The Sister (who's also an Alien)

Having a cute little daughter was the best thing she could have ever gotten, on par with meeting Gorou and welcoming Issei into their lives. It was something she'd hoped for whenever she married her husband and had dreams of having children. Nothing too massive like her parents (seriously, having six siblings was quite something); just a boy and a girl would have been enough. And somehow, that wish had been granted.

Sure, Ophis wasn't technically her blood, and was actually a dragon goddess far older than all of them combined. But did that deter her from considering the girl her own child? Not at all.

Teaching her how to read and write. Cooking breakfast for her. Waking her up in the morning. Watching her play with Issei—so many more things that she had done with the little girl that to call her anything but her daughter was just unimaginable at this point. There was very little she could have asked for after that, and she'd always made it known to God just how grateful she was.

But, as it turns out, the world was not done. Not remotely.

Because what else could explain the fact that she was now watching Chiyo, who was now her eldest daughter, carry Issei up to his room?

"Guess he tired himself out a lot quicker than I expected," softly chuckled the mother. "And I'm so sorry you have to carry him, dear. I wouldn't have minded carrying him myself."

"Oh, no need to worry, Mother! As the eldest sister, I like to think of this as part of my responsibility, so rest easy and let me handle the simple matters such as this!"

Seriously, she knew she wanted more children, but weren't things advancing a little too quickly? Already, she has three children in just a couple of days, plus a sister. Talk about a big family!

…Not like she was complaining, mind you.

And already, she could see just how well she was performing as an older sister. Sure, it was still too early to tell, but the aura she was emanating and the way she treated both Issei and Ophis—as well as how she'd been so eager and patient in entertaining Issei's antics and requests—was already cementing her position as the eldest in the family.

Though, there was certainly some concern as to the lack of enthusiasm Ophis seemed to show when it came to her, but she supposed that was just some sibling jealousy. Heh. She never thought that would happen, but here they were.

Arriving at Issei's room, the mother and daughter stepped inside and tugged the boy into bed. He'd been so exuberant earlier today, and he'd just about passed out when he said he was going to take a short nap on the couch. The next thing they all knew, he'd practically shrunk in on himself and fallen out cold.

Ophis had been right beside him. Still awake, but just wanting to keep him company. And she'd been a little upset that he had to go to bed, but relented in the end when Gorou told her to make her way to her room too.

She offered to clean things up downstairs first, but Nyan insisted she and Chiyo let Issei sleep in his room. Gorou and Lucy would be there to help, and Six-eight-two as well… though she wasn't sure if he'd actually be willing to help.

Oh wait. Shouldn't Ophis have sent him back home first? How was he going to go back home if Ophis didn't do her magic stuff to send him back?

"I must say," she perked up at the voice of her daughter. She sat close to her little brother, eyeing him with a softness that radiated warmth. "I'm admittedly a little surprised that he wasn't scared of me when he first saw me. I mean, your people have called me a monster or a demon countless of times when we cross path. And he never thought me anything of the sort."

"What did he say?"

"Well, believe it or not, it was something completely different. I greeted him, and then he corrected me by telling me it was afternoon!"

Snrk. Well, for all things for him to focus on, she supposed that was typical of him. Issei was likely desensitized by Ophis's, Lucy's and Six-eight-two's true selves to ever be afraid of any other non-human entities. Chiyo also had the bonus of looking every bit like a human, minus the goat legs and the horns.

And so beautiful. Goodness. If people asked her if they were related, well… It'd be hard to say so, since neither of them shared any similarities in terms of hair colour. She and her family were all brunettes. Then again, there was Ophis, and she was black-haired too. Maybe they could make a case there…

"Such a sweet child… You have been such a wonderful mother and taught him so many things, huh?"

"Well, Gorou and I try," she chuckled back, making sure to draw the curtains and turn on the fan. She noticed that Chiyo was watching her intently. Probably to keep note of this for the future. "I mean, seeing that he's our only son, we want to give him the best of everything, you know?"

"Yes. And he's turned out really, really well. Even Auntie Nyan Nyan took a liking to him when we first met."

She could definitely tell that the older cosmic entity also favoured him. Sure, it was mostly Chiyo who had spent the most time with Issei, but there had been no instances where Nyan looked uncomfortable when conversing with her son. If anything, she seemed more amused and pleased than anything else.

