Otaku Translation: I! Anomaly Cleansing Agent! C74

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Though it seemed odd that the family portrait only had three people in it, Leon didn’t dwell on it too much. After all, he’d seen plenty of other photos with his parents. Still, out of curiosity, he casually asked, "When was this picture taken? Why does the family portrait only have you in it instead of all of us?"

"It was just a mistake at the photo studio," Anna replied.

Seeing that Leon wasn’t suspicious, Anna inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. She kept her voice steady as she continued, "The previous customers had just left when we arrived, and the crew forgot to remove the 'family portrait' sign from the set. That’s how this happened."

She paused for a moment before adding, "Mom wasn’t happy about it and wanted them to take down the sign so we could reshoot. But Dad really liked Mom’s smile in the picture, and since the studio offered to charge us half price, they decided to keep it."

"Ah, I see…" Leon nodded thoughtfully, then let out a soft sigh as he lay sprawled across the bed. With a shrug, he added, "But what about the rest of us? Why were you the only one in it back then?"

"Because Melanie and William weren’t born yet," Anna explained matter-of-factly. "This photo was originally meant just for me."

Flipping through the album, she pulled out another photo with the same backdrop and handed it over with a playful grin. "It was after the community school exams. You came in dead last in the entire school, but I got first place. When Mom asked what I wanted as a reward, I said I wanted a commemorative photo. See this badge on my chest? The school gave it to the top scorer. I did try to get you to join me for the picture, but you were sulking because of your grades and refused to pose with me. So in the end, it was just me and Mom."

"Huh… Was I really that stubborn as a kid?" Leon scratched his head, embarrassed by the story he had no memory of. Glancing up at Anna, he asked sheepishly, "Did I ruin the mood for you or something?"

"Not at all—I actually planned it that way," Anna teased, her lips curling into a mischievous smile.

"You used to always snatch things away from me, even my dolls. You ran faster, jumped higher, ate more than me, and were stronger overall. Honestly, I couldn’t stand you. But thankfully, you were terrible at studying, which gave me one thing where I could beat you. So I seized the chance to rub it in your face a little. That’s why you threw a tantrum and refused to take the picture with me."

"You’ve always held grudges, haven’t you?" Leon muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. Waving her off, he said, "Alright, alright. Since you’re done applying the ointment, go back to sleep already. We’ve got an early start tomorrow."

"I’m heading out now. Be careful while you sleep—don’t bump yourself again," Anna warned, though her tone carried a hint of guilt.

You knew it would hurt when I bumped it, and yet you hit me so hard? Leon thought inwardly, rolling his eyes in imitation of his sister’s earlier expression while responding, “I know, I know.” Turning toward the small window of the guest room, he called out absently, "By the way, are you sure my birthday is correct?"

At that question, Anna froze mid-step. Without turning around, she softly responded, "How could it be wrong? Why are you suddenly asking about this?"

"It’s nothing major. I just met a fortune-teller who claimed to be incredibly accurate. She asked for my birthday, did some calculations, and got everything completely wrong. Then she blamed it on me giving her the wrong date… Can you believe that? Like blaming uneven roads for not being able to walk straight on three legs. Funny, right?"

"That depends—if you paid her, you’re the funny one. If you didn’t, she is," Anna quipped, visibly relaxing once she realized Leon was merely making idle chatter.

"Get out of here. It’s late—you should go to bed," Leon dismissed her with mock authority, waving her away like the elder brother he was supposed to be. As he watched her reflection in the small window, he noticed how she exhaled deeply before hurrying out the door, clearly flustered.

Though Anna tried to hide it well, there were subtle signs of unease that only someone who had lived with her day and night—and endured two years of hell alongside her—would catch. To Leon, these inconsistencies were glaringly obvious.

She’s hiding something…

Based on Anna’s personality, if the photo frame had simply fallen, she would’ve likely said something casual like, “Oh dear, how clumsy!” Instead, she launched into a lengthy explanation. Later, she stopped packing altogether and sat on the edge of the bed, almost as if she were deliberately creating an opportunity for him to ask questions.

Moreover, judging by her appearance in the photo, it must have been taken seven or eight years ago—or even longer. Yet when he brought up his birthday, she answered without hesitation, recounting events with such precision that it felt rehearsed. Every detail fit together seamlessly, leaving no room for doubt—as if she’d practiced the story countless times beforehand.

Her startled reaction in the window’s reflection when he mentioned his birthday confirmed his suspicions. Just like the Black Goat had said, the Master of the Stars rarely made mistakes. Therefore, the day they went to the waterworks company truly was his birthday.

And Anna’s strange behavior proved she knew something—but whatever it was, she wasn’t willing to share it. Worse still, she’d prepared a fabricated story in advance.

Faced with such undeniable evidence, Leon’s mind immediately jumped to a conclusion shaped by a lifetime of melodramatic twists and turns.

So… Am I adopted?

The thought weighed heavily on him, stirring a complex mix of emotions. Unable to shake it off, Leon quietly slipped out of bed and tiptoed over to the packed luggage. Pulling out the old photo album, he began flipping through its pages.

But after staring at the faded photographs for a while, he turned back to the small window. In the dim reflection, he saw his own jet-black hair, identical to their father’s, and sharp features eerily similar to their mother’s. Doubt crept in again.

Even if I were adopted by relatives, wouldn’t it be impossible to inherit traits from both sides? Or am I overthinking this?

….

With a whirlwind of unresolved questions swirling in his mind, Leon tossed and turned until the early hours of the morning, managing only a few minutes of restless sleep. By dawn, though still exhausted, he was roused by Anna, who informed him that the carriage had arrived. Groggily, he dragged himself out of bed, hoisted the luggage onto his shoulder, and trudged to the entrance of Veteran’s Alley.

After cramming the bags into the cargo compartment and giving directions to the hired driver, Leon climbed into the four-person carriage, clutching his drowsy younger siblings. Moments later, Anna followed, eyeing his barely conscious form with a mix of amusement and concern.

"Big Brother, didn’t you go to bed early yesterday? How are you so tired now?" she chided gently.

"Yesterday… Hachoo… My mind was a mess last night… Hardly slept at all… Let me lean for a bit…" His words trailed off as his body swayed with the motion of the carriage, eventually resting against Anna’s shoulder. Fighting to keep his eyes open, Leon spoke softly into her ear, his voice laced with both sincerity and a touch of probing inquiry.

"Don’t worry… If there’s something you don’t want to talk about, I won’t ask. And listen—you can rely on me, just like I’m leaning on you now. I promise you this: No matter what happens in the future, you’ll always be my younger sister."

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