The Protagonist's Party is Too Diligent

Chapter 29

No matter how many times I rewound time, the feeling of embarrassment didn’t just disappear. It might get erased from other people’s memories, but it still remained in mine.

Well, it didn’t matter.

At least now I understood that Claire was serious, something I realized after taking her attack head-on.

Since I hadn’t revealed my true identity, Claire was likely determined to uncover it herself. The bright smile on her face made that clear.

The shock Claire displayed when I fell to the ground after her strike was probably also due to that same determination.

We hadn’t spent much time together, but Claire surely held a strong memory of me as someone who was kind to her during her most difficult times.

Moreover, to a young Claire’s eyes, I must have seemed like someone with mysterious powers. It probably felt as though I could predict the future, moving everyone around and leading them safely to the baron’s manor.

Honestly, I’d considered keeping my identity hidden for a while longer—not for any grand reason, but simply because I liked the character I had built over the past ten years. It felt like a waste to let it collapse in an instant.

However, if I avoided Claire’s attacks and ended up defeating her, she would undoubtedly realize that I was the Sylvia Black she had known back then.

...That might not be so bad.

The reunion of an older sister and younger sister, proving their bond through skill—it would make for a great moment in a story with a Japanese manga-like feel.

“...”

I slung my rifle over my back and drew my revolver.

I wrapped my finger around the trigger. The Wexler revolver was a double-action, so there was no need to cock the hammer manually.

“Alright then!”

Jennifer’s voice echoed once more.

“Begin!”

At the sound of her shout, Claire raised her sword high again—

But things didn’t unfold exactly the same as they had before, since I had switched weapons.

This time, instead of dodging Claire’s movement, I raised my arm straight ahead.@@@@

Click.

I pulled the trigger, and the hammer of the gun snapped back before hitting forward with a dull clank. There was a slight recoil, but not enough to push me back, given that the gunpowder had been removed from the rounds.

“Missed!”

Jennifer declared.

Claire had already twisted her body to the side, evading the line of fire by the time I raised my arm. She might not have the ability to see the future like me, but she had surely noticed my arm rising.

She couldn’t dodge the bullet itself, but she could adjust her posture in preparation for the shot.

In the original turn-based game, characters would simply walk up and strike. In reality, such a combat style was impossible. To engage someone wielding a gun while armed with a sword, you had to be at least this quick.

Claire moved to her left—my right—her body shifting in one fluid motion, and she raised her sword as if to shield her face with its broad side. It wasn’t that she intended to block a bullet, but rather that she was trying to maintain her stance while turning swiftly.

I turned my arm to follow her movements, but before I could aim properly, Claire was already swinging her sword.

It wasn’t that my arm was slow; it was just that Claire’s reactions were quicker than mine.

The distance between us wasn’t enough for her to strike me with her sword. The diagonal slash she performed didn’t touch me directly.

But then, just a split second later—

“Ugh...!”

I felt a heavy impact on my right shoulder, as if something had slammed down hard.

I dropped my revolver.

Again.

The moment I pulled the trigger for the first time, Claire had resumed her earlier stance, preparing to strike downward with her sword, but I moved first.

I took a half-step to the left.

As I aimed the gun at Claire and moved, her sword came down just a moment too late, striking the ground as sand kicked up in the air.

Click.

“Missed!”

Jennifer sounded almost gleeful.

This time, I had acted too hastily. While the revolver allowed for quick aim, its short barrel meant that even a small distance could cause the shot to miss by a fraction.

Especially when you were moving intensely and shooting with just one hand.

Before I could pull the trigger again, Claire darted to her left. Click. The revolver emitted a hollow sound, and Jennifer didn’t even bother to call out the miss—it was too obvious.

This time, Claire raised her sword high above her head.

With a whoosh, the sword sliced through the air, coming down at a terrifying speed.

Though it still wasn’t close enough to hit me directly, the follow-up shockwave from the sword aura sent sand flying into the air again.

And this time, I wasn’t able to avoid the aura.

Again.

It was a lively, spirited smile. In the game, I had only ever seen Claire smile like that once—at the very end.

And back then, the “sister” she smiled at wasn’t me, but Alice.

Behind us, I could hear the clash of wooden swords. It seemed Alice and Charlotte’s match wasn’t over yet.

Step.

Claire stood before me, extending her hand as if offering a handshake.

“...”

I looked at her hand for a moment, then slowly reached out to grasp it lightly.

But it seemed I was the only one who intended a light grip—Claire firmly grasped my hand.

And then she pulled me toward her.

It wasn’t an ambush, not really. I managed not to stumble, likely because I had somewhat anticipated this happening.

As I moved closer, Claire looked me straight in the eye.

“Sister.”

Her voice was resolute.

“You’re my sister, right?”

Her eyes were already filled with certainty.

...Well.

I had expected this. If anyone would recognize me after a clean victory, it would be Claire.

That’s why she had been so surprised when I got hit earlier.

“You seem... very sure of yourself,” I said.

But Claire’s smile didn’t falter.

“I knew you would dodge like that, just like you did back then.”

The time Claire and I had spent together had been short. And that precognition-like ability I had shown her back then... it was similar to what I did now, but not quite the same. Back then, I had used it to avoid danger in advance, whereas now I was briefly rewinding time to dodge each strike.

“I looked into it afterward. Those men must have been human traffickers.”

It had been a mystery, even back then, how the orphanage had burned down with only a single victim. We had made our escape blatantly, but the surrounding area had been engulfed in flames, and the authorities had been called in chaos.

Vanished children. And the very next morning, those children appeared at the Grace baron’s residence.

If the baron and his wife hadn’t noticed something, that would’ve been strange.

“...Did you ever find those traffickers?” I asked.

The transactions happening at the count’s estate had been separate from those at the orphanage. If I had ever found that one-eyed man, I would have shot him on the spot. He wouldn’t have remembered me, but I had been beaten nearly unconscious.

Countless other children had likely died at his hands.

...Harvesting, they called it.

Had Claire survived only because they intended to sell her, or was she involved in some resurrection ritual hinted at in the game’s lore? Maybe she had just narrowly escaped a fate worse than death.

I had revealed my true identity, but Claire’s expression darkened slightly.

She shook her head.

I see.

Though that one-eyed man hadn’t been in the original game, it didn’t guarantee that he wasn’t important. He could still appear in future installments.

If he was still alive, he could have grown into a powerful figure.

“...”

I glanced around. There were quite a few people watching us. Other students, curious about our match, and Jennifer’s gaze still lingered on us.

“Claire.”

“Yes, sister?”

“...Call me Sylvia while we’re here,” I said.

Claire’s eyes widened, and she nodded vigorously.

“Revealing information carelessly can have unintended consequences. You never know how it might be used against you.”

“I understand.”

Claire nodded again, like a well-behaved child. She no longer looked like the scruffy little orphan I had met all those years ago. Her hair was neatly styled, and she wore much finer clothes now—even if it was just the academy’s military-style uniform.

She no longer looked like a child with nothing to her name.

“...”

“...”

Well, the conversation had ended, but Claire still hadn’t let go of my hand.

I wished she’d release it so we could move on with the rest of the conversation.