Guess that could be attributed to her many years of having a niece. She hadn't mentioned any other family besides Chiyo, but as she'd mentioned there being a lot more cosmic beings out there—and perhaps they shared blood, if even a little—then her family was a massive one.

Well, at least they got the good end of the spectrum. Chiyo and Nyan ended up being pacifists. They could have easily gotten some bloodthirsty demigods or the like. Now that would have been a real hassle to deal with.

"Well, for just how wonderful he is, I'm… really glad. And yes, I know it's only been a few days, so I feel a little silly. But knowing him even then makes me want to give him the world."

…She knew that Chiyo meant well with that statement. She really did; she clearly adored her new little brother. But it kind of scared her when she couldn't tell if she was joking or not. For her sanity, she'll just ignore that thought.

"Mother," the girl called. "May I ask you a question?"

"Of course. What is it, dear?"

"I… What does it mean to be an older sister?" She asked, sounding a little nervous. "I have never had family beyond Aunty Nyan Nyan, so I have no idea as to how to be a sister to someone. I asked Issei, and he said that we'd be together every single day, and that I would have to look after my younger siblings. But that can't be the end of it, right?"

"Well, that's more or less a summary of things," chuckled Miki. "Granted, being an older sibling has a little more responsibility than being the young one, but it's nothing too serious. You just have to go at your own pace, and things will be fine."

"But there'll certainly be plenty of things that I don't know. And things I'm expected to do…"

"That's fine. All of this is new to you, isn't it? And that's the same for the rest of us too. As much as I like to think we've gotten used to it, having Ophis in our lives was a pretty big change from the norm. That took us time to get used to."

Not like it was bothersome in the slightest. She was family, and even if it meant another mouth to feed or another burden in the eyes of economy or pessimists, there was nothing in the world to convince them to get rid of her.

"So really, all of us can take our time learning everything there is to know about each other. There's no need to rush."

"Mother…" Those eyes searched her. What for, she didn't know, but it seemed that Chiyo was happy at the end of it all, a beautiful smile crossing her expression as she nodded. "Yes, I… I'd love that."

And the first step to of all of that? Getting used to having an older daughter. Maybe they could go on a shopping run next time…

Stranded, and a Meaningful Talk between 'Men'

While the two Hyoudou women had a heart-to-heart moment, a different matter was transpiring downstairs in the living room. And that had to do with Six-eight-two.

As a creature of intelligence and emotions, the beast codenamed 'Hard-to-Destroy Reptile' experienced many things that other living beings do too. Biological matters like hunger and exhaustion could be completely ignored, though it was his desires that gave him the motivation to eat and sleep like any other. And that was the key point here—Six-eight-two had desires just like everything else.

And he had one desire at the moment too. A very simple one that could be solved if a certain someone was here to help him with it, but alas, it seemed like she'd somehow forgotten all about him and went off to her bedroom to sleep.

And that left him here in the living room of the Hyoudou household, stewing with frustration and a growing urge to throttle her—suicidal of a task that may be, considering just how powerful she was.

"Sorry about this, Six-eight-two. We'll be sure to have Ophis send you back home tomorrow morning."

"It's fine," it wasn't, but he wasn't going to start being rude towards the Hyoudou patriarch. The man hadn't done anything to warrant it. Plus, as annoying as this whole situation was, it wasn't the absolute worst, so he was willing to throw them a bone.

Seriously, how is it that she'd just ended up forgetting to send him home? To be fair, even he had neglected to remind her, for he had been distracted by all the food that the human woman had made (and let it be known that nothing on Earth can ever beat her cooking. He will personally devour anyone who thinks otherwise).

So here he was. Far from home. Having a 'sleepover' at the Hyoudou's household. All because the only one who could send him home had just left him to go to bed.

Actually, wait. Wouldn't Nyanlathotep be able to conjure a portal to send him off?

He shook that thought aside. There's no way she would know where his home is, so he'll just have to spend the night here. With not much room for all the residents, though, he would be sharing the living room space with Lucy, who was currently helping out in the kitchen with cleaning the dishes with Nyanlathotep. He, on the other hand, had already helped out Gorou bring the garbage outside.

Yawning lightly—and what a strange gesture that was, but not particularly unpleasant—the beast sauntered over towards a couch and settled his weight upon it. Adjusting his body composition, he created more air space within his body to reduce his overall weight and not crush the furniture beneath him. "So, how will our sleeping arrangements for the night be like?"

"Hmm. Well, Lucy usually sleeps on the couch, so…"

"I don't mind sleeping on the floor."

