[12] The First Step Toward a Dream (4)
Rena stared at Shirone as he panted. It wasn't a performance one could judge for musicality, but his grasp of the music's essence was beyond anything she could have imagined.
Who is he? Why would someone like this be working in the household…?
"Ugh, be quiet, you old witch!"
Shirone and Rena both turned toward the hallway.
"If you're back, wipe your feet and go to bed, or at least sing a lullaby! Don't come home and throw a hysterical fit after getting yourself into trouble!"
Rian shuffled in, hair mussed and eyes half-lidded with sleep, idly scratching his washboard abs. He cocked his head when he saw Shirone sitting beside his sister.
"Huh? Shirone, what are you doing here?"
"Well, um…."
If Rena found out Shirone was friends with Rian, it would be a problem.
Rian hadn't thought that far; he mumbled something, then suddenly grabbed his stomach and burst out laughing.
"Puhahaha! No way—did you come back for that?"
Shirone's face flamed with mortification. If Rena learned the truth, how would she see him? How humiliating would it be?
"No! I just popped in for a bit."
"Don't lie. Congrats, Shirone. You've finally become a man."
Rian didn't hold back. Underwear in a family setting was as trivial as a dishcloth, but for Shirone, on the receiving end, the pressure was unbearable.
"What? You two know each other?"
"Shirone? Yeah, he's a friend of mine."
"Rian! What are you saying?"
"Hahaha! It's fine. This witch may have a sharp tongue, but she's not bothered by stuff like that."
Is that so?
Shirone knew Rena was artistic and open-minded, but this was the kind of situation that could create the deepest trouble between a noble and a commoner.
"So your name is Shirone. Don't worry. If Rian says he's a friend, then he's a friend. He's a worthless brother, but he wouldn't mess with someone, I'm sure."
Shirone didn't let his suspicious look fade. He might feel upset being the target, but Rena took his caution as a good sign—true trust often grows from doubt.
"But you're really unusual. How did you do that earlier, with the playing?"
"What? Shirone played? I thought my sister was having a hysterical episode."
Shirone frowned. He couldn't understand calling such a kind, pretty woman a witch or hysteric.
"Rian, why did you lie? She's so kind and pleasant."
"Shirone, don't you fall for it! She's a witch! She might eat you one day!"
Rian grabbed Shirone's shoulder and shook him. His expression was too serious for mere teasing.
"Hoho, sorry. My brother's immature. Still, I'm relieved someone like you is looking after Shirone. He's a pitiful, hopeless brother, but you take care of him, alright?"
Rian walked to the table and poured water. Between siblings, words like that often just bounced off.
"Ah, no. It's nothing…."
Rena watched Shirone scratching his head shyly. At seventeen he should've been grown, but he was still so innocent.
"Hoho, you're really cute."
"If he's that cute, I'll keep him as my own. I wouldn't mind Shirone becoming family. Wahahaha!"
Rian's teasing made Shirone's face the color of a ripe persimmon. Yet it didn't feel entirely bad—he'd begun to feel a quiet fondness for her.
"Oh my! You're that close you'd even hand him over to your sister?"
"What are you talking about? Of course Shirone's like family, but I wouldn't mind giving him to someone like you. He'd be wasted otherwise."
"Ahaha, really?"
Rena sprang up, her leap easily clearing a person's height; Shirone's head swam.
Landing in front of Rian, Rena yanked his ear hard.
"Oww! Ow! It hurts! It hurts!"
"Got you, culprit!"
"Culprit? What are you talking about?"
"The one who played with my underwear. That's you, right?"
"No! Don't pin it on someone innocent!"
"There are only two virile men on the second floor—you and Shirone—and from what I saw Shirone would never do something like that. So it must be you. Admit it. Why would you be interested in a sister who hates it so much?"
Rena had once been a prodigy on par with Rai in swordsmanship. The strength concentrated in her fingers was formidable.
Rian looked at Shirone as if scorched by hellfire. Now the only option was self-sacrifice. If he was going to die anyway, at least let someone else survive.
"All right, I did it! The underwear fell and I was going to wear it! Can't you even give your brother one pair of panties!? Aaaah!"
Rena kept tugging his ear mercilessly; the broad-shouldered Rian could only stand on tiptoe.
"You call that an explanation? If you don't confess honestly, I'll rip your ear off."
"Kill me, kill me! I have nothing more to say!"
Shirone fidgeted. Whoever had started it, they'd both been involved—he couldn't leave Rian to suffer alone.
"Um, actually, I did it."
"Shirone, no! You don't know how scary this witch is! Run away!"
"Rian was just joking and it happened. He didn't mean any harm. I'm really sorry, though."
"Hmm, is that so."
Rena blinked sleepily and eyed Shirone and Rian in turn. She snickered and lightly swatted Rian's head.
"Ouch!"
"Consider your life saved because of Shirone. Do that again and I'll really make you deaf."
Rian rubbed his crown and grumbled. What on earth had driven this witch to come to the house?
