A few days later, I received an acceptance letter from the entrance exam. One of the students who passed the exam was caught cheating and their admission was canceled, so I was given an extra pass.
I went straight to Lariensaâs house with the letter of acceptance. She screamed on the spot when I entered, with a confident look on her face.
âAaah!â
It didnât sound like a cheer. It was a really loud scream that hurt my ears.
âOh, my God, Marilyn! Whatâs up with this! Well, I guess weâre just destined not to fall apart.â
I knew sheâd like the news.
âLook. I told you everything would work out. Didnât I?â
âYou donât happen to know the address of the person who cheated, do you?â
âWhat about them?â
âItâs all thanks to them, Iâd like to send them a present.â
ââŚWell, I donât think thatâs a good idea.â
They might think sheâs making fun of them.
âBrother! Brother!â
Lariensa didnât listen to me and was so excited that she jumped down the stairs. Lycan, the brother of Lariensa, looked at me and back at Lariensa with a surprised face, while eating a snack.
He looked at me questionably. I waved the paper at Lycan. That seemed to be enough of an answer for him.
âLariensa, you must be very happy to be enrolled with your friend.â
âI donât have to break up with Marie.â
The original Marilyn and Lycan managed to get along well, but I didnât get along with him very well. It was because Lycan knew I was going to dump a job on Lariensa, or tease her for something.
Lycan was like an ideal brother to many other younger siblings.
âWait! Iâll go buy you something to eat.â
âThen Iâll go.â
âNo, youâre already eating a snack.â
UghâŚâŚ I donât want to be left alone here with your brother!
âThen Iâll come with you, Lara.â
âNo. Youâve been through a lot already, so sit here. Iâll be back.â
âWhat kind of trouble have I been through?â
âYou must have been heartbroken! You almost broke up with me.â Lariensa replied.
Just say yes, Iâm going to cry.
I nodded softly, as if I wasnât worried at all. Then Larien brutally broke open the pigâs stomach(piggy bank), took out the allowance in it, and went outside.
She was going to buy food.
Thanks to Lariensa, who was being considerate, only Lycan and I were left in the house. It was an unnecessary act.
Lycan didnât try to hide his dissatisfaction of being alone with me.
âI also got into the Academy, so why are you still accompanying Lariensa.â
âWould you rather have your third-year older brother accompany you, or a friend of the same grade as you?â
âI thought there would be another chance for Lariensa to make new friends, but I guess not.â
âIf youâre unhappy, complain to the Academy.â
I shamelessly took the spoon Lycan had been using and took a bite out of the pudding he had been eating. It was my favorite strawberry pudding so how could I resist!
Iâm sure he wouldnât do anything to me. He was three years older.
âDid you hit your head too hard or are you just starting to show your true colors?â As expected, Lycan didnât say anything about sharing spoons.
âWhy does my sister like you? I donât understand.â
âBecause Iâm good to her.â
âI know you lied about the cockroach in your house the other day and scared her.â
âAhem, what happened wasâŚâŚâ
Oh, so this is the problem. It was true that I lied to her a lot⌠But that was a little unfair, though.
Even though I told her I was lying, she was so scared that she cleaned the house all day long and gave me a report that there were no cockroaches! I was so guilty that I bought her some bread with my pocket money.
âWhen friends play with each other, they donât cry, scream, or any other experiences like that.â
âItâs already enough having more than one of those experiences.â
Even though he was the pretty Laraâs brother, he hated me.
This serious brother, Lycan, was Marilynâs first love. However, Marilyn is hurt when she overhears what he said to Lariensa next door.
âLariensa, when you enter the academy, keep your distance from Marilyn. Sheâs not up to par with you all the time.â
Of course Lariensa was furious, but Marilyn left without even hearing Lariensaâs outburst. Well, even if she did, would it change the outcome?
âHey Lycan, itâs true that I tease Lariensa alot, but if youâre looking for someone to have a lot if fun with her, just hire a nanny.â
I felt Lycansâ sharp gaze on me, but I didnât care. What is he even going to do to me?
âLariensaâs not a child. If I really was going overboard, she wouldnât even be with me. So, why donât you stop glaring at me?â
ââŚâŚâ
âI donât think a good brother glares at their sisterâs friend like that.â
Lycan gave me a reluctant face.
âDonât pretend to know me when you bump into me at the Academy.â
âHuh? Iâm with Lariensa, how am I supposed to do that?â
ââŚâŚâ
âIf I ignore you, sheâll ask why, and Iâll have to tell her the truth. Donât pretend to know me at the Academy my assâŚâ
âThen only pretend to know me when Lariensaâs there!â
This conversation will come to an end soon.
I laughed and replied with a satisfied smile.
âIf you want, Iâll pretend to know you specifically.â
Lycan furrowed his brows. In the meantime, Iâve eaten a lot more of his strawberry pudding.
âBrother! Marie! Iâve brought back snacks!â
Just in time, Lariensa came in carrying a heavy load of snacks in both hands. Lycan and I took up the luggage that had been in her hands.
