Red-Hair Doll

 

「Either way, Wrath Pengu is the bigger threat! Shouko-kun and Tsumugi-kun! Focus your attacks on it!」

「But still…」

 

While it was good that Shouko could use attacks that ignore defense, but it’s hard for the attack to hit with the skill that could summon shields.

 

「Argh, this monster is really getting in the way! Yaaaaah!」

 

Tsumugi seemed to be having a hard time against the Dark Filolial.

 

「As I thought, it’s fast but doesn’t have that much stamina! Just a bit more and we can defeat it! Then we’ll take on Wrath Pengu!」

 

Oh? They can defeat the Dark Filolial soon?

Right after I thought that, Wrath Pengu unleashed a light towards the Dark Filolial.

The Dark Filolial’s HP recovered significantly.

Hey, it’s almost full again.

…It can heal?

 

「Hey! While it’s fine for enemies to use recovery skills or magic, this level of high-performance recovery is a bit much, don’t you think!」

 

What are you picking a fight over, Tsumugi!

Well, I understand what she’s trying to say.

It’s really frustrating when the final boss of a certain famous RPG’s second game randomly uses full recovery magic.

 

「So I guess we should focus on Wrath Pengu after all.」

 

As we continued chipping away bit by bit, Wrath Pengu’s HP reached about 70% when the time limit ran out.

 

「GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!」

 

Centered on Wrath Pengu, a massive black flame rose up, scorching the entire area we were in.

It was an area-of-effect attack that burned everything on the field.

It was probably because the time limit was over.

 

「Whoa!」

「Kyaaaaaaaaaaaa!」

「Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaa!」

「Nooooooooo.」

「Gh… time’s up, huh?」

 

We were charred by the black flames and despite having HP left, we collapsed motionless.

And then… the next thing I knew, I was lying on the beach.

 

Checking my status, I still had some energy left.

Looks like we were forcibly expelled.

But… how did this happen?

 

「Ah… that sudden battle caught me off guard. Was it a boss fight or something?」

 

Sitting on the beach, I gave my impressions of what had just occurred.

Looking towards the hill where Wrath Pengu had been, there was an ominous-colored cloud lingering.

Come to think of it… it seemed to have been Brave Peckle, but…

As Alto checked the log, he held his head.

 

「Brave Peckle is gone! I had raised him to the point where he boosted all Peckle’s abilities by 50% just by being there, and doubled them when commanded!」

 

That’s incredible.

When did he grow so much?

 

「He had practically become essential for development! Without him, there are buildings we can’t construct yet!」

 

Is it because of his stat bonuses?

 

「You mean the castle?」

「Of course! This will stall the castle construction for the time being! I want to recover Brave Peckle as soon as possible!」

 

Hm?

Santa Peckle appeared.

Showing up with impeccable timing as usual.

 

「When Brave Peckle is turned into a Karma by a special tool, he becomes a vicious monster known as Wrath Pengu. And since he’s confined to his domain, you can only challenge him once a day, pen.」

 

So it’s treated as an event with a limited number of attempts?

Well, whatever, that’s not important right now.

 

「Now then… Shouko, how the damage look like?」

「Um…to be honest, the damage is no joke. We’ll need some time to recover energy before we can try again.」

「Shouko, you were really targeted a lot.」

「Yes… the damage from the Iron Maiden was intense. If it had hit me a second time, I might have died.」

 

So she took that much damage, huh.

Wrath Pengu was about to unleash the cage of shields on Shouko again.

It was too fast for anyone but Shouko or Tsumugi to avoid.

Better that it triggered a feint than a direct hit.

Is this game designed with such superhuman reflexes in mind?

 

「When Kizuna-kun attacked the Iron Maiden, it seemed to take damage. It appears that even if it activates, interference is possible. Wrath Pengu’s movements can be stopped, and if we watch out for the Dark Filolial’s attacks, we might be able to destroy it.」

 

Ah, that makes more sense.

It’s probably meant to be a cooperative effort to rescue our captured comrade.

All the players on the island were summoned, so it might be a boss designed for cooperative play.

 

「Now, the biggest question is figuring out what caused this whole situation in the first place.」

 

Before the battle started, Shouko was looking at Tsumugi.

Given Shouko’s personality, she wouldn’t do something like that without a reason.

So it’s safe to assume that whatever Tsumugi did was the primary cause.

