Meeting 2
I had been planning to meet up with Reina.
Alone, of course.
That was the original plan—simple,
straightforward.
Nothing too complicated.
“Riley?”
“Riley…”
But who could have predicted I’d run into these two out here?
Considering the grand opening ceremony had nothing to do with them, I assumed they’d be busy doing whatever they did in their free time—most likely something indoors.
Going outside wasn’t really their thing.
Neither of them struck me as the type to explore during rowdy and noisy times like this, and it wasn’t ever mentioned in the game either.
During the opening ceremony, there was never a hint that these two would be out and about together, or even separately, for
that matter.
“Rose, Seo… you two were outside? I never thought I’d see the day you two would out together.”
Seo, immediately shook her head, her
expression blank as always.
“I just met her randomly… she’s been bothering me,”
“Excuse me?” Rose’s brow arched, eyes narrowing. “I believe I was helping you out.”
“You were not….”
go
It was clear they hadn’t exactly bumped into each other on good terms. Did they
just cross paths by accident?
That seemed more likely.
These two never got along in the first place.
I glanced down at Seo’s hand, noticing the half-eaten crepe. So, she was exploring the food stalls.
That was surprising-she didn’t seem like the type to indulge in festival treats.
As for Rose, knowing her, she was probably just wandering around on a whim, maybe curious about something.
“What about you? What are you doing out here, Riley?” Rose asked as she suddenly stepped closer, her head tilted slightly as she looked up at me with that warm smile
of hers.
It felt almost too natural, the way she closed the distance between us— something I hadn’t really noticed before.
Now that I think about it, this was the first time we’d seen each other since the winter
vacation.
Two months.
Not exactly a long time, but not short
either.
Yet, looking at her now, there was
something different about Rose.
It wasn’t anything drastic, but… what was
it? Her new hairstyle, perhaps?
She had tied her hair up in a ponytail-a
change from her usual loose waves.
It made her seem more mature somehow.
More refined.
There was an elegance to her that wasn’t
so obvious before, as if she had grown
ways that I hadn’t expected.
“I’m just here to meet up with my little
sister,” I replied casually.
“Little… sister?”
Both Rose and Seo said the words in
in
unison, their eyes widening ever so slightly,
clearly caught off guard.
Wait. Now that I think about it… Had I
never mentioned Reina to these two
before?
‘I’m pretty sure I mentioned to Rose once that I had a younger sibling….’
“Yeah,” I confirmed with a nod. “My little sister. Since the grand opening ceremony at the gymnasium should be over by now, she’s probably waiting for me there.”
The two of them stood there, absorbing the information.
Their expressions shifted, as if they were
processing the idea of me having a sister
they didn’t know about. It was strange— seeing them both so surprised.
But then again, I had never really gone into
much detail about my personal life with
them.
After a moment of silence, both girls spoke
up at the exact same time.
“Can I come along?”
“Can I go with you?”
The simultaneous request hung in the air,
and for a brief moment, the two of them exchanged glances.
A spark of tension flared between them, an
almost electric animosity in their eyes. “Why don’t you go along and continue
getting scammed in these crowded streets, Miss Seo?” Rose’s voice dripped with sarcasm, her lips curling into a smirk as she
looked over at Seo.
The tension between them was thick, like a
storm ready to break at any moment. “I wasn’t getting scammed…” Seo muttered, her expression as blank as ever, but the
slight edge in her voice showed she wasn’t taking Rose’s jab lightly.
It didn’t take much for the atmosphere to shift. In an instant, the rising tension between the two became almost palpable.
The air felt heavy, as if a single wrong word could set off an explosion.
It was clear-both of them wanted to come
along with me, but neither could stand the idea of tolerating the other’s presence. Their mutual disdain was written all over
their faces.
Then, without any warning, something happened.
An unstoppable force yanked me forward,
and I suddenly found myself being dragged
through the crowded street.
It was Seo.
Her hand had shot out like lightning,
grabbing hold of mine and pulling me along
before I even had time to react.
“Let’s go, Riley. We can’t keep your sister
waiting,” she said, her voice calm but
insistent, as if this was the most natural course of action.
“Wait-Seo!” I barely managed to get the words out.
My body was being pulled forward with
such intensity that it felt like my arm might break under the pressure.
‘Fuck! she’s going to snap my hand clean
off!’
She didn’t mean any harm, I could tell that much. In fact, if anything, Seo seemed more excited than usual.
