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An unprecedented situation: Xenia was crying.

Startled, I hurried to comfort her.

“Xenia, what’s wrong?”

Her face was filled with confusion upon hearing my question.

She clearly hadn’t expected me to show up at that moment.

Xenia opened her mouth to say something but closed it again.

She lowered her head, looking embarrassed.

“Is it something you can’t talk about?”

Everyone has things they can’t talk about with others.

And since Xenia didn’t think of me as Vikamon, I had no right to pry into her personal matters like family might.

At my question, Xenia’s shoulders trembled slightly.

Her eyes wavered violently for a moment.

Then she slowly opened her lips.

“No… it’s not something I can’t tell you, Senior Hannon. I just… I was too ashamed of myself.”

“Ashamed?”

Was there anything Xenia should be ashamed of today?

She had become the top student and received thunderous applause from the children.

What could she possibly be ashamed of?

Maybe sensing the doubt in my gaze, Xenia lowered her head again.

“I just can’t accept that I’m the top of the magic department.”

“You can’t accept it?”

“Sekita… she was clearly better than me.”

So that was it after all.

Xenia was a perfectionist.

Especially when something didn’t meet her own standards, she found it hard to accept.

“In battle, Sekita was definitely superior to me.”

First-year magic department runner-up, Sekita.

Her true identity was Nikita Cynthia, former top student of the third-year martial arts department.

The ancient dragon magic and overwhelming power she demonstrated had left a lasting impression on the students.

But even with all that, Nikita couldn’t match Xenia’s mana and skill.

Nikita had only started practicing magic for barely half a year.

Whereas Xenia had dedicated her entire life to it.

It was only natural there would be a gap between them.

That’s why Xenia was able to enter as the top student.

But there was one area where Xenia simply couldn’t surpass Nikita.

And that was in actual combat.

No matter how talented Xenia was, Nikita had far more experience in battle.

The wall of experience was too great to overcome with talent alone.

Xenia didn’t know Sekita’s true identity.

So she couldn’t understand the gap in combat ability.

“Even though I trained with you in combat, Senior Hannon, I still couldn’t measure up to Sekita.”

Xenia clenched her fists tightly.

Was she frustrated?

“In the Demon Dungeon, combat is everything. No matter how strong one’s magic or mana, lacking combat skills can lead to fatal accidents.”

But her next words made me realize this wasn’t just about frustration.

“Zerion Academy was founded to conquer the Demon Dungeon. It’s not a place for outstanding mages, but for those best suited to delve into the depths of the dungeon.”

Xenia’s real reason for being unable to accept her title as top student was rooted in her understanding of the academy’s mission and the dungeon itself.

“Sekita is far more suited to overcoming the dungeon than I am. Her combat prowess will shine there.”

Her amber eyes sparkled fiercely.

Shining like stars, they looked straight ahead with unwavering resolve.

Rather than blaming her own shortcomings, she chose to acknowledge another’s strength.

Xenia had grown—immensely—since just a few months ago.

“That’s why I think Sekita deserves the top spot more than me.”

A perfectionist.

But in Xenia, that trait no longer felt like a flaw.

“Of course, losing still stings a bit.”

The tears she held back were partly due to that frustration.

But more than that, they held far more meaningful things.

“…Ah.”

Just then, Xenia flinched and looked up at me.

At some point, I had reached out and was gently patting her head.

I was a little surprised myself.

Whether it was Vikamon’s emotions bleeding through or just my own instinct, I wasn’t sure.

But I was truly proud of her.

Her growth was dazzling.

“Xenia, you did well.”

With the heart she now carried, I was certain she would continue to grow splendidly.

“People grow when they learn to recognize the strengths of others.”

Xenia’s shoulders twitched in embarrassment at the praise.

The determined girl from earlier now looked small and shy—like a little sister.

She was quite endearing.

“…I didn’t really do anything well, though.”

“I think you did well. That’s enough.”

After patting her head for a while, her expression relaxed noticeably.

It didn’t look like she’d go off crying again anytime soon.

Then, Xenia hesitantly looked up at me.

“…Um, Senior Hannon.”

It seemed like she had something more to say.

I waited patiently, and she finally spoke carefully.

“…Do you remember when I asked if I could think of you as my older brother?”

How could I forget?

Xenia carried guilt related to Vikamon.

So I had told her she could think of me as her brother if she wanted.

“I remember.”

“Is that… still valid?”

She looked up at me with a somewhat desperate gaze.

Xenia had recently lost her real brother, Vikamon.

Though his body was here, his soul was… somewhere else, beyond even my understanding.

I didn’t know what answer was right.

