Chapter 19: Alice’s Study Session

What I learned as we went through our studies was just how unbelievably brilliant Alicia was.

Starting from a complete lack of prior knowledge, she listened to me and Yuna talk for a while, asked a few questions, and before long, she could grasp things like algebraic expressions and equations. What kind of brain structure does she even have?

"Alicia, you’re amazing..."

『Not at all. It’s just that Yuna’s teaching is really good.』

"Too much modesty can come off as sarcasm, you know... I’ve forgotten so much in just a year. Am I really gonna be okay...?"

As for me, my situation was awful. After a whole year of not studying and just training my body, equations had been blasted off to the far reaches of another world.

"...Honestly, it might be faster to teach Alicia from the beginning than to try and re-teach Alice."

I’d kind of been thinking that too!?

...But still—

"That would be cheating..."

Letting Alicia help me take the exam would obviously be against the rules.

『One must face their trials properly, or they won’t learn anything from them.』

"...Yeah, you’re right. We’re going to be studying high school material soon, so if I don’t at least have the middle school stuff down, I won’t be able to keep up."

"...Let’s wrap up today’s study session here. We’ll start seriously from tomorrow."

"...Thanks... Yuna..."

Despite everything, I’m really grateful to Yuna for taking the time to help me like this.

"Alright, next is grooming! I ran a bath, so let’s go in together. I’ll teach you a few things."

...Huh?

"...Wait, wait, no way. Me and Yuna taking a bath together? Come on, that’s just—"

"Listen, Alice. You’re a girl now. Getting flustered over seeing another girl naked is weird. So first, get used to it with your big sister—me."

"...No, but still..."

"Besides, you’re probably still washing yourself all sloppy like you did when you were a guy, right? Even yesterday, you were in and out like it was a birdbath."

"Th-that was just..."

『Ikuto-san, I think Yuna has a point... You should give up now.』

...Crap. These two are totally in cahoots. What did they plot together last night?

I was just a few days ago a healthy high school boy in his prime, you know. Even if she’s my sister, telling me not to react to a naked girl is like setting the difficulty to Very Hard! There’s no way I can just flip that switch instantly!

Powerless to resist, I found myself in the washroom with a change of clothes.

It was a bit bigger than average, but still cramped for two people to change in. I cautiously started undressing, keeping an eye on Yuna, while she boldly stripped down to her underwear without hesitation.

Yuna’s lingerie was a soft pink, glossy set—top and bottom—with embroidered details that gave off a mature vibe. It was clearly a world apart from the cotton girls’ underwear I bought today.

Then, in one smooth motion, Yuna unhooked her bra and slid down her panties, bending one knee as she did.

She tossed the clothes into the washing machine, turned toward the mirror—and our eyes met through the reflection as I was sneakily watching her.

"So? How do you like this body of mine? ...I’ve grown up nicely, don’t you think?"

Not the least bit embarrassed by my gaze, Yuna even flaunted her figure, placing her hands on her hips and puffing out her chest.

『Yuna is beautiful…』

I silently nodded in agreement with Alicia.

To be honest, I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

Yuna's boldly exposed body radiated a kind of healthy allure that far outshone the nude gravure photos hidden in the back of my bookshelf.

Her full breasts formed a gentle, beautiful curve, and at their tips were clearly defined, slightly raised nipples that seemed to assert their presence. The line from her waist downward was an artistic silhouette of smooth curves. The neatly trimmed patch between her legs gave off a very adult impression.

On top of that, her freshly repaired hair from yesterday was a glossy raven-black, highlighting her aura as a refined beauty.

If she weren’t my sister, the sheer impact might’ve been enough to knock out a virgin like me.

“Alice, hurry up and undress, okay?”

Yuna urged me as I continued staring blankly.

“I mean… it’s kinda hard to undress when someone’s watching… Aren’t you going in first?”

“Why would I? I want to watch you undress.”

“…!? Wh-what…!?”

“You were staring pretty hard when I was getting undressed, weren’t you? So we’re even.”

…When she puts it like that, I have no counterargument. After all that staring, I couldn’t very well demand privacy for myself.

Feeling Yuna’s gaze on me, I began to undress piece by piece.

I had already taken off my skirt and knee socks, so I struggled with the buttons on the front of my blouse before finally getting it off.

Next, I slipped the straps of my camisole off my shoulders and let it fall.

Now in just a half-top and panties, I glanced at myself in the mirror.

The matching set I’d thought was cute earlier now looked incredibly childish in contrast to what Yuna had worn.

Lifting my arms, I pulled off the half-top, revealing a modest chest that didn’t even begin to compare to Yuna’s.

Doing my best to ignore her gaze, I removed the last of my underwear.

I faced the mirror again.

A gentle curve to the chest, barely defined waistlines, and not a single hair visible below. It didn’t look anything like the body of someone older than Yuna. I wasn’t even sure I passed for our supposedly same age.

…I let out a sigh without meaning to at the sight of my own reflection.