Chương 437: Chapter : 437

Ken sat on the floor right next to Naomi. He leaned his back against the wall. He ate a chocolate cookie from Elma's bakery box. He watched his normal family interact with his chaotic, highly lethal unit. He felt a deep, warm sense of peace spread in his chest. His two totally different worlds merged together flawlessly. Nobody was fighting. Nobody was yelling about magic or politics. It was just a group of friends hanging out in a normal house. He slouched his shoulders. He let out a long, happy sigh.

He was exactly where he wanted to be. The afternoon sun shined perfectly through the living room windows. The house felt warm and entirely full of life. Everyone was having a great time. Jasmin stood quietly in the kitchen doorway. She watched the entire scene unfold. She still felt completely bewildered by the situation. She crossed her arms tightly. She stared at her brother. Ken was currently trying to toss a piece of popcorn into his own mouth. The popcorn hit his nose and bounced onto the rug.

He groaned loudly and picked it up. Jasmin shook her head. She walked over to Naomi. Naomi sat on a small wooden chair. Naomi watched Ken with a highly amused, fond smile.

"Excuse me," Jasmin whispered softly. She tapped Naomi's arm gently.

"Can I talk to you for a second? In the kitchen?" Naomi looked up. She smiled kindly.

"Of course, Jasmin." Naomi stood up immediately. She followed Jasmin back into the quiet kitchen. Sayma noticed them leaving the room. The polite Vice-Captain closed her book. She walked into the kitchen as well. She wanted to be polite and answer any questions Ken's sister had. Laxmi trailed right behind Sayma. The fire user was just looking for more snacks in the cabinets. Jasmin stood in the middle of the kitchen. She looked at the three elite girls. She threw her hands in the air in pure frustration.

"Okay, please tell me the absolute truth," Jasmin demanded softly. She kept her voice very low so Ken would not hear them.

"Are you guys actively blackmailing him? Does he owe you a massive amount of money? Is this some kind of elaborate, cruel prank?" Naomi chuckled softly. She crossed her arms casually.

"It is not a prank, Jasmin. Why would you think we are tricking him?"

"Because he is Ken!" Jasmin exclaimed frantically. She pointed a finger toward the living room.

"He sleeps until noon every single day. He leaves his dirty socks on the floor. His biggest life goal is running a boring potato farm. How did he manage to surround himself with a group of beautiful, powerful, elite warriors? It defies all logical sense!" Sayma pushed her glasses up. She offered a polite, incredibly gentle smile.

"Your brother is very deceptive, Jasmin. He projects an aura of complete laziness to fool people. But underneath that messy exterior, he is remarkably perceptive." Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

"Perceptive?" Jasmin repeated. She sounded totally skeptical.

"He thought a plastic toy ring was a legendary, magical artifact yesterday. He wears it proudly." Laxmi laughed out loud. She leaned comfortably against the kitchen counter.

"Yeah, he is an absolute clown sometimes. He trips over flat ground constantly. He screams loudly when he sees a tiny bug. He hides behind smelly trash bags during our intense battles." Jasmin threw her hands down.

"See! That is exactly what I mean! He is a total coward! Why do you respect a coward?" Naomi stopped smiling. Her green eyes turned very serious and focused. She looked directly into Jasmin's eyes.

"He acts like a coward," Naomi corrected gently. Her voice was firm but kind.

"But when things get truly dangerous, he does not run away. We fought a terrifying, giant snake monster recently. The monster swung a lethal attack right at me. I was completely frozen in fear. I thought I was going to die right there on the floor." Naomi took a slow, steady breath. Her voice was full of deep, genuine gratitude.

"Ken jumped directly in front of me," Naomi revealed softly.

"He pushed me entirely out of the way. He took the massive hit. He does not wear shiny armor. He does not have magic shields. He just threw his normal, fragile body in front of a monster to save my life. He got hurt because he protected me." Jasmin gasped softly. Her eyes went completely wide. She stared at Naomi in pure shock.

"Ken did that? My lazy brother did that?"

"He did," Sayma nodded firmly.

"He constantly puts himself in immense danger to protect us. He breaks the suffocating tension when we are terrified. He makes us laugh when we want to give up completely. He is the absolute glue that holds our entire unit together." Laxmi grinned a wide, proud grin. She tossed a tiny flame in the air.

"He might be a sloppy slacker, but he is our favorite slacker. We would gladly fight an entire army for him." Jasmin leaned back against the refrigerator. She looked down at the wooden floorboards. She processed the incredible, shocking information. Her annoying, lazy older brother was actually a true hero. He was a brave, selfless person who fiercely protected his friends. He just hid his bravery behind bad jokes and untucked shirts. A warm, incredibly proud feeling bloomed brightly inside Jasmin's chest.

She smiled a soft, genuine smile.

"Wow," Jasmin whispered quietly. She looked up at the fierce girls.

"Thank you for telling me that. I guess he really is not totally useless after all."

"He is far from useless," Sayma agreed politely. Back in the living room, Ken was still sitting on the floor. He ate another piece of salty popcorn. He did not know the girls were praising his bravery in the kitchen. He did not care. He just really liked the snacks. Elma walked over to him slowly. The blonde servant still looked slightly uncomfortable in the normal, rustic house. But her cheeks were not blazing red anymore. She sat down very carefully on the edge of the sofa next to him.

"Your family is very kind, Ken," Elma said quietly. She looked at the wooden carvings resting on the shelf.

"My family never talks during dinner. We just sit in complete silence and follow strict etiquette rules. It is incredibly boring." Ken looked at her. He offered a lazy, comforting smile.

"You can come eat dinner here anytime you want, Elma. My mom always cooks way too much food anyway. You do not even have to dress up for us. You can wear baggy sweatpants." Elma's face turned pink again. She looked down at her lap.

"I do not own sweatpants. But... thank you. I might accept that generous offer someday." Ira walked over gracefully. She stood perfectly still next to the sofa. Her face showed zero emotion.

"Statistically, informal family gatherings reduce mental stress by sixty percent. This cozy environment is highly optimal for tactical recovery."

"Exactly, Ira," Ken cheered happily. He gave her a goofy thumbs-up.

"We are doing optimal recovery right now. Grab a chocolate cookie. You earned it."