My Sister Has Completely Lost It
Isabelle completely lost it.
"Whoa… this place is huge."
I stepped into the grand auditorium where the entrance ceremony was being held, mouth hanging open. It had looked big from the outside, but walking inside was a whole different dimension. The vast dome of a ceiling soared so high the top nearly vanished from sight, and a hall wide enough to swallow thousands without breaking a sweat stretched out before me. Up front sat a stage large enough for an idol group to put on a full concert, and above it, banners bearing the imperial crest hung in imposing rows.
…Wait.
Was I seriously supposed to climb up there and give a speech?
Reality hit me like a truck.
Even though it was early morning, the auditorium was already packed. Magical cooling devices seemed to be running, but the heat rolling off the students still left the air warm and stuffy.
I craned my neck and looked around. The first floor was filled with this year's incoming freshmen, while the second and third floors held what looked like returning students. Up above, upperclassmen who'd mostly come to gawk at the new blood were already chattering away, conversation blooming in every direction.
"Hmm… anywhere should be fine."
I picked an empty seat three or four rows back from the front and dropped into it. The very front was dangerous. If Isabelle spotted me first, the whole surprise would be ruined. In the original story, the freshman representative speech was something you listened to from the front rows, after all.
Looking around, I could already hear people bonding left and right.
"Hey! You got in too?"
"You think I'm like you? Do you have any idea how hard my family worked me just to get me in here?"
"It's been a while, Lady Velorian."
"First time since the social season, isn't it?"
True to their noble upbringing, most of them seemed to know plenty of faces. Handshakes and smiling conversations flowed naturally all over the hall.
"…Lucky them."
I propped my chin on my hand and watched, for no good reason. Seemed like I was the only one here without a single friend.
"Haaah…"
Looking at them, a yawn slipped out on its own. Truth was, I'd barely slept a wink last night. I'd crawled into bed intending to turn in early, but the speech kept bouncing around in my head.
So, had I prepared one?
Nope.
I had tried dredging up the speech my old team leader used to give back in my original world.
If you don't stake your life, you gain nothing.
Yeah, no. Say something like that in front of a bunch of freshmen and the professors would drag me off the stage themselves.
In the end, I'd burned through the whole night without deciding on a single word.
I was staring blankly at the stage when it happened.
"Hey!"
A bright, lively voice floated down from above my head.
"Is this seat free?"
I looked up to find a girl smiling down at me, radiant as could be. Golden hair that looked like it had bottled sunlight itself. Orange eyes the color of a sunset. Maybe it was the fresh, breezy air about her — she gave off a different vibe from Isabelle, but at a glance she still had that sunshine-heroine energy written all over her.
"Huh? Yeah. It's free."
"Great!"
She beamed and carefully settled in beside me. The moment she sat down, a soft, pleasant scent drifted over — shampoo, maybe.
…
No. I wasn't smelling it because I was a creep. It genuinely smelled good. I should ask her what shampoo she used later.
"But…"
She stared straight at me.
"You look really young."
"Huh?"
"Sorry! Are you thirteen, by any chance?"
…
What?
"Academy admission starts at fifteen, right?"
"Ah!"
She clapped both hands over her mouth.
"That's right! How did I forget that?"
…
This girl.
Was she a bit of an airhead?
"We're the same age."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Sorry! You look so much like my little brother, I just assumed you were younger!"
And then, without warning, she broke into a huge smile and started ruffling my hair.
"So cute!"
"……"
Hold on. Why was a complete stranger petting my head?
With Isabelle it was whatever — she was my sister — but my mental age was way too high to be getting my hair stroked by some girl I'd just met. My hair just ended up a mess for no reason.
I gently pushed her hand away and asked,
"More importantly, what's your name?"
"Ah! Right!"
She grinned wide.
"I'm Lucia Lumenhart!"
She threw up double peace signs with both hands and announced it proudly.
"Lucia of the renowned magic house Lumenhart!"
Sorry. Never heard of you. The original was a female-oriented romance fantasy, so the only names that stuck were the male leads.
"And you?"
"Lee Rowoon."
A brief silence fell. Then Lucia's eyes went round as saucers.
"Wow! Lee Rowoon?? That's the same name as the top student!"
She was genuinely pure, wasn't she. Or… was she just dumb? I felt a little bad for Lucia, but I was starting to seriously worry.
"Yeah, huh."
I kept that thought to myself and played along, perfectly casual.
"I saw the list this morning and was surprised too."
"Right? Isn't it wild?"
"Yeah."
"There are so many people with the same name in this world!"
Same name, sure. Except it was me.
Lucia kept nodding in wonder, completely oblivious, and I watched her with a small smile tucked away on the inside.
