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“Ekaterina.”

At the familiar voice, Ekaterina’s face instantly lit up.

“Onii-sama!”

The students crowding around the results board quickly parted before Aleksei, as if the Red Sea were parting before Moses. As expected of Onii-sama.
When Aleksei spread his arms, Ekaterina happily leapt into them without hesitation.

“You’ve done well. I’m proud of you.”

Holding his sister close, Aleksei spoke fondly.
Yay—Onii-sama praised me! I’m so glad I got first place!
Ekaterina threw all her earlier embarrassment into some distant wormhole and floated in joy.

“Your praise honors me, but I’m still nowhere near your level, Onii-sama.”

She glanced toward the third-year rankings—first place, Aleksei Jurnova. Unshakable at the top.

“I was simply raised that way. Your effort means more.”

Aleksei said it casually.
Yes, that’s exactly the kind of person he is. He knows not everyone turns out as they were raised, that effort and talent matter too—and yet he can still say that so easily.
Incidentally, first place among the second-years was Vladimir Jurmagna. I see, he’s quite himself.

“You two really are a close pair of siblings.”

Said Mikhail with a wry smile, and Flora watched with a warm one of her own. Next to her, for some reason, stood classmates Marina Krymov and Olga Flurse, hands clasped dreamily over their chests.

“My, Lady Marina, Lady Olga—whatever is the matter?”

Ekaterina stepped a bit away from her brother to ask, and Marina giggled softly.

“The two of you left the classroom in such a hurry, we thought you must have come here, so we followed. You always study so diligently, so I expected you’d score well, but to think you’d take first and second place! How wonderful. It makes *us* happy too.”
“Oh, you’re too kind.”

So they came all the way here just because they cared. What sweet girls.
Then, a deep, pleasant voice called out:

“What are you doing here? There’s no way you made it into the top ten.”
“…Oh, Onii-sama.”

Marina’s tone dropped two notches in both warmth and pitch.

Wait—Onii-sama?
Ekaterina turned toward the speaker. A tall, athletic young man with striking red hair and golden eyes stood there.
Ah, him! When I once went to my brother’s class, he was the one who showed me to Aleksei’s office. Now that I see him up close, the resemblance to Marina is obvious—the same coloring, that sporty air. So he’s her brother! Which means the brothers and sisters are in the same respective classes—how funny.

“Oh, Duke. First place again, I see. Impressive. And you too, huh, little sister? It’s been a while—you might not remember me. Nikolai Krymov.”
“It has indeed, and of course I remember you. I’m grateful for your help that time.”

While Ekaterina smiled politely, Aleksei turned to Marina with a small grin.

“So this is your sister, then?”
“Yeah, my little monkey.”

Hahaha, Nikolai laughed, as Marina shrieked in outrage.

“Excuse me, Onii-sama!? What did you just call me!? If I’m a monkey, you’re a *great ape*! A muscle-headed, bottomless-pit glutton of a giant ape beast who’d break down two storage sheds in his anger! Pretending to be human is laughable!”
“Who are you calling a giant ape beast!? And I only broke those sheds because I was told to! They were being rebuilt anyway!”

So he *can* break them, huh.

“You pretending to be a fine lady is what’s really laughable. How long can you keep that act up?”
“O-ho-ho-ho! I, who have mastered Mother’s secret technique—‘Five-Layer Instant Cat Mask’—have no weaknesses!”
“…You realize you’re not supposed to admit to putting on a cat mask in public?”¹

“Ah—!”

Marina froze.

Yeah, nice one, Nikolai.
So she’s got five cats stacked on her head like a cat tower, huh? Must be super fluffy.
As a fellow office drone hiding under a lady’s façade, I feel a deep kinship.
And with that thought, I decided to join the joke.

“Lady Marina, you keep that many cats? How adorable they must be.”
“Y-yes, indeed they are!”

Ekaterina’s feigned innocence worked perfectly—Marina jumped on the lifeline without hesitation.

“Our family runs a horse ranch, so there are many cats living in the stables. They help control pests, and even the more temperamental horses often become friendly with them.”
“Oh my, the cats and horses become friends? How wonderful. Yes, I’ve seen the Krymov family’s magical steeds before—they were beautiful, powerful creatures.”
“My! What a lovely compliment! You honor me.”

Marina looked truly delighted by Ekaterina’s words, though the air around her also gave off a strong *‘barely escaped that one’* vibe.
When Ekaterina glanced around, everyone except Nikolai—who was giving an exasperated look—was smiling warmly, choosing to let Marina’s bluff slide. Ah yes, one good deed a day.
Still, the Krymov siblings really did seem like the “bicker-a-lot-but-close” type.

Ekaterina turned to her brother beside her and smiled mischievously.

“Onii-sama, the Krymov siblings are so close, aren’t they? Compared to them, I feel we may not be affectionate enough. Why don’t you try calling me a monkey, just once?”
“Impossible.”

Aleksei replied flatly.

“You give up so easily, Onii-sama.”
“I said it’s impossible. I’ve never seen a monkey in person, but I believe they’re creatures that live in southern forests, dwelling in trees in groups.”

Right, it seemed monkeys didn’t inhabit the Jurgrahn Empire. They were plentiful in the southern countries, though sometimes kept as pets even in the Empire. In my previous life, too, monkeys were a tropical or rainforest image—they didn’t live in Europe, except for rare cases. Japanese monkeys bathing in hot springs and drinking monkey sake (that’s wrong, by the way) were an exception.

Aleksei gently brushed his hand through Ekaterina’s hair, slowly stroking it down.

“If there were a forest where such beautiful creatures lived together, I’d abandon my duchy and live there instead. I’d build a small house, never even go inside it, and spend my days gazing up at the treetops—happy and content. So, I cannot call you a monkey, my Queen of the Night. I want you not in the trees, but at my side.”
“Oh, Onii-sama, really now.”

Wow, the *siscon filter* is in top form today!

“How rare it is for you to jest like that, Onii-sama.”
“I don’t jest. I’m simply incapable of it.”

Aleksei said this with complete seriousness.
Nikolai let out a pained groan.

“…Oi, Duke, hold up a sec. Were you always the type who’d say something like that out of nowhere?”
“Did I say something strange? I’m aware that I’m not very good at putting my thoughts into words.”
“No, it’s the opposite—you’re too good at it. You don’t even realize how smooth you are… Wait, no, what the hell am I even saying?”

Nikolai pressed a hand to his forehead.

“No, Aleksei has always been like this, but his skills have been refined lately. It’s becoming a problem. …Am I supposed to learn to do that too?”

Mikhail looked unusually flustered at that.
No, Prince, you really don’t have to imitate him. Actually, you might be able to pull it off. Your father, His Majesty the Emperor, was on the same poetic-flattery level as my brother, after all.
Still, I’d rather you just stay \you.

Wait, is Olga-chan blushing? Flora-chan’s smiling as serenely as ever, though.
And Marina-chan—why are you covering your face with both hands? It’s obvious you’re peeking through your fingers. Hey, some of your cats are definitely slacking off!

Ahhh, sorry, everyone. Looks like my brother’s siscon display threw you all off.
But just so you know, I’m planning to perfect my *brocon* too!