Why Is My Sister Looking at Me Like That? (2)
"Please feel free to take your seats. The homeroom professor will be arriving shortly."
The assistant who had guided us here gave a light bow before stepping out of the classroom.
Druk.
Students began moving, each one scouting their preferred spot.
Those who liked the window seats.
Those aiming to snag the front rows.
Even pairs already chatting, claiming the seat beside them.
The classroom erupted into chaos in an instant.
But.
I couldn't join in.
Why?
Ziing.
"..."
Isabelle was staring down at me with arms crossed right in front of my seat.
I couldn't even run away.
Or find a new seat.
I was just stuck there, frozen.
"...Sister."
"..."
"Should I try using the floating technique?"
"..."
"Weren't you in the auditorium earlier? How did you get to the classroom before me—"
"Rowoon."
"...Y-yes."
A low voice.
Calm as always, nothing out of the ordinary.
Yet my spine still chilled.
"Once today's done."
"..."
"You explain every single thing from one to ten."
"...Yes."
The answer came out instantly.
If I tried dodging, the nagging would double in length.
Fortunately,
before all the students settled, the confrontation ended.
Isabelle must have sensed the eyes on us.
Students had been sneaking glances at us for a while now.
'Cute... Romance on the very first day of the academy!'
'That's the guy who yelled so loud during the entrance ceremony.'
'That girl is gorgeous! The special admission student, right?'
Whispers spread through the room.
All of you...
And among those stares, one was the most uncomfortable.
Ping.
Ping ping.
Lucia.
The guy was sparkling with excitement, eyes locked on me as if something great had happened.
...
Why are you so happy?
Isabelle gave me one last meaningful look before heading toward the front seats.
I quickly made for the very back row.
Sitting next to my sister here would mean a shortened lifespan!
Right beside the window in the back row.
A seat bathed in warm sunlight.
Lucia waved at me excitedly.
"Rowoon Rowoon!"
"Huh?"
"Here! Sit here!"
I sighed and dropped into the seat beside her.
Lucia leaned in close, body sliding toward me.
"Rowoon."
"What?"
She brought her lips right to my ear, as if sharing an enormous secret.
"That girl from earlier."
"...Yeah."
"You've been looking at you nonstop."
"Really?"
"Even during the entrance ceremony she yelled so loudly?"
"......"
Lucia gave a sly smile.
"Could she be your fiance?"
...
Yeah.
When would she ask again?
"No."
I shook my head lightly.
"She's my sister."
Adoptive sister, not blood-related.
But explaining would take too long.
"Uwaa!"
Lucia's eyes went wide.
"For real?!"
"Yeah."
"Amazing!"
Clap clap clap!
She started applauding by herself.
"Siblings in the same academy is cool enough, but both in Class S!"
"Definitely not common."
"Right!"
Lucia kept exclaiming, then tilted her head.
"...But."
"Huh?"
"Rowoon."
"...Why?"
"You're fifteen, right?"
"...Yeah."
"So is your sister fifteen?"
"..."
"You two are the same age and yet you can become siblings?"
...
Suspiciously sharp as always.
If only I'd said we were just childhood friends.
I hesitated for a moment, then answered with the most casual expression I could manage.
"...There's this thing called grown-up problems."
"Grown-up problems?"
"Yeah."
"What's that?"
"I don't know either."
"...?"
"I'm not an adult yet."
"...Aha?"
Lucia looked confused for a second, then suddenly got it.
"Oh!"
She nodded vigorously, as if she had finally understood everything.
...
What did she get?
A bit uneasy.
At that moment Lucia's eyes sparkled again.
"Then, Rowoon!"
"What?"
"Call me 'sister' too!"
"..."
"..."
I stared silently at her.
Lucia looked back with hopeful eyes.
...
Can I?
.
.
"I wonder who the homeroom teacher for Class S will be?"
"I heard from the older brother—last year it was the former captain of the White Knight Squad!"
"Wow! Is she taking it this year too?"
"She still works at the academy."
"I've heard about her—apparently she's super scary."
"But surprisingly, she takes really good care of the students."
Conversations about the homeroom teacher buzzed around the classroom.
It made sense when I thought about it.
Class S.
A gathering of geniuses who had already shone under the crown prince and more.
The homeroom teacher wouldn't be ordinary either.
I crossed my arms and dug through my memories.
As expected for a romance fantasy story set in the academy, there was one role I couldn't miss.
The homeroom professor.
Unlike regular professors.
They didn't just teach classes—they managed and guided students up close.
Even in the original story, the homeroom teacher had significant weight.
They helped the protagonist form a club.
Stepped in quietly behind the scenes when trouble arose.
The first to handle any accidents students caused.
In short!
The most overworked position in the world!
That's how it was even in the original story.
"...I guess it must be that person."
Lucia beside me tilted her head at my muttered words.
"Huh? Rowoon, what did you say?"
"Nothing."
The original Class S homeroom teacher.
Former captain of the White Knight Squad.
Now training the next generation at the academy after retirement.
Stern appearance, but an old man with the warmest heart.
A classic tsundere mentor who always wrapped his head around the protagonist's group's mishaps and still handled everything.
Anyone who met him for the first time found him terrifying.
But to the students he was like a doting grandfather—very popular.
Probably the same this year too.
It would be unrealistic to pull a serving knight captain as homeroom teacher.
And since the original story hadn't changed much, the odds were high.
Just as I finished organizing my memories of the original story,
Druk.
The classroom door opened slowly.
