“So, where are we heading next, brother?” Yuriel’s tail, elegantly spread out, fluttered as we walked. It was a clear sign of her heightened mood, like a cloud floating around, tickling my back. She continued to giggle with an excessive joy that started to feel suspicious.
Her transformation had occurred just a few minutes after a lengthy conversation with Abne. What could they have possibly discussed to make her so elated?
"Yuriel, what exactly did you and the goddess talk about that you can't stop smiling?"
"Uhmm, maybe you'll find out later?"
I had been cautiously trying to uncover the secret of her happiness, but she pleasantly refused every time. She wouldn't reveal anything about her meeting with Abne.
As her mysterious looks and secretive glances continued, I began to feel uneasy. It wasn't about mistrusting my sister, but her smile combined with those enigmatic eyes made me suspicious.
"We’re heading to the academy next. It's where I briefly studied due to a certain incident."
Yuriel seemed puzzled by my response. "The academy? Why all of a sudden?"
It was a natural question. With the pressing issue at hand, going to a school might seem odd.
"Because the academy I attended is rated as one of the best in the country. Our specific destination is its library."
Seeing her still not grasping my intention, I explained why we were going there.
"The academy being a center of excellence, its facilities, including the library, should be of high quality. Who knows, we might find a clue there to resolve your current condition."
"Oh...! So that’s why...!"
Realizing my intention, Yuriel's eyes sparkled. She looked at me with admiration and then opened her mouth wide in amazement. "Here's the main entrance."
We arrived at a grand place after a long walk.
"Wow... it seems incredible..."
Yuriel, seeing the academy for the first time, appeared overwhelmed by its majestic presence.
"I was amazed too when I first came here."
I stopped at the academy's main gate and peered inside. Memories of women naturally surfaced in my mind. My reason for visiting the academy was partly to solve Yuriel’s issue, but I also wanted to see old acquaintances. Arsia, Aris, and all the other women... How startled they must have been by my sudden disappearance. It was a needless worry, but it still bothered me.
"Harold...?"
Then, a familiar voice came from behind. As the saying goes, speak of the tiger and it appears. Just as I thought of her, I heard her voice.
"My goodness... Is it really you...?"
As I turned around, I saw a face that looked like it was about to burst into tears at any moment. Her eyes, narrowed in disbelief, were filled with an uncontrollable longing.
"Aris, it's been a long time."
The first to greet me was Aris.
"Is it really you...? Am I just hallucinating because I've missed you so much...?"
Her words were a bit strange, but it seemed she was genuinely worried about me.
Suddenly, before I could even respond, I felt a weight leap into my arms. Aris had thrown herself into an embrace.
"Why did you disappear...?! Since that day, you vanished from the world, and I've been sleepless...!!"
Aris, now crying, clung to me tightly, pouring out the distress she had felt all this time.
"I've been waiting for you... longing for you to reappear... yearning for you to stand before me again and ease my loneliness..."
It might sound overly sentimental to others, but the atmosphere was so intense that I found myself holding her close.
"Brother, who is this woman? Why are you hugging her like lovers?"
However, our sweet moment was disrupted by a nine-tailed beastman who couldn't tolerate such a scene.
"Yuriel?! "
I was taken aback by my sister’s behavior, which I was experiencing for the first time. "Um... This is... a beastman?"
Aris finally noticed Yuriel, my sister. She too seemed to sense something unusual.
"Harold? I haven't seen her before... She's of a different race, so she can't be your blood relative, but she calls you 'brother'..."
"Could it be...?"
Whoosh!
Suddenly, the atmosphere plummeted. The emotions that had just been tender and moving were replaced by tension.
"Could it be... that your disappearance..."
Her eyes darkened, a murky suspicion clouding her gaze. It seemed she had completely misunderstood the situation...
"Could it be... not that you mysteriously vanished, but that it was all an act to leave me, to be with another woman...?"
Without giving me a chance to explain, she jumped to her own conclusions, her aura intensifying.
But that wasn't the only problem.
"Who are you to be hugging my brother like that? From my perspective, this is intolerable. Regardless of your relationship with my brother, please step away from him. He's clearly uncomfortable."
Yuriel, trying to defuse the situation, instead poured fuel on the fire with her words...
"What...?"
Initially, it was just a suspicion, but Yuriel's words completely changed the dynamic.
Aris glared at Yuriel with a blatant hostility, as if she had encountered her archenemy.
"I don't know who you are, but you can't just snatch my brother away from me right before my eyes."
Yuriel, unfazed by Aris, returned her stare with a hollow, threatening gaze.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, ethereal flames sprouted from Yuriel’s hand. I hadn't taught her magic or any techniques – how was she able to use them?
