Starting from the day the quinquennial school festival was announced, our class—or everyone in Harmonia Academy beca busy. The study-oriented special classes shifted their focus for the mont for the upcoming festival.
The Alchemia Cafe we wanted to open was still in ‘concept’ as we were still talking about it, especially the nus. Many enthusiasts people chid in, including those who weren’t so proficient or interested in alchemy. Iris and the other students who loved alchemy beca those whose opinions were asked the most.
As for , Luca, and Kiri, we decided to spend more ti sparring together—especially to train our teamwork. Other students in Interdiate Level’s special class volunteered to help us spar.
It was basically the ti when our teamwork was at its best.
Even the annual ordinary school festival didn’t have this kind of effect.
I guess that’s just how things will turn out to be if it concerns your good na and reputation, huh?
No wonder my forr family really emphasized on their reputation.
Everyone would thrive to have a good reputation.
And there was another unexpected news from my new friends...
“Eh? Really?!” Bewildered, I asked.
“Fufu, yeah. I’m surprised he asked us for sothing this big,” Valerie answered.
“Isn’t he afraid that we’d ss things up?” Dmitria seed to be reluctant, but she also seed happy at the sa ti.
“Stupid! For the sake of our nas and Aneki’s na, we couldn’t afford to ss things up!” Briar scolded Dmitria and seriously said.
“Do your best, Valerie, Dmitria!” I said before adding, “it’s too bad that you’re left out of this, Briar.”
“Well, they have what I don’t. It’s only natural. But I will still do my best in the festival in the way that I can do so Aneki won’t be implicated!”
I smiled helplessly hearing their remarks.
That just showed how far they were willing to go for (especially Briar).
So, when we first started hanging out together, the other students talked bad about us due to the trio’s past title as [The Troublemaker Trio].
Afraid that their association with would bring down my na, the trio changed gradually, and I sotis provided them with advices (or orders, going by Briar’s words).
It was awkward at first, but I was able to chuckle at their behavior in the end.
Perhaps their change was now recognized, or perhaps it was Headmaster Linus’ recognition or even test... that the miracle twins were appointed along with their unusual beast partners to play an important role for the festival’s opening ceremony.
They were asked to open the school festival banner up in the sky at that ti.
I believed that another factor to Headmaster Linus’ appointing them for this task was that he believed their mother would co and the miracle twins would never joke around with this, then.
Either way, I was also looking forward to seeing them riding on their respective beast—one peryton and one hippokamp, flying around before opening the banner in a grand way.
As for Briar, although she wasn’t appointed to anything major, she had to participate at the very least in her class.
It was actually the first ti she took the festival seriously and decided to participate instead of playing truant that so of her classmates were suspicious of her—perhaps the majority—but a few classmates seed to welco her even if it was still with caution, so that she wouldn’t ss things up.
Briar then declared... sothing embarrassing like this:
“In the na of my Aneki—Lyra-sama, I would work hard and show you the fruits of her teaching!!”
I wanted to dig a hole and crawl to it if I were present when she declared that confidently.
However, I felt happy and warm inside as this might as well be the proof that... my life managed to touch others’ lives, and for the better.
That alone made glad that I was reincarnated like this.
When I accidentally passed by Headmaster Linus later that day, he stopped to say a few words.
“What you did with the trio were really good. They really changed for the better. I see the quality of a good educator in you, Lyra. Do you ever think of becoming an educator or soone who plays the role of educating and nurturing others?”
At his words, my mind stopped but for only a while.
I imdiately said a few words in response to him, out of formality. Things such as, “I haven’t thought about it yet, but thank you very much for your pointer, Sensei.”
Then, as I walked away, my mind worked in reflection as it usually did.
Just what do I want to be in the future?
Such things... I never imagined it, nor did I try to question myself that.
Ever since I was Reinst, I never... had this kind of question.
As I thought that my future was set in stone at that ti.
To beco the future queen, to beco a good wife/noble woman that wouldn’t bring sha to her family, while having the talent of swordsmanship befitting of a Grabberton that I could boast about.
But... I am now Lyra.
Such things in my future... Yes, there is none.
I rembered that Mom and Dad once told all of us that we were free to do what we wanted to do.
So, that would an we were free to beco what we wanted to be, right?
In that case, what do I want to be?
Dad’s successor? Alt-nii is more suitable, and isn’t he studying and training hard to help Dad?
Mom’s successor? Can I beco a good head of the royal magicians? But I love swordsmanship so much that fighting with pure magic is unthinkable. Wouldn’t that an another departnt suits more?
