OP Sister Chapter 507: Moving On

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“I used to take family baths before…” Baihe said, as I groomed her hair, applying oils to give it a lustrous sheen. 

“Really?” I asked. “Well, that’s nice! It wasn’t really the case for me, except when I occasionally bathed with my brother.” 

“Oh, is that so? You two were closer than I imagined…” Baihe said. 

“That was… like, way before I fell into a coma, so… yeah,” I muttered. “It was so long ago…” 

“Hmm…” Baihe fell silent for a moment. 

“Anyway, your hair is so pretty, Baihe! With these oils, it’ll stay shiny and beautiful,” I said, nodding. “Alright, shall we get going?” 

“Our clothes are wet…” she sighed. 

“Don’t worry about silly details like that,” I said, releasing a wave of hot light from my hands to dry the clothes instantly. 

The soap and salts in the water made the clothes smell pleasant without harming the fabric. If anything, they might have strengthened it. 

“Smells nice,” she said, dressing in her usual black jeans, white blouse, and jacket. “Like you…” 

“Like me?” I giggled. “Well, do I smell nice?” 

“Yep…” she nodded, blushing slightly. “I’m hungry… let’s go eat.” 

“Alright!” I nodded, opening a portal to step outside. 

It was wonderful to have my own little manor, equipped with everything I needed for a quick escape from the world. 

Inviting my friends made it even more fun! 

As we stepped outside, refreshed and happy, we were greeted by my brother, who fixed us with an angry expression. 

“Aaah…” 

I realized we had lingered too long inside. He must have grown worried. 

“Anna…” he said, crossing his arms and tapping one finger against his arm. 

“I’m sorry! We were in my Purgatory Realm place. You know it, right?” I asked. “We were taking a bath…” 

“In that wasteland where you keep your demons?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“Yeeaah… Okay, so long story short, a Constellation named Heavenly Empress gifted me a piece of her divine realm, which I added to it, and…” I explained what that place was. 

Telling the truth was better than keeping secrets and causing misunderstandings. 

“I see… okay… I guess that’s fair, but next time, tell me where you are,” he sighed. “Breakfast has been ready for a while, so come eat. Baihe too.” 

“I’m sorry…” Baihe apologized. 

“You don’t have to apologize. Anna dragged you there,” my brother sighed, walking away. “Right? You’re innocent.” 

“I’m… well, to be honest, I did enjoy it quite a lot…” she muttered. 

“Oh, really?” my brother asked, eyeing her suspiciously. 

Of what? I wasn’t sure. 

“A-Ah, I mean, I’m totally the victim!” she cried. 

“…” He didn’t respond to Baihe’s outburst, his grumpiness returning. 

As he walked away, I gave Baihe a nervous smile. 

“Let’s eat…!” I said, inviting her along. 

“Okay…” she sighed. 

As we approached the table, Baihe paused. 

“Why is your brother like that sometimes? Grumpy?” she asked. “He definitely seems like he has changed, but… he kind of feels more like your dad than your brother.” 

“Ah… yeah,” I nodded. “I know why that’s the case. He’s trying to make up for dad’s absence and mom’s too. He feels he has to be my brother, my dad, and my mother… or at least, he thinks he does.” 

“I see…” Baihe nodded, gazing at the floor. “I shouldn’t have misjudged him…” 

“Nah, it’s alright,” I shrugged. “He does come off as pretty annoying sometimes! But it’s all because he… he loves me and worries a lot, and I understand that. That’s why I’m growing stronger too, so my brother doesn’t have to worry so much and can live his own life.” 

“Seems like it’s working. He even has a child on the way,” Baihe smiled. 

“Yep! I’ll be an auntie! Isn’t that crazy?! I’ll be the youngest aunt in the world!” I laughed. 

“…I don’t think so, but yeah,” Baihe giggled. 

We joined Kevin, Henrietta, Annabelle, Hilda, and my brother for breakfast, where everyone greeted us, asking where we had been. My brother helped explain, and after learning about my little place, they all wanted to visit it eventually. 

“Oh, that sounds so nice! Better than my own place, hahaha!” Hilda laughed. “Please let me visit later, Anna. I really would like a bath too, honestly!” 

“Hm, you said there’s a training ground in there?” Kevin asked, intrigued. 

“There’s a kitchen? We could cook better food while we’re traveling!” Henrietta said. 

“I want to explore the place!” Annabelle said. 

“Hahah, well, we’ll go later…” I giggled, feeling a bit overwhelmed. 

“Hm, it sounds like a convenient place to rest,” my brother said, smiling. “Though, who was that Constellation? Do you know her, Fenrir?” 

“Heavenly Empress?” Fenrir appeared at his side. “No way I know who the hell that is! There’s thousands of them out there, Jack…” 

“I’m worried. I hope they didn’t have ulterior motives by gifting something so incredible without asking for anything in return. That’s definitely suspicious,” my brother said, rubbing his chin. 

“Don’t worry about her! She’s nice! She just likes me because… well, we walk the same path,” I said, smiling. “Or rather, I walk her path, but I’m also forging my own.” 

“…Huh?” My brother and the others didn’t understand what I meant. 

But one day, when I’m allowed to return, I’ll bring them along, and they’ll finally understand. 

After a delicious breakfast, we packed up and set out again, taking down monsters while chatting and enjoying snacks and cold drinks. 

It took only two hours to reach Hilda’s hometown, but as we drew closer, the landscape shifted, getting warmer and harder to breathe.   

The blue sky turned gray with clouds of ash, and the smell of sulfur and burning stone filled the air as we saw rivers and lakes of boiling magma. 

“This is the place?” Henrietta asked. “It’s unrecognizable. Was this really a village before?” 

“Yeah…” Hilda said. “I’m finally back home…”

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