Romance
"...Dad. Are you being serious?"
The sharp clack of chopsticks being set down echoed unusually loud. Yuzuki let out a low breath and snapped at him.
Father stared at her for a long moment before tilting his head, looking somewhat puzzled.
"...Yuzuki. Did I say something strange?"
"Of course you did. The Academy isn't a place for romance in the first place, is it? No matter how you frame it as research, suddenly telling my brother to seduce girls or whatever..."
"As far as I know, there is no school rule at the Academy prohibiting romance. And it's only natural for feelings to develop between men and women who live together."
"That's not the problem—"
"Well... honestly, Yuuto isn't exactly reliable in that department."
At the end of his sentence, Father took a small breath and glanced my way.
"At least from what I remember, Yuuto has never once mentioned having a girlfriend, even as a joke. Of course, that doesn't mean he's unattractive. It's probably because of his cautious personality that those kinds of connections never formed easily."
Father was simply stating the facts in a calm tone, but the words landed like heavy blows to me as I listened.
…What the hell is this situation so early in the morning?
The one who couldn't date anyone was the original Yuuto, not me. So why was I the one stuck dealing with this?
I barely kept my expression steady and swallowed a sigh. Suddenly Yuzuki lifted her head, visibly worked up.
"...He is reliable."
"...Yuzuki?"
"Yuuto is plenty trustworthy. There's already a girl who's all over him, isn't there?"
Her words left me speechless for a second.
Wait, did I hear that right?
I was grateful she was taking my side, but I couldn't figure out why Yuzuki of all people was reacting like this.
Father, on the other hand, shifted his gaze with a spark of interest and asked, his face bright with expectation.
"...Oh? Then who is this girl?"
"Sakuragi Luna."
"...Hmm."
The hopeful look on Father's face froze instantly. His expression openly said why did it have to be her?
"...No one else?"
"The girls in our class... pretty much all like him."
"Then can't you help steer things? If you gave him a hand, Yuzuki..."
"...Ha. You want me to turn the classroom into a circus? No thanks. Absolutely not."
"I'm not joking, Yuzuki."
Father's expression darkened as he fixed his stare on her. The air over the dining table grew thin and heavy.
"I haven't gone into detail with you two yet… but the government is desperate to increase the number of Dracore pilots by any means necessary."
"...Is this because of that incident?"
"Yes. Because of what the two of you went through."
Yuzuki's shoulders trembled faintly.
Her spoon slipped weakly against the bowl, letting out a short, sharp ring.
"The problem is that no matter how much we want to, increasing personnel at this stage is realistically difficult. As you know, the students gathered at the Academy were carefully selected from across the country based on talent. They're precious assets we've barely managed to collect with all kinds of support and benefits."
Father paused for a moment.
"That's why we deliberately structured the Academy to feel like a normal school. If we ran it like the military, none of the girls would willingly pilot a Dracore. That school-like image was created purely out of necessity."
Silence settled over the table. Only then did I fully understand what he was trying to say.
"I mentioned something similar before… which is why your existence is so important, Yuuto."
"...Because I'm the only male pilot?"
"Exactly. And to put it another way, you're also the key to instantly doubling our current pool of talent. Besides, combat ultimately favors men over women. Especially mentally—women tend to be too fragile…"
Father's voice dropped even lower.
"If the incident last time wasn't a simple coincidence but the sign of something larger… we need to prepare thoroughly. Otherwise, far more people will die."
At Father's calm statement, Yuzuki squeezed her eyes shut.
Her breathing came uneven and shaky.
I quietly reached out and covered her hand with mine.
She flinched at first, startled, but the moment she realized it was me, she threaded her fingers through mine—quietly, fiercely, as if she would never let go.
…That day still hadn't left her mind.
Honestly, the scene still haunted my nightmares from time to time too.
"So in the end… researching my unique traits could help make up for the shortage of pilots?"
