The Moon's Brother and the BS Game 6 - or 'Help, I am supposed to be a background character, but I have to be a MC for my silly sister's sake!' (Sailor Moon Xover, Gamer!SI!Shingo Tsukino)
Usagi is a difficult person to get geared for homework. Or any chores, really.
I couldn't exactly fault her as many in her life would easily do. I had been in a similar position for a while in my previous youth, so it felt a bit difficult to find myself in any moral high ground. I knew it was tough, and I knew it wasn't just a matter of effort- it was expectations. Hers and the others.
So, when I actually started to probe at her reluctance, I was surprised at how easily I got to her. Of course, I have to admit that I had been extremely careful with the word-choices, as each term held so many meanings, and when it comes to someone that was ostracized for being an 'utter dumbass', they tend to see the worst out of many things aimed at them.
Which is why I purposely got Usagi pelted with some good reasoning.
"But it's still odd. My Otouto helping me, his older sister, with the homework-"
"Well, do you want me to give you some help or try your hand at not getting yelled at by mom and dad?" I asked back, holding myself from snapping at her, yet sparing her no harsh truth in my reasoning. "I know it's not nice and… Usagi-nee, you really need someone to help you up for once."
That plea was met with extreme relief as I could tell. She tried to play the 'I got forced into this' kind of mindset for a while, but once I got her to open up her book, Usagi became a nervous girl- a teenager that was legitimately struggling a bit.
Comic relief can be seen as a mechanism for her unease, and right now she tried a lot to lessen the 'dramatic issue' she was struggling with. That was the first hour of that effort, then… I think I got to her.
Not in a permanent way as that was not the kind of stuff that could be patched up in a single day, nor two, but Usagi took a moment to recollect herself and, without wasting much time, ended up having two pages open in her notes- one for the Maths' exercises and the other with a few personal notes on how she got this done.
She would focus on the initial composition of the exercises and then shift to the formulas that her textbook provided plus a few shortened versions to go easy with it. I may not be as experienced as I was a few years ago on this level of Maths, but it was no Late High School mess and I could handle it. Late High school stuff? And I would be having a few issues.
Usagi was a bit of a whiner through the first few exercises, but the last two she did on her own and she got the results right. She was smiling eye-to-eye as she got that second exercise done right on her own.
But, of course, I didn't stop right there as I had something else to tell her.
"We could do it again. It was fun."
"It was," Usagi easily admitted. "And… I know that it sounds silly for me to say but… you make it easier. Like, all the Maths is-"
"Some doodles taught by mummies?"
"Y-Yeah," The blonde admitted and then frowned. "You don't like it too?"
"I don't," I flatly admitted. "But I kind of got it that if I am prepared for it and tackle it first, then I can handle the other stuff I like more. It's like- instead of waiting for me to be caught unprepared by the teacher, I go first and thus get through a potential bad grade by being prepared and making it through."
She looked intrigued by this and then hummed thoughtfully. "I never saw it that way."
"I didn't either until I heard in school that someone did this and got his grade to improve. I mean, isn't it a bit of a silly idea? Beat the teachers at their own game rather than let them catch us in that?"
I may not be able to set her straight today, but I had seeded her mind with enough ideas for Usagi to eventually work out some solutions to her own problem about it and-
"Oneesan?"
"Hmm?" Usagi hummed in reply as I stood by her room's door. "Yes, Otouto?"
"I don't think you are dumb. But it's not nice to see you always waste so much time on fun things. These are fun, yeah, but they are not exactly going anywhere plus… I would like it if you don't reach the point where we can't go and play Sailor V in the future when we have to graduate."
I hit her. I hit her hard. I didn't do this without a reason- this was something I was… subjected too as an older sibling. My previous sister had a similar conversation with me about it.
I know that my mom had something to do with this, but the core message still hit me hard in the right way. And I could tell, despite the brief glimpse of hurt on the blonde's face, that she got the message.
"I… I will not let that happen."
The point here was one and simple- until she wanted to really grow up, then she wasn't going to. Changing and Growing, some may think they are all the same, but there's something I know as 'Flat Changing' which is the lack of growth despite one's body and personality changing to attain a less mature view of things going forward.
To Usagi, it was definitely her unwillingness to let go of some of the innocence that would then become the cornerstone of Silver Millennium. No more war, no more conflict, no more brainstorming- after all, everything is perfect in Silver Millennium.
