A Teacher’s Concern and a Sister’s Deception

Chloe replied, a hint of bewilderment in her eyes, “You needn’t trouble yourself with such matters, Teacher.”

“But…”

“Teacher, do you think a person’s life can remain bad forever?”

“Eh? Why the sudden question? Chloe, has someone been bothering you? You can tell me…”

“It’s nothing. I was just speaking idly.”

Despite Chloe’s words, Rona, adept at discerning her students’ inner turmoil, noted that the girl who had been so tense moments before had suddenly grown calm, uttering such peculiar statements, which made it impossible not to worry.

“Chloe, is there… anyone from your family who could come in? I’d like to speak with your parents.”

Upon hearing this, Chloe froze for a moment, her face instantly clouding with worry. Isn’t this calling my parents? But Chloe had no parents she could call.

‘Her?’ The girl who occupied most of Chloe’s life inevitably surfaced in her mind. There’d be no point in her coming; after all, she doesn’t understand me.

“Well… they’re all very busy…” Chloe shook her head with a wry smile.

“Chloe, don’t you have an older sister? She could come instead.” Rona persisted in her request to meet Chloe’s family, as it was clear the student was troubled, and as her teacher, Rona felt it imperative to understand the situation.

“An older sister?” Chloe was initially flustered. How could my older sister possibly recognize me now? My gender has even changed. However, she quickly realized that the “older sister” Rona mentioned might be Tia.

“How did you know I have an older sister, Teacher?”

“Oh, the class monitor told me, and I also know about all those rumors circulating about you.”

So homeroom teachers always set up an intelligence network in class, huh? Events that had just transpired had already reached Rona’s ears; the efficiency was truly astounding.

For some reason, the more people became aware of the “relationship” between Chloe and Tia, the more Chloe felt a stone weighing heavily in her heart. It was merely a fabricated connection, yet Tia herself seemed to be taking it increasingly seriously. Although Tia had become significantly gentler towards Chloe because of it, Chloe perceived this tenderness as Tia’s self-deception, a deliberate evasion of Chloe’s true identity. Instead, Tia broadly bestowed the title of “younger sister,” allowing them to interact peacefully by shedding the weight of a difficult past.

It would be fine if she only fooled herself, but she’s deceiving others too. Now so many people genuinely believe we are sisters, and even some relatively intimate gestures are mistaken for sisterly squabbles. While Tia herself seemed to believe it, Chloe could discern that, subconsciously, the other girl harbored entirely different thoughts.

If it were merely the innocent sisterly bond Tia once shared with Yilan, how could she possibly have put that humiliating anklet on me?! How could she embrace me in the classroom, tease me with my own hardships, and even… suck my saliva!? Are these the actions of sisters? This is clearly what delinquent schoolgirls do! Tia’s series of actions made Chloe feel as though Tia was using their “sisterly” relationship to legitimize her various inappropriate behaviors.

“She is not my sister!” The more Chloe thought, the angrier she became, mentally smashing Tia’s illusion with her fists, her voice unconsciously laced with a hint of fury.

“Chloe…” Rona was somewhat startled, instinctively shifting back a step, but recalling her duty to comfort her student, she leaned forward again. The adorable blonde girl before her wore a gloomy expression, her hair, disheveled from sleeping on her desk, seemed like a thousand worries tangled upon her head.

“A sweet girl like Chloe shouldn’t always be so downcast. Smile, hmm?” Rona tenderly reached out to stroke Chloe’s head, her fingers delicately threading through her hair.

“Ugh…” It’s… a little comfortable. Chloe’s eyes widened, revealing an expression of disbelief, much like a wild cat might when unexpectedly petted by a human.

Was she acting out of her duty as a homeroom teacher? Or was this simply her nature? But even as teacher and student, they were still strangers. Was there truly a need for such an unnecessary gesture?

“Did you have a disagreement with your sister? How can you say she’s not your sister? She’d be hurt if she heard that, wouldn’t she?” Rona advised.

Chloe wanted to say, Why don’t you become my older sister instead? I don’t want that other one anymore! But it was merely a fantasy.

“Right, Teacher, I have something to do, so I’ll be going now.” Chloe felt she couldn’t remain there any longer; if she became entangled in any more karmic ties with Rona, it would likely not bode well for her. After all, I am a sinner who accidentally killed someone.

“Wait…” Rona knew that continuing the conversation would likely yield no useful information. This student was like a hedgehog; any attempt to approach her inner self would be met with fierce resistance. She couldn’t fathom what had transformed such an innocent and pure child into this. In Rona’s experience, students who looked like this were typically lively and cheerful, always exuding youthful vitality. However, when facing Chloe, Rona felt more like a psychologist treating a warrior suffering from battle trauma.

Yet, it was precisely such children who ignited Rona’s sense of responsibility as a public school teacher. She had to consider if this might be her only chance in life to save a child teetering on the edge of a precipice.

“Is there anything else, Teacher Rona?”

“Yes, take this.” Rona retrieved an exquisite wooden box from a cabinet, carefully taking out an antique-styled fountain pen and handing it to Chloe. A pen was indeed one of the most common gifts a teacher gave to a student.

Eh? I haven’t really done anything to deserve this, so why give me a pen? And it doesn’t look cheap either. Moreover, the bigger problem is that Chloe doesn’t even know how to use a fountain pen.

“Promise me that no matter what difficulties you face in the future, you’ll remain as resilient as this fountain pen. And of course, if things get really tough, you must endure it, or you can always come and talk to me. I’m not that old, so I could probably pass as your older sister, hehe~”

Chloe had thought such a scene would only appear in overly sentimental literary works, never imagining it would happen to her. Yet, experiencing it firsthand, she didn’t feel the awkwardness of an outsider. Chloe sensed her dreary heart brightening.

“Thank you, Teacher Rona!” I had always persisted as a magical girl precisely to protect such things, hadn’t I? It seemed there were still many beautiful people and events in the world after all.

“Mhm~” Rona chuckled softly, nodding.

Chloe clutched the fountain pen, then turned and left the office. Just as she took a step out, an earthquake-like tremor suddenly erupted from behind her, followed by a deafening crash—the sound of reinforced concrete being violently torn apart.

A powerful shockwave forced Chloe to hunch over instantly, as countless fragments of stone and wood splintered against her back like bullets. Even after everything settled, Chloe remained stunned. In her subconscious, one would never experience such a thing in a school, unless it was an extreme natural disaster like an earthquake. But this was clearly not the case.

She stiffly turned around, her face now deathly pale.