I Was Reincarnated As The Older Brother Of A Villainess Destined to Die, So I Want To Change The Future By Raising My Younger Sister With My Own Hands. I Am The Strongest In The World, But My Little Sister Must Be The Cutest In The World - Volume 4 Chapter 2.1
The morning after the entrance ceremony, we headed to the academy using the carriage as usual. Inside the carriage were the usual faces – me, Caron, Orca, Nina, Minerva, and now Marina.
It wasn’t commendable for a commoner like me to ride alongside the nobles, but considering the reason we were sheltering her, it couldn’t be helped. These actions would inevitably spread misunderstandings among those around us, but we had no choice but to accept it. After all, our lives couldn’t be replaced.
My concerns about “the relationship between Caron and Marina” from the previous night turned out to be groundless.
You see,
“Marina, about this embroidery…”
“Oh, I know an easy trick for that. I’ll teach you later.”
“Thank you!”
Or,
“Marina-chan, Marina-chan, continuing from our conversation this morning…”
“That was so interesting, right? Actually, there’s a rumor going around…”
“What? Is that true!?”
Or,
“Marina, do we have any sweets left?”
“Yes, here you go. Enjoy.”
“Thank you… It’s delicious.”
Or,
“Marina, what do you think is the best way to brew this tea from ?? region?”
“Hmm… I don’t know since I haven’t tried the actual tea.”
“In that case, let’s prepare it after school.”
And so on.
Both Caron, Orca, Nina, and even Minerva had become friendly with Marina. All of this happened in just one night. Marina had been the center of attention since earlier.
Shion commented on the scene inside the carriage.
“It’s quite astonishing…”
“I agree.”
I also agreed with her sentiment.
To be honest, I underestimated Marina’s communication skills. I never expected her to easily get along with Caron and even Minerva, let alone Orca.
Indeed, in the original game, Marina had many friends. She had good relationships with other heroines, so I understood that she was skilled in socializing.
However, the outcome was beyond my expectations. It’s astonishing how she could easily become friends with the jealous Caron and the tsundere Minerva.
She’s beautiful, socially adept, and capable in household chores. She’s like the epitome of a perfect wife and mother. And now, with her plan to compensate for her only weakness, which was her lack of combat strength, with spirit magic, she seems flawless.
Well, she does have some flaws. Whenever she talks to me, her excellent communication skills seem to vanish. It’s like being in front of an otaku meeting their favorite idol. Suddenly, she becomes a disappointingly beautiful woman. I wonder if she really has any intention of making me fall for her; it’s a mystery.
Nevertheless, it’s always better to avoid conflicts. We should appreciate Marina’s high communication skills in this situation.
“Hmm, she’s a formidable rival,” Shion muttered with a troubled expression.
Perhaps because she heard Marina’s approach declaration last night or because they have similar positions, she seems very conscious of her. I can’t help but find that adorable about Shion. I might be a little mischievous.
Since Shion was conveniently sitting next to me, I subtly held her hand as a small tease.
“Don’t stress yourself too much.”
“M-Master Zex…”
Upon doing so, her face quickly turned red.
Her innocent side hasn’t changed much in these six years. She might have developed some resistance, but she still has a long way to go.
The lively carriage soon arrived at the school as the noise subsided.
After disembarking in front of the main gate, the people who had noticed Marina among the passengers began to make a commotion. It couldn’t be helped, so we simply ignored it.
We met up with the servants who had arrived earlier – Garnah, Teria, and Maron – and headed towards the school building.
Within the school, each person is allowed to have one accompanying servant. Shion is usually assigned to either me or Caron, but for today, I asked Garnah to accompany Marina.
“Understood, sir.”
As we walked along the path, I gave instructions, and Garnah politely thanked me.
Garnah tends to speak casually among his subordinates, but he behaves politely in front of me and Caron. As long as he keeps things in order in public, I have no complaints.
“After school, I’ll come pick you up. You can freely spend your time in the academy, but be careful not to stray too far from Garnah’s side.”
“Y-Yes. Understood!”
Since Marina is in Class D and her school building is different, we would part ways soon. Before parting, I mentioned some points to be cautious about, and she responded with great enthusiasm. As usual, it seems that she gets carried away only when it comes to me.
While smiling wryly, we headed towards Classroom A1.
The classroom resembled a university lecture hall. It was spacious enough to accommodate fifty people, with seats arranged in tiers.
I didn’t particularly care about the seating, so I settled down in the last row closer to the entrance.
The non-student attendants, including Shion, were standing behind me. It was regrettable that they couldn’t sit due to the school rules, but it couldn’t be helped.
The gazes of the students who were already in the classroom gathered towards us. It’s quite a lineup when you think about it – me, the current head even without any insignia, Caron, who is known as the “Sunlit Saintess,” Nina, an A-rank adventurer with a nickname, and Minerva, the famous duchess who is a prodigy in magic. Listing them like this, they are an impressive group.
“I feel completely out of place,” Orca commented.
Having a similar impression, Orca, who was sitting next to me on the left, smiled wryly.
I roughly ruffled his head in response.
“What are you doing, Zexs-nii!?”
Orca exclaimed, startled.
