‘Was he playing the “good brother,” the “handsome senior protecting his sister” in front of these people just to win that foolish praise and admiration?’
Thinking of this, Seshi’s disgust reached its peak.
‘How truly… disgusting.’
Hell ignored the rising chatter and praise from the people around him.
Those infatuated looks, those words of admiration, and those kind gazes directed his way were nothing more than insignificant background noise.
From beginning to end, his focus remained on only one person.
He turned slightly, his gaze falling on Seshi’s face, which remained as cold as frost.
The evening breeze blew past, fluttering her long black hair and the stray strands on her forehead.
That face, as exquisite as a doll’s, appeared exceptionally pale under the reflection of the setting sun.
“Xi’er, are you all right?”
Hell spoke, his voice as gentle as the evening breeze, carrying a touch of perfectly measured concern.
In those weary eyes, there was only a sincere inquiry, as if the person who had just radiated a terrifying killing intent was not him at all.
Seshi looked up, her obsidian eyes meeting his.
There was no warmth in those eyes, only the same old coldness and a hint of… deep disgust that Hell could see very clearly.
“Why are you here?”
The girl’s voice was cold and flat, as if she were questioning a stranger who had nothing to do with her.
Hell did not show any displeasure at her attitude.
He simply smiled slightly. That smile appeared exceptionally harmless under the sunset, even carrying a sense of natural entitlement.
“To pick you up from school.”
Hell said it naturally, as if it were the most logical thing in the world, as if he had always done this.
But they both knew that was not true.
He never had.
This was the first time.
Seshi looked at him. Beneath that cold disgust in her obsidian eyes, something extremely minute seemed to quietly crack open.
But soon, that tiny crack was covered by an even deeper layer of ice.
“No need.”
Seshi frowned, a flicker of undisguised rejection flashing in her eyes.
Her voice was cold and brief, like the frozen surface of a lake in winter, without a single extra ripple.
After saying those two words, she did not even have the interest to spare Hell another glance.
She directly stepped to the side, preparing to walk around him and leave.
‘Where would this brother of mine find such kindness?’
‘Since when did he ever do something like this — picking her up from school? What a joke.’ In years past, Hell did not even know what grade she was in or which class she was assigned to, let alone show up at the gates of this school.
Why did he suddenly “just happen to be passing by” and “come to pick her up” today?
‘Something is fishy.’
And this guy would definitely not be up to anything good.
Furthermore…
Seshi’s gaze swept almost imperceptibly over the girls nearby who were still whispering and casting admiring looks at Hell, the coldness in the depths of her eyes deepening.
She did not want her classmates to know she had a notorious brother.
That “Scumbag” whom everyone at Eden High Academy avoided, that piece of trash who reportedly used despicable means to toy with girls’ emotions, that “family member” she was ashamed to even mention in front of her Goddess Angel companions — if people found out about her relationship with this man, would her hard-earned Ordinary High Schooler Persona suffer some uncontrollable change?
She did not dare to gamble on it, nor did she want to.
Therefore, the best choice was to stay as far away from him as possible.
Seshi’s pace did not falter.
Her long black hair swayed gently in the evening wind with her movements as she was about to pass Hell by.
However, Hell had already anticipated Seshi’s reaction.
It was only natural — after all, over the past few years, the original owner had left Seshi with nothing but indifference, disgust, and hurt.
How could a single instance of “picking her up from school” turn things around?
But he did not plan to give up just like that.
“Xi’er.”
His voice came from behind her, gentle and steady, carrying a hint of appropriate concern.
Seshi’s footsteps faltered slightly, but she did not stop.
Hell continued, his tone very natural.
“Remember that restaurant we went to before? The one behind the Shopping District. Don’t you really like the food there?”
Seshi stopped in her tracks.
Hell watched her slightly stiffened back, the corners of his mouth curling upward in an almost imperceptible arc as he continued.
“Let’s handle dinner there. It’s on me.”
He paused, his tone taking on a hint of deliberate care, the kind an ordinary older brother would have.
“It’s too much work for you to cook every day. Besides, this is a critical time for your academic advancement; you should relax once in a while.”
Having finished, he quietly waited for Seshi’s reaction.
Hell believed these “brotherly concern” words were spoken naturally enough — caring yet considerate, and within that consideration, a bit of the “as it should be” sentiment.
Even a sister as guarded against him as Seshi should be at least somewhat touched, right?
After all, what sister would truly hate being cared for?
However —
Seshi slowly turned around.
Those obsidian eyes were currently looking at him with an extremely complex, skeptical gaze.
There was not a single trace of the touch Hell had expected in that gaze, only deeper vigilance and… a sort of sharp scrutiny that was rapidly condensing.
The girl just looked at her, asking clearly, word by word.
“How… did you know I liked that restaurant?”
The moment that question was asked, the expression on Hell’s face froze.
He stood there, stunned.
Those eyes that were always filled with weariness widened slightly, and a hint of almost undetectable panic flashed in the depths of his pupils.
‘Oh no.’
He only just remembered —
At this point in time, and in this stage of the plot, “Hell” should not know that his sister, Seshi, liked that restaurant.
The original Hell’s understanding of Seshi was limited to shallow, superficial perceptions like “nominal sister living under the same roof,” “very cold toward me,” and “annoying to look at.” He had never truly cared about what she liked, what she hated, or where she usually went.
It was even more impossible for him to know she liked a specific restaurant.
But the words Hell had just blurted out —
“Remember that restaurant we went to before? The one behind the Shopping District. Don’t you really like the food there?”
These were clearly details that only someone who had paid attention to her for a long time and understood her lifestyle would know.
But “Hell” shouldn’t know.
‘I played it too far.’
Countless thoughts flashed through Hell’s mind — how could he fix this? What excuse could he find? Should he say he happened to see her there? Or that he heard it from someone else?
But those excuses likely would not hold up under the scrutiny of Seshi’s sharp eyes.
The evening breeze blew, kicking up dust between the two of them.
Seshi just stood there quietly, looking at Hell, waiting for his answer.
In those obsidian eyes, suspicion, vigilance, and scrutiny… as well as something deeper that Hell could not quite see, were slowly swirling.
The air seemed to freeze in that instant.