Soon after my birthday, a new semester arrived.
After lazing around during holidays, I had to gather the motivation to return back to school. Luckily, doing that was quite easy as going back to school meant I got to see my friends on daily basis again.
On my first day back to school again, I remembered how it would be my ânephewââs first day at school as well. I wonder if he took after Nicole so much? Thatâd make school so easy for him.
Anyway, that wasnât my concern for now! Until the time I suddenly see him again at some nobleâs party, Iâm free of this nephew flag~
I was just curious...
And they said that curiosity killed the cat, so letâs not be the cat in this story.
Arriving at school, the first thing to do in this new academic year was to see the new class distributioâwait, Special Class only consisted of 1 class each year, so why bother? ...Oh, there might be some additional members, which was a good thing!
Still, no matter if there will be new classmates, thereâs one thing I know for sure.
That my circle of friends will remain as it is, because my circle of friends is seen as the eccentric oneâthe anomalies gathering. Not sure if I should be proud of it T__T
Unless there is another anomaly or eccentric one joining, I donât see the possibility of expanding my friendship...
But as someone whoâs mentally more mature than kids my age, I know that the number of friends means nothing~ Itâs the
that matters!
...So letâs be happy.
At least, I have friends, right? Hahahaha!! This is better than my past life...
No, Iâm not trying to cheer myself up because I canât fulfill my dream of having so many friends. Trust my words, wonât you?
After all, itâs true that quality matters more than quantity!
With this new academic year, Iâd get another batch of juniors!
I now have 2 batches of juniors!
...Not like Iâm going to come and observe the juniors, anyway.
The opening ceremony went on smoothly, and there was no unexpected surprise or rumor such as a dragon popping out of nowhere... eeh, right, what other surprise might be greater than the surprise I received in my first day of school? Nothing could compare to that.
As I walked to my new class together with my usual circle of friends, we discussed the upcoming semester excitedly.
Carbuncle proudly commented on how we, âthe midgetsâ, had grown taller againâas if she was the one who nurtured us!
Well, weâre all still in our growth period, so thatâs a given~ I wonder when will we be as tall as Carbuncle? And then, soon, outgrow her?
Iâm surely looking forward to that.
We walked very leisurely because we already knew our destination beforehand, and that there was still plenty of time before the homeroom session.
As we finally arrived in front of our new class, suddenly I felt someone hugging me from behind.
...
âThere you are!â
T-t-t-this voice... D-d-d-donât tell me...
I slowly turned around as the person who hugged me loosened their embrace.
âIâve missed you, Big Sis!â
It felt as if storm arrived inside my mind.
The person who just hugged me innocently was none other than... the one person whose presence I felt dreadful of... E-I-N?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!
Thankfully, Ein had let go of his hug by now... as he proceeded to observe my dumbfounded expression.
Upon staring at him in disbelief, I found something unbelievable again. Ein was wearing Harmonia Academyâs uniform...
âYOUâRE ENROLLED HERE?!â I almost screamed these wordsâor did I just scream?
âEhehe, surprise!â Ein mischievously stuck his tongue outside.
âEh? Youâre certainly Eine, right?â Carbuncle commented firstâwhich triggered the rest of my friends to comment as well.
âThe Loera main familyâs only son? Youâre enrolled here, too?â Luca said amusingly.
âHe must be something else to turn Lyraâs expression like that...,â Kiri muttered.
â...uhm...,â Iris was unsure on the sudden turn of events.
âYes, itâs a pleasure to be here! Iâm enrolled in this yearâs Special Class, please treat me well from now on!â Ein cheerfully said.
âWhoa, youâre in Special Class, too?!â Iris was surprised.
On the other hand, I wasnât the slighest bit surprised after knowing the history of the Loera clan. It would be unexpected to hear that he failed to enroll to Special Class. But my mind wasnât on that issue.
...
...Okay, calm down, me.
Technically, we shouldnât be meeting too often with this age gap.
Okay, thank goodness.
I shouldnât be overreacting like this. Retain the calmness... retain the composure...
âC-congratulations on your enrollment! Could you be lost? Do you want me to show you the way?â I tried to retain my friendly smile even when my heart was still in its panic state.
