109

"…I'm so tired."

Rubbing my sleepy eyelids, I let out a yawn.

As I forced my heavy eyes open, a neatly arranged dorm room came into view.

The clock read 7 a.m.

I wasn't used to waking up at such an early hour, as I was never much of a morning person.

'…Guess I have to go to school.'

Who would have thought that at this age, I'd be getting up early to attend school?

But now, there was much to be done.

There wasn't any time to laze around.

"…Let's get up."

Suppressing my desire to sink back into bed, I forced myself to rise and dragged my body to the bathroom.

.

.

"Good morning, Sera."

"Morning, Iris."

Fortunately, Iris greeted me with a sunny smile, and we exchanged pleasantries.

Was it because letting her confide in me had a significant effect? Or perhaps the time we spent together on weekends had brought her comfort?

Seeing her bright face again gave me a great sense of relief. Maybe I could finally worry less about Iris.

After exchanging greetings with her, I was about to prepare for my first class when someone tapped me on the shoulder.

Turning around, I found Ariel standing there.

She looked more tired than usual, as if she hadn't slept well.

"Morning, Ariel. Did you… sleep well?"

When I greeted her, she blushed slightly and handed me something.

"This… I finished reading it all, Sera."

"Oh."

What she handed over was the notebook I had prepared for her yesterday. Putting it back into my bag, I asked her,

"So, did it help at all?"

Ariel gave me an awkward smile and answered,

"Uh… no? I read it all, but I couldn't really understand it."

"I see… I guess that's how it is."

Her words left me feeling a little disappointed.

As expected, trying to learn solely through written materials had its limitations.

"So… I was wondering if you could teach me directly, like you did yesterday?"

"Me? Teach you?"

"Yes… if it's okay with you?"

I pondered her request for a moment.

There wasn't really any reason to refuse, was there?

Ariel was my friend now, after all.

She had helped me in many ways, so it only seemed fair to return the favor.

Smiling warmly, I told her,

"Alright. Sure. What part didn't you understand?"

At my response, Ariel's eyes momentarily lit up with excitement. Then, she pressed closer to me and said,

"Well, you know how girls bathe together and wash each other's backs? I wasn't sure how far that goes. Could you maybe, um, show me in practice?"

For some reason, her voice seemed to quicken, as though she were unusually eager.

Bathing, huh.

There was a bathroom inside the academy's facilities, wasn't there?

I wasn't particularly fond of bathing outside my dorm, but if Ariel wanted to, it wouldn't hurt to oblige.

"How about we go for a bath together this weekend?"

"That sounds… great!"

Ariel answered with a bright smile.

Looking at her, I muttered to myself,

"Maybe I should bring Iris along, too."

After all, they would eventually be part of the same hero's party. Spending time together in the bath could help them bond.

However, Ariel's expression suddenly turned uneasy.

"Do… do we really need to do that? It'd be embarrassing to learn with someone else around."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. Let's just go together, Sera."

For some reason, her suggestion gave me a faint sense of unease.

I felt a slight chill at Ariel's somewhat clingy tone.

But thinking it was nothing, I was about to respond to her when—

"Attention, everyone."

A red-haired man struck the teacher's podium a few times, drawing everyone's focus.

The students in the class stopped talking and turned to look at him.

"Today, we'll be having a live sparring session with Class A."

His words stirred a commotion among the class.

"Class A…?"

"Out of nowhere?"

"Isn't Class A the one with the Hero?"

"Hmm…"

"As the chairman likely mentioned, such events happen frequently at the academy. However, all of it is for your benefit, so follow along without complaints."

At his words, the students slowly began to show signs of agreement.

Noticing their nervousness, the man continued speaking.

"It's just sparring, so there's no reason to be seriously hurt. All you have to do is give it your best."

Having said his piece, the red-haired teacher, Calvin, glanced over the entire class with a calm yet piercing gaze as he walked out the door.

"If I catch anyone slacking off, you'd better be prepared."

With those parting words, Calvin left the classroom.

As soon as he disappeared, the class became even more boisterous.

Some were tense, trying to calm their nerves.

Others raised their voices, sounding excited.

Amid the varied reactions of the students, Ariel looked at me with a glowing expression of anticipation.

"Sera, did you hear? We're sparring with Class A!!"

"Yeah, I heard."

I already knew about this event.

It was the inter-class competition that took place early in the semester.

In the original story, it was the event that brought Robin and Ariel closer together.

Ariel, who had always wanted to test her strength against the Hero, challenged Robin to a sparring match.

Although Ariel lost by a narrow margin, she came to see Robin as her rival, gradually developing feelings for him over time.

But things were different now.

"I've always wanted to fight Lily at least once! Hehe… I can't wait!"

Right. Robin was no longer the Hero.

So, the event where Robin and Ariel would meet wouldn't happen.

'…The original story keeps changing.'

