Yes! I'm still her little brother || Kaiju no. 8

Chapter 4

One afternoon, Gen Narumi leaned back in his chair at the 1st Division headquarters, a mischievous glint in his eye. He had always enjoyed a good prank, and today, he had an idea that would serve two purposes: to mess with Miguel Ashiro and, hopefully, repair the strained relationship between him and his sister, Mina Ashiro, Captain of the 3rd Division.

Narumi knew that Miguel had grown distant from Mina over the years, a tension that was hard to miss. Even though Miguel had always put on a tough exterior, Narumi could tell there was still a soft spot in him when it came to his older sister. So, with a devilish grin, Narumi decided to make his move.

Pulling out his phone, Narumi dialed Mina’s number. After a few rings, she picked up, her voice sharp and professional as always.

"Narumi, what’s this about?" Mina asked, her tone carrying the usual no-nonsense attitude she was known for.

Narumi smirked. "Oh, nothing much. Just thought you’d want to know that your dear brother Miguel is about to get married."

There was a brief silence on the other end of the line before Mina’s voice shot back, unusually high-pitched. "What?! Miguel is getting married? To who?!"

Narumi grinned wider, knowing he had her hooked. "Oh, you didn’t know? Yeah, he’s been keeping it pretty low-key. But I thought I’d give you a heads-up since, you know, it’s a big deal and all."

Mina’s voice grew more intense, almost frantic. "Narumi, this isn’t something you just casually mention! Who is she? When did this happen? Why hasn’t Miguel told me anything?!"

Narumi stifled a laugh. "Well, I guess he was going to tell you eventually. You should probably call him and ask."

Without waiting for a reply, Narumi hung up, chuckling to himself. He could already imagine the chaos about to unfold, and he was thoroughly enjoying it.

---

At that exact moment, Miguel was in the middle of an intense workout session at the Division 1 gym. He had his headphones on, drowning out the noise of the other soldiers around him as he focused on his training. Sweat dripped down his face as he gripped a set of weights, his muscles straining under the pressure.

His phone, sitting on a nearby bench, suddenly began to vibrate. He ignored it at first, too focused on his reps, but when it buzzed a second and third time, he finally set down the weights and grabbed it. Seeing his sister’s name flash across the screen made his stomach drop.

"What the…?" Miguel muttered to himself, wiping the sweat from his brow. It wasn’t like Mina to call out of the blue, especially not during working hours. He hesitated for a second before answering.

"Mina?" Miguel said, slightly out of breath. "What’s going on?"

Before he could say anything more, Mina’s voice cut through, fast and urgent. "Miguel! Why didn’t you tell me you were getting married?!"

Miguel froze, blinking in confusion. "What? What are you talking about?"

"Don’t play dumb with me!" Mina snapped. "Narumi just told me everything. Why would you keep something like this from me? I’m your sister, Miguel. I deserve to know these things!"

Miguel's mind raced. Married? What the hell is she talking about? Then it hit him like a ton of bricks. Narumi. That bastard. He had to be behind this.

"Mina, wait," Miguel tried to say, but Mina bulldozed right over him.

"I want to meet her," Mina demanded. "Your future wife. I need to make sure she’s the right one for you."

Miguel groaned, pressing a hand to his forehead. "Mina, listen to me. I’m not getting married. That’s not true. Narumi is messing with you."

But Mina didn’t seem to hear him—or she didn’t believe him. "Miguel, this is important. You can’t just marry anyone. You need someone who understands your responsibilities, your life as an officer. Someone who will stand by your side through everything. And I need to meet her to make sure she’s the one."

Miguel’s frustration bubbled over. "Mina! There’s no fiancée! I’m not getting married! Narumi made that up as a joke."

There was a pause on the other end of the line. Finally, Mina responded, her voice much calmer but still skeptical. "Are you sure about that? Narumi seemed pretty convinced."

Miguel sighed, exasperated. "Of course I’m sure. I’d know if I were getting married, don’t you think?"

Mina was silent for a few more moments, and Miguel could almost picture her standing there with her arms crossed, trying to make sense of everything. When she finally spoke, her tone was softer, more uncertain.

"So… this was all just a prank?"

"Yes," Miguel said through gritted teeth. "Narumi’s idea of a joke."

Mina let out a long breath, the tension slowly leaving her voice. "I see. Well… that’s… good, I guess."

Miguel rubbed the back of his neck, still annoyed but also feeling a bit guilty for how harsh he had been. "Look, I’m sorry, Mina. I didn’t mean to make you worry. I had no idea Narumi was going to pull something like this."

There was a pause, and then, to his surprise, Mina chuckled—a rare sound coming from his usually stoic sister.

"I should’ve known," she said with a hint of amusement. "Narumi does have a reputation for this kind of thing. I guess I overreacted."

Miguel’s shoulders relaxed a little. "Yeah, well, he got you pretty good."

"Got us both," Mina corrected, sounding more like herself again. "But still… you would tell me, wouldn’t you? If you were serious about someone?"

Miguel hesitated. Despite their differences, there was no denying that Mina genuinely cared about him. She wasn’t just the cold, professional captain everyone else saw—she was still his sister, and in her own way, she wanted to protect him.

"Yeah," he said finally. "I’d tell you."

"Good," Mina replied, her voice firm once again. "Because I’ll always be here for you, Miguel. Whether you like it or not."

Miguel couldn’t help but smile at that. "I know."

With that, Mina ended the call, leaving Miguel standing there in the gym, his workout completely forgotten. He glanced down at his phone, shaking his head at the entire situation. Of course, Narumi would think it was hilarious to prank him like this. But at the same time, maybe the captain had a point—maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to let Mina in a little more.

As Miguel grabbed his water bottle and towel, ready to head out, his phone buzzed again with a new message from Narumi.

How’d the call go? ;) Told you it’d work.

Miguel groaned, texting back a quick reply.

You’re dead next time I see you

But deep down, he knew Narumi had managed to accomplish something Miguel hadn’t expected. In his own twisted, prankster way, Narumi had helped bridge the gap between him and his sister, if only just a little.

As much as it pained him to admit it, maybe he owed Narumi for that one.