The Genius Girl, Rhone Elua
Eight years.
That was how long had passed since I died at a fairly young age in that other world and was born into this one.
And this world was none other than the setting of a certain web novel called Delos Academy Journal.
I had been born as a boy in some nameless corner of the countryside, a village so remote it didn't even have a proper name.
My hair was so seldom washed that a magpie could have nested in it. I couldn't remember the last time I'd changed my ragged clothes, and they gave off a faint, musty smell besides.
As if that weren't enough, the inside of our shabby house was overrun with mold, looking like it might sprout bugs at any moment. This place, where the wind blew through the gaps like an open storehouse, was my home—well, our home.
"Bell! I picked a ton of apricots today!"
"Really!? You're the best, sis!"
The black-haired girl who pushed the door open and came bursting in was my older sister, Ain Dinauer. Maybe it was because of the seven-year gap between us, but she was someone who doted on me endlessly, and I was grateful for it.
Right now, Father and Mother had gone to the neighboring village to buy some supplies, so the two of us had to hold down the house for the time being. That meant young me handled whatever chores could be done indoors, while my sister took on things like heading to the mountain behind the house to gather food.
"Whoa, that's a lot."
"Right? I really put my back into it today."
My sister, rolling up her sleeves and puffing out her chest, looked downright adorable to my eyes.
You could argue it was gross for siblings to think that way about each other, but to me she was just a girl of fifteen, that was all.
Faced with roughly double her usual haul of apricots, I gaped in wonder and bounced on my toes right where I stood. My body was still small, and unless I did that, I couldn't see things properly on the tall table.
Not that I actually needed to see them—but my sister loved seeing me giddy and innocent like this, so I made a habit of overplaying my reactions whenever I could.
"Pfft, do you like them that much?"
My sister, who had been watching me wiggle my hips with all my might, finally burst out laughing.
Success, I thought, and turned to her with my most excited expression.
"Of course I like them. You know how much I love apricots."
"Do I ever."
It sounded closer to the banter of lovers than of siblings, but in our household it was just everyday conversation. Especially on days like today, with Father and Mother away and only each other to lean on, that bond of ours always grew that much tighter.
Still, it should be about time she showed up.
As I continued hopping in place like a rabbit, I stole a glance toward the rickety door. My sister's return could only mean one thing.
Click.
"Hi, Bell!"
Apparently destined never to know her manners, a girl appeared, flinging the shabby door open as if to break it off its hinges.
Full, baby-soft cheeks and silver hair. Eyes as blue as if someone had lifted a patch of sky straight down into them. Even at her young age, it was plain to see she would grow into a striking beauty. Her name was Rhone Elua.
She was the very person who had made me realize this world was the setting of a novel—a major character from the original story. Right now she looked like nothing more than a sweet, well-behaved little lady, but by the time the story neared its end, she would become a genius mage who grew into the strongest being in the entire world, a match for the protagonist himself.
Born into this destitute family with not even an inheritance to pass down, she was my future meal ticket—the one thing I could count on.
I knew that staying on Rhone's good side was the only way to secure my fate, so from our very first meeting I treated her with nothing but warmth. The result was the relationship we had now: free to come and go in each other's homes, sharing whatever the other lacked.
All I could do was pray it stayed that way.
"Hey, Rhone."
"Welcome, Rhone."
"Hi, Ain!"
I waved happily at my childhood friend, our bond now nearly seven years in the making. When my sister added her own welcome behind me, the girl came bounding across the room toward me, a smile spread wide across her whole face.
Rhone plopped down onto the creaky chair beside mine, swinging her little legs back and forth as she explained how she'd come to visit.
"Hee hee, I saw Ain heading home, so I followed her!"
"Figured as much. So what's the occasion?"
Friends hardly needed a reason to see each other, but Rhone seemed in such high spirits today that I tossed the question out anyway. She was a bit quick to laugh, sure, but whenever she was this bubbling-over with happiness, there was always a reason for it.
"Mm-hm! The truth is, I came because I have something I want to brag to Bell about!"
"Brag?"
At that unexpected answer, my head tipped to the side.
Well, that's unusual.
Despite her lively appearance, Rhone wasn't the type to show off to other people. She shied away from boasting, you could say. And honestly, that didn't change much even around close friends like me. If this Rhone could throw the word "brag" around so freely, it had to be something seriously impressive.
