Chapter 2: My Adopted Brother is Here!

Several weeks after I formally accepted Prince Jeord’s proposal, I answered a summons from my father. I walked over to see him after I had finished my daily practice in swordplay. As of late, my family members had stopped recommending that I see a doctor — I wonder why?

On another note, my tutor was full of praise for me again, as usual. “You have done most splendidly today, Lady Katarina. Excellent! Now, we just have to fix your footwork...” such was the prevalent tone of the feedback I had received.

It seemed that they were close to choosing a magical tutor for me, so that part of my plan was going smoothly as well. At this rate, I would be able to dodge Jeord’s attacks elegantly, and maybe even build myself a magical business empire should I ever be exiled from the kingdom. With this, I, Katarina Claes, will deny and defeat all Catastrophic Bad Ends.

Now in a considerably good mood, I hummed cheerfully as I skipped all the way to my father’s study. Little did I know, that upon cheerfully entering the room, more Catastrophic Bad Ends awaited me, like assassins in the dark.

“Oh, my Katarina. Since you have been formally engaged to Prince Jeord, there is no one left to inherit the Claes name! To remedy this, I have decided to adopt a child from one of our branch families.”

With those words, my smiling father held out his hand, and from behind his shadow came a small boy who looked to be my same age. He seemed incredibly nervous — perhaps he felt oppressed by the finery and atmosphere of the manor.

With a wave of his hand, my father introduced the mysterious boy. “This is Keith. From today, he will be your adopted little brother. Katarina, you are his older sister now. Please take good care of him.”

As if on cue, the boy approached me timidly. “...I’m Keith. I will be in your care...” he said, obviously not used to speaking in such a manner.

IT’S HERE! IT’S HEREEEEEE! The second Catastrophic Bad End Flag! With that, my previously upbeat mood was instantly destroyed.

While I knew that this day would come, it felt a little too soon. Actually, it was definitely too soon. I hardly had time to come up with any contingency plans for Keith!

Keith Claes. Katarina’s adopted brother, and one of the four possible love interests in Fortune Lover. In the game’s setting, he was a flirtatious playboy.

Stunned by this development, I stood, somewhat speechless. My father, prompting me with some well-placed eye movements, succeeded in reminding me that I had yet to introduce myself.

“K... Katarina. I’m Katarina. Nice to meet you.”

In response to my fumbled greeting, Keith lowered his head once more. Now only a child of eight, he hardly seemed to be the same person from the game. For one, he was not flirtatious at all. Of course, we would have quite the problem on our hands if an eight year old behaved in that fashion.

Even so, he was a cute and lovable youth — being one of the love interests, this was perhaps to be expected. Just looking at his flaxen-colored, ever-so-slightly messy hair made me want to ruffle it obsessively. His blue eyes were perfectly round — he was impossibly cute.

Come to think of it, I had always wanted a younger sister or brother in my previous life. My parents, however, had told me from a young age that this was no longer possible. What a cold dismissal! As such, I was delighted by the fact that I was now blessed with a younger brother. If possible, I wanted to spoil him in all sorts of ways.

Unfortunately, due to the fact that Keith was a potential love interest of the protagonist, his very existence was a Catastrophic Bad End Flag to me. While I was pleased to welcome a cute younger brother into my life... the very fact that he was a Bad End Flag traumatized me. But he’s... he’s so cute... But... Ugh. Either way, I suppose it was fine for me to be happy, for now.

“.... And so I ended up adopting him into this household. Katarina, Katarina... Were you listening to your father?”

“...Y-Yes father! Of course! I was listening!” When I had come back to my senses, I realized that my father had been talking all this time. I, however, did not absorb any of it.

“And so... Keith is tired from his long journey, as you can see. He will be resting for the day. Take good care of him from tomorrow on, you hear?” My father was right — from Keith’s expression alone, I could tell that he was exhausted.

And with that, Keith was gone, led away by my father to his personal bedroom. After watching them disappear around a corner, I made a beeline for my room, hurrying as fast as I could.

As soon as I got back, I retrieved the papers — the very same documents that I had recorded my memories of my past life on. I personally called it the “Archive of memories on the game I played in my past life.”

Immediately after realizing that I was in the world of an otome game I had played prior to my death, I had set about writing down and archiving as much information as possible. I turned to the appropriate page, locating the entry on Keith Claes.

Keith Claes

A lonely, independent character. He was sired by the patriarch of the Claes branch family, but his mother was a prostitute. At age three, he was taken into his father’s care.

Due to the fact that his mother was a sex worker, Keith was frequently bullied by his older brothers. On one occasion, Keith was pushed to his limit after being bullied by his brothers, and said incident awakened his magical powers. His strong powers struck out at his cruel siblings, injuring them. This act, however, caused Keith to become even more of an outcast.

When the head of the branch family heard that Duke Claes himself was looking for a successor to the name, albeit one with strong magical aptitude, Keith came to mind. The boy was summarily offered to the Duke, and adopted by the main family.

However, the Claes family did not accept Keith as one of their own. His adoptive older sister, Katarina, who received all her father’s attention up until then, came to hate her adopted brother. To make things worse, Duke Claes’ wife jumped to conclusions, assuming that Keith was the child of her husband’s non-existent mistress. She, too, distanced herself from Keith.

Faced with the potential wrath of the young lady and Madam Claes, even the servants of the house were powerless to help him openly. Keith would spend most of his time alone, cooped up in his room. To cover up his childhood trauma and feelings of abandonment, Keith would in turn become a womanizer, building up quite the terrible reputation.

After enrolling into the academy, Keith would meet the protagonist, first approaching her with his flirtatious playboy façade. He would, however, eventually be drawn to the protagonist’s gentle nature, her bright smile slowly healing the pain he had felt over the years. Before he knew it, he becomes the charmed one. For the first time in his life, Keith realizes that he truly loves someone.

As expected, Katarina Claes plays quite the huge role in this route, living up to her villainous reputation. Enraged at the fact that the mere commoner of a protagonist had the gall to speak to someone from the Claes household, Katarina continually bullies Keith and his newfound love, all in the name of keeping the noble bloodlines pure.

And what awaited Katarina at the end of the Keith route was...

In the happy ending, the protagonist succeeds in romancing Keith. Much like Jeord’s scenario, Katarina is stripped of her title and exiled from the kingdom for her continuous harassment of Keith and his love. Soon after, Keith would leave the Claes family, eloping with the protagonist.

In the bad ending, Keith fails to protect the protagonist from one of Katarina’s ploys, and is severely injured and scarred in the process. Having sunken to the depths of despair, Keith summons up a powerful burst of magic, killing his sister in retaliation, before disappearing into the far corners of the lands.

Taking in all the relevant information, I sighed deeply.

How could this be? Why does Katarina Claes have no happy ends?! These are all terrible bad endings! In fact, if anything had changed, it was how Katarina died! By the sword, by magic... To be fair, she worked hard as a villainess. How could she only have bad ends? This is too sad!

And so it came to be that we held yet another strategy meeting, determined to rise up from the ashes against yet another Catastrophic Bad End Flag.

Without further ado, let the second Katarina Claes Catastrophic Bad End Avoidance Strategy Meeting commence.

“Keeping with the trend established by our first meeting, I look forward to your great ideas, ladies.”

“I have a suggestion.”

“Yes. Well then, Lady Katarina Claes, if you would.”

“This Catastrophic Bad End doesn’t differ that much from Jeord’s scenario. Could we not simply continue to hone our skills at the sword, and work towards establishing a magic-fueled business empire in the event of exile?”

“However... in this case, the sword has nothing to do with how Katarina was done in! If she is slain by magic, we will have to counter it with magic of our own!”

“But take into consideration that the enemy has strong magical aptitude. In fact, the only reason why he was adopted by the main family was due to his strong magic! Katarina, who can only use Earth Raiser, could not possibly compare, no matter how hard she worked!”

“In addition, the enemy is ever-present! He is under this very same roof. We cannot afford to let our guard down!”

“N-No... How can that be? What should we do?! We’ve come this far, and even avoided Jeord’s Catastrophic Bad End!”

“In this case... we have no choice. We’ll... have to tie up loose ends.”

“EH?! Do you mean...?!”

“I value my own life, you know. There’s no choice...”

“No... That can’t be!”

“You’ll have to do it yourself. There’s no other way. Although he is the cute little brother I’ve always wanted... nothing can be done! There is no other way! We have to stuff him into a box and throw him down the manor’s longest flight of stairs!!”

“N-No... I can’t do something that cruel...”

“But there are no other solutions!”

“Um. Apologies for interrupting your heated discussion, but... if I may?”

