Dilemma

Nine Worlds Doomsday and the Nine School Competition—a tough situation, no doubt. They say ignorance is bliss and I hoped that knew nothing, but I quickly realized that nothing in life comes easy, and a quiet life was just wishful thinking. Fate had other plans for my ass, and that's how I ended up in this predicament.

The impending apocalypse hung over my head like a storm cloud, threatening to shatter my peaceful life. It wasn't just a figment of my imagination; I could feel it too, thanks to the psion bond with Alpha, the parasitic being that shared my mind.

"Haku!" Mayumi-senpai's voice snapped me back to reality, but she seemed oblivious to the fact that we were in a hospital.

"Oh, yeah...?" I replied, probably making her more exasperated.

"Jeez, make up your mind~ I need an answer now because I'll soon enter your name into the player selection stage," she said with a sigh, leaning back on the sofa, arms folded, and cheeks pouting. Despite being several years older than me, she had this cute side to her, but I preferred mature and curvaceous women.

I couldn't help but compare her petite figure to Alpha's, but that was an unfair comparison since Alpha was undoubtedly an alien. Speaking of Alpha, the robot was evolving so much that it felt almost flawless—more like interacting with a human, no— an elf than a machine.

Anyway, why should I care about the player selection stage for Monolith Code? I decided to politely decline.

"Saegusa-senpai, I'm honored that you think highly of me, but I have to refuse. There are students here who surpass me, and I know my limits," I said with a modest smile.

My three seniors were less than impressed, seeing through my shameless expression. "Huh? You think I'll believe that, Mister terrorist slayer..." Mari-senpai raised an eyebrow and gave me a nickname. I cleared my throat.

"I'm serious! I just want to enjoy a quiet school life. Do you want me to keep slapping first-year students?" I retorted, frustrated with this tomboyish girl's mischievous smile. Let's see if she can maintain that grin while working in my kitchen later.

"Yuki-kun, it's not favoritism. The recommendation comes from many students and teachers; the student council has no other choice," Ichihara-senpai explained, with both Mayumi-senpai and Mari-senpai nodding in agreement. Well, their logic was sound, but it felt like they were ganging up on me.

"But this year, the selection process has changed. The school decided on a direct selection through the game 'Battle Royale.' It starts two weeks from now, and all first-year male students can apply. Tactical magic, physical prowess, and teamwork are crucial. It doesn't matter if you're in course 1 or course 2," Ichihara-senpai continued, backing me into a corner with her persuasive arguments. They were serious, making it hard for me to refuse, but I still didn't want to join the competition.

"Hmm, I have to refu—"

-Vibrate!

"Ah, this is my big sister."

As my phone vibrated, I excused myself to my senior, who nodded in understanding. I stepped out to the balcony, cleared my throat, and picked up the call from Hana.

"Hello, sis?"

One interesting thing about Hana is that, as if natural, I see her as a mother figure, but she hates that title and doesn't want to feel old. So, I call her 'sis' instead – a special nickname just for her.

"Ah? Haku-chan! Feeling better now?" A cheerful voice came through the speaker. "I'm fine. Weren't you already aware of that from the start?"

"Oh, come on! That was a silly question. Anyway, I just finished meeting with Momoyama-sensei. Is it true that you held back during the practical magic test?" I didn't expect Hana to meet with Momoyama-sensei, that old man! What were they talking about?

"N-No, sis. You know, I wasn't feeling well at the time. My test didn't go so well because of that." Ugh, I cringed at the clichéd excuse. Will Hana buy it?

"Hm... I see. I guess that makes sense; a magician's body needs to be in prime condition to cast magic. Let me take a look at your test results. Here they are... Oh, interesting! Your [Interference] and [Scale] score are really messed up, but your [Processing Magic] is just below the fastest. Hahahhahaa! Were you in a hurry to go to the bathroom? Kehe~ looks like I should believe your sickness story." Hana commented with an evil laugh, and I blushed with embarrassment. Wait! How does Hana even understand all these [Magic Power] criteria? She's not a magician, is she?

"Wait, Sis! How do you know about the magic power criteria? You're not a magician, are you?" I said, gripping the phone tighter.

"Huh...? Why would you think that? Ah, sorry. I never told you in these six years, but I graduated from Second High. Oh, I'm reminiscing about my school's victory in the Nine School Competition again... hmm, since I'm in Tokyo, should I meet my senpai? Oh, right! Momoyama-sensei mentioned that you'll join Monolith Code, right? OHH! I'm so excited! You know, I even bet a lot of money on it."

My smile wavered. I never expected Hana to be so talkative. And to top it off, she's a magician too. My feelings became conflicted when Hana asked if I was joining the competition. Should I tell her the truth, or... Heck, what does she mean by gambling?

"Ah-haha, yeah, I'll give it my best shot..." I replied, trying to be nonchalant, but I felt the pressure to make it through the selection.

"Yeah, you better win! I've bet a lot, you know. Anyway, tomorrow's the day you get discharged from the hospital, right? I'm sorry I'm busy; I'll have to head back to Osaka soon."

"Don't worry, sis. I'll be fine."

"Don't you dare cry! Chuckle* I have to go. Bye, Haku-chan."

"Take care, sis."

With a deep breath, I returned to seniors in my hospital room.

"Ah, you're back."

Mayumi-senpai greeted me with a smile.

"Sorry for the wait, Senpai. That call was from my older sister."

The three seniors nodded with understanding, curious about my chatty sister.

"Since Haku doesn't want to do that... how about the [Crowd Ball]?—" Mayumi-senpai suggested another event after all the talk about Monolith Code. But I cut her off before she could finish, "I'm in."

Their eyes widened; they seemed surprised at the sudden agreement. Meanwhile, Mayumi-senpai looked excited. "Great! For the [Crowd Ball] event, I will—"

Oh, it seems I wasn't clear enough, "Senpai, I'm actually going to join Monolith Code."

"Eh...? Why?"

Mayumi-senpai gave me a dagger-like glare. I could tell she was upset after all the rejections. But should I tell them about Hana's gambling?

"I-I..."

They all stared at me, waiting, and it made my cheeks turn red with embarrassment.

"Ugh, fine! I-It's not that I want to, bu-but I'm only doing this because of my sister."

When I confessed with flushed cheeks, they burst into laughter, not expecting that.

"Wow, such a tsundere~ It's gross."

"Kohai-kun, your face is so red!"

"Looks like Shiba-kun isn't the only one with a sis-con syndrome..."

They teased me until their hearts were content.

Maybe I should just shrink them all with magic? Nah, I'll take it in stride for now.

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Hello, I'm back. Is there anyone here?