EP.169 Welcome to Jonathan, Little Chicks
Burst! Burst and die! I feel like I'm really going to burst!
Big brother! Big sister! Your little brother is dying! I'm really dying!!
"P-please. Big brother, big sister. At this rate... at this rate your youngest will die...!!"
"Ah! Sorry, Kyle! I was just so happy to see you!!"
Startled, Lea quickly steps back.
Leoalso clears his throat and releases his grip.
Thanks to that, Kyle barely survived from death's door.
"Kehek! Kuk! Guek!!"
He really almost burst. Or would have been crushed to death.
He might even develop claustrophobia, which he never had before.
He has to endure this every vacation? He'd rather be crushed under a barbell.
At least you can lift a barbell, or at the very least endure it.
But his brother and sister? That's different.
Resist his brother and sister? That's like fighting a typhoon and tsunami.
"Sorry, little one. Are you alright?"
"Yes, yes. I'm fine, big brother. Perfectly fine."
If they were bullying him, he could at least get seriously angry.
But this is just how his brother and sister show their love, so there's nothing he can say.
What can he do? He'll just have to endure it. Until he eventually gets used to it.
"Old man Neil, welcome to you too."
"Thank you, Lady Lea. Young Master Leois here as well."
"I came out because our youngest is returning. Academy life must have been tough."
Tough academy life? Why would academy life be tough?
Kyle didn't understand at first, but nodded as Leocontinued.
"There are all sorts of temptations, aren't there? Resisting them is no easy task."
"Ah yes, I agree, young master. I remember when I briefly went down to the Empire, there were all kinds of distractions everywhere. Hohoho."
They're not just talking about alcohol, tobacco, or unhealthy food.
Even simple means of transportation like carriages or teleportation magic are considered temptations by them.
They call it a trial when time is stolen from exercise by other activities.
"But Kyle? I see some unfamiliar faces?"
"They're guests, sister. More specifically, they're my friends."
"Your friends?"
Lea approaches the three visitors with curiosity sparkling in her eyes.
And she gives them a similar look to what the soldiers gave earlier.
'She's scanning them again.'
Others would judge whether they're nobles or commoners. If noble, which family they're from.
Whether they're good-looking, have good connections, things like that.
But not Jonathan. They wouldn't care about such things even if you explained it a hundred times.
"Ooh?! That friend looks like he can lift some weight! I like him. You can clearly see the signs of effort!"
Ian was naturally the first to pass the test.
In Jonathan, there's only one standard for judging a 'good person.'
Just exercise. And training. The sweat dropped there, meaning effort. That's all.
How much can this friend deadlift, squat, and bench press.
Do they have an excellent body? How much effort did they put into it?
Others might find such evaluation ridiculous, but that's how Jonathan is.
"Brother. Come here and look. What do you think of that friend?"
"Hmm. Not bad. He's got excellent fundamentals. He might not be a notable powerhouse now, but in a few years, he'll definitely become an excellent person."
Even Leo, who usually doesn't talk much, keeps nodding.
He even sneaks closer to scan the muscles with a sharper gaze.
This means that even Jonathan acknowledges Ian.
'As expected, his protagonist buff is solid.'
Well, considering the future Ian, this reaction makes sense.
They said he'd be counted among the top 10 strongest within just a few years after graduating from the academy.
So it's natural that he's getting recognition from his brother and sister from now.
"The friend next to him is... eh?"
Lea, who was about to examine Nell next, suddenly lets out a gasp.
After examining Nell's hair and clothes, she blinks twice.
Swoosh-.
She quietly turns around and starts approaching Kyle.
'...Ah, wait. It's not that sister lacks perception.'
Since Ian and Leto, who always stick close to Nell, were guys with absolutely zero awareness, she momentarily assumed the others would be similar. But if you look carefully, you can tell right away that this one's not a guy!
"Kyle? Can your big sister have a moment?"
Lea naturally pulls Kyle aside to create some distance.
Seeing Leofollow behind, it seems he's already figured it out at a glance too.
"That one's not a boy, right?"
There's no point trying to deceive them. They're people who are far better at reading others than he is.
Lying in front of them would be like begging for punishment.
"...Yes, sister. She's a girl."
"Then why is her hair like that, and why are her clothes like that, and why is she imitating a boy in every way?"
"Little brother. Could it be something like... confusion about gender identity?"
Leoapproaches quietly to share his opinion.
Kyle hurriedly replied, "No, no!! That's not it at all, absolutely not, brother!"
"There are circumstances for it."
"Circumstances? What circumstances?"
"...I'm sorry. It's difficult to explain right now."
