TPBF 4

Chapter: 4

“Sis.”

“Why do you just barge into someone else’s room?”

Siss, frowning fiercely, snatched the drawing roughly from my hands.

Even Bin’s face, which I had drawn rather nicely, crumpled uselessly in his grip.

I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the drawing out of sheer regret.

Still, I forced myself to look up and meet Siss’s eyes.

“I thought you were in, so I came in. When I saw you weren’t here, I was going to leave right away. Sorry.”

“Sorry?”

Damn it. That normal-sounding word must be infuriating to him again.

I just wish he’d stop finding it weird.

He’s thirteen; it’s about time he started maturing a little!

“Well, I’d also hate it if someone came into my room without permission.”

“Irilin Header isn’t someone who can think from another’s perspective.”

“Siss, I guess you still don’t know me well.”

“You’re not someone who can even apologize.”

“Again, you don’t really know me.”

“No. I know you better than you know yourself.”

“Why do you think that?”

No answer came to that question.

He only pointed at the door with his finger.

“Leave?”

“Do I really need to tell you? I said I’m sorry. That means you should leave before I say anything more.”

“Fine. I really apologize for not leaving sooner.”

I spat the words sarcastically and strode toward the door.

Somehow, in front of him, it’s not an act of pretending to be mean—I actually get mean.

So the sarcasm just now wasn’t an act of being Irilin-like; it was my genuine feelings.

Bang—! I slammed the door hard to show my dissatisfaction, and it was the same—pure, unrestrained anger.

“Strange…”

I heard Siss muttering through the door as regret washed over me.

I have to somehow win his favor, yet I acted so emotionally, foolishly.

“Calm down and live, you wild boar. I promise you, if you keep acting like this, you’ll end up in trouble. Or I’ll take matters into my own hands!”

My sister’s teasing voice, disguised as advice, echoed in my mind and then faded.

At the time, I ignored it in anger, but now it seemed true.

Even just now, I let my emotions dictate life-or-death matters.

“I have to do better tomorrow.”

I used to make this resolution countless times in my original life thinking of my sister. Now, I was making it thinking of Siss.

Does my sister know?

That I’m trapped in the world she created, and encountering the people in this world makes me think of her.

And of course, none of her children are exempt—each of them resembles my sister in some way.

The second morning at the Academy arrived.

Now that I had figured out what had happened just before the break, instead of declaring my feelings had changed, I needed to show it through actions!

I thought I was facing the morning full of determination, but an unexpected obstacle appeared.

Of all the Academy classes, there wasn’t a single one without Bin as my partner—except for classes that didn’t require a fixed partner.

I had planned to prove my feelings by deliberately avoiding Bin, but I couldn’t do that. Damn it.

On top of that, the first class was swordsmanship, where we couldn’t be separated even for a moment.

“You said you wouldn’t bother me anymore? So this was just a trick to get my attention? Not even embarrassed?”

Bin didn’t say a word, but somehow his expression seemed to speak for him.

“Since it’s been a while, I hope you haven’t forgotten the lessons from the past six years. As always, sparring, begin!”

The swordsmanship teacher shouted loudly, and all the students drew their practice swords in unison.

Even at thirteen, the students of the Empire Academy seemed to have already formed proper stances.

Among them, my partner, Bin Ortega, was particularly outstanding.

Indeed, he seemed destined to one day become a senior knight of the Empire.

“What are you doing? You haven’t drawn your sword.”

Bin gestured toward my scabbard.

I swallowed hard, sweat running down my back.

I had to reach for my sword, but I couldn’t.

Was I afraid it would show I was a total beginner? No, that wasn’t it.

I had wielded a sword in my original life, too.

Moreover, the swordsmanship here was very similar to the fencing I had learned.

Someone aiming to become a national fencing athlete wouldn’t be intimidated by a group of thirteen-year-olds.

So why couldn’t I draw my sword now?

It was for another reason.

“Fencing will be difficult for you in the future. You’ll have to be very careful even in daily life.”

I had heard this from a doctor just before coming to this world.

At that time, I couldn’t even hold a spoon, let alone a sword, due to the injuries I sustained during a match.

So when I first came to this world and possessed Irilin Header’s healthy body, I honestly felt relieved.

