“Who are you?”
As Sion asked with a cold, intimidating pressure, Clara fidgeted with her lips.
It was hard to come up with an answer to such a simple question.
“Uh, I’m Rohan’s… little sister…!”
“Biological sister?”
“Well…! Not exactly…!”
Clara wanted to spit out a more intense word to describe her relationship with Rohan, but this was her limit for now.
“Unfortunately, knowing Rohan’s name here doesn’t give you any credibility. You might’ve just overheard it when I first mentioned him.”
“Ugh…”
“Your outfit aside, if you had a proper relationship with Rohan, why were you hiding? A lack of confidence doesn’t inspire trust.”
Clara couldn’t easily argue back against the elf woman’s barrage of words.
Of course, plenty of retorts were swirling in the girl’s head. If she kept hesitating like this, she’d probably kick her blanket in frustration later, screaming internally, “I should’ve said that back then!”
But someone this aggressive was still hard for Clara to handle, given her personality.
She’d rather just fight it out.
“I can prove it… with a message…!”
“Hmm.”
Clara sneakily showed her phone screen. Sion glanced at it.
A message full of emojis. Complicated.
For Sion, who had never used a smartphone, it was just a dizzying mess.
“I sent a message earlier… He’ll be here soon! I heard there might be an elf guest coming…!”
“Fine. Assuming your relationship with Rohan is as you say, I’ll ask again. Why were you hiding?”
“Uh, that’s… just a habit…!”
Because she was in her underwear, hugging a blanket and sniffing it.
How could Clara possibly explain that her body reflexively moved out of embarrassment for such an indecent act?
So, the twin-tailed girl blushed and lowered her gaze.
Sion, sensing that the other was hiding something, narrowed her eyes sharply.
“You’re not telling me the most important thing.”
“…!”
Clara, startled, looked up.
From Sion’s perspective, it was just a gut-feeling remark, but seeing Clara’s reaction, her guard went up even more.
“Negotiations are over. There’s nothing trustworthy here, so I’ll subdue you first.”
“Huh!? If you wait, Rohan will come…!”
“Of course, that might happen. But what if, instead of Rohan, your reinforcements show up?”
“…”
“Don’t resist. I’ll make it as painless as possible.”
With rope or cable ties…
Just lightly tie up the hands or fingers to make it easier to read any rebellious movements.
For someone with magical power, these are items that won’t work, but since there’s no proper restraint, this is the limit.
“Stay still.”
After finishing her words, Sion returned the pistol she was holding to its place.
Although she unconsciously drew it, Sion knows that gunfire shouldn’t echo in the academy dormitory.
Besides.
If there’s no sniper rifle, any other weapon is pretty much the same for Sion.
Step. Step. Step.
As Sion closed the distance, Clara disappeared in a flash and moved silently to the opposite side.
Sion inwardly marveled at her footwork and speed.
But in this situation, it’s a rule not to show your true feelings.
“I hope you don’t resist.”
“No…!”
By now, the girl held a balisong and a silenced pistol.
Sion rolled her eyes nonchalantly, carefully observing the opponent’s weapon.
‘She’s got a pretty niche pistol.’
That’s a model Sion also owns. Interesting.
Moreover, a balisong and a pistol? That’s a combination that requires quite a bit of skill and dexterity to use simultaneously.
Feeling curious, Sion took another step forward.
As the opponent tried to close the distance, Clara let out a voice as if in desperation.
“If, if you come closer, I’ll, I’ll restrain you!”
“Are you planning to shoot my limbs under the name of subduing?”
At Sion’s words, Clara was startled and looked at the weapons in her hand.
Clara is no different from Sion. She also unconsciously drew her pistol.
“I don’t intend to mess up your brother’s room…”
The girl folded the balisong with her slender fingers──swish! And didn’t stop there, hiding the pistol as well.
Sion thought the now unarmed girl might attempt hand-to-hand combat.
Swish.
But contrary to Sion’s expectations, Clara pulled out something else.
A pitch-black object contrasting with her pale hand.
‘An extra silencer? No. That’s…!’
Sion noticed the magical energy moving from the object in Clara’s hand.