Waiting for a good marriage arrangent and becoming a good noble wife? ...I’d like to find soone I really love to be married to, so waiting isn’t an option. And my parents wouldn’t just arrange a marriage for without asking for my opinion.
So...
Should I really beco a teacher? Or at least a tutor? A coach? A magic swordsman? An adventurer? A librarian?
...I don’t know.
I don’t know what’s best for .
Is it about ti I should think about it?
I’m still 11...
No.
I am already 11. An Interdiate Level student, on top of it.
Soon, I will turn 13 and beco an adult. I will outlive my past self.
I know that, but why am I denying it?
The thing with Erneste from before made realize the truth that ti passed by so quickly. Therefore, standing still wasn’t an option.
I also need to change for the better.
...Moving on from the past.
That’s what I ought to do, but... How do I start?
Can I just continue to live like this, without changing anything?
Can’t I face the future without doing anything about my past—like, leaving it just as it is?
Will that cause trouble?
I had spent eleven years of my second life without any major trouble, and I think I’ve changed quite a lot from the ti I was Reinst.
But lately, I feel as if I’m stuck.
And thinking of unpleasant things like the unknown future and every bad possibility would cause to feel so anxious, so uneasy that my head would feel heavy and weird.
But the future is an important matter to think of.
So, I went around to ask other people about their choices.
“I want to roam the world and who knows, maybe I can work sothing out between the dragons and non-dragons!” Carbuncle said.
“An alchemist...,” Iris said, sohow in a more pessimistic tone of voice compared to when she was a Basic Level student.
“A blacksmith!” Harvey enthusiastically answered.
“The head of the Loera family,” Ein said as a matter of course.
“The head of the royal knights,” Kiri also said sothing as a matter of course.
“The—”
Before Luca managed to finish his words, I imdiately cut him off, “Okay, you’re definitely going to be the king. Next.”
I did that because the last two answers from Ein and Kiri made realize I probably didn’t have to ask several people here.
Luca closed his mouth and looked at with irritation, but I imdiately turned around and said, “There’s no need for you to state the obvious. It’s my bad to ask this in the first place.”
Before he managed to say anything, the next person answered.
“I’ll probably be the next duke? Well since the Maozi jewel ca along, I am not so sure anymore, but helping Dad take care of the family is what I want to do in the future,” Alt-nii said.
As expected of Alt-nii, even his timing was good, he saved from bantering with Luca!
“Hmm, let’s see... Becoming an adventurer might be nice. Helping out Master and other werebeasts seems nice too. Sothing like that,” Clavis also said.
“ and Valerie would succeed Mother,” Dmitria proudly announced.
“Nicely said,” Valerie nodded.
“? If possible, then I’d love to be a dancer,” Even Briar had a dream in her mind, and her dream surprised a lot.
“You can dance?!” I imdiately asked.
“Yes, but I’m not that good...”
“I’d like to see you dance!!”
“I-if Aneki insists...,” Briar bashfully said.
“Will you perform a dance in the festival?” I tilted my head as I asked her.
“No, there isn’t the chance to do so and I never really danced in front of others, except for classes.”
“Why?” I didn’t get it. Briar didn’t seem to be the shy type.
“...Because they’d compare with my perfect sister. I’d be seen as inferior and I hate that,” Briar muttered.
“...”
I was rendered speechless by her reasoning.
On top of being compared to your own sibling, to be seen as inferior in sothing you love... it must have been a terrible experience for her. Even so, she still thought of her dream. That must show how much she loves dancing.
“Let see your dance sotis, though. I bet it’d be good,” I closed this questioning session with a smile.
“If Aneki wants to, then that’d be my pleasure!” Briar said with her shining eyes.
...It seed that I just added more score to Briar’s favorability rating?
“By the way, will everyone be walking together during the festival?” I suddenly thought of another question.
“Depends. When our parents co, we will walk around with them. When they aren’t there, let’s walk around together,” Valerie stated.
“If you all can do that, then sure. When you all have to walk around with your family, I can—,” Briar’s words were abruptly cut.
“Mother told us to drag you around at that ti, Boss!” Dmitria chuckled as she patted Briar’s shoulder a bit... hard.
“I’ve already promised my sister to accompany her walk around the school together. And then...,” Kiri seed like he was almost fully booked? Guess that would include the mbers of his adoptive family and his biological family.
“My mom will definitely co,” Clavis smiled.
“My parents really want to co if it’s possible for them, as it is quite a rare chance to visit in school. They also want to see Iris, so...,” Harvey said as he looked at Iris.
