The Twin Siblings

"Brother."

In other words, she was Lee Shinwoo's younger sister.

Lee Shinwoo had a sister?

No. At least, not as the novel had described him. He had no family at all. Not only a younger sister — his parents were dead, too. An orphan living alone: that was Lee Shinwoo. A younger sister simply did not exist for him. At least, not a younger sister named Lee Seah.

"How did you know? About my brother."

"I just heard it in passing. Your names are similar, so I asked."

Then how old is Lee Shinwoo right now? Still a first-year at the Academy, same as the original? Or has more time passed, and he's older?

No — if that were the case, why would Seong Harim still be the same age?

"…Are you twins, by any chance?"

It was half a wild guess. But it was also the most likely answer — and the one that would work out best for me. If they were twins, then the original plot was intact with nothing more than one extra sibling added. Of course even that would change things, but it was still better than the entire story going off the rails.

"Hey. What business do you have with my little sister?"

Another voice cut in from the side. I turned my head and found the same dense black hair as Lee Seah's — black so absolute it seemed to swallow light. A familiar face. One I had seen countless times. Never in reality, but I knew it at once.

Lee Shinwoo?

It was him. His way of speaking was a little different from the original, but he was this world's protagonist. The face matched the illustrations I had looked at again and again — and he looked like Lee Seah standing right in front of me, too.

And then there was that constellation name — the Usurper of Black Flames. That settled it. The guy was Lee Shinwoo.

"Hey. I asked what business you have with my little sister."

"Business or not, your sister talked to me first."

"…Is that true?"

Lee Shinwoo looked at Lee Seah as if to confirm it. She nodded, expression blank. He nodded back, apparently satisfied, then dipped his head toward me.

"Ah. Sorry."

It was Lee Shinwoo, all right. His speech had grown a little more like a kid his age, but the behavior and the personality underneath hadn't changed at all. So I decided to check just one more thing.

"One question. How old are you?"

"My age? Seventeen. I'm set to enroll in the Academy's Class C."

Seventeen. Class C. Exactly the same age as the original, and the same class. No need to get worked up, then. Nothing particularly different from the original was going to happen.

One last confirmation, and I could put my mind fully at ease.

"Lee Mubaek. Are you watching this place?"

A heavy pressure settled over my body in that instant — the weight of constellations' gazes fixed upon me. Even though the Mythical age had ended and they could no longer interfere with this world directly, they still projected that kind of presence.

For me, though, it was more than enough. A satisfying result. This world was a little different from the original, but the broad strokes hadn't changed. The history of those constellations that existed only in the original novel — the history that only unfolded in the late stages of the story — had shifted, just a little. That was all.

Just one twin sister added to the mix.

And that alone wasn't going to change anything major. Probably.

Besides, I had a rock-solid constellation of my own. Reassuring.

"Well, I'll be heading out. I already promised to eat with her."

"Huh? Ah… yes! Jinwoo promised to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠have a meal with me!"

"What about the spar?"

"You're a first-year, right? I'll give you one after you enroll."

If my body had been in one piece I could have sparred right then, but I had burned through all my mana earlier. I still hadn't recovered enough to use the Gucheon Hyeongeom. If I fought Lee Seah in this state, I'd lose before I managed anything at all.

"Then let's see each other after enrollment."

With that, Seong Harim and I left the spot.

"…Too bad."

Left behind where Yoo Jinwoo and Seong Harim had gone, Lee Seah muttered to herself. She was disappointed. She had wanted to spar with him at least once. His movements were still circling through her mind.

That footwork was strange.

Lee Seah replayed the spar she had just watched. A bizarre sword that drifted as if floating on clouds. Speed that had no business belonging to Class C. Combined, Yoo Jinwoo had moved as lightly as if he himself were a cloud.

I wanted to fight him.

That was why she wanted a match. She wanted to meet that uncanny sword with her own. She wanted to chase that speed. People rarely knew it — she spoke little and paid no attention to those around her — but Lee Seah's competitive drive and hunger for growth were enormous, unmatched by anyone.

Lee Seah thought of the backing constellation watching over her. The constellations she and her brother had contracted with not long ago. According to the records, they were ancient ancestors of their family line. Beyond that, almost nothing was known — how ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠they had died, what deeds they had accomplished, why their epithets were what ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠they were. None of it. But that didn't matter now. No one watched over the two of them more closely than those constellations did.

