“Sharl won, huh…”
Upon seeing the result, I muttered under my breath. Then Frank, Cedric, and Yuika gave me a long, hard look.
“What’s the matter?”
“I’ve seen that style before.”
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure I’ve seen it somewhere too.”
“A traitor is among us.”
Ugh, enough already.
“What? What are you talking about?”
Ilmera jumped on the opportunity to ask.
“The president doesn’t know martial arts. The person who supported her expertise in that area was you.”
Noel pointed at me and tattled.
“It’s you! I thought it was strange that the president, who usually moves like an amateur, suddenly became so agile. Were you the one training her?”
“I was just asking him to help her study; there was no hidden motive.”
We did train, though. I taught Toko everything I could.
“Ugh…that’s despicable.”
“Shut up.”
Of course, it was Sharl who won.
“I’m going to Toko for a bit.”
“I’m coming too.”
“In that case, me as well…”
The three girls stood up and left the training grounds.
“Alright, let’s head back. I’m tired.”
“Yeah.”
“Let’s go.”
We left the training grounds and returned to the dormitory. Once I got home, I changed my clothes and collapsed on my bed. As I started to drift off, I heard a sound from the next room.
“Big Brother!”
The door opened, and Toko entered the room.
“What is it? I’m sleepy.”
“How can you even ask that!? You betrayed me!”
“What?”
“You trained the president, didn’t you? She read all my moves perfectly!”
“So what?”
“You’re incorrigible! Choosing a girl over your own adorable sister!? She’s only winning because she looks good and has a great figure!”
She’s also got 100 points for everything else, doesn’t she?
“What a hassle…”
She kept shaking me, so I got up.
“That’s rough! Now I lost because of you!”
“Hear me out… We only lost to Sharl. Don’t lose to someone just because they predicted your moves. Sharl has zero athletic ability, right?”
“Yeah, she does seem pretty uncoordinated…”
“You were too complacent and got too flustered. If you stayed calm, she wouldn’t have been someone you should lose to. Also, you have a bad habit. Sharl was injured and running out of magic, so you should’ve kept your distance and used your magic—your forte. That’s how you would have won. Grandfather always said to fight in ways your opponents hate, not just your strengths.”
Why take unnecessary risks when I can only fight up close?
“Heeeh! You’re just boasting because you won!”
She sulks so easily.
“We can’t help it… Alright, your big brother will secretly give you some allowance.”
“What? What’s that?”
I pulled out 10,000 yen from my wallet.
“It has to stay a secret from Father and Mother. Actually, my grandfather on my mother’s side gave me 20,000 yen for passing the entrance exam.”
“Really?”
“Sure thing. I’ll share some with you.”
“Big Brother is so cool!”
Exactly.
“Alright, go back to your room. I’m going to sleep.”
“I’ll go to sleep too… Oh, what about the bet?”
Bet?
“What bet?”
“Well, wasn’t there something the teacher mentioned before the duel?”
Ah, that one.
In case of a tie, 1000 Mana or a town tour.
“What happens in a 1-1 draw?”
“You only get one of them, right?”
Guess so.
“Alright, here’s another 1000 yen. I’ll take it.”
“Wait, big brother… That person is Iver, you know?”
“So what?”
“Hmm… I guess it’s fine since he wouldn’t notice me anyway. I’ll go to sleep!”
Toko took another 1000 yen from me and left the room, so I got under the covers to sleep.
The next day was Sunday.
I woke up early and decided to jog, heading towards the park. I saw Sharl sitting on a bench in the park.
“Hey.”
“Good morning.”
Sharl greeted me with a smile, so I sat down next to her.
“Good job winning yesterday.”
“Thanks. The same to you, though… I’m not entirely satisfied.”
Yeah, you were at a disadvantage the entire time.
“It’s fine, you won.”
“I’m not sure… My magic was almost depleted. If the teacher hadn’t stopped the match, I would have definitely lost.”
You were out of magic?
“Don’t worry about it. Honestly, I expected to lose.”
After hearing Frank’s commentary, I thought it was impossible to win.
“I thought the same. But looking back, it wasn’t a bad result. And now I understand something important—we absolutely cannot fight that person. Starting tomorrow, I’m going to stop carrying gloves.”
That sounds like a good idea.
“Matthias needs some adjustments too.”
“Yeah… He’s been expelled, hasn’t he?”
“Huh?”
“It has something to do with you, right? But even before that match, he made discriminatory remarks, didn’t he? The teacher heard about it and reported it to his parents. The serious Mr. Matthias, as the head of the Jakkall family, was furious. In Astral, where wizards gather from all over the world, discrimination based on race is an absolute taboo.”
