Tangled Hierarchy
“Raylin? Do I really have to summon every single third-year just to get you to open your mouth? Something I’ve never done before?”
A group assembly. Disciplinary drills outside the regular schedule. Relentless scolding. Covert misconduct. The implications were enormous. Though such gatherings weren’t common, nothing was quite as dreaded as a senior’s mass summons. It meant the academy life of that entire year was about to become hopelessly tangled. And when the summons came from Sofia—the current top senior and a known pacifist—it was anything but ordinary.
“N-no, that won’t be necessary! I’ll explain everything! Sofia-senpai…! So please, not a full assembly…!”
Raylin couldn’t help but be shocked by her own words. Her head even lowered on its own. After all, Sofia—usually so angelic that she enjoyed the trust of countless students—was about to discipline a junior for the very first time. She had never done anything like this before. That made it all the more terrifying. People who rarely got angry were the scariest when they finally did.
Moreover, if the others learned that the assembly was because of her, Raylin knew she would never receive proper respect as a new third-year. All these factors made her shrink back in fear.
“Of course you should. Then let’s start by addressing that ‘big sister’ thing, shall we?”
“Th-that’s… well…”
“Why did you make Breeder call you that? If he did it of his own accord, I wouldn’t have a problem with it.”
Sofia’s golden eyes flashed as she took a step closer. Her gaze held an unwavering resolve that would tolerate no lies.
“I’ll tell you the truth. It was my own selfish desire to be called that…”
“How could you…?”
The atmosphere grew heavier at Raylin’s confession.
“Hah…! That’s too much-desu-yong! Using such a friendly nickname…!”
Derke, who had already taken to calling Breeder “big brother” on her own, puffed up in jealousy. Her face was full of resentment.
‘What’s with this kid…?’
Raylin found Derke increasingly annoying, but the mood made it impossible to say anything. It was obvious Sofia was protecting her.
“So, Raylin? Why did you force that nickname on Breeder? Don’t tell me it was just to satisfy some personal whim—”
“It wasn’t for any other reason… It’s because he resembles my younger brother.”
“…Your younger brother?”
“Yes. It’s a rather long story, but… would you still listen?”
“Your younger brother—could it be the one I’ve heard about…?”
When Raylin brought up her brother, the commanding tone in Sofia’s voice softened. Sofia and Raylin shared a closer senior-junior bond than anyone else. Because of that, Sofia vaguely knew the story surrounding Raylin’s brother and could no longer scold her.
“That’s right. If it’s not too much trouble, may I tell you?”
“Of course. I’ve never had the chance to hear the details of your personal circumstances…”
*
“Oh my… I never imagined there was such a story behind it… I understand how you feel. Truly.”
“Sniff… Poor Shaolin-desu-yong…!”
About an hour later, Raylin’s tale of the past came to an end. At the same time, the heavy atmosphere that had filled the room finally lifted. Instead, sympathetic voices offered comfort. Family matters were a domain no one touched lightly. Even Derke’s eyes grew moist, as if it were her own story. It truly was that tragic.
“It’s all in the past now… Thank you for understanding…”
Raylin, who had recalled those painful memories after so long, also found her eyes slightly damp—uncharacteristic for a Fire Dragon.
In short, her story went like this: Long ago, while out on an outing with her younger brother, they had been ambushed by monsters in the deep bamboo forests of the eastern continent. At the time, Raylin was nearing two hundred years old, and her brother Shaolin was one hundred and fifty. Though they were dragons, they were still relatively young and fragile hatchlings. That was why they had been helpless against the monsters.
Raylin had fought desperately to protect her only brother. But she was far too young to withstand the power of demons. She managed to hold on at first, but as time passed, her strength waned and her injuries piled up. The outcome of that battle had already been decided.
In the end, cornered between life and death, Raylin failed to save her brother. She barely escaped with her own life. Ever since that incident, she had lived burdened by guilt—regretting that if only she had been stronger, or if they had never gone on that outing, she wouldn’t have lost her only sibling.