It felt like my head was getting tangled, but I didn't mind.

Even though many things had deviated from the original, the overarching framework remained intact.

After agonizing over it all night yesterday, I finally concluded what I needed to do within the next month.

It wasn't particularly difficult, so even someone like me, who wasn't especially smart, could handle it.

This sparring match was the first step in my plan.

First, I needed to assess the Hero—no, Lily's strength.

Was she weaker than Robin from the original story? Or stronger? I also needed to figure out the difference in power levels.

Taking a deep breath, I steadied my trembling body.

'…It's okay. I'm not Hera anymore.'

Clenching my fists tightly, I braced myself.

Now.

It was time to face my sister, Lily.

***

The training arena was so vast it could easily be mistaken for a giant stadium.

Inside, the chatter of countless students echoed.

"All students from Class A and Class B, gather in the center!"

The red-haired teacher called out. At Calvin's words, the students began gathering inside one by one.

"Hehe… this looks like it'll be fun."

Ariel, filled with excitement and anticipation.

"I just hope no one gets hurt…"

Iris, still worrying about others even in this situation.

And behind them, there was me.

I stood there, staring blankly in one direction.

"Huh? Sera, what are you looking at like that?"

Ariel followed my gaze, shifted her eyes in the same direction, and then spotted someone. A sly smile spread across her face as she spoke.

"Oh my, are you interested in the hero too?"

I couldn't answer her.

My entire focus was drawn to the girl within my view.

"…Lily."

A girl chatting and laughing with classmates from the same class.

Her hair was silver, resembling the moon, though slightly darker than Iris's. Yet, it was so beautifully radiant.

Beneath that was a porcelain-white face and amethyst-like violet eyes.

She had matured so much since the last time I saw her, but she was still so beautiful, so precious—my younger sister.

My heart pounded as if it would burst.

My eyes stung, as though tears could fall at any moment.

An indescribable whirlwind of emotions swirled inside me.

But the most overwhelming of them all was undoubtedly longing.

'…I'm so glad you're doing well. That's a relief.'

A sense of great relief, mixed with a tinge of bitterness, eased my heart.

Perhaps I had stared too intensely.

Despite the considerable distance, Lily seemed to feel my gaze. She turned her head and looked directly at me.

When her violet eyes met mine, it felt as if my heart dropped to the ground.

But Lily only glanced at me briefly.

Then, she turned her head back and resumed talking with her friends.

"…Phew."

I wiped the cold sweat from my forehead and let out a deep sigh.

Of course, she wouldn't recognize me.

After all, Sephir's power didn't just change appearances.

Each person has a unique mana signature, and those with high levels of mastery can even recognize others by their mana alone.

But Sephir's disguise ability went beyond mere physical alteration. It mixed impurities into one's mana, transforming it into an entirely different signature.

It wasn't about being recognizable or not.

The power completely turned someone into a different person.

"Are you okay, Sera?"

Noticing my troubled expression, Iris placed a hand on my forehead as she spoke.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Iris. I was just lost in thought for a moment."

"If you're feeling unwell, please let me know anytime. I want to help."

"…Thanks."

'It's fine. I'm not Hera anymore.'

There was no reason to be afraid.

As Sera, a student of Regis Academy, I would simply approach Lily.

It was an essential step in achieving the plan I had set out for.

"Everyone, gather in front of me!"

While I was lost in thought, Professor Calvin's powerful voice called the students to assemble.

At his shout, the students began gathering in front of him one by one.

Lily also got up and walked toward Calvin.

I stood between Lily and Calvin.

I could only stare blankly as Lily approached me.

I didn't want to take my eyes off her face.

I wanted to keep looking at her.

My little sister, who was so precious that even if she were in my eye, it wouldn't hurt.

The one I missed so dearly.

But I was too afraid to face her, so I couldn't go to her.

A family member from my memories.

Quite a lot of time had passed, and I thought I had let go of my feelings for her to some extent.

So I believed that even if I met her face-to-face, I could endure and get through it.

But now, standing before her like this…

Just holding back the tears threatening to fall was overwhelming.

Step by step.

Lily came closer and closer to me.

My heart pounded harder in sync with her every step.

And when she finally stood right before me…

"…..As if nothing had happened, Lily coldly passed by me."

'…Yeah. Of course.'

I closed my eyes briefly to calm my swirling emotions.

Then, I quelled the inexplicable bitterness within me and followed Lily.

Together with Iris and Ariel, I walked toward Professor Calvin.

To make everyone happy.

I resolved to see my plan through.

Step by step—

Stopping abruptly—

Sliding softly—

"Sarah, have you chosen your partner yet?"

"Huh…? Not really, I don't have anyone in mind…"

.

.

Thump-thump—

"….."

If you ever get hurt, I'll make sure to treat you, Sarah.

"…Mm… Thanks, Iris."

Thump-thump—

Thump-thump—

"Unnie?"