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 34
Translated by: ShinigamiTori
Chapter 34 ? Indulging in Deliberate Acts
“Rene, try to restrain your magic power a bit more and stay calm.”
“Okay.”
“Don’t force it and just feel like letting it melt away.”
“I understand.”
Taking heed of Julius’s advice, I placed my palm on the stone in front of me and poured my magic into it. Eventually, the stone shimmered brightly along with a sensation of my power being sucked into it.
“I-I did it…!”
“Well done.”
My brother smiled softly and gently patted my head.
…. On this school-free day, I’m receiving magic lessons from my brother after a long hiatus. Lately, it feels like I’m being pampered more than usual. Is it because I worried him with the disappearance incident the other day?
“Whenever I practice with Julius, I feel like I’m getting better.”
“Really? That’s good.”
By the way, what we’re doing right now is practicing magic enchantment by charging the practice stone we borrowed from the school with just the right amount of magic.
Expensive gems are usually used for actual magic enchantment, but if you make a mistake, they will break, so beginners begin with practice stones. If the stone glows, it’s a sign of success.
I couldn’t succeed even once during class, so I asked Therese to practice with me after school yesterday, but it still didn’t work. Her teaching method was even quite easy to follow.
And yet, within an hour or so of practicing with Julius, I easily succeeded. It feels like my magic power melds naturally when I’m with him. I wonder why.
After a while, the stone’s radiance disappeared, returning to its original color. If I can do this successfully every time, we can move on to the next step.
“For now, let’s take a break, shall we?”
“Yes, thank you!”
I put the stone back in its special case and moved to the sofa. Julius took a seat beside me as if it were natural and called a maid to prepare tea.
My favorite tea and cute pastries were promptly served, and I couldn’t help but think it was quite unfair. I seriously believe that there’s no woman that my brother can’t win over.
“I’ll continue to teach you regularly from now on.”
Julius, savoring his tea gracefully, gently placed his teacup down and spoke. For someone like me, who has to practice with others and improve my skills, this was a great offer.
“Really? You don’t mind?”
“Yes. I’ve also got plenty of time until the next rank exam.”
“… Um, is it really okay if I don’t make it to S-rank?”
“It’s fine, really. I’m sorry about before.”
Julius smiled somewhat awkwardly and once again stroked my head.
On the night of his birthday, I told him the reason I had been avoiding him, that I felt sorry for him being nice to me because I knew I could never reach S-rank, and he ended up apologizing.
“Even if I don’t make it to S-rank, I’ll still give it my all.'”
“Thank you….. That’s very kind of you, Rene.”
Even after I said that, he still had a slightly troubled smile. Is it really pointless if it’s not S-rank?
Either way, I have to do my best for my own sake. After all, if my stats are too low, there’s a possibility of facing some kind of bad end. I can’t afford to be careless.
I gathered my determination again, picked up a cute macaron-like pastry, and placed it in my mouth. It gently melts on my tongue, and the sweetness spreads. It’s really blissful.
“Ah, I may be late tomorrow. I’m planning to shop for a thank-you gift for Yoshida and Theodore-sama. They’re going to give me a ride back as well.”
“Alright, be careful. Speaking of which, Rene seems to get along really well with Yoshida-kun.”
“Yeah. I really like Yoshida.”
“I wish you wouldn’t say you like other guys in front of me.”
“No, no. It’s not like that.”
That being said, my brother doesn’t comment on me being close to Yoshida. Apparently, he’s convinced that there’s no way we could ever fall in love with each other. He’s right, of course.
“Yoshida-kun is really sneaky. Being the first in Rene’s heart.”
“My number one is Julius, though.”
I said that as if it were obvious, and he looked incredibly surprised, his blue eyes widening.
“…. You’re lying, aren’t you?”
“I mean it. I consider Julius to be the closest person to me in this world, and I trust you.”
I accidentally said, “in this world,” which made it sound exaggerated, but I was being honest. I do find it a bit strange to rank the people closest to me, though.
Whenever I had a problem, Julius was surely the first person I would turn to.
Of course, I love Yoshida and Therese, but Julius, as family, holds a special place in my heart.
“……”
“Uh, I’m sorry. Was it bothersome?”
In response, he quickly reassured me, saying, “Not at all.”
“… Yeah, I’m happy. I’m really happy.”
“That’s good.”
My brother muttered this with a puzzled look as if he needed confirmation, and, though it may be strange for me to say, he seemed a bit off.
I wonder when I first realized that he draws a certain line when it comes to family members other than myself.
I don’t know what he’s bound by or troubled about when he said his life depended on it. Still, if there’s anything I can do, I want to lend a hand, no matter how small.
“If there’s anything I can do, just let me know.”
“Rene is really sweet. Be careful or I might end up falling for you.”
“Yes, yes.”
Even though I intended to brush off his siscon behavior as usual, for some reason, he was looking at me with a serious expression.
After a few moments of silence, Julius eventually spoke up, “Hey.”
“What would you do if we weren’t actually siblings?”
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