SRC 16

Chapter 16

Lucas didn’t immediately accept my suggestion and seemed to be thinking deeply.
I waited silently, holding my chin, watching him.

“Hmm…”
“Nothing comes to mind right now?”
“Not… yet.”
“Really? Then tell me anytime you think of something.”
“Okay.”

For some reason, I felt like Lucas wouldn’t ask me for anything.
But since I owed him a favor, I couldn’t just let it go.
I decided I would help him no matter what.

“By the way, why did you join the ‘Wildflower Lovers Club’? You don’t seem to do anything.”
I asked out of curiosity.

Among the new students, only Lucas and I were accepted into the ‘Wildflower Lovers Club’.
I could understand it for me since I’m Emma’s sister, but why Lucas got in was a mystery.
Of course, in the setting of a shoujo manga, it was just to gather the main characters together.

“The principal decided during the orientation before school started. I said I wanted to focus on studying, and he said I could just register.”
“The principal decides the clubs for students?”
“Yes.”

It was the first I had heard of this.
If he was even the top new student, did the academy give him special management?
But why a club, and not an advanced study group, was strange.

“But why this club in particular? It doesn’t have grade requirements, doesn’t do special activities, and you could just put your name down? Why?”

Lucas’ eyes shook slightly at my question.
He seemed a bit flustered for a moment but quickly answered.

“W-well, there are a lot of excellent people in this club.”
“Really?”
“Aiden-senpai is the top of third-year students, Noah-senpai is outstanding in magic studies, and Emma-neun is number one overall. Liam-senpai is second in the second year. So maybe they put me in this club so I could learn a lot from the seniors?”

It made sense when I thought about it.
Gathering the main characters in one club meant that all of them were excellent students.
It was almost surprising that I was included too.

“I see. So it’s natural that someone with excellent grades like you would be here. I guess it’s more surprising that I’m in this club.”
“You’re Emma-neun’s sister.”

It felt kind of like using connections, which gave me a weird feeling.
Well, everyone accepted me because I was her sister, so technically it was true.

“Are you perhaps unhappy that I joined this club?”

Lucas didn’t immediately answer, and his eyes flickered again.
Yes, that alone was enough of an answer.
I didn’t push him and closed my magic book.

“Thanks a lot for today. I’ll be counting on you next week too.”
“I-it’s not like I mind.”
Lucas hurriedly tried to recover.

“Really? That’s a relief. I’ll be counting on you as a clubmate too. Let’s go collect wildflowers together sometimes.”
“I’ll… think about it.”

Ah, so he still thinks going up the hill in farmer’s clothes is inefficient.
I can understand that.

Lucas picked up his books and got up just like I did.
I held out my hand to him.
Lucas just looked at my hand and didn’t take it.

“Don’t you like handshakes?”
“Ah.”

Finally, he took my hand.
I shook it while greeting him.

“From now on, let’s greet each other when we meet. We’re friends of the same age.”
“Friends?”
Lucas’ eyes widened.
It was like the word “friend” was unfamiliar to him.

Now that I think about it, in the original story, Lucas was shy and bought noble status from the Benjamin family, so other kids rejected him for not being a real noble.
Emma-neun treating him kindly made her feel like a savior to his lonely self.

All the more reason I wanted to become friends with Lucas.
Even if I’m now a proper noble, in my past life as someone from Korea, I didn’t like the idea of discrimination based on status.

“Alright, friend.”
Lucas, who had been hesitating, finally accepted my offer.

I was happy I could openly observe a male lead candidate, but also that I made a new friend.
Making friends is definitely one of my strengths.

“Looking forward to working with you, Lucas.”
“Same here… looking forward to it.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll help you a lot from now on.”
“Hmm…? Not that I’m helping you?”

Lucas tilted his head with a puzzled expression.
He seemed so immersed in studying that he didn’t really know how to win over his sister’s heart.
Maybe he wasn’t even fully aware of his own feelings.

Instead of learning magic, I wanted to help him with that.
It was my own decision.

Lucas, wait.
I’ll make sure to help you!

We parted ways from the clubroom, promising to meet again.
Lucas returned to the library to continue studying, and I went home alone.
Liam and my sister were dismissed early since there were no club activities today.
My sister tried to walk home with me, but since I didn’t know when I’d finish, I told her to go back, and Liam practically dragged her along.

Since I was always a distraction, I guess I should let Liam have this chance once in a while.
I didn’t know if he would use it to go on even a small date with my sister, though.

“Hmph, the sun’s already setting.”
The sun, low on the horizon, shone straight into my eyes.
It was so bright I could barely keep them open on the way home.
A pair of sunglasses would be perfect right now, but unfortunately, this world didn’t have them.
Maybe I’ll invent some once I get good at magic.

I was thinking about all this as I walked home.

Clomp.

I felt like I heard footsteps that weren’t mine.
What was this eerie feeling down my spine?
I carefully stepped forward.
Even though I moved almost silently, I heard footsteps again.

Could it be… a pervert?
I felt all the blood drain from my body.
No, it’s not even sunset yet. Why are they active so early?

I gripped my bag strap tightly and got ready.
Even after intentionally turning the alley corner, the feeling of being followed didn’t go away.
This was clearly someone following me on purpose.

Convinced it was a suspicious person, I got into a ready stance and ran at full speed.
Luckily, my house was nearby, so I arrived quickly.
I turned around as soon as I reached the front gate.
But no one was following me.

“Did I imagine it…?”

I must have mistaken a neighbor for a pervert.
Feeling embarrassed, I decided never to tell anyone about this.
I crossed the mansion garden, calmed my breathing, and entered the house as if nothing had happened.

“I’m home!”
“Oh, you’re back. Our daughter’s home?”
My mother welcomed me with a big smile.
With a thump, my sister also came down from the second floor to greet me.

“Was everything okay? You’re alright?”
She was worried because I came home alone.

“Everything’s fine.”
I naturally hugged my mother and sister each once.
The earlier incident… was a bit embarrassing, so it was better to forget it.

That night, I had a dream.
Everything around me was white, full of light.

Ding. Ding. Ding.

A large bell rang, and the view finally became clear.
There stood my sister, the most beautiful in the world, dressed in a pure white gown with a veil.
Her cheeks were flushed, maybe because she was embarrassed about something.

Oh, my.
I was watching my sister’s wedding.
I was overwhelmed with emotion at finally seeing this day come.

Then the most important question was: who was standing beside her?
This dream was clearly a revelation to tell me which prospective brother-in-law to choose!

I tried my best to see who my sister had linked arms with.
But I couldn’t see the groom’s face, only a man wearing a blue suit with a white boutonniere.
I couldn’t even tell if he was tall or short.

“Sis, who are you marrying?”
Frustrated, I asked her directly.
With a big smile, she answered me.

“…with him.”
“What?”

Her lips moved clearly.
Wait… I knew that name.
The moment I realized, everything went black, and a strong impact hit the back of my head.

“Ouch!”

I opened my eyes to find myself falling backwards off the bed.
I landed on my butt, and my tailbone hurt a lot.

“Was that a weird dream?”
Or maybe it was a signal from the heavens, telling me to properly choose the brother-in-law now that I’d seen all the candidates.

Who would be the best match to stand next to Emma-neun?
Today marked the start of my proper evaluation.