Starting With The Sefirah Castle In The Anime World-Chapter 139 - : Sister? Just Be a Younger Sister

Yoko knew deep down that her relationship with Ren was built on gratitude—he had saved her life.

But rather than her helping him, it was always Ren who ended up taking care of her.

"I wanted to help you, but I was the one being helped instead."

As an adult, she thought she could offer support to a younger boy.

Yet, when she saw how capable he was, she realized she was the one who needed help.

"You figured out my intentions from the start and still let me try?"

"Yeah."

Yoko originally just wanted to repay her debt of gratitude. Since this boy had saved her life, she thought she should do something for him in return.

But in the end, things turned out completely the opposite.

Ren didn't think it was necessary, he had already made it through the hardest part of his life, and now, things were improving for him.

Still, he didn't reject her kindness outright.

If he had wanted to, he would have distanced himself from her a long time ago.

Yoko suddenly raised her head.

"You knew from the start?"

Ren gave a small nod.

"Your intentions were too obvious."

"Every time you visited my place before, it was practically written all over your face, 'I'm your big sister.'"

Thinking back to their previous interactions, Ren could only shake his head helplessly.

"If we're talking about age, I guess it fits."

"But in terms of reliability, I feel more like I'm looking after a younger sister."

"Ugh..."

Yoko had to admit, she really wasn't acting like an older sister at all.

Still, she didn't know why, but she always felt strangely flustered around this quiet boy.

At first, he was bad at talking, but now he seemed to speak quite smoothly.

"Tell me the truth! Were you just pretending to be bad at talking?"

"I'm just not good at socializing."

"So, aside from when we first met, you were fine talking to me the whole time?"

"I just have trouble dealing with strangers. The more I get to know someone, the more I talk."

Ren had always struggled with socializing.

Since he didn't know how to start conversations and worried that his words wouldn't land well, he simply avoided initiating conversations altogether.

And because of that, getting along with girls was even harder for him.

That was the real reason he wasn't good at interacting with them.

If he was alone in a room, he might speak a little.

But if he was in front of a stranger, he could go a long time without saying a single word.

It couldn't be helped, social anxiety worked that way.

"Oh, so that's how it is."

Yoko finally understood.

Yeah, that made sense. Social anxiety really worked like that.

Just then, Ren paused and pointed at her apartment's open door.

"Even though this floor only has two apartments, isn't it a bit cold to be talking outside?"

As if on cue, a chilly wind blew through.

Yoko shivered slightly, feeling the cold at her toes.

"Yeah, this really isn't the best place for a chat."

"Go back inside first. I just finished making yam and pork rib soup, let's have it together for dinner."

Before Ren could refuse, Yoko had already turned and hurried back into her apartment.

He was left standing outside, shaking his head helplessly.

He didn't mind interacting as friends, but as for the "big sister" thing...

It was hard to see this impulsive and unreliable female celebrity as an older sister.

If she were an energetic younger sister, though, maybe that would make more sense.

He walked inside, carrying the suitcase he had left by the door.

There was no need to close it, only his next-door neighbor had access to this floor, so there wasn't much to worry about.

Inside, it was even colder than outside.

Maybe it was due to lingering traces of supernatural energy, or maybe it was just because no one had been home for the weekend, but the entire place felt eerily cold.

There was also a faint smell of dust.

Ren stretched out his hand, and a droplet of invisible water appeared on his palm.

"Secret."

In an instant, the dusty scent that had clung to the room disappeared completely.

"Hmm. This makes cleaning a lot easier."

The Secret of the River of Eternal Darkness was quite useful for dealing with unnecessary annoyances.

He just wasn't sure if the goddess would be upset that he was using it like this.

Shaking his head, he moved his suitcase to the rooftop and started tossing his clothes into the washing machine one by one.

After adding detergent and setting the wash cycle, he was done.

When he walked back inside, he found that the table in front of the kitchen had already been set with dishes and utensils.

A familiar female neighbor was already seated at the table, waiting for him.

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"Come on, come on! Try my cooking!"

Ren sat down across from Yoko and picked up a bowl of soup.

The rich, savory aroma of pork ribs filled the air.

The soup had a creamy white color, indicating that it had been simmered for a long time.

"It's good."

"The broth must have been stewing for hours."

"That's right! I started making it this morning."

Yoko beamed, pleased that her cooking had been acknowledged.

"I didn't want to use a pressure cooker since it would turn the meat too soft and ruin the texture."

"So, I used a clay pot instead."

"It takes longer, but the soup turns out richer, and the ribs don't get dry or lose their flavor."

"Here, try one!"

"Alright."

Ren picked up a rib and took a bite.

The meat hadn't lost its original flavor, it was tender but still held together well, easily separating from the bone with a gentle bite.

The part near the bone was slightly firmer, adding a good texture.

"It's really well done."

"The seasoning is just right, there's no gamey taste, it's not overcooked, and the meat is easy to pull off the bone."

"You sure you're an idol and not a chef?"

The yam and pork rib soup was excellent, no doubt about it.

But was this really normal?

A celebrity who regularly starred in dramas, variety shows, and performed on stage, yet she could cook this well?

That was probably the highest compliment Yoko could receive.

"I told you before, didn't I?"

"I love cooking. It helps me relieve stress sometimes."

"And I've been on several cooking shows. To make sure everything went smoothly, the production team actually taught me how to cook properly."

"Since I was on that show for a long time, my skills naturally improved."

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