In my past life, I was an average guy who loved light novels, anime, and manga. I attended a decent high school, got into a good university—nothing remarkable. My family was notable, but I was the "ordinary" one. I had an older brother and younger sister, so blending into this life as Yugen, with siblings, felt natural. My past world had no magic; I was a regular citizen. My brother was four years older, my sister three years younger, though school-year gaps differed due to birth months.
My brother was a charmer, like Masaki's looks mixed with Miyuki's allure—a fitting but awkward comparison. My sharpness toward Masaki might stem from this. I had one girlfriend in high school, a kind, popular classmate. When I brought her home, she met my brother and later broke up with me, tearfully citing "someone more captivating." Her honesty was clear; she wasn't the type to lie.
She dated my brother afterward. I swore off relationships, not blaming him—he didn't intend to steal her. Even I found him magnetic. Though I could've resented her, both she and my brother apologized profusely, so we agreed to move on, acting as "good friends" at school.
Most wouldn't handle that well. Maybe I wasn't normal, numbed by the experience, thinking, "If my brother took her, oh well." When I was in my second year, our researcher parents died in an accident. My siblings and I were taken in by our mother's sister and her husband. My brother, set for grad school, started working to support us. I respected, never resented, him for prioritizing family. He treated my ex sincerely, and they married years later, perpetually lovey-dovey—a realm I couldn't touch.
I preferred solitude in school, got along with guys, and kept female interactions professional. A friend once marveled, "You're that handsome and got zero Valentine's chocolates? Wild." I shrugged it off, only getting chocolate from my sister, who urged me to date but never pushed hard, mindful of my feelings.
My brother's effortless charisma made me see myself as average, though my sister claimed I drew people differently—intimidatingly so, like a "ghost or demon." I laughed it off, scared to probe further.
I wasn't my brother but aimed for balance in academics and sports, decent at kendo but never chasing accolades. My siblings were giants—my brother a global academic star by my high school years, my sister famed for solving a math problem. I was just "the charismatic brother's sibling" or "the genius sister's brother," a footnote.
I don't know how they fared after my sudden death. I must've caused shock, but there's no fixing it now. I hope they're okay.
In this life, my brother's shadow lingers. I fear someone like him stealing affection, stifling my ability to love. I tried crafting a magic formula for it as a reincarnation perk, but failed—my heart couldn't visualize it. Instead, I birthed a monstrous magic, a secret I keep locked away.
Can I even fall in love? With that thought, I surrendered to sleep.
Day two featured main event Crowd Ball (women's morning, men's afternoon) and Ice Pillars Break (men's and women's concurrently, due to ice pillar prep). Yugen woke at his usual time, sipping sugary milk coffee to shake off sleep, eyeing CAD designs on his monitor. Tatsuya, unexpectedly drafted as women's Crowd Ball sub-engineer, left Yugen checking the day's schedule.
A knock came. Unlocking the door, Yugen found Miyuki in training gear.
"Morning, Miyuki. What's up?" he asked.
"Morning, Yugen-san. Care to join me for a workout?" she replied.
"Sure, light exercise works," Yugen said, wanting to move. Miyuki beamed, but Yugen noted Tatsuya's absence. "Where's Tatsuya? Thought he'd insist on sticking close in a military facility."
"He was here but said he's checking on others while jogging," Miyuki said.
"Overthinking again," Yugen sighed. "He should be that sharp about affection."
"I agree," Miyuki said, biting back a retort about Yugen's own obliviousness to avoid a self-own. Yugen invited her in to wait while he prepped, deeming it safer than leaving her outside.
"Sit anywhere," he said.
"Is that a specialized CAD design?" Miyuki asked, spotting the monitor.
Miyuki, learning software from Tatsuya and hardware from Yugen—practically a Taurus Silver disciple—recognized the design. Neither over-taught her, but she was sharp.
"Based on the president's data," Yugen said. "Just a hidden ace, though."
Single-magic CADs, installing up to nine same-system spells, weren't practical. Yugen aimed to enable cross-system sequences at general-purpose speed, a breakthrough Miyuki noticed he was testing via the competition. He was undeniably a world-class magic engineer.
