Hyacinth

School was over.

Some students, who hadn't studied properly, had still held high hopes this morning. They told themselves that with one day left, they just needed to focus and put in the effort—then they'd get through the midterms just fine!

But the moment the first morning class began, they couldn't resist pulling out their phones to play in secret. Thinking they were being discreet, they didn't realize that the teachers were simply refraining from saying anything—knowing that class time was better spent helping those who actually wanted to review. And so, before they knew it, the day was over. Studying? Not even a bit.

Some still told themselves they had the whole evening at home. There was still time. As long as they gave it their all, they could still catch up.

And yet, that evening often ended with hours on their phones and no review at all.

The most carefree students were those who usually scored poorly, hadn't reviewed a bit, but still believed they could pull off a miracle by sheer brainpower during the exam.

No matter how much or how little one prepared, time continued its steady march. The midterms tomorrow loomed ever closer.

All school club activities had been suspended in preparation for the exams and wouldn't resume until they were over.

For seniors, every exam now was essentially a rehearsal for the college entrance exams. Every test had to be taken seriously.

"It's only been three days, but it feels like forever since we last walked home side by side like this."

Megumi Kato gently swung Kotomi Izumi's hand as they walked. Kotomi wasn't sure what was going on with her—but the moment Megumi's warm palm clasped hers, the first thing that welled up inside her was a sense of safety.

Ugh, damn it. Shouldn't it be the other way around? Shouldn't I be the one grabbing Megumi's hand to give her a sense of security? Why is it reversed now? Is this even fair? Kotomi thought, mentally flustered.

No matter what she was thinking, her face couldn't lie. Her lovely cheeks turned redder and redder—like a bashful bride—and she gave a delicate little nod.

A chilly breeze swept past. Kotomi, now without the protection of her tights, involuntarily stopped in her tracks and shivered.

"Cold?" Megumi asked, glancing sideways.

"I'm okay… It's just that I'm not used to going bare-legged in winter. I usually wear thicker tights during this season."

"Then I definitely take some of the blame. Hoo—come on, Kotomi! Press yourself against me! Or I can carry you in a princess hold—both options will help warm you up. Personally, I strongly recommend the second one! I've been wanting to do that for so long—cough cough! Sorry, that slipped out."

Megumi's intentions were transparent.

There was no way Kotomi would let her have her way. With a tsundere huff, she turned her head and said stubbornly, "Hmph! It's just a bit of a breeze. Nothing worth fussing over."

Not long after—

"Wuwuwu… Megumi, I'm so cold. Can you carry me, please?" Kotomi trembled pitifully. She was used to wearing thick tights in autumn and winter, and now that they were gone, she couldn't withstand the chilly pre-winter wind.

"If Thanos snapped his fingers, the only thing that would survive in the universe might be your stubborn mouth," Megumi replied meaningfully.

Right on cue, she earned a pouty, teasing glare from Kotomi.

Megumi swiftly scooped Kotomi up into a princess carry, and Kotomi instinctively curled up into her embrace.

"Kotomi, did you eat a ton of good food while you were in Kyoto?"

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

Smack. Megumi planted a kiss on the forehead of the restless little penguin in her arms. "Quit squirming."

The little penguin blushed and obediently fell silent. After a long pause, she muttered softly:

"Okay…"

They returned home.

After dinner—

With midterms starting tomorrow, Kotomi typed out 3,000 words of the draft for Volume 1 of Redo of Healer at her computer, then saved her work, shut down the machine, and headed downstairs to take a hot bath.

After bathing, she grabbed a pudding from the fridge—not because she wanted one (she had already brushed her teeth), but because it was for Aimi.

In less than five months, Aimi would be taking her high school entrance exams. Driven and motivated, she stayed up late every night studying at her desk.

Aimi wanted to attend Sobu High School, the same school as her sister. But honestly, given her current mock exam scores, not only would she have no trouble getting into Sobu High School, she could probably even qualify for Tokyo's elite Royal Sakuraka Girls' Academy.

With a bit more effort, she might even make it into Royal Sakuraka's top class: the Hyacinth Class.

Royal Sakuraka liked to name its classes after flowers, and the Hyacinth Class represented the honor class of the high school division—the equivalent of Sobu High School's Class A.

Without scholarships or financial aid, tuition at Royal Sakuraka was exorbitant. The Izumi family didn't need to worry about money, of course. But back when Kotomi took her high school entrance exams, her grades were just barely enough to squeeze into Sobu High School—she hadn't even come close to Royal Sakuraka's cutoff. Not even within reach.

If Kotomi had really wanted to attend, Kaneyoshi Izumi would've personally visited Royal Sakuraka's headmaster to negotiate an investment deal—maybe building a new swimming pool, library, teaching building, or a total renovation of the dormitories.

