Leon walked out of his classroom as the bell rang.
He sat on the bench in front of the class while playing with his phone.
"Hey, let's go to the cafeteria. The others are already waiting," said Alan, gesturing with his hand.
Just as Leon was about to reply, a familiar voice called out to him.
"Big Brother!"
Leon turned around and saw Rinia smiling sweetly at him.
"Oh, hey Rinia," Alan greeted enthusiastically.
Rinia only nodded toward Alan before grabbing Leon's hand and pulling him away.
"Let's go to the garden, Brother. Before someone else takes my spot."
Leon could only let Rinia drag him along and waved at Alan.
"Sorry, looks like I won't be joining you guys. See you later!"
Alan could only watch Rinia take Leon away, leaving him disappointed.
"Sigh… I'll just ask him to have lunch with me some other time, if there's a chance…"
Disheartened, Alan headed to the cafeteria.
•••••
Leon and Rinia sat under a thick tree, seated on a stone platform covered with cloth.
Leon was eating meat with tomato sauce and chili on top.
"How is it, Brother? Is it good?" Rinia asked with hopeful eyes.
Leon nodded and smiled. "It's good, just like Mom's cooking. Did you really make this?"
Rinia blushed slightly. "I… I made the sauce. Actually, I just helped a little."
Leon only smiled and shook his head.
He could see how hard Rinia had tried to prepare breakfast for him. It was evident from the small floral bandage wrapped around her finger.
Earlier that morning, he had accidentally seen her and their mother cooking in the kitchen. He watched as Rinia messed up grilling the meat and accidentally touched the hot pan, burning her hand.
But even that didn't dampen her enthusiasm for cooking, even when their mother told her to stop.
Leon was slightly moved by her effort. But sadly, they could never be together…
Leon squinted as sunlight filtered through the leaves and touched his handsome face. Just as he was about to stand and get a drink, Rinia offered him a water bottle.
"Oh, thanks." Leon accepted it and took a drink.
"Hehe\~ Do we really still need to be polite with each other?" Rinia giggled.
Leon simply gave a wry smile and drank some more.
Due to his hormone mutation condition, Leon needed to drink more water to avoid dehydration. Normally, he would carry several bottles with him when going out.
He also couldn't tolerate long exposure to sunlight—standing under the sun for more than three minutes would give him a sore throat and dehydration.
His family had tried to find a cure for his condition, but medical experts said it was incurable due to missing chromosome chains in his genes—what could be called a congenital defect.
Leon paused to think.
"...You know, Alan is actually a good guy," Leon said, glancing at Rinia from the corner of his eye.
Rinia's expression instantly changed. She lowered her head.
After a moment, she murmured, "Can't you give me a chance?"
From her response, Leon knew Rinia hadn't taken his words from yesterday seriously.
Leon put down the water bottle and stood up. "Sorry, that's not possible. You should give up. Nothing can cross the boundary between siblings—love like that is just a fantasy."
Leon sighed. "Also, I'll never fall in love with my own sister... Never!"
Rinia's shoulders slumped. Her eyes reddened as she tried to hold back tears.
Leon walked away, glancing back at the powerless figure behind him.
*If I'm not harsh enough, she'll stay trapped in this cycle…* Leon thought.
*Looks like I'll have to move forward with my plan.*
•••••
Leon walked into class to spend time thinking through his plans.
But he was surprised to see Alan already sitting in his seat.
"Hey, didn't you go to the cafeteria?"
Alan turned and looked at him before going back to playing with his phone.
"Eh, somehow the food from the cafeteria lady tasted bland today," Alan said half-heartedly.
Leon just shrugged at the response.
He sat down and asked, "Are you planning to go on the school trip?"
Their school held an annual graduation trip as a farewell event for graduating students.
"Huh? Of course not. Didn't we already agree not to go?"
"Well, I've changed my mind. Since it's our last party together, we might as well enjoy it while it lasts. At least we'll make some memories." Leon smiled.
Alan looked at him like he was crazy.
"Are you sick? You usually hate stuff like that. Are you possessed or something?" Alan teased.
