Anomaly

(POV: Protagonist)

Lately, I've been dealing with something I’ve affectionately nicknamed chronic laziness. Well... "affectionately" might be a bit of a stretch, but the name stuck anyway. From what I've observed, I'm the only member of my family suffering from this peculiar phenomenon, so I like to imagine it's some rare and exclusive condition reserved for individuals with a truly exceptional talent for doing absolutely nothing.

After spending so much time at the cabins, it was inevitable that I would eventually explore everything this place had to offer. Every corner and hidden nook of the facility has been investigated at least once. Even the thrill of searching for secret passages or mysterious hidden rooms lost its appeal a long time ago. These days, it's rare for me to find anything new besides more walls to stare at.

At first, I figured my sisters would be the first ones to crack from boredom. A few days, maybe a week at most, and they'd be begging to get out of here. Surprisingly, that never happened. In fact, they don't seem bored in the slightest, let alone eager to leave. That said, it's not because they found some amazingly fun activity to keep themselves entertained.

No. Apparently, their energy gets completely recharged whenever they receive attention, affection, or are spoiled by me. It's as if they possess some hidden mechanism capable of converting love into fuel. The more attention they get, the more energetic they become.

Sometimes, being the big brother just sucks. What exactly am I supposed to do in this situation? Spoil them forever? Or worse... spoil myself? Just imagining it makes me cringe. Honestly, no. There are limits to everything.

Sighing at my own ridiculous train of thought, I kept my eyes fixed on the cabin ceiling. I've been doing that so often lately that I've started finding the habit strangely enjoyable.

There was something relaxing about simply lying there, staring at the wooden beams overhead while letting my thoughts wander aimlessly: (...I seriously hope my mental stability isn't being affected by the absurd level of boredom I'm experiencing)

I let out another sigh, this one heavier than the last, before rolling onto my side. Then I rolled to the other side... and back again. It wasn't exactly the most productive activity I could be doing, but surprisingly enough, it was a pretty effective way to burn off energy. To my own embarrassment, I'd actually fallen asleep a few times while doing exactly that.

The bed creaked softly beneath my weight as I continued my aimless journey from one side to the other. Naturally, the idea of going into town had crossed my mind more than once. Take a walk, watch the streets, and come back before Emily or Laura started imagining I'd disappeared or that the end of the world was about to happen again.

Unfortunately, no matter how tempting the idea sounded, I remained inside the facility, staring at the ceiling as though it held some profound secret of the universe. So far, though, all I'd found were more useless thoughts and an alarming amount of boredom.

The only reason I still stay within the facility grounds is because, at the end of the day, it's convenient. Well... that, and the fact that I'm currently participating in what could best be described as a good behavior test.

An incredibly irritating one, I might add. And no, the idea didn't come from Emily or Laura. On the contrary, it was a decision handed down directly from the High Council. I mean, I'm not an idiot.

I'm fully aware that this whole thing is nothing more than a blatant attempt to keep me under control by using Emily and Laura as reins. Maybe they think I'll be more cooperative if people I care about are involved.

A predictable strategy. Unfortunately, not a completely ineffective one. Still, that's not what intrigues me the most. Honestly, I have absolutely no idea why the High Council seems so determined to find some way to use me. If all they wanted was for me to fight anomalies, they shouldn't seem nearly this desperate.

After all, that's practically my part-time job already. Whenever some dimensional abomination, hostile entity, or impossible phenomenon threatens to blow half of reality apart, I'm usually the one sent in to deal with it. But that clearly isn't what's going on here.

No... there's something else behind it. Something they're not telling me. The way they watch my every move. The meetings that abruptly end the moment I walk into a room. The glances exchanged between Council members when they think nobody is paying attention... All of it points toward some hidden agenda.

Maybe they know something about me that I haven't discovered yet. Maybe they're trying to turn me into some kind of weapon. Or maybe I'm giving far too much credit to politicians who probably couldn't organize a lunch without forming three separate committees to discuss the menu.

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Either way, politics is still a pain. I closed my eyes, though that didn't mean much to me since my eyelids weren't actually capable of blocking my vision. Still, the gesture helped me sink a little deeper into my thoughts. It didn't take long before I was pulled out of them. The door to my cabin opened quietly, and a small figure slipped through the entrance almost like a gust of wind.

She floated a few inches above the floor as she entered the room, bringing with her a fresh, comforting scent reminiscent of flowers blooming after a gentle spring rain. The rhythmic sound of feathered wings accompanied her movements, filling the room with an oddly cozy atmosphere.

