Chapter 319: Big Sister [1]
*knock* *knock*
Hearing a knock on her room’s door, Charlotte closed the laptop, stood up from her bed and walked to the door, opening it.
"Kael.." She murmured looking at him standing in front of him.
With a nod, he entered the room and she closed the door behind him.
He sat on the edge of the bed, the mattress dipping slightly beneath him and Charlotte sat beside him, knees almost touching his.
Looking at Charlotte, Brandon spoke "Aunt Rave just called me and said none of the Empyreans matches with the ether signature that I felt that day."
Upon hearing this, her gaze narrowed "i see, so then the one who had intimate contact with you must be a rogue Empyrean who is not registered officially and is not part of the nine Empyreans."
Letting out a sigh, Brandon spoke "That’s what Aunt Elize also thinks."
"Now there are two groups following my tail, this powerful entity and someone else who is using dead puppets."
"We don’t know who they are, or why they’re after me. Or if they’re working together."
Charlotte clenched her fist in anger "I want to stay with you always and protect you... but I can’t because the number of powerful tower spawns is increasing day by day."
"And atleast Empyrean level awakeners are needed to kill those powerful aberrants."
"Also if I stay with you longer, my other personalities will show up often."
Brandon glanced at her and muttered with a smile "Don’t worry... if your other personalities want to take over when you are beside me, let them be."
"At the end of the day they are also Charlotte and I know they care for me."
Hearing that, a small smile appeared on Charlotte’s lips and she lifted her hand slowly and, hesitantly, reached out to pat the top of his head.
Her fingers were warm and tentative at first, as if unsure whether such closeness was allowed, then firmer as she gave a soft, caring pat.
Brandon closed his eyes and let out a gentle chuckle, enjoying her pat.
Charlotte’s hand lingered in his hair and her fingers traced little slow circles as she looked at his face.
The expression she had was wistful and threaded with years of suppressed yearning. "I... I have always wanted to pat your head and act like a big sister to you,"
The words were spilling out in a rush now that the dam had been opened. "But because of my other personalities, I couldn’t bring myself close to you."
Brandon turned his head enough to look up at her, seeing the faint tremor in her fingers and how much meaning she poured into that simple wish.
He moved closer without thinking and whispered "From now on, no need to hold back. I also like a big sister who pampers me."
Her smile widened just a little into a shy, astonished thing.
Emboldened, she cupped his face with both hands while her thumbs skimmed his cheeks in a playful, affectionate motion.
Her thumbs toyed with his mouth, pinching his cheeks until he gave a small, involuntary grin.
A faint shimmer of light rippled through Charlotte’s green irises, like liquid dye poured into glass and the green was quickly drowned by a strange, radiant blue glow.
"Huh?" His gaze condensed ’Another personality?’
Charlotte’s hands, which had been gently pinching his cheeks, stopped for a moment.
Then, slowly, her lips spread into a wide grin "Little brother!"
Brandon stiffened as her grip on his face suddenly tightened and her fingers squished his cheeks together until his lips puckered.
Before he could protest, she flung herself forward, crushing him against her breasts with surprising strength.
"Little brother, little brother, little brother! I am happy! I am so happy! Big Sister is so happy!"
"Eh-?!" Brandon was utterly startled, half-struggling in her arms as her hug turned aggressive.
’W-What’s this personality? Obsessive Elder Sister?!’
Charlotte didn’t give him a chance to breathe.
She grabbed his face with both hands, her blue-glowing eyes sparkling with manic glee, and began peppering his face with kisses.
"Cute! Cute! Cute! Cute!"
Each kiss landed noisily on his cheeks, forehead, nose, and even grazing his jawline, as if she couldn’t get enough of him.
"Wa-wait! Sister-!" His protest was muffled as she planted another kiss right on his temple.
"Too cute!" she squealed, her laughter spilling out in gasps. "My little brother is so cute! Mine, mine, mine, mine!"