With that kind of investment, no matter how high the school's standards or how low Kotomi's grades, she could've enrolled at Royal Sakuraka with ease.

Ordinary elite families or corporate conglomerates might still be turned away by the school's board. Bluntly put, the academy wasn't impressed by just any rich investor.

After all, while Royal Sakuraka did accept many bright students from modest backgrounds, it was, at its core, still a private noble academy. To run such an institution in Tokyo, one needed prestige and power. No headmaster or board member would be a nobody.

But if the investment came from the Izumi family? That was a different story. The moment Kaneyoshi Izumi took a sip of tea, the headmaster would probably already have Kotomi's admission letter ready.

Tokyo was like a jewel on the verge of being swallowed by a colossal serpent.

Which family would become the serpent that devours Tokyo?

No one knew for sure yet.

But within the upper echelons of society, many powerful families and conglomerates had begun to suspect: the Izumi family would be that serpent.

The headmaster and board members at Royal Sakuraka? Of course they knew this.

If Kaneyoshi Izumi ever expressed interest in enrolling his daughter there—even if it was just to sponsor a park bench—they'd likely declare that bench a sacred landmark of the academy.

It would only take a few years—no more than a decade. The Izumi family had been signaling to the upper class for the past five years:

We're preparing to make a big move.

Getting close to the Izumi family early and aligning with them would only benefit Royal Sakuraka in the long run.

Still, Kotomi hadn't gone there. She'd chosen Sobu High School instead.

There was no profound reason. She just thought Sakuraha was too far from home, would require dorm living, and was too strict. Sobu High School was closer and more relaxed.

Now that Aimi was preparing for her entrance exams, Kotomi genuinely hoped her sister would get into Sakuraha. The school was exceptional—not just in academics, but in every way. The campus was filled with extravagant facilities: individual villa-style dorms, Gothic castle-like academic buildings.

Most of the students were genuine heiresses. Even if they weren't academically strong, their families always had their backs.

Kotomi opened Aimi's bedroom door. Just as expected, Aimi was still studying. Recent midterms had revealed some weaknesses in her chemistry—especially lab experiments.

At the moment, Aimi was watching a chemistry tutorial on her tablet, scribbling notes into her notebook.

Seeing this, Kotomi quietly slipped away and returned to her room. First, she placed the owl plushie Megumi had given her on her desk—so Aimi wouldn't see it and start asking questions. If she found out it was from Megumi, she'd definitely get mad.

Kotomi's goal in returning to her room was to find something helpful for Aimi. She placed the plushie down absentmindedly—its gaze now coincidentally facing her bed.

"Let me see… Oh! Found it. This is the one."

Kotomi pulled an old tablet stand from her drawer—something she hadn't used in quite a while.

Returning to Aimi's room, Kotomi set the stand and the pudding on her sister's desk.

"Take a break and have a pudding. Even if you've got the energy, your eyes still need rest. Isn't it tiring looking down at the tablet? Use this stand to hold it up—it'll be easier on your neck."

"Thanks, Onee-chan."

Kotomi and Aimi didn't usually speak so politely to each other. After being sisters for nearly ten years, how could they still be so formally courteous? If anything, they usually bickered.

After placing the tablet onto the stand, it really was more comfortable to look at. Aimi poked Kotomi's soft waist and joked, "You've been holding out on me, haven't you? How come you only now gave me this great stuff? Did you get yourself a new little sister out there and don't like me anymore?"

"As if! You think I'm that kind of person?"

Kotomi responded righteously, then casually peeled the lid off the pudding, unwrapped the plastic spoon, and placed them in front of Aimi.

"Onee-chan, can you give me a shoulder massage?" Aimi asked, unusually sweet and coy.

"Can't say no to you. Leave it to your big sister~"

Kotomi feigned reluctance, though inside she was delighted.

Their sibling dynamic had always been a bit odd. While in most families the older sister took care of the younger, in their case, it had always been the reverse.

That might have seemed normal when they were kids, but now that they were older, Kotomi had started feeling more self-conscious.

Whenever she saw other people's older sisters being so mature and dependable, taking care of their siblings, while she herself still had to rely on her little sister, she couldn't help but feel a tinge of frustration.

That's why she'd secretly been looking for chances to prove herself—moments where she could display the charm and reliability of a true big sister and give Aimi a reason to depend on her.

Now was one of those moments. It was already October. Kotomi knew this might be her last chance this year to demonstrate her big sisterly charm.

There was no way she'd let it slip by.

Without another word, she slipped behind Aimi and gently began massaging her shoulders. Her pressure was just right, enough to make Aimi let out a relaxed sigh.

