"Today was such an amazing day..."
After the instructional exploration ended, we rookies were sent home right away.
But that's understandable. After something like that happened.
Big sis still hasn't come back yet.
She's probably rushing around dealing with things everywhere right now, isn't she?
Lately, big sis has seemed really busy.
I'm so worried she'll collapse from overworking.
When I got home, I ate dinner right away, took a bath, and changed into my room clothes.
Now I'm trying to recall everything from today so I can write the instructional exploration report that the teacher asked for.
First, Orun-san taught me a lot of things.
About the mindset of a magician, parallel construction, and more.
A lot of it is still too difficult for me right now, but I want to master it little by little.
Then, during the exploration, I fought together with Logan-kun and Caroline-chan, but our coordination was worse than usual.
Logan-kun didn't give any instructions, and Caroline-chan kept charging ahead on her own.
I was scared of friendly fire, so I couldn't really join the fighting much.
I wonder if I'll ever be able to coordinate like big sis's party someday?
I realized I need to stop being shy and talk more actively.
And finally, that black dragon's sudden appearance.
I don't know the details, but apparently it's a deep-layer boss that even big sis and the others couldn't defeat.
When that dragon glared at me, I felt more terrified than when I was surrounded by orcs the other time.
Even thinking about it now makes my body tremble.
I thought it was only natural that big sis and the others would lose to something like that.
For the first time, I truly understood how scary the deep layers really are.
But Orun-san defeated it all by himself!
"Helped again..."
This is the second time Orun-san has saved me.
I owe him so much gratitude that words aren't enough.
I don't know how to repay him...
But if Orun-san ever gets into trouble, I'll help him with everything I've got!
Though I can't even imagine a situation like that...
Still, when Orun-san was fighting the dragon, his serious expression was really cool...
He usually has such a gentle face, so maybe that's why it stood out even more.
Is that what they call gap appeal? He was seriously handsome.
...Thinking about Orun-san is making my face feel hot...
While fanning my face with both hands to cool it down, the door to my room opened.
"I'm home..."
Big sis is back.
Sorry to say it, but she looks awful.
She seems completely exhausted.
"Welcome home, big sis!"
Big sis staggered over to her bed and just collapsed onto it.
"Big sis, your clothes are gonna get all wrinkled? And at least take a shower before sleeping."
"Mmm..."
This might be the first time in a year I've seen big sis this tired.
It's less tired and more... troubled?
"Did something happen?"
When I asked, big sis twitched in reaction.
"............Sophia, what did you think when you saw Orun fighting the black dragon today?"
After a long pause, she finally asked.
"Huh? I thought, wow, Orun-san is so strong!"
When I gave my honest impression, big sis went completely limp.
Did I say something weird?
"...So the gap was so huge that the rookies couldn't even comprehend it, huh."
"Hm? I understood it, though?"
"...What?"
Big sis gave me a scary look.
If a kid saw that, they'd probably cry.
Don't look at family like that...
"Orun-san's movements were super fast, he was jumping around in the air, shooting black flames from his sword, using magic I'd never seen before... but other than that, his positioning was pretty basic, right?"
"Basic positioning?"
"Yeah. Since I'm a rookie, I take all those lectures from the exploration management department, right? They taught us the basic positioning for each role, and Orun-san's was exactly like what they described. Like, handling both rear-guard attacker and defender roles at the same time."
Big sis's eyes widened, and her mouth hung open.
Big sis today is full of funny faces. Kinda amusing.
"Now that you mention it... it did look like he was fulfilling every party member's role all by himself."
"Right? So today's fight with Orun-san was really educational! Orun-san said that what's important for a magician is how much they can contribute to the party even during intervals. I feel like he showed one possible answer to that. So I want to work even harder and become a strong, cool explorer just like Orun-san!"
"One possible answer, huh. Haha... Sophia, you're amazing."
Big sis's face looked somehow refreshed. I wonder why?
"No way, you're way more amazing, big sis!"
Yes—big sis is the amazing one.
When I thought I had no choice but to obey Father and Mother, big sis showed me another path. I'm so grateful to her.
I respect big sis, who earns praise from so many people through her own strength.
"Thanks to you, I've made up my mind. Thank you. Alright, I'm gonna take a shower. Wanna sleep together tonight?"
Looks like something clicked for her.
I don't really get it, but I'm glad big sis seems energized again!
"Yeah! It's been a while—let's sleep together! I'll finish my report before you get back!"