On the tram, Hel watched Seshi’s expression. It was still cold, but it no longer felt like a door slammed shut in his face. He had a plan.
He knew he couldn’t back down now.
Since Seshi was willing to talk to him — even if it was with sarcasm or doubt — it meant there was still a crack in her defenses. All he needed to do was find the right key to pry that crack open just a little wider.
And he knew exactly where that key was.
“What you said just now isn’t right. How could this be meaningless?”
Hel’s tone carried a hint of sincerity mixed with a perfectly timed touch of confusion, as if he truly couldn’t understand why Seshi would think that way. Then, he lowered his head slightly, his gaze falling on his hands resting on his knees, and his voice softened.
“Miss Artemis made me understand… the meaning of family.”
As expected.
The moment Hel brought up the name ‘Artemis,’ Seshi’s expression underwent a subtle change.
Her obsidian-like eyes flickered, and her tight jawline seemed to relax for a fleeting second. Although she didn’t speak, Hel could feel it — her attitude had clearly softened.
Artemis.
The senior she had always looked up to, the Annihilation Angel whose displays of overwhelming firepower had fascinated her, the idol who had said ‘protecting those around you is enough’ — using that name as a key was indeed the best way to open the softest door in Seshi’s heart.
The black-haired girl opened her mouth as if to argue, but in the end, she simply turned her face away. Her voice was still cold, but it had lost some of its sharp edge.
“…I still don’t need you to pick me up after school.”
Her words were very quiet. Rather than a rejection, it sounded more like… stubbornness.
Hel heard the change in her tone. He smiled slightly and didn’t push any further.
He knew that with someone like Seshi, he couldn’t force things. She needed time to digest, to adapt, and to slowly accept this ‘suddenly improved’ brother of hers.
Hel nodded, his voice carrying a gentle concession.
“Fine, I won’t force you.”
He paused, then added another sentence.
“However —”
Hel looked directly at the side of Seshi’s face, his voice ringing with genuine earnestness.
“Call me anytime if something happens. No matter when it is, no matter what happens… I’ll be there as fast as I can.”
Seshi’s eyelashes trembled slightly.
She didn’t look back, nor did she speak.
But Hel caught the slight movement of her head — a nod so faint it was almost imperceptible.
She hadn’t agreed, but she hadn’t denied it either.
And that, in itself, was a response.
Hel said nothing more. He leaned back against his seat and turned his gaze to the night scenery rushing past the window.
The two were silent for the rest of the journey.
The tram moved smoothly through the night, the cabin filled only with a low hum and the occasional chime of the station announcements. The streetlights outside streaked past one by one, casting blurred silhouettes of the two on the window glass.
Seshi remained seated by the window, her side turned toward Hel as she stared outside. From Hel’s angle, he could only see the pale curve of her face, her slightly lowered lashes, and a few strands of black hair swaying in the draft.
Hel didn’t try to strike up another conversation.
He knew that sometimes, silence was more powerful than words.
Giving Seshi time to think, to feel, and to slowly let down the defenses she had built up over the years — that was what he needed to do most right now.
The tram slowly entered the city center. The scenery shifted from ordinary residential areas to a bustling shopping district. The neon lights of skyscrapers flickered in the dark, and the streets were still teeming with traffic.
Finally, the familiar station announcement sounded.
“Ding-dong — This is City Center Garden Station. Passengers departing here, please prepare to disembark —”
Hel stood up and naturally walked to Seshi’s side, waiting for her to get up.
Seshi didn’t say a word. She silently stood, picked up her bag, and walked toward the doors.
Hel followed behind her, maintaining a careful distance — not so close that she felt crowded, but close enough for her to feel his presence.
The two stepped off the tram, left the platform, and arrived at the entrance of an upscale residential neighborhood.
This was one of the most core areas of Eden City.
Neat rows of sycamore trees lined the roads, and the streetlights cast a soft, warm yellow glow, enveloping the entire street in a peaceful atmosphere. Every building was an independent three-story villa, each with a different style but all exuding a sense of low-key luxury.
Some had exquisite European-style carved balconies, while others featured modern minimalist glass curtain walls. Without exception, each was equipped with a manicured private garden and a separate parking space.
Hel and Seshi’s home was located deep within this high-end district.
It was a white villa that blended classical and modern styles — the exterior walls were a clean creamy white, accented by dark wooden trim. The roof was an elegant sloped design covered in deep gray tiles. A few cherry blossom trees were planted in the courtyard; it was currently the flowering season, and the pinkish-white petals swayed gently in the night breeze, a few drifting down onto the lawn.
Hel pushed open the small gate to the courtyard and stepped aside to let Seshi enter first.
Seshi glanced at him but remained silent. she simply walked past him and stepped onto the stone path leading to the villa’s front door.
Hel followed behind, watching her back. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
Tonight’s progress was even better than he had expected.
