(MC POV)
After I told her what I found, Lian Li merely nodded her head in understanding.
I raised an eyebrow at her, "You don't seem very upset about it?"
"It's just… Umm… It just seems too good to be true for me so I was half expecting such a thing anyway… Oh! I'm not doubting you at all! I mean… I don't know… There was just an empty feeling within me so I thought that might be the result."
Empty feeling? Odd.
"Aniue, what should we do with her? Should we let her stay?" Tsuki asked, looking worriedly at me.
I scratched my cheek with a finger, "Hmm… It's not like she has anywhere else to go now so I guess she can stay with us? That is, if you want to, of course?"
Maybe after the memory is done, she would be able to return back to her body with the new memories she gained here. Shouldn't really be a big deal so I guess she can just treat this as a vacation like I was.
Lian Li smiled at me, "It's not like I have anywhere else I can go. Umm… Should I call you 'Master' like I did before?"
I shook my head, "That would sound a little weird here… Hmm… We can say that you're our distant cousin from overseas who moved here then, so feel free to call me your big brother as well. You definitely won't pass for a local with that hair of yours."
Lian Li looked down at her golden hair, "Should… Should I dye it then?"
"Eh? But her hair is so pretty, Aniue. She doesn't need to, does she?" Tsuki protested.
"There's no need to. Hmm… Or we can just say her mother is a foreigner but Lian Li was born and raised here. That would work well enough."
Lian Li looked a t me meekly, "Umm… I would not be a bother would I? If it's too much… I should be able to survive on my own as well."
I flicked her forehead with a finger, causing her to yelp in surprise.
"Do you think I'm the type of person who would abandon my disciples like that? Besides, it's absolutely no bother to me. Besides, I'm already taking care of Tsuki anyway, what's one more?"
Tsuki giggled, "Ehehehe~ Aniue taking care of me is the best~ Please spoil me more~"
Hmm… Isn't it normal for the little sister to start pouting and insist she can take care of herself? Oh well, Tsuki is cute anyway.
The golden haired girl pouted cutely while rubbing her forehead, "Unn… I get it… Umm… Nii… Nii-sama…"
I never thought I'll see the day where Lian Li actually calls me 'Nii-sama', can't say I hate it though.
Right as that thought crossed my mind, Lian Li visibly blanched and shook her head, "I'm sorry… I can't… It feels so wrong… Master. Master. Master. Ah, that feels better. Master… Yes. Could I continue calling you Master?"
I smiled at her wryly, "You can call me whatever you want when it's just us. But please don't do that when we're with others or there might be unnecessary questions."
"Understood, Master."
Hmmm… Now that I think about it… I wonder if my other disciples are also coming in here and would they also end up losing their memories like Lian Li?
I'll have to do a search tonight, just in case they get stuck somewhere else if they did cross over.
I have a feeling they might all be in dungeons though, but I'll leave that test for later.
Seeing that it was already evening, I suggested that all of us eat outside today since it was already too late to cook.
Tsuki agreed readily while Lian Li looked at me with a puzzled expression, "Eat out? Are we going to hunt for food?"
Hmmm? That's a weird thought coming from her. I know her memories are missing but her instincts should still remain. What part of her instincts think that 'eating out' was hunting in the wild?
"No, we're not going hunting. We're just going to a restaurant to eat. How does ramen sound?" I suggested.
Tsuki gasped, "Oh! How about that new ramen place that Aniue brought me to the other day?! The one with the really springy noodles?! Can we go there please?! Can we-- Ah! I mean… Umm… Yes, there is the ramen place that Aniue had suggested before, I think it's a good idea for our dinner."
Tsuki had let her guard down since we were at home, forgetting there was someone else with us and breaking out of her 'well-mannered' lady face unintentionally. I mean at this point it really doesn't matter right? Lian Li's going to be living with us from now on.
I chuckled, "Alright, alright. It's a bit far so I'll call Hiroto to drive us there. Are you ok with that, Lian Li?"
I could tell from Lian Li's confused face that she didn't know what a 'ramen' was nor what was even going on, but she had decided not to ask and simply nodded her head instead.
A quick phone call later, the three of us were loaded up in the back of the car with Hiroto as our driver and Yumi in the passenger seat beside him.
Since we were going out to eat anyway, I asked the two of them to come along with us as well.
The two of them greeted us the moment Tsuki and I stepped in, their gaze switching to a questioning one when Lian Li joined us.
Yumi was the first to ask the question when she spotted Lian Li taking the seat beside me.
"Umm… Big brother? Who is the pretty girl beside you?"
"Pre… Pretty girl?" Lian Li muttered, embarrassed.
"Unn, let me introduce you guys. This is Lian Li, she is my cousin and her mother was a foreigner. Her parents had to move overseas for work so they decided to let her stay with me. Lian Li, this is Yumi and Hiroto, you could say that they are my brother and sister in all but blood."
Yumi's face immediately darkened and Hiroto had a similar expression as well.
Yumi regarded Lian Li with a gaze of disdain, "So… Your aunt and uncle dumped her on big brother when they were missing all these years? How convenient…"
Oh crap… I forgot that family is a really sensitive topic for them.
The kids who were with me during my younger days all knew about our family's circumstances just like we do for them, so the fact that our own family had chosen to sell all of us to that yakuza group made them mistrustful of anyone related to the people that sold us.
That's why all the kids had chosen to stand by me and form this new family, since they learnt that a family they chose was infinitely better than a family they were born into.
To Hiroto's and Yumi's eyes, my non-existent aunt and uncle had chosen to ignore our plight when we were young and only came to find me for their own benefits. And because of that, Lian Li was equally guilty in this regard.
I quickly raised my hands to get their attention, "It's not their fault, her family and mine weren't that close to begin with, I was the one who reached out to them and offered to help."
In an instant, the dark mood hanging over Yumi and Hiroto lifted up.
Yumi bowed her head, "Lian Li was it? I apologize for my words earlier."
"Eh? Ah! I umm… I don't mind? I'm the one that's imposing on Mas… On Nii-sama."
"Fufu~ With big brother around, you wouldn't need to worry about anything," Yumi chuckled. "If you need any help, you can find me, ok?"
Hiroto grinned at her as well, "Any family of Aniki's is our family too, don't need to be reserved with us, you hear?"
"U… Unn… I… I will keep your offer in mind, thank you," Lian Li accepted meekly, still a little flustered.
I nodded my head at Hiroto, "Come now, our stomachs aren't going to feed themselves. Step on it, Hiroto."
He shifted the gear into drive with a grin, "You got it, Aniki!"
At least I don't need to worry about them hating on Lian Li anymore.
Now what am I supposed to say if the rest of my disciples show up?
