Chapter 5

“…Hm? Did you mistake me for someone else? Wrong big sister, young man. Yes yes, nice to meet you for the first time. Mind letting me into the house?”

For just an instant, she showed confusion at my welcome. But she quickly gathered herself and returned to her usual breezy, carefree attitude.

So I called her by a name she wasn’t originally supposed to have.

This person didn’t have a name. But I knew that she had somehow obtained her own family registry for the sake of getting an ID, and gave herself a name.

“It’s not our first time meeting, Arni-… ‘Arnie,’ onee-san. Welcome home. I’ve been waiting.”

“—!”

The next moment, she leapt over the entryway threshold and dashed inside the house.

Letting out loud cries, she clung to me like a child hugging a giant stuffed animal—

“Agi—raaa!! The Akira I know!! Why, why!? What is going on!!”

“Whoa— big sis, it’s dangerous if you rush me like that.”

“Akira… Akira… You’re alive… you’re alive…!”

She hugged me tightly, rubbing her head against my collarbone.

“…Alive.” So I really did die, then. And it seems it wasn’t a good death.

“Onee-san… I really did die, didn’t I?”

“…Yeah. Akira, how much do you remember?”

“I remember clearing the Ginza Branch Dungeon and getting all the way to just before the Japan Shared Dungeon. And… right, I had accepted my first delivery request.”

The Branch Dungeons, as the name implies, are countless offshoots from the original dungeon at Earth’s core, eventually connecting to each country.

And generally, the dungeon is named after the city where its entrance formed.

Japan has the Ginza Branch Dungeon and the Sapporo Branch Dungeon. There is a system of “delivery requests” that uses these dungeons.

Normally, even if someone who enters the dungeon from Ginza reaches the level where they can meet someone who entered from Sapporo—the entrance of the Japan Shared Dungeon—they still cannot continue through to reach Sapporo via the dungeon.

The opposite is also true. You can’t travel from Sapporo to Ginza through the dungeon.

Humans can’t do it. But… cargo is a different story.

At the level just before the Shared Dungeon, cargo from Sapporo can be handed off to an explorer from Ginza. This allows for low-cost delivery of small loads that don’t justify air freight.

Of course, the cargo is inspected, so you can’t use this system for dangerous goods.

And naturally, not just anyone can take these requests.

You must be recognized as someone who “can reliably reach the Shared Dungeon in a short time without losing to monsters along the way.”

When I broke through the Ginza Branch Dungeon for the first time, I was being evaluated by a company to see if I qualified for such requests.

I arrived in about three and a half hours, handed off the test cargo, and—

I moved to the living room and told her everything I could remember about what must have been my final day.

“…Akira. I think the reason you died is…”

“Yeah. I don’t know when, where, or why I died.”

We sat side by side on the sofa. As I finished talking, her voice trembled as she began speaking.

“It was my fault. I put you in danger. Akira… you were tricked. The person who received the cargo wasn’t the company’s designated agent. It was someone who wanted to kill you. Some country or some organization—whoever it was, they saw you as a threat and decided to eliminate you before you became too closely tied to any specific company. I… I focused only on making you stronger, and neglected strengthening your backing or political protection! That’s why you were erased! If I had understood human society better… this wouldn’t have happened!!”

Her anguished words. And yet, it was an unexpected answer.

So… I was assassinated by some large organization…?

Had the version of me in the previous loop become so important to the world?

No, I don’t think so. Sure, I was aware I had gotten strong at a ridiculous pace, but not so much that a nation would consider me a threat.

In the end, I had only cleared the easiest dungeon in the country.

Yes, I had done it unusually quickly, but… enough to be killed?

“Onee-san, what was my cause of death?”

“…I think it was poisoning. Before I could investigate in detail, I found myself standing in front of this house.”

“I see… Now that I think about it, I did drink the juice they gave me— from that fake courier.”

Honestly, I still had no idea why I had been eliminated.

Nor who had ordered it—whether it was a country, an organization, or someone connected to the dungeons.

But it didn’t matter. None of it mattered. I died because I was weak. That’s all.

“Onee-san, can you tell me what you mean by ‘second loop’?”

“…Yeah. Akira, this is your second loop. Your previous loop… was my second loop. I gave you the privilege that was granted to me—my Second Loop Bonus. Because I’m a being connected to the fundamental structure of dungeons, I can transfer things like that.”

“…I see. Onee-san, were you with me even in the loop before that?”

“Yes. Back then, Akira, you were only eight years old. And I didn’t have anything like human emotions yet. So I studied hard. I wanted to become a proper big sister.”

Okay, objection!

If my memory serves, this big sister did nothing but tyrannical things to me, right!?

She was like a walking compilation of every terrible thing a domineering older sister does to her younger brother!

“Akiraaa, go buy energy drinks for me—”

“Akiraaa, let me use your PC for a bit—stop your game—”

“Akiraaa, put cheese inside the omelette you’re making for me—”

“Akiraaa, my legs are tired, give me a piggyback—”

“Akiraaa, I heard you can buy beer from vending machines even as a minor—go buy one—”

“Akiraaa, give me your custard-filled taiyaki; I won’t give you my red-bean one though—”

…Honestly, what on earth did she use as a reference to grow into that kind of personality?

“Akira. Hey, something’s strange. I wasn’t supposed to be given another chance. But do you know why I’m here again?”

I explain everything—about the 【Replication Lv1】 I gained this time, the carryover perk, and all the events connected to them.
How, through a glitch-like phenomenon, everything was forcibly carried over. And probably because of that power, my sister-figure was carried over with me into the next loop as well.

“I see… maybe the dungeon—maybe the will of the dungeon—has blessed you, Akira.”

“If that’s true, it’s only because you, who are deeply connected to the dungeon, raised me with such care. That’s why it might be keeping an eye on me. Onee-san, I won’t fail this time. I know you can’t freely talk about the dungeon. I’m sure some intelligence beyond humans governs it, and that’s why you’re prevented from revealing its secrets.”

“…Yeah, that’s right.”

“Last time, I followed your instructions and focused only on becoming stronger. This time… I’ll use my skills as a person. I’ll build the best foundation, the best backing, gain status and honor. I’ll rise high enough that no one will ever be able to lay a hand on me.”

This is my vow.

I won’t hold back anymore. Power already dwells within me—my foundation for becoming the strongest is complete.

From here on, I’ll make the nation, the government, companies—everyone—see me as someone they can’t afford to lose.
And anyone who opposes me will see me as someone they can’t touch. I swear it.

“Onee-san, I’m going for it. I’ll become an explorer strong enough for you to feel at ease. I’ll build connections too—become someone people won’t dare to mess with.”

“…Yeah. I won’t interfere with the path you choose anymore. I want you to follow the path you believe in. I’m no longer your adviser… I’ll be your assistant now. Starting today, I’m your ‘assistant maid.’ You can call me ‘Arnie’ instead of Onee-san.”

“…Honestly, I’d rather keep calling you Onee-san.”

“Aww, after I went out of my way to give you permission? Fine, then I’ll always stay your big sister, Akira. So… let’s work hard from here on. Let’s think about the future together.”

As she said that, she wiped her tears and smiled.

There was a bit of confusion from the gap between how she acted in the last loop and now, but… this is fine.
Once she gets used to this restarted life, I’m sure she’ll slowly return to how she was—

“Well then, to celebrate, let’s go buy energy drinks! You know, in this peak summer heat, I love drinking an ice-cold energy drink while watching kids at the park who can only drink water. It makes me feel so superior!”

“You reverted in a single second…!”

Where did that serious mood and emotional moment from earlier even go!?