My Taboo Academy

"Please call me Sarika."

"Ren Asahi. Nice to meet you, Sarika."

"Ren? Did you hurt your hand? Let me see."

Yuna latched onto my arm and started fussing, then pulled out hand cream and began spreading it over my fingers.

The other girls watched like it was the most entertaining show in the world, making little "ooh" and "ahh" sounds.

I would never understand female sensibilities.

"Your hands are really big, Ren."

"Can I touch too?"

"Uh... sure."

They giggled after the lightest contact, faces lit up with pure delight.

It was still surreal that my mere existence could make a group of girls this happy.

"Senior, can I ask something?"

"Go ahead."

"Are you really a D-rank adventurer?"

*Swoosh.*

The innocent question stabbed straight through my pride.

"Why does everyone keep asking that?"

"Right? There’s no way a real D-rank looks like that."

"Do you actually collect Fleshlights?"

"I do."

I answered every question honestly. By the time the interrogation wound down, the waiting line had shortened dramatically.

"I wish I could go with you too... I’m so jealous of Cleo."

"Can’t the three of us party together?"

"No, we already locked in our team."

"Who’s the third? Is it a guy?"

"Say ’who is it, a man?’ again!!"

...

Yuna’s face turned red under the teasing.

"...I’m going with Sarika. No guys involved."

"Hmm."

"Are you relieved?"

She slipped her soft hand into mine and squeezed.

I tensed, half-afraid someone would notice how unnatural the gesture looked between siblings.

"Yeah. Relieved."

"It’s our turn. We’ll be back soon. Be careful in the dungeon, okay?"

"You too, Yuna."

Sarika and Yuna headed for the gate.

One group after another entered the dungeon until the noisy training ground finally grew quiet.

"..."

The pink-haired Isis was still staring at me.

"Eemm... is there a problem?"

"Can I take a picture with you?"

Bold little heroine. I hadn’t expected that request.

"Out of nowhere?"

"It’ll only take a second."

"...Sure."

She was Yuna’s friend, after all.

She pulled out her phone, attached a selfie stick, linked arms with me, and raised it.

...Her chest pressed directly against my arm.

"Yuna’s handsome brother, I’m gonna try seducing you with these."

*Nuzzle.*

...

"What kind of caption are you even planning?"

"’Linked arms with my friend’s brother the second she left’"

"You’re farming views, aren’t you."

I already dreaded whatever Yuna would say when she saw the photo later.

"Thanks for the collab."

"...Just go in already."

Now for the final boss.

Cleo had been leaning against the wall the entire time. The moment I walked toward her she straightened, expression locked and loaded.

"...What? The pleasure is so intense I could die happy. Go ahead and end me, Brother?"

I couldn’t help smiling at the familiar brand of venom.

What’s so funny? Acting like you’re hot shit."

"What??"

"You’re a permanent D-rank who couldn’t even find a party, so you got stuck with me. Embarrassing, honestly."

What a complete misread of the situation.

"Did you miss the part where half the first-years were fighting to drag me into their teams?"

"Trying to show off in front of my friends. Pathetic."

"Funny. You’re the one who only ends up solo unless your own brother is forced on you."

Cleo’s face went red instantly.

"I go solo because I’m strong enough to! Anyone else would just slow me down."

"That so?"

"So stop interfering."

She was getting territorial. Clearly she hated someone stepping into her usual solo routine and class ranking.

Our relationship still balanced on a knife edge of leftover resentment.

We’d dragged the old wounds into the open, but that didn’t mean they had healed.

Cleo still didn’t trust me.

At least she no longer tried to throw me out of the house...

"Then let me act a little more like an actual big brother today."

If I were in her position I’d probably hate me too. I’d never given her a single impressive reason not to.

"Cleo. We’re clearing this one as a duo."

"Whatever."

[「Crimson Eye」 activated]

I caught her wrist just as she started toward the A-9 gate.

"What now?"

"This way. I found a B-rank."

"Are you talking nonsense again?"

[C(B)-rank Dungeon]

[Zombie Apocalypse Ruins]

[Rarity: C+] [Reward: C+] [Anomaly: B+]

[A demon merchant will appear inside this dungeon]

[Reward weight +1]

[Max participants: 3 (squad)]

"Would the two of us be enough, or is it too risky?"

My first instinct had been "higher rank equals better," but reality set in fast.

I was still significantly weaker than Cleo.

I didn’t have the strength to take responsibility if things went sideways.

Back in the Grim Orc Fortress, even Elle’s C-rank attacks had been almost useless once the anomaly kicked in.