My troublemaking sister has always been a mood-maker and trouble-maker.

 

「Eh? It’s my fault?」

「Who else could it be?」

「I don’t think so. I just did it because I thought it was some kind of event.」

「And that’s what led to this outcome.」

 

Well, I’ll accept her argument that it was an event.

Considering everything, it was undoubtedly an intentional in-game phenomenon.

But she let the cat out of the bag.

That response was practically an admission of guilt.

 

「I didn’t think it would trigger a hidden boss fight or anything.」

「Let’s refrain from discussing things the others can’t understand.」

 

Sheryl, Alto, and Romina folded their arms and glared at Tsumugi.

Seeming to sense the atmosphere, Tsumugi started explaining.

 

「Um, well, you know, Romina-san? The doll with red hair we found today in the dungeon.」

「Ah, yes, I remember. What about that doll?」

「When I passed by Brave Peckle while holding it, he started acting strangely.」

 

Let me reconstruct the events based on Shouko’s testimony.

In a dungeon, they found a treasure chest containing a doll that looked like a girl with red hair.

It was a mysterious item with no apparent effect, not quite a collectible.

Shouko and the others brought it back, but since its purpose was unclear, they decided to consult everyone later and disbanded.

 

However, on the way, Tsumugi noticed Brave Peckle staring intently at the red-haired doll.

Is it an item that increases Peckle friendship level?

Thinking so, Tsumugi tried to give the doll to Brave Peckle without permission… and got shouted at.

 

「Stay back-pen! Don’t show me that unsightly thing-pen!」

 

By the way, Alto was controlling stress level, so it should have been almost non-existent.

Aside from trying to give a doll, she was speaking normal lines.

 

「This is… the sign of some event! Maybe he’ll learn a new skill!」

 

With that in mind, Tsumugi persistently showed the doll to Brave Peckle.

At times, she even rubbed it against his cheek, according to Shouko’s testimony.

Shouko said she did it for over 10 minutes.

Even when told to stop, she kept making excuses to continue.

Finally, there was an eerie display where the doll seemed to laugh creepily.

 

「I was just having fun watching Brave Peckle use the doll as a punching bag, and then this event suddenly happened!」

 

Tsumugi declared her innocence, but her words betrayed her.

There’s no doubt you’re the culprit!

 

「What you were doing was outright bullying. You don’t do weird stuff like that at school, do you?」

「My head’s always full of games, so I don’t have time for that!」

「I-I see…」

 

While her explanation was somewhat convincing, I was still left with lingering doubts.

Also, I started to genuinely worry about my sister’s future.

 

「Come to think of it, I did notice Brave Peckle’s stress gauge rapidly rising right before the battle started.」

 

Alto’s testimony corroborated the story.

So showing him an item he disliked rapidly increased his stress gauge.

Based on Santa Peckle’s comment, it’s safe to assume the red-haired doll was the cause.

Another unnecessary setback…

Well, I suppose I’ll put the plan I’ve been considering into action.

 

「…Tsumugi, come here for a sec.」

「What is it?」

 

I grabbed Tsumugi’s hand and walked her over to the bridge by the pond…then shoved her right off the bridge

 

「Take that!」

「Wha――Onii-chan!?」

 

Damn, she’s stubborn!

She desperately clinging to the edge of the bridge, trying to survive.

I stomped on her hand and kicked her off, sending her into the water.

 

「Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa──…」

「Whoa…」

「Execution.」

 

Sheryl, don’t say such morbid things.

Call it punishment.

If she acts so selfishly while living together, punishment would be necessary.

Even if it’s just a game.

 

This is why the little sisters are… I’ll never understand the appeal of little sisters.

What’s so cute about these crazy, idiotic little sisters?

I think Kanade-neesan is more appealing.

She’s an airhead too, but at least she doesn’t cause actual harm.

 

If she was a gentle, kind, and caring little sister, it would be different.

If she was an obedient little sister who would play farming games with me, that would be nice.

Unfortunately, such a sister doesn’t exist.

Well, this is what commonly called the『fantasy a brother has for his sister』I guess.

「You didn’t hold back, huh?」

「Well, I did allow her behavior by not stopping her firmly…some responsibility is mine as well.」

「As for Shouko… well, she took a lot of damage, so it’s fine.」

 

Shouko was the one who suffered the most damage, after all.

Besides, falling from the bridge would only deal a bit of damage, with no real penalty.