“What is it, Lady Katarina Claes?! Do you have any better suggestions that could turn this entire thing around?!”

“...Yes. To be precise... Keith only fell for the protagonist because her presence healed his loneliness and pain. So... if Keith isn’t lonely in the first place, he wouldn’t fall for the protagonist, would he...?”

“?!?!”

“And... if Keith doesn’t fall for the protagonist, Katarina Claes would not face a Catastrophic Bad End!”

“Wh-What insight! What wisdom! Katarina Claes, you are a GENIUS!”

“Yes! That’s exactly it! This is wonderful!!”

“Well then, all we have to do is ensure that Keith isn’t lonely. Is that the battle plan?”

“Yes, of course. However... how exactly would we ensure that he isn’t lonely?”

“Hmm. How about we never leave him to his own devices... and just spoil him, and stay by his side often?”

“Well, that’s simple enough. All we have to do is shower our adopted brother with love! So to summarize... We just have to do what we wanted to do in the first place! How delightful!”

“Well then, with this, I declare that the appropriate way to disarm the Keith Claes Catastrophic Bad End Flag would be to simply shower him with sisterly love.”

“Agreed.”

“Agreed.”

And with this, the second Katarina Claes Catastrophic Bad End Avoidance Strategy Meeting came to an end.

“To think that all I had to do was love my adopted little brother!” This is far too amazing for me to believe. “I’ll invite him out to play tomorrow...” And with that, I promptly fell asleep.

I did, however, forget one important detail...

In the game of Fortune Lover, even Katarina’s mother picked on Keith, eventually contributing to his suffering and loneliness.

The next day, we were both seated at the breakfast table. Keith seemed somewhat recovered from his journey after a night’s worth of rest. Not wanting to pass up this opportunity, I immediately invited Keith out to play.

“The weather today is delightful — I’ll show you around the garden, Keith. You must not have seen it, given how you went to bed straight away last night.”

“Y-Yes. Thank you very much, Lady Katarina,” Keith said, acknowledging my words formally. My own adopted brother, treating my like a stranger! I puffed out my cheeks in defiance.

“Keith, we are brother and sister, you know. You should call me Big Sister! Also, you can drop the formalities with me.”

“But then, would that not be rude of me...” Keith said, somewhat wary of my suggestion.

“Ugh, we’re siblings, Keith! It’s fine! Also, I’ve always wanted a younger sibling to call me Big Sister. It is one of my many dreams! Please, don’t be afraid to call me that!” I said, my face now dangerously close to Keith’s. In my excitement, I had forgotten to monitor my behavior — Keith now looked adequately taken aback, and was shrinking into his seat.

Then, at my fervent request, Keith finally referred to me as “Big Sister.” Oh, cute little adoptive younger brother of mine. This is pure bliss.

With that, I pulled Keith behind me as I ran out of the manor and into the garden. The clear blue sky and good weather made it a perfect day for a walk. As expected for a duke’s manor, it was pointlessly and impossibly large. In fact, a small stream ran through the grounds, complete with the obligatory pond.

“There are fish in this stream, Keith! We can fish here.”

“...Fish...?” Keith, who had been peeking out at the stream from behind me, seemed surprised as he heard this.

“Yes, fishing! Have you never done it before?”

“...No, I have not...”

“I’m pretty good at it, you know? We should try it together next time!”

“You have... fished before?”

“Yes, I’ll teach you all I know, Keith.” I said, nodding proudly. This only served to amplify Keith’s surprise, however. In fact, he had been like this for the past few minutes.

While I had not yet fished since becoming Katarina, I did fish up baskets of carp and crayfish in my previous life. As such, I had the utmost confidence that I would be able to do the same in this life as well.

Next, I led Keith to the fields. Ever since my first encounter with Prince Jeord, I had received a lot of assistance from the gardeners and servants with regards to my little project, and small sprouts of various vegetables now peeked out of the tilled dirt.

“This over here is an eggplant... And there are the tomatoes,” I said, pointing out the crops to Keith. It would seem that the vegetables in this world were largely the same as those I had seen in my previous life.

“...Fields? Did you... make this field, Big Sister?”

“Yes, I did! In the beginning, I was doing it myself, but I guess it’s a little difficult for a complete amateur. Now, the gardeners and servants help me with it. I promised that we would hold a party and cook up a storm after the harvest. Make sure you have some as well, Keith.”

At my words, Keith’s expression of surprise seemed to have reached its zenith. He had been like this all day. Looking at Keith’s cute face and perpetually open, gaping-in-surprise mouth, I couldn’t help but recall his original character settings.

Keith, who had spent all his childhood cooped up alone in his room. He probably never really had the chance to play outside, let alone see any of these sights. I wanted to show more and more things to him.

“Keith... I’ll show you my favorite place next!” I grabbed Keith’s hand once more, leading him away in a flurry of footsteps.

“Here it is!” I said, pointing to a large tree on the outskirts of the garden. It was the largest tree on the family manor’s grounds, and was my definite favorite. I would often read books under it, or take naps in the shade. But more than anything else...

“The scenery you see from up there is the best!”

It was as I said — the view from the top of the garden’s tallest tree was indeed spectacular. According to my memories, Katarina was not very interested in climbing trees. I, on the other hand, was once known as a wild monkey for my tree-climbing tendencies. Naturally, the prospect of climbing such a tall tree excited me.

In fact, I had marked this tree for climbing quite a while ago, and had eventually managed to make it all the way to the top during breaks from field work.

“Tree climbing...?”

“Yes, tree climbing! Have you climbed a tree before, Keith?”

Keith, with his mouth still open wide and gaping, shook his head in response. That would be a no, I suppose.

“Well then! I will teach you all I know. First, observe my movements...”

With that, I took off my shoes and tossed them carelessly to one side. After hiking up my dress, I latched onto the tree’s trunk and began climbing it.

Although the dress hampered my mobility more than my typical gardening overalls did, such an obstacle could not possibly stop me — before long, I had made good progress. Such was the power of one who was known as the Giant Ape of the Backyard Hills. My tree-climbing had apparently caused my family great embarrassment, however, and many a time they pleaded with me to stop.

I continued my ascent. Now used to the dress, I entered a focused state of mind, increasing my speed as I climbed. Faster and faster I went. The genius of tree climbing, the wild monkey... I had many names, but I did have one flaw...

And that was getting a little too ahead of myself. My parents, and even my teachers often had the same warning to give — in fact, this very flaw was the reason why I had so untimely passed on from my previous life in the first place.

Even after dying once and having been reborn, I unfortunately still had that same flaw plaguing my mind — I suppose old habits die hard.

Having reached the middle of the tree, I turned, waving to Keith at the bottom with a beaming smile on my face. Safety was no longer a consideration. Feeling somewhat invincible, I intensified my waving. This, of course, predictably led to me losing my balance and falling off the tree altogether.

As I fell in slow motion down onto the garden grounds, my previous family’s parting words echoed in my mind. “You fool of a daughter...!”

With a tremendous thud I landed, bottom-first on the ground. I steeled my mind — it was impossible for me to not have been injured, having fallen from such a height.

But... Hmm? It doesn’t hurt very much at all. Am I that sturdy? In fact, it feels like I had landed on something soft...

I turned my gaze downwards.

“K-Keith?!”

Did my cute adopted brother become a soft cushion for my behind when I wasn’t looking?! In fact, why does it look like I’ve landed on him bottom-first, and why is he sprawled out on the ground like that?!

“Noooo! Keith... Don’t die, Keith...! Alas, my poor, cute adopted brother!!” Hugging Keith’s sprawled-out body, I started bawling my lungs out.

Is this punishment for me considering throwing him down the stairs in a box last night? No... it can’t be. To think that I have brought death to my adopted brother with my behind!

My crying intensified as I howled out Keith’s name. “KEEEEEEITH! DON’T DIE!!”

“Um... Big Sister?”

“Don’t die... Who... Who could have known? How could this be? How could I kill my adopted brother with my behind?! Keith...!!”

“Um... are you listening to me, Big Sister?”

“Don’t dieeeee!! KEEEEEEITHHHH!!”

“Big Sister KATARINA!!”

A sudden loud voice snapped me out of my grief. Looking up from the body that I had been hugging, I came face to face with Keith, his eyes now wide open. For a moment, our blue eyes met, and confusion and relief stirred in my chest.

“Keith?! Y... YOU’RE ALIVE!!” Overcome with emotion, I hugged Keith even harder. My adopted brother, however, suddenly became somewhat rigid in my arms.

“Wha— Does it hurt somewhere, Keith??”

“...I am all right. I just... fell on my back. Just a small impact to the back. I’m fine,” Keith said with a faint smile.