"Yes. That's the conclusion."
It was absurd.
The idea that me seducing women might be the key to saving the world.
At the same time, because I had some knowledge of the future, I couldn't bring myself to dismiss the possibility Father was pinning his hopes on.
If the number of male pilots really increased, life would be easier than in the original story.
I looked steadily into Father's eyes and said, "Well… I guess I'll give it a shot."
The train heading to the Academy was unusually quiet today.
Yuzuki sat with earphones in, staring out the window. No music was actually playing. She was simply using them as a barrier, avoiding any chance of meeting my eyes.
Beyond the glass, the gray predawn sky drifted slowly past. Yuzuki's gaze followed it blankly.
We didn't exchange a single word for several stops.
As the car emptied out and the Academy station drew near, Yuzuki finally removed her earphones. She rubbed her ear once with her fingertips, then spoke in a low, trembling voice.
"...I'm only asking because I'm curious."
I turned my head casually.
"...Do you have someone you like right now? Like… love at first sight or something."
Her voice was thin, but the tail end of it quivered noticeably.
I steadied my breathing before answering.
"It's only been a few days since I started at the Academy. How could I already have someone like that? If I did, wouldn't that make me way too easy?"
"Hmph…"
Yuzuki let out a short sigh the moment she heard my reply. Her cheeks tightened as she continued.
"...Sakuragi."
She bit her lip slightly, as if she hated even saying the name.
"That girl who's so aggressive with you. She's no good?"
For a second, I caught Yuzuki's reflection in the dark train window.
Her face was coldly frozen.
Yet beneath that ice, something still burned, writhing restlessly.
What answer was Yuzuki hoping to hear from me?
"What if I said I was interested?"
"...Really? Well, there's nothing strange about that. Honestly, what guy dislikes an aggressive girl? And even I have to admit Sakuragi is pretty… Her personality's just a little weird, that's all."
Well, just like Yuzuki said, Luna's eccentric behavior was the problem. Her face was beautiful and her figure was stunning.
She wasn't one of this world's major characters for nothing. She'd received every possible advantage when it came to looks.
On top of that, her unrealistic silver hair and crimson eyes—something you'd never see in the real world—made her seem even more special.
But I knew she wasn't approaching me out of genuine romantic interest.
Luna was simply evaluating my suitability as a partner.
Because Luna wanted revenge.
Until she achieved it, she would never have true peace of mind.
"...Yuzuki."
"What?"
"Just hypothetically."
I lowered my gaze and stared out the window in silence for a long time. My mouth had gone dry; no words would come. Finally, I managed to speak.
"If sibling affection had romantic feelings layered on top of it… what would you call that?"
"...Huh?"
Yuzuki's face went deathly pale, as if the air had been knocked out of her. Her eyes widened in disbelief, trembling, and her lips parted then closed without sound.
For a moment she looked completely lost, as though she couldn't believe what she'd just heard.
After a long, dazed silence, her lips finally moved.
"Wh-what… do you mean by that?"
"...I don't know. Just wondering."
"No, what do you mean 'just wondering'…"
I didn't say anything more.
Even I knew it sounded insane.
Part of me was curious what Father would think if he heard it.
Even someone as hard to read as him would probably be horrified by this.
…Wouldn't he?
As soon as she entered the classroom, Yuzuki sat down at her desk.
She tried to avoid looking at Yuuto in the next seat, pretending to be indifferent, but her gaze kept drifting. After staring at her desk several times, she finally pulled out her phone.
The messages ended there. Yuzuki stared down at her phone, forcing herself to breathe evenly. She bit her lip hard.
…It was nothing.
She was just bored. That was all.
Nothing more, nothing less. She repeated it to herself dozens of times.
Yet her cheeks burned and her chest ached with every heartbeat.
It wasn't strange. It wasn't dirty. She desperately denied it inside.
Even so, she couldn't stop her fingertips from trembling.