I left her to her thoughts, to slowly work her things out as she needed to be alone in this difficult but necessary moment in her own life, and I worked my face to not show any of the nostalgic sorrow at that notion before entering my room.
After all, Luna had been waiting there and had listened to our conversation quietly as I could spot through her immediate reaction- no greeting, no attempt to talk with me, only lazily sitting and glancing at me as I went through my own chores. I had gone through my homework already, so I just had to get my magazines up and get my fighting skills leveled up a bit more.
I couldn't change Usagi as quickly as Luna and I have bet on, but I could get strong enough to get the latest Quest I got out of the way as quickly as possible. I may have some uneasy thoughts on how feasible it was at the moment, but the recent discovery that Taimanins were a thing made the whole Magical Girl bullshit somewhat more dangerous for my sister and-
(Boxing - LVL.51/100) - Your capacity to practice Boxing. 51% Boost to your ATK when using the Boxing Style.
DING! You reached LVL.30 of an ATK-based Skill. Receive +3 ATK!
DING! You reached LVL.40 of an ATK-based Skill. Receive +4 ATK!
DING! You reached LVL.50 of an ATK-based Skill. Receive +5 ATK!
(Taekwondo - LVL.37/100) - Your capacity to practice Taekwondo. 55,5% Boost to your ATK when using the Taekwondo Style.
DING! You reached LVL.20 of an ATK-based Skill. Receive +2 ATK!
DING! You reached LVL.30 of an ATK-based Skill. Receive +3 ATK!
ATK: 32
And I was going to get through with this mess. Tonight.
Luna had gone to sleep early. Nothing unusual with that except that I put the nicely-grounded dust of a quarter of a sleeping pill in her dinner tonight.
The cat suspected nothing and I had double-checked that this shouldn't be dangerous as her alien biology should process this as a human would. It wasn't strong enough to knock her unconscious for long hours, but it made her sleep heavier which allowed me to make it out of the house at night without anyone suspecting a thing.
I had taken the spare keys before leaving so I would have gotten back without having to worry about anyone finding any keys having been moved in the morning since my parents didn't check on the spares unless strictly necessary.
So, I stood a moment by the entrance door of the house, looking into the bag I was using to carry a few useful things- such as a flashlight with spare batteries, some snacks to use to heal and a small Swiss Knife that I got from my grandparents well before I took over for Shingo.
The knife available through it was tiny and easy to use to cut through ropes or anything that needed cutting if needed. So yeah… I felt underprepared despite that. But it was not a good or bad feeling- it was paranoia telling me one can never be too prepared for this sort of stuff.
But I had no choice on the matter.
It was either me getting my Superhero mask to help Usagi through her first few and more days as a Sailor Scout or facing the constant worry that she could get hurt if I don't do something.
Taking in some air, I exhaled extensively, clearing out my lungs as I got back to focusing on the task at hand.
First thing first, the Demonic Rats situation was unusual for the Dark Kingdom- so, it was not related to Sailor Moon and potentially related to another series. Which was bad since I couldn't think of anything that could relate to this phenomenon.
Second thing, since it was Rats, then it means they were coming from the goddamn sewers. Which meant I was going to fend for my life within a secluded area with little means to move around to dodge any ambushes. So yeah, I was going to patrol a stinky, dangerous area with the minimum I could get my hands on.
Not a fine way to start a heroic career, but beggars ain't choosers.
The manhole I found was easy to lift a bit and allow me down to a small section within the underground hall right on the side of a green and brown river of various wastes being carried around to the central distribution area for this sort of shit.
I have been near sewers before in life to fix some tubes, but never before I thought of going for a stroll through numerous sections of it. As the flashlight was on and shooting a beam of light through the darkness, I felt the depth of the situation striking me fully- I was not in a safe place and a foe could be waiting at any corner.
I was strong but… it's best to not risk anything at the moment.
Whatever was making the rats was not weak- not with how many of those were being pumped out each day. I saw a few headlines in the mid-day newspaper that suggested how the sighting of scary-looking rats was spreading around various districts, with kids getting kidnapped.
Momoko hadn't been an unexpected target, but came close to be a proper victim like many others after her.