He doesn’t look fine to me at all! Keith must be pretending to be all right for my sake...!

“Wait here, Keith. I’ll get some help and bring you back to the manor right away.”

Due to the fact that I had been a commoner in my last life, I was not exactly used to having an entourage, and so I had dismissed my servants prior to setting out. To think that something like this would happen in their absence...

Reassuring Keith despite my own panicked expression, I turned and ran as fast as I could to the manor.

Fortunately, Keith seemed to have just been left with a bit of a bruise — according to the doctor, he would recover in no time.

As I prostrated myself before my adopted younger brother in genuine remorse, Keith, the angel he was, merely said, “I am glad you are unhurt, Big Sister.”

Moved by his gentle nature, I started bawling my heart out once more. With that, I was forgiven by Keith, and was adequately cautioned by my father and the servants to be more careful as I was out and about. With this, my adventure was over...

Or so I thought...

After finishing my dinner, I retreated to my room, ready to roll straight into bed. Before I could do that, however, I received a summons from my mother.

Honestly speaking, I had been making a conscious effort to avoid her ever since the engagement arrangements with Jeord. I couldn’t help but wonder what she wanted me for. In any case, I allowed Anne to tidy up my hair as much as she could, and then made my way to my mother’s chambers.

On my way to her room, a certain detail emerged from the depths of my mind. Come to think of it... in the setting of the game, Katarina’s mother, Madam Claes, also gave Keith quite the hard time, due to the misunderstanding that he was the child of her husband’s mistress.

Yes, now I remember — I heard such rumors circulating amongst the servants when Keith was first taken to the household, probably due to his blue eyes, which are similar to my father’s. To make things worse, the marriage between Madam Millidiana Claes and my father, Duke Luigi Claes, was more political than romantic... which is hardly a rare sight in the world of nobles.

While my father was a daughter-obsessed, somewhat jovial middle-aged man now, he had been quite the playboy in the past, and had no shortage of female suitors who were lining up in hopes of becoming his bride.

Millidiana Adiss, in turn, was the second daughter of the Adiss family, which was coincidentally of similar social standing to the Claes family. With her upwards-slanting, almond-shaped eyes and her somewhat shy demeanor, however, few suitors seemed interested in her.

At the recommendation of Duke Adiss, it was seen as beneficial for both families to be united, with Luigi taking Millidiana as his bride... And that was the short, abridged history of my parents’ marriage.

On the surface, the two didn’t seem to fight or argue, but even Katarina, their daughter, could see that her parents were somewhat aloof from one another. This was why Keith was assumed to be my father’s illegitimate child, given the similarity of their eyes... Thus swirled the rumors amongst the servants.

And that, unfortunately, was exacerbated by the servants claiming that “the young miss has done it again,” due to my tree-climbing misadventure...

Despite all those rumors, I had first-hand knowledge of the game, and knew full well that Keith was no illegitimate child. My mother, however, did not have that privilege. For both their sakes, I had to make sure that the truth of the matter was understood...

At that moment, my thoughts were interrupted by a set of imposing doors — we had arrived. Upon entering the room, I was surprised to see my father and Keith there as well...

W-What is this? I had no clue what was going on. I looked pointedly at my father for an explanation — only for him to glance back absentmindedly, as if he didn’t know what was happening either.

Keith, of course, knew little of what was going on — if anything, seemed to be just standing around in a pointlessly large room.

Finally seeing fit to disrupt the strange atmosphere, my mother started speaking.

“My dear husband, Katarina, Keith... I have an important declaration to make,” my mother said, an expression of deep sorrow coloring her features.

“What is this all of a sudden, Millidiana?” My father’s expression hardened as he gazed upon my mother’s pained face.

My mother, in turn, lowered her head in the general direction of his gaze. Then she said, “Please divorce me, my dear husband, and live happily ever after.”

“...”

Complete silence filled the room in the wake of this sudden statement — my father, I myself, Keith, and even the servants collectively held our breaths.

My mother continued, disregarding our shocked faces. “To take an unwanted woman such as myself as your bride was one thing... But look! Even the single daughter born of my body has turned out to be such a terrible child! To think that she would even have injured your precious son, Keith... I deeply apologize for her actions. I will take this hopeless daughter back with me to the Adiss manor... I only pray that you, my dear husband, will live a happy life with Keith and his mother.”

Having finally said those words, tears streamed down my mother’s face. In other words, my mother wished to be divorced from my father... so he may live happily ever after with Keith’s mother, this supposed, non-existent lover.

She did not know that, of course. Even so... for my very own mother to call me hopeless in front of such a crowd... Hmm. My parents in my previous life seemed to always be saying the exact same thing.

The atmosphere in the room was now completely frozen, with everyone in it seemingly petrified by a cold wind. For a while, no one spoke.

The first one to break that silence was my father. “What are you saying, my dear Millidiana? To begin with, who is this... mother of Keith, that you keep speaking of?”

“You don’t have to hide it! I know that he is the child of you and your mistress. This... wife that you took in the name of a political marriage will disappear with her hopeless daughter. I only pray that you live a long, happy life with your new lover... So there you have it, Katarina. Pack your things.”

My mother wailed, tears continuing to fall from her bloodshot eyes. It almost seemed like she was ready to fly out of the house at the slightest provocation... And she would even take her “hopeless daughter” along too!

While I did understand how my mother was feeling, I never knew that she was this desperate. It seemed like the “I fell from a tree and landed on Keith!” incident had caused a certain floodgate within my unfortunate mother’s mind to burst open.

Will they really divorce each other just like that? Yet another collective silence fell over the room. All the servants and I could do was watch on.

My father, having moved to my mother’s side at some point in time, slowly put a hand on her quivering shoulder. He, too, had a sorrowful expression on his face — as if he was ready to start crying any moment as well.

But of course he would react in this way — he had just been accused of adultery, and was now almost about to be divorced. If anything, it would be strange if he had reacted in any other way.

“...My dear...” My mother looked up at him, her eyes seemingly ready to melt from the sheer amount of tears that had been shed.

“Oh, Millidiana... When we were engaged, I could see in your eyes that there was something dividing us. I had assumed that it was because we had gotten married without your permission and blessing — that you have never found it in your heart to forgive me.”

“...Well, no... that was because you had many other brides to pick from, my dear husband. The only reason you chose me was to improve the relations between our families, was it not? Because of your obligations towards Duke Adiss? You had no choice in the matter, and I had always... regretted, that...”

My father, however, suddenly hugged my mother tight at the end of her monologue.

Eh...? What was this sudden development? The entire room, as confused and surprised as I was, still watched on silently.

“Oh, my dear Millidiana... So that was what you had thought all along? I am so sorry... to not have made clear my true feelings. Because of that... I have caused you so much pain. Millidiana... allow me to say it again. I love you.”

“...M-My dear...”

“When Duke Adiss first introduced me to you, I fell for you there and then... When I heard that the Duke had not decided on a potential engagement for you, I was elated! Beside myself! I decided that I had to make you mine under any circumstances... And so I rushed the entire affair. After that, you always avoided me... I thought that you hated me for what I had done, for forcing you to marry me!”

“...No... In fact, I, too, fell for you the moment I saw you... But I thought that you were just taking me for political reasons, and that you actually disliked me...”

“Oh, Millidiana... It would seem that we have both misunderstood each other.”

“My dear husband...!”

And with that, the carnage of divorce was averted, instead replaced by a dramatic scene of true love. My parents now only had eyes for each other — at least, if the smitten expressions on their faces were anything to go by.

Keith, I, and the servants, who had been watching all this time, could only look on with stunned expressions as my parent’s touching scene of rekindled love played before our very eyes.

“Young miss, young master. It is almost bedtime. Let us return to your rooms...” one of our loyal servants said before shepherding us out of my mother’s chambers.

The other servants left as well — and I was very sure that the world within those closed doors was now strictly reserved for the Claes couple. For a while, we stood outside the room as the servants filed out, before eventually being led back to our rooms.

Before I returned, I wished Keith goodnight, thanking him for his patience throughout the entire affair. Keith responded in kind, albeit with a somewhat troubled expression on his face.

“Goodnight, Big Sister,” Keith said as he retreated to his room.

Hmm. Yes, I suppose he really was tired.

Now that I think back on it, my father often praises my villainess-like face as angelic. To be precise, he often called me “His angel, cutest in the world!” I, of course, took after my mother — so he truly must have found this face we share to be beautiful. In contrast, my father was just flat-out handsome in the most classic sense of the word, but to each their own.

With this, the misunderstandings surrounding Keith were over, and my mother would no longer think of him as an illegitimate child. She would no longer bully him, either — the entire situation was wrapped up, without any more unpleasant surprises.