There was an unusual glimmer in her eyes
as she marched ahead with me in tow.
But that didn’t change the fact that her grip was crushing. I could practically feel my bones on the verge of shattering. I thought I had gotten stronger these past
few months, but this… this was another level entirely. This monstrous strength…
Did she get stronger again? did something
happen to her back at her clan during the break?
Rose, seeing me being practically hauled
away
like a ragdoll, wasn’t about to let Seo have her way.
A flash of gold suddenly sparked in the air,
and in an instant, Rose was at my other side, grabbing my arm and pulling me in
the opposite direction with her telekinetic
mana.
“Let him go, Black Rat,” Rose sneered, her eyes glowing with determination. “It’s
obvious he doesn’t want you tagging
along.”
“You let go…” Seo replied coldly, her voice low but laced with a quiet threat. “You two, calm down and let go of me,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady, though I could already tell it was falling on deaf ears.
Neither Seo nor Rose seemed to register
my
words as they kept pulling at me, locked in their ridiculous tug-of-war. With a frustrated sigh, I braced myself,
realizing it was going to take far more
effort than I had initially thought to break them apart. It felt like hours passed-though it was
probably only a minute or two-as I tried to
get them to stop.
But nothing worked. Their stubbornness was unparalleled, and
the longer this went on, the more absurd it became.
I couldn’t take it anymore.
||
“I said Let go….” Activating [Monarch’s Will], the shift in my presence was instant.
My mana flared, a commanding force
radiating out from me like a wave, enveloping the space around us.
It wasn’t just raw power-it was the
authority in my voice, the way the world seemed to respond to me. Immediately, both Seo and Rose froze, their hands loosening their grips on me as they instinctively backed off.
Their
eyes widened as they stared at me, a
flicker of uncertainty crossing their faces.
I wasn’t angry-just serious, and that alone
seemed enough to shake them. “I’m sorry, Riley…” Seo mumbled, her voice
unusually quiet as she looked away, the
usual blankness in her expression faltering
for just a moment.
“Sorry,” Rose echoed, her tone similarly
subdued. It was rare to see her so
uncharacteristically unsure of herself, but
the effect of my presence clearly had them
both rattled.
I sighed, feeling a mix of exhaustion and
relief.
I know they didn’t mean any harm—that much was clear.
They were just caught up in their emotions,
letting their rivalry cloud their judgment. But if this kept up, they’d be dragging me
around whenever they felt like it. Some boundaries needed to be set-
boundaries I couldn’t afford to ignore anymore.
“Look,” I said, my voice softening but still
firm, “why don’t all three of us just go together?”
There was a brief pause as the two girls
exchanged a glance, their internal feud still
simmering beneath the surface.
But after a few seconds, they both gave a small nod, albeit reluctantly.
It seemed my suggestion, for now,
enough to keep the peace.
was
As we started walking together, side by
side, I could still feel the tension between
them.
Seo and Rose had never gotten along, and I couldn’t exactly picture them becoming friends anytime soon.
But at the very least, I hoped they could set
aside whatever petty differences they had—at least for today.
It didn’t take us long to get to the
gymnasium, as it was fairly close to the academy square.
The large building loomed ahead, a sea of
students already spilling out of its doors,
signaling the end of the opening ceremony. Among the bustling crowd, finding Reina wasn’t exactly difficult.
After all, despite being clearly a year younger than me, she looked almost identical to me if I were a girl.
Same sharp features, same blonde hair,
same piercing blue eyes it was as if someone had taken my face and softened it
just enough to make it feminine, though presence carried a charm of its own
her
that made her stand out in a crowd.
As I approached, it became clear that she
wasn’t alone.
Reina had somehow already managed to get close to almost all the new main heroines joining this year.
A small group had formed around her, their
laughter and light conversation standing in
stark contrast to the chaotic energy of the
gymnasium.
I sighed internally.
If only Uriel were there, this cute little
sister of mine could probably take Lucas’s
title as the main harem protagonist of this
world.
The
way
the girls seemed drawn to her was almost unnerving.
Granted, Lucas wasn’t exactly doing anything that could attract their attention
at the moment.
He was flying under the radar for now,
seemingly uninterested in anything beyond
his own goals. But that wouldn’t last.
Once the main scenarios for [Act 3: Chapter 2 – Demon Flare] and [Act 3: Chapter 3 – The Cult’s Revival] started, things would change.
By then, all of the heroines would be
enticed by him—at least, that’s how the story was supposed to go.