Neither the dagger she handled so skillfully nor the pistol she carried was her main weapon.
That must be the girl’s real weapon.
**Zap──!!!**
To counter that weapon, Sion moved her magical energy.
Thin electric currents surged up from her entire body, forming complex patterns.
“…”
At the moment Clara decided not to step back anymore.
The tension reached its peak, forcing rough movements between them.
Weeeeeng──! Weeeeeng──!
A vibration broke the silence of the standoff.
Clara glanced at her phone screen and then put away the object she had taken out.
“I got a call from my brother···!”
The girl’s excited expression. The intensity from moments ago was nowhere to be seen, replaced by pure cheerfulness.
Her bright face looked like it had never known what a battle was.
Because of that, Sion’s energy completely drained away.
If that was acting, you could say it’s only natural to be fooled.
“···Answer it so I can hear too.”
··
··
After Rohan opened the door to the academy dormitory.
He checked that Clara and Sion were unharmed, then bent over and let out a breath.
“Huuu···! Huhk···!”
How long had it been since he ran at full speed without thinking about stamina distribution?
His lungs were screaming at him.
“O-oppa! Drink some water!”
Clara filled her cup with water and brought it to Rohan.
Rohan gulped down the cold water, thanking her.
Sion stood still, watching the two, then immediately approached Clara and bowed her head.
“I’m sorry for not trusting you from the start. I think I overreacted.”
“No, it’s okay! I think the situation was just tangled up···.”
“I should’ve just called Rohan from the beginning.”
“···Y-yeah, you’re right?”
When your head is filled with tension, even the simplest things don’t come to mind.
The tension probably played a big role in making your thoughts rigid.
“I’m sorry for pressuring you to subdue you without thinking. I feel ashamed.”
“I-it’s really okay···!”
The two girls, each with their own socially awkward style.
Sion kept apologizing while Clara kept saying it was fine and backing off.
Meanwhile, Rohan caught his breath and straightened his back.
“Huuu···! I feel alive now.”
At the same time, the two girls’ gazes turned to Rohan.
Sion looked at him with a questioning expression, as if she had been waiting.
“Rohan. Why didn’t I hear about this important information?”
Judging by her gaze, she was talking about Clara.
There was no need to be nervous. This was something Rohan had an explanation for.
“I tried to tell you during the call yesterday. But the call suddenly got cut off.”
“Ah.”
Sion had also been puzzled when the call ended abruptly without hearing the last part.
She never expected it to be such crucial information.
“I was anxious too…”
“I waited. But since it didn’t ring again, I told Clara about it… But now things have turned out like this.”
Sion accepted the situation without any objections.
“Sorry. I acted too hastily and caused a problem.”
“Don’t apologize to me. I should’ve spoken up sooner… If you two worked it out, don’t apologize to me.”
Rohan liked how Sion didn’t hesitate to apologize. Despite her pride and dignity in her lineage, she knew that acknowledging right and wrong and reflecting on it didn’t diminish her.
Rohan approached Clara, who was standing nervously beside him, keeping her mouth shut. He looked into her eyes and asked, “Are you okay? No one got hurt, right?”
“Uh…!”
“For now, that’s enough.”
For Rohan, that was enough. Even if it had been during class, he would’ve rushed out after seeing the message. He felt lucky that this happened during lunchtime.
“Did you two eat lunch? Aren’t you hungry?”
“…”
Their silence was a clear yes.
Rohan glanced at both of them and raised the corner of his mouth. “Then let’s eat together. I haven’t eaten yet either.”
Saying he’d wash his face because of the sweat, Rohan headed to the bathroom.
And so, Clara and Sion were left alone again.
Sion looked at Clara and asked bluntly, “Were you Rohan’s lover? If I interrupted your time together, I’m sorry.”
“Huh…?”
Clara’s eyes widened.
Sion smiled faintly for the first time at her reaction.
“You two seemed too close to just be siblings, so I asked. Am I wrong?”
“W-well… we’re not lovers…”
Sion looked surprised.
Feeling good about that reaction, Clara swayed her twin tails and revised her opinion of the elf in front of her.
‘M-maybe she’s a good person…!’
