SRC 1

“I’m late, I’m late!”

A familiar scene that unfolded every morning.

By now, I was quite used to the sight of a certain girl turning the entire house upside down while getting ready for the Academy.

I stared blankly at my older sister, Emma Vardedore, who had a slice of toast clenched between her teeth as she rushed out the door.

Just look at her—panicking about being late every morning, yet stubbornly insisting on running off with toast in her mouth.

Wasn’t that the very image of a classic romance manga heroine?

I watched her in secret admiration when she suddenly turned around.

“What are you doing, Olivia? If I’m late, you’re late too.”

“Oh, right.”

I stuffed the rest of my toast into my mouth in one go and hurried after her.

At long last, I had been accepted into the same Academy my sister attended.

Which meant that today—finally seventeen years old—was my very first day at the Academy.

We stepped out of the mansion with bright smiles.

“We’re off!”

“Have a good day!”

The moment we exited the estate gates, my sister turned to me.

“From here on, we run at full speed. You can handle it, right?”

“Of course. You’re the one who should be careful not to run out of stamina.”

As if asking what nonsense I was saying, she flashed a grin and took off first.

Watching her figure grow distant in seconds, I had no choice but to diligently move my shorter legs to keep up.

I couldn’t be late on my very first day.

“Haah… haah…”

“Safe!”

Half dragged along by my sister, I barely managed to cross the Academy’s main gates in time.

“Hm. One more minute and you’d have been out. Be careful from now on.”

“Yes, Mr. Saint!”

At the gate stood a teacher with her hair pulled up so tightly it seemed she wouldn’t allow a single strand to fall out of place. She pushed up her glasses with a sharp expression.

My sister greeted her with perfect posture, discipline practically radiating from her stance.

It seemed that at this gate, Mr. Saint was the law.

Quick on the uptake, I swallowed my heavy breathing and bowed politely.

“I look forward to your guidance.”

“A new student?”

“Yes.”

“And you’re already suggesting that you plan to cut it this close every day starting from your first day?”

She nudged her glasses up again. They glinted sharply in the sunlight.

“Of course not. Haha.”

Starting the day by meeting a scary teacher, huh.

I forced an awkward smile, grabbed my sister’s arm, and turned toward the Academy.

The enormous buildings I had seen once before at her entrance ceremony captured my gaze again. Each structure had its own distinct character—it was fascinating.

“This is the Imperial Saint Louis Academy, where you’ll be studying from now on.”

Spreading her arms wide, my sister introduced it proudly.

Though honestly, even if she hadn’t, I already knew everything about Saint Louis Academy.

It was an institution for upper-level students, a place every citizen of the Grayson Empire dreamed of attending.

The entrance exam was notoriously difficult; even nobles couldn’t enter without passing it.

I, too, was one of those who had worked myself to the bone to get in.

If I didn’t witness everything that would unfold here—this place where my sister’s youthful, blooming school days would take place—then what would have been the point of being born into this world?

Ah, did I forget to mention?

This world is the setting of the romance manga “Academy Love♡ ~Who Will Be the Male Lead?”

And my sister is the heroine.

I mean, isn’t it obvious just from watching her run to school with toast in her mouth every morning?

She thinks she’s ordinary, but she’s stunningly beautiful from any angle, academically brilliant, and kind-hearted to boot.

Truly born to be a romance manga protagonist.

And I?

I was born as the younger sister of that heroine.

At first, I lived simply as a sister-obsessed tagalong. But one day, a magic tutor who visited our estate misfired a spell at me—and I suddenly remembered my past life.

The tutor, of course, was fired.

In my previous life, I was Lee Ji-yeon, a third-year high school student in South Korea—the most miserable age imaginable. Crushed by the stress of the college entrance exam, I collapsed… and never got back up.

In the middle of running toward a single goal—getting into a good university—my only comfort had been this romance manga, “Academy Love♡ ~Who Will Be the Male Lead?”

Uniquely, the author had stated in an interview that the ending hadn’t been decided—no fixed male lead.

