An Overwhelming First Impression
Countless requests for autographs. The moment I agreed, my sister showed up right in front of the café. With the Ferrari waiting behind her, it was clear she intended to take me straight to the STD headquarters in that car.
"Even so, isn't this... a bit too much attention?"
Of course, this was Cheongdam-dong, so seeing a Ferrari wasn't exactly rare. Still, the one my sister had brought today was a limited-edition model of which only a handful existed worldwide. It practically screamed that its owner was someone extraordinary. I suggested using illusion magic to tone it down a little.
"No. This is for establishing dominance. First impressions matter a great deal."
She rejected the idea outright, her tone leaving no room for argument. It seemed she had a clear plan of her own and was determined to arrive at the STD building in the limited-edition Ferrari.
"Rather than approaching tools with humility, we need to make them feel overwhelmed by our superiority. This choice is necessary."
...She wasn't wrong. The word "tools" was a bit harsh, but I agreed that first impressions were important. Given everything she'd done for me so far, I was certain this was part of some larger design she'd made for my sake. Though she did make the occasional blunder, which made it hard to trust her completely.
Still, the mask I was wearing right now was the Ruler's Mask. Considering everything she'd done for me until now, maybe it was worth trusting her just this once.
"Now that you mention it, I suppose you're right."
"An excellent choice."
The moment I agreed, she smiled brightly and pressed a button, causing the door to lift upward. I settled into the passenger seat of the car she was driving and spent a brief moment admiring the luxurious interior and the cityscape outside.
"Aha ha... This little insect..."
While driving, my sister flashed a murderous smile at the car in front of us that had apparently provoked her with some retaliatory driving. Then, in her hand, she began forming a blood-red magic circle that looked like it should never exist in this world. Without the slightest hesitation, she completed it and fired the resulting sphere forward. The car ahead suddenly lurched, half-destroyed, before swerving to a stop on the shoulder.
'Even if it's not on the level of the Ferrari we're in, that looked like a pretty expensive foreign car. Bad luck picking a fight with my sister through road rage.'
The word "McLaren" on the rear suggested it was worth at least several hundred million won. Watching it suddenly break down for no apparent reason, I could almost feel the driver's despair from here. Even the glimpse I caught of the driver as we passed was so brutal that even I, who hadn't felt particularly sorry for him until now, felt a twinge of sympathy.
"That person's hair is falling out in clumps right now. Is this also black magic...?"
"Why? I could have killed him instantly. This is getting off easy."
Well, even I had reached the peak of my misanthropy during my time as the Saintess. From my sister's perspective, having lived in that world until she gained the ability to travel between dimensions, this was probably a relatively light punishment.
'I should be grateful that terrifying personality of hers doesn't apply to me...'
While I was lost in such pointless thoughts and staring out the window, a building with a design similar to our house appeared before us.
"We're here."
As expected, the appearance of the extraordinary Ferrari caused quite a stir among the people near the headquarters.
'Ugh, how annoying...'
My sister only made displays when there was something to gain from them. She disliked pointless showing off because it could backfire. So while there was definitely some benefit to getting out now, even I—though not to her extreme degree—didn't particularly like dealing with people in general. If they were my subordinates or acquaintances, it might be different, but interacting with complete strangers was nothing but endless hassle. They gave me no satisfaction whatsoever.
'That's actually why I tried to refuse the limited-edition Ferrari earlier.'
Even so, now that we'd come this far, I figured we might as well make the most of it. As the Ferrari's door opened and I stepped out, the people who had been lingering nearby began to gather.
"Excuse me, are you the Saintess...?"
"Saintess, could I get an autograph...?"
"Whoa..."
"Is that person a celebrity?"
"She's really pretty..."
Those who came right up to me seemed to know who I was, and some even asked for autographs. Behind them were people secretly taking photos while admiring my appearance, and others simply watching from a distance. As I tried to keep my expression neutral and sign a few autographs, even those who had been standing around blankly began to crowd in. Before long, one corner of the parking lot had turned into something resembling a fan meeting, with dozens of people gathered around me.
My energy was draining away in real time, and my eyes were gradually growing hollow. Noticing this, my sister—now heavily disguised with a hat, mask, and sunglasses—quickly cut things short and dragged me inside the STD headquarters.
"You worked hard. This suffering will surely turn into happiness later."
Along with her words of encouragement, she casually pulled me into a hug, but—
"Don't get any weird ideas."
My voice had grown noticeably colder than before. I immediately pushed her away and began slowly examining the interior of the STD building.
'Wait a second...'
The exterior had already seemed oddly similar to our house, and now the interior design, structure, and even the color scheme matched as well... I was starting to get an idea of what was going on.
"Be honest with me. You've been involved not just since before my regression, but from the very beginning—before STD was even founded, right?"
"Otherwise, there's no way the building's structure and distinctive color scheme could match our house this closely. And there's no way a team that spent the entire season in the eastern region would have facilities this well-equipped."
"Now that I think about it, that explains why the contract was finalized so quickly too."
When I voiced my realization after looking around the headquarters, my sister's pupils trembled slightly, and she looked momentarily flustered. Then her expression shifted to one of approval, and she praised me.
"I expected as much, but your observational skills and deductive ability are even better than I anticipated."
"Now then, shall we use that ability to see if there's anyone among the players worth keeping after the roster overhaul?"
Even so, checking for "anyone worth keeping"... Did that mean the level was really that low?
* * *
After quietly observing a few games of scrims from behind, I realized it really was that low. Even considering that it was the early days of the league's introduction, their macro play was practically nonexistent. The only one with any sense seemed to be the AD carry, CS Killer, but even when he gave orders, the other players tended to blatantly ignore him.
"Is the atmosphere always this bad with them?"
It wasn't just a matter of being a low-tier team—the vibe felt strangely lacking, so the question came naturally. My sister, who had noticed my confusion, began explaining the current situation.
"I've been trying to respect your opinions regarding the players as much as possible, so I haven't interfered much. That's why I left it to the front office, and this is the result."
"No one listens to the AD carry's calls and treats him like he's invisible because he's a parachute player planted by the STD Group."
Ah... So that was the backstory. In the sports industry, that kind of treatment toward a parachute hire made sense.
'Either way, we won't be seeing them again next year.'
The funny part was that the AD carry being ostracized as a parachute hire was the only one actually playing like a proper human being. Of course, he was overly passive and kept moving too safely to turn games around, but...
Wait a second. The CS Killer I'd seen in solo queue last time had been the complete opposite, hadn't he? He'd been an aggressive AD carry who tried to force plays whether they worked or not. Why had he become so passive again, like in his first life? I couldn't understand it.
'If we could just add that aggression from solo queue, he'd probably be usable...'
Just then—
"Hey, do you want to die? If you're deaf, go to the hospital. Why the hell are you ignoring calls and acting like an idiot when you're supposed to be a pro?"
The moment the third game ended, CS Killer—unable to contain his anger any longer—grabbed the support by the collar in an unexpected outburst.