Because she had truly loved him, she carried that searing pain for years. To ensure she never repeated the same tragedy, she trained harder than anyone at the academy. Then, this semester, Breeder appeared before her—looking exactly like her brother. Naturally, she couldn’t help but take an interest in him. Enough to force him to call her “big sister.”
“His appearance was so similar to my brother’s that I unconsciously… no, I forced Breeder to call me ‘noona.’ I’m sorry.”
“No, Raylin. I completely understand.”
“I understand too-desu-yong……”
Everyone fell silent before such a tragic story.
“Still, Raylin? Please be careful in front of the others. We’re fine with it, but your classmates might find it uncomfortable.”
“Of course. I’ll be more careful from now on.”
“Whew, I never dreamed I’d hear such a heavy story today.”
—Swoosh…!
Letting out a small but heavy sigh, Sofia distributed the three-flavor meringue cookies Breeder had left behind to each of them. She wanted to lighten the mood before diving into the main topic.
“…By the way, Raylin?”
“Yes, senpai.”
“What exactly was that lipstick mark on Breeder’s cheek yesterday?”
“Ah, that’s right-yap! I almost forgot-desu-yong…!”
Truthfully, the lipstick mark was the real issue here, far more than the nickname. While the “big sister” title was one thing, leaving a mark on the contractor’s body was a clear breach of decorum.
Of course, Raylin had done it without knowing the full context.
“Th-that’s…! I got carried away by the food Breeder made yesterday and ended up making a mistake without realizing it…”
“Breeder cooked for you?”
“That was also my personal request. I wanted to taste the hometown dish my brother used to make one more time…”
“Hah? And you got drunk on food? Don’t tell me you secretly drank alcohol?”
“N-no, that’s not it! It was just like when I ate the meringue cookies earlier—my mind went blank for a moment because the taste was so overwhelming…”
“A taste that makes your mind go blank? So it really was because of Breeder’s cooking.”
“Yes, but if I had known how much you cherished Breeder, senpai, none of this would have happened. I’m truly sorry for my rudeness…”
“So that’s how it was.”
“…I won’t let this happen again. Please forgive me. I already apologized to him directly this morning about yesterday’s incident.”
Raylin sought forgiveness first, regardless of the outcome. It was the nature of their strict senior-junior relationship.
“An apology, huh… Alright, Raylin? You can lift your head now.”
“Sofia-senpai…?”
Raylin had braced herself for another scolding, but what she heard was Sofia’s gentle voice.
“I was being shortsighted. From your perspective, not knowing anything, it must have been confusing. Now that I’ve heard everything, I realize I was only thinking from my own point of view.”
Sofia, putting herself in Raylin’s shoes, showed understanding instead. Derke, who had been quietly listening, glanced at Sofia and took a step back, thinking, ‘E-even Derke… thinks the same-yap…!’
“Sorry for snapping at you out of nowhere, Raylin.”
“Sorry for talking back so rudely-desu-yong……”
“N-no, I’m the one who should thank you for understanding.”
It seemed everything had been resolved—until Raylin spoke up again.
“…By the way, senpai?”
“What is it? Feel free to say anything.”
“What exactly is this new student? She’s been saying such strange things beside you since earlier…”
“Ah, I should have introduced her sooner. Derke here and I have already formed a pact with Breeder.”
“Y-yeah…! That’s right-yap! This Derke was the very first to form a pact with Breeder-oppa-desu-yong!”
“That’s right. Strictly speaking, Derke would have priority over Breeder.”
Emboldened by Sofia’s acknowledgment, Derke placed both hands on her hips and puffed out her chest proudly, looking extremely pleased with herself.
“Hohwahwat-?! Is that true?! A-a pact?! And this new student was the first to do it with Breeder…!?”
Raylin cried out in shock, her voice thick with her regional accent. The unexpected revelation had slipped out before she could stop it.
“Ah, and speaking of which, Raylin? About that lipstick mark… You didn’t happen to form a pact with Breeder as well, did you?”
—Flash!
Before Raylin could even react, Sofia’s face was suddenly right in front of hers, golden eyes blazing. Her gaze was filled with an almost obsessive determination: “I can forgive anything else, but a pact is absolutely unforgivable.”