Rock, Paper, Sisters

“Anyway, we’re still one person short. Do you have any suggestions, Ely?”

Elysia glanced around before shaking her head slowly, finding no one who caught her interest.

“Ugghhhh... you’re such a pain.” Irine messed up her own hair. “No men, no arrogant ones, no noisy ones. Who exactly do you want?”

Elysia remained silent, turning her indifferent face away.

The headmaster had asked them to form groups of four to six people. Unfortunately, they were only three, and Elysia refused almost everyone who wanted to join.

The biggest problem was... time!

The headmaster had given them less than ten minutes to form an exploration team, which was why Irine looked so frustrated.

“Can’t we ask Imaria?”

Celina’s suggestion made the summer rabbit slap her forehead as if she had just remembered something long forgotten.

“Ah, I almost forgot about her. Wait here!”

She dashed away, easily slipping through the crowd of students, then returned pulling the hand of an elf girl wearing a church hood.

“Come join us, Imaria! You don’t have a team yet, right?”

“Eh? Not yet. But... can I really join you?”

Elysia nodded, raising a finger for each requirement the church girl met. “First, she’s cute. Second, she’s not arrogant. And third, most importantly... she’s quiet. I’ll die if I have to spend the whole way with two chatterboxes like these.”

“Elyyyyyy!”

“Elyyyy!”

Irine and Celina shook Elysia’s shoulders together, while Imaria only laughed awkwardly, scratching her temple.

The sound of a staff striking the ground echoed across the wide field, drawing everyone’s attention forward.

“Well then, children, it seems your time is up. For those who failed to form a group... I’m sorry, but you’ll have to wait for the next time.”

The students looked at one another in confusion, whispering among themselves.

Madonna snapped her fingers, and a green light enveloped the entire field. Suddenly, nearly half the students were thrown to the empty section of the ground, while the others, including Elysia, remained where they stood.

Some winced, others tried to protest, but Madonna only pointed upward with her wrinkled finger.

Wide-eyed, everyone looked up to see a glowing green eye floating in the sky they thought was empty.

“This grandmother of yours sees everything, you know.”

Several students swallowed hard, and not a single protest followed after that.

Without needing an explanation, Elysia already knew the ones thrown away were those who failed to form a group. Had she been too stubborn, she might have shared the same humiliation.

Madonna then turned to the back and smiled faintly. “Come out. It’s your turn, my dear adolescents.”

Behind her, a teleportation circle appeared again. A few students wearing crimson uniforms stepped out. Three of them were faces very familiar to both Elysia and Irine.

“Sister? And... the seniors? Why are they here?” Irine tilted her head.

“Hi, Ely, Irine.” Elene waved at her younger sisters, smiling sweetly.

“It’s really them!” Irine pointed at Elene in excitement.

Not only Irine, almost everyone was thrilled to see the upperclassmen standing before them, though a few could only gape silently.

Meanwhile, Elysia sighed softly, trying to guess the rough outline of her headmaster’s plan.

“It seems the headmaster truly intends to advance the schedule.”

“What do you mean, Ely?” Celina blinked in confusion.

“You didn’t read the second-semester schedule? Dungeon exploration was supposed to be a part of that. But for some reason, she’s pushing it forward now.”

“B-but this is only the first lesson?! Why would she do that?!”

Elysia shrugged.

She wasn’t sure herself. But if she had to guess, it was either because Madonna saw great potential in this year’s students, or... perhaps this was a test to see how they handled something entirely unexpected.

Madonna cleared her throat, silencing the crowd.

“Listen, everyone. The seniors standing before you will act as your guides during the dungeon exploration. Each one of them is the best among the best. So there’s no need to worry about your safety.”

“Ah, it would be better if you line up, so they can easily choose which group they’ll lead.”

At once, the students arranged themselves neatly. Only Elysia’s group remained disorganized in the middle of the field.

The seniors began walking forward slowly, except for one blue-haired woman who ran toward Elysia’s group—it was their sister, Elene.

Once she reached them, Elene grabbed both twins by their shoulders. “Ely, Irine, I’ll be your guide!” Her tone was slightly forceful.

From behind her, Syrene approached with an intimidating aura. “I can’t trust them to a girl who always acts on impulse.” She grabbed Elene by the collar and tossed her aside like a rag doll.

“Woooah!”

Syrene turned back, her gaze sharp. “I’ll be your guide.”

“Nooo!” Irine tugged her golden hair in despair.

Elysia sighed. She understood why Irine was reluctant. Their fourth sister was strict, disciplined, and serious—a temperament that always suffocated Irine’s free spirit.

But then Elene returned, her teeth clenched, her ears raised high. She pointed at Syrene, challenging her loudly.

“See, Irine doesn’t want you! For the sake of our sisters, I won’t let you cage their freedom, you stiff woman!”

Syrene’s eyebrow twitched. “Who are you calling stiff? Do you want to fight?” Her voice was cold and sharp.

She cracked her knuckles, the sound echoing clearly through the air. Elene swallowed hard and took a step back, cold sweat on her face.

