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 178
Translated by: ShinigamiTori
Chapter 178 ? The Start of a Strange Feeling 4
As I collapse down on the spot, a hand is held out to me.
“Why does our dear Rene-chan keep getting caught up in one trouble after another?”
“Are you doing this to worry me?” Julius asked with a wry smile, as he grabbed my hand and pulled me up to my feet.
“Everything’s alright now, so you can rest easy.”
??How is it that Julius always helps me out when I’m in trouble? To me, he’s like a hero, and my heart brims with a jumble of emotions.
“When I heard that a second-year girl was stuck in the middle of a fire, I came to check, and just as I suspected, it was you.”
“J-Julius…Thank you for coming to save me. I honestly thought I might die this time.”
“No way. I’ll never let you die, Rene.”
Julius smiled as if it were nothing, then pulled me close and raised one hand, using a combination of wind and water magic to extinguish the smoke and flames.
The fire, which had engulfed the entire room until just now, shrank in an instant.
“Give me a hand, will you? That liquid over there seems problematic.”
“Of course, leave it to me.”
“Oh my, you really made a scene, didn’t you?”
Behind Julius, Arnold-san and Mylene-sama were also there, using their magic to safely clean up the mess in the preparation room.
“Really, thank you so much.”
“Don’t worry about it. We look out for each other when things go wrong.”
I hoped to assist somehow, but Julius told me, “Rene, you just stay put,” so I stuck to simply cheering them on instead of getting in the way.
???
Afterward, I thanked the three who helped put out the fire, spoke with the teachers who had rushed over, and ended up returning home much later than our usual dinner time.
By then, our parents and Jenny had already finished their meal, so it was just Julius and me eating together in the dining hall.
It feels like everything that happened earlier was nothing more than a dream, completely unreal. Even though I should be hungry, I strangely have no appetite and just gulped down the water in my glass.
“Is something wrong? Are you not feeling well?”
“It’s not that, I just can’t calm down yet.”
If not for Julius and the others coming to my rescue, it could have been a real disaster. In such an irrefutable situation, I could have even been expelled.
The teachers seemed to believe that my poor handling of fire magic in the science preparation room had caused the fire. Even when I mentioned “Someone else was there,” they refused to listen at first.
It was only natural for them to suspect me; being alone in such a place at that time and suddenly having a fire break out was suspicious.
“Why were you in the science preparation room?”
“Well, I just… wanted to be alone….”
If I mentioned Luka’s name, there’s no doubt he would be suspected and dragged into this. That’s why I could only brush it off with vague excuses, which only made me seem more suspicious.
“Oh? Sensei, are you suggesting that my poor sister, who was caught up in the fire, is the one who started it?”
“There’s no way Rene is the culprit. If that were the case, you can expel me too.”
“And me as well.”
But Julius, Mylene-sama, and Arnold-san all persuaded the teachers on my behalf.
“….”
I was overwhelmed with emotion by their unconditional trust in me.
The three of them, being S-rank students with excellent grades and prestigious family backgrounds, completely overpowered the teachers.
“Still, given the state of the room, it’s unreasonable not to impose any punishment….”
“In that case, I’ll restore everything to its original state by tomorrow.”
“The science room contains rare chemicals and herbs?”
“I’ll replace everything. Will that resolve the issue?”
Julius boldly declared that he would repair the preparation room and replace all its contents overnight through his connections. As a result, I only got scolded and told not to enter the preparation room without permission.
Immediately after Julius used magic to contact someone, a group of people who looked like contractors arrived at the academy and began the repairs. By morning, everything was supposed to be fully restored. Once again, I found myself amazed by who Julius really was.
“Truly, thank you so much. Without you, I would have definitely been suspended.”
“Don’t worry, Rene. I’m here for you.”
“Ah, and what about the repair costs…?”
“You don’t need to worry about that. I’d rather you just increase your liking for me.”
The level of favorability I felt for Julius was already maxed out, especially with him laughing while saying something like that.
I should also thank the wonderful Mylene-sama and Arnold-san properly at a later time.
“… But who would do something like that?”
There was definitely someone else in the preparation room besides me. The unease I had been feeling finally began to take form.
??Someone harbors malicious intent toward me and is trying to frame me.
Normally, Jenny would be my first suspect, but judging by her recent behavior, I didn’t think it was her.
“In any case, we need to find the culprit. But why were you in the science preparation room?”
“….”
For some reason, I couldn’t tell Julius that I had been called there by Luka. He wasn’t there, but I didn’t think my classmate was lying.
When I hesitate to say anything, Julius reassures me, “It’s fine if you don’t want to tell me.”
“Even though I’m here, you still need to be careful. I can’t always be by your side.”
“Yes, thank you. If it weren’t for you, I’d probably be dead by now.”
Starting with the dragon attack during the training camp, he’s saved me countless times from danger.
Even though I don’t have the usual traits of a heroine, the frequency with which I end up in danger really gives me that heroine vibe, and it’s getting annoying.
“So, Rene’s life is mine now, huh?”
“Wow, I never thought of it that way.”
Seeing Julius act as he usually does makes me laugh, and I feel a bit of the tension in my shoulders ease.
“Also, a powerful temporary defensive spell was cast on you, Rene.”
“Eh?”
“Whoever it was didn’t want to hurt you. The classroom door also had a barrier to prevent the damage from spreading.”
Now it made sense why I was unscathed when the explosion went off at my feet. The culprit’s goal might have been to scare me or damage my reputation.
With the rank exam approaching, I want to focus on studying, and my available time is limited. For now, I resolved to be cautious and stay alert.
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