The earlier chaos vanished, replaced by quiet.
Every student turned their gaze toward the door.
'Oh.'
'She's here.'
I crossed my arms and nodded.
Just as in the original story, the person walking in now was the former captain of the White Knight Squad.
That stern-faced old knight—
The moment I thought that,
the door swung wide open and the person who entered was
"Ahahaha!!! Welcoming all the growing sprouts!!"
"Geukwang......?"
"From today onward, I will be your homeroom teacher!!"
What?
***
Um.
Admit it.
The story I knew no longer exists.
"In my case!"
Geukwang jumped onto the teacher's desk, both arms raised high.
...Wait.
Why is she on the teacher's desk?
"This year I am also taking on the Combat Faculty martial arts professor role, in addition to being Class S homeroom teacher!!"
The classroom buzzed instantly.
"Wow......"
"The S-hwang is the homeroom teacher?"
"Whoa. First time seeing the real Geukwang-nim."
"So she really exists......"
Gasps erupted from all around.
It was only natural.
The strongest being in humanity.
One of the Four Sovereigns directly becoming homeroom teacher was a historic first in imperial history.
...
Of course.
Just looking at the appearance, no one would guess.
A small girl with silver hair in twin tails.
Only a bit taller than me, her face full of mischievous smiles.
She looked like a twelve- or thirteen-year-old girl.
......But in reality she had lived far over a hundred years.
"You heard, Rowoon Rowoon!"
Lucia whispered excitedly beside me.
"It's Geukwang-nim! The one from the history books!"
"Yeah yeah."
I gave a casual thumbs-up.
Honestly, I hadn't expected the homeroom teacher to be Geukwang.
But I had already experienced the original story changing multiple times.
Geukwang appearing in the world while I was supposed to be in closed-door training.
And the demon worshipers who weren't in the original story appearing.
The story was already drifting away from what I knew.
So a changed homeroom teacher wasn't surprising either.
What.
There wasn't really a big problem.
After all, this novel wasn't a trashy one.
Just a bit changed, it wouldn't suddenly plunge the world into destruction.
...
Maybe...?
Clap!
At that moment Geukwang clapped her hands loudly.
"Good! That's enough chit-chat!"
The classroom went silent in an instant.
"The Astel Imperial Academy is very different from the schools you attended before!"
Geukwang pulled out a thick bundle of documents from somewhere and handed them to the student in the front row.
"Please pass them from front to back!"
The papers reached my hands in no time.
What?
This isn't a fantasy world?
Why is the paper so good?
Even the ink doesn't bleed.
Print technology seems better than modern times?
Anyway. That's enough small talk.
I opened the first sheet.
【1st Grade Elective Lecture Registration Form】
■ Spiritology
■ Basics of Swordsmanship
■ Basics of Archery
■ Basics of Swordsmanship
■ Martial Arts
■ Mana Manipulation
■ Beastology
■ Tactics
■ Survival
......
"Oh."
It was more diverse than I thought.
Geukwang continued with a grin.
"Apart from the basic common subjects, most classes are elective!"
"You can go deeper in what you excel at, and fill in the gaps where you're weak."
She raised one finger.
"But if you apply for too many things out of greed, you'll die!"
Laughter broke out across the classroom.
"I've heard countless stories of students looking cool and signing up for ten subjects, only to cry in the dorms later."
"So."
Geukwang tapped the form.
"The most important thing is to think about what you're good at and what you're lacking."
...
What?
Why does she sound like a professor?
The lazy person who always teased me in front of me?
Maybe she really does separate work and play.
...Yeah, probably.
I let out a small laugh and looked back at the form.
Hmm.
I had learned almost everything just by climbing the Tower.
Swordsmanship, bare-handed combat, survival skills, tactics.
Honestly speaking,
I wasn't here to learn.
As long as my body grew properly, my previous-life experience alone would make me the strongest in the world.
So there was no need to worry about efficiency.
I stole a glance at the registration form Lucia had next to her.
...
Wait.
Real Combat Tactics.
Swordsmanship.
Martial Arts.
Combat Magic.
You.
Weren't you the young lady from the magic family?
Why are more than half the electives close-combat classes?
Shiasia... What exactly do you want to do?
I let out an incredulous laugh and started checking my own form.
What.
I didn't need to overthink it.
Anyway, I had planned to register mainly for the classes Isabelle would take.
Since the story was drifting a bit from the original, being close would make things easier.
Even if I didn't remember exactly,
Swordsmanship.
Beastology.
Real Combat Tactics.
If I registered based mainly on what Isabelle had taken, I probably wouldn't go too far wrong.
Once I finished checking, I carried the form forward.
When I stood before the desk, our eyes met.
I silently showed the expression 'Why are you here, Geukwang-nim?'
Geukwang grinned and secretly clenched her fist.
...
That means I'll get a good smack later, huh?
Why? Suddenly?
I submitted the form like nothing had happened and returned to my seat.
A moment later,
once all the forms were collected, Geukwang spoke again.
"Elective subjects can be changed freely for a week!"
"If you change your mind after trying them, you can switch!"
For a while longer, orientation continued with dorm rules, facility usage, and grading systems.
Then finally,
Geukwang clapped once.
"Good! That's enough for today's orientation!"
Students began getting up from their seats one by one.
At that exact moment,
Geukwang's gaze locked directly onto me.
"And."
Instantly,
a bad feeling struck.
"Rowoon."
"......"
"Come to the faculty office with me."
What? Me?