âNope, I came here on purpose, to greet you and the others, Big Sis!â
âH-how nice of you...â
âOh, thatâs a matter of course! Big Sis Lyra, Prince Luca, Kiri-san, Big Sis Iris and Kuu, please guide me well from now on.â
This time, Ein bowed properly, so we replied by bowing backâexcept for Kuu/Carbuncle, of course. She couldnât be bothered with things like this.
And as the crown prince, Luca only nodded back in response.
Although [Equality] is the norm in Harmonia Academy, itâs natural for the royal family members to refrain from bowing down to others, so everyone kinda overlooks this one gesture. Aside from that, Luca doesnât really get special treatment for being the royalty. Iâm sure there are still some nobles who canât bring themselves to get used to this equal treatment, but I digress.
âAnyway, I think you should go back to your class soon. The bell will ring after this, so...,â I tried to come up with an excuse to drive him away so I could calm myself down and think things through.
Ein responded by glancing at his armâgeh, he was wearing a watch?!
âDonât worry, Big Sis! Thereâs still plenty of time left!â
âE-eh? But donât you need to see your new class, arrange your seat, greet your new classmates, too?â
âHee, but I donât think thereâs anyone more interesting than you, Big Sis! ...And your friends, too!â Ein quickly glanced and smiled at my friends when he said that.
But whatâs with the pause back then?
In the first place, thereâs someone more interesting than me, namely the crown prince... so why donât you just direct your attack to him? ...Please T__T
âLyraâs right. Youâre going to spend a lot of time with your classmates from now on, so youâd better get to know them well,â Luca added, joining my cause.
...I felt a bit guilty for trying to push Ein to you, Luca...
âHmm... If Prince Luca says so...,â Luckily, Ein listened to him!
âJust Lucaâs fine.â
â...Prince Luca is Prince Luca. Or is it okay for me to call you Big Bro Luca?â
âNnn... do as you wish, I donât mind,â Luca shrugged his shoulders.
Luca, I think you put too much trust on Ein, remember how bad Ein decided on Carbuncleâs nickname back then? But well, youâre the crown prince, so Ein might consider that...
âThen, please call me with just Kiri as well,â Kiri added.
Ein put on a thinking expression for a while before he nodded.
âYup, okay then, Big Bro Luca, Big Bro Kiri! Since Big Bro Luca has given me an advice, Iâll try to do it, then!â
--and finally, the storm named Ein left us to socialize with kids his age.
And we proceeded to enter our class as well.
Hopefully after socializing with his friends, Ein would spend more time with them!
I still tried to think positively on how he wouldnât hang out with me that often. Maybe every now and then, but I should... be able to survive, right?
But my positivity was thrown to smitheerens right immediately.
As we were going to go home, with me meeting Alt-nii and Clavis, a wild nephewâI meant, Ein appeared!
âOh, isnât it Ein? Why are you here? Are you not going to be with your new friends?â I put on my friendly smile once more... At this rate, my face will get stiff...
âTheyâre boring. I prefer being with Big Sis Lyra and the others!â
âThat reminds me... Are you living in the school dormitory?â Luca suddenly asked.
âNo, Iâm commuting to and fro my home!â
âEh? Isnât it quite far from your house?â Kiri asked in surprise. No, all of us were surprised!
âYes, but itâs no problem! We can use the teleportation portal or other high-tech transportations, so it doesnât matter!â
â...â
Being born in the Hartmann family under its current condition, I began to calculate about the expenses in the Loera family that would swell due to Einâs transportation...
I started to think that Nicole and Clyde had lost their rationality or intelligence...
âHow is the North Riviera like?â Carbuncle asked.
âEh, Kuu, you have never been there?!â Iris asked back.
âHmm, I have only flown over the area... I havenât really explored North Riviera, but now thereâs such a good opportunity, hm?â Carbuncle glanced at Ein and smirked.
âBy all means, come to North Riviera! Youâll like it there! We have so many nice spots to visit, and nice items to buy!â Ein happily replied.
...Advertisement much, Ein?
âHuh? Isnât it the Loera familyâs son? Youâre enrolled here?â
Just right then, Alt-nii and his friends arrived to pick us up.
âBig Bro Alt! Thatâs right!â Ein smiled proudly.
