Her hand suddenly darted up to that one spot below my armpit that sent me roaring with laughter. "ARGH!" I guffawed, my grip on the pillow weakening right as a dreadful realization struck me.

Uh-oh.

"Gotcha!" she exclaimed, sending a wave of goosebumps up my limbs. I dived for my diary, but before I could grab it, she ducked under my arm and snatched it away. "NO!" I screamed, horrified that I’d have to face the time-induced headaches again. "Lisa!"

She swivelled away and doubled over with the book in between her knees. I scrambled to my feet and leapt towards her, desperate to keep the notes away. At that, she burst into giggles and stooped down, curling into a ball as I began to attack her with my pathetic excuse for claws, to no avail of course.

She lifted the diary ever so slightly and skimmed through the words at a frightening speed. "Oh my God!" she gasped, and right as she began to read further, I yanked her ponytail down and snatched the diary away. Her head snapped back at me. "You want to go to his school!"

"I do not!" I hissed, slamming the diary shut.

The corner of her lips twitched into a sly smirk, sending a chill down my spine. This couldn’t be any good.

"So you want to pay him a visit." She slid back and leaned against the foot of my table, her eyes twinkling. “Guilty much?”

Guilty my foot, I thought, careful not to grumble. We both kept staring at each other for a few intense seconds until I realised lying would put me in a tighter spot. Once I'd tell mother about enrollment, there would be no end to Lisa's teasings. "Alright," I sighed. "I'm going to attend that school."

Her eyes widened, making my stomach lurch. I gestured towards the plant and stuttered. “T-they’re morphing lilacs. Changed colours when I touched it—”

She gasped in disbelief. Before I could complete, she flung the plastic bag away and brought the lilacs close to me. "Show me!"

 Her excitement was contagious. Despite myself, I went ahead and touched the lilacs, already brimming with mana that I had consumed last night. My hand jerked back when the violet petals changed into crimson in a flash.

Her jaw dropped. She gave me a long look, baffled, and while she was trying to frame her next response, I tried my luck and carried on, "I cannot seem to remember which school he’s in, but it’s splendid for academics. Will you help me find it?"

"You flunked remember?"

I shot her a glare. "Nearly. Flunked. Will you help me or not?"

Her brows furrowed. She didn't look away as she placed the lilacs on the study table, her eyes sharp and calculative as if she were studying my intent. It made me nervous. Did I come off as too desperate?

“But there’s a decent magus academy right around the corner,” she finally said.

“True, but that one’s better,” my voice almost quivered. I couldn't stop rambling, "As in, amazing. I've been meaning to go there, and I knew this guy went there but I don't know where it is. Now I have mana, so I really want to go there, you know?"

"Really? Then I'll go too.”

My eyebrows shot up. "What?"

"I will go too." Lisa sighed and plopped down on my bed with her arms crossed. "Both you and I know how papa hates magic. He wouldn’t enrol me in a magus academy and I hate that. Convince him for me and I’ll help you find that school."

Her words made me stiffen. It wasn’t that he hated magic, he simply saw no point in enrolling her in a magic school. Lisa had little to no mana. No amount of studying would have secured her a decent career in that line. He was just being pragmatic.

Not to mention Gilbert’s school was a scene of a crime.

"Weren’t you into fashion?" I asked in a nervous attempt to derail her. There’s no way she's going there.

"Oh, I am!" she exclaimed, leaning forward with a frown that was halfway between helpless and accusing. "But I will learn magic first. Imagine how many dresses I can handle at once. A flick here and a dress sews by itself, a flick there and pencils sketch out tens of designs in a single day. Can you see the potential of magic and fashion together?"

Good grief. How will I refuse that? 

I mustered a stern look. "Alright, we'll get you enrolled somewhere."

"No, I want to go where you go."

"Lisa, there are dozens of schools, okay?"

"No, I want to go to the same school."

"Why?!"

She flushed pink. "Because of excellent academics!"

“There are other schools with excellent academics!”

Her face twisted into a sneer, and right then, I knew I had stepped into a minefield. Regret seized me instantly. "Then why go to Nathan's school specifically?" she cooed.

I gave her a long look, opening and closing my mouth like a fish out of water. 

Argh. She was acting! 

Helplessness filled me but I kept silent. At that, her smile widened. “Think about it,” she said, “you only have me to tell you where he studies. Go to grandma, she knows nothing, go to mumma, she’ll scold you to tears, go to papa, he’ll dig Nate out and kill him. You have next to zero friends and books don’t talk. Admit now and we can stalk him like peaceful sisters."

"I’m not going there because of a boy! That’s ridiculous!"

"Then tell me why, sister." 

I shot her a glare but no, she already had a triumphant smirk plastered on her face. 

A mix of anger and embarrassment rose to my cheeks. I couldn’t believe Lisa was this brazen! Every morsel of my being screamed at me to put her back in place, to teach her the importance of schooling and education and good character, but this damn Nate wouldn’t let me! 

Lisa waited for who knows how long, levelling my glare with a smug look. Finally, she got up, stifling a yawn rather dramatically. "That won't work. Keep trying."

I deliberately ignored her as she got up and walked past me, my anger beginning to cool with her receding footfalls. The door creaked open, moments after which, she stopped. "And sister?" she said, "Did you know your eyebrows turn upwards when you lie?”

My head whipped over my shoulder, only to find her standing by the door with a cheeky grin. "Night."

The door closed, leaving me in dead silence. I kept staring at it for a while, then slammed my head against the wall. Stupid eyebrows.