Chapter 122: What’s the Estimated Value of the Sister’s Friend Coin...?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 122: What’s the Estimated Value of the Sister’s Friend Coin...?
Not all the female students fled at my sister’s sharp rebuke.
“...Why are you still here?”
“I didn’t come to gawk; I came to greet a young friend, Lady Iris.”
The eternal second-place dummy who loses to my sister every single time, Little Duchess Ophelia de La Croix, crossed her arms and averted her gaze.
“Big Sister La Croix!”
“...It’s been a while. Have you been well?”
“Yup!”
A Ducal family—what a name, ripe for the picking. My mom’s friends say she’s young, beautiful, and a long-lived species, but since she’s still classified as human, I figured I actually stood a chance at winning her over. She was the "Sister’s Friend Heroine" I was currently targeting.
She wasn't a monster like Im Su-yeon; she was just a "wee-kling" who always got crushed by my sister. Surely I could overpower her, right?
“Hello. I am Ophelia de La Croix. Before being a friend of Lady Iris, it is truly a pleasure to meet you, Chief Superintendent Degrain.”
“...I see. Thank you for being such a good friend to our Iris.”
Unlike when she was with me, Ophelia was acting the part of a social and exceedingly polite daughter of a Duchess.
Her long, ringlet hair and stunning beauty were exactly my type. I’d have to find the right timing to ask her to bear my children if the opportunity arose.
“I heard Iris’s family was visiting, so I reserved a restaurant. If your schedule allows, would you care to join us?”
“Forget it. Mom and I are eating at the cafeteria. Stop acting friendly and get lost.”
My sister coldly cut off the Little Duchess’s kindness. La Croix’s green eyes quivered. It seemed she hadn't expected to be rejected so bluntly.
“But I want to go! Sister La Croix is my friend, too~ and since we’re all the way here, I want to eat something delicious! Mom! Let’s go eat! Please~?”
“Iris…?”
I wanted to smack Mom’s butt and order her to go to the restaurant, but unfortunately, we weren't alone, so I had to plead politely.
Mom looked at Iris with eyes that begged her to let it slide just this once. Iris let out a short sigh and nodded as if giving in.
As expected, trickle-down nagging was the best.
***
After the restaurant’s hors d'oeuvres arrived and I’d had a decent taste, I opened my mouth first.
“Sister La Croix, what do you plan to do after graduation?”
Background checks were vital. The reason I was diversifying my investments across various female coins was that they all had promising futures.
I could understand if she just wanted to go back to the Duchy and play Duchess, but if she took such a passive route, I’d have no choice but to downgrade her valuation.
“I’m currently taking military academy courses in tandem. I’ll be commissioned as a Captain upon graduation, but I think starting as a Major would be better.”
I stared at La Croix blankly, unable to process the nonsense I just heard. I could wrap my head around taking military courses on the side, but being commissioned as a Captain? What kind of bullshit was that?
No, I was more curious about how she could "start" as a Major. I knew she was a noble, but this wasn't just a super-express promotion—starting as a field officer from day one was a terrifyingly monstrous concept.
“Were you planning on being dispatched to a colony?”
“Yes. I have to be sent to a colony at least once anyway, so it’s better to go early. Iris, did you say you were staying here to serve?”
“I have no intention of being commissioned.”
Ophelia whipped her head toward Iris in shock.
“Then why… are you double-majoring in the military academy curriculum?”
“The scholarships are great, and it gives you extra points for public service jobs.”
“...You’re going to be a boring civil servant?”
The Duchess’s daughter looked at my sister with a face of pure disbelief. It seemed she thought being a civil servant was beneath her. My mom is a civil servant, yet this girl sure had a big mouth. I glanced at Mom, but she didn't seem to care, busy feeding the youngest—Grasha—some snack called an amuse-bouche or whatever.
“I’m going to be a prosecutor. I want to work with my mom. My aunt works there, too.”
“...In that case, I’ll write you a recommendation. Why don't you come to the Imperial Inspectorate?”
Ophelia started making her move on my sister, mentioning that the salary was more than double and that there would be a difference in treatment and rank because of her recommendation.
I couldn't understand why someone like her was clinging to my sister so desperately. No, wait—after thinking about it, I reached a rational conclusion: the Duchess’s daughter had a crush on my sister.
I thought she was being unnecessarily nice to me because she liked me, but it turned out she was a yuri-lover. How terrifying.
Then again, if the Iris Coin hit the jackpot, maybe she’d come as a "buy one, get one free" deal. That didn't seem so bad.
“If you’re in public service, you have to serve in a colony once anyway, right? How about going with me? I can make sure you’re assigned wherever you want.”
“Sure, sure.”
