Stormy Lunchtime -2-
“Who are you?”
Sion asked, her voice laced with cold pressure, and Clara fidgeted with her lips.
It was hard to know what answer to give to such a simple question.
“I-I'm Rohan oppa's little sister...!”
“Biological sister?”
“W-Well...! Not exactly...”
She wanted to use a more intense word for her relationship with Rohan, but this was the limit of what Clara could muster right now.
“Unfortunately, knowing Rohan's name here isn't enough to earn trust. You might have just overheard what I said earlier.”
“Aghhh...”
“I'll overlook the outfit. But if your relationship with Rohan is aboveboard, why were you hiding? A lack of confidence like that doesn't inspire credibility.”
Clara couldn't easily counter the elf woman's barrage of words.
Of course, plenty of rebuttals flashed through the girl's mind. If she hemmed and hawed like this, she'd end up kicking off the covers in bed that night, inwardly wailing about all the things she should have said.
But someone pressing this aggressively was still hard for Clara's temperament to handle.
She'd rather just fight it out.
“I-I can prove it with... the messages...”
“Hm.”
Clara glanced at her phone screen. Sion flicked her eyes toward it.
Messages packed with emoticons. Complicated.
To Sion, who had never used a smartphone, it was just a jumble of chaos.
“I sent a message earlier... Oppa will be here soon! I heard there might be an elf guest coming...”
“Fine. Assuming your relationship with Rohan is as you say. Then I'll ask again. Why were you hiding?”
“Th-That was... just a habit...”
Because she'd been huddled under the blanket in her underwear, sniffing his scent.
How could Clara admit that her body had reflexively bolted from such an embarrassing act?
The twin-tailed girl flushed red and dropped her gaze.
Sion's eyes narrowed sharply at the nagging intuition that the girl was hiding something.
“You're not telling me the most important part.”
“...!”
Clara's head snapped up in surprise.
It had been a shot in the dark based on Sion's instincts, but Clara's reaction only heightened her wariness.
“Negotiations failed. There's nothing credible here, so I'll subdue you first.”
“W-Wait!? If you just wait, Oppa will come...”
“Of course, that might happen. But what if the one who arrives isn't Rohan, but your reinforcements?”
“...”
“Don't resist. I'll make it as painless as possible.”
All she needed was to lightly bind the hands or fingers with wire or cable ties, making it easy to read any rebellious movements.
They wouldn't hold someone with mana, but without proper restraints, this was the best she could do.
“Stay still.”
With that, Sion holstered the pistol she'd been holding.
She'd drawn it unconsciously, but she knew better than to let gunfire echo in the academy dorms.
Besides.
Without her sniper rifle, all her other weapons were much the same to her.
Step. Step. Step.
As Sion closed the distance, Clara vanished in a flash and reappeared silently on the opposite side.
Sion inwardly marveled at the girl's footwork and speed.
But in a situation like this, the rule was to never show your inner thoughts on your face.
“I hope you don't resist.”
“No way...!”
By now, a balisong and a pistol with a suppressor were in the girl's hands.
Sion calmly rolled her eyes over them, scrutinizing the weapons.
A maniac's choice of pistol.
It was the same model Sion owned herself. Intriguing.
And a balisong with a pistol? Using them together demanded serious skill and dexterity.
Curiosity piqued, Sion took another step forward.
As her opponent tried to close in, Clara let out a desperate cry.
“I-If you come closer, I'll... I'll restrain you!”
“Planning to put bullets in my limbs under the guise of subduing me?”
At Sion's words, Clara startled and looked down at the weapons in her hands.
Clara was no different from Sion. She'd drawn the pistol without thinking.
“I don't want to mess up Oppa's room...”
The girl folded the balisong shut with her slender fingers—whirr!
She didn't stop there, holstering the pistol too.
Sion figured the now-unarmed girl was gearing up for hand-to-hand.
Smooth.
But contrary to Sion's expectations, Clara pulled out something else.
A pitch-black object that contrasted sharply with her pale hand.