If something similar happened here, I would be dead weight.

Wanting to look like a reliable brother was one thing.

"A brother doesn’t deliberately throw his sister into danger."

Hoping for another miracle rescue like with Regina, pushing her off a cliff and praying everything worked out... that was the logic of a beast, not a person.

The second it became "a trap I planned," I stopped being human.

Exactly the kind of person Chairman Williams would lock away as a villain.

"Academy dungeons top out at C-rank most of the time. A lot of them don’t even clear D. What would you know?"

"Quiet."

I pulled her closer and dropped my voice.

"We keep this between us and slip in quietly."

"..."

Cleo eyed me with open suspicion.

"One question first. I’m not forcing anything if it looks bad, but can the two of us clear a B-rank with me tagging along?"

"You’re only asking because you already know I’m A-rank."

"Just confirming."

I felt stupid the moment the words left my mouth.

A-rank meant she had already surpassed Aria, and she had done it as a first-year.

"Being A-rank this early is impressive. It’s rare even among our year."

Pure A-rank confidence.

Cleo scoffed and lifted her chin with a little smirk.

’Veyron’s current freshmen really are monsters...’

Regina’s SS-rank power was still so far beyond comprehension it barely felt real.

In Cleo’s world the previous ceiling had been Aria.

Where exactly did that put Cleo?

"So this dungeon shouldn’t be a problem for you, right?"

"I’m still not buying that it’s actually B-rank, are you sure?"

"The description says the rank only jumps when certain conditions are met."

"...You already spotted an irregularity, didn’t you?"

We had enough information to make a call.

I was starting to worry that Crimson Eye itself might get flagged as a dangerous skill if the wrong people found out.

In the end the decision belonged to Cleo. If she refused, we would just pick a different gate.

"We can switch if you’re uneasy."

"No. It would be a waste to let someone else snatch it."

"I’ll grab supplies then. You need anything?"

"Nothing."

Of course. A-rank and traveling light.

I headed to the locker room, strapped on my Glock and an ammo belt.

’9mm magazine, check.’

Today’s job was simple: stay close to Cleo and be a competent porter.

I stopped by the Academy B workshop for the rest of the gear.

I’d only been there once before, but the third-year senior recognized me immediately.

"D-rank underclassman. Back again?"

"Hello, senior. Just need some basics today."

"Go ahead. Nice to see you actually working."

I hadn’t been sure they’d let me in without Aria, but there was no problem.

Time to stop having a locker full of nothing but student-council merchandise and start packing actual dungeon tools.

[Veyron Academy Student ID]

[Ren Asahi]

[112,360 coins]

"This crossbody bag, please."

"Fifty coins."

I bought a sturdy bag and started filling it. A field watch that wouldn’t break easily went in next. By the time I finished, I was only three hundred coins lighter and still very comfortable.

"You made good money with Aria last time, huh?"

"We got lucky."

"Here’s a fifty-coin discount. Keep it up."

Third-years here seemed to have soft spots for hardworking D-ranks.

"Thank you, senior."

112,110 coins remaining. Still plenty of breathing room. Fleshlight sales were not a business that left you poor.

"What took you so long? I thought you bailed!"

"Had to put a kit together."

[Entering dungeon]

[Participants: Cleo Ashford, Ren Asahi]

I followed Cleo through the gravitational wave.

"Zombie Apocalypse Ruins."

Third dungeon overall.

A cool breeze hit me the moment we transitioned from the indoor gate to open air.

"Ugh..."

Cleo swayed.

"Don’t touch me."

"Got it."

Best not to annoy the main damage dealer.

"I’ll handle porter duty."

"Obviously. You wouldn’t be useful for anything else."

"Let’s have fun out there."

"You’re way too cheerful. The thought of spending the next few hours with you is already giving me a headache."

I stopped walking.

"...You?"

"..."

I gave her a quiet look that made it clear I wasn’t going to let that slide.

I had almost driven a stun baton into the asphalt.

No matter how sharp-tongued my A-rank little sister got, I wasn’t about to start swinging at a heroine.

’Where the hell did we even land?’

The dungeon name had been "Zombie Apocalypse Ruins," but I hadn’t expected to drop straight into the middle of a dead city at night.

Visibility was terrible. Anything could jump out of the dark.

I was more nervous than I wanted to admit.

Cleo, on the other hand, walked forward like she owned the place.

Side ponytail bouncing, blonde hair and red eyes, she looked exactly like the main heroine of some post-apocalyptic light novel. Seeing her stride through the ruins felt strangely surreal.

Threat warning.

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