Readers passionately supported their chosen “stocks.”

Coward that I was, I didn’t want any ship to fail, so I rooted for a “everyone lives happily together” ending.

Was choosing that sly ending a curse?

Because I was reborn into the world of “Academy Love♡ ~Who Will Be the Male Lead?”

And not as the heroine—but as her supporting-character younger sister.

“Don’t be nervous, Olivia. With your personality, you’ll make friends quickly and keep up with classes in no time.”

Unlike my genius sister Emma, I had to study until I got nosebleeds to enter this Academy.

Not metaphorically—literally nosebleeds.

I had to see my sister’s ending with my own eyes.

Since I’d died after rooting for the “everyone together” ending, maybe this reincarnation was a divine message to pick one proper ship this time.

Now that I was her sister, even if dirt got in my eyes, I would never allow an “everyone together” ending.

I would find the perfect brother-in-law for her and make sure she ended up with him.

And if securing a good brother-in-law improved my own fortunes a little too, all the better.

That’s why getting into this Academy had been essential.

Having passed the first difficult gate, I was brimming with confidence.

What was there to be nervous about when I was finally reaping the rewards of my hard work?

“Don’t worry, Sis. I’m so ordinary I won’t stand out, and my life won’t be dramatic.”

It’s not like I’m the heroine. I’m not going to get dragged into the courtyard or have dirty mop water dumped on my head out of nowhere.

Somehow misunderstanding my perfectly objective statement, Emma suddenly teared up and pulled me into a hug.

“Olivia, there’s no one in the world as lovely and special as you. Don’t ever call yourself ordinary.”

“Okay, okay.”

I hugged her back, patting her shoulder.

“My little sister has grown up so much—she’s already entering the Academy…”

Stopping her from slipping into nostalgic mode, I pointed toward what looked like the auditorium.

“Sis, stop. I’ll be late to my entrance ceremony at this rate.”

“Oh! Right!”

We sprinted at full speed once more.

After arriving at the auditorium, she returned to her own classroom.

“Our Olivia, do your best! Fighting!”

“Fighting…”

Out of breath, I barely raised a hand in response and shuffled into the auditorium.

As expected, the entrance ceremony had already begun.

The principal—presumably—was in the middle of a congratulatory speech.

I headed toward the back rows, trying not to draw attention as I sat down.

“Are you late too?”

The girl next to the empty seat spoke first.

She had large permed hair neatly brushed up on both sides—quite striking.

It might be rude to think this, but her harmless-looking face didn’t scream “villain,” which reassured me.

“You too?”

“Fellow latecomers.”

We exchanged smiles.

“What class are you in?”

“A-Class.”

“Really? Me too.”

“You too?”

At the mention of being in the same class, we grabbed each other’s hands in unison, as if planned.

“I’m Siana Kaive.”

“I’m Olivia Vardedore.”

“Vardedore?”

“Do you know my family?”

We were only a baron’s house—not particularly high-ranking or famous in noble society—so few people recognized our name.

Her surprised reaction caught me off guard.

“Are you Emma Vardedore’s sister?”

“Oh, you know my sister?”

“How could I not? She’s never once lost first place since enrolling. Saint Louis Academy holds an all-grade mock exam every year, and she’s topped the entire school each time.”

I found it fascinating that she knew so much about the school before even starting.

Of course I knew all that, but hearing my sister praised still made me shy.

I brushed a finger under my nose awkwardly.

“Well, she’s pretty good at studying.”

“But you…”

Ah. She was wondering why I wasn’t the same.

Saint Louis Academy divided classes by rank—S, A, B, C, and so on.

I hadn’t made it into S-Class like my sister.

So naturally, questions arose.

It was a question I was very used to.

“I’m good at other things.”

“Like what?”

“Making friends.”

I shook the hand I was holding up and down.

“Let’s get along well from now on.”

“Sure, nice to meet you.”

After that, we chatted away, completely tuning out the long speech that followed the principal’s address.

Then suddenly, a strange voice spoke from behind us.

“You two freshmen back there—could you keep it down?”