"Well, that won't do. I'll at least grab you a futon. We'd have to move the table a little, though."

"Hm. Then tell me where to move it."

"Just here to the side," Gorou gestured someplace a little away from the couch. Six-eight-two hummed, extending an arm-like appendage from his dorsum. It reached out and expanded, easily grabbing the entire coffee table and lifting it off the ground. "Huh. That's really convenient."

"As you know, I can manipulate my body as easily as you shape clay. Structure, solidity, composition…"

"I'm not good at pottery, though, so I wouldn't know," chuckled the man. "And now that I've seen that, I'm really curious. Is there some kind of limit as to how much you change your body?"

"Not as far as I know. I've always been able to do all kinds of things really easily and quickly without any repercussions. Plus, with my exceedingly high rate of recovery, practically nothing can kill me. I am nicknamed the 'Hard-to-Destroy Reptile' for a reason. Might as well call me indestructible."

"Really? How great is your regeneration?"

"Well, there was an incident where the fools activated an acid pump and filled my containment room with acid. If I recall properly, at least eighty-five percent of my whole body had been dissolved."

"E-Eighty-five percent?!" He gasped, looking horrified. "That's practically as good as dead! I mean, no offense meant, but you're a rather large lizard. And if you had almost nine-tenths of your whole body melted off, you're basically left with just a head or something!"

"Heh. Yes, well, that's just how it is," he was surprised to find himself chuckling at the morbid experience, though maybe it was amusement at the man's reaction. He found himself not minding the fact that he was recalling that excruciatingly painful memory. "Three hours later and I'd already regrown my whole body. I even came out stronger than ever, and an even higher resistance to acid."

"Yeesh… I'm glad that you're okay…"

The genuineness behind his words had the lizard pausing, looking at the man to find no such deceit. Just that alone had him feeling something… uncomfortable.

"You say that, but you forget the fact that I am a monster who has killed humans."

"And I find that scary, yeah, but like… couldn't they have done something to find a middle ground with you? Maybe if they just left you alone, then you wouldn't have done anything to them."

That was a naïve idea. Six-eight-two's heart was filled to the brim with anger towards humanity, festering over decades of experimentation and attempts to kill him. And every night, he would think of eradicating their species, just to get back at them.

But… well, it would be unfair to target the entire population. He realized now that it was purely the containment facility that deserved his ire for entrapping him and his fellow SCPs (well, he didn't particularly care for most of them, since they were dicks too), whereas the general population were clueless and could be nice.

Just like the Hyoudou's.

"Either way, I'm glad that it's all over for you. Now that you've got your own home that you can relax in, it'll give you all the peace of body and mind that you deserve. All the time to do the things you've always wanted."

"That's… not wrong."

"Mmhm. And uh, forgive me for asking one more question, but like… is there one thing that you've always wanted to do since your containment days? Like, maybe going somewhere or something."

Something he's always wanted to do… Well, his only objective had been escaping the facility. He'd come close every time, but they always ended with his recapture, so he'd been hard-struck with the reality that his escape was impossible.

So he'd ended up imagining his escape. Only thought of it as a pipe dream. Something to try and work for, but would ultimately amount to nothing since the team would be capable of capturing him again.

But now that he's out, it feels kind of surreal.

"I don't know," the beast admitted, lightly swaying his tail. "I'm happy enough to have a paradise of my own, but beyond that, I don't think I want anything else. Is that strange?"

"Considering your circumstances, not so much. After all, you'd never had the opportunity to try anything—and those who've never had that are most likely never going to have an idea for what else they'd want. For example… uhh… I don't have an example," Six-eight-two couldn't help but snort. "But either way! I think it's fine if you take all the time in the world to find what that thing is. After all, you're practically immortal, aren't you?"

"I am, yes. And I've certainly lived for a very long time. Too long, one could argue."

"Mmhm. So from here on out, just take your time figuring out what it is you want to try doing. And then, just go for it! There's no reason you should hold yourself back. Happiness isn't always something that'll seek you out; you have to reach out for it with your own hands. And perhaps that's why it ends up being the most satisfying thing in the world."

That was… incredibly profound. Six-eight-two felt like he'd just had a spiritual revelation. One that shook him to the very core, and definitely put Gorou Hyoudou in a better light.

"In any case, I've talked your ear off already. I'll just go get your futon for you."

He went upstairs, leaving him to just sit on the couch in the meantime and think about his words.

