Infinite Skill Devourer
Chapter 36: It’s Actually Her II

Chapter 36: It’s Actually Her II

Kaori snapped her head at him again, visibly angered by what he said.

Deep down, she hoped he would have answers for her.

But then again, for a girl with a high IQ, she was incredibly blind.

So blind, she didn’t notice his eyes.

One in a million.

But who could blame her? She had alot to do and think about.

Ryuen’s eyes had already taken on a faint shade of blue that, from a distance, appeared gray and sometimes even silver, especially in the dark.

It was something she admired about him.

"What do you mean by bingo?!" she spat, displeased with his response after she had revealed her name.

"Do you want to mock me too? My name means an archery bow!"

Ryuen chuckled softly at her ignorance, then straightened himself.

"Yumi means abundance or beauty, depending on where you were born and why."

"Besides," he added, "it generally means you’re strong and focused, with a logical and analytical mind."

"Tsk," she scoffed, placing the coffee cups on the railing.

"Believe me, my name makes me feel small."

"Aren’t you?" he asked with a smirk. "You’re tiny, and not to mention your age."

"You should be eighteen now."

"Yes, I am," she replied proudly, but instantly froze.

Her proud smile faded, her golden eyes dimmed, and she slowly turned to him.

With an expression that was the combination of terror, curiosity, and confusion.

"H...how do you know all that?" she stuttered, taking a quick step back as she raised her guard.

"Because I do, obviously."

"You’re not supposed to."

"Really?"

"Start talking, or I’ll make you talk."

"Ha!" He laughed out loud, mocking her without restraint. "With what?"

"Those tiny hands? Or your stubby legs? Or maybe that soft flesh you have?"

"Tell me, Yumi, if you even tried to hit me, your fists would break."

Typical elder brother stuff.

He should have been moved to tears by the fact that she was actually his sister.

Yet, he skipped that part and began mocking and teasing her.

When he noticed she was being serious, he exhaled deeply.

"I’m Ryuen Takeru."

"I know that already," she said sharply.

"Sato."

Kaori’s heart skipped a beat almost immediately. She turned to him, her wide eyes filled with shock.

Her voice dropped to a whisper. "You mean... your name is Ryuen Sato Takeru?"

"Yes, it is," he said with a warm smile, hoping she would believe him and not leave in doubt, thinking she couldn’t find him again.

To his uttermost surprise, she raised her hand and pulled him down by his collar to get a good look at his face.

She examined his features—his eyes, the shape of his face.

Everything was the same, though his voice was deeper than she remembered.

She then pushed him away and crossed her arms, attempting to keep her composure.

"When did you get here?"

Ryuen’s brows furrowed. "Is that a welcome? Or the I miss you I deserve?"

She scoffed and turned away. "I definitely do not miss you. You’re a big bully."

"No, this time you’re a large bully."

"So, do you want me to go back home?"

"No," she replied instantly, then smiled sheepishly. "You can’t go anywhere because you’re stuck with me."

Despite how hard she tried to hide it, excitement laced her voice.

When Ryuen noticed, he couldn’t help but smile. "You’ve grown a lot."

"You as well, except you’re still ugly."

"That hurts," he said, raising his hand to his chest fiegning pain.

But then he smirked.

"At least I grew taller compared to your stagnant flash drive height."

"No, wait," he said before she could lash out.

"I meant you’re still... brief."

Kaori’s gaze darkened as she slowly turned her head toward him.

Like a demonic spirit in a horror movie, her haunting aura and the dangerous gleam in her eyes sent a chill down his spine.

"Flash drive... and brief?"

"Yes, you’re brief."

"How dare you?!" she yelled, hurling her fist toward the spot where his largest wound was.

But he caught her fist halfway before it could reach him.

He chuckled softly, glad she could throw a punch without thinking.

And he was happy to see her angry face as much as he wanted.

If only she knew what he had gone through to find her.

He tracked her train down to the spot it vanished, and apparently, she disappeared the moment the bullet train she took arrived in Busan.

The strange part was that her destination was Iki Island for a school assignment.

Yet her train went all the way to Busan.

He knew something wasn’t normal.

He interrogated everyone involved, even killed a few people who acted suspiciously—especially those who knew her yet said nothing.

Bad friends, right?

Kaori, on the other hand, was beyond happy. Her joy knew no bounds.

She could remember how terrified she had been the night she suddenly appeared in a strange field surrounded by beasts.

Until Daiki came to her rescue.

A lot had happened since then.

Daiki had helped her go through the years without Ryuen, and here she was.

Before him again—angry, but happy.

The silence they shared at that moment was enough to pour out their hearts.

They couldn’t maintain eye contact, but the way they avoided each othe and said how much they had missed one another without saying a word.

Ryuen finally heaved a sigh to break the silence and took a step closer to her.

He raised his hand and placed it on her head, cautiously keeping his guard up.

Maybe to avoid a hit?

He wasn’t in the best state to dodge one, let alone take one without feeling it.

However, she slapped his hand away from her head and, instead, embraced him.

She buried herself in the hug she had longed for over the years.

Ryuen smiled and embraced her back, gently rubbing her back and murmuring soft words to keep her from crying.

Oh, how much he hated to see a woman cry.

And this was his sister.

The hug lasted almost an hour, but someone chose that exact moment to show up.

"Hey, Kaori, have you seen the—" Daiki trailed off, stopping short as his eyes fell on the duo.

They immediately pulled apart and backed away from each other.

A sly smirk crept onto Daiki’s face as if he were already creating—or rather, assuming—a completely wrong scenario.

"Hehe, Kaori... don’t tell me you already fell for him."

Je teased, mockery lacing his tone, trying to get under her skin.

Kaori walked over to Daiki, threw his arm over her shoulder, and faced Ryuen.

"You look even better when you’re healthy," Daiki said with a grin.

"Your hair kept getting in the way when I tried to take pictures of you."

Ryuen nodded slowly, his gaze shifting to Kaori to see what she would say.

Would she clear up Daiki’s assumption?

Kaori called Daiki aside and began whispering to him.

They talked for about thirty minutes, occasionally glancing at Ryuen and nodding.

Eventually, Daiki’s body stiffened as Kaori finished the conversation.

He slowly turned to Ryuen, then back to her.

He dragged his gaze between them several times before gasping.

"He looks just like you."

"Really?" Kaori asked, her eyes lighting up.

For once, someone had noticed the resemblance.

For years back at home, people said, she looked more like their mother.

And others said, Ryuen looked like their father.

And she thought her father was really cool, thus got angry whenever people said she looked like her mother.

Adorable and cute.

And not, Cool.

However—

"Sike," Daiki said with a smirk. "You’re nothing compared to him."

"And what do you mean by that?" Kaori asked, her tone low and dripping with anger, though Daiki failed to notice.

"I mean," Daiki said, walked over to Ryuen and threw an arm over his shoulder.

"He’s tall. You’re short... uh, I don’t know what to call it exactly."

"Brief," Ryuen chipped in.

Daiki exclaimed, agreeing fully with him.

"You’re right! She’s actually brief."