With that, the sun finally set on one of the most pointlessly long days of my life.

A few weeks had passed since the “Katarina fell out of a tree and nearly flattened her adopted brother” and “The Claes couple’s divorce crisis” incidents.

Since then, there had been nothing but peaceful days. I had finally been assigned a magical tutor, and I was slated to begin seriously training my magical skills soon. Keith, my adopted brother, had gradually become used to the household, and had grown much closer to me.

If I had to describe a recent problem I had been having, it would be that of the black-hearted Prince Jeord showing up at the manor on a regular basis after our engagement. He had apparently heard of my tree misadventure from an unknown source, and turned up to ensure that I was well. I was not injured to a point where I needed visitors, so I calmly explained to Jeord that Keith had cushioned my fall, and I was, for all intents and purposes, fine.

How shameful, given that I had the moniker of “wild monkey” in my past life! In what world do monkeys fall from trees? At the very least, I had only fallen because I was careless — and soon I found myself passionately describing the chain of events to the prince.

For some reason, however, Jeord’s shoulders started shaking as I got to the good part, and I couldn’t tell if he was actually listening to me or not.

On another note, my parents, having overcome the trauma of the “The Claes couple’s divorce crisis” incident, had become impossibly lovey-dovey, much to the embarrassment of their daughter. Often times, I felt like the two should just up and make a whole new world for themselves — at this rate, I was in store for one more brother or sister. Honestly, I would really like for them to calm down soon.

In fact, my mother, who had been so cold and cruel to Keith in the game, had now changed her entire demeanor. Perhaps it was due to her newfound love with my father. All she had to say about Keith was how he would be, “beautiful and dashing when he grows up, just like your father!” In fact, she spoiled him on a regular basis, leaving me, her actual daughter, unattended...

Even my father’s catch phrase changed! He now says “Katarina, you are exactly like Millidiana! The cutest in the world!” on a regular basis.

And with this, the originally fractured and sorrowful Claes family, as per the game’s settings, had now evolved into a warm and loving one.

One day after finishing our swordplay practice, Keith and I visited the fields in the garden. In addition to his overall lovability and gentle disposition, my cute adopted brother had quite the talent with the sword, and was praised by our tutor today as well.

I felt very proud of him, as any good big sister should. I was praised on my constantly improving swordplay too, although there was still something to be said about my footwork.

As expected, the crops were growing well, and seemed bigger day after day.

“I never asked, Big Sister, but why did you make these fields in the first place?” Keith asked, staring at a sprouting cucumber plant.

“Oh, right. I guess I never did tell you about it, Keith.”

I told Keith about the entire process — namely, how I had originally intended to communicate with the origin of my magic, the earth. I had long since forgotten my original intent, and was instead raising the crops as a hobby of sorts.

“...Tilling the earth and working the fields to... communicate with one’s point of origin and improve one’s magic? Something about that... is off...” That was what Keith said as he heard my response, muttering to himself constantly as he gasped and gaped.

Hmm. Haven’t I seen this somewhere before? Perhaps I was just misremembering things.

“Come to think of it... Keith. You have strong magical aptitude, yes? What exactly can you do?”

Keith was, after all, adopted into the Claes family in part due to his magical abilities. At the very least, he would be capable of spells and feats more impressive than my Earth Raiser.

Although I had turned to Keith with a beaming, expectant expression, I was surprised to find that he looked somewhat apprehensive, his features hardening.

“...? Keith? What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing,” Keith said, slowly shaking his head.

“Oh? Well see... I can’t do anything other than this!” With that, I showed Keith my secret hidden technique: Katarina Claes’ Earth Raiser.

A smile returned to Keith’s face. “It’s... tiny.”

“Yes, you see! It is tiny! Honestly! I wish I could make a wall of earth, or maybe an Earth Golem and move it around...” I hung my head, somewhat saddened by my own abilities.

Keith, however, simply stood in place, repeating a single phrase. “Earth... Golem?”

“Yes! I’d like to try controlling an Earth Golem!”

If memory served, Keith did indeed have the ability to control golems made of earth, and he used this power to help the protagonist at various points in the story.

Remembering that particular scene, an idea crossed my mind. If I could control an Earth Golem myself... I would be able to make it do my bidding. A golem doesn’t need any pay or salary — I’d make a good amount of coin! In fact, if I had this ability, I could easily survive outside of the kingdom even if I were to be exiled! I just had to command my golem to build up my own little empire of riches.

“I tried to make one before, but I don’t really know how. That’s right! You can do it, can’t you Keith?” I would be surprised if he couldn’t — it was the very same magic he used in the game.

“...Well... I suppose. But...”

“Please, Keith! A little bit is fine! Show me! Show me!”

Although Keith seemed hesitant, I continued begging him, asking him to just show me a tiny bit of his magic.

“...All right then, but only a little...” Keith nodded.

“Yay! Thank you very much, Keith!”

YES!! I’VE DONE IT! With this, I will earn tons of coin with my magic! I’ll avoid the Catastrophic Bad End! Yes, yes. I might even establish the Katarina Corporation!

I was so happy that I did a little jig on the spot.

Apparently, Keith had played with dolls made of earth when living at his previous home. After his abilities had awakened, his magic crept into these dolls, in turn making them move.

For the purposes of this demonstration, Keith crafted a small golem from the garden’s soil, about ten centimeters tall. As expected of my adopted brother; he was truly capable.

After the golem was adequately set up, Keith placed his hands on his creation and slowly closed his eyes. After a while, he opened them — and the golem started walking about, in small but steady steps.

“Th-That’s amazing, Keith!! It’s moving! The golem is moving!!”

“If I infuse some of my magic into the Earth Golem, I can make it move as I desire...” Keith explained as I continued celebrating noisily.

“Hey, Keith! Are they all of this size?” The golem that had carried the protagonist around in the game I had played was much, much bigger.

“If I infuse even more magic into the golem, it’ll become bigger... Would you like to see?”

Keith had a somewhat conflicted expression as I looked on, my sparkling eyes filled with expectation. I nodded vigorously. After all, what could a ten-centimeter golem do? I would need a much, much bigger golem to expand the scope of my business.

Keith’s expression darkened somewhat, but, perhaps not wanting to betray my eager look of expectation, he once again placed his hands on the golem. Almost immediately, the previously ten-centimeter golem erupted in size, and was now standing at almost three meters tall.

I gave a loud, spirited cheer. “Really! That’s really impressive, Keith! You’re a genius! Hey, hey Keith! Can you move this golem around like the small one just now?” I asked, still cheering wildly.

“...Yes, it can move in a similar way.”

“Please! Move it! Move it!”

“...Well, just a little...”

And with that, the three-meter tall Earth Golem started moving, its steps resounding in loud thuds.

This is it! I finally felt like I was in a kingdom blessed with magic. Honestly speaking, I had not seen any other kind of magic, barring my unfortunately plain Earth Raiser. Though due to Earth Raiser being what it was, even calling it “magic” at all was a little sad.

Magic was a thing that didn’t exist in the previous world that I had lived in, so I couldn’t help but have an idealistic view of it. In fact, many a time I had wondered if things would be different if I were able to use magic.

And now... this is real magic, before my very eyes. I wanted to touch it, to feel that walking, magic-powered golem with these hands. With those thoughts in mind, I slowly approached the walking golem.

Keith, who had been controlling the golem from somewhere behind where I was standing, seemed to have muttered something. I was having too much fun to listen, however. I approached the golem slowly, stretching out my hand. Unfortunately, that was when the three-meter tall golem’s arm began to move.

Maybe the golem’s arm would just lightly make contact with my chest — or at least, that was what I thought. In truth, the impact was much, much stronger. My small body was launched up and away, soaring through the air, before coming to an abrupt landing head-first on the cold, hard ground.

How unlucky have I been lately? All my experiences have been like this!

From the depths of my rapidly-fading consciousness, I could hear Keith’s voice, repeatedly calling out to me.

Ah, there’s my cute adopted brother, worrying about me again... I’m sorry, Keith.

And with that, my vision and thoughts faded to black.

When I awakened, I was on a familiar surface — the bed in my room. Before me was a middle-aged man, his face full of snot and tears. Ah, the equally familiar face of my father.

“KATARINA!! You... You’re AWAKE!” my father exclaimed, hugging me tight.

The force of his paternal gesture sent a dull, throbbing ache through my body. Dear father... quite a lot of your snot has stuck to me, you know. Please. Not the face... Just not on my face. If he kept this up, I would have to wrestle my father’s snot-covered face off my own.

“Katarina... now that you are awake, how do you feel?” This time, it was a question from my mother.

“How do I... feel?”