Opening a door, eating with a spoon, combing my hair—being able to do these things naturally was a joy.

Even though the original Irilin made others do most things, so I had to act secretly, just being able to do them myself was satisfying.

Still, I hadn’t dared touch a sword. I was scared.

If I returned to my original world, I couldn’t do these things.

I didn’t want to feel the loss of never being able to hold a sword again.

I didn’t want to collapse.

“I… I’ll sit in the classroom for now. Tell the teacher I’m not feeling well.”

“What? Wait a minute.”

“Do you want to ask why I’m deliberately avoiding the chance to be right next to you? I already told you—I won’t bother you anymore…”

“No. You should say it yourself.”

“…Yeah.”

This annoying kid. Just like her creator, infuriating.

Because Bin made me embarrassed, I had to tell the swordsmanship teacher myself that I wasn’t feeling well.

Fortunately, as we were still in elementary grades, missing class didn’t affect our grades.

After changing from the practice uniform back into regular clothes and returning alone to the classroom, I noticed a familiar figure.

A boy with the same blue hair and eyes as Irilin—Siss Header.

He was standing quietly in the hallway outside our classroom.

At fourteen, he should be in the nearby middle school building for class. Why was he here?

“Siss?”

“Ah.”

Siss seemed startled, trembling slightly, and then turned his gaze from whatever he had been looking at to me.

He had been looking at a promotional pamphlet posted outside our classroom.

“Founding Festival Art Contest? Why are you looking at this?”

“Nothing to see here.”

“Why are you here?”

“Nothing…”

“Guess you’re on an errand.”

I gestured at the pamphlet in his arms.

Siss hugged it tighter and stepped back.

It was obvious he wanted to hide something about the “Founding Festival.”

Then I had to pretend I didn’t notice?

Of course not.

I didn’t want to be doing this at twenty years old either, but this fourteen-year-old in front of me could someday cause my death. I couldn’t ignore even small things.

Everything about Siss Header might be the key to my survival.

I read the pamphlet he had been looking at with wide eyes:

36th Aberto Empire Founding Festival Junior Art Contest

Categories:

• Painting: Portrait, Landscape, Abstract

• Dance: No restrictions

• Writing: Poetry, Novel, Essay

Prizes:

• 1st place: 3,000,000 Gold

• 2nd place: 1,000,000 Gold

• 3rd place: 100,000 Gold

“Unleash your dreams!”

As soon as I saw it, one category caught my attention.

Painting! Could this be Siss Header’s hidden talent?

There could be two reasons why Siss’s talent for drawing wasn’t mentioned in the novel.

Either he was too timid and gloomy to ever challenge such a contest, or the detail was omitted due to space.

Either way, there was no reason for him not to enter.

No, he must enter!

This contest might even become the key to my survival.

“Siss. You want to enter the art contest, right?”

“…What are you talking about? No.”

“You do want to enter. You want to show your talent to others, right?”

Specifically, I meant his parents.

The marquis and his wife discriminated against Siss because they said he had no desire or will.

Irilin had desire toward Bin. Chasing after someone as talented as Bin allowed her to reach a similar level.

Siss, on the other hand, had no desire. All he wanted was not to be troubled by anyone.

His life had been filled only with avoidance. He had no will to develop his talent, nor any ambition to show it to the world.

The parents, full of desire and will, refused to recognize a son unlike them.

The more that happened, the more Siss shrank into himself.

But now, that won’t happen.

I would change the story!

If parental discrimination caused Siss hatred, then I would prevent it.

With desire and will.

“Show that you have desire and will. Will you spend your life just crawling like a bug under me? Aren’t you going to rise up?”

I spoke provocatively, lightly, as if it wasn’t urgent.

But Siss crushed my effort lightly. Very lightly.

“No.”

During the break after sparring

A cool breeze scattered Bin’s silver hair, which hadn’t even a drop of sweat today.

Normally, my partner Irilin never missed class, but today, she was absent.

‘I’ll… just sit in the classroom. Tell the teacher I’m not feeling well.’

She seemed almost afraid of something.

That something was likely the sword.

She must have been trembling at the sight of it.

Why? Someone who had never acted this way. Had something happened while she wasn’t noticed?

A brief thought crossed Bin’s mind.