So what on earth was it?
"Here, Rhone—have an apricot first while you tell us."
"Wow! Thanks, Ain!"
Just as my curiosity was hitting its stride, my sister leaned over, plucked an apricot from the basket, and offered it to her. Rhone had always been the sort never to touch other people's things without permission, so unless someone offered, she wouldn't reach for food first.
"So what is it you want to show me?"
"Mmmf? It's my mafi..."
Her mouth was stuffed so full of apricot that she couldn't get a proper answer out.
Watching her, I started to feel guilty for pressing her. I should have just told her to finish eating first.
"Gulp. Hehe, sorry! I'll show you right now!"
"Take your time, it's fine."
"Nope! I wanna show Bell right away!"
I'd offered out of consideration, worried she might choke from rushing, but Rhone shook her head, making her determination clear.
Thankfully, it seemed she'd polished off the apricot.
Still, what could it possibly be, that she's this worked up about it?
At this point, unless a gold bar was about to pop out of her pocket, I couldn't imagine anything meeting my expectations. No—forget a gold bar. It would probably have to be a diamond or better.
"Keep your eyes on me, okay?"
"Sure."
Before my puzzled eyes, Rhone spread open her tiny little palm and invited me to focus on it. Wondering if she was about to perform some trick, I locked my gaze onto her hand, glaring as if we were in a staring contest.
And then—
"......!?"
As if she really had worked a trick—no, as if she'd actually cast a spell—something blue rose up from her outstretched hand.
At first I thought it was a stream of water, but looking closer, it drifted there like a current of air.
"What do you think? Pretty amazing, right?"
"Uh, wow... but what exactly is it?"
"Ahem! This, my good sir, is what we call mana!"
Rhone puffed out her barely-there chest and struck a proud pose, and I found myself completely speechless.
And no wonder—the shock of the single word that had just struck my ears hadn't worn off yet.
Mana.
The word itself wasn't what stunned me. This was a fantasy world, after all, where mana was as natural to the human body as blood.
No—what had stunned me was that she had succeeded in manifesting it.
Consider that Orphe, the mage revered as the greatest genius in the original story, had manifested his mana at age seven. What Rhone had done was talent worthy of being counted among history's greatest. At this level, it wouldn't surprise me if word reached not just the Academy but the Royal Bureau of Magic, and they came to claim her on the spot.
Insane. That's an absolutely broken cheat ability.
The talent was so far beyond the norm that I didn't even feel envy. If anything, I simply felt grateful that someone of this caliber was by my side. As expected of me—I'd always been a good judge of character.
All the precious ingredients I'd fed her over the years hadn't gone to waste, and the thought alone filled me with emotion.
"Ain, look at this! Isn't it incredible?"
"Hm? It really is. Our Rhone's been working so hard, hasn't she?"
Rhone staged the exact same scene she'd shown me and brought it to my sister, who casually patted her head and offered nothing more than a polite word of praise.
Well, of course. Unlike me, who knew the original story, my sister was a genuine country girl, born and raised. It would be stranger if she, who had never once witnessed the manifestation of mana or magic, understood how remarkable this really was.
After all, Rhone had only learned magic existed in the first place because of me. I'd once let it slip, casually mentioning that mana and magic were real—and starting from that thin sliver of knowledge, she had gone on to manifest mana all on her own.
She's really coming along.
I don't mean anything strange by that—watching my childhood friend bloom her talent into flower without anyone's guidance, I nodded with quiet pride. Give it ten more years like this, and she'd probably have Academy-admission-level skill entirely on her own.
In that case, all I needed was the ability to ride on this childhood friend's coattails. Fortunately, the Academy welcomed anyone with ability regardless of status, so long as they weren't criminals.
That was exactly why I was aiming for the Academy now. In this world, the only place a country bumpkin like me had any real shot at getting ahead was there. And if I could scoop up a little of the good fortune that spilled off Rhone while I was at it? Icing on the cake.
"Hehe, Bell! I did good, so hurry up and pat my head!"
"Sure, sure. Here you go."
Rhone came racing over to me as I sketched out blueprints for my future, demanding her usual headpats. I couldn't fathom what was so wonderful about it, but it didn't cost me a thing, so I obliged whenever she asked.
After all, racking up points with her was the surest shortcut to a bright future of my own.