It was so strange. How a human with only a limited years to live could somehow come upon such nuggets of wisdom despite the fact that he's centuries younger than him. Six-eight-two's knowledge should technically amount to a library.

But therein lies the fact that he hadn't seen the world as much as Gorou had. The man, a mortal, lived every day fulfilling his work and seeking the next happiness—for his family and himself—with optimism and hope.

Was that something he could do as well?

Six-eight-two closed his eyes, and focused on his beating heart. An organ that every living being possessed, tasked with delivering blood to every part of the body or to the lungs. Such a demanding job, and one that it takes to without rest, for it beats and beats without pause—and the only time it comes to a stop is when the being dies.

But it was also the home of all the emotions. Where every cognitive function took place in the brain, the heart housed all the matters of feelings and love and all the other ooey-gooey stuff that he would have rolled his eyes at before. But now…

He focused on the flame. Metaphorical flame, that is. The flame of hatred that burnt with fervour, being the only thing that gave him that determination to strike back against the containment facility as an act of rebellion.

But now, set free at last, would he even need that fire?

It was still there, he could feel it. All those years of hatred and anguish couldn't possibly be expelled in a matter of days or weeks. But there would come a time when, eventually, there would be no more reason to hold onto flicker. A long, long time. But faded all the same.

'And when that time comes,' he thought to himself. 'Will I be prepared for it?'

He supposed that was a question only the future him would uncover.

I'm Apparently Living in the Dream of a Cosmic Deity who's now my Sister-in-law (Typical Light Novel Names, am I Right? Also, this is just a joke, don't kill me)

Gorou thought it was really sweet how Six-eight-two, despite trying to have 'Mr. Grumpy Pants' person most of the time, could somehow be so nice to Lucy. Perhaps it was the fact that Lucy wasn't a human, and that everyone loved Lucy. She's just too nice and cute.

In any case, Lucy had absolutely no problems with sharing the living room with Six-eight-two. Heck, she even tried to offer the couch, but Six-eight-two was a gentleman and refused to take her bed from her. So he took to the futon, grumbling a little about how 'surprisingly comfy' it was. Gorou will take as a win.

And that leeeeft…

'Nyan and Chiyo. But we don't exactly have any more rooms in the house.'

That was a kerfuffle. Sure, their house was small, but he'd be damned if he was going to be a poor host. There must be some way they could—Oh!

"Maybe, I could ask Ophis to sleep in Issei's room for the night, and you two could share hers."

"Oh, you don't have to do that!" Chiyo shook her hands in front of her. "We'd hate to bother them when they're already tugged in."

"And we could always use the basement."

"Ah, yes, that's possible."

"Whoa, whoa! There's no way in chance I'd let the two of you sleep down there! I won't have my family sleeping in a dirty little basement. Not on my watch."

"Hah. We appreciate the sentiment, Gorou, but it really is unnecessary," chuckled Nyan. "After all, both Chiyo and I are already asleep."

When she said that, Gorou took a moment to look at them. Both with open eyes, both talking to him with actual clarity and thought, and both not looking like they were sleeping at all.

Nyan must have read his mind because she rolled her eyes. "Well, it doesn't seem that way now, but our actual bodies are definitely asleep back home."

"What? How does that make sense?"

"Well, I suppose our species is a little odd in that sense, but allow me to explain. You see, we creatures work in the way that, when we dream, a world is created. And you can say that this world exists because it is our dream."

"So… you're actually sleeping, and this whole world is your dream?"

"Yes."

That actually sounds cool. Like the plot of a really bizarre sci-fi horror thing. Someone could write a really amazing and imaginative book about that.

"But I don't get it," he said out loud, stopping his thoughts from going deeper down that rabbit hole. "Because, like, people who sleep will eventually have to wake up. Sure, some animals like bears or snakes could hibernate for a really long time, but they'd have to wake up eventually. Is it not the same for you?"

"It is. And, just like any dream that disperses when a person wakes up, so too will this world when we do. That is the power of us elder gods."

And somehow, all of that took a very horrifying turn. "We'll be gone when you wake up?!" The fact that both of them winced but didn't refuse it made even worse. "That's awful! But it's not like I want you to stay asleep forever, b-but—"

"Ah, wait, Father! It's okay! Everything will be fine!"

"But you said that if you wake up, this world disappears! And you'll have to wake up eventually!"

