almost in a panic.

"What happened, Onee-chan? Did someone hurt you? Tell me who it is; I swear I'll tear them apart with my own hands!"

"Kai…"

Feeling Kai's embrace, Nemuri looked up to find his face filled with near panic, which only worsened her pain, causing her to cry even more desperately as she apologized between sobs, her voice filled with deep pain and guilt.

"Kai… I'm sorry… it's all my fault… I'm a monster… I… I betrayed you…"

As Nemuri's words ended, Kai felt the world around him come to a halt. His eyes widened in disbelief, and his aura seemed to verge on losing control. However, managing to keep a shred of rationality, he quickly looked at Sage, whose wings were changing colors at a terrifying speed.

Moments later, Sage displayed several holograms in [In] mode in front of Kai so that only he could see them. The holograms showed various physiological changes in Nemuri during a certain timeframe, along with many recordings from the mansion's hallway security cameras, as there were no cameras in the rooms.

Upon seeing the images of Nemuri carrying him to his room on one screen and her leaving with him in her arms, with her outfit clearly torn in suggestive areas, she returned to the room later. This, combined with the physiological data of Nemuri during those moments, made Kai feel a deep sigh of relief escape him. It wasn't as bad as he had imagined.

Based on the data and images, it was obvious to assume that Nemuri had done 'something' while he was asleep—nothing too serious, honestly. It was something that, for some reason, had happened quite frequently with his partners in his past life. To the point that it wasn't uncommon for him to wake up in the middle of the night because he felt an unusual warmth in his manhood.

But, even though it wasn't something he considered a betrayal of any kind—certainly a relief—the situation was still quite delicate. While the act itself wasn't very significant to him, the truly problematic aspect was who had done it, or, rather, the fact that it had greatly affected Nemuri. Otherwise, he would have happily played dumb and acted as if nothing had happened.

As he quickly thought about how to handle the problematic situation, Kai couldn't help but curse a bit the event that, although it made him stronger, also brought him problems. If it hadn't been for that strange state of unconsciousness, something like this would never have happened. After all, although he could concentrate to the point of entirely ignoring the world around him, he was a light sleeper who would have woken up the moment he was picked up off the floor. If Sage hadn't woken him up when Nemuri arrived home.

But no matter how much he thought about it, Kai couldn't come up with a viable solution or even what to say. After all, something like this was entirely outside his plans. Although he was unable to deny that he secretly harbored certain thoughts about his excessively attractive older sister, they were only fleeting thoughts, and he never intended to change their sibling relationship.

This extended to all the other girls as well. Kai never intended to start any kind of romantic relationship with them. After all, not only were such relationships problematic, but he knew himself very well and knew that he was an overly possessive and resentful person. Any kind of infidelity would mark the end of any kind of contact.

Because of this, Kai felt that the risk of starting a relationship with any of the girls was too high compared to the possible benefits. For him, a romantic relationship could be summed up in three things: companionship, affection, and sex, which wasn't too appealing since he already received companionship and affection from the girls. And without a romantic relationship, his possessive tendencies would be much easier to control, making their relationship more stable in the long run.

As for sex, that was something that had never worried him. After all, even Daniel, at his worst, managed to get some sex from time to time, not to mention now. He was not only much more handsome but also immensely wealthy, with several high-value patents to his name, which were managed by his reliable aunt. This brought him immense amounts of money each year in royalties, not to mention his multimillion inheritance.

"It's okay, Onee-chan; don't worry. I know you could never betray me."

Not knowing exactly what to say, Kai could only speak in a warm voice, trying to avoid mentioning that problematic event while feeling his possessive tendencies beginning to stir toward Nemuri, something that left him quite concerned.

"I did betray you... I betrayed your trust, and now you hate me. I shouldn't be by your side anymore..."

In her drunken state, Nemuri spoke through her tears, filled with pain as her mind flooded with all kinds of fatalistic scenarios where she could no longer stay by her beloved Kai's side. Kai, meanwhile, simply spoke as he unleashed his conqueror's Haki to knock out everyone around them.

"No, you didn't betray me, Onee-chan."

"YES, I DID, I, I…"

Filled with pain and regret, Nemuri tried to confess amidst her sobs, but at that moment, Kai suddenly kissed her on the lips, causing her mind to short-circuit as her eyes widened in astonishment.

"No, you didn't."

Kai spoke again in a serious tone after letting go of Nemuri's lips. She looked at him in surprise and disbelief, though deep in her gaze, something else could be seen—a certain passionate fire that she quickly tried to extinguish.

"What did you do, Kai? We can't do something like this; we just can't..." Nemuri spoke with her face completely red, creating an interesting contrast with the tear stains.

Kai, for his part, quickly embraced Nemuri and began stroking her beautiful hair as he asked warmly.

"Why can't we?"

"Because I'm your older sister," Nemuri replied, both embarrassed and incredulous in Kai's arms, feeling a bit confused about what to do or how to react, not to mention that her drunken state wasn't helping.

"Are you sure we can't?"

Kai asked in a warm voice, now not entirely sure of what he was saying. After all, on one hand, his possessive side was wreaking havoc on his mind, and at the same time, he knew that his relationship with Nemuri could no longer remain the same, forcing him to take action.

"We can't… Alisa-san would never forgive me, and besides, I'm too old for you..." Nemuri commented in a somewhat hoarse tone, to which Kai softly added.

"Are you sure about that? Personally, I think Mom wouldn't have minded, and besides, you're just a beautiful Onee-chan, and I've always liked you."

"But..." Nemuri responded, filled with insecurities, but at that moment, Kai tightened his embrace a little, commenting.

"You don't have to say anything now; just think about it."

"Alright..."

Nemuri replied in a low voice, her mind much clearer thanks to Kai secretly diluting some of the alcohol in her system. She then closed her eyes and let her consciousness drift away to the rhythmic sound of her beloved Kai's heartbeat.