Did you become at thug?

Hearing a small chuckle, I shifted my gaze on Lukas. His lips were twitching. He was definitely fighting a smile. He had this "I told you so" expression on his face. Thinking about it, he did tell me to avoid mention my family name. Could it be because of that? Just because of one name? This damn household… What in the world did they do to be so infamous?

"S-Seriously?!" A voice suddenly exclaimed, breaking the silence. It was the same boy who mistook me for Aoban's girlfriend. "But… You're a chosen one. She's a chosen one. Then it means… You siblings were both blessed? Is that even possible?"

Aoban let out a loud sigh. "Why are you so surprised? I already told you about it."

"But I thought you were lying!" He blurted out. "I was so sure that you were just bragging!"

Brother's eyelids twitched, clearly upset to learn that his own friend took him for a liar. Taking a look at the others, they all adverted their eyes, exposing their inner thoughts. Obviously, they all shared the boy's opinion. None of them seemed to have considered the possibility that brother was telling the truth.

"But Aoban, I thought you said your sister didn't attend a school," someone noted. "What is she doing here?"

Brother furrowed, as he turned his attention back on Lukas and me. "That's what I want to know…" He muttered, loud enough for us to hear.

"Don't look at me like that, you're going to scare me," Lukas said, half-joking. "She transferred here today, so I volunteered to show her around the school."

I could hear some "Ooooh !" coming from amongst the crowd, but brother didn't seem convinced.

"Transferred?" He repeated, raising an eyebrow. "How the hell are you aware of this and not me?"

Lukas shrugged. "Beats me."

Aoban kept staring at Lukas, seemingly expecting more from him. Eventually, he turned his attention on me.

"Is it true?" He asked.

I nodded. Brother brought his hands to his head and started massaging his temples, clearly trying to get rid of the new headache assaulting his mind. I was a bit disheartened to see him so bothered by my surprise arrival. I knew I couldn't expect him to treat me the same way he did at home, but I didn't think he would be so upset by my presence. Maybe I was wrong, but this is the feeling I got.

"Well, I guess it's fine," he said. "But how did you get in? I thought the academy didn't accept new students in the middle of the year."

"Uncle Jack he… Uhm… Actually I'm not sure either. Bribes, I guess?"

Aoban squinted his eyes and tilted his head.

"I don't think that's the case. The school doesn't give any special treatment, not even to royal families, so I don't see why they would do one for us." He commented. "Besides, uncle doesn't spend money thoughtlessly. If you wanted to join, he would've waited for the next year to enroll you, instead of paying the full fees when there is just a couple of months left."

Yep, that's my brother. He sure is a thinking boy.

"It's because I need to enter the tournament," I explained.

As he heard this, Aoban's mouth dropped open. He drew his head backwards, staring at me in disbelief. A few students, who had listened to our conversation, burst out laughing. However, brother gave each one of them a threatening glare and their laughs subsided as they looked away.

He grabbed my wrist and pulled me away from the crowd, far from the indiscreet eavesdroppers.

"Hey, where are you going?" One of his friends called out. "Leaving already? You need to introduce us!"

"Later," Aoban replied. "I need to talk to my sister."

"Oh, come on! You always talk about her, and now that she's here, you won't even let us talk to her?"

"Are you sure you're not trying to keep her for yourself? You sis-con!"

This time, brother did not pay attention to the teasing remarks of his friends. He was much more focused on getting me away from the others. Only Lukas was allowed to follow us. Once we arrived to a remote corner, he let go of my wrist. His expression was sterner than ever before.

"Lyni, are you serious about that?" He asked.

I nodded.

"Y-You… Do you even know how dangerous it is? Do you not know how many people get hurt?" He inquired, outraged by my recklessness. "How could uncle allow something like that?"

Actually, Uncle Jack is the one who asked, so…

"Besides, you can't even fight!" He added.

"I can," I retorted. "I can use magic."

Aoban furrowed his forehead, clearly not believing me.

"No you can't."

"Yes I can."

"Since when?"

"Uh… Not long ago. I learned it from a magician who was passing by. He saw potential in me and took me as his disciple," I explained, trying to match my story with the one my uncle told the headmaster.

"Really? That's impressive!" Lukas exclaimed.

Brother, however, was not as naïve. His eyes were telling me that he didn't fully believe in me.

"Even if it's true," Aoban eventually said, "how can you expect competing against the best fighters in the world? A lot of people have been preparing for this tournament for years. Do you really think you stand a chance, even though you just learned magic?"

Ah, dear brother, if you knew… First of all, it's not the world we're talking about, but just one continent. Secondly, I'm pretty sure I can kick the ass of any kids out there, without even using divine magic.

"Why would you even do that? That's not like you…" He added, as his expression changed. There was no longer any trace of anger on his face. Instead, he looked full of concern.

"I just felt like it," I shrugged.

It would have been easier to explain the whole thing to Aoban, I'm sure he would have understood, but it seemed too risky to talk about it in front of Lukas. As clueless as he may be, he was still Uncle Jack's son. There was still the possibility that he might be siding with his father, and I didn't fully trust him yet. So for now, I decided not to talk about my deal with Uncle Jack.

However, I knew that Aoban would not believe in me –I didn't expect him to. He probably could tell that I was lying. He was my brother, he knew me. He was perfectly aware that I didn't like to fight, that I wasn't competitive, and that I surely wasn't looking for notoriety. Wanting to enter the tournament was completely out of character. Still, he didn't push the matter any further. He probably understood that I couldn't talk about it, not now at least.

"If you're so worried, you'll just have to protect me!" I suggested, half-joking. "You will be entering the competition too, aren't you?"

Brother sighed, before his lips curled into a small smile. "You don't have to tell me that, kiddo." He said, as he started patting my head.

"You two sure get along," Lukas noted, with a hint of jealousy in his voice. "Aoban, won't you share your sister with me? I haven't seen mine ever since she got married."

"Absolutely not," brother retorted.

The two of them burst out laughing, exchanging a knowing glance. I wasn't sure why, but their laugh was infectious so I started laughing along with them. I had missed such a relaxed family atmosphere.

"Good to see you, sister," Aoban eventually said with a broad smile, continuing messing up my hair with his hand. "I never thought you and I would be attending school together one day. You totally caught me off guard."

Relieved to hear that he wasn't displeased to see me, I became unable to hide my smile and let him spoil me a little. I don't really like being treated like a child, but brother is an exception.

However, this short moment of happiness didn't last as I suddenly recalled something: the demi-human boy. I looked up at Aoban.

"Uhm, brother…What was it all about?" I asked, a little apprehensive.

"What about?" He inquired, completely clueless.

"The demi-human boy…"

Aoban fell silent for a few seconds, not breaking the eye-contact. Then, he exchanged a quick glance with Lukas.

"Did you become a thug?"

Brother shifted his gaze back on me, as a sad smile drew on his face. "Of course not," he said. "You misunderstood. You know I'll never do anything that would make mom sad."

"Then why…"

Before I finished, Aoban bent his knees to be on the same eye-level than me and placed his hands on my shoulders.

"You don't have to worry about it Lyni. I definitely won't let anyone harm you."

His eyes were so serious; I could tell there was something worrying him.

I felt relieved to see that he was still the same brother that I ever knew, but he still hasn't answered my question. What was it all about, and who was that demi-human? Aoban would never harm anyone without a good reason.