But if I were Vikamon, I wouldn’t want my little sister to suffer in grief.

“Yeah, it’s still valid. Don’t worry about time limits or anything.”

Someday, I wanted her to be able to stand tall even after her brother’s death.

And so, I decided I would gladly play the role of her older brother.

Xenia’s face brightened.

Then, embarrassed by her own words, she ducked her head again.

“B-But… only when it’s just the two of us, okay?”

She must’ve found it too embarrassing to say in front of others.

I understood that too.

The mood had softened considerably.

“So, Xenia, there’s something I’d like to ask—”

I was just about to bring up the real topic.

“When you say ‘older brother,’ that’s such a fun title. I’d like to try saying it too.”

A familiar voice whispered into my ear.

My head naturally turned toward the source behind me.

And there she was—a girl with chestnut hair, her face partially hidden beneath a pressed-down black veil.

Though her face looked different from before, I remembered it clearly.

"Should I call you 'Oppa’ too?"

She smiled sweetly.

Her current name was Sekita.

But her real name—Nikita Cynthia—had just made her appearance.

Xenia froze, her expression stiffening.

She clearly hadn’t expected Nikita to show up here.

But Nikita walked over and naturally wrapped her arm around mine.

Xenia’s eyes grew wide at the sight.

"…Sekita, when did you get here?"

I hadn't told Xenia anything about Nikita’s current situation yet.

So I used her alias, prompting Nikita to smile gently.

"I saw little Xenia going off somewhere and got worried, so I followed her. Because, you know, she’s your little sister."

From junior to teaching assistant to senior—

I’d been called by many titles.

So perhaps that’s why Nikita didn’t bother to fix on a single one.

"And I don’t mind if little Xenia knows about who I really am."

"Really?"

"Of course. She’s your sister."

At her words, I turned to look at Xenia.

She just stared at me and Nikita with a dazed expression.

As if none of the conversation had quite registered.

"Xenia."

"Ah, y-yes."

When I called her, she snapped out of it and quickly lifted her head.

"This is Sekita—real name Nikita Cynthia, a former third-year senior."

"What?"

Xenia’s eyes widened again.

She quickly turned to Nikita, who confirmed it with a nod.

"Nice to meet you, little Xenia. Though it’s a strange way to be introduced, I’m Nikita Cynthia."

"Nikita Cynthia… as in, that Nikita?"

It seemed Xenia recognized the name.

Well, it made sense.

Vikamon’s expulsion from Gerion Academy had been tied to Nikita’s unrequited love.

So of course even Xenia would know of her.

Now, her eyes showed that everything had clicked.

She’d realized the source of Nikita’s abnormal combat prowess.

But at the same time, she stared at me and Nikita with questions in her eyes.

She couldn’t seem to grasp the nature of our relationship.

As Xenia watched, Nikita gave my arm a gentle tug and whispered to me.

"You didn’t tell little Xenia about us?"

Her whisper tickled my ear.

I wanted to bite her ear.

Was that hunger?

"…I did, kind of."

There were complicated reasons behind it.

Nikita stared at me for a moment, then suddenly kissed my cheek.

“Gah.”

Xenia stiffened in shock.

Nikita glanced at her through half-lidded eyes for some reason.

"Senior, whatever your intentions are, you should hurry and sort them out."

She offered that cryptic piece of advice.

"…Um."

Just then, Xenia spoke up again.

"Are Hannon oppa and Senior Nikita… dating?"

My eyes met Nikita’s.

She smiled faintly.

"Who knows? But I do really like Senior. He’s totally my type."

Apparently, I’d been sniped right into her preferences.

"But Hannon oppa has a fiancée…"

She must be referring to Sharin.

"I know that relationship was forced by his circumstances."

Nikita smiled confidently.

"So I’m going to take him back."

As if saying everything—from the fiancée to the rest—had been hers from the start.

Xenia could only stare, stunned.

"…So that’s why Oppa got rejected."

Somehow, she seemed to understand why Vikamon had never confessed.

"I was rejected a lot."

I muttered, and Nikita gave me a side glance.

As if telling me this time would be different, and I should hurry up and confess already.

"Xenia."

She looked up at me.

For some reason, there was a complicated emotion behind her eyes.

Maybe it was confusion from hearing so much at once.

Her expression concerned me, but there was something more urgent right now.

And Nikita needed to know, too.

"A remnant of an ancient dragon laid an egg in my right eye."

Both Xenia and Nikita stared at me.

"Do you think it can be dealt with using Celestial Magic?"

A user of Starlight Magic and a user of ancient dragon magic.

I had come to ask them both for help.