Klein walked back into the living room after leaving the kitchen and sat down on the couch, leaning back against the cushions.

Before he could even settle properly, Cynthia stood up from her spot and smoothly sat on his lap, facing him directly.

Her knees settled on either side of his thighs as she sat down on him comfortably, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Klein let out a long sigh, tilting his head back to look at her.

"What now..."

Cynthia smiled down at him and shifted her hips slightly, getting more comfortable on his lap.

"Can’t I sit on my favorite person?"

Then she turned around and leaned back comfortably against his chest, her long white hair spilling over his shoulder.

Klein hesitated for a moment with his hands hovering in the air.

After a few seconds, he let out a soft sigh and wrapped his arms around her waist, hugging her gently from behind.

A soft smile appeared on Cynthia’s lips, though she kept her eyes fixed on the TV screen, pretending to be focused on the show.

For a while, they stayed like that with Klein’s arms loosely around her.

The warmth of her body and the familiar scent of her hair brought a strange mix of comfort and guilt to his chest.

Then, a romantic kiss scene appeared on the TV as the couple on screen had a dramatic kiss.

Cynthia’s eyes sparkled, and she turned her head to the side, looking up at him with clear intent.

She moved forward, aiming to kiss him on the lips.

Klein raised his hand and covered his mouth with his palm just before her lips could touch him.

Cynthia pulled back slightly and stared at his hand covering his mouth, then looked up at him with a cute, exaggerated pout.

Her lips pushed forward adorably as she gave him a disappointed look.

"...You’re so mean. You let Arwen kiss you whenever she wants, but I can’t even get one?"

Klein lowered his hand but kept his face turned slightly away from her, trying to maintain some control.

"Cyn... Don’t do this right now."

Cynthia shifted on his lap again, turning her upper body so she could face him better.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, refusing to move away.

Klein couldn’t help but chuckle at her persistence.

He reached up and pinched her cheek gently.

"You dumbass," he said with fond exasperation.

Cynthia swatted his hand away from her cheek "Don’t treat me like that. I am five years older than you, you know."

Klein raised an eyebrow and a teasing smile slowly appeared on his face "Oh? Is that so? So... can I call you what I used to call you back in the orphanage?"

Cynthia’s eyes widened in genuine panic, and she shook her head rapoidly "N-No! No! Anything but that!"

His smile widened, clearly enjoying her reaction.

"Big Si-"

Before he could finish the word, Cynthia slapped her hand over his mouth, pressing firmly to silence him.

"No, no! Shut up! The guy you love calling you ’Big Sister’ is the worst thing that could ever happen to a girl in love!"

"Mmmph-" he mumbled against her palm as if trying to say something.

’Huh? Is he trying to say something?’

Cynthia narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously but slowly removed her hand, though she kept it hovering near his mouth just in case.

Klein grinned "What’s wrong, Big Sis? You used to love it when I called you that-"

Cynthia grabbed him by his neck and shook him "That was when we were kids! It’s completely different now!"

"Hearing you call me that now just makes me feel... weird. Like I’m some old lady trying to seduce her little brother."

Klein couldn’t help but laugh, and she let him go with a sigh of embarrassment.

Looking at his laugh, Cynthia’s gaze softened in affection ’Damn, you rascal...’

At that moment, Awen walked into the living room, wiping her hands on a dish towel. She paused when she saw Cynthia comfortably sitting on Klein’s lap.

She raised an eyebrow "Am I interrupting something here ?" she asked lightly.

Cynthia smiled sweetly at Arwen "Nope~ Just cuddling with my boyfriend over here."

Hearing this, Arwen giggled "Yeah, yeah... your ’boyfriend’. " she said with playful sarcasm, emphasizing the word.

Klein let out a long, suffering sigh and gently patted Cynthia’s thigh.

"You are always giving me trouble." he muttered.

Arwen walked over and sat on Klein’s other side, leaning against him naturally.

The three of them sat together on the couch with Cynthia on his lap and Arwen to his right.

"Oh, in the drama... I think that he will betray him."

She and Cynthia immediately began chatting about the ongoing show commenting on the characters and the plot twists.

But Klein remained quiet and glanced at Arwen.

A soft sigh escaped his lips ’I am sure Arwen also knows Cynthia loves me... we are together for years, so she surely noticed her feelings.’

’But I guess, just like me, she doesn’t bring it up because it will break our current dynamic.’

’She must also know... that I’m very fond of Cynthia too.’

’Haa...’

This complicated relationship between the three of them had become their new normal. No one spoke about it directly.

