My mom used to tell me a story over and over again.
It was about a hero who travelled to the far side of the world to defeat a demon king who had enslaved the people of his homeland.
I don't remember how the story ended, even though I made her read it to me every day.
…
…
…
Oh—now I remember.
After countless hardships, the hero finally defeated the demon king with the help of his comrades.
But… what happened to the people living in that country afterward?
Were they freed?
Maybe. Maybe not.
It doesn't really matter.
No one is ever bothered about the lives of side characters who have no direct connection to the protagonist anyway.
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Chapter 1 — Morning
Ring, ring—
The alarm clock shrieked in its usual unpleasant tone.
I cracked open my heavy eyelids and rubbed them. My vision was still blurry; sunlight spilled through the half-open window, catching in my messy platinum-gold hair.
Was it always open?
I was pretty sure I closed it last night.
Dragging myself out of bed, I shuffled to the bathroom and splashed water on my face. The chaos in my head cleared instantly.
Outside, it was a gentle spring morning.
Golden and brown leaves danced on the light breeze. Everything looked peaceful—ordinary.
[Yet Serena couldn't shake off the strange feeling tugging at her chest]
Was something bad about to happen?
Could it be… the awakening of a seventh sense?
[She had no idea.]
[Her thoughts broke when she glanced at the ancient wall clock.]
"Oh, crap—school!"
I shoved books into my bag, pulled on my hopelessly wrinkled uniform, and dashed out the door—forgetting entirely to close it behind me.
---
On the Street
I speed-walked through the busy street, trying to get to school as fast as possible.
Someone poked my shoulder, making me slow down.
I turned—and stopped.
It was someone I knew.
His obsidian-black eyes looked as unreadable as ever.
His messy raven hair drifted with the breeze, and his pale skin somehow only made him look more striking. His lips curled into a wry smile, the kind that felt like he was silently mocking me.
"I never thought you would be late for school," I said and kept walking.
He tilted his head as if the concept of late was a foreign language.
"Does coming early," he said calmly, "and waiting for someone so I can walk with her—only for her to show up late—count as tardy?"
He matched my pace effortlessly, and for a split second, his cheeks turned pink before the color vanished just as fast.
Arguing with him would only lead to the end of the world before either of us backed down, so I ignored the topic entirely.
"The bell's about to ring. We better run. Let's see who reaches first!"
I broke into a sprint