“W-w-wait. I-I was just joking. D-don’t hit your cute twin sister.”

As Syrene drew closer, a soft laugh broke the tension. Everyone turned to find Mireya standing nearby, her steps graceful and silent—no one had noticed her approach.

“That’s enough, you two.” Her gentle voice flowed like a mother’s, soothing yet firm. “It’s better to settle this the usual way, isn’t it?”

Her calm tone and kind smile instantly silenced both Elene and Syrene.

“The usual way, huh... fine.”

Syrene raised her hand, followed by Elene. To their surprise, Mireya lifted hers as well.

“Mira... you too?”

Mireya nodded. “Irine isn’t comfortable with your strictness, Syrene. And... well, I know Elysia isn’t comfortable with Elene’s noise. I think I’m better suited to accompany them. Of course, I won’t force it. Let’s decide fairly, shall we?”

Elene and Syrene exchanged glances before nodding in agreement.

“I’m fine with that. The winner gets to accompany them, right? Then... let’s begin,” Elene said with a confident grin.

Everyone fell silent, curious to see what would happen. Elysia, on the other hand, sighed and turned her face away, slightly flushed with embarrassment at her sisters’ behavior.

The three nodded together, then—

“Rock, paper, scissors.”

“I win.”

Two stones and one paper. Mireya was the winner. A faint smile curved on her lips, while Elene shouted in frustration and Syrene gave a bitter smile.

Elysia patted Syrene’s shoulder, then pointed toward one of the other groups. It was Arabella’s group, the same nobles who had once tried to frame her.

Syrene raised an eyebrow but quickly understood what her sister wanted without a word. A sharp smile appeared on her lips as she walked toward them.

Even from a distance, Elysia could see the nobles’ shoulders stiffen in fear. She smiled faintly, satisfied with the sight.

Causing trouble or seeking revenge wasn’t her nature. But perhaps, due to the stirrings of youth or something else, she felt a strong urge to tease those who had disrespected her.

“I’ll be your guide. I don’t like spoiled girls, so be prepared.”

Syrene’s cold tone made the noble girls scream in fear, strangely enough, made Elysia’s heart feel a little lighter.

Meanwhile, Mireya approached Elysia’s group with a warm smile. “Well then, I’ll be joining you in the dungeon. I may not be as strong as Syrene or Elene, but feel free to rely on me, okay?”

“Yes, Sister Mira.”

“Yes, Senior Mira!”

Celina and Irine shouted enthusiastically. Elysia smiled with satisfaction.

Mireya turned slightly, introducing herself to Imaria, the only one she hadn’t met before.

“Well then, I suppose it’s time to begin our exploration.”

The frail voice of the headmaster echoed once more in everyone’s minds. They turned toward the front. The old woman was smiling sweetly—too sweetly, in fact, for Elysia’s liking, who had been suspicious from the start.

Madonna glanced at Professor Lily beside her, who was holding a box in her hands. “Lily... if you would handle the rest,” she said gently.

Lily began walking around, visiting each group with the box. She took a small orb from within and handed one to each team representative.

Each orb had a different color. Judging by her expression, it was clear she was distributing them at random.

When the strict teacher finally reached Elysia’s group, her sharp eyes glinted dangerously, a smirk creeping across her lips. The mere sight made the back of Elysia’s neck prickle.

“Little rabbit, Algarvean girl, do you two remember the water-ball incident?”

Elysia and Celina swallowed hard. It was clear that Lily still held a grudge from when Celina had accidentally splashed her with water magic. Who would have thought she still remembered something that had happened months ago?

Celina nudged Elysia’s arm. “Ely... she still remembers.”

Elysia kept her face calm, pretending nothing was wrong, as if daring the teacher with her composure.

“You’re quite something, little rabbit.” Like the others, Lily handed her an orb. “Enjoy my little gift.” Her laughter echoed as she walked away.

Elysia opened her hand. Inside lay a dark blue orb. Its color alone was enough to suggest it wasn’t a good sign. Even Mireya’s face turned grim.

“This isn’t good, Ely.” Mireya scratched her temple. “What exactly did you do to make Professor Lily so angry?”

Celina glanced at Elysia. “Ask your sister, Senior.”

Elysia turned to Celina. “You were the one who got her wet.”

“Ugh... that...” Celina rolled her eyes. “Forget it. Anyway, what kind of orb is this, Senior?”

Before Mireya could answer, the headmaster clapped her hands, drawing everyone’s attention.

“That orb is an artifact that will teleport you to the beginner’s dungeon. Depending on its color, it will send you to a different dungeon. Don’t complain if you get an unpleasant one, as everything is chosen at random. Luck is also a part of your grade in the real world, you know?”

Random? Luck? I doubt that. How annoying.

Elysia was sure Lily had sabotaged her. And somehow, it seemed the headmaster allowed it. Her last words made it clear she was intentionally testing them.

“Well then, let’s have some fun. Ahem... I mean, let’s begin the lesson.”

You said fun just now, didn’t you? You sly old fox.