"Why'd you come back anyway? You took leave, didn't you?"
"Huh? Haven't you heard? News about Rai."
"We don't pay attention to him."
"He's taking the official certification exam. That's why I came to pick him up. We left the palace with Grandfather, but he said he wanted to meet a friend on the way."
"The official exam?"
Shock flickered in Rian's eyes. He'd always acknowledged the difference—Rai was a genius.
But had it really come to this?
The official certification was every resident's dream in the Tormia Kingdom and a measure of noble rank.
The exam was held once a year, and applicants numbered as many as a thousand.
Yet fewer than thirty ever received the official title.
By comparison there were unofficial certifications issued by palace-designated institutions—for example, the Alpheas School of Magic in Creas City.
Graduating from a magic academy made you an unofficial Rank-10 mage; thereafter you climbed ranks through achievements with guilds or associations.
The difference between official and unofficial came down to recognition by the palace. Unofficials could rival officials in skill, but money and prestige drew most people to the official route, so overall officials were far superior.
That gap showed in the fact that more than half the official exam takers each year already held unofficial certificates.
"Hmph, lucky him. Geniuses are different. His family probably pushes him hard at home."
Rena looked at Rian with a touch of pity. Whether talented or not, he was the endearing youngest sibling; she hoped this wouldn't hurt him.
"I have to go prepare dinner. The seafood from the palace needs cleaning. Shirone, nice to meet you. Say hello next time."
"Y-yes. Goodbye."
Shirone bowed with regret. He wouldn't see them again after he left the mansion tomorrow. But the exhilaration of playing piano with her would stay with him forever.
"Rian, by the way, about your sister—"
"Huh? Why my sister?"
"Well… does she have a boyfriend or anything?"
Shirone regretted the question the moment it left his mouth. Emotions were like a beast locked in a cage—once unleashed, they could run wild.
Rian blinked for a long moment, then grinned, showing his teeth.
"Shirone, you don't mean—"
"Oh, no! Just forget it! I—!"
"Puhahaha! Sis! Sis!"
Rian bolted from the room; a flustered Shirone chased after him. Too impatient even for the stairs, Rian stuck his head past the banister and called down.
"Sis! Shirone asked if you have a boyfriend—!"
"Ugh, stop it!"
Shirone clapped a hand over his mouth just in time, grabbed Rian by the waist, and hauled him back into the room.
"Hmm? What are you talking about? Boyfriend?"
The maids in the kitchen glanced up to the second floor. Rena, cleaning the seafood, gave a wink.
"They're just kids teasing each other. Now we just need to steam it. I removed the poison, so cook it by the recipe."
"Yes, milady."
Once the real cooking began, the maids plunged back into their tasks.
Only the young man who oversaw the household frowned at the earlier noise.
Head butler Luis.
With innate calculation and a meticulous nature, he'd become the youngest head butler in the family's history. Rimless glasses emphasized his cold expression.
"Did you say Shirone?"
The maids may not have known the name, but Luis did. Shirone was the contract boy Temuran had brought for the grand library relocation.
"Why is he with the youngest master…?"
To a man who had sworn his life to the Ozent household's prosperity, this could not be overlooked. Something he didn't know was clearly happening.
His eyes flashed and he summoned a regular butler with an order.
"Tell the deputy butler to come to my room immediately."
* * *
At dawn the great training hall echoed with shouted commands.
Rian trained harder than usual. News that Rai was taking the official exam was like pouring oil on smoldering embers. He would catch up, no matter what—he cleaved again and again with that determination.
Kite watched his pupil's vigorous blade work and was certain.
"He's definitely improved."
Stamina, spirit, technique—everything had leapt forward. With this skill, he could handle a bandit gang near the city without trouble.
But against someone formally trained in swordsmanship, he still had a long way to go. The problem was his schema: Rian's greatest strength—headlong aggression—was acting as a weakness.
His style was fierce and forceful. There were times to steady the mind and grasp the essence, but he insisted only on advancing.
"Everyone has their own way. A flaw like not being cold enough is nothing compared to that burning force. He has no choice but to continue this way. Still, it's a pity."
"Taha! Taha! Taha!"
He swung a war club twice the weight of a greatsword with sheer strength. Accounting for air resistance, it was power that would be impressive even wielding a greatsword. If he could master a schema, the efficiency would skyrocket—Kite already felt a thrill at the thought.
"Enough! Ten-minute break!"
Rian panted and returned to Kite.
Kite saw a flame burning in his student's eyes—the same look he'd seen a year ago.
Back then it had quickly died out, but this time was different. Rai was heading to the palace. Rian's fire would not be snuffed again.
"The young master! The young master!"
A junior butler who worked in the mansion came running, out of breath. He arrived before Rian could finish drinking and blurted the news without pausing.
"It's urgent! Milady requests you return to the mansion immediately!"
"Rena? What is it this time? If it's about my brother I don't care. Tell them to deal with it themselves."
"It's not that. A contracted boy named Shirone is in mortal danger right now."