“Eh? I-if that’s fine with them,” Iris said.
“I’m not sure yet. Depends on the condition later,” Luca said.
Well, the king and the queen might or might not co. Perhaps they’d be coming incognito?
“Either Mum or Dad will co!” Ein stated, as expected.
“Haha, it seems like everyone’s having arrangents, huh? We will also be with our family mbers, right, Lyra? Let’s just see how it goes. No need to plan everything out. It’s a fun festival, so let’s let things play out nicely by itself,” Alt-nii said as he patted my shoulder.
“Oh... you’re right, Alt-nii!” I smiled back at him.
It was only natural for each of us to use this rare opportunity to spend the ti with other people than our normal circle of friends here in this school. Of course, walking around alone might be a fun option as well, seeing that it would surely be so rry and fun.
My line of questioning continued even after we returned ho.
“A famous detective!” Freyr gave an expected answer.
“A princess! A gardener! A farr!” Freyja gave quite so answers there!
Let’s not mind her dream of becoming a princess since that’s just so typical of girls her age.
It seed that Freyja liked nature, so she gave the jobs that had sothing to do with nature.
“A magician is also good!”
“Yes, a great magician!”
The two of them then announced that as well.
If that was the case, they were more suitable in following Mom’s footsteps as a royal magician than .
I turned towards my parents and asked them on how they decided what they’d like to be.
“I knew I wanted to work at the royal court so that I’d have a good standing in the society. In the past, I was torn between becoming a tutor as I loved learning, or becoming a magician as I really loved using magic. In the end, I was scouted for my talent as a magician, which seed to be more prominent,” Mom explained.
So, she had an idea on where she was headed to, and managed to accomplish it.
“Well, to be honest, I had no plan at all, but I just happened to beco a royal spy and then a duke by fate...,” Dad then thought of sothing as he added, “perhaps my occupation was all Titus’ decision?”
...Good point, Dad.
So, he ‘accidentally’ got his job as a royal spy when he was thinking of putting an end to his corrupt family, and he ‘accidentally’ beca the duke after Titus-sama pestered him to beco one.
Perhaps I was more like Dad, who said that he was lost and didn’t know what he wanted to be in the future.
However, things still worked out well for him.
So, I don’t need to really worry about such things?
Or should I still think more about it as it’s sothing serious that will decide my whole lifeti?
What if I don’t have the kind of luck Dad had...?
As I was about to succumb to my thoughts again, Mom suddenly looked at as if she rembered sothing.
“Right. I know you children are busy with the upcoming exams and the big festival, but there’s also an important invitation sent to our family, and it’s on Day 3 Month 6. Will you co?”
“Ah, that’s right. The Grabberton main family’s son’s 22nd birthday and also the day when he’s going to be officially declared as the next duke and the head of the family,” Dad added.
“Then I should co, Dad! I’m the eldest son and I’m already known as the Hartmann family’s heir, so it would be bad for to not show up,” Alt-nii smiled.
“If everyone cos, Freyja is coming as well!”
“, too!” Freyr followed his twin sister.
“...”
The Grabberton main family’s son... 22nd birthday... be declared as the next... officially...
Dominick Robin Grabberton. Domi. My... past self’s full-blooded little brother.
It’s about ti for him to take over the family from Father?
Does that an he’s also getting married soon?
Speaking of which, I had never asked around about him, for example, who’s his fiancee?
Judging by how the Grabberton family is, he’d definitely have a fiancee.
“Lyra? Will you co?”
Noticing that I was being silent, Mom asked again.
I turned to look at Mom, and when our eyes t, it felt as if Mom’s gaze contained a aning that I couldn’t fathom.
Perhaps she had sothing else in her mind...? Well, being the head of the royal magicians, it’s no wonder if her mind is occupied with other things.
Not wanting for the others to wait for for too long, I imdiately nodded.
“Yes, I will co as well.”
“Then, our family will co in full mbers,” Dad smiled in satisfaction.
I nodded.
I knew that I was no longer in any place to be thinking of this, nor should I really think of it, but it sohow bothered my mind.
By it... I an, the thing about Domi.
In his big day, would I be able to learn a few more things about him?
Yes, I am no longer his big sister. I also didn’t really care about him that much when I was alive as Reinst.
Even so...
The thing that bugs the most is how soone I used to see as a little brother has now grown up way past and that he’d assu an important role in society soon.
How will he fare against it?
I’d like to see that.
Perhaps I can figure sothing out about myself, too.
Even so...
Again, everyone else seems to be walking forward, anwhile...
I am the one getting left behind.
Author's Note:
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