"Sister Byerley?"
Though Nearl had a thousand thoughts about this appearance she wanted to voice, something else had completely seized her attention.
"Wait, something feels off—what exactly have you done?!"
Hearing Nearl's question—no, her demand—Byerley Turk only grew more self-assured. She patted Nearl's shoulder, her tone light and cheerful.
"Of course, I'm fulfilling my little sister's wish, letting her get through this crisis without breaking her fans' hearts."
"Of course, a proper excuse isn't easy to find. If we blamed illness or injury, your poor trainer would probably get cursed with voodoo dolls. So, I found an escape excuse they'd definitely understand."
No further explanation was needed. The sounds from outside told Nearl everything.
Boom!
Like an immense noise squeezed from the heavens, it slammed straight down into the earth—deep, drawn-out, rumbling. The very ground seemed to tremble.
Only then did middle-school knowledge, like a dead man rising, flash through her mind: sound is produced by vibrations.
After the thunder came a howling gale, rattling the windows violently.
"..."
Nothing more needed to be said. Nearl wasn't a fool. With the situation outside so obvious now, how could she not realize what Byerley had done?
"A rainstorm? This is the solution you came up with, Sister Byerley?"
"What do you think? Classic but effective. I even dragged in some extra-thick clouds. Outside, it's already as dark as night."
"No matter how much they want your Winner's Stage, in this weather they should head home. They probably have laundry to bring in, after all."
"But letting them get caught in this downpour just because of my personal stubbornness... I feel terrible about it."
Pulling open the window, Nearl saw the pitch-black clouds overhead, hanging so low it seemed she could touch them if she reached out.
Her ears twitched. The distant gasps of the audience and the chaotic sound of running footsteps only deepened her guilt.
"Oh, don't overthink it. I specifically timed the rain's arrival. It looks like it's about to pour any second, but it won't actually start for another two hours. That's plenty of time for them to get home, right?"
Pulling Nearl back forcefully, Byerley knew this silly sister of hers was fully capable of dispersing the storm clouds and forcing herself to perform that singing and dancing on stage against her own will.
"Nearl-chan, I may not remember exactly when the Winner's Stage tradition started, but it certainly wasn't created to make anyone miserable. If it doesn't bring you joy, then don't do it. That's a divine decree, you know."
Taking Nearl's hand, Byerley spoke these words.
"Sigh, I understand."
After that, there wasn't much to say.
The weather made it clear a heavy storm was coming. The Winner's Stage was definitely off—even an indoor one wouldn't work. Who knew how long it would last?
If they didn't evacuate people now and something happened once the rain started, it would be a big mess.
And so, Nearl narrowly dodged this Winner's Ceremony. The experience solidified her resolve to never enter races with schedules too tight again.
Winning or losing didn't really matter to her, but being forced on stage to dance like an idol? No, thank you. She'd rather be spared.
--+--
The immediate crisis was averted, but another, unavoidable matter now lay before Nearl. It was impossible to ignore.
The intensity of her gaze made Byerley, walking ahead, shudder violently.
"Nearl-chan, why are you looking at me like that?"
"Why can you say such things so brazenly, Sister Byerley? Isn't the reason I'm staring at you painfully obvious?"
Nearl took a step forward, her right hand lifting the strands of golden hair that fell beside the goddess's ear.
"I remember in that world, your hair, Sister Byerley, was supposed to be black. And this face—why have you changed it to look like this?"
"Don't tell me you've gotten another whim and want me to call you 'Auntie' now?"
Yes, many details from her past life were now just vague impressions, but she wasn't so far gone that she couldn't recognize characters from those games.
After all, mobile games had been her only escape during those painful days.
"If Nearl-chan wants to, calling me Auntie is fine too. It'd be fun, wouldn't it?"
"Please don't joke about this. Did you take this form just to tease me? If so, I might not speak to you for the rest of the day."
For the first time, Nearl looked with cold eyes at the face before her—so similar to her own, yet theoretically it should be Zofia's.
She couldn't even identify the turbulent emotions churning inside her now.
"I'm sorry, please forgive me!"
Byerley apologized, utterly devoid of dignity.
"It's just, look, there are plenty of my statues outside too, right? Even if the details differ, the resemblance is strong. My original face would be... troublesome."
"So this is a disguise?"
"Exactly! Since I'm claiming to be your sister, what face could be more suitable than this? One look and everyone can tell we're sisters."
"You're clearly my aunt..."
"We're sisters!"
Pouting, Byerley turned and grabbed Nearl's hand, pulling her along.
"And don't think I wanted to come! Mortal bodies are so cramped and heavy. Miss one meal and you're starving; go 36 hours without sleep and you're exhausted. And I have to endure it all."
"It's actually not so bad. I've gotten quite used to it."
"That's because you're still far from reaching 'sister' level, Nearl-chan. There's a perfect phrase for how I feel: 'It's hard to go from luxury to frugality.'"
Dragging Nearl to the roadside, Byerley stopped beside a car whose extraordinary appearance was obvious at a glance.
Standing next to it was someone else who shouldn't be here.
"Maria..."
"Bwahahaha!!"
Nearl was completely dumbfounded. Beside her, Byerley giggled uncontrollably, soon doubling over with laughter, barely managing to stay upright by leaning on Nearl's shoulder.
"Byerley, if you keep laughing, I'm ditching this disguise."
Shooting Byerley a displeased glare, the being who resembled Maria switched to a bright, cheerful smile directed at Nearl.
"Nearl, my little sister. Your impression of me probably isn't as deep as with that one over there. Big Sister and I were always so busy. My name is Godolphin Arabian, and I'm also your sister."
"Ah... pleased to meet you, Godolphin... sister?"
The clash between the youthful, familiar face and the brisk, straightforward demeanor was simply too jarring. Nearl felt her judgment faltering.
"Ah, I get it. Claiming to be your sister while showing up with this face must be confusing."
Seeing Nearl's hesitation, Godolphin nodded understandingly, then delivered a solid punch to Byerley, who was still laughing beside her.
"This was all Byerley's idea from the start. Spouting nonsense about family needing to look alike. What kind of logic is that?"
"…"
Watching the being who looked like Blemishine—Godolphin—wear a fierce expression as she firmly restrained the being who looked like Whislash—Byerley—Nearl was utterly speechless.
She could only look up at the sky and let out a long, deep sigh.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.