But seeing Reina now, surrounded by the
very same girls destined to be Lucas’s
companions, made me wonder if things weren’t already shifting….
Now that I think about it, I’d heard rumors
about a certain incident involving Lucas
and Reina during the practical evaluation
exam last time…
guy
I narrowed my eyes slightly. Did that accidentally “rizz” my sister or something?
The thought was both amusing and mildly
concerning. Lucas was oblivious to that
sort of thing, but Reina wasn’t.
She had a way of navigating social
situations with a subtlety that often went unnoticed.
It wouldn’t be out of the question for her to
handle herself well around him, but still…
As I observed the girls gathered around
Reina, one stood out in particular: the Saintess Emilia-or rather, Enna, as she
was currently known.
Disguised as an ordinary student, her
radiant title as the Saintess of the Holy Church of Light was carefully hidden beneath a modest exterior.
The Holy Church of Light, the most
powerful and well-known religion in the
world,
hailed her as their beacon, their living symbol of purity and divine will.
But I knew better.
Enna’s innocence although isn’t exactly a
facade, is quite the contradiction to the ruthless actions she always took against those aligned with darkness and evil.
Beneath that innocent smile and
wide-eyed expression was a force that had
eradicated entire organizations rooted in
corruption and sin.
It was almost surreal to see her now,
laughing casually with Reina, as if she
hadn’t faced down horrors that would drive
most people mad.
Hugging Enna like a mother with her child
was Vanessa, an elven princess with her
own role to play in the later arcs.
Her arms were wrapped around the
saintess in a way that spoke of familiarity
and comfort, as if she found safety in
Enna’s
presence.
No… Maybe it was Enna who found her comforting?
As I got closer, I couldn’t help but feel a
slight unease.
I was relieved that, for the moment, no
unwanted memories resurfaced as I
neared.
The large hood she wore, obscuring half of probably helped.
her face,
I didn’t
want to risk acting strange in front
of her, or anyone here.
Then there was Stacia and Flamme, two
more unexpected presences in Reina’s little
group. Their inclusion baffled me at first.
They were the last people I would have
ever
expected to associate with my sister,
let alone each other.
They couldn’t have been more different,
and
yet,
here they were, mingling with the
others as if it were the most natural thing
in the world.
I shook my
I
head slightly.
guess considering their whimsical nature,
the chances of them crossing paths with
Reina
weren’t
exactly zero.
As we drew closer, Reina didn’t seem to
notice us at first, her attention absorbed by
the lively conversation she was having with
her newfound friends.
I cleared
“Reina.”
my
throat and called out to her.
She froze at the sound of
my voice, her
head snapping around in surprise.
“Big bro.” she said, though her voice was
quieter than usual, carrying a mix of
surprise and relief.
She hurriedly turned to face me, but her
expression shifted quickly, her brows furrowing with frustration as she began to
speak, her tone quickly sharpening.
“You finally show yourself. Where exactly
have you—” her voice rose,
her anger
bubbling up, but it was short-lived. As she prepared to fully scold me,
her
gaze
fell upon the two girls flanking me, and she immediately fell silent, her eyes widening
in shock.
Her
gaze darted between them, confusion
written all over her face.
It was as if she couldn’t believe what she
was
seeing.
Rose, standing gracefully to my right, and Seo, stoic as ever on my left, made quite
the intimidating pair. Reina’s eyes locked
onto mine, silently screaming, Who are
these people, brother?
Before I could even attempt to explain,
Rose stepped forward with her
characteristic charm, a mischievous smile
dancing on her lips.
“You must be Reina~”
Rose moved closer, circling around Reina
like a curious cat inspecting a new
plaything, her hand resting thoughtfully on
her chin.
“You’re so beautiful~” she added, her eyes
gleaming with genuine admiration.
The compliment caught Reina off guard,
and I could see a faint blush creeping onto her cheeks.
Meanwhile, Seo, as unreadable as always,
quietly observed the exchange.
Then, in a gesture that seemed completely
out of character for her usual reserved
nature, Seo stepped forward, her expression as blank as ever.
Without saying much, she gently placed
her hand on Reina’s head and patted it—
almost robotically, but with a sincerity that
was hard to miss.
“You look cute,” she stated simply, her
voice monotone but somehow kind.
She gave a small nod as if confirming her
own words, as if she was objectively
assessing Reina’s appearance and
approving of what she saw.
Reina, on the other hand, just stood there
completely frozen..
