Chapter 2: The Two Faces of My Sister

The next day at school felt like I was living a double life.

In one world, I was Rui Hinamata, trying to pay attention in classical literature while Kenji was secretly showing me Ectiqa fan art under the desk.

"Look at this one! The artist totally captured her vibe," he whispered, his eyes gleaming.

"Yeah, it's good," I whispered back, my own mind replaying the moment she read my comment last night. She noticed me. The thought was both thrilling and embarrassing.

In another world-a world I could only glimpse from across the schoolyard-was Rina. During lunch, I saw her with her friends, Miki Aoyama and Yui Sato. Yui, a bubbly girl with trendy dyed-brown hair, was showing off her newly painted nails, while Rina laughed and nodded along. Miki was the quiet one, with glasses and a perpetually calm expression, always observing. They just looked like a normal group of high school girls. Rina even packed her own lunch-a perfectly balanced bento that I, her heroic brother, had woken up at 6 AM to prepare.

Looking at her, so plain and unassuming, it was impossible to connect her to the fierce demon queen on my phone screen. Rina's defining feature was... being my sister. Ectiqa's was being a goddess. The two couldn't be more different.

"Your sister is so... normal," Kenji commented, following my gaze. "It's hard to believe you two are related. You're a man of culture, a devotee of the arts! She's talking about a new tapioca place."

"Hey, leave her alone," I said, though I kind of agreed. "Normal is good. It's safe."

After school, Rina caught up to me at the shoe lockers. "Onii-chan, I'm heading to work now. I'll probably be late again tonight, so don't wait up for dinner."

"Okay. Don't overdo it," I said, my standard reply.

"I won't!" she chirped, before running off to meet up with Miki. I watched them go, a flicker of something uneasy in my gut. It was probably nothing.

But today, we follow Rina.

She didn't head downtown. She and Miki took a train in the opposite direction, towards an industrial district full of warehouses and studios.

"Did you bring the fabric adhesive?" Rina asked Miki as they walked, her voice losing its carefree, bubbly tone and gaining a sharp, professional edge.

"Of course," Miki replied, adjusting her glasses. "And the primer for the worbla. I also sketched out some potential lighting setups for the 'Celestia' shoot. The client wants an ethereal glow, which is going to be a pain to get right without a proper diffuser."

"We'll manage," Rina said, her pace quickening. "We always do."

They arrived at a small, rented studio space. The inside was a chaotic wonderland. Racks of fantastical costumes stood against one wall, wigs of every color imaginable rested on mannequin heads, and a workbench was littered with half-finished props, foam, and tubes of paint.

This was Rina's real part-time job.

"Let's get started," Rina said, tying her hair up. She sat down at a brightly lit vanity mirror. For the next hour, a stunning transformation took place.

Her plain face was a canvas. With skillful strokes of brushes and sponges, she altered the shape of her eyes, contoured her jawline, and created a flawless, doll-like complexion. She hid her normal eyebrows and drew on new ones, sharp and elegantly arched. She applied layers of eyeshadow, glitter, and dramatic false lashes. When she finally put in a pair of vibrant, sky-blue contact lenses, the girl in the mirror was no longer Rina Hinamata.

She was someone else. Someone powerful and breathtaking.

Miki, meanwhile, was carefully laying out a costume of pure white and gold armor, with massive, feathered wings.

"Ready for the fitting?" Miki asked.

Rina nodded, and they began the arduous process of strapping her into the elaborate outfit.

Back at the Hinamata residence, I was lazing on the sofa, scrolling through Ectiqa's social media. A new post had just gone up an hour ago. It was a behind-the-scenes shot. Just a close-up of a piece of white and gold armor, gleaming under a light.

Caption: Working on something angelic. Can you guess who?

The comments section was a frenzy of speculation. Kenji had already messaged me ten times about it.

Kenji: It's gotta be Celestia from 'Aetherium Chronicles'! Kenji: NOBODY has been able to pull her off! The wings are too complex! Kenji: But if anyone can do it, it's Ectiqa-sama!

I smiled, typing back a simple, 'I have faith in her.'

I decided to start on dinner. As I was chopping vegetables, I felt a familiar pang of loneliness. The house was always so quiet without Rina. Even if she was just in her room, her presence made the place feel less empty. I missed my annoying, clingy sister.

She came home even later than usual, close to 11 PM. The door opened and she practically fell inside.

"I'm... a corpse..." she groaned, dropping onto the floor in the entryway.

"Rough day?" I asked, walking over to help her up. "You look like you wrestled a bear."

"Something like that," she mumbled, letting me pull her to her feet. She leaned against me, her head on my shoulder. "Food?"

"Curry's in the fridge. Go take a shower first, you smell like... paint and hairspray."

"M'kay..."

She shuffled off towards the bathroom. I went to pick up her bag and noticed it was unzipped. A small, clear plastic baggie had fallen out. Inside was a single, large, pristine white feather. Probably from some craft project for her "cafe."

But as I picked it up, something on her cheek caught the light. A tiny, iridescent speck of glitter. It was sky-blue.

I froze.

I unlocked my phone and pulled up the new high-resolution photo Ectiqa had posted yesterday. The one of the Demon Queen. I zoomed in. All the way in, right on her face.

And there, just under her eye, was the exact same kind of iridescent, sky-blue glitter, catching the photographer's light.

My brain stalled.

No. Way.

It had to be a coincidence. A popular makeup brand, right? Lots of girls use glitter. Rina's normie friends were probably all into it. It's a trend.

I shook my head, laughing at my own ridiculous fantasy. Me, the brother of the most famous cosplayer in Japan? Yeah, right. As if my plain, lazy, tapioca-loving little sister could be a literal goddess.

I tossed the feather onto her bag and went to heat up her dinner. It was just a coincidence.

It had to be.