If it had been Megumi in this situation, she probably would've melted under the bliss of Kotomi's gentle touch, thinking this kind of heavenly comfort was worth dying for.

But Aimi wasn't like others. She was the kind of little sister who could turn a 50-meter race into a thousand-meter marathon just to outpace Kotomi. Of course, her attention was elsewhere.

"Onee-chan, why are you so good at shoulder massages? Who have you practiced on before?"

Ugh… Little sis, why'd you have to ask that? Are you trying to put me on the spot here? Can't you take a hint from your sweet friend Iroha? Look how polite and tactful she is. Kotomi thought to herself, but said aloud:

"I saw it on TV once, so I just copied what I saw."

"Really?"

Of course not! I always gave Megumi a massage after we did this and that at the hotel. If I actually told you the truth, wouldn't you flip the table, grab a kitchen knife, and go after Megumi? Kotomi twitched her lips and smiled:

"Of course it's true. When have I ever lied to you? So, does it feel good? This is my first time trying what I saw on TV. No one's ever given me a massage, so I wouldn't even know what it's supposed to feel like."

"It feels amazing!" Aimi responded cheerfully, then added, "I wish you could massage me all night~"

"Get outta here. All night? Are you trying to kill me from exhaustion or sleep deprivation? I've got a midterm tomorrow, you know."

"Midterms? Oh right, every high school has midterms around now. You were in Kyoto for three whole days, so that means you had three fewer days to study than everyone else. Are you still confident you can take first place in all of Tokyo this time?"

"Not super confident, but it's not like I have to be number one in Tokyo. All I can do is give it my best—answer everything I know correctly, and guess the ones I don't. As long as I don't mess up the stuff I know, it should be fine. Gotta keep the same mindset I had in junior high: just passing was a win."

Kotomi nodded. Thanks to her learning ability, she wasn't too worried about passing the test. As for being number one in all of Tokyo?

If she did manage it, then so be it—she'd just lay her cards on the table. "Yeah, that's right, I'm number one in Tokyo." No need to show off, but no need to hide it either.

And if she didn't make it? No big deal.

Compared to her old grades, she was already way ahead. She wasn't aiming to be the academic queen of all of Japan, and honestly, with her current system-assisted status, trying to be a study goddess felt like a waste of time—unless the system dropped a mission requiring her to dazzle everyone with her test scores. And only if the reward was a ton of fame points.

No reward? Then it wasn't worth her time.

That said, the God-Level Heroine System never gave her any missions. It just quietly acted like her cheat code. Occasionally, Kazumi might glitch it up or introduce a new bug, or the server might crash again.

Ubisoft and EA would cry tears of recognition.

When it came to grades, Kotomi thought it was enough to stay within the safe zone of being able to enter a top-tier university. She wasn't interested in maintaining the #1 spot, nor did she care to climb any higher. Better to put that energy into making money and launching her dream game company, Type-Moon Realm.

She wanted to buy several houses in the future. That way, if girls came to live with her, she wouldn't have to worry about getting caught by the others.

Cautious to the core—sure, it might be like lighting a match next to a gas tank while preaching about fire safety, but Kotomi knew the risk of a fiery crash.

As long as she could keep things steady, she would not let herself crash.

After massaging Aimi's shoulders, Kotomi rolled her wrists and glanced at her little sister, who was now leaning back with her eyes closed.

Kotomi smiled.

"Eat your pudding before you start studying again. Don't stay up too late, okay? There's still some time before entrance exams. No need to keep your nerves stretched like a bowstring. Balance, you know?"

"But I want to get into Sobu High School... I heard next year they're going to raise the entrance score a lot. The difference between the current cutoff and the one you passed with is like night and day. If I want to get in, I've gotta work harder."

Ever since a Tokyo-wide #1 student emerged, even A-Class's performance had drastically improved. Especially Arisu Sakayanagi of 1-A—though she didn't surpass Kotomi on the last monthly exam, her dominance in every subject stunned many of the top students, causing the elimination rate in 1-A to spike.

Student competition was heating up, just the way the school liked it. And with Kotomi being the top student in Tokyo, she had basically become a golden signboard. Sobu High School finally had the confidence to raise its standards.

Kotomi couldn't help but wonder: if she took the #1 spot again on the midterms, would Sobu High School just turn her into their school mascot?

If that happened, she'd definitely need to sit down with the school board and discuss a proper business partnership.

Gotta cash in on every safe and lucrative opportunity—that's what Kaneyoshi Izumi taught her.

"You know, you don't have to aim for Sobu High School. With your grades, you could easily get into a great school in Tokyo," Kotomi said softly.

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