"Seah. Who were those two just now?"

"Don't know."

"…Don't know?"

"Yeah. I just wanted to fight."

Lee Shinwoo looked briefly stunned ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠by her answer, then smiled faintly and pulled something from his pocket to hand her. A wallet.

"Buy your own food today."

"Where are you going?"

"Yeah. I haven't finished this week's practice quota. I'll go do that."

With that, Lee Shinwoo set off — light, quick steps, the same as when he had arrived. Lee Seah watched him for a moment, then started walking herself. Her steps, too, turned not toward home but toward the training grounds.

I need to practice as well.

No card was swiped that day.

After that brief encounter with Lee Seah and Lee Shinwoo, we headed straight for Seong Harim's house. Her place was spotless. Well designed, and more than enough for someone living alone. And of course — the precious daughter of a major Nebula. Nearly every piece of furniture in the room looked top of the line.

Not even a scrap of trash.

Same kind of place as mine, and yet not a single piece of garbage. Was that because she'd taken the trash out this morning? More to the point — how had she ended up with that much trash to begin with?

"Please wait here a moment. I'll go change."

Seong Harim disappeared into her room, and about ten minutes later she came back out in comfortable clothes. She had gathered her long hair and let it hang to one side so it wouldn't get in the way while cooking. Being a heroine really was something else — she looked even more beautiful than I had imagined.

"Is there anything you'd like to eat?"

"Chef's recommendation."

"Then fried rice and pasta it is!"

Once the menu was set, Seong Harim's hands moved without a hitch. This wasn't the level of someone who just cooked for themselves. Her motions were natural and practiced, as if she had trained under a professional. It was fascinating. Seong Harim's cooking skill barely appeared in the original, after all. Constellation of Black Flames was thin on everyday life, so seeing a whole new side of her like this was genuinely interesting.

"Did you learn to cook somewhere?"

"Cooking? Yes. When I was with the Nebula, I learned from one of the chefs."

"I can tell. You cook like a pro."

"…Thank you for the compliment."

I watched her work for a while, then a thought struck me. Was it really all right to just stand here watching? Even as a guest, hanging around doing nothing made my conscience prick. I felt like I ought to help somehow — and the fact that it was Seong Harim only made that stronger.

"Anything I can help with?"

"Help…? Hmm… Ah! Would you taste the seasoning for me?"

She scooped up some of the pasta sauce on a spoon and held it out. A thick white cream sauce. One taste, and it was far better than I expected. You could tell immediately she had learned from a real chef. It was on par with anything a restaurant would serve — no, better.

"How is it?"

"It's incredible. I've never had a cream sauce like this."

"I'm glad. It's been a while since I made cream pasta."

After that, the cooking finished before I had any further chance to help. Fried rice and pasta weren't long dishes to begin with, and Seong Harim's hands were so fast the food came out in no time.

"Thanks for the meal."

It was delicious. So good I found myself wondering if this was what food made by an angel tasted like. Her cooking really was outstanding. Maybe I should ask her to cook for me again sometime?

…That would just be imposing.

I should eat a lot today, at least.

We ate in quiet for a while without much conversation, and then I asked her something I had been thinking about for a while.

"Which Circle are you planning to join?"

"Circle?"

"Yeah. You'll have to choose once you get in, so it's good to decide ahead of time."

The Academy's Circles. In simple terms they were like clubs at any other school, but Circles leaned heavily toward student autonomy. The faculty advisor was little more than a name on paper and barely interfered at all. Their influence after graduation was considerable, too — coming out of a famous major Circle was a credential all by itself. Circles shaped Academy life more than people gave them credit for.

Not that that's why I asked.

Of course, I already knew which Circle Seong Harim would join. A religious Circle called Sanctity — that was the one. It didn't carry much weight in the original story, but within the Academy it proudly held the title of a major Circle and was well known.

"I already pre-applied, so I'm already a member of the Sanctity Circle."

"Really? Would it be all right if I came by for a look sometime?"

"A look?"

"Yeah. I figure I should tour them all at least once."

I had no intention of joining. It was a healing-focused club; there was nothing in it for me. The reason I wanted to visit was only one.

Because there's a sacred relic there.

Another sacred relic housed in that place — the medium that would connect me to my second constellation.