I was Reincarnated as the Scum Older Brother of the Protagonist in a Romance Battle Game, But I don't want to Die, so I'll do my Best - Episode 35

Hokkaido, Outskirts of Sapporo

I transferred between buses and trains, finally stepping off at the bus stop near my family home.

“Haaaah— Damn, my body aches—nnnn—”

I set down my trunk case, stretched while catching my breath.

Even though it’s Sapporo, this is the rural outskirts… Only two or three other passengers were on the bus. After dropping me off, it kicked up a cloud of dust and sped away.

Truly, there was nothing here. Just mountains, rice paddies, and fields stretching down this country road. I looked around.

Without Joji’s memories, this place might as well be completely new to me… I didn’t know left from right… but…

“Is it that big mansion I see in the distance?”

A single, large mansion stood isolated beyond the rice fields. I decided to head there.

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Kitano Residence

I now stood before a large gate bearing an imposing wooden nameplate inscribed with masterful calligraphy: [Kitano].

(This feels familiar… Yeah, when Jouji got punched by Takashi during the duel tutorial, he flew through and shattered this front gate.)

Feeling a touch of nostalgia, I reached out and ran my hand over the wooden texture of the gate.

Creeeak…

Suddenly, the gate groaned open heavily…

“Welcome home, Joji-sama.”

Several maids and a butler bowed in unison to greet me… Stunned for a moment, I hastily bowed back.

“Ah, thanks… I’m home… I guess.”

Sh1t, I don’t recognize any of their faces or names… Oh! Tachibana-san is back there!

“Ah, aaah~ Tachibana-san! Thank you again for earlier!”

I waved exaggeratedly, rolling my trunk towards Tachibana-san.

[Tachibana-san, I’m really sorry, but could you tell me these people’s names?]

[What on earth happened to you, Joji-sama…? Ah, no, as you wish. First, the person on the left is…]

I committed the faces and names of all the staff to memory as Tachibana-san guided me into the mansion.

Since I didn’t know my own room, I had no choice but to ask Tachibana-san to handle my luggage. Feigning nonchalance, I followed behind and finally arrived at Kitano Joji’s room.

“I’ll leave your luggage here then. Please excuse me.”

The room I was led to was vast, about 16 tatami mats in size—almost as big as my current apartment.

Inside were two dressers, a study desk, a bookshelf, a large TV against the wall, and audio speakers mounted in all four corners of the ceiling.

Comparing it to my pre-reincarnation room, the sheer quality and abundance of the furniture was astonishing.

“I wonder what kind of life Joji lived here as a kid…”

Suddenly curious, I checked the bookshelf for elementary or middle school yearbooks. But it seemed Joji had no interest in such things. Instead, the shelves were crammed with manga—easily several times more volumes than the pristine textbooks.

I wasn’t sure how long I’d stay in this room. I took off my jacket, hung it in the closet, pulled out the reference books I’d brought, and laid my secret notebook—filled with optimized training methods—on the desk.

“Not sure if I’ll have time later… Better get my daily routine done now.”

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…97, 98, 99, 100… Alright!

“Phew— At least my daily strength training and original form drills are done…”

Training alongside Mashiro at the Genbu Dojo had clearly paid off. I could feel the remarkable progress… My physique felt more muscular too.

‘This land has rich leylines.’

“!? Byakko!?”

Poof!

The moment I heard Byakko’s voice, white smoke erupted at my feet, and a black-and-white striped cat emerged.

“Meow— Meow——”

“Wha?! Is that really you, Byakko!?”

‘Fufufu, surprised? Quite adorable, isn’t it? That vessel of Genbu’s girl will be smitten in no time.’

Transformed into a cat, Byakko was a noble-looking feline—black and white stripes, with mismatched blue and yellow eyes.

However…

“But y’know~”

‘What?’

I pointed towards Byakko’s rear.

“That tail… Having two is weird, right?”

‘This is Byakko’s pride! Even if I lower myself to this pet form, I will not compromise my dignity!’

The white tiger-cat puffed up proudly, as if having said something profound. My irritation grew steadily.

“Aah~ Is that so? Well then, I have to give your supposedly ‘adorable’ form a name!!”

‘Oho! Splendid! Please make it cool or cute!’

“Tora (Tiger).”

‘……….Haaah? Tora? Your naming sense is catastrophic. It’s as unimaginative as a toddler’s. I demand a reconsideration!’

“Fufufu, too bad. I happen to know—naming a contracted Sacred Beast while it’s in a fixed form gives the name binding power.”

‘!? You tricked me!!’

“Sucks for you. If I say ‘Byakko’…”

The moment I uttered “Byakko,” the cat transformed back into its true, massive Sacred Beast form—large enough to break through the ceiling.

“And if I say ‘Tora’…”

Reacting to “Tora,” it shrank back into the kitten form.

“So, your name is Tora. Fufufu~ Even temporarily, we’re contracted. Master’s privilege, y’know~”

‘Grrrrrrr…! To think you’d know how to command a Sacred Beast… I underestimated you.’

“But hey, I’m honestly glad you’re here nearby right now. It’s reassuring.”

‘Hmph! Flattery won’t get you anywhere with me.’

Tora sat primly, pointedly turning his back to me.

Yare yare… (Good grief…)