My Elder Sister

“I am. May I ask who you are, and what brings you to me?”

Fú Nī Yà gazed at the woman before her, countering with a question.

The woman possessed black hair and violet eyes, her face round and soft, and her voice, when she spoke, was gentle and tender.

She wore large glasses, and her long black hair was braided. A white shirt and a purple cardigan adorned her upper body, highlighting her ample bosom, which seemed poised to spill forth. Below, she sported a knee-length black skirt, black stockings, and a pair of flat leather boots.

Overall, she exuded the aura of an older sister.

“Ah, so you are Fú Nī Yà,” the woman said, her eyes alight with joy as she continuously stroked Fú Nī Yà’s head. “Little Albert truly has discerning taste, to acquire such a lovely girl…”

“Mmm, mmm… don’t touch my head!”

Fú Nī Yà puffed out her cheeks in displeasure, swatting the woman’s hand away.

“Eh? Eh?” The woman slowly withdrew her right hand, lowering her head with a crestfallen expression. “No head-pats…?”

Tears welled in the corners of her eyes, clearly indicating her profound sadness at Fú Nī Yà’s refusal.

Fú Nī Yà was startled by the woman’s reaction, and an unbidden sense of guilt began to stir within her.

After all, no man could remain indifferent to a girl’s tears.

Even if Fú Nī Yà was no longer entirely a man.

Thus, the young girl nervously poked her fingers together, her gaze averted, and with a surge of courage, she spoke to the woman.

“If… if you want to touch it… then go ahead…”

“Oh? Thank you then~”

The woman’s expression instantly reverted to cheerful, and she continued to stroke Fú Nī Yà’s head, much like one would pet a cat.

Upon witnessing this scene, Master Valentin’s mouth slightly agape, his spirits visibly dampened, evidently recalling his own recent attempt at a head-pat and subsequent rejection.

He lowered his gaze to his withered hands, sighing inwardly at the undeniable truth that this world truly judged by appearances.

Not far behind the woman, a man wearing gold-rimmed glasses and light gold armor watched the scene unfold, his hand rising to his forehead in an expression of utter helplessness.

‘How enduringly effective is the Captain’s trick…’

After a considerable period of petting, the woman finally withdrew her right hand, a look of profound satisfaction gracing her features. Seizing the opportunity, Fú Nī Yà smoothed down her disheveled long hair and then questioned the woman.

“May I ask who you are? Is ‘Little Albert’ the Albert I know? And what is your relationship with him?”

“Oh? My apologies, I completely forgot to introduce myself…” The woman quickly bowed in apology. “I am Aila, Aila Hugh Caldwell, Albert’s elder sister by both mother and father.”

‘By both mother and father?’

‘Ah, well, they are royalty after all. It’s quite normal for an emperor to have numerous concubines.’

‘Still, this name… it won’t inexplicably lead to amnesia, will it?’

‘Or perhaps she’s one of the ‘Broken Chair Tribe’ (TL Note: A humorous internet meme referring to characters whose presence causes chairs to break, often implying extreme weight or clumsiness), whose chairs snap upon contact?’

Fú Nī Yà muttered inwardly, yet nodded outwardly, indicating her understanding.

“So, Aila, Albert’s elder sister, what brings you to me?”

“Oh? I simply wanted to see what kind of half-elf maid Little Albert specifically brought home~” Aila replied with a smile.

“So, have you seen enough?”

Fú Nī Yà responded with a hint of displeasure.

She utterly detested the sensation of being observed as if she were a spectacle, like a monkey.

“Yes, I’ve seen enough. And you are indeed a wonderful child~” Aila declared, pulling Fú Nī Yà directly into her embrace. Feeling the soft mounds enveloping her head, Fú Nī Yà’s entire face flushed crimson. “Your elder sister is quite pleased.”

“Plea… pleased about what…!” Caught in Aila’s hold, Fú Nī Yà found herself unable to struggle, yet also unable to remain still, her heart thumping wildly and uncontrollably.

After all, her soul remained that of a man.

Aila’s ample bosom was, without a doubt, a fatal blow to Fú Nī Yà, this eternally single young virgin.

Just as Fú Nī Yà felt her heart was about to pound itself into a myocardial infarction, Aila released her.

At the same moment, Aila lightly tapped a finger to her lips, winked, and spoke.

“A sec~ret~”

‘Playing coy…’

Fú Nī Yà couldn’t help but murmur to herself, gently rubbing her chest in an attempt to calm her excessively racing heart.

Just then, however, Aila suddenly took her hand.

“Well then, Little Nī Yà, come shopping with your elder sister~”

“Eh? Little Nī Yà?”

Fú Nī Yà’s eyes widened in bewilderment; she wanted to resist, yet found herself utterly unable to shake off Aila’s grip.

“Mitchell~ Hurry and catch up~”

“Yes, ma’am…”

The knight who had been trailing Aila earlier adjusted his glasses with a sigh of resignation and hastened after them.

Master Valentin stood alone, watching the trio depart.

Just then, a bald old man in red robes emerged from behind him.

“Was that the Grand Imperial Princess just now?”

“Indeed.”

Master Valentin replied, and upon hearing this, the old man stroked his beard with a resigned air.

“The Grand Imperial Princess came to see this girl right after returning? I truly wonder where these people find the time for gossip. Couldn’t they use such leisure to research magic instead?”

“After all, that boy Albert has never shown such concern for any girl before, so it’s quite natural for others to have their own thoughts on the matter.”

Master Valentin sighed, and the old man, hearing this, chuckled mischievously.

“Indeed, such concern! To even pull strings to make an old man like you her teacher – it’s clearly an attempt to gild that half-elf. A half-elf, you say… The academy isn’t without S+ talent; you even have an S+ student in your own mage tower. Normally, this half-elf wouldn’t warrant such extensive attention from you.”

“Oh, but she does.”

Master Valentin nodded with a jovial smile, though inwardly, he was already muttering to himself.

‘S+ talent isn’t worth the investment, but what about SSS+?’

‘This student is someone I had to swallow my pride just to teach for a single month.’

‘Typically, students with SS+ talent are guaranteed to reach legendary status. As for SSS+ talent… as long as they don’t die prematurely, their future achievements are simply unimaginable.’

‘This old man simply hopes to engrave his name in history by having this teaching experience on his resume.’

‘But this, I cannot tell anyone.’

‘SSS+ talent is unprecedented; once word gets out, the attention it would draw is unimaginable.’

‘And a genius who dies young is never truly a genius.’

“By the way,” the old man asked with a grin, “didn’t you almost ‘crash and burn’ just now, you old geezer? How did it feel to have a fireball splattered across your face by a student?”

“It was… far from pleasant,” Master Valentin gritted out.

“Still, looking at it this way, memorizing one or two Tier 1 spells might have some utility,” the old man mused, stroking his chin. “At least if your spellbook gets snatched, you can still put up a fight.”

“Indeed,” Master Valentin nodded. “My students below should also memorize a few…”

“Then let’s discuss it at the next meeting.”

“Nooooo!!!”

The students who had remained on the training ground to observe the battle collectively let out a wail upon hearing this news.

“Scram, get back to your sparring!”

Master Valentin roared, scolding them loudly.