So, not only did I have to worry about how dangerous the situation already was, I had to also keep an eye out for any potential 'fellow heroes' checking the area. If Taimanins were a thing, then it was possible that one or two could be already wandering around.
Which is why I had to get this out of the way as fast and clean as possible. All the while avoiding getting either maimed or killed by anything in the area. Found some rats, three to be precise, and they were easy kills as usual-
+15 EXP!
EXP: 60/130
But I had a distinct feeling I was on the right path. The more I wandered through-
+20 EXP!
EXP: 80/130
The more rats I found. And the more rats I found-
+40 EXP!
EXP: 120/130
The closer I got to the source of those. And I knew I got really near as I smelled a strange stench and the noises of fighting around. I heard what sounded to be a squeaking girl and a non-girl entity growling in frustration.
Since I was in a world where Taimanins were a thing I expected to waltz into a Bad Ending situation- and one which would force me to leave ASAP since that meant the bastard I was tracking down was not one a 'normal' kid like me should face.
Much to my surprise and my relief, that proved to not be the case- in fact, I stumbled on a legitimate fight between a large furred monster standing on two legs and with rat-like features, and- that Succubus I met a while ago. What was her name… Lilim!
"Giii! I hate rats! Let me be!"
"Wwwhyyy would I llleeeave a sweeeet ass like youuuurs, royal bloood?"
"Stop being a creep! No means no!"
I stood there for a moment, unsure of what was going on. Then I took notice of the other features within the large lair that they were 'battling' this one out as various children were rendered unconscious and stuck to the wall through what looked to be gray goo.
I slowly walked through the place, approaching the duo as I got a full sight on the monster itself and-
High Rat Demon
LV.6
HP: 450/450
…Okay, that's a bit ridiculous.
I know that I should be feeling a bit bad on the Succubus, but I knew she was supposed to be stronger than this. I, a starting Gamer, was stronger than this. I held back a grimace as I just approached the two.
"Hehehe… waiiiit! Odd… sceeent?" The rat humanoid turned, sharp teeth gnawing against each other as it noticed me approaching.
"New… Preeeeeyyyyy!"
And it bolted for me. It was slow. Painfully slow. And I didn't feel any regret when I used my Taekwondo experience to land a swift kick in the balls right as it got close enough to me. The hit landed, causing it to howl in pain at getting his dick damaged by a critical hit at first glance and-
33,6 + [(33,6x55,5)/100] = 52,25
CRIT! 52,25x2 = 104,5!
345,5/450
I started to punch. Really hard and without mercy. And since the beast was stunned by the crit, I was done with it in mere seconds.
One last punch saw its body crash on the ground, exploding with dark particles that dispelled before my own sight much to my frustration and relief. Yes, I was happy to be done with this but… it was too cheap. Too easy. I felt like my first boss battle was robbed from me because the boss was a weakling.
+75 EXP!
Quest Completed: A New Hero: Prologue!
LEVEL UP! x 6
Name: Tsukino Shingo
LVL. 13
Age: 10
EXP: 135/290
Title: Princess Serenity's Otouto
Money: 3200Y
HP: 280/280
SP: 130/130
ATK: 38 (39,9)
DEF: 17 (17,85)
INT: 26 (27,3)
LCK: 17 (17,85)
All that preparation, all that expectation- for nothing.
…At least I got the reward.
Yes, because, while I did get a fuckton of EXPs, that was not why I came down here- I was trying to get that hero mask the quest spoke about and… I was curious, really. Did I get to choose or-
The 'Hero Path - Mask' assigned shall be one that better fits with your current abilities, stats and relevant biological components. Starting the process of transformation now.
"Wait, wha-"
Before I could say much about it, I felt my body suddenly bound by what felt to be white tendrils made of soft paper that suddenly shifted all over my body, with a hooded cape manifesting behind me and covering part of my face as the rest was covered by the paper and… it all formed an uniform suit.
One that I took a moment to stare at through one of the nearby pools of dirty water.
…
Oh. Oh dear. The irony.
Congratulations! You have received the 'Moon Knight' Mask!
(Moon Knight Mask - LVL.1) - You can now transform the Paladin of the Moon. Current addition to the suit:
-+ 1/3DEF;
-Unlimited Moon Cutters (Throwable Objective- Damage = ATK/10);
-Moon Hook (Max. Range = 23m);
That's actually pretty-
"COOL!"
