The Backtalking Little Sister
My sister... talking back? Maybe it was because she was with Rain, but the exam arrived faster than expected. What I'd been doing in the meantime was ridiculously simple. Eat, train, study, sleep. I hadn't strayed from that routine at all. Sure, we'd occasionally conk out together while studying, but we worked so hard that even proper cuddling felt like a pipe dream. Hell, Rain even offered to help with handjobs if nighttime fun was too much, on top of teaching me. I turned that down since it probably wouldn't help me focus, but damn, I wanna try it once we get to the academy.
"Is it today?" Rain let out a deep breath, pressing a hand to her chest.
"Nervous?"
"Yes... To be honest, I'm pretty tense."
I got it—no big deal. I'd lost sleep from nerves and excitement on my first trip to the entrance exam too. This was Arcade Academy, after all. Classes were fixed at exactly 110 students per year, and if you wanted decent treatment, you needed at least B Grade. To get that good handling, you'd have to crack the top 30 out of a sea of competitors. And those competitors? Marquis heirs, duke kids, even imperial princesses this term. No harm in worrying a bit.
"You'll be fine. From what I've seen, if you just show your real skills, A Grade is a lock."
But I didn't think Rain's abilities lagged behind theirs at all. She'd proven it proudly, flaunting her intellect without holding back—stuff even my past self from a magic family hadn't bothered with. Her knowledge of mana and mana force was meticulous, down to the tiniest details. Swordsmanship had some gaps, but I could fill those. General knowledge, math, history... purely on smarts, she had S Grade-level volume. The issue was execution. Raw strength and agility? Barely A Grade matchup territory. She'd never really trained—just gripped a sword and swung it consistently—so her basics were flawless, but nothing else.
Over time, those solid fundamentals might link into advanced techniques, but right now, with just perfect basics, beating real swordsmanship was tough.
"But aren't you guaranteed S Grade, Young Master?"
"Yeah."
It sounded arrogant, but I had the confidence to back it up. My mana force circuits weren't even fully open yet, and my body was still soft compared to my prime, but I wasn't losing to some kid students. I'd fought on battlefields and hustled through hell to help those girls—not just swinging steel. Failing this academy exam? I'd quit being a hero and elope with Rain on the spot.
"I want to study in the same class as you, Young Master. Not just for the studying itself."
"Yeah?"
I loved that about Rain. She didn't give up, sure, but she never hid her feelings for me either.
Unlike those girls, who hid it for weird reasons.
No, excuses, not reasons. Ceres hid it out of embarrassment, Zenovia to keep her dignity, Prin for her saintess duties, Lianne shoving family head propriety down my throat. They rarely showed affection outright and kept cold or blank faces even when I was right there. Disgusting bitches...
"Good luck, then."
Whatever. No point dwelling—they were out of my life now. Focus on Rain.
The academy entrance exam split into swordsmanship or magic studies, with random content for both. Even regressing, it changed every time: different with Ceres, Prin, Lianne. No predicting it. At least it might have potential for Rain to hit S Grade...
"Carriages have arrived!!"
I was mulling exam formats when the clatter of hooves announced two carriages pulling up. Two?
"We riding separate?"
"No, Lady Arian is taking the exam this term too."
...Arian?
I scowled, memories of her future bullshit flashing by, just as the girl herself appeared—silver hair like starlight fluttering from afar.
"Oh my, long time no see, big brother."
What the hell do I do with this?
"That's some plain mana force, unbecoming of a duke's house—as usual."
"Sigh, Arian..."
My sister Arian was arrogant at best, a total goblin-bait bitch at worst. With the empire's Primal Duke backing her, no proper character education, and this was the result.
"Did you just talk back to me, by any chance?"
I hadn't even said much yet. Ignoring my thoughts, Arian traced tiny runes in the air.
Whoosh!
A sky-blue flame burst before my eyes.
"Whoa..."
Rain stepped back, eyes wide—first time seeing a blue flame, apparently.
Objectively, my sister's talent was top-tier. For the Primal house, known for zero combat gifts, you'd swear she was a Reinhardt magic prodigy. Focusing solely on fire magic, she'd manifested blue flame at 19—something wizards hit in their 30s or 40s. Overflowing genius.
"So, what now?"
"What?"
But her genius was tainted by daily selfishness; her blue flame was too bright.
"If you're gonna do it, do it right."
Touching Arian's blue flame, I felt the mana force inside. No stabilization rune—that was the proof.
"Skip proper stabilization runes, and this happens."
The mana force inside decomposed into mana, flowed through my circuits, and swapped to mine. Impressive quality, at least.
"And for a real blue flame..."
This is the standard.
No runes. I strained my circuits a bit, leaking mana force into the air to form it. Absorbing Arian's mana, it exceeded expectations.
"Huh...?"
Navy-blue closer than plain blue, it solidified without her shaky flicker.
"A scythe?"
"Came out better than I thought."
Even through mana-formed gloves, there should be heat, but barely any—excellent thermal control.
"Wha... what?"
"What's wrong?"
"This can't..."
Cold sweat beaded on Arian's pale forehead. Made sense—lifelong prejudice that swordsmen couldn't handle mana force was shattering her world.
Mana force was tricky. Atmospheric mana, shaped right, forms chants, magic circles, runes as mediums for spells. But inject raw aerial mana force? Skip the hassle. Accidental discovery from aura senses, but always flawless.
"Arian."
"Eek!!"
The navy scythe devoured her reforming blue flame. She poured more mana in disbelief, but it devolved to inferior white flame.
Fire magic had this trait: weaker flames lose heat to stronger ones. Simple. Hers was weaker, so it got robbed.
"No way..."
"Don't talk nonsense."
She reached out again, desperate for runes, but I grabbed her hand. More mana now, and she'd bomb the exam, flunk out. Can't have that.
Arian entering meant student council sabotage, low-rank incitement—annoying, but fixable. Block her entry? She assassinates the family head, takes over, leaks duke intel to the Demon King, rots the empire... even raids Arcade Academy's sprouts.
...First person I killed in my first life was an academy friend because of her. Unforgettable trauma; holed up in dorms for days.
And those four I liked? Never came. The hell did I see in them?
Sighing, I dismissed the scythe-flame, recovering maybe 10% mana force through circuits.
"Snap out of it and follow."
"Y-yes!!"
Rain recovered fast, boarding behind me. Arian... still stood there like an idiot, mouth agape.
I'd mitigate her bullshit this time. Honestly, short of murder, I could handle most. But...
"This is gonna be a headache..."
First time enrolling together—who knows what chaos? I sighed quietly, settling into the carriage toward the exam hall.
Checking possibility of heroine conversion for Villainess [Arian Primal]!
Searching for new route!
...!
New route confirmed!
Villainess [Arian Primal] promoted to heroine.
New branch point formed.
Heroine capture routes [Sister's Redemption], [Sister the Loser], [Spoiled Bedwetter] now available!
Injecting new possibilities into Heroine [Arian Primal]...
Backstory adjustment for [Arian Primal] complete!