Before Brandon could recover, she twisted suddenly, rolling with him onto the bed. *thud*
He let out a startled grunt as the world spun for a second and the mattress creaked under their weight as she toppled with him, her hair spilling wildly across his chest.
She was practically vibrating with joy as she clung to him tighter than before.
"Kael, Kael, Kael! Big Sister will never let go! Never!"
Brandon’s back hit the sheets, and in an instant, her legs hooked around his waist, locking him in place.
Her thighs squeezed tightly as she pressed herself against him in a suffocating hug.
Her voice dropped into a breathless giggle against his ear. "I’ll hold you forever! No one can steal you! You’re my little brother, my treasure, my doll! I’ll pamper you, I’ll smother you, and I’ll kiss you every day until you beg me to stop- hehe, no, I won’t stop anyway!"
"Ugh, S-Sister, I can’t breathe-!" Brandon tried to push her off, his hands pushing at her shoulders, but her grip was like steel, not letting him go.
Each time he tried to pry her off, she only laughed louder, nuzzling into his neck and raining more kisses along his jawline. "Mine, mine, mine! I’ll keep you in my arms forever!"
Her glowing blue eyes shimmered with manic tears of joy, as though the very act of holding him had fulfilled every dream she ever had.
’This... this personality is pure obsession. An elder sister archetype taken to the extreme...’
Finally he managed to cup her face and looked into her blue eyes "Sister, you are hugging me too tightly."
She just grinned and said "This is just skinship between siblings, dear."
She leaned further into his hand, nuzzling her cheek against his palm like a kitten seeking warmth.
"Little brother’s hands are so warm... I could stay like this forever. You don’t mind, right? Big Sister is just giving you all the affection she saved up."
Her voice wavered with unfiltered joy "Years of it! Every single day I couldn’t hold you, every time I was locked inside... It’s all spilling out now."
Brandon exhaled slowly, steadying himself "Sister, listen... I don’t mind your affection. But there’s a limit to how much you can hold me before I can’t breathe."
Her grin faltered for just a heartbeat, then widened again as she laughed breathlessly. "You can breathe! Look!"
She shifted slightly, loosening her grip around his ribs but not letting go of his waist "See? I adjusted! Big Sister knows what she’s doing. I won’t let you get hurt."
Then, without warning, she leaned in again, pressing a rapid series of kisses against his palm, his wrist, and even the side of his face she could reach. "Mwah, mwah, mwah!"
Brandon grimaced, his ears reddening as her lips tickled his skin "Sister-"
He tried to keep his tone gentle, though his voice cracked with embarrassment. "This... isn’t normal skinship."
She pulled back just enough to pout at him, "Normal? Hmph, who decides what’s normal? For me, this is normal! For me, holding you like this is the only way I feel alive."
Her words hit him harder than he expected and he blinked.
Beneath the manic grin and the obsessive gestures, there is a loneliness that had been festering in the dark.
Brandon smiled faintly and his hand is still cupping her face "...You’ve been waiting that long?"
Her grin trembled, and for the first time, she smiled gently "Forever."
"I was locked away inside... ’her’ and she refuses to get close to you. I wanted it so badly. I thought I’d never get the chance."
Her grip around his waist tightened again "So let me have this. Just for a little while longer. Let me hug you. Please."
Brandon’s chest tightened. She is obsessive, but at her core, this personality was simply desperate for the warmth she had been denied.
"...Alright." he whispered, stroking her cheek gently. "But you need to be gentle. Not too tight."
At his words, her entire face lit up with joy.
She nodded furiously, "Yes! Gentle! I’ll be gentle! As long as I can hold you, little brother, I’ll behave. I promise!"
She immediately loosened her grip slightly, still wrapped tightly around him but careful not to crush him.
Closing her eyes, she buried her face against his neck again, sighing in bliss. "Mmm... finally. Finally, I can be your sister."
Brandon let out a long breath, resting his chin lightly against her head ’She’s overwhelming. But if I handle her carefully, she’ll calm down.’