Ah, so that’s it.
“Did he withdraw voluntarily?”
“That’s right. He’s going to retrain himself from the beginning. The head of the Jakkall family contacted him directly last night.”
Poor Matthias.
“Well, I suppose that’s for the best.”
“Definitely. By the way, I want to talk to Toko.”
“Talk?”
“Actually, apologize. Insulting her parents goes too far.”
Ah, that’s how it started.
“That’s fine, isn’t it?”
“Ugh… Let’s time it appropriately.”
When is she planning to do it?
“Sharl, what are you planning to do today?”
“I’m passing on physical training. I’m just not in the mood. But if you’d like, I can help with your studies. I have to review this week’s lessons anyway.”
You’re not in the mood for martial arts after yesterday’s intense combat. I get it.
“Alright, I’ll count on you.”
“Can we go to the diner?”
“No, come to my place.”
“Your place?”
Sharl gave me a sidelong glance.
“I’ve been wondering about always meeting up at the diner.”
“While it’s true that sitting around with nothing but drinks and lunch might feel a bit weird…”
Sharl continued to give me that sidelong glance.
“Nah, my parents are home anyway.”
“That… I suppose if we’re just studying…”
Exactly.
“So come over.”
“Alright, but let me head home first. I don’t have my study materials, and I’m still in my athletic wear.”
Sharl is still in her athletic gear.
“Let’s meet up at the convenience store near my place.”
“Got it.”
After parting ways with Sharl, I headed back home. After eating breakfast and taking a shower, I waited until our meeting time. When it was time, I walked to the nearby convenience store.
“Uniform?”
“Would casual clothes have been better?”
Umm…
“No, either works.”
“You sometimes say thoughtless things, don’t you?”
“I mean you look good in either. It’s hard to choose.”
“Let me withdraw that statement.”
We walked back together to my house.
“Hmm… So this is a single-family home.”
“It’s just an ordinary house.”
I brought Sharl inside.
“Mom, I’m home.”
When I entered the living room, my mom was watching TV.
“Welcome home. That was quick.”
“Yup. Mom, I brought a friend.”
“You should let us know beforehand when you do that.”
My mom turned off the TV, stood up, and left the living room.
“Hello…”
Sharl greeted politely and bowed.
“Oh my… Welcome… Tsukasa, come here!”
My mom pulled me back into the living room with a smile on her face.
“What’s the matter?”
“You should mention when a girl is coming over! And who is she? Know your place!”
This old hag…
“This is the girl who often helps me with my studies.”
“Ah, the one from the diner… You’re wearing the school uniform, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
My mother folded her arms and began to think, then quickly left the living room again.
“Sorry about this. My son often relies on your help.”
My mom greeted her with a 100% genuine smile.
“No, I’m the one who’s grateful for the help. I’m Charlène Ivèr, a classmate of Tsukasa’s.”
After Sharl introduced herself, my mom froze with a smile still on her face before slowly turning to look at me.
“She’s the student council president, isn’t she? Very intelligent!”
“What are you talking about?”
“You know what I mean…”
“Aaaaahh… My head hurts…”
My mom clutched her head.
“Go to sleep.”
“Yeah, it must be a dream…”
My mom retreated to the living room.
“Uh… What just happened?”
Sharl watched my mom walk away, completely baffled.
“Never mind that.”
“Did I do something wrong?”
“Nah… Let’s head upstairs.”
“Uhh… Okay…”
We made our way upstairs and reached the door to my room.
“This is my room, but first, I need to take care of something.”
“Something?”
Charlène tilted her head in confusion, but I ignored it and walked toward the next room.
“Tokoo! Are you awake?”
Then I opened the door and called out.
“Big Brother? What… I’m sleepy…”
Toko buried herself deeper under the blanket.
“Just get up. We have a visitor.”
“Visitor? Who…?”
“Sharl needs to talk to you.”
“Sharl? Who’s Sharl? Big Brother, what nonsense are you spouting…Wait, what?”
Toko peeked out from under the blanket and froze when she saw Sharl by the door.
“So, Sharl wants to talk to you…”
Toko and Sharl stared at each other intently.
“How do you do…”
“Good morning…”
Both girls nervously bowed their heads as their eyes darted around.
This concludes the first chapter.
If you thought it was ‘fun’ or found yourself curious about the continuation, your bookmark subscription or rating of ‘★★★★★’ would greatly help and encourage future writing.
Thanks to all the support from readers thus far, which has enabled me to update daily. Moving forward, the second chapter will start publishing tomorrow. Thank you very much for your continued support.
