Editing/Standardisation: Medicine Melancholy
Original Translation: Medicine Melancholy
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“…Hnn?”
My consciousness vaguely resurfaced, and I slowly raised my head.
What greeted the eyes were bundles of scattered drawing papers and patterns strewn all over the desk.
…Apparently, it seemed I got too engrossed in sketching the design plans for the commissioned armor, and ended up falling asleep while still seated as soon as I finished drawing.
“Wait, the blueprints!”
Hastily, fearing that the meticulously drawn blueprints might become unreadable due to drool, I scrambled to sit up… and heard a light rustling sound from behind.
Picking up what had fallen behind me, it turned out to be…
“…A blanket?”
Someone must have draped it over me while I was asleep.
There’s no need to ponder over who did it… Only one person could have done it.
Absentmindedly, I glanced at the spear hanging on the shelf at the edge of my field of vision.
In the game, it was a partner I entrusted with my life. However, since coming to this world and settling into my current life… I hadn’t touched it once.
Yet, the fact that its tip was clean and free of dust clearly indicated that someone had been taking care of it.
And it was clear who that someone was.
In this workshop halfway turned into my living quarters, with even a bunk for taking naps, I hadn’t let anyone else in.
Not even my own master, who had been looking after me… though, it’s more like it’s too small for him to enter even if he wants to.
Except for one person… my stepsister, who had been living with me.
For no reason in particular, I took down the beloved spear from its shelf and inspected its blade.
The meticulously polished blade seemed to reflect the personality of the one who had taken care of it… my stepsister, with whom I share my living space. A faint smile escaped me—
What’s with the big sister act?
The words echoed in my mind, causing my body to tense up.
Several past scenes flashed back in my mind…
“Oh, Onee-chan, you’re up early today, should we-”
“Don’t follow me. I never accepted you as my sister.”
My ugly self, coldly treating the girl who desperately tried to follow me like a puppy.
I don’t think I truly hated that girl who became part of the new family with my father’s remarriage a year ago…
It’s just that back then, I had just quit my club unfairly due to a conflict and was living a rough life… like a delinquent.
I only pushed her away because I thought having such a helpless little thing around me, amidst the grudges I held, would be troublesome and I’d feel sorry for involving her in my mess.
At least, that’s how it was supposed to be…
“Hey, guys, looks like the Queen Bitch here has quite the cute little sister!”
“She isn’t… I don’t think of her that way, so please, leave her out of this!”
“Damn, what a lame-ass response. So you won’t mind if we do THIS, right?”
“No?! Onee-chan! Onee-chan!!”
“Don’t do it! STOP!!!!”
My heart creaked like it was about to break at the sight of brutality before me, as several rough and savage boys pushed the little girl to the ground and were about to tear off her clothes. And it was all my fault.
…I thought I had become stronger.
I had been practicing martial arts since I was a child, especially the naginata, to the point I was confident that I was good enough to subdue even a male opponent with a decent stick.
In addition, one day, my physical ability and reflexes suddenly improved, and I no longer felt like I was going to lose, no matter if it’s a male or even an adult, even in a head-on fight.
Even so, I never should have laid a hand on anyone myself. However, whenever I found someone doing bad things, I’d end up knocking them around one by one.
It felt like becoming a hero of justice, and it felt good.
Those I had previously beaten down started to hold a grudge against me… if they couldn’t beat me, they would target people close to me, and the girl who’d been living under the same roof as me over the past year was their perfect target.
Although our parents remarried and she suddenly became part of my family, she and I couldn’t be any more different. I’d always been told that I was too boyish, while she was a lovely but shy girl.
She wanted to be by my side during my rough time, but I didn’t want to put her into danger, so I thought I’d push her away.
But in the end, I was half-hearted in either letting her stay or pushing her away, those who harbored resentment against me took notice.
I ended up dragging her into the worst possible situation and hurting her.
It’s your fault.
It’s your fault.
It’syourfault It’syourfault It’syourfault It’syourfault It’syourfault It’syourfault It’syourfault It’syourfault It’syourfault It’syourfault
Yeah, it was all my fault.
“Ugh…”
Like a curse, the voice of self-blame entwined itself around my entire body.
With a sour sensation rising from the depths of my throat, I hastily returned the spear to the shelf, covering my mouth with both hands and desperately trying not to vomit.
“*pant*…*pant*”
After enduring for a while, the nausea finally subsided. Shaking my head, I stood up, looking around for my stepsister who was nowhere to be found.
In the end… just as her dignity was about to be shattered before my eyes, a saving grace arrived.
Surrounded by a strange magic circle beneath our feet, we were sent to this world… which just happened to be the VRMMO we reluctantly played together.