No one wanted to risk breaking the fragile balance they had built.

Cynthia suddenly turned her head and looked up at him, noticing his silence.

"What’s wrong?" she asked, tilting her head cutely.

Arwen also turned to look at him in concern.

Klein forced a small smile and shook his head.

"Nothing. Just... thinking about the Awakening Rite."

Both girls exchanged a quick glance before moving closer to him at the same time.

"You’ll be fine," Arwen whispered, kissing his cheek gently.

"Yeah," Cynthia added, nuzzling her face into his neck. "No matter what happens, we’ve got you."

Klein closed his eyes for a moment, wrapping one arm around each of them.

"...Mhm."

---

Next day-

*vroom* The car hummed smoothly along the wide highway leading toward the city center.

He was wearing a simple white t-shirt that hugged his athletic frame and black pants.

Arwen sat in the passenger seat in a light gray blouse and black jeans.

Cynthia lounged in the back seat, wearing a white top and jeans.

After thirty more minutes of driving, they reached The Grand Temple of Elysara.

A giant statue of Goddess Elysara stood proudly at the center entrance with her hands outstretched as if blessing everyone who entered.

Hundreds of cars were already parked in the big lot surrounding the temple.

Young men and women around Klein’s age walked toward the entrance to awaken.

Klein found a parking spot and stopped the engine.

The three of them stepped out into the bustling atmosphere.

As they walked toward the grand marble steps, Klein walked in the middle with Arwen on his right and Cynthia on his left.

Many people glanced their way because of how striking the trio looked.

Looking at the grand statue of the goddess, Klein’s gaze condensed ’I am getting that feeling again...’

He doesn’t know why but whenever he looks at Goddess Elysara, he feels a quiet anger in his heart.

He has never met this goddess. He has no memory of ever wronging her or being wronged by her.

Yet every time he sees her statue, this inexplicable resentment surfaces in his heart.

It made no sense.

"Klein?" Arwen’s soft voice pulled him out of his thoughts. "Are you okay?"

He blinked and forced his gaze away from the statue. "Yeah... I’m fine. Just thinking."

Cynthia leaned in and whispered "You were staring at the Goddess pretty hard. Were you looking at her breasts too?"

Klein turned to her with an exasperated expression.

With a shake of his head, he wrapped his arm around Cynthia’s shoulder and pulled her closer, locking her in a playful headlock "I am not that kind of pervert, you idiot."

Cynthia let out a giggle, not even trying to escape his hold.

Instead, she flicked her tongue at him cheekily "Bleh~ Like hell I would believe that. Did you forget that one time you tried to sneak into my bath-"

"Shh, Cyn." Klein immediately covered her mouth with his hand. "That was an old story. Shut up."

Grinning, she spoke "Was it during the last year of your high school? You thought you were being sneaky-"

Klein quickly wrapped both arms around Cynthia from behind, pulling her back against his chest to silence her. "I swear, if you finish that story here, I’m throwing you into the nearest fountain."

Cynthia squirmed playfully in his arms but was not really trying to escape. Her long white hair brushed against his neck as she tilted her head back to look at him.

"Aww, are you embarrassed, little Kay? It was cute though. You were embarrassed when I caught you standing outside the bathroom door, pretending you were ’just passing by.’"

"It wasn’t like that." Klein’s eyebrows twitched in exasperation.

"The lock was broken and I heard a loud noise. I thought you slipped and fell."

"Sure, sure~" Cynthia teased, turning in his arms so she was facing him.

She poked his chest with her finger "Whatever the reason, you accomplished your mission by looking at my body that day, right?"

-_- Klein stayed silent because he did get a good look at her body that day.

"I am going to kick your butt when we return home."

Giggling, she stepped closer again and lightly patted his cheek.

"Don’t worry, Kay. Even if you are a secret pervert, I don’t mind. In fact... I kind of like it."

Klein: -_-

Meanwhile, Arwen’s eyes flickered to the surroundings, noticing everyone.

She saw people from guilds, noble houses, academies and government wanting to recruit talented individuals from the rite.

’The world has really changed huh...’

The Great Rupture converged different realms into one world, introducing Earth to species like Elves, Demons, Dragons...

And along with them, the Towers also manifested plunging humanity into a Disaster Era.

Now, every human who reaches the age of 21 must undergo The Awakening Rite.

Those who successfully awaken gain access to mana, a class, and supernatural abilities.

They are called Arbiters, humanity’s chosen guardians, warriors, and rulers in this new era.

And those who fail to awaken remain as regulars, forever relegated to the lower rungs of society.