"That may be so, but this world is the only exception," at her words, Gorou paused with confusion. Nyan took that opportunity to continue. "Of all the worlds that have existed thus far, it is accurate to say that, rather than dreaming of the world, we are dreaming ourselves into the world."

"…Pardon?"

"Let me explain. The general way my species functions is that we dream up the worlds we can inhabit. And when we wake up, that world gets destroyed. However, this one is the sole planet that does not submit to that rule. If anything, this world is maintained by the spiritual energy brought about by its connection to an endless number of worlds and realms; hell, heaven, the Nine Norse Worlds, Limbo and more—"

"—With just this connection, the stability of Earth's existence is maintained and unaffected by even our dreams. If anything, we exist in this plane when we dream, but waking up does not affect this world in the slightest, so it will continue to exist regardless."

So… that was a good thing, then. It means that, even if she suddenly woke up because she needed to use the bathroom or whatever (actually, is she sleeping in a bedroom like all the other humans? Or is she just suspended in space like some weird tardigrade?) the world wouldn't be fading into dust. Very good to know.

Gorou let out a breath of relief. It'd be bad if Nyan suddenly woke up and this world got destroyed. That was a conflict of its own; it would technically be her fault for their world blowing up, but he also couldn't blame her for simple act of waking up from her sleep. That just makes things confusing.

"So… if these are bodies you dreamt up of, where are your real bodies?"

"Back home. We're sleeping in beds."

"…Even cosmic gods have houses?" He blinked in surprise.

"Yes, well, after dreaming up civilization and their architecture, it seems that many of us have also developed a liking for comfort rather than to float around space," the blue cat lady huffed. "Seriously. I cannot count the number of times a stray asteroid found its way right into my path. Such a nuisance."

An asteroid hitting earth was a terrifying notion. The one that impacted Earth years ago was the one that supposedly wiped out all the dinosaurs, after all. For Nyan to call it annoying definitely put into perspective the sheer difference between them.

"So yes, everything will be fine. I can assure you."

"That's… great, but I am curious about something."

"By all means," she nodded, prompting him to continue.

"Well, you said that you dream up the world. Does that include everything else like the people and all the things that happen?" When she nodded, he found himself frowning in confusion. "That… doesn't sound right. No offense, of course! I'm sure your kind are really imaginative, but like, it would be impossible for you to have imagined everything—"

"—Us, the other residents of this world, and all the events that transpire. Life is incredibly dynamic; every living being experiences external and internal change with every passing second. Every happening affects our emotions in vastly different manners. And for every decision made, there's always a proceeding consequence—"

"—Even the birth of life is a complicated matter! Like, during sex, there are millions upon billions of sperm that have to reach the egg. And out of those, only one gets to fertilize it, so it becomes a matter of chance. And there's also the mix-match of genes, so there could be an infinite number of combinations that would be too difficult to imagine—"

"—And yeah, you're a deity from space, but if this is all a construct of your dream, then it must mean that Earth exists already for you to already know how we look like and behave to even imagine the possibilities of such. One's dream is often influenced by their experiences, memories and emotions, after all," after a long pause, he finished it off with a: "I think."

Nyanlathotep stared at him, unblinking. It almost felt challenging. Gorou kind of felt unnerved. However, the thought was dispelled when the blue cat woman hummed in amusement. "Very astute, Gorou. You are so wise for how young you are."

"A-Ahaha… Well, I may be a baby in your years, but I am a father. Though I suppose it's a good thing I'm not fifty yet…"

"Perhaps. And in response to your question, that's simply the logic of the matter that you'll have to accept. I am asleep, and I am dreaming of this world and its little people and the like. However, what I said earlier was true. This world is unaffected, and I suppose you could say that this is a dream everlasting."

Chiyo nodded. "Like if all the people in the world dream of one single thing. So even if almost ninety-eight percent of the population wakes up, that dream still remains because there'll still be a couple of people asleep, dreaming of this."

Well, of all the bombshells to be dropped on him, this was not it. And he would not have expected to be thankful for the existence of unimaginable powers that was somehow keeping their world safe. Aren't they also capable of destroying it as well?

And now he was thinking about what Nyan said earlier. That if this was all just the making of her and Chiyo's dreams, including all the other cosmic entities, what did that mean for him? Was he really himself? Was he, Gorou Hyoudou, a man who's experienced countless ups and downs and moments in his years of life, truly real? Or had everything that's happened up to this point been meaningless?

…Naaaah.

