Admittedly, they had come to verify the results in person, so they might have still had a sliver of faith in her. Sure, Hana was weak compared to Hazuki, but there was a chance that she was relatively strong when pitted against the rest of their peers.

But when they found out that Hana didn’t measure up against the rest of her class, not just Hazuki, the last glimmer of hope they had been holding on to fizzled and was extinguished.

Hana was pleased her parents had renounced her.

She had fastidiously hidden her power during the exam for the express purpose of avoiding her parents’ interest, so her class assignment had gone according to plan.

It would have made her sick to see her parents change their attitudes after all this time and start fawning over her.

Hana didn’t even need them to treat her and Hazuki as equals. Had they shown her the slightest hint of affection or attention, Hana would have happily told them right away about her awakened powers and worked hard for her family’s sake.

As it was, Hana felt more warmth for strangers than for her own parents.

Her parents hadn’t yet noticed the fat fish they had let slip through their fingers out of their own arrogance.

Hana hoped they would never notice. Her life as a bottom-of-the-barrel student was extremely carefree, though there was one exception.

Even as first-years, Class A students had to take practicals: hands-on classes that took place on location and involved sealing or destroying shades that were targeting the pillars. Of course, they started out as backup for the professionals, but by their second and third years, the practicals became more and more like actual battles. Even the third-year students in Class B had to participate in the practicals.

However, no one in Class C, Hana’s class, had enough power to be useful in battle, so they were able to focus on their studies from the safety of the classroom.

They were able to stay far away from danger, and even when they were sent to the field, they only ever supported the battle from the rear.

Rear support was an important role in its own right.

Those who could fight would fight. Those who couldn’t supported the vanguard from behind the lines and handled cleanup after.

The role wasn’t anything to sneeze at, but in the school environment, where everyone was strictly divided into ranks, Class A’s and Class B’s contempt for Class C was a foregone conclusion.

The other students were particularly derisive toward Hana, since she had such a distinguished student as her sister. On her way to school, she always heard whispers and snickering behind her back. She’d grown used to it, but it was still aggravating.

Were it not for that one annoyance, she could have enjoyed her school life to its fullest.

In any case, the price for hiding her powers was bearing everyone’s disdain, and she paid it of her own free will, so she had no reason to complain.

On one particular school day, she was in the classroom with her friend, Suzu Mitsui, when Suzu suddenly said, “Look, it’s your sister, Hana!”

Suzu had light brown hair cut in a bob. She was a gentle girl who radiated warmth and goodness. She didn’t treat Hana as Hazuki’s younger sister but saw her for who she was. She was Hana’s cherished friend.

Riding on Suzu’s shoulder was her shikigami, which took the form of a squirrel. It was one of the weaker types of shikigami, but it was a perfect match for Suzu, who was as adorable as a small woodland critter.

When people met Hana, they were usually fascinated by her at first, since she had the same face as Hazuki. They would look at her as if she were a rare creature. However, inevitably, they would compare her to Hazuki and find her lacking. Then their interest would turn into pity or condemnation.

But not Suzu. She had always been straightforward.

Hana was Hazuki’s younger twin? So what? That was Suzu’s stance.

Hana thought it had been worth enrolling in Obsidian High if only for the fact that she had been able to meet Suzu.

Hana looked out the window, down at Hazuki, who was surrounded by a ring of her classmates.

“Your sister’s popular as always, isn’t she?” Suzu murmured with admiration.

Hazuki was smiling at her audience. Her bright and dazzling smile drew people in. However, Hana knew very well that Hazuki was merely putting on an act, and she had mixed feelings watching her sister.

“That she is…,” Hana responded.

In the past, Hana had tried to tactfully give Hazuki her sincere advice and opinion.

Was it truly all right by Hazuki to keep following their parents’ wishes? Hana had asked.

But Hazuki had rebuffed her and chosen to stay in her role as the golden child. Even now, she was still playing the part of the honor student everyone wanted her to be.

