Chapter 4: To the academy

I woke up with the warm sunlight.

How could I even open my eyes?
Was last night just a nightmare?

Countless questions flooded my mind.

Last night felt distant, like days had passed.

I quickly checked my body, but
there were no traces of the ordeal, as if the long struggle had been a dream.

Rustle—

I must have woken Sister with my restlessness.
She sat up, rubbing her eyes.

“You’re awake, Sister?”
“Mm-hmm…”

Kiss—

She kissed my cheek.
My cheeks flushed.

I need to calm down.
It’s just a child’s cute display of affection.

During the agonizing pain last night,
I felt someone hug me, and then I felt better.
Does Sister know something?

“Ellie, are you feeling okay?”
“Oh, yes. I’m fine. But, Sister, last night…”

How do I explain this?
Should I ask if she saw me being roasted alive?

Fortunately, she seemed to understand.

“Yes. You seemed to be having a nightmare, so I hugged you tight.”
“Really…?”

That’s a relief.
From what she said, it seems I wasn’t burned alive.

I sighed in relief.
Fully awake now, we held hands and went to the dining hall.

****

After breakfast, I rushed to the training grounds.
I had something to confirm.

Anxious, I held the wooden sword,
focusing on igniting the flames.

Whoosh—

The wooden sword glowed white, and flames erupted.
The Flame Sword didn’t burn the sword itself.
Using a wooden sword posed no problems.

I was worried last night might have been a dream, but
the flames burned even fiercer than yesterday.
My worries were unfounded.

Then why was I in so much pain last night?

I never wanted to experience that again, but
could I endure it if it happened every night?

I continued training, plagued by worry.

Thankfully, the pain didn’t return the following nights.

Maybe hugging Sister while sleeping helped.
I felt slightly guilty, using her as a human pillow every night.

I always relied on her without giving anything back.
I’m a terrible younger sister.

Well, I’ll make it up to her in the future.

****

Time flew by in the peaceful days of my routine.

The day to send Sister to the academy arrived.

She had grown into a beautiful young woman,
so stunning I could hardly look her in the eye.

Her figure, though not as ample as Mother’s, was already impressive.
Hugging her felt even more comforting now.

She’d grown much taller than me,
and I had to look up at her.

I had also grown enough to handle a longsword.

…Actually, not that much.

I grew well until age 11, but
since starting Flame Sword training, I hadn’t grown much.
Did I train too hard?

I was small enough to fit perfectly in Sister’s embrace.
I still didn’t understand women, but
I thought I was average height.
Mother and Sister are just taller than average.

My strength had increased significantly. I was confident I could beat my past self in arm wrestling.
Though compared to people in this world, with their fantasy-level strength,
I was still weak.

Initially, even lifting a longsword was a struggle, making my arms tremble.
Now, it felt like significant progress.

My biggest change was my physical prowess.

I still looked the same as ten years ago in the mirror,
but despite my small and cute appearance, I could easily defeat most knights in the house, and even hold my own against the captain.

After all, I’d spent almost ten years doing nothing but sword training, honing my natural talent.

But I wasn’t all brawn and no brains.
I managed to keep up with my studies, thanks to Sister’s help.

However, besides those two things, I wasn’t good at much else.

I always skipped social gatherings, using my poor health as an excuse, sending Sister in my place.
She only made brief appearances anyway.

Even when guests visited, I was too busy training to see them.

Naturally, I had no friends.

On the other hand, my bond with Sister became inseparable.

As we grew closer, physical contact increased, but
that’s normal between family, right?

Sister always reassured me of her love and care,
confirming our close bond.

I loved her too, and
I always told her so sincerely.

Recently, when she hugged and caressed me,
I felt strange, breathless,
and would cling to her weakly for a while.

Her embrace was always warm, with a pleasant scent.

Oops, that might sound perverted.

Sister didn’t know about my impure thoughts.
She was still young and innocent compared to me, despite her growth.
I felt guilty, using her innocence to satisfy my desires.

My feelings for her had become strange.
I shouldn’t feel this way. She might hate me if she knew.

But my feelings grew uncontrollably.

That’s why, on the day she left for the academy,
I cried and cried.

“Ellie? Ellie, won’t you talk to Sister?”
“…”

“Your pretty face is all messed up.”
“…Sniffle.”

“Ellie, you have to be good while Sister is away, okay? Don’t cry.”
“Okay…sob…but…Sister…”

I prayed for her safety at the academy.
I hated the academy even more for taking her away, leaving me unable to live without her.

“It’s okay, Sister is strong. If you promise not to cry, I’ll be back soon. I promise.”
“…Promise, Sister. You have to come back soon, okay?”

I knew she wouldn’t be back until the holidays.
But I needed this childish promise to let her go.

With that fleeting promise, she left for Lily Academy.

I was okay for a while.
Mother and Father tried their best to comfort me, knowing how hard it was for me.

But when I returned to my room,
seeing the vast emptiness, the large, cold bed,
I broke down.

“Sob… Sister.”

It felt like she took something important from me when she left for the academy.

Otherwise, I wouldn’t be so broken,
unable to control my tears.

Feeling like I lost more than half of myself, I collapsed and closed my eyes.

****

I cried a lot during the year without Sister.
I considered it a natural side effect of becoming a woman.

I tried to forget through training,
but it wasn’t enough to fill the void of her constant presence.

After training, I expected her to rush over and hug me, praising my efforts.
Her empty spot, where she used to watch me, bothered me constantly.

My parents watched from afar, their hearts aching for me.

Hating the sleepless nights filled with thoughts of her,
I pushed myself to exhaustion through intense training, until a burning pain consumed me each night.

But it let me forget about her, even for a little while,
so I welcomed it.

When she came home for the holidays,
I clung to her constantly, following her everywhere.
It felt natural. We were always together like this.

A year passed, and finally, it was my turn to leave.

To Lily Academy, the starting point of my blood-and-sweat-filled efforts to avoid the worst possible ending.