At dawn, Alicia surfaced from sleep, and instead of her white ceiling she met a tiny girl whose sun-bright blond hair spilled like morning light.

The little thing had both arms wrapped around Alicia’s right arm; warmth and softness flowed up her forearm like honey, and her clean, sweet scent hit her brain like fresh tea. Alicia snapped awake like a bird startled from a branch.

She watched Ling’s defenseless sleeping face, helplessness pooling in her chest like rain in a basin. Are you trying to make me commit a crime? Why are you this cute? Did you grow up eating pure cuteness?

After the grumbling, the mischievous fire in her gut cooled like embers under ash. She reached out and gently shook that small body, as if nudging a drifting leaf.

“Ling, up. We report in today. Don’t be late on the first day.”

A broken little voice fluttered back, soft as mist. “Let me… sleep… five more minutes.”

Veins twitched on Alicia’s forehead like a drawn ink line; she flipped the blanket away in one swoop, crisp as wind through cloth.

Emmm… no half-naked surprise, just a tiny girl in proper pajamas, neat as a folded lotus.

Why can’t you be a little scatterbrained right now—like forgetting to wear clothes, thunderclouds for my sins…

Cold air nipped the sleeper like winter biting a pond; with a bright “Wah~” she sprang upright like a released bowstring, a sharp gleam flashing in her eyes like steel.

“Bastard! Who dares attack your king!”

Her wake-up temper slammed out like a drumbeat, but when she saw Alicia’s deadpan face, the fire vanished like steam, leaving wide-eyed awkwardness.

“Mo… morning, Alicia-sis. You look unusually beautiful today.”

“Do I? Thanks for the compliment, my dear king.”

Air hung quiet for a heartbeat, still as a held breath.

“Go easy.”

With that last brave prayer, Alicia lifted her right hand and dove for Ling’s head; she rubbed hard, and sleep-tangled hair puffed into a proper bird’s nest.

“Dummy. Do I look like someone who could hit you?”

The misleading warmth floated into Ling’s ears like a soft breeze; blush rose across her cheeks like sunrise. She pushed Alicia away, covered her face, and dashed out like a deer, a single line ringing behind her—“I’m going to brush my teeth and wash my face!”

Watching Ling’s shy retreat, Alicia’s mind slid into a sweet daydream like a boat into fog; she snapped herself back, pinched her cheek, and cooled down like water over flame.

After they dressed, the new semester arrived on wings of birdsong and flower scent, the principal’s voice rolling like a long river. “Then, with birds calling and blossoms in the air, our new term begins… (let’s skip a few tens of thousands of words)… lastly, may you achieve better grades. Now, return to your Ban and follow your homeroom teacher’s arrangements.”

As his speech ended, the students scattered like a tide pulling from shore, afraid he’d cast more words like nets. Alicia cradled the dozing Ling and headed for her Ban, steady as a tree carrying a nest.

She slid the door open; chatter hung in the room like fluttering sparrows, and when they saw Alicia, greetings flocked around her.

“Alicia, long time no see. We’ll count on you again this term.”

“Long time no see, Alicia.”

“Alicia, was your break good?”

Not surprising—Alicia draws people the way lanterns draw moths.

Only then did they notice the little bundle in Alicia’s arms, cute as a new moon.

“Ohhh! Alicia! Where’d you pick up such a cute little loli?”

“I’m shook—Alicia’s into lolis!”

“Ah! So cute, let me hold her!”

Alicia raised a finger to her lips, a hush like a falling feather. “Shh. Quiet. Don’t wake Ling.”

Even so, Ling stirred; she stretched in Alicia’s arms like a kitten arching its back, a soft sound slipping out like a sighing reed.

“Mmm~~~ Mm? Alicia-sis, where’s this?”

Low blood pressure gave her voice a drowsy haze like morning fog, and everyone melted like sugar in warm tea.

“Awake? You slept forever. We’re already in the classroom, silly kitten.”

“I’m not a silly kitten!”

“If you’re not, then who is?”

“I said I’m not, so I’m not. Hmph.”

Watching Alicia and Ling toss sugar back and forth like petals, the class felt the flavor tilt yuri, sweet as jasmine. Honestly… kind of nice.

The bell rang—ding-ling-ling—clean as a silver chime, slicing their banter like a breeze through chimes.

A figure in a black coat and flip-flops walked in, casual as night air.

“Students, long time no see. You all know me, so no self-intro. Only the new one over there needs it.”

Ling heard and started to rise like a sprout, but the teacher’s words kept flowing like rain.

“Before intros, I’m checking your assignment progress. Report your current rank; let me see who meets the bar.”

“Efa, B-rank.”

(That’s the rank on your student certificate—B on paper is roughly C in practice here, since ranks combine body and magic like two strands of rope.)

“Caesar, A-rank.”

…

“Alicia, S-rank. But my magic’s still just D+.”

At “magic,” Alicia’s mood dipped like a cloud over the sun, yet her words drew gasps like sparks in dry grass.

“As expected, a sword genius. Her mana hasn’t climbed, but she hit S on body alone. If mana rises too, she’ll be unstoppable.”

The teacher nodded in satisfaction, steady as a judge’s gavel. “Good. Our Ban has two S-ranks now.”

Confusion rippled through the room like wind through grain.

“Teacher, you must be misremembering. Our Ban only has Alicia as S-rank.”

“Teacher, are you getting old?”

Wearing a you’re-too-young look that begged for a smack, the teacher turned to Ling like a lighthouse beam. “Ling, please introduce yourself.”

Ling stood, lifting the S-rank certificate the principal had given her; the paper flashed like a seal under sunlight.

“Yufan Ling, S-rank mage. I’m Alicia-sis’s little sister. Please take care of me. Oh, special note: Alicia-sis belongs only to me. Whoever tries to steal her won’t see tonight’s sun (for real)!”

After dropping what she thought was a ruthless thunderbolt, Ling burrowed into Alicia’s arms like a squirrel into hollow wood, staking her claim with warmth, and Alicia held her tight, a firm cradle so the little thing wouldn’t slip like a raindrop.

Ignoring the pair feeding each other sugar like pair-fed cranes, the class finally processed the storm.

“So I’m losing to a loli now?”

“Another genius? Mom, did I enroll in the wrong Ban?”

“Ah! Sisters! Inspiration! It’s flooding in! I feel power surging! I can draw even spicier doujins!”

Aside from the last pervert, the self-introduction left the room stunned, like fish under sudden moonlight.