After a quick soak in the bath, I was back in my room, lounging lazily on my bed.
A knock echoed through the room, and the door swung open with a click.
"Big brother, do you have a second?"
My younger sister, Toko, called out as she stepped inside.
"What is it? Did you come to hear the story of how I took down a bear?"
"A bear? What are you talking about?" Toko asked, her face twisted in exasperation.
"Never mind. What do you want?"
"I heard the news from Mom just now. Are you really enrolling in the Magic Academy too?"
So she'd already explained it to her.
"That’s the plan. Better than being a NEET, right?"
"I guess... The atmosphere at home has been pretty tense lately, so I'm glad things are moving forward."
Sorry about that...
"You’re attending there too, right?"
"Yeah. It’s only been a month, though."
"What’s it like?"
"Hmm... There are all sorts of magicians from all over the world."
Is that so?
"Do you think I'll fit in? I'm starting a month late..."
"You don’t need to worry about that. Some people join mid-semester, and others drop out just as fast."
I see.
"What have you been learning?"
"It’s only been a month, so not much yet. I like Herbology and History, personally."
Sounds boring. I'd definitely hate those subjects.
"I see. Well, I'll be starting with the basics."
"They have a course called Basic Studies."
That’s the one.
"I’ll just take it one step at a time. Oh, and let’s keep the fact that we’re siblings a secret at the academy. I don’t want to be compared to my talented sister."
More accurately, I didn't want to be teased about being twins. When we attended the same elementary school, it happened all the time. The most common comment was: "You don't see it at first, but if you look closely, you're identical!"
"I’d prefer that too. Besides, our surnames are different, so I doubt anyone will figure it out."
Exactly. Nagase and La Forge were worlds apart.
"Anything else I should watch out for?"
"Well, there are lots of different magicians, and some of them come from prestigious families. Those kids have a lot of pride, so you should be careful around them."
"You’re one of those 'prestigious kids' too, though."
"So are you, big brother. Though I guess our home doesn't exactly scream high society."
It was true that our house lacked any sense of prestige. The Nagase family might be old and distinguished in its own right, but apparently, it was so ancient that it had zero name recognition.
"Are there any of those 'ohoho' type ojou-samas? Or some arrogant prince-like jerk?"
"No 'ohohos,' but there are plenty like that... young ladies who are bundles of pride, and young masters who look down on everyone as commoners."
So they really do exist.
"I’ll make sure not to use the La Forge name, then."
It seemed like it would only cause trouble.
"Probably for the best. Otherwise, Grandma would get angry."
No doubt.
"Speaking of which, you use the La Forge name, right? Do you have any marriage candidates lined up?"
"Huh? Why would I? I'm sixteen; of course I don't. I don't even have a boyfriend."
Hmm... no boyfriend either? Poor thing. Well, I didn't have a girlfriend either, so I couldn't say much.
"See, I was told that if I joined the La Forge family, they'd introduce me to a potential wife right away."
"Heh... sounds nice. If you reach a certain age and still haven't managed to find a girl, you should go crying to Grandma or our cousin Erik."
I see... so I do have that kind of safety net. I didn't know if Grandma would still be around by then, but my cousin Erik would probably introduce me to a nice girl.
"Good to know."
"But any wife the La Forge family introduces would definitely be from a high-class background. They'd probably beat manners into you until you wished you were dead."
I'd hate that. Yeah, joining that family was definitely a no-go.
"Well, I'll take my time and think about it. I'll get a girlfriend eventually."
"Pfft..."
This girl was really starting to get on my nerves. Even though we had the same face.
"Hey, so what's the deal with this otherworld thing? I was too overwhelmed earlier to really process it, but aren't they saying something kind of crazy?"
"Too overwhelmed?"
Ah, crap.
"I mean, by the whole Nagase family NEET crisis. Let's not talk about that. Anyway, Astral... how much did you hear?"
"Something about people fleeing from witch hunts in the past and creating another world... what does that even mean?"
"Exactly what it sounds like. To escape the witch hunts, they created another world and migrated there."
She said it so casually.
"Is it actually possible to create a whole world?"
"I don't know the details, and apparently no records were left behind. I heard there are people who spend their lives researching that stuff, though."
Is it so ancient that it’s been lost to history?
"Astral, was it? Do magicians actually live there?"
"They do. But I think about half of them still live in this world while they go back and forth."
I see.
"When did you start going to a place like that without me knowing?"
"You can just teleport there. Besides, you’ve been cooped up in your room all this time, big brother. You've hardly come out since spring break."
That was because everyone looked at me like I was a pitiable failure.
"I need to ask something important. Doesn't this Magic Academy have entrance exams? Mom said I could get in through the La Forge family connections, but..."
"Of course it does. I had to take them too. Big brother, that's totally a back-door enrollment."
I knew it.
"It can't be helped... I wouldn't pass on my own."
"You definitely wouldn't," Toko said, shaking her head. "Are you going to be okay? Especially with moving up grades?"
"Oh, I don't think I necessarily need to graduate. Some people just go to learn what they want and then quit once they've got what they need."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah. Besides, the Magic Academy doesn't count for anything in the outside world. On paper, you and I are both just middle school graduates."
The Nagase family's middle-school-graduate twins...
"What are you planning to do?"
"I love magic, so I'm going to stay until graduation. After that, I'll go to the La Forge family and help Erik."
This girl actually had a plan for her future. Should I be thinking about mine too? No, my arm was the priority right now. First, I had to learn how to dispel this curse.
"...I wish I'd known all this sooner."
"You were the one who said you didn't care about magic, big brother."
"Hey, show me some magic."
At my request, Toko pointed her index finger upward. A tiny flame, like that of a candle, flickered to life at the tip of her finger.
"I can't even do that much."
I pointed my finger up the same way, but nothing happened.
"...Then what are you even going to the academy to learn?"
If I told her I was going for dispel magic, she'd probably laugh or make fun of me. I couldn't say it.
"Who knows? I don't really get it myself yet, so I'll figure it out as I go."
"Hmm... Also, what's with that bracelet? Is it a fashion choice? It’s kind of tacky."
Shut up.
"You really don't see how cool this is?"
"Not at all. I wouldn't wear that even if you paid me."
I bet. Not that I'd give it to you even if you begged.