I’ve loved my sister for as long as I can remember.
“I love you, Big Sister!”
“Oh, honestly… Maria.”
My sister was more beautiful than anyone. Her heart was more exquisite than anyone’s.
To me, my sister was everything.
But then I realized that I was fundamentally disconnected from this world.
“Hey, look at that…”
“She’s pure white…”
“How creepy…”
When I noticed the adults around me whispering such things, I realized for the first time just how alien my appearance was.
Pure white hair and snow-white skin. On top of that, my eyes were a deep, vivid red.
It wasn’t just my sister. My brother, my father, and my mother all had black hair.
Among them, I alone was white.
I wondered if I might not be a child of this family.
When I asked my mother, she told me I was unmistakably a child of House Bradley.
I didn’t understand it well at the time, but apparently, I was what they called a mutation.
“Hey, Big Sister…”
“Hmm? What is it, Maria?”
I asked her while we were playing together.
I asked if I was disgusting. If I was called a strange child because I was different from everyone else.
“Am I… strange?”
“That’s not true at all. You’re very beautiful, Maria.”
“But I’m all white, and my eyes are red… I’m not like you, Big Sister.”
I looked down.
If I could have, I wanted to be born beautiful like my sister.
I wanted to be born normal.
I wanted to have that glossy black hair that flowed like silk.
Our faces were similar. There was no doubt we were sisters.
But why did she feel so far away?
“Maria, you’re like a little Rabbit—so very cute.”
“A Rabbit?”
“That’s right. Pure white and fluffy, with bright red eyes. A very cute Rabbit, just like you.”
“…Do you really think so?”
“Of course! Because you’re just that beautiful, Maria.”
My sister stared intently into my wavering red eyes, then gave me a bright smile.
I was happy.
It couldn't be helped that I was different from everyone else.
I had my sister.
I had a kind sister who understood me.
I believed we would be close sisters forever… or so I told myself.
“…”
Eventually, I came to realize just how talented my sister was.
She could do anything. Academics, lessons, every kind of extracurricular, etiquette, and even sorcery.
Even among the Three Great Noble Families, my sister was an exceptional sorcerer. No, she was too exceptional.
It was only a matter of time before I was compared to her.
“Look at that.”
“She’s pure white…”
“She’s Rebecca-sama’s younger sister, right?”
“Didn’t the older one suck up all the talent?”
“Hehe. Probably.”
Heartless words reached my ears.
I think it was around the time I started hearing those voices that I stopped going to parties.
My appearance couldn’t be helped. I intended to come to terms with that.
But it was unbearable to be ranked as inferior to my sister in every other way as well.
The meaning of my existence wavered.
There were times I asked myself why I had even been born.
But there was no answer to be found.
I was simply a sister born with this appearance, a girl inferior to her elder sister.
That was the only truth that remained for me.
I worked hard at my studies and my sorcery.
But my sister worked just as hard as me, if not harder.
When someone with natural talent also puts in more effort than everyone else… there is nothing an ordinary person can do.
It didn’t take long for me to give up on myself.
“Phew…”
My ears hurt.
My ears, which I had just pierced, often bled. Sometimes they became inflamed. Every time it happened, I would disinfect and care for them myself.
I also had my hair styled into something eccentric.
I felt like if I didn't, I wouldn't be able to keep myself together.
“Maria…”
“…”
I naturally began to distance myself from my sister.
I love my sister. But I also hate her.
I grew up harboring those contradictory emotions in my heart.
“…Maria Bradley.”
“I’m Ray White. I’m greatly indebted to Rebecca-senpai. I was hoping I might get the chance to become friends with you as well, Miss Maria.”
“…Hmph!”
I hadn’t wanted to come to a Magic Association party. I only came along because my sister insisted.
That was where I met that strange person.
It was the first meeting between Ray and me.
He was tall and gave a somewhat slender impression. His face wasn’t bad—actually, he was fairly good-looking. His hair was neat, and he made a decent impression.
However, how should I put it… his behavior was just a little off.
Regardless, I didn’t have a good first impression of Ray.
I didn’t trust men much to begin with. It was always men who mocked me. Women would whisper, but men would mock me to my face.
Furthermore, it was always men who looked at me with those creepy gazes.
I figured every man was the same… or so I thought.