“Do you not remember? You were launched into the air by the golem that Keith made, and then hit your head on the ground. You were unconscious.”

“...AH! THAT’S RIGHT!” My attempts to dodge my father’s snot had all but caused me to forget why I was in bed in the first place.

Even my mother, who had been mostly fussing over Keith lately, seemed genuinely worried. “Well? How do you feel? We had a doctor come by and look at your head, but other than a swollen bump and a bit of swelling on your back, you are mostly fine.”

“Hmm... My head does hurt a little. Ah... There really is a bump...” I said, feeling the injury on my head with my fingers. There was also a slight, throbbing pain in my back.

“In any case. The doctor has said that you will heal in a few weeks. Until then, be sure you rest in peace and quiet. You are prohibited from going out into the gardens until you have recovered.”

“Ehh? But... But I have to take care of the fields...!!”

My protests were immediately answered with a chilling glare from my mother. “If you keep being selfish, Katarina Claes, I will see to it that you are forbidden from ever entering the gardens again from here on out.”

“N-No... Not that...”

“Until you are better, you are not to venture into the gardens. You will stay here and behave yourself, young lady. Do you understand?!”

“...Yes, Mother.” I retreated into my bed, like a frog caught in a snake’s predatory gaze. “Hey... Anne?” I whispered softly to my personal maidservant, Anne, who had been standing next to me the whole time.

“What is it, young miss?”

“Perhaps I am mistaken, but if memory serves, was Mother not a more... Calm? Person?”

“Yes, I would suppose so. The madam has always been a calmer sort of person.”

“See? I knew it. Why did she become so forceful, then? Did her recent lovey-dovey interactions with Father instill her with unbridled confidence?”

“...Young miss, I believe that a problematic child would cause a once-calm mother to become more... vigorous, if I may say so. After all, parents do change for their children’s sakes...”

“What do you mean, problematic child? Keith is a very well-behaved little brother!”

“...I really cannot begin to imagine the depths of madam’s sorrow...” Anne said, before shaking her head and muttering incoherently to herself.

“Oh, right! What about Keith? Is Keith all right?” I asked, raising my voice unintentionally.

My father, who had been mumbling “Thank God Katarina is all right...!” to himself all this time, blew his nose unceremoniously before answering my question. “Keith returned to his room after the doctor announced that you were all right, my dear Katarina.”

“Is that so? Keith kept calling my name when I got injured... He must be worried sick about me!”

“Katarina... On the matter of Keith...” My father’s expression suddenly tensed up, a marked departure from his previous sniveling self.

“What is it, Father?”

“Well. Keith... Has strong magical aptitude, and he cannot yet control his powers, my dear. This was why he made a promise with me to not carelessly use his powers until we had employed a suitable magic tutor. He would then be able to better control his powers. I believe I explained this to you when you first met Keith, Katarina.”

“...N-No...”

What does he mean? I recall hearing no such... Oh, right! Father did say something when I first met Keith... but I was far too wrapped up in my own thoughts, and ignored it.

“I... I am very sorry, father. I did not hear a single word that you said...”

“Well... I thought that might have been the case,” my father said, a slightly defeated smile on his face. My mother, who had been listening in from the sidelines, had an exasperated expression on her face.

“I did not speak of this to you, my Katarina, but... Keith had once injured his siblings in his previous abode. He lost control of his magical powers, you see. Keith is very afraid of his abilities potentially hurting someone... So I was surprised to hear that he had used it at all.”

I recalled Keith’s initial expressions when I had asked him to demonstrate his magic. While I was too busy drowning in my own excitement at the time, I could now easily see that Keith was evidently unsettled by my request — he had hesitated greatly before showing his magic to me.

“Keith also said... ‘I broke my promise to not use magic, and I also hurt my big sister. It’s all my fault, so I will accept any punishment.’”

“What?! No! This wasn’t Keith’s fault! I asked Keith to show me— No, I pestered him against his will! Also...”

In fact... as I slowly approached the three-meter tall golem, Keith did warn me — I just couldn’t hear him in my excitement. It was something along the lines of... “Stop! It’s dangerous, Big Sister! Don’t go any closer!”

“...Keith also warned me to not approach the golem... But I was too excited looking at the magical sight that I hardly noticed. Keith isn’t to blame! It’s all my fault for getting ahead of myself. I am really sorry...” I lowered my head in remorse, apologizing repeatedly to my father, mother, and even Anne, who had been worried about me all this time.

“So... If there is going to be any punishment, I would like to be responsible and take it all upon myself,” I said, looking up at my father as I did so.

“Thank you for telling us the truth, my cute Katarina. I have no intention of punishing either you or Keith. But then, Katarina... It is also true that you have been a little too reckless lately. You have to rest until you are better — do you understand?” my father said, gently patting me on the head.

My mother, however, kept mumbling to herself. It sounded something along the lines of “...Just because the girl is a little reckless... She is hardly cute at all...”

“I have to apologize properly to Keith...”

“Yes, you should. But! It is already late today. You can do it tomorrow, Katarina,” my father said, looking out of the window as he did so.

It was already pitch black — I guess the sun had set a long time ago. It had been noon when I ventured outside with Keith... I had been asleep for almost half a day.

“Well... I will go apologize tomorrow, then.”

“Yes, that is for the best. And do be more careful from now on...” My father patted my head once more before leaving my room, my mother in tow.

After helping me get ready for bed once more, Anne tucked me in and wished me goodnight.

Keith’s face floated up from the depths of my mind as soon as I closed my eyes. Although I hadn’t paid much attention to what my father had said back then, I knew from my memories of the game that Keith had become even more socially isolated in his previous home after injuring his brothers with his magic.

Before I had completely lost consciousness, Keith had been calling out my name repeatedly, his voice almost a sorrowful wail. What a terrible thing I have done... I would definitely visit him early in the morning, and apologize properly.

Swearing upon my name to do just that, I closed my eyes and finally fell asleep.

That vow, however, was soon to be broken — because Keith wouldn’t come out of his room the next morning.

On the day immediately after I had been sent carelessly flying by the Earth Golem, I made a beeline for Keith’s room, intending to apologize in a proper manner. I knocked repeatedly on his door. Perhaps he was not yet awake, but I received no answer.

If he really was sleeping, I would feel bad for disturbing him. Either way, I figured that Keith would show up at the breakfast table... but I was soon proven wrong. With the seat next to me empty, it was plain to see that Keith had decided to skip breakfast altogether. Even my parents seemed worried.

My mother quickly leaned forward, a suspicious look on her face. “Katarina... what did you do to Keith when you visited his room early this morning?”

How rude, mother! I haven’t done anything! Yet!

Even so, I immediately headed over to Keith’s room again after my breakfast as an unsettling sense of worry flooded my mind. Again, I knocked rapidly on Keith’s door, just as I had done so in the morning. Still not receiving a response, I called out to Keith from beyond the door instead.

“Keith! It’s me, Katarina! You weren’t at breakfast... Are you perhaps unwell?”

At that, a weak voice responded to me from beyond the door. “Big Sister...”

“Yes, it is I, your big sister. What’s wrong, Keith? Does your stomach hurt? Are you all right?”

“...I’m fine... More importantly, how are your injuries, Big Sister?”

“Those? Ah, yes. I’m fine. It’s just a little knock on the head! It doesn’t matter. Keith... I’d like to speak to you. May I come in?” I had to apologize for the events of yesterday.

However...

“I’m sorry. I cannot let you in.” Keith’s response was one of rejection.

“Wh... Why?”

“...I can no longer be by your side, Big Sister.”

After that, no more voices came from beyond the door to Keith’s room.

What is going on? Does Keith suddenly dislike me?

In any case, waiting around at the door was no solution — I placed my hand on the knob and gave it a good turn. But alas, it was locked, and the knob rattled in my hands haplessly.

No matter how many times I called out to Keith to open the door, there was no response. What should I do? If this continued on... Keith would hate me, and remain confined in his room... Confinement » Loneliness » Enrolls in the academy lonely and sad » Is healed by the protagonist when he meets her eventually » Loves the protagonist » Katarina becomes an obstacle » Katarina is exiled or killed by magic.

Wait... What? This is bad! This is really, really bad! This is now a straight line towards a Catastrophic Bad End!

To fight this, I put my entire being into opening the door. I was, however, interrupted in middle of my efforts by the familiar voice of Anne.

“Young miss... What exactly are you doing?”

“Keith has locked himself in and won’t let me see him!”

“Well... Perhaps Keith would prefer that you do not enter, young miss,” Anne said, her eyes focused on me in a cool, pitying gaze.

“Ugh... I... I suppose that may be the case... But Keith sounds strange! He isn’t himself, Anne!” I was desperate.