"I sent the data already," Yugen said. "Ushiyama-san will probably finish it in half a day. Miyuki? Something funny?"
"You and Onii-sama are so alike," she giggled.
"Let's go," Yugen said.
"Yes!" Miyuki chirped.
Unbeknownst to them, Yugen's activation sequence and CAD design would spark a jaw-dropping turn of events.
Tatsuya jogged the hotel grounds, not recklessly but without magic, unlike his temple visits with Yakumo. Pure stamina training. Sensing a familiar presence, he headed toward it.
In a secluded spot, a faint warding barrier stood. Tatsuya pierced it, finding Yugen and Miyuki sparring lightly.
"Time to wrap up, Miyuki," Yugen said. "Your brother noticed."
"Onii-sama!?" Miyuki gasped.
"Sorry, I saw the barrier," Tatsuya said. "You wanted me to, didn't you?"
"Blame Yakumo-sensei," Yugen said, scratching his head. "He dumped teaching you barrier detection on me. I'm no errand boy, but I'd love to beam sunlight at his head."
"He'd blind me back," Tatsuya said.
"True," Yugen laughed, Miyuki giggling. Yugen dispelled the barrier, and they headed back, prepping for breakfast. En route, they stumbled on three students—two girls, one boy—arguing loudly.
"Love triangle?" Yugen muttered.
"Nah, the girls seem used to fighting," Tatsuya said.
"Calling that 'used to' is odd," Miyuki added.
The boy wore Ninth High's uniform, the girls Second and Seventh High's. It was petty name-calling—"idiot," "moron"—among acquaintances. Ignoring seemed fine, but the Second High girl, with a side ponytail, prepped a high-powered spell. The Seventh High girl, with long chestnut hair, countered, as did the shaggy-haired boy. Tatsuya pegged the magic as ancient, unfit for Spell Dismantling. Yugen waved a hand, nullifying all three spells.
"Fue!?" the Second High girl yelped.
"My magic failed!?" the Seventh High girl gasped.
"Thanks…" the boy muttered.
They hadn't expected Tenjin Magic nullification. Spotting Yugen's raised hand, they deduced he did it.
"Don't cast in a hotel," Yugen scolded. "That magic could've wrecked floors."
"Sorry," the boy said. "Hikari, Yume, apologize!"
"Sorry…" Yume, the side-ponytail girl, bowed.
Hikari, staring at Yugen, snapped out of it and bowed. "S-Sorry!"
Seeing their remorse, Yugen dropped it. "I'll let it slide, but be careful."
Waving, he left, Tatsuya and Miyuki nodding farewell. The trio—Ninth High's Miyamoto Shuji, Second High's Takatsuki Yume, and Seventh High's Ise Hikari—watched, stunned.
"Our Tenjin Magic, broken?" Yume whispered.
"Doesn't justify 'Lion's Thunder Roar,'" Shuji snapped. "Reflect!"
"Ow! Shuji, that's harsh!" Yume teared up. "Hikari was prepping 'Wind God Rupture' too!"
Hikari, frozen with a lovestruck look, ignored them. Shuji and Yume exchanged glances.
"She's smitten," Yume said. "He's from First High, right? The girl was Shiba Miyuki?"
"Yeah, our guys fawned over her at the mixer," Shuji said. "Even 'Crimson Prince' was charmed."
"You too?" Yume teased.
"Idiot," Shuji retorted. "What now? She won't snap out for hours."
Yume, jokingly "rebooting" Hikari by grabbing her chest, kept it their secret.
"Miyuki-san, that hurts," Yugen said, as she pinched his back.
"Stop charming everyone!" she huffed.
"Huh?" Yugen blinked.
Tatsuya sighed deeply, unnoticed, at the new rival Miyuki sensed.
Note: New story is out, if you want to check it out.
Search --> Transferred to Kivotos, I Solve Everything with My Fists
-------------------------------------------------------
🚀 Want more?
📖 Unlock 20+ early chapters on my Patreon!
💖 Support me here: patreon.com/Greyhounds
🔓 Get ahead of the story today!