Alt-niiâs arrival saved the day. Because after that, they were busy introducing themselves. It was Harveyâs first time meeting Ein, and Clavis-nii seemed to be wondering why Ein was tagging along with me and the othersâwithout any single friend his age.
Shortly after that, before there was an opportunity to do anything else, it was about time for us all to go home.
Harvey, Iris, and Carbuncle parted ways to walk to the dormitory...
Eeeh, right! Ein would be walking with us to the same directionânamely the school gate!
And he nonchalantly positioned himself right beside me!!
Things couldnât get more awkward, right?
Thankfully, the topic we had during the whole way was ordinary. Since we were about to go home, we mainly discussed the topic of âgoing homeâ, such as how long would it take, what transportation we mainly used, and so on.
However, I have a hunch that starting from tomorrow, things wouldnât be as simple as it is now, since we definitely wonât repeat the same topic... Is Ein a spy sent by Nicole and Clyde, anyway? If thatâs the case, then you guys are evil. Evil!!!
***
âLyra, why do you seem to be so tired?â
That night, Mom and Dad noticed my mental fatigue.
âRururu?â Rurune who didnât come to school also tilted her head. Yep, Alt-nii would sometimes take Rurune to school with him, for example during Day 5 or [Adventure] period, and when it was time to learn about Familiars or Beasts at school.
âUh... Itâs nothing. Itâs just... thereâs someone I know among the batch of new students...â
âOh? Who might that be?â Mom asked curiously.
âUh... The Loera familyâs son... Ein...â
âWhat?â Dad asked in disbelief.
âOh, oh! Mom, Dad, guess what?â Alt-nii suddenly chimed in, âIt seems like Ein is tagging along Lyra! I feel like getting a little brother thatâs so attached to Lyra!â
â...He... did... what?â Dad tried to digest the information Alt-nii just said.
...Uh-oh, Dad got triggered...? But Alt-nii said it felt like Ein was a little brother that was way too attached to me...
âJust what did that kid want to accomplish by chasing after my Lyra this persistently?â Dad muttered as he put his hand on his chin.
...Dad, please! He is just a little kid! If your âdanger of romanceâ sense is tingling, then please remember that kids donât normally think of romance! Thatâs something youâll begin to think of during puberty or after that... right?
..........I have no experience in that area at all, so Iâm not sure, but the thing isâI donât think you need to worry about that, Dad! I also see him as a bothersoânephew-like little brother.
I only feel troubled because Iâm afraid Iâd show more hints about me being Reinst who was reincarnated, and that heâd convey the whole thing to Clyde and Nicoleâand then... Uuh, letâs stop thinking about that worst case scenario!
âDad, itâs fine! Iâm only tired because of the excessive surprise! Heâs tagging along with me like a little brother with sister complex... but itâs maybe because he feels safer going along with people heâs familiar with. Iâm sure that he will soon get used to the new school!â
However, I didnât tell anything about why I was bothered with his presence. I couldnât say that out loud here. So, I made this kind of excuse while trying to convince myself.
Yeah, it was only Day 1. No matter how interested he might be towards me, kids tend to lose their interest after a while, so it was only a matter of time and my endurance. Heâd bound to find his new circle of friends as well!
I felt a wave of relief after thinking about that, but somewhere inside my heart, I felt a little bit lonely to imagine that the âlittle brother-likeâ existence would stop nagging at me soon.
...Does this mean I actually want to have a younger sibling?
Domiâs child face flashed before my mind, ceasing the thought of wanting a younger sibling. Domi was never attached to me when I was still Reinst. He was so attached of Mother and robbed me of her... That thought scared me a little.
My position in the Hartmann house right nowâis that Iâm the youngest childâthe youngest one is usually the pampered one. While I donât think Mom and Dad would drastically change in the presence of a younger sibling, I think Iâm getting more selfish for wanting to receive my parents and my big brotherâs pampering...
Yet at the same time, I felt that Ein and Leti were so cute and that I didnât mind having someone like them to pamper.
Iâm such a bundle of contradiction...
Well, whatever! Not like Iâm in a position to decide whether or not there will be a younger sibling!
Letâs just take plenty of rest to prepare myself for the battlefield tomorrow!
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