But he was like me. I felt a sense of kinship.
Later, I ran into Dina-chan in town, and we had this conversation.
“Maria, have you been well?”
“Yeah. How about you, Dina-chan?”
“I’m doing well too. But, Maria, you’re still…”
“Well, things have been complicated, you know…”
Dina-chan has been close to my sister since they were children. She used to play with me a lot, too. But I had unilaterally distanced myself and pulled away from both of them.
We were little more than acquaintances who chatted when we met at parties.
I had been shopping alone in town when she spoke to me, and we went into a cafe to catch up for the first time in a while.
“By the way, do you know a guy named Ray White?”
I decided to ask about Ray.
He didn't seem to be after my sister like the rest of the rabble, but I was a little curious.
“Ray? He’s my junior in the Gardening Club.”
“Eh… The Gardening Club is called ‘The Flower Garden’ because it’s only girls, right?”
“That’s right. Aside from Ray, there are only girls in the club.”
“He… he actually wanted to join that? As I thought, he's a weirdo…”
“Hmm… That’s true. Ray is strange. But…”
As she stirred the ice in her glass with a straw, Dina-chan spoke of Ray with a nostalgic expression.
It was a look I had never seen on her face before.
“…There’s just something about him you can’t hate. At first, I kept my distance because he was an Ordinary. I figured he was just after Rebecca-sama. But, you know, he’s straightforward.”
“Straightforward?”
“Yes. He’s sincere to a fault, always looking straight ahead. And he’s a mysterious guy who naturally draws people to him. He’s truly reliable.”
“I see…”
Dina-chan is strict with men. Especially men who approach my sister.
For her to go that far… he must truly be a good guy.
After that, I decided to ask Ray about my sister. It turned out Ray had noticed things too, and he listened to me earnestly.
He didn't just show me consideration; he praised me.
My heart felt warm.
It was the first time I had felt that way toward anyone other than my sister.
What Dina-chan said was true.
I could somewhat understand why people gathered around him.
On the other hand, I remained alone.
“…I guess I’ll go home.”
The final day of the Cultural Festival.
I had fully enjoyed my sister’s Maid Cafe and had seen enough of her, so I was about to head home.
That was when Ray called out to me.
“Maria.”
“Ray… why are you here?”
“I was looking for you.”
“For me?”
I wondered if it might be about that matter. I could tell from the serious atmosphere Ray projected. It was the first time I had seen him like this.
Ray told me he had something important to discuss, and I followed him to the rooftop.
What he told me there was unbelievable.
I was surprised that Ray was the Ice Sword Sorcerer.
But more than that, I couldn't understand what he was trying to do.
Afterward, he explained the background.
I had my hands full just trying to process the situation.
What I understood was that in order to save my sister… we had to do something terrible to her.
I didn't want that.
I hate my sister. She always stands before me, and I am scorched and blinded by her radiance. Because of her existence, I am always drowning in inferiority.
But more than that, I love my sister.
That’s why I wanted to save her. I thought that, however selfishly. Of course, I couldn't simply accept Ray’s proposal.
I directed my anger at him.
I told him there was no way I could do such a thing.
However, when I looked closely… Ray was also trembling.
That’s right. Ray loves my sister too. It’s not like he wants to do this.
So, the two of us made a vow.
We would become accomplices.
But I should be the one to bear the weight of that sin.
I have spent all this time running from my sister, averting my eyes, and trying not to look at her.
If I am to save her, I must face her in the true sense of the word.
I must be the one to sever this decade-long entanglement.
So, I told Ray:
“Please leave it to me. Ray, you just follow my lead.”
“But…”
“It’s fine. This is a problem between sisters… and if we’re to meet your conditions, it’s definitely better if I’m the one to say it.”
“…I see. I’ve accepted your resolve, Maria.”
“Yes.”
And so, I face my sister.
She looked like she truly couldn't understand why the two of us were together.
Because we’re sisters, I know her well.
And I know exactly how to shake my sister’s heart. Because we are similar, our hearts must be the same.
Grasping the arm of the Ray standing beside me, I spoke dispassionately to my sister.
“Big Sister. You see, I’ve decided to date Ray.”
“Eh…?”
It begins.
We are accomplices.
From now on, we shall pile up sins together.
In order to etch despair into my sister’s heart—