I Want to Fall in Love After Getting Reincarnated as the Heroine on the Verge of a Bad Ending, but My OP Older Brother Won’t Leave Me Alone!? - Chapter 16
Translated by: ShinigamiTori
Chapter 16 ? Rank Exam 3
“Eh… Ehhh…?”
Even though I worked so hard, it was all in vain. I was frozen in shock, but it was something that couldn’t be helped. But…
I notice something strange about the way my classmates look at me. In the midst of it all, Willy pats my shoulder.
“Congratulations, you did it. You worked hard after all.”
His words brought up an unbelievable hypothesis. Can it really be true?
Feeling my heart pounding, I timidly shift my gaze to my chest. The brooch that was bright red is now shining green.
That color indicated that I was now a D-rank.
“… No way.”
“That’s great, Rene! Congratulations!”
Therese took my hand with her eyes welling up with tears. She, too, had always been worried that I would be expelled from school, so she had been teaching me diligently.
Seeing Therese like that, my vision became blurred once again.
“Thank you, both of you…!”
“Oh man, I guess I’m going down.”
It seems that Willy’s written exam was not as smooth, as his brooch, which was B-rank, is now shining in the blue color of C-rank.
But he doesn’t seem to mind, saying, “Blue is the best-looking color, isn’t it?” He seems happy. He may be careless and lacking sensitivity, but I like his positive attitude and honesty.
The gazes from the rest of my classmates are hard to describe. It’s clear that they don’t feel good about seeing someone lower-ranked than them achieve results.
Anyway, I’m pleased with my result. I’m glad I worked hard.
After thanking them again, I decided to talk to the teacher to discuss what happened earlier.
“Ah, Reinhardt.”
“Rene, I was just about to come and see you.”
As I was walking down the hallway, Reinhardt came towards me. The moment I saw his brooch, I gasped.
“That color…”
“It seems that I had been suppressing my magical power unconsciously because I had been feeling down.”
“Eh?”
The brooch on his chest was adorned with a beautiful blue color. Apparently, his true amount of magic power is one of the best in the school.
Reinhardt’s character development seems to be heading in a good direction. Without a doubt, he must be a favorite of the creator. Anyway, I inwardly feel relieved that he won’t be bullied anymore in the future.
After repeatedly telling him that it’s great and congratulating him, he gently touches my cheek. His surprisingly cold hand gives me goosebumps.
“Congratulations to you too, Rene. You got a D-rank.”
“Yeah, I’m really glad!”
“I’m glad too. We can continue to be together from now on, right?”
“Y-Yes…?”
My heart suffers serious damage from his handsome and happy smile at such close range. I told him that we should celebrate together soon and continued walking.
“Ah, Yoshida! Look!”
I then spotted Yoshida, who was walking down the hallway with the prince, and immediately called out to him. They stop and shift their gaze towards me.
When Yoshida notices the change in my brooch, his eyes widen in surprise behind his glasses. Yoshida, on the other hand, seemed to have managed to maintain his A-rank, and I can’t help but feel relieved.
The prince, as expected, was S-rank. I instinctively compliment him, but he still doesn’t respond.
“I didn’t expect to see you suddenly rise to D-rank.”
“… Now that I’m not in F-rank anymore, will you be my friend?”
He previously said that he had no reason to befriend someone in F-rank. That’s why I asked him that, but he told me it was impossible.
As expected, I wondered if it still was not enough.
“Because we can’t become friends twice.”
“Y-Yoshida….!”
Apparently, it’s because he already thought of me as a friend. Although he still has a curt attitude, he’s a real tsundere[1].
I shouted words of love for him again today as he walked away, and then I headed for the reception office with a festive feeling.
???
“Excuse me.”
When I entered the reception room, Julius was already inside, sitting on the sofa. The teachers had not yet arrived.
“Good job with the exam. Oh, wow! D-rank, huh?”
“Yeah! It’s all thanks to Julius’…”
Just as I was about to continue, I lost my words.
Julius’ golden brooch had changed to purple, indicating that he was now B-rank. I wondered what happened, but soon realized it was my fault.
He must have given up on his own exams to come and find me. That’s why his rank dropped by two levels.
“I’m sorry, it’s my fault…”
“It’s not your fault. I thought that even if I skipped the written exam, I could still make it to A-rank. It seems I still have a long way to go.”
My vision became blurry as my brother laughed while saying that. I know that he had been studying late at night.
But I also knew that in times like this, it’s not good to keep apologizing. There are other words that need to be said.
“I’m really grateful. It’s all thanks to Julius teaching me various things and coming to help me.”
“You’re welcome. Besides, I’m probably going to be back in the S-rank for the winter exams. Rather, this might have been convenient.”
“…..?”
“And I did this for my own sake, so you don’t have to worry about it.”
He spoke to me, knowing that my expression was probably still gloomy.
… I still don’t really understand what he meant by “it’s convenient” and “for his own sake.” But even so, it’s an undeniable fact that Julius helped me.
“But I’m really glad, you know? You did great, good girl.”
He affectionately ruffles my hair. Being treated so kindly, anyone would fall in love with him. If he weren’t my brother, even I would have surely been throbbing with excitement.
Soon after, the teachers arrive, and we explain what happened earlier. They promise to investigate the matter immediately.
Regarding the exams, there seems to be a rule that states that they must be taken at the same time, so Julius’ grades didn’t change. However, the story of him giving up the exam to save his sister has already spread, and his popularity in the school has skyrocketed.
Since I had been exposed to a mysterious drug, I had to do a check-up with the school nurse to see if there were any abnormalities in my body. After that, Julius and I head back home together.
For some reason, we sit side by side again today in the swaying carriage.
“With this, I wonder if I can enjoy my school life more now.”
“I’m sure it will be more enjoyable. But don’t forget this is just the beginning.”
“Ah, that’s right.”
As my brother says, we mustn’t be satisfied with this.
The exam content will change, and everyone around us will surely aim higher with determination. If I let my guard down, there’s a possibility of falling back to F-rank.
Nevertheless, I want to praise and pamper myself a lot first. And next month, while studying, I want to focus on enjoying my school life even more.
“… I suddenly feel very sleepy now that I’m relaxed.”
“You can go to sleep.”
“Sorry, I’m really just going to sleep for a bit.”
Perhaps it’s because I’ve been on edge all this month, especially these past few days. My eyelids suddenly feel heavy, and I gently close my eyes.
In an unstable posture, as I nodded off, Julius tilted my head to lean against his shoulder. A soft, sweet scent tickles my nose.
Lately, Julius has been so kind that it throws me off guard. I fell into a dream, taking advantage of my brother’s kindness.
“… I have to make sure Rene reaches S-rank.”
His murmuring doesn’t reach my ears.
Translator Notes:
1. Tsundere is a Japanese term for a character development process that depicts a character with an initially harsh personality who gradually reveals a warmer, friendlier side over time. ?
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