Chapter 2: I’m getting eaten

“Sister…?”
“Ellie, you must be tired. Let’s rest.”
“Mm-hmm…”

Her gentle words made me feel sleepy, and I collapsed onto the bed.

Before falling asleep, I felt someone snuggle up beside me.

How lovely that she wants to sleep so close.
She’s too good for someone like me.
No, wait, I’m a child now, so it’s okay, right?

My sister’s cuteness made me smile.
Her warm, child-like body heat was accompanied by a pleasant coolness.

She must have been watching over me since I woke up.
Grateful for her attentiveness,
I smiled slightly and fell asleep, as a small gesture of thanks.

****

Flash—

I woke up without an alarm or a wake-up call.

As soon as I opened my eyes,
yesterday replayed like a movie.
Acting like a child in front of my sister.
Whining to Father.
Cuddling and acting coy with Mother.

This isn’t me.

The atmosphere played a part, but
yesterday, I truly felt like a ten-year-old.

Overwhelmed by self-disgust,
strength surged into my legs,
and I kicked off the suffocating covers.

“Eek!”

Eek? I’d never make such a feminine sound.
Could it be…?

“Ugh… What’s wrong, Ellie?”

Right. I completely forgot I fell asleep with my sister.

What do I do?
I’ve become a violent younger sister who kicked her sleeping older sister awake.

Would she understand if I said it was a habit from my past life of sleeping alone?

“S…Sister! I… My leg! I had a cramp!”

Even I’m impressed by how natural that sounded.

It seems like my mental abilities have improved since coming to this body.
I should visit the magic tower and try solving the Seven Unsolvable Magic Problems sometime.

“Ugh… Ellie, is your leg okay?”
“Yes! It’s oka… I mean, it’s okay, Sister…”

She looked at me with narrowed eyes.
If I were her and my younger sister kicked me awake…

Actually, I’d have already fought her to the death.
My sister, who’s worried about me, is so patient and kind, like a saint blessed by the Goddess.

“Just in case, let me massage it for you.”
“Mm-hmm…”

Flustered by her kindness, I offered my leg without a word.

Knead, knead—

Her tiny hands massaging my short, white, soft-looking legs were so cute that I stared, mesmerized.
Her hands moved up my thigh, reaching my butt.

“Sister, that’s okay…”
“When you have a cramp, it’s best to massage from your toes to your hips.”
“Oh, okay…”

She’s so skilled for someone so small.
So thoughtful and clever at such a young age.
She’ll be a real charmer when she grows up.

Though “saint” suits her better than “charmer.”

She continued massaging, and I simply watched.

Finally, she stopped just before giving me a butt cramp and climbed back into bed.

She seemed to have slept as much as I did.
Is she a heavy sleeper?

Either way, it doesn’t seem like she’ll be spending the day with me.

Leaving her to sleep, I quickly left the room and headed to the place I had in mind.
I hadn’t been there often, but I knew the general location.

I arrived at the library, well-maintained and dust-free.

I planned to spend the day searching for any names similar to the novel’s world.

****

Hours passed.

I found nothing, only a headache.

“Aha! Found it!”

I found it in an unexpected place.

I was reading history books, but my head started hurting, so I picked up a magic book.
I found the word in the author’s place of origin.

‘Lily Academy.’

The name triggered something in my memory.
I found the crucial word often used in Yuri novels. Anxious, I etched it into my heart.

The clock on the wall showed it was almost lunchtime.
I skipped breakfast to come here, but I couldn’t miss lunch, so I headed to the dining hall.

Relieved at my discovery, I arrived at the dining hall.

My parents were absent, probably busy.
I ate with my sister, who seemed to have just woken up.

“Sister, do you know about Lily Academy?”
“Yes, it’s…”

She nodded slightly, explaining as she ate.

Lily Academy.
A gathering of the first mages that grew into a vibrant educational institution.

Those with magical talent can enter at age 20,
and after four years, they graduate and contribute to the nation’s development.

Only women can attend.
I was sure this setting was just for the novel’s convenience.

There’s a separate academy for men…
I decided not to delve into it.

Both my sister and I, as members of the fire magic-renowned House Estelle, must enter the academy and uphold the family honor.

But I had another question.

“So, do people… date there?”

Clang—

Her half-closed eyes widened.
Her red pupils trembled within her large, innocent eyes.

She looked more surprised than I’d ever seen her.

“Ellie, wh…what do you mean…?”
“I mean, do girls date each other at the academy…?”

Now I was surprised.
Same-s*x childbirth and marriage are commonplace here, so why is she so flustered?

“Ellie, listen carefully.”
“Mm-hmm…”

What she said next was shocking.

Lily Academy.
A women-only, men-forbidden zone.
It wasn’t as beautiful as its name suggested.

It was a world of survival of the fittest, worse than the animal kingdom.
The weak are preyed upon,
imprisoned and tormented for fun.
If hell exists, it must be this place.

Lily Academy wasn’t the sweet Yuri novel setting I imagined.

Instead, it was a gathering of crazy, psychotic lesbians where obsession, imprisonment, assault, and gaslighting—things I thought only existed in dark Yuri novels—were commonplace.

Or is this the world of such a novel?
Recalling the violent Yuri novels I read in my past life,
it made sense.

I looked at myself.

Cute and beautiful.
Powerless to resist.
The perfect prey.

My trustworthy, saint-like sister wouldn’t lie,
so Lily Academy must be a den of crazy lesbians.

At this rate, I’ll end up kidnapped, imprisoned, and mutilated, becoming someone’s pet.
I needed a plan.

****

I asked Father to teach me self-defense, but he insisted I rest for a month since I just woke up.

Yes, that’s a normal parental response.

Relieved he agreed, I anxiously waited, despite my impatience.

Another change during this month:
since I asked about the academy, my sister stuck to me like glue.

From waking up to bedtime, we did everything together.

Bathing together was unexpected, but
she’s allowed to be clingy, considering her sister almost died.

Though my face burned red in the mirror.

The only time we were apart was during her private lessons.
She had many classes to prepare for her role as the next head of the family.

But my clever sister always finished quickly and returned.
She’s probably as smart as me, or even smarter.

A month passed quickly.
My ordeal was just beginning.

****

“Pant, pant…”
“Ellie, just a little more!”
“Ugh… Sister, I can’t anymore!”

Thud—

My vision blurred.

Why me?

A surge of resentment made me hug my soiled body.

Why only her?

“Sob…”

My weak body weakened my mind.

Why can I only use basic magic, struggling like this?
Why can she use high-level magic so effortlessly?

The world is unfair.
That’s why I’m the only one rolling around in the dirt.

“Ellie, if you give up here…”

Her small hand reached for my limp body.

“Hngh…”

A strange feeling.
A disgusting yet arousing sensation spread through me.

“Once you enter the academy…”

The tingling sensation climbed, but
her hand moved down.

It felt unpleasant.
Even though my sister is kind, her touch disgusted me.

This is what it feels like to be violated.
So helpless and humiliating.

I see.

I finally understood deep down.

If I go to the academy defenseless…

“You’ll be devoured.”

Devoured.