TVEDR 07

Should I Avoid Rakash? Or Should I Not Avoid Him? That Is the Question — Part 2

I met eyes head-on with the beautiful girl who had been standing directly behind me.

The beautiful girl’s eyes were pitch black, and as we stared at each other, I felt a strange sense of familiarity.

…Huh? I’ve seen these eyes before somewhere.

But before I could figure out where that sense of déjà vu came from, the girl sharply lifted her chin and very obviously turned her face away from me.

…W-Wait, did she just decide she hates me?

Did I upset her because we almost bumped into each other?

This was bad. My goal was supposed to be “becoming a pacifist and avoiding making unnecessary enemies.” What was the point of making enemies on the very first day of my fresh start at school?

Panicking, I tried to apologize to the beautiful girl for blocking her path, but she gave me no chance to speak and briskly walked straight toward the Crown Prince.

“Good day to you, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

“Ah, Celia. I hear you’re returning to the territory as well?”

I was surprised by the relaxed expression on the Crown Prince’s face, one that suggested he trusted her deeply—but I was even more shocked by the contents of their conversation.

…Re-turn-ing to the ter-ri-to-ry?

From the flow of the conversation, “the territory” sounded like the Fritillaria ducal territory.

But Rakash was an only child, wasn’t he?

That was definitely what the character profile in the game had said.

Confused, I stared intently at them, and then Celia suddenly wrapped herself around Rakash with a dramatic fwoomp.

Even while clinging to him, she glanced over at me triumphantly.

Hmm… it was a rather cheeky gesture, but when a younger girl did it, it just came across as childish and cute.

Could it be that this beautiful girl likes Rakash?

And that she’s warning me away from him?

If that was the case, then the issue of whether she disliked me was resolved too.

Please rest assured—I absolutely have no intention of getting close to your Rakash!

Feeling relieved, I relaxed—

And then the beautiful girl dropped a bombshell.

“I’m already prepared. Let’s hurry home, dear brother.”

“…Is my little sister a giant baby? When exactly are you planning to break that habit of clinging to me?”

Though his voice sounded exasperated, there was unmistakable gentleness in Rakash’s expression.

It was the first moment in which Rakash—who had always seemed like a perfectly sculpted statue—felt like a living human being.

But at that moment, I was in no state of mind to appreciate Rakash’s newfound humanity.

My shock and confusion completely overwhelmed everything else.

“…Is Lady Celia truly Lord Rakash’s real younger sister? Or is she perhaps just a relative who calls him ‘brother’?”

Even after searching through Luciana’s memories, all I could find were lists of handsome men and their entourages, so I turned to the female student standing beside me and asked her directly.

While waiting for the answer, my head filled entirely with question marks.

…Wait, this world really is the setting of The Cinderella of the Magic Kingdom that I played, right?

Could it be that some of the settings are different from the game?

The female student looked briefly puzzled by my question, but she politely answered anyway.

“Of course she is his real younger sister, Lady Luciana. They are extremely close siblings, and Lady Celia especially adores her older brother.”

“…A younger sister. Lord Rakash’s younger sister…”

Celia was Rakash’s little sister.

Which meant this world differed slightly from the game’s settings.

And if that was true…

Could there perhaps also be a future where I am not exiled?

As I muttered to myself, Rakash overheard me and shot me a sharp glare.

His expression practically screamed:

You didn’t even know I had a sister?

It was an entirely justified look of contempt, so before he could shower me with even harsher words, I hurriedly fled the classroom.

“Th-Then everyone, good day to you all!”