“The fact that Orca is amazing is something we all know well. After all, you were a veteran involved in domestic affairs even at a young age. You might not have stood out much because your main focus was on domestic matters, but you are not out of place at all.”
“Master Zex is correct. Orca, you should be proud.”
“That’s right. You’re impressive.”
Taking advantage of my words, Caron and the others also threw similar words of encouragement. Shion and the other servants remained silent, considering their positions, but their expressions indicated that they agreed.
Recognizing their support, Orca’s eyes became slightly moist.
“Thank you, everyone.”
Come to think of it, there was a situation in the original game where Orca lost confidence. Although the current circumstances are different, he would lament being a burden and receive comfort from the Saintess.
Since we had developed a completely different atmosphere from the game, I had forgotten about it, but Orca tends to underestimate himself due to his cautious nature. I should praise him a little more often.
Perhaps because we were in a family-like atmosphere, the classmates around us looked on with curiosity, but there was no sign of them approaching. It’s good that we’re not being bothered by weird people, but it might reduce the opportunities for Caron and the others to make new friends. Well, it’s still early in our school life. Maybe I’m worrying too much.
Shortly after that, a woman who seemed to be the homeroom teacher for Class A1 entered the room. She wore glasses and seemed quite nervous. She appeared to be around thirty years old, which is relatively young considering she was entrusted with the top 50 students. I wonder if I should consider her to be that competent.
After the homeroom teacher arrived, a few individuals who hadn’t shown their faces yet appeared. Normally, I wouldn’t pay attention to the riffraff, but those individuals happened to be the Saintess, the Hero, and the second prince, Gray.
I received reports from the observers.
The Saintess and Gray have been together, and it seems they are about to arrive in the classroom. They formed a bond after spending time together yesterday. As expected of the protagonist, she has already captured the curious Gray’s heart.
On the other hand, the Hero was just seen at the school building for Class D.
That’s to be expected. Since it was witnessed by everyone that Marina and I were together, rumors must have spread. Upon hearing the news, I anticipated that Yudai couldn’t bear it and would charge in. It seems he agreed to be persuaded by Marina and Garnah on the spot, but it was clear that it would affect us too.
Well, there’s nothing I can do but accept it. This development is within my expectations. I want to believe that by explaining that the cause was their incompetence, things will settle down to some extent.
After that, the three individuals arrived in the classroom just in time. For a moment, the attention of our classmates turned towards them, but since homeroom was about to begin, the gazes quickly turned away.
“The Hero is glaring.”
“He must be thinking that Marina-san has suffered because of someone’s fault.”
“Ignore him, just ignore him.”
Nina, Caron, and Minerva reacted. As they said, Yudai is directing hostility towards us.
He doesn’t seem to be excited enough to immediately confront us, but it appears that Marina and the others’ persuasion didn’t have much effect. We’ll deal with him properly later, but for now, as Minerva said, we’ll just ignore him.
“Now that everyone is here, let’s begin the first homeroom.”
There was nothing special in the content of the homeroom teacher’s speech—Melra-sensei, as I told her to be called. She spoke about the school’s policies, future schedules, and advised us to be aware of our position as top students in Class A1.
In the end, she glared at me. Perhaps she considers me a “colorless individual.” It seems she doesn’t know the details about me. Or maybe she’s the type that needs to see it with her own eyes before acknowledging it. Either way, it’s troublesome to have such a person as the homeroom teacher.
While inwardly sighing at the successive difficulties, I tried to calm Caron and the others. I’m not bothered, so stop directing hostility towards me. If you guys were to emit even a slight killing intent at your level, it could induce cardiac arrest.
I already knew the details of the academy from my game knowledge. There was nothing significant to confirm again.
After finishing the explanations, Melra-sensei made the final announcement.
“There will be a welcome party for new students scheduled for today’s after-school activities. It will also serve as a dinner party, so please keep that in mind. As part of a school event, the dress code is limited to uniforms.”
“May I ask a question?”
At that moment, a student raised his hand. He was a slender young man with glasses, and his features were very well-defined.
“Please go ahead.”
“Is attendance at the welcome party mandatory?”
“No, it’s not mandatory. However, since it is organized by the Student Council, it would be better to attend.”
“I see. Thank you.”
Based on his attitude, it seems he won’t participate. It aligns with the original game.
Actually, that male student is one of the romanceable heroes for the Saintess. He serves as the brains and long-range magic user of the Saintess’ party. He’s a bookworm who spends most of his time in the library. Perhaps he thinks it’s better to read books than to participate in the welcome party.
In the original game, he ranked second in the written exam for the entrance exam, but since the top six spots were taken by us, he must have been seventh. I don’t know if it’s because of that, but he constantly emits an unhappy aura.
After that, there were no more questions, and the homeroom ended. Melra-sensei left the classroom, and a relaxed atmosphere filled the room.
However, it didn’t last long. The reason being…
“I have something to ask you!”
Yudai directed angry words at me.
Heroes and the Saintess are granted privileges, so even when speaking to nobles, they shouldn’t be disrespectful. But to address the local lord with such an attitude… I must say, it’s impressive in its own way.
While feeling exasperated, I tried to respond calmly.
“We can talk, but let’s change the location first.”
“Fine.”
I wonder if he will be satisfied before the next class starts. Pondering such carefree thoughts, Yudai and I left the classroom.