No matter what fate befell Hana, there was no way she would ever become a star student like Hazuki.

That was why, watching Hazuki’s display of charm, Hana had only one thought. “All in a day’s work,” she mumbled.

Hana had genuinely tried to help Hazuki, but she had to admit that she owed her current freedom from her parents’ watchful eyes to Hazuki’s efforts. It was a blessing to Hana that her parents focused all their attention on Hazuki, and it assisted her in her mission to keep her powers a secret.

“By the way, Hana, what did you write down as your future aspirations on the survey?” Suzu asked Hana suddenly, dropping the subject of Hazuki entirely.

“What did you put down, Suzu?” Hana asked back.

“Ah-ha-ha, well, you see, I want to join the ranks of practitioners in the rearguard,” she answered.

Nearly half the graduates of Obsidian High who were from practitioner families joined the Association of Practitioners to work in the field. The Association had been set up by the five clans who oversaw the protection of the pillars.

However, the members were not all equals. Just like Obsidian High, the Association split its members into ranks based on their skill level. A practitioner’s responsibilities differed depending on their rank.

The upper ranks formed the heart of the offense against shades. Theirs was a dangerous job, but it paid well.

The rearguard that Suzu was aiming for was primarily responsible for support and cleanup. The work was relatively safe.

Suzu was in Class C just like Hana. She knew full well that fighting on the front lines was beyond her capabilities.

There was little doubt that she would be able to join the guard, for she, too, belonged to one of the five great clans. Her last name contained the kanji character for “three,” and her family was a branch of the Sankourou clan.

In fact, the rearguard would likely welcome her with open arms. The vanguard were the heroes of the battle and always the center of attention. The rearguard was comparatively low profile and was always short of people.

“What about you, Hana?” Suzu asked.

“I want to work at a subsidiary of the Ichinomiya group and live a life that has nothing to do with practitioners,” Hana declared.

The Ichichomiyas and the other four clans protected Japan from the shadows, but they also held a lot of influence in the public sphere, to the point that they used to be called the five financial titans. Although their heyday had passed, it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that they still had a firm grip on the reins of the economy.

It was said that the will of the former titans was reflected in politics as well, not that a lowly being like Hana knew much about that.

As the daughter of a branch of one of the five clans, Hana’s number one desire was to join a company under the Ichinomiya clan’s umbrella. She had no intention whatsoever of becoming a practitioner.

Not everyone who was born into a practitioner household chose that life. There were people like Sae who chose to work closely with practitioners even if she wasn’t one herself, and there were people, more than a few, who chose to live as one of the commonfolk, too.

People chose different career paths for various reasons. Some simply weren’t powerful enough. Some had retired from being practitioners. All the clans, including the Ichinomiya clan, employed those kinds of people in their subsidiaries.

Hana was part of the Ichinomiya clan, so naturally, she would be looking to work for a company held by the clan. Barring any unusual circumstances, she should be able to find a position.

She would land a job and finally leave that house behind.

Her parents might object to her plans. They could be furious and attempt to stop her. It was shameful for someone born into a practitioner household to choose a different career.

However, just like her parents had given up on Hana, Hana had also given up on her parents.

Her future was hers alone to decide.

If she had to cut off ties with her parents to pursue the life she wanted, she wouldn’t hesitate for even a second.

But Hazuki was different. She would surely walk the path of a practitioner. Even among the elite students in Class A, her grades were far better than her classmates’.

If she didn’t choose the job herself, the Association would no doubt headhunt her anyway.

Hana knew that her sister would readily embrace the fate that was waiting for her. She would continue down the path their parents and everyone else wanted her to walk without any doubts in her head or unease in her heart.

As her other half, Hana wanted to ask if Hazuki was truly all right with such a future, but Hazuki surely wouldn’t listen to what Hana had to say. They could no longer return to the days when they had been partners in crime.

A small part of Hana mourned the loss of their close friendship. She yearned for the time when the two of them would confide in each other about their worries.