He knew Leon best. As he said, Leon never liked social or outdoor events—whether because of his condition or simple disinterest.
"Well, honestly I'm curious about that mountain. People say a witch once lived there and showed herself. I'm intrigued, so why not?" Leon made up an excuse.
In truth, Leon wasn't interested in the event at all. But because of what had happened yesterday, he decided to go—partly to avoid his sister, and partly for his own plan.
"What? You heard that rumor too? Seems like baseless talk. Alright, let's go! I'll bring the others too. We'll use my car. I've even prepared witch-hunting gear!" Alan said excitedly.
He was really into mysteries and legends like that.
That's why he joined several outdoor clubs to satisfy his curiosity.
"Oh right, invite Ruby and the others too if they want to come," said Leon.
Alan, who was rambling about witch-hunting methods and weaknesses, fell silent at Leon's words.
"Are you serious?" Alan asked skeptically.
After seeing Leon nod, he grinned in satisfaction. "In that case, one car won't be enough. We'll bring Frick's van too!"
"Alright. Call me if anything comes up."
••••••
That evening, school ended. Leon and Rinia were picked up by their driver and returned home.
During the ride, Leon remained silent with his eyes closed, while Rinia stared blankly out the window.
The driver sensed something was off with the young master and miss, but chose to stay quiet.
Their house was located in the mountains, whose peaks were perpetually snow-covered. The elevated position gave them a view of a crystal-clear green lake and well-kept forest nearby—making their home look like something out of a fantasy world.
The car entered the estate and stopped in front of the main door.
Rinia got out and entered the house with her head down.
"What's wrong with your sister?" their mother's voice came from nearby.
Leon turned and saw his mother watering plants in the small garden near the door.
"Eh… we had a little argument," Leon answered with a sad smile, not explaining further.
•••••
Rinia entered her room, threw her bag onto the sofa, and collapsed on the bed with her face buried in a pillow.
She opened and closed her eyes, exhausted.
"Is it really so hard to be loved?" she murmured.
After calming down for a few minutes, she opened her browser.
She visited the website **Ovilia** using a search app.
Ovilia was a subforum of the famous *Switzerland Fantasy World* forum—an official government forum promoting the beauty of Switzerland to the world.
Ovilia- was a women-only website where users could share stories, memories, and trending topics with each other. All its members, of course, were women.
Rinia was a long-time member with thousands of followers. She was quite popular for posting sweet stories, personal memories, and photos.
Even though she edited the photos, used disguises, and blurred details before posting, her popularity remained high.
She sat quietly for a while. Her hands trembled from nervousness. She took a deep breath before typing...
---
[ For more than six years, I've been harboring feelings for him. He's so kind. He always gives me whatever I ask for. Sometimes I wonder if there's anyone more perfect out there, because he always indulges my wishes. Even when I make mistakes, he never gets mad at me—he even spoils me. ]
[ But I know he only sees me as his little sister, nothing more. Sometimes I get nervous thinking he might find out how I feel—because if he does, it might drive us apart and make things awkward. But I just can't take it anymore. I want him to know that I love him. ]
[ Yesterday, I finally got the courage to confess. I was so nervous and so full of hope. I asked myself over and over—does he feel the same, even just a little? I hoped maybe he did. I thought about it hundreds of times before doing it. I'm willing to do anything for him if he would just accept me. ]
[ But all I got was rejection and a cold stare, even though I already expected it. I still hoped he liked me. Or… maybe I was just hoping too much? After that, I walked away, heartbroken and not knowing what to do. But I'm not giving up. I'll prove that I'm worthy of him. ]
[ But again, he rejected me—told me to give up because there's no way we could be together. I don't understand. Is it wrong to love someone? Is it wrong to love the person you care about...? ]
Rinia's eyes turned red as she recalled Leon's cold gaze and harsh words.
[ I just wish he'd give me a chance. ]
Her vision blurred. She turned to look at herself in the mirror, tears still lingering in the corners of her eyes.
"I hope tomorrow will be a better day…"