"I'm my own man, and even being someone's dream changes nothing," he said with ultimatum, finding great relief in that. "Even if I'm an imaginary thing, all that I've done was by my decision. And no one can change that."

And if they intended to undermine his place in this world? Well, he was a pacifist, so he obviously wouldn't fight back—but let them think whatever they wanted. He was happy, and that was enough.

Cosmic Deities Have Their Own Houses

Space has always been a point of interest for mankind, who've made countless progress in technology to explore the vast endlessness beyond their realm. It was a plane of curiosities and unimaginable possibilities. Things that defied expectations and could not be sought on Earth.

But if there was one thing that space didn't have that Earth (and practically any other planet and even the moon) did, then that would be gravity.

Ah, yes. Newton's favourite concept. Picture this; a man with a grey wig walks up to a house, throws an apple into the air and knocks on the door. The family come to answer the door, and he says, 'Would you like to learn about gravity?'. And then, a thunk as the apple hits him on the head.

The family will either be amazed… or stare at him as if he was insane.

Cosmic entities who live up in space have well adapted to an environment of zero gravity. And by that, they're literally floating around with absolutely no control over where they're headed. Thankfully, many of them have at least developed the ability to move through space, be it through propulsion or something similar.

…Oh, wait. Gravity isn't the important thing here. Moving on from the bit now.

The thing with space is that, sure, it's cool because it has no gravity and people who've gone there could call it fun. But the problem is that it's literally just black, and black, and a couple of stars, and a whole lot of black darkness. And that could become a point of boredom for every species of space dwellers.

Sure, humans are interested in it because they live on Earth and not everyone have the equipment necessary to explore it, but for entities who already live in space, they would have to deal with endless boredom for however long they exist.

Nyanlathotep, one of the oldest elder gods to have ever existed, could attest to this. For all the centuries that she's spent in outer space, there just isn't anything particularly exciting out there. And living out here, floating without any aim, just felt dumb.

So it would be to many people's surprise that, when awaking from her dream, it would be to a comfy big bedroom (because she's a big lady, of course) that's a varying shades of blue; from the curtains to her bed to her study and even the walls. Nothing particularly stands out, and that's fine enough for her.

Sitting up, the woman stretches her arms above her head with a weak groan, feeling satisfaction at the few pops she gets. "Let's see… I must have been asleep for three weeks this time."

The unique thing about her species is that they could go without sleep for a very long time. They at least have the advantage of generating their own energy without the need to rely on dietary intake like most living organisms, so it works in their favour so that they can exist in a world they dream up for as long as they'd like.

Nyanlathotep sighed as she relished in the post-awake bliss… and not much else. On Earth, people would get to enjoy the cold air, the sounds of tweeting birds and the dark sky. There's even the anticipation for an early breakfast and a shower.

Out here, there's nothing much to really enjoy like that. No birds, no trees, no sky. And sure, she does shower and she does eat, but they don't really do that much. Most of the time, they're going around checking in on planets and making sure no one is trying to blow themselves up (seriously, Earth especially has a worryingly high amount of people who are always looking at nukes and explosives).

Hasty footsteps from outside her room draws her attention to the door, which is swung open very quickly. Her niece's face is revealed, eyes wide and excited. "Aunty, Aunty! I just had a great idea!"

"Hmm? What is it? You suddenly come running to my room when we just woke up. And goodness, fix up your hair, love. You look like you just ran into a tornado."

"Arhh, that doesn't matter! Listen, let's move in with Issei and everyone!"

"Haven't we already done that?" She quirked a brow, making the ravenette shake her head.

"Not like this! We were dreaming and we ended up meeting them on Earth in our dream forms! I say that we leave this house and physically go there!"

Nyanlathotep stared at her niece with a wide-eyed gaze. And then, she blinked. "That's… why?"

"Because… it would feel more authentic?" She said weakly. "Plus, I know we'd be much happier if we wake up with our family, rather than out here."

That wasn't untrue. This house was never particularly terrible, but she couldn't say that they have any great memories of this place either. They built it together a century ago and it was suspended in space, and they'd been sleeping here ever since. And that was the only function it ever served.

But down on Earth in that humble home, the warm environment promised something far more homey. And that was something they could never achieve here.

"…Sure. Why not."

"Really?" Her niece gasped.

"Yes, though it's best we tear this place down and make sure nothing remains. We don't need any stray pieces of bricks or wood floating around and accidentally flying into a planet's orbit and striking the surface like some kind of cannonball."