Then—
Woom—.
The auditorium lights slowly dimmed. The students who'd been noisy just moments before fell quiet one by one, every gaze turning toward the stage up front.
Shortly after, a white-haired old man walked slowly up onto the platform. The headmaster of Astel Imperial Academy.
"Welcome. To all the new students of Astel Imperial Academy, and to our returning students as well."
"I am the headmaster of this academy. Lovely warm weather outside today, isn't it? Of all the seasons, spring is my favorite—"
Ah. I remembered now. In the original, the entrance ceremony speech had been ridiculously long. Even Isabelle, the protagonist, had dozed off halfway through.
…
Perfect. I'd catch a little sleep myself. After staying up nearly all night, my eyelids felt like lead.
"Heh heh heh…"
The headmaster stroked his beard and smiled with genuine warmth.
"I suppose I should wrap this up. There's a reason people say the old grow long-winded."
Soft laughter rippled through the auditorium.
"To all our new students — once again, my heartfelt congratulations on your admission. May blessings walk with you on the road ahead… and with that, I will end my remarks here."
Clap clap clap clap clap!
Thunderous applause filled the hall.
…………
……
…
Oh.
Was it over?
I lifted my head with half-lidded, dream-dazed eyes just as the headmaster was slowly stepping down from the platform.
Whew. Thank god. I'd woken up at the perfect time. A little later and I would've slept straight through the end of the ceremony.
I casually wiped the corner of my mouth.
……
Drool. Just a little. Luckily, no one seemed to have noticed.
I glanced around. Most of the students were still clapping — and the girl sitting next to me…
"Kuuul…"
……was asleep.
Seriously? You fell asleep too? And deeper than I did, at that.
The girl who'd been so cheerful just a little while ago was leaning back in her chair, breathing soft and even with the most peaceful face in the world.
Yeah. This speech hadn't been designed for anyone to actually sit through it. I felt an odd sense of solidarity and looked back toward the front.
That was when—
"Next."
The professor serving as emcee let his voice carry through the auditorium.
"The Combat Faculty freshman representative."
A brief hush.
"We will now hear the representative speech from the top incoming student of the Combat Faculty."
Oh. Finally.
"Lee Rowoon, top student of the Combat Faculty — please come up to the stage."
The auditorium stirred for a moment.
"Lee Rowoon?"
"Ah~ is that the 0.1-second kid you were talking about??"
"Is that the little guy?"
"…He's finally coming out."
Whispers rose from every direction.
I took a deep breath.
Hoo. Don't get nervous. It's just a speech. I was the kind of person who'd stood in front of tens of thousands of monsters in the Tower.
A few tens of thousands of people was no reason to freeze up…
……
There were a lot of them. A lot of them.
I stood up, forcing my face to stay calm. The auditorium that had been buzzing just a second ago had gone quiet before I knew it.
Skeptical looks. Curious looks. Shock. Doubt. Expectation. Curiosity — the whole spectrum.
And then—
No way that little kid is…?
The star of the 0.1-second thing?
It was real?
The students who'd seen me at the exam grounds were already starting to murmur.
I walked through them, climbed onto the stage, and took my place at the center. Then I looked down over the seats as naturally as breathing. Tens of thousands of eyes locked onto me all at once.
But among all those stares, one hit harder than any other.
Front row. The special admission seats. Sitting there was…
……?
……????
……???????
Isabelle, staring up at me with her mouth hanging so wide her jaw looked ready to fall off. Eyes blown round as they could go. Expression frozen solid. She didn't even notice the admissions booklet slipping from her hand and hitting the floor with a soft thud.
That's Rowoon……?
Why……?
Why is he up there……?
Our Rowoon?
Top student?
When?
How?
Ten-year-old Rowoon…?
Was I the only one who didn't know?
The second I saw that face, I nearly burst out laughing on the spot.
Kehahahahaha! Yes!!! This is it!!! This is the good stuff!!! All that patient waiting finally paid off!!!
I barely managed to keep the corners of my mouth from curling up as I stood dead center at the podium.
The magical amplifier began to glow with a soft light, and the auditorium went so quiet you could hear people breathing.
I looked slowly out ahead. Tens of thousands of students. Professors. Distinguished guests. And my big sister, still stuck in shock and going nowhere fast.
"..."
Alright. Let's do this.
I took one step forward toward the magical amplifier and opened my mouth.
"Good morning."
That short greeting rolled out across the entire auditorium.
"I am Lee Rowoon — Combat Faculty freshman representative, and this year's top incoming student."
I met Isabelle's eyes, closed one of mine, and winked.
In that instant, Isabelle completely lost it.