“In any case, if you would really like to enter, young miss, there is a spare key in the servants’ room... Young miss!”

As soon as those words had left Anne’s lips, I made a mad dash to the aforementioned room... Only to be greeted by yet another depressing sight — Keith had anticipated this, and had removed the spare key from its hook prior to locking himself in.

You are... too clever, Keith. However... with this, I understood. Keith was fully intent on shutting himself in. This is bad! Really bad! If this is how it’s going to be... I have no choice. I have to employ my ultimate solution.

I ran to a certain place, picked up a certain object, and once more returned to Keith’s door.

“Oh, young miss. Have you found the ke— What are you doing, young miss?! What exactly is that in your hands?!” Anne, who had been waiting for me in front of the door to Keith’s room, raised her voice in alarm as she caught sight of me.

I responded to Anne amidst my rapid breaths. “I am OPENING this door. If Keith continues being shut in like this, a disaster will happen!”

“D-Door?! You can’t possibly— You’re opening the door with THAT, young miss? H-How? Are you... going to break it down? Let’s calm down, young miss. Please, please put that thing down.”

Anne tried desperately to calm me down, but I was already pushed to my limit. There was no other way. After all, if I just idly sat and let this go on, the Catastrophic Bad End that I had so painstakingly avoided would come back to haunt me again.

“...Keith. Step back from the door,” I said loudly.

And then, with a deep breath, I raised the axe that I had retrieved from the garden storage shed over my head... and swung it down onto the door.

“YOUNG MISS!!”

And so it came to be that the sounds of metal on splintering wood, mixed with Anne’s alarmed cries, echoed through the Claes family manor.

Having finally destroyed the door, I stepped into the room, only to see Keith sitting on his bed, his eyes staring at the doorway in shock. I supposed he could not make any sense of this situation. Behind me, Anne had apparently run off, screaming something about the young miss to the other servants.

Well, the door can wait. For now, I have to apologize.

“...Big Sister...” His eyes open in a familiar gaping expression, Keith seemed frozen to the spot as I walked towards him.

And then...

“I’m sorry for yesterday!!” I said, getting on my knees.

I lowered my forehead, my skin touching the cold ground. Yes, Katarina Claes was prostrating herself once more. I personally felt that an apology was meaningless unless I had adequately expressed my sincerity.

“I’m really sorry for forcing you to use your magic, and for being unreasonable...! And for not listening to your warnings about not touching the golem!! I’m so so sorry for having worried you!!” I said, my head still very firmly pressed against the ground.

Before I knew it, Keith was kneeling down next to me, his voice shaking. “...Why? Why are you apologizing, Big Sister...? I... I am the one at fault...”

“What are you talking about?! I am the one who was wrong! I asked you to do something you didn’t want to do, Keith!!”

Keith hung his head at my words, his voice impossibly strained — as if something was squeezing his very heart. “...A-Are you not... afraid of me, Big Sister...?”

“Afraid?” What does he mean?

Well yes, Keith, I would be scared out of my wits if you had fallen in love with the protagonist and shoved me into a Catastrophic Bad End. C-Could it be?! Did Keith already hate me enough to consider getting rid of me?! Was I at the bad end I had so desperately sought to avoid?!

“...In my previous abode... I ended up hurting my brothers with my magic. This time, I hurt you, Big Sister. Although my magic is strong, I can’t control it at all...”

I swallowed deeply at Keith’s words. So he does hate me... for forcing him to use his magic...! Is it coming? The Catastrophic Bad End? Which is it?!

“...Even though I have strong magical aptitude, I cannot control it well, and I end up hurting people... Even so, are you not afraid of me, Big Sister?”

“...Ha?” His voice was far from enraged or hateful. This isn’t a bad end?

“Ahh. You meant it that way, I see...” Relieved, I gave a deep sigh of relief.

At my words, Keith, who had been hanging his head up until now, suddenly looked up at me in confusion. My eyes met with his — they were a sparkling, beautiful blue.

“If you can’t control your magic... you just have to work hard from now on, right?”

This was true — Keith was able to control his powerful magic in the game without any issues. As he was now, Keith was only a child of eight. It would hardly surprise me if he learned to control his magic well before he enrolled into the academy.

“Soon, father will appoint a magic tutor, and we can be adequately taught! We can even practice our magic together!” I said, with a smile that was as bright and wide as my sense of relief at having lived to see yet another day.

At that, Keith, who had been quiet up until now, suddenly spoke. “...You will... stay by my side, Big Sister?”

“Of course! I’ll stay with you forever! Unless... you don’t like me anymore, Keith?”

Keith shook his head rapidly, dramatically turning this way and that. It seemed that Keith did not hate me after all. What a relief.

“So... even if anything bad happens from here on out, you can’t lock yourself in your room— Keith! What is it?!”

Although I was relieved mere moments ago, I was once again thrown into a state of alert at the sight before me — huge drops of tears were rolling down from Keith’s blue eyes.

“Keith?! What is it?! Does it hurt somewhere?!”

I panicked at the sight of the suddenly crying Keith. Were we not talking normally just now? What have I done now?! Although I continued to desperately pat him on the back, Keith would not stop crying.

As Keith continued bawling, I could only sit next to him in a daze, unsure of what to do.

“...Katarina. What... Exactly. Have you done?” a low, almost gravelly voice graced my ears from the entrance of Keith’s room. Turning around, I saw none other than my mother, her features contorted in an almost demonic rage.

“Katarina... Do you not remember how you promised you would rest quietly in your room until you were recovered, just yesterday...? What exactly is the... pathetic state of affairs in this room? You have even made your adopted brother cry... What, exactly, is going through that head of yours right now, I wonder...?”

“Ah... Um. Mother, this is...” I felt my blood freeze in my veins — as if I had been lowered into a cage filled with circling lions.

“Katarina. Come. To. My. Room.”

“...Eek!”

Grabbing me by the collar, my mother comforted Keith in a soothing manner. “Oh my dear Keith. You must have been so frightened. Don’t worry... I will take this one... away from you. Everything is all right now.” Then she turned to me with an expression that could only be described as the polar opposite of soothing.

“...M-Mother. Wait. This is...” Although Keith himself tried to raise his head and say something in my defense, he had cried a little too much, and could not find the words.

Before I realized what was happening, a wall of servants had assembled outside Keith’s room. But it would appear that my father, who loved his daughter more than anything else in the world, was not present.

And that was how I ended up being forcibly removed and dragged to my mother’s chambers, with my only allies unable to defend my actions. For the next few hours, I was continuously lectured by my mother, who seemed nothing less than a demon as she doled out my psychological punishment.

When I was finally released from my torment a few hours later, I made my way back to my room, exhausted from such exertion. Anne already had a pot of tea ready for me; I could feel the gentleness of her actions soothing my heart. I suppose I should forgive her for having reported the axe incident to my mother.

I drank deeply from the cup, heaving a final sigh of relief. Come to think of it... is Keith all right, having cried that much? I turned to Anne, hoping for answers.

“After a while, he seemed to have calmed down.”

“Is that right? That’s a relief. But why would Keith suddenly start crying like that...?”

“...With all due respect, young miss. Given that you had suddenly destroyed a previously locked door with an axe in your hands, before approaching the person within while still holding the weapon... How do you think Keith would react?”

“...Ugh... Th-That was...”

“If it were me, young miss, I would be screaming, crying in fright.”

“...I suppose I should apologize to Keith.”

“Yes, I suppose so. But do take care, young miss. Perhaps he would start bawling again at the very sight of you.”

Anne’s cool stare quickly caused my relief to dissipate. Thinking about it calmly, I supposed breaking down his door with an axe was indeed a little too much. I was too afraid of the Catastrophic Bad End... Why didn’t I think of just picking the lock with a needle?

But of course, I could not undo what was done — and with my head hung, I trudged over to Keith’s room, once again with the intent of making amends. Unexpectedly, however, Keith welcomed me with a big smile on his face, before going on to say, “You aren’t scary at all, Big Sister. Let’s stay together from now on!” Really, he was the cutest thing.

In fact, Keith even begged my mother for clemency on my behalf. Thanks to that, I was allowed back at the dinner table that night. My adopted brother is the absolute best — not only was he cute, he also had an exceedingly gentle soul.

And with this, the “Keith locked himself up inside his room?!” incident ended on a peaceful note. I made a mental note to spoil him and ensure that he would never be alone again in the future.

In the aftermath of this incident, however, my mother decided to send me for lessons on social etiquette...

With that, I avoided yet another Catastrophic Bad End, but was forced to attend stuffy lessons on the manners of nobles by my demonic mother.