"Alright! Let's get started!"

Her excitement was palpable, and Nyanlathotep couldn't help but chuckle. Certainly, there would be some amount of complications if the two of them came down to Earth to live with their new family, but even that would be fun in its own way.

Still, it would only be right if they bring some gifts with them. There's probably something in space that they'd like. Maybe there's a moon cheese somewhere.

Issei Needs a Glass of Water

Isn't it weird how a lot of people just wake up late in the night with the urge to use the bathroom or get a glass of water? Practically everyone had gone through that, and even Issei has had his moments from time to time. He even met his dad one time downstairs when the both of them wanted to get a drink.

Tonight was no different. After everyone had gone to bed after celebrating his birthday, he'd gone to bed and slept the many hours, before inevitably wrought with the desire of getting a glass of water to drink.

Sitting up with a groggy groan, the boy slowly peels his blanket off of him and steps down from his bed, padded feet touching down on cold planks. It was too dark to see, but with a sleep-addled mind, he didn't even think about turning off the lights. Nothing but getting something to drink was the only thing on his mind. So that left him with the single task of navigating the house in the dark.

"Ow…" He grunted when he hit his head on the wall. He turned ninety degrees to his left, walked forwards, and tapped both of his hands against the door. "Okay…"

Taking a couple of seconds to find (more like feel for) the knob, he twisted it and pushed it open. The motion almost made him fall, but he was quick to regain control, walking forwards slowly and leaving it open. He turned and made his way down the short corridor, every step tiny and his hands outstretched in front of him in preparation for a wall.

When he reached the stairs, Issei slowly crouched and felt the next step. He then climbed down like a puppy, taking each step down very cautiously so to not tumble down. It took a long time before he finally reached the floor.

"Okay… Where is the kitchen…"

It was too dark to see anything. Sure, he could barely discern the outlines of every item like the furniture and the wall, and there was the glow from the streetlights from outside, but his brain was sleepy. And that meant everything else was sleepy, including his eyes.

[That's not how the human body works, boy,] an amused chuckle comes from somewhere.

"It might be… I don't know, though. I haven't learnt about the body yet…"

[That's fine, that's fine. You're still young, so there will be plenty of time for you to learn about things,] the voice said patiently. [Come, let me help you then.]

A soft verdant glow fills the room. Issei perks up at this, staring at the back of his left hand through squinted eyes—and there it was, a bright green gem that is radiating this soothing light.

"Whoa… That's so cool."

[It's the least I can do for you. If anything, I should be able to do much, much more for you. But it isn't time for that just yet,] whoa, what else can he do besides making his hand glow up? That sounds cool. [In any case, now you can go to the kitchen safely.]

Ah, right, he wanted a glass of water. Issei stretched out his hand and used it as some kind of flashlight to guide him through the house, reaching the kitchen with little difficulty. With the light, it helped him see the cabinet and grab a glass, then fill it with some water.

He took a sip, then finished the entire cup before carefully putting it in the sink. Mission accomplished.

[Anything else you need to do? Use the bathroom, perhaps?]

"Nuh-uh…"

[Then it's time for you to return to bed.]

"Okay…"

And so, that was how Issei unknowingly communicated with Ddraig for the first time. He would have no recollection of this night when he wakes up the next day, however, chalking it up to a guardian angel watching over him. Ddraig would simply find amusement in being considered an angel by his host, and continue to watch him with fervent interest.

Oh, and Chiyo and Aunty Nyan Nyan moves in. Now the Hyoudou household was growing even more spirited.

Author's Notes:

Holy balls, I have not returned to writing for so long. And Gorou's got the big brain rizz.

So, to give a brief run-over of things; computer's keyboard got busted so we sent it to maintenance store. That's fine. We called them a week later because there'd been no news about it, and guess what? They forgot to order the keyboard. So it took some time, and I only got it back last Friday (15 September).

There was also a couple of VALORANT competitions IRL that I joined, the most recent one actually being during the weekends. Needless to say, there were some… uhh, complications. We didn't win, but ah well. Nothing that can be done about it.

And now that I've entered my third year, every day is bloody busy. I've even gone to the hospital a couple of times to talk to the patients. Thank goodness it's just two hours every day, but it sure does feel busy. And I'm typing this with a cramped arm. But whatever! It's fun to write again, and I really want to make this a habit again. That's how it'll be.