"Step away now..."
The flames burned intensely, seemingly seeking fuel to consume.
"Hmm... I'm quite confident in that area too..."
Aris finally stepped away from me and summoned frost-covered ice, bringing a cold chill to the surroundings as if a cold wave was about to strike. "What? She's your sister?!"
The situation, which had almost escalated into a clash between fire and ice, narrowly avoided turning disastrous.
"A beastman due to some inexplicable accident... and you came to visit the library to find a solution? I thought...!"
Aris breathed a sigh of relief, somewhat easing her guard against Yuriel. If I had missed the right moment to intervene, I dread to think what might have unfolded. However, unlike Aris, Yuriel didn't let her guard down and instead sharpened her gaze even more.
Although she seemed to want to attack Aris at any moment, she restrained herself due to my intervention. Aris seemed to dismiss Yuriel as a rival now that she knew she was my sister.
"Yes... her name is Yuriel, she's my sister."
"Oo...."
Yuriel gritted her teeth in response. I wonder why she’s been acting like this... I hadn't said anything wrong...
"Phew... that's a relief. I thought perhaps the number had increased again... but if she's family... it's somewhat acceptable..."
From Aris's perspective, a sister was barely an acceptable relationship. Her view of Yuriel was completely different than before.
"....!"
However, Yuriel, unlike the somewhat relaxed Aris, was grinding her teeth in hostility.
"Yuriel? Why are you like this today? It's not like you..."
My sister was always friendly to everyone, but her current attitude was totally out of character.
"Uh?! No... brother..."
She appeared flustered when I intervened, then hung her head in defeat.
"Sorry, she must be a bit sensitive after what happened today."
I apologized on Yuriel’s behalf. Aris responded with a light shake of her head and a smile.
"It's okay. I don't mind anymore now that I know she's your sister."
Aris looked at Yuriel with a bright smile, her eyes filled with an indescribable emotion.
"Anyway, you said you're heading to the library now, right? Could you come to the principal's office afterwards? I’ll let Arsia know you're here and I'll be waiting!!"
With that, Aris left a message and dashed off somewhere, maintaining her cheerful demeanor. "Is she really that happy about our reunion? She seemed overly joyful."
Aris had mentioned she would inform Arsia of my arrival... Well, ultimately, I planned to visit Arsia in the end, so it didn't really matter, did it?
"Yuriel?"
As I refocused my thoughts and turned to my sister, I noticed something was off.
"O...of...."
Yuriel suddenly groaned in pain, her eyes tightly shut, and a look of serious discomfort on her face, drenched in cold sweat.
"Yuriel...?! Are you okay?! What's wrong!"
I quickly became concerned about her condition, but she didn't respond.
"Ah... brother..."
Her eyes, which seemed to contain a mix of pain and ecstasy, briefly met mine.
"Yuriel...?"
There was an unfamiliar tension in the air, making me instinctively wary of her. But then...
"Uh... it's nothing..."
Soon, she reverted back to her usual demeanor, lightening the previously heavy atmosphere.
"Are you really okay?"
My sister seemed unusually off today, but considering the dramatic changes she had undergone, it was understandable.
"Yeah... I'm fine, let's hurry up..."
I saw it then... a spiteful look in her eyes, as if mocking me. A victorious smirk, as if she knew she was no match for me. I could have confronted her with the truth boldly, but I didn’t. After all, my brother was there... I didn’t want to risk losing the deep bond we shared.
"O...of...."
Reflecting on this, a tumultuous wave of emotions began to stir within me. Resentment, jealousy, envy, and a mix of other feelings threatened to erupt like a volcano...
"Yuriel...?! Are you okay?! Why are you acting like this all of a sudden!"
His voice pierced through my unstable emotions, pushing down the rising tide of feelings.
Brother...
What is this feeling? It’s not like me...
Just looking at him makes me burn with an indescribable heat... I feel like I’m losing control over myself.... "Ah... brother... I... you..."
--!
Just as I was about to reveal my true feelings to him, my rational mind abruptly intervened.
"Uh... it's nothing..."
Like a brake being hastily applied to a speeding train, I barely managed to restrain myself from a potentially dangerous situation.
--! --!!
The strange sensation continued... My body was unbearably hot.
Could it be...?
A thought flashed through my mind in that moment...
Right now, this feeling... towards my brother...
"Okay... I'm fine, let's hurry up..."
I cut off my thoughts before I could even imagine what might come next. I instinctively knew that if I didn't, I might lose control and say something irreversible.
Let's hold back... At least I need to be mindful of the place...
Now is not the right time.