★★★★★★★★★

On my eighth birthday, in the season of spring, my name became “Keith Claes.” This was the second time I had my name changed in my short life.

The first time it happened was when I was three years of age. Until then, I was told to keep quiet and sit in a tiny room. If I were ever just a little loud, I would be punished physically, or have my meals taken away. And that was how I spent my days quietly in that tiny room.

One day, however, a man I had never seen before took me away on a grand horse carriage before bringing me to a beautiful mansion. On that day, I met my father, along with my adoptive mother and brothers. Although I was still very young, I could tell from their cold stares that I was not welcome in the least.

From the rumors I had heard from the servants later on, it became clear to me that I was an unwanted child — my mother, who was a prostitute, pushed me into the hands of my biological father.

I could not ever refer to my parents as “Father” or “Mother” — I did not have that privilege. Similarly, I had to speak in a formal tone of voice to my brothers. In the beginning, I did not know how to speak formally, and as such was punished many, many times. I did not have a seat at the familial dining table either — I ate alone in my room.

My so-called parents largely ignored me and pretended I did not exist — that much was acceptable to me. My brothers, however, saw me as something that should be bullied, and persistently stuck to this belief. They would punch me, kick me, and occasionally even lock me up in the storage shed for an entire day.

As such, I tried as best as I could to avoid my adoptive brothers, and this was achieved by staying in my room for most of the day.

After a while, however... that happened.

I remember the day well — the weather was fair. From the window of my room, I could see some small birds building a nest on a nearby tree.

Becoming somewhat engrossed in watching the bird on account of its nest-building fervor, I forgot my own place and slowly wandered out of the house to get a better view. Soon, I found myself beside the tree outside.

Unfortunately for me, my brothers chose that moment to exit the house as well. My adoptive brothers soon surrounded me, verbally and physically abusing me. “You son of a whore!” they taunted as they kicked and punched me. I curled myself up as usual, enduring the pain as I waited for it to pass.

That was when it happened: one of my abusers noticed the small birds nesting on the tree.

“Hey. There’s a bird there, see.”

“Oh wow, yeah I see. Who gave it permission to build a nest on our land? Cheeky little bugger. We’re knocking it down!”

My adoptive brothers started hurling rocks at the bird. Soon, the nest that the birds had worked so hard to build was destroyed in a shower of pebbles. The birds themselves also fell victim to the projectiles, emitting a pained series of chirps.

“...Stop this!!” I shouted without thinking. As the words left my mouth, something hot and searing seemed to pour forth from the depths of my heart and body.

Without warning, some large objects fell from the sky — before I knew it, my adoptive brothers were on the ground, their arms and legs pinned.

Scattered across the ground were some oddly-shaped pieces of packed dirt, approximately the size of an adult fist. I supposed these bits of compacted earth were the objects that had fallen from the sky earlier on.

The bits of earth were quite hard — they had left small craters where they had landed. It would appear that my adoptive brothers had been hit by some of these hard pieces of earth, and were injured.

What was all this? I could only stand there, shocked.

After a while, my brothers were carried to their rooms by some servants who had come out to check on them. A doctor was called. From his diagnosis, it was discovered that my brothers suffered from multiple impact wounds across their bodies, along with some terribly broken bones.

The one who had injured them was none other than me. To be more precise, it was my earth magic that had awakened, and I had used said magic.

From that day on, I became even more isolated and ostracized in this mockery of a home that I lived in. Unless it was absolutely necessary, I was prohibited from leaving my room, and my adopted brothers gave me a wide berth. They were, in fact, absolutely terrified at the sight of me, running away with screams of “monster!” and the like.

This not only applied to my brothers — even my adoptive parents and their servants avoided me. While they did not run away like my adoptive brothers did, their fear was reflected in their eyes.

I was tormented by their gazes — and so I kept myself cooped up in my room, being as quiet as possible. Days, months, and eventually years passed. Then, another man I did not know came to my room.

“In recognition of your high magical aptitude, it has been decided that you will become the adopted child of Duke Claes’ household.”

And just like that, I was packed into yet another horse carriage, to be brought to yet another place. Although I had lived at my previous abode for five years, not a single person came out to say goodbye.

As soon as I arrived at my destination, it became evident to me that this manor was in a class of its own — it was bigger and grander than my previous abode ever could be. From the intricate vases to the carpets and rugs lining the hallways, the very manor itself exuded an air of refinement.

My new father was none other than the master of the manor, Duke Claes.

“Hello, are you Keith? Welcome! Welcome to the Claes family,” he said, addressing me with a smile. I had never been welcomed in such a way in my life — caught unawares, I stood, perplexed and at a loss for words.

Almost immediately, the duke set about introducing me to the rest of his family. Madam Claes seemed somewhat aloof as she regarded me with a cold gaze. And then there was her daughter, the Duke’s only child — Katarina Claes.

My adoptive brothers in the past bullied me on an almost daily basis — honestly, the very concept of having siblings terrified me. If possible, I wanted to give my new adoptive sister a wide berth, or at the very least just stay out of her way.

After a short exchange of introductions and pleasantries with Katarina, I was brought to my new room, and told to have some rest. Due to my sudden journey from my previous abode, I was terribly tired, and soon fell asleep on this large, foreign bed.

The very next morning, I sat at the breakfast table with the Claes family. This was the very first time I had partaken in a meal with other people at the same table. The food was impossibly delicious — more delicious than anything I had ever eaten in my life.

My heart was filled with a strange sense of warmth. After my meal, I made to return to my room when...

Unexpectedly, Katarina approached me, offering to show me around the grounds. If possible, I would have wanted to steer clear of her... I did not expect her to approach me instead.

“I will show you around the garden, Keith,” she said.

Instinctively, I responded formally. “Thank you very much, Lady Katarina.”

“Keith, we are brother and sister, you know. You should call me Big Sister! Also, you can drop the formalities with me,” she said.

I was overcome with surprise. Up until now, I was not allowed to refer to any of my family members in such a manner — not even my siblings. Then, as if to reinforce her point...

“Ugh, we’re siblings, Keith! It’s fine! Also, I’ve always wanted a younger sibling to call me Big Sister. It is one of my many dreams!”

It would seem that Lady Katarina wished for me to address her as “Big Sister,” and so I obliged. Katarina, seemingly greatly satisfied by this, responded with a happy smile.

With that, the two of us stepped out into the manor’s gardens. Katarina, deciding to take advantage of the pleasant weather, led me around every corner of the gardens.

After speaking with her for a while, however, I came to realize that Katarina Claes was a little... different than most noble little ladies.

“I’m pretty good at fishing, you know? We should try it together next time!” she said, extending me an invitation. Before long, she was off on another tirade, explaining passionately how she had tilled the earth and planted crops in some fields.

Although I had been cooped up in rooms all my life and had never fished or tilled the earth before, I did not recall seeing my previous adoptive brothers do anything of the sort. In fact, it occurred to me that most other noble children did not engage in such pursuits. All I could do was maintain a somewhat surprised expression as these thoughts raced through my head.

“I’ll show you my favorite place next!” Katarina grabbed my hand, running off in one direction or another. Before long, we were standing before the tallest tree in the garden.

“The scenery you see from up there is the best!” Katarina said, her eyes sparkling with excitement. She then went on to tell me about how she was particularly skilled at tree-climbing.

I, in turn, told her that I had never done anything like it.

“Well then! I will teach you all I know. First, observe my movements...”

Katarina kicked off her shoes and hiked up her dress. Before I could respond, she was off, climbing the tree earnestly.

I could only stand, still shocked at what I was seeing. Katarina was making good progress, though the mental strain of being almost able to see up her dress as she climbed took a bit of a toll on me.

Katarina, however, paid this no heed, continuing to quickly scale the tree’s trunk — and then, right as she was in the middle of her journey, she turned to me, waving with a big smile on her face.

And then... it happened. Katarina lost her balance and swayed dangerously.

“Watch out!” I shouted as I ran up to the tree.

With a sudden thud, Katarina landed — right on top of me. The impact of her fall passed through my being, and for a while, my consciousness seemed to fade.

After a while, however, I came back to reality, only to find myself in Katarina’s arms.

“KEEEEEEITH! DON’T DIE!!” Katarina wailed, over and over again, until she finally noticed that I was all right.

“Keith?! Y... YOU’RE ALIVE!!” she shouted, hugging me with incredible strength.

I froze up on the spot. It was the first time I had been embraced by anyone.

“Wha— Does it hurt somewhere, Keith??” Katarina asked, concerned at my behavior.

It was the first time anyone had been worried about my well-being. Again, I was perplexed... Bewildered. Honestly speaking, I was not seriously injured, and did not suffer from any excruciating pains. I was, however, unsure of what to do in such a situation.