He pushed open the villa door, and the warm yellow light from the foyer spilled out, casting their shadows onto the floor.
The feeling of home.
Though this ‘home’ had never truly been warm over the past few years.
But now…
Hel watched Seshi’s figure as she headed upstairs and spoke silently in his heart.
‘From now on, it’s going to be different.’
After arriving home, Seshi went upstairs to her room to do her homework as per her usual routine, not saying a word.
The sound of her footsteps faded as she climbed the wooden stairs, ending with the soft thud of her door closing. Just like always, there was no looking back, no goodnight, and no extra interaction.
Hel stood in the foyer, looking at the black shadow that had disappeared around the corner of the stairs, a slight smile on his face. Then, he also started walking, heading upstairs to his own room.
He pushed the door open. The room was dim, with only the light from the streetlights outside peeking through the gaps in the curtains, casting faint streaks of light across the floor. Hel didn’t turn on the light; instead, he walked straight to his bed and —
Collapsed backward, sprawling out across the soft mattress.
“Whew —”
Hel exhaled a long breath, one filled with the exhaustion of the entire day but also with a sense of relief.
The mattress sank slightly, cradling his body and allowing his tense muscles to finally relax. He stared at the ceiling, his gaze a bit vacant, but his mind was replaying every event of the day frame by frame.
From saving that blue-haired freshman on the tram in the morning, to receiving the message from S in class, to following Luna to handle the Crystal Husks, clashing with her on the clock tower, and using Hestia to threaten her into saying she was ‘willing to do anything’…
Then going to the Affiliated Middle School to pick up Seshi, teaching that blonde thug a lesson, taking her to that restaurant, using Artemis’s name to fabricate that life-and-death experience, and prying open the crack in her heart step by step…
Hel closed his eyes, his lips curling up.
Today’s results were brilliant.
Not only did he get a handle on the Goddess Angel, Luna — though it was only preliminary control, given the girl’s personality, she wouldn’t easily go back on her word after saying she would ‘do anything.’ Plus, that message he sent saying ‘please look after me from now on’ was still sitting in her phone. Even if she had left him on read, that in itself was a reaction.
And now, he had improved his relationship with his sister, Seshi.
Although the girl was still cold, still stubborn, and still refused to let him pick her up from school, tonight’s interaction — from the probing in the restaurant to the conversation on the tram, and finally her slight nod at the end — proved that the shell that had been frozen for years was starting to crack.
Hel opened his eyes and looked at the blurry shadows on the ceiling, unable to stop a small chuckle.
It seemed…
‘This World Mission isn’t that hard after all.’
As soon as that thought surfaced, Hel shook his head alertly.
No.
‘I can’t get ahead of myself.’
He rolled over and sat up, bracing his hands on the edge of the bed. His gaze became clear and sharp.
Carelessness was the ultimate taboo for a Transmigrator.
He took a deep breath and began to quickly organize his next plans in his head.
On Seshi’s end, today was a good start. But for that ice to completely melt, he would need more time and patience. A little bit of care every day, a little bit of presence every day, letting her slowly get used to his kindness and lower her guard — that was the right path.
He couldn’t rush it.
He couldn’t push too hard.
As for Luna…
Hel’s brow furrowed slightly.
Although Seshi hasn’t officially entered combat yet, she is, after all, a candidate to be a Goddess Angel and a member of the ‘Starlight Covenant’ group. She has contact with the other Goddess Angels.
That, of course, included Luna.
If one day Seshi was chatting in the group and happened to mention her ‘suddenly improved brother’ — mentioning that he was saved by Artemis and changed because of it — and then Luna replied with a look of confusion, saying ‘Huh? When did I ever save your brother?’…
Then everything would be ruined.
Hel felt a slight chill run down his back.
He had to take advantage of the fact that Seshi hadn’t talked to the other Goddess Angels about this yet and give Luna a heads-up. He took out his phone and unlocked the screen.
On the dark interface, the avatar with the nickname “Luna✨” sat quietly in his chat list. The avatar was still that cute pink bunny, but the chat window still only contained the message he had sent yesterday, along with that stinging ‘Read’ status below it.
Read, but no reply.
Hel looked at that status, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.
‘This girl really knows how to hold her breath.’
But it didn’t matter.
He took a deep breath, his fingers tapping rapidly across the screen.
“Hey, hey, hey?…”
He sent those three words followed by an ellipsis, keeping his tone casual, as if just saying hello in passing.
Sent.
Then, he set the phone down beside him and waited quietly.
The night outside was deep, with the occasional sound of a car passing in the distance. The room was silent, filled only with the sound of his own breathing and heartbeat.
He stared at the chat window, watching the message status change from ‘Sending’ to ‘Delivered.’
Then, it changed to ‘Read.’
Hel’s eyes flickered.
Read.
She saw it.
And then —
The typing indicator on the screen began to flash: “The other party is typing…”
The corners of Hel’s mouth slowly curled upward.
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