I took an apple out of the bag and sliced it. Lariensa took the other food out and set it on the table. I sniffed the air. She had bought a lot of my favorite foods. Thatâs good.
When I patted her on the head, she stuck her head out, as if asking for another. I patted her on the head again as I sneered at Lycan.
You could almost see the veins popping out of his foreheadâŚ.donât tell me heâs going to hit me in front of his little sister?
âWhat did you two talk about while I was away? Itâs not my fault is it?â
âWell, LycanâŚâ
Lycan looked into my eyes for a moment. He was afraid Iâd really tell Lariensa. But Iâm not that mean.
âI said that when we come across each other at the Academy, we should pretend not to know each other.â
Lycan was in his own world, so to him, I looked like a servant. He seemed to be nice, but in his heart, he regarded me as Lariensaâs maid of honor.
In that sense, I hated Lycan, but I didnât want to ruin his relationship with Lariensa.
It wasnât for Lycan. It was for Lariensa, who was nice and innocent unlike him.
âDid you say that?â
âYeah? I asked him to pretend not to know me.â
âHeâs my brother, but he actually cares a lot about you.â
At that moment, Lycanâs face hardened.
âOh, really?â
âIt seemed like he was paying special attention to you right after you fell down and woke up.â
Lycan spoke urgently.
â⌠Lariensa! The fruit isnât fresh.â
âI picked it out myself. Are there any bruises on it?â
âIâll go and pick out a better one.â
But I didnât miss my chance and pried deeper.
âHow did he care for me?â
Lycan almost broke into a cold sweat and tried to interfere with our conversation, but I completely crushed his efforts.
âHe said âItâs different than before. My view of her is different than before.ââ
âIsnât that right, brother?â
âWhen did I say thatâŚâ
Even though Lycanâs efforts to maintain the situation didnât work, Lariensa nudged me.
âWas that why I sensed someoneâs presence beside me and heard someone talking to themselves while I was out?â
ââŚâŚâ
Lycan became similar to a small chick.
ââŚâŚIâm going to go sword training.â
âYou arenât going to eat?â
Lycan went outside without answering Lariensaâs words.
I could see Lycanâs ears turning red outside.
Whatâs with that reactionâŚâŚ.
I was just trying to tease him, but that reaction is so weird. Itâs weird that he was looking after me too! Why was he doing that?
âWhatâs wrong with you?â
Lariensa, who had exposed Lycanâs feelings, didnât understand his reaction.
ââŚâŚâ
I was bothered by Lariensaâs words & Lycanâs red ears, but I pretended to be oblivious.
âLetâs eat first.â
Iâd decided not to eat the rice that day.
***
The news that I was also accepted into the academy was known throughout the whole village.
âYou two have been together ever since you were kids, and now youâre going to the Academy together.
âLariensaâs smart, so I wasnât worried, but Marilyn got accepted too, you guys sure are close.â
âItâs an extra pass, unlike Lariensa, but I still congratulate you.â
Canât you just say congratulations on getting accepted? Why emphasize that Iâm an âextraâ personâŚâŚ
Those were some of the comparisons that made the og Marilyn feel bad.
âMarie.â
It felt weird that Lariensa was mentioned in every one of my congratulatory remarks, but I could still smile because of Lariensa.
âLook. When you knot the ribbon to your school uniform, tie it like this. Okay?â
Of course, dealing with Lara was not always easy. She didnât let a lot of things slide.
She said, âPair your pajamas with the same pink pajamas as mine and match your hairpin with mine. Now, make sure to tie the ribbon of your school uniform the same way as mine.â
âAh, do I have to tie the ribbon like this? We both wear the same school uniform anyway.â
âThatâs why we canât. If everyone else wears the same uniform, then we canât display our friendship.â
ââŚâŚDo I have to tie my school uniform a certain way to display our friendship?â
Larienza nodded firmly.
âOh, and we can ride in a carriage. The Academy says theyâll send a separate carriage for the honor students. My brother was selected as an honor student because of his good skills in swordsmanship. We can ride in the same carriage.â
âI should go and thank him, but did Lycan say I could ride in the carriage, too?â
âI asked him that earlier and he said that it would be hard to get into a carriage with you.â
ââŚâŚâ
ââŚAck! My brother told me not to tell you that, what should I do?â
âŚâŚYouâve already blown his cover?
âI wonât tell Lycan what you said.â Lariensa said it without meaning any harm.
âBut these days, my brotherâs been acting really weirdly.â
âHow?â
âHeâs caring about you a lot these daysâ
âYou mentioned that last time.â
âYes, but even after talking about it, itâs still really weird.â
Somehow I wanted to block my ears. I was wondering if Lycan was going to tell me somethingâŚlike a premonition or something like that.
âIf you go out, I wonder if youâll have enough pocket money?â
âBrother gave me some a while ago.â
âI used to give you my pocket money, but if you say that youâre going out, just give me the money. In the first place, ask me every time you go out. Iâll go with you.â
ââŚâŚIâm seriously worried that you hit your head too hard.â
âIs that so?â
Next to Lariensa, who had just worn her newly bought uniform, I recalled the first time I encountered Lycan after possessing this body.