Katarina, however, seemed to have mistaken my confusion for some sort of severe injury. “Wait here, Keith. I’ll get some help and bring you back to the manor right away.”

And with that, Katarina ran, not bothering to put on her shoes as she hiked up her dress. She raced towards the manor at an incredible speed. Looking at her rapidly shrinking silhouette, I was somehow filled with a strange warmth, just like I had been at breakfast.

That very same night, Madam Claes called us all into her room and asked the duke for a divorce. After some conversation, it became evident that she had misunderstood several things, and the two were soon lovingly together again.

After that incident, Madam Claes’ disposition seemed to change — indeed, she was gentle and kind towards me. Of course, Duke Claes himself was kind and loving too.

My adoptive sister, Katarina Claes, taught me many things. I was taught, for the first time in my life, how to fish.

“Keep this a secret from mother, all right?” she said as she taught me how to climb trees.

When I was praised by our tutor for my skill at the sword, Katarina was happy for me — as if she herself were the one being praised.

Every day was vibrant and enjoyable. I felt truly blessed... and so I forgot. I forgot that I was a monster who had hurt others with my magic — dangerous magic that could not be controlled.

That day, Katarina and I visited the fields after our swordplay training session. The various plants that Katarina had cultivated were finally starting to grow. As we spoke about the various aspects of fieldwork, the conversation shifted to the topic of magic.

“Yes! I’d like to try controlling an Earth Golem!”

An Earth Golem... The infusion of magic into a figure made of earth, and to subsequently control it — such was the nature of this specific ability. It was also the kind of magic I used.

I had, in fact, discovered it coincidentally. I was playing with some dirt, shaping it into dolls while cooped up in my room. In my previous abode, I hardly interacted with anyone. To compensate for this, I made these dolls and sat next to them as I had my meals.

I had, however, promised Duke Claes to not use my magic. Although I had strong magical aptitude, I did not yet have the skill to control it. Due to my history of having injured my previous adoptive brothers, the Duke said that he would find a suitable magic tutor who would in time teach me to control my own abilities.

Katarina, however, stared at me with such expectant eyes that I gave in — I decided to show her just a little bit of my magic. She, for her part, was greatly pleased with my little walking golem, and immediately asked if I could make it bigger...

And so I did, only to find that I could not control a golem of that size.

Swept up in her excitement, Katarina approached the golem despite my warnings, and was soon sent flying by the golem’s fist. Katarina’s small body soared through the sky.

This time, I could not catch her — she fell head-first onto the cold, hard ground.

After she was transported to her chambers by some servants, a doctor was called to give Katarina an in-depth check-up. I heard that she had just hit her head and passed out, but otherwise she was fine.

I looked at Duke Claes, who was watching over his unconscious daughter with a concerned expression on his face.

“I broke my promise to not use magic, and I also hurt my big sister with it. It’s all my fault, so I will accept any punishment. I am really, really sorry. Please feel free to chase me out of the household if you see fit...”

Duke Claes looked at me, visibly troubled. “About this incident... we should really wait to hear from Katarina after she has woken up. We will discuss it then. More importantly, Keith... You look really ill, as if you would fall over at any moment. Katarina will be fine for now. You should rest in your room.”

With that, the duke led me out of Katarina’s room. That night, I heaved a sigh of relief as I heard that Katarina was none the worse for wear. Although I wanted to go and meet her right away... I could not. I... I was afraid.

The very next morning, I could not leave my room. For the very first time since I had lived in this manor, I missed breakfast.

About when the family’s breakfast service had ended...

“Keith! It’s me, Katarina! You weren’t at breakfast... Are you perhaps unwell?” Katarina’s voice called to me from beyond the door.

“Big Sister...” Without thinking, I responded to her.

“Yes, it is I, your big sister. What’s wrong, Keith? Does your stomach hurt? Are you all right?” Although Katarina was the one who was injured by what I had done, she seemed more concerned about my well-being.

“...I’m fine... More importantly, how are your injuries, Big Sister?”

“Those? Ah, yes. I’m fine. It’s just a little knock on the head! It doesn’t matter. Keith... I’d like to speak to you. May I come in?”

I was relieved at how cheerful Katarina was. Honestly... I wanted to see her. I wanted to see her right away. But...

“I’m sorry. I cannot let you in.”

“Wh... Why?”

“...I can no longer be by your side, Big Sister.”

I wanted to see her. But no matter what I did, the image of Katarina passing out stayed anchored in my mind. I wanted to see that she was well and happy... But I could not do that. I could no longer be by Katarina’s side.

I, being the monster I was with my magic that was perpetually out of control, would only hurt Katarina if I remained here. Gentle, kind Katarina, who taught me many, many things. And yet, I hurt her.

Although Katarina continued talking at the door, I buried my head in the pillows, curling up into a ball on my bed. To begin with, I was all but used to living alone in a small room... So I would continue living like this on my own, and thus never hurt anyone important to me ever again.

After a while, I could no longer hear Katarina’s voice. I suppose she gave up on me, and I deserved it, after not having once responded to her voice. That was all I could think about as I remained alone in the darkness.

“...Keith. Step back from the door.”

I had thought she had given up — but there was Katarina’s voice again. In spite of myself, I turned to look at the locked door, only to see it suddenly splinter and fall to pieces before my very eyes.

At the entrance, silhouetted by the light, was Katarina, with a resolute expression and an axe in hand. Again, I was stunned. Katarina had destroyed the door to my room... and had now stepped into it.

And then...

“I’m sorry for yesterday!!” Katarina was on her knees before my bed, and had lowered her head so deep that it touched the ground. “I’m really sorry for forcing you to use your magic, and for being unreasonable...! And for not listening to your warnings about not touching the golem!! I’m so so sorry for having worried you!!”

I slowly got off from my bed, kneeling next to Katarina. “...Why? Why are you apologizing, Big Sister...? I... I am the one at fault...”

“What are you talking about?! I am the one who was wrong! I asked you to do something you didn’t want to do, Keith!!”

Why did this person approach me again? Why was she saying what she did? I had thought that she would be afraid of me, as I had hurt her with my magic. Even so...

“...A-Are you not... afraid of me, Big Sister...?”

“Afraid?”

“...In my previous abode... I ended up hurting my brothers with my magic. This time, I hurt you, Big Sister... Even though I have strong magical aptitude, I cannot control it well, and I end up hurting people... Even so, are you not afraid of me, Big Sister?”

I told her of the incident that had happened before. With this, I was sure that Katarina would never show herself before me again.

I was... scared. That I would hurt Katarina... but even more so, the possibility that everyone would stare at me with those eyes again. Those eyes filled with fear — just like my previous family’s.

I was... scared. Afraid... of being labeled a monster once more. This was why I refused to meet Katarina’s gaze, even as she stormed straight into my room. If her eyes were filled with fear, I...

I held my breath, awaiting Katarina’s next words.

“Ahh. You meant it that way, I see...”

Those were not the words I was expecting. Confused, I slowly raised my head. My eyes met with hers — Katarina’s aqua-blue eyes.

“If you can’t control your magic... you just have to work hard from now on, right? Soon, father will appoint a magic tutor, and we can be adequately taught! We can even practice our magic together!” Katarina did not have the slightest hint of fear in her eyes. Instead, it was filled with a gentle warmth, accentuated by her slight smile.

“...You will... stay by my side, Big Sister?”

“Of course! I’ll stay with you forever!”

Being alone was painful and sad. I wanted... to be with someone. But no one would stay by my side. If I approached them, they would shout at me, calling me “son of a whore” or “monster.”

I had all but given up and thought that no one would want to be with someone like me.... But there she was; the face of a smiling young girl, saying that we’d be together forever.

“So... even if anything bad happens from here on out, you can’t lock yourself in your room— Keith! What is it?! Does it hurt somewhere?!” Katarina raised her voice in alarm as she looked upon my face.

Wondering why she was so worked up, I raised a hand to my cheek... only to find that it was wet. Tears were streaming from my eyes. Ah, I’m crying. Like I did before, silencing my voice as best as I could, cooped up in those tiny rooms. The tears would flow when things were difficult, or when I was lonely. As they did, my chest would hurt, and I would continue to suffer.

But then... what were these tears? The more I cried, the more my heart was filled with a deep warmth. For the first time in my life, I discovered that people could cry when they were happy, too.

Katarina, apparently worried about me, started to pat me on the back. Such gentle, warm hands. That was all I could think as she continued to console me.

I want to be stay by her side — by Katarina Claes’ side. If possible... I would like to stay forever.

I resolved to master my magic, and be able to control it well — and then I would stay by Katarina’s side and protect her with all my might.