"Dear Sister! I came to visit you!" Althea announced with her usual vibrant energy, as though nothing else in the world could possibly be more important at that moment.

At her cheerful declaration, I raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly: "Didn't you come here, like... a few minutes ago saying you needed your “big sister recharge” just to function for the rest of the day?" I asked: "And then spent almost half an hour clinging to me?" Althea's smile only widened, completely immune to the logic of my observation.

With graceful movements, she drifted through the air toward me. Her wings fluttered softly, lifting a few strands of her hair as she slowed to a hover beside the bed. Then she rested her elbows on the mattress and propped her face up in her hands, squishing her cheeks in an adorably exaggerated manner.

"Yep!" she answered without the slightest hint of embarrassment: "But that was the morning recharge. This is the morning visit"

For several seconds, I simply stared at her: "And what's the difference?" ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

"The intention" Her answer came far too quickly, as if she had prepared it in advance. Unfortunately, I strongly suspected that she actually had.

"It was wonderful, Dear Sister! You still smell just as nice as ever!" Althea exclaimed, not a trace of mischief in her golden eyes. In fact, her expression was absurdly sincere, which honestly only made her words even stranger.

Before I could respond, she continued with a radiant smile: "I still need my nighttime recharge, Dear Sister. That's why I came!" The casual way she said it made it sound like she was commenting on the weather or asking what we'd be having for dinner. The problem was that this so-called "recharge" involved something that would sound incredibly indecent to literally anyone else listening.

And the worst part was that, technically, it shouldn't sound that way at all. The real problem was Althea. She possessed an almost supernatural talent for turning completely innocent displays of affection into something deeply suspicious.

The way she latched onto people, burying her face into their shoulders and rubbing against them like an attention-starved cat, combined with the completely unfiltered things she said while doing it, was simply a disastrous combination. Any unsuspecting observer would inevitably jump to the wrong conclusions. ƒгeewebnovёl.com

I knew that. She absolutely didn't. And that was exactly what made everything so problematic. I let out a weary sigh as I watched Althea stare at me with genuine anticipation, completely oblivious to the chaos her existence inflicted upon my common sense. Althea definitely had a few screws loose. And I was beginning to suspect she'd never had them in the first place.

"Dear Sister!" Althea suddenly called out: From the way she narrowed her eyes, I already knew exactly why her tone sounded accusatory: "It's way too easy to tell what you're thinking, you know? And that's rude!"

She puffed out her cheeks indignantly and crossed her arms beneath her practically nonexistent chest while glaring at me like the victim of some terrible injustice: "Calling me indecent inside your own head!"

Then her face became absurdly serious. The shift was so sudden that, for a brief moment, an unsuspecting observer might have believed she was about to reveal one of the universe's greatest secrets: "Maintaining a high level of Big Sister Charge is essential for the proper functioning of my body"

She nodded to herself, completely convinced: "Besides, highly reliable studies have proven that the recharge process happens much faster when the little sister hugs me back and whispers in my ear about how much she loves me" The silence that followed was absolute.

I maintained a perfectly blank expression while staring at Althea for several long seconds. She returned the stare without the slightest hesitation, as though she genuinely believed every word she had just said. Eventually, my thoughts echoed directly into her mind: (You do realize it's terrifying that you can tell exactly what I'm thinking, right?)

Althea merely blinked innocently: (And honestly, it's even more terrifying that you say all this ridiculous nonsense with a completely straight face, like you're reciting some universal truth)

Her expression didn't change in the slightest: (You literally just made all of that up)

For a moment, Althea froze. Then she placed a hand dramatically over her chest, deeply offended: "Made it up? How could you say such a thing?" She shook her head in disapproval: "The science of big sisters is an extremely complex field of study. Clearly, you don't possess the qualifications necessary to understand it yet"

Althea didn't seem remotely affected by my words. On the contrary, she simply stuck her tongue out at me teasingly and tilted her head slightly, flashing a mischievous grin as she let out a soft, carefree: "Tehe~!" The almost purring quality of her voice overflowed with satisfaction.

In response, all I could do was release a long sigh and rub a hand across my face in resignation. Seriously, was there even a way for this week to get any weirder? The irony was almost cruel. At that moment, I genuinely believed I had already experienced enough weirdness to last an entire month.

Little did I know, those thoughts were practically an invitation to fate itself. As though it had heard my question and decided to accept it as a personal challenge. And looking back on it now, I can say with absolute certainty: The week was still about to get a whole lot weirder.