A spare suppressor? No... that's...!
Sion sensed mana stirring in the item Clara held and realized.
The dagger she'd handled so deftly, the pistol she'd hidden—they weren't her real weapons.
That's her true one.
Zzzzt—!!!
To counter it, Sion channeled her mana.
Thin currents of electricity arced across her body in intricate patterns.
“...”
“...”
The moment Clara resolved not to back away any further.
Tension peaked, both ready to force the other's hand.
Vrrr—! Vrrr—!
A vibration shattered the standoff.
Clara peeked at her phone screen and stowed the item she'd drawn.
“It's a call from Oppa...!”
The girl's face lit up with excitement. The fierce momentum from moments ago was gone, replaced by bubbly cheer.
A bright expression that made it seem like she'd never even heard of combat.
It left Sion utterly deflated.
If that was acting, it was good enough to fool anyone.
“...Put it on speaker so we can both hear.”
......
......
Rohan flung open the academy dorm door.
He bent at the waist and gasped for breath only after confirming that neither Clara nor Sion had a scratch on them.
“Hoo...! Huff...!”
How long had it been since he'd sprinted flat-out without thinking about pacing himself?
His lungs were screaming in protest.
“O-Oppa! Here, drink some water!”
Clara filled her cup and brought it to him.
“Thanks,” Rohan said, gulping down the cold water.
Sion stood quietly, observing them, then approached Clara and bowed her head.
“I'm sorry for not trusting you from the start. I think I overreacted.”
“No! The situation was messy—it couldn't be helped...”
“I should have just called Rohan first.”
“...Y-Yeah, you should have?”
With blood rushing to her head, even that simple idea hadn't occurred to her.
The tension had probably clouded her thinking too.
“I'm sorry for pressuring you like that. I have no excuse.”
“I-It's really fine...!”
And so, the two socially awkward girls—one apologizing profusely, the other graciously backing down.
As that scene played out, Rohan caught his breath and straightened up.
“Hoo...! Feeling alive again.”
Both girls' eyes locked onto him at once.
Sion voiced her question as if she'd been waiting.
“Rohan. Why didn't I hear about this important information?”
Her gaze indicated she meant Clara.
Nothing to feel guilty about. Rohan had his side of the story too.
“I tried to tell you during our call yesterday. But it cut out suddenly, remember?”
“Ah.”
Sion had wondered what the last words were before it dropped.
She never imagined it was this crucial.
“I was dying to know too, so I waited. But you never called back, so I told Clara...”
Explaining how things had escalated like this.
Sion accepted it without argument.
“I'm sorry. I acted rashly and caused trouble.”
“I'm the one who's sorry. I should've told you sooner... And don't apologize to me if you two worked it out.”
Rohan liked how Sion didn't hesitate to apologize.
She had pride in her bloodline, yet she could admit fault and reflect without it diminishing her.
Rohan approached Clara, who stood fidgeting silently beside them.
He met her eyes and asked.
“You okay? Neither of you got hurt?”
“Yeah...!”
“For now, yes.”
That was enough for Rohan.
Even if it had been class time, he'd have bolted the second he saw the message. This happening during lunch felt like divine luck.
“You two eaten lunch? Hungry?”
“...”
“...”
Their silence was affirmation enough.
Rohan glanced between them and grinned.
“Then let's eat together. I haven't had mine yet either.”
He headed to the bathroom, saying he'd just splash some water on his sweaty face first.
Once again, Clara and Sion were alone.
Sion turned to Clara and asked flatly.
“Are you Rohan's lover? If I interrupted your time together, I'm sorry.”
“Y-Yes...?”
Clara's eyes went wide.
For the first time, Sion cracked a faint smile.
“They seemed too close for just siblings, so I asked. Am I wrong?”
“W-Well... not exactly lovers...”
Sion looked surprised.
Feeling a spark of delight at the reaction, Clara swished her twin tails and revised her opinion of the elf before her.
Sh-She might actually be a nice person...!