"Why? Is it something bad?"
Kyle shook his head at Lea's question.
He just wanted to keep secret what he had been told in confidence.
At that, Leocrossed his arms and nodded with an "hmm."
"The little one's right. Keeping someone's secret is important."
"Ah yes. Like how we each only know our own body fat percentage?"
The question "Do you even have any body fat?" rises up to just below his throat.
Fortunately, he's not the type to nitpick every little thing, so he lets it pass.
"That's exactly right, sister. We pretend not to know until they reveal it themselves."
Leoand Lea immediately understood Kyle's situation.
They just quietly watched Nell from afar without pressing further.
"How does she seem to you?"
"Well, she seems to be trying really hard. When I glanced earlier, her hands were covered in calluses."
When did you even see her calluses in that brief moment?
Anyway, there's probably no one better at scanning people than these two.
"Though it seems she doesn't know her limits yet, and hasn't tried pushing past them."
"Little brother. That woman... um. Did you train that man too?"
"I did to some extent, but I couldn't help much. I had a lot of other things going on."
"Is that so."
"I felt bad about that, which is why I ended up bringing them to our hometown."
The Jonathan siblings nod at Kyle's words.
Then Lea forms a slight smile and speaks.
"Kyle. If you'll allow it, I'd like to train that child."
"What? You, sister?"
"Yes. Kyle, it's not that I don't trust you. I feel bad about taking over your student. But since she's a girl after all, I think it would be better if your big sister looks after her and teaches her. What do you think?"
Kyle turns his gaze toward Nell with a "hmm."
It's not that he doubts Lea's combat ability or teaching skills.
Especially when it comes to treating people gently, his sister would definitely be better than father or brother.
The problem is, that "better" is only from the Jonathan perspective.
For Nell, who Kyle has been training at a moderate pace until now, it would be hard to adapt right away.
Let's not forget. Lea is strong enough to have destroyed half the academy in a moment of anger.
In contrast, Nell is just a beginner who's barely graduated from being called a chick.
"Um, sister. If you could give her some time to adapt and take it slowly, then I'll allow it."
"Of course. You don't think I'd be rough with her, do you? I know my limits!"
"..."
The words "You know your limits but still destroyed the academy's main building with your fists?" rise up to just below Kyle's throat.
"Alright. Then I'd be glad to have you train Nell, sister."
"Leave it to me. You'll be here for two months, right? By then, I'll make her into a student you can be proud of anywhere."
...Will it really be okay? Yeah. If it's sister Lea, it should be fine.
She's much more flexible than father. She'll guide Nell well, who's still quite lacking!
"Little brother. Then I..."
"If you're talking about Ian, let's wait on that, brother. Father is here too, after all."
"Well. These days father has started a new routine, so I'm not sure if he'll step up."
Still, taking Ian to meet father should come first.
After Kyle's persuasion, Leofinally nodded slowly.
"Kyle? Lastly, that girl with the lavender hair. I think I saw her briefly before."
"You're right, sister. You probably saw her when you came to the academy."
"That friend seems weaker than the Nell friend."
"You've seen correctly, brother. Tisha isn't aspiring to be a swordsman in the first place."
"Then why did you bring her? She won't fit in with this lifestyle."
It feels more like concern than dissatisfaction about Tisha.
Is it because Kyle introduced her as a friend? They're being very careful.
"I know. Actually, I was worried about that part too."
"And?"
"Well, actually... um, you see..."
How should he even explain this?
While Kyle was racking his brain, Lea quietly spoke up.
"Could it be for the same reason as the Empire's 5th princess?"
"...Huh? H-how did you know, sister?"
"It's obvious. Her eyes are constantly watching only you right now."
How did you notice that from such a distance?!
Kyle blinked his eyes and slightly craned his neck to look at Tisha in the distance.
While she was looking at the Jonathan barony before her with wonder,
She kept glancing this way, just as Lea had said.
Just from that look in her eyes, anyone could quickly figure out their relationship.
"Um, sister. About that, let me explain..."
"No need to explain. Do as you please, Kyle. I won't meddle in your love life. You know? Unnecessary meddling is one of the rudest things you can do to someone. Unless there's a major health issue, we don't interfere. You know the Jonathan rules, right?"
Leonods at Lea's words.
"Follow your heart, little brother. Do whatever your heart desires. As long as it doesn't break the Jonathan rules, your big brother and sister will support whatever you do, Kyle."
"Because we're family." Leoand Lea say with smiles.
It's warm. It's cozy. Yes, this is true sibling love...
"Ah, wait. Wait please. Don't hug me. Don't hu- Urk!!!"