The loud screech made me jump a bit as I stared at… a certain Succubus that had gotten quite close to me.
"Uh… Hello?"
"You are the nice boy that helped me a while ago- and now you helped me again! Thank you, cool boy!"
"...You're welcome? I mean… what's your name- what are you?"
Yes, distraction- I was still recoiling from getting this unexpected power-up and I didn't need to handle further shit at the moment. Plus, I had to get the rest of the mess dealt with. I couldn't just leave the unconscious kids staying here until someone found them.
A giggle. "Oh, I guess this looks a bit odd, but I am Lilim, Succubus and… nothing else, just a Succubus."
That didn't sound like a proper 'nothing else' kind of way to end that introduction, but I decided to let it pass as there were other things to deal with.
"Well, Lilim… could you please, uh, help me get these kids to safety?"
Her eyes lit up in delight. "Sure thing!"
Something tells me that this isn't just the usual Succubus. Especially with how innocent she was sounding at the moment- too genuinely innocent at that.
End Chapter Full Stats
Name: Tsukino Shingo
LVL. 13
Age: 10
EXP: 135/290
Title: Princess Serenity's Otouto
Money: 3200Y
HP: 280/280
SP: 130/130
ATK: 38 (39,9)
DEF: 17 (17,85)
INT: 26 (27,3)
LCK: 17 (17,85)
PASSIVE SKILLS
(Gamer's Body) - Your body follows game logic.
(Gamer's Mind) - Your mental factors follow game logic- your thoughts are protected by this skill's effect.
(Human Being - 10YO Child) - You are recognized by laws and people as a child due to your young age. Add a +25% ATK Boost to Sneak Attacks, +45 SP/min Recharge, Add a -75% Price Reduction to Learning-related events.
(Moon Dynasty - False) - Some members of your family are reincarnations to the Moon Dynasty of the First Millenium, while you are not. Receive a +5% ATK Boost while using Moon Magic attacks.
(Healthy Body - LVL.2) - Your Body is the Temple of your Mind. +5% Boost to all Stats. (This skill will evolve the more HP you have.)
(Physical Endurance - LVL.17) - Your capacity to endure attacks is increased by 17%. (This skill will evolve the more DEF you have.)
(Learning Capacity - LVL.26) - Learning-related events have a -26% Price Reduction. (This skill will evolve the more INT you have.)
(Japanese Language - LVL.44/100) - Your capacity to understand basic Japanese, both verbal and written. Current Level allows for Middle School-tier understanding.
(English Language - LVL.8/100) - Your capacity to understand basic English, both verbal and written. Current Level allows for basic comprehension.
(Language Switch) - You are able to switch Languages among those you know. Current Languages: Japanese (Main), English.
(Detection - LVL.2) - You can now see some people and enemies' HPs and LVLs. (This skill will evolve the more INT you have.)
(Bloodlust Detection - LVL.1) - You can now perceive when people are directing bloodlust in your general direction. (This skill will evolve the more INT you have.)
(Fencing - LVL.5/100) - Your capacity to understand and employ Fencing in combat. +5% ATK Boost while using a proper Weapon and Fencing Stance.
(Medicine - LVL.7/100) - Your capacity to understand and employ Medical Knowledge. +7% Effect Boost for Healing Items you consume or create.
(Boxing - LVL.51/100) - Your capacity to practice Boxing. 51% Boost to your ATK when using the Boxing Style.
(Taekwondo - LVL.37/100) - Your capacity to practice Taekwondo. 55,5% Boost to your ATK when using the Taekwondo Style.
(Moon Knight Mask - LVL.1) - You can now transform the Paladin of the Moon. Current addition to the suit:
-+ 1/3DEF;
-Unlimited Moon Cutters (Throwable Objective- Damage = ATK/10);
-Moon Hook (Max. Range = 23m);
ACTIVE SKILLS
(Sprint - LVL.13) - Use SPs to increase your speed by 9%. Price: 10 SP per Minute. (This skill will evolve the more SP you have.)
(Focus Attack - LVL.3) - Use SPs to deliver a boosted attack. Price: 20 SP per hit. (This skill will evolve the more ATK you have.)
(Focus Defense - LVL.1) - Use SPs to increase your guard's defense by 2%. Price: 20 SP per Minute. (This skill will evolve the more DEF you have.)