“No, my mother said it’s essential that I go. She said there’s a lot to learn there… and if you come with me….”
She was incredibly clingy. Her obsession was enough to make me want to ask if she had any other friends. If a super-rich member of the opposite sex showed this much favor, it would be great, but from the perspective of my sister, who was the same gender…
“Mama’s girl.”
“W-Who are you calling a mama’s girl?!”
Seeing my sister shut down that pathetic provocation so efficiently made me feel relieved. No, wait, my heart started to ache. It looked like there wouldn't be a "buy one, get one free" event after all!
My sister burst into giggles at the sight of the fuming Little Duchess. They bickered, but they felt like close friends.
As the restaurant’s course meals came and went, they rambled on about useless things, but I couldn't get a clear grasp of just how much power the House of La Croix held.
Their conversation was typical girl talk—where to go on vacation, how they were preparing for exams, what perfume they used—making it impossible to dig up any real intel.
The information I wanted was about their real estate holdings, liquid assets, social networks, and the like, but I couldn't pierce the veil of the Little Duchess, who didn't seem interested in bragging about such things.
Once the meal was over and we’d had a moment to digest with some light drinks, we began the official tour of the Academy.
“I’ll show you around the Academy. I’ll take you somewhere Yong-hwan might like…”
“I want Sister Ophelia to show me around! You go play with Mom and Grasha!”
Seeing as the Sister Coin was safe for now, it was time to build rapport with the ringlet-haired Duchess’s daughter who had that "villainess" vibe.
Blue eyes full of betrayal glared at me resentfully, but I was far too busy a man to be swayed by a single look like that.
I had to seduce Mom’s friends, seduce the pets, and seduce the sister’s friends to create a fleet of suckers who would shower me with money!
I clung to the Little Duchess’s long legs. Her thighs were sturdy and her core was firm; she was growing up quite "deliciously," so I had to seduce her somehow and get her to bear my children.
“This is the cafeteria. Unlike the student dining hall, it provides various desserts and drinks. It operates on a reservation basis, and the Director made it so only top-ranking students can book it.”
It seemed Camel was discriminating against the kids based on their grades. She’d been taught well.
“Do the low-ranking students get poor-quality food and trashy study rooms?”
“No, they can still have snacks or use the surrounding tables freely.”
It seemed our dairy cow hadn't been taught well enough. If you don't strictly segregate them by grades and only throw in a few special services, the kids won't feel the desperate need to study.
“Ah, and males can book rooms regardless of their grades… though I haven't seen it happen during the semester.”
“What do the male students do?”
“I’m not sure. I hear they play games or read books. They’re usually not seen outside of class.”
I wanted to meet the guys in this neighborhood and have a chat, but I couldn't understand why they were all hiding away like that. It made it hard to talk to them.
I’d occasionally witnessed the boys at school being treated like toys by the girls, but that didn't explain why the women here hated men so much.
Even if they just spoke in a nasal tone and acted cute, everyone would probably call them adorable, yet they all stayed cooped up in their homes or dorms. I just couldn't understand it.
I thought I’d get the gist of the place in a few minutes, but the Academy was unimaginably large. When my feet started to ache and I stopped, Ophelia knelt down and gave me a piggyback ride.
“The Academy is huge, isn't it?”
“...Could we walk all day and still not see it all?”
“Rumor has it that it was originally a tenth of its current size. Well, I suspect that’s half-lie, though.”
It was hard for me to bring up the fact that the Empress, Hindel, and others had forcibly expanded the Academy by pumping money into it.
By the way, she was carrying me and hadn't even felt up my butt. She was a truly well-raised lady. Compared to the people who usually gave me piggyback rides—who would aggressively touch my butt or knead my thighs under the guise of "adjusting their grip"—she was incredibly conscientious.
On top of that, her hair was long, felt great, and smelled wonderful. She had a mysterious charm that made my heart flutter. A "Duchess Route" didn't seem bad at all.
“Sister Ophelia, do you have a boyfriend?”
“...I don't.”
She looked a bit gloomy as she said it, which was cute.
“Then I’ll be your boyfriend! You’re pretty, rich, and kind!”
“Hehe, would you really?”
Look at this wholesome reaction. Unlike that bitch Morian, who only acts innocent and kind, this was true purity.
“But why aren't you using that re~ally noble way of speaking like when we first met?”
“You’re Iris’s brother, and it’s a hassle to pay attention to speaking like that. Though I’m slowly getting used to it because of my mother.”
My preference is for a sharp-tongued heroine who is only warm to me, but this person seemed like she was either on the "Legal Wife Route" or, if I lured her down a dark path, the "Affair Route."
I was starting to feel fired up.