But since then… I hadn’t been able to wield this spear properly.
If such a thing hadn’t happened right before I was thrown here… Would I still have been swinging this spear around, flaunting my self-righteousness even in this world, fearlessly?
Or perhaps, consumed by arrogance, I’d drag in the girl I wanted to keep safe, just like back then… Perhaps there would have been no salvation this time, and we would have met an even worse fate.
Fortunately, during the idle years before the level cap was lifted, I had spent time honing my crafting skills on a side project out of boredom. Strangely enough, those skills proved useful here as well.
Last night, as I drew blueprints and cut out patterns, it was the same. While I have no experience doing such work in reality, here, I can perform tasks as if my body instinctively understands what needs to be done.
Thanks to that, the person who helped me when I was at my wit’s end, whom I now regard as my master—though I’m not sure if “person” is the right term, given his race—saw the armor crafting skill I possessed. He facilitated renting this house, which doubles as a workshop and residence, and also arranged several jobs for me.
It’s been three months since I came here.
Initially, it was just repairs and adjustments, but eventually, new crafting requests started coming in. Now, I’ve gained a decent reputation, and with my stepsister, we can make a sufficient living day by day.
However… it seemed that I’d forgotten what courage is all about since that time.
I found myself unable to pick up the spear again, or take a single step forward from the day I was thrown into this Isle of Battles, Ares.
“So bright…”
Stepping out of the workshop, the sun was already high, its strong rays piercing my eyes. It seemed I had overslept considerably.
My stepsister was easy to find.
Every morning, as part of her routine, she would practice voice training and singing… all I had to do was follow the sound of her singing carried by the wind.
Back in our old world, I once noticed that she was sometimes recording something and sending it somewhere, and when I asked her, she shyly told me that her dream was to become a singer.
A little walk led me to the hill overlooking this island city’s center, and there she was.
A fleeting atmosphere.
Quiet and graceful demeanor.
With white wings of a Highborn on her back, she looked just like a true angel.
My stepsister, not at all related to me by blood, couldn’t look any more different from myself.
One might argue that her delicate appearance might be attributed to her avatar… But even discounting the perspective of familial bias from being my stepsister, she was naturally quite a beauty.
Apart from changing her hair color to a silver with a hint of pale red and adjusting her skin tone to match her hair, she had hardly been altered from herself on Earth.
At first, I felt a twinge of jealousy at her cuteness… but quickly realized that she and I were from different worlds from the start. I, swinging my naginata fiercely in club activities and at the dojo, while she aspired to be an entertainer—it was obvious the paths we chose were different.
However, her figure, singing and gazing into the distance, bathed in the morning sun, exuded a fantastical atmosphere… I couldn’t help but feel a fleeting sense of fear that she might vanish into thin air at any moment.
“Um…”
Was that why? Despite wanting to watch her a little longer, a blunt voice escaped my lips.
“Oh, Onee-chan, good morning…”
“I’m hungry.”
To my stepsister, who turned around with a bright expression, those words slipped out.
“…I’m sorry, I’ve already prepared breakfast, so I’ll reheat it for you.”
As soon as she turned to me, her face, previously lit up with joy, stiffened, and she quickly clouded her expression, looking down.
A prick of guilt surfaced at her reaction… but I still couldn’t figure out how to face my sister at this point.
I have to wonder what she even sees in me if she still decides to live with me even after all that happened.
Watching her back as she hurried back towards the house… I let out a sigh.
“I did it again… I’m such an idiot.”
Even though she was trying her best to reach out in her own reserved way, why am I like this? I really hate myself for not being able to be straightforward.
Driven by self-loathing, as I tried to go back after my stepsister… at that moment, flowers bloomed in the distant sky.
“That’s… right, the festival is starting soon, isn’t it?”
I remember, those fireworks announce the arrival of distinguished guests—the representatives from various countries coming to the island.
It’s still a few days before the main festival begins, but it seems some eager royals have already arrived.
“…The festival, huh? Well, since it’s happening, maybe I should invite her to see it.”
It might be a good opportunity to bridge the gap that still exists between me and my stepsister.
But how should I invite her…? While pondering over such matters, the inviting scent of breakfast wafted through the air, leading me back to the house.
As I walked, perhaps because it was the beginning of the festival, my steps felt a bit lighter.
(Author’s Notes)
This was a bit of an interlude.
Among those transported, there are some who weren’t logged in when it happened and got sent straight from the real world, and others who couldn’t venture into dangerous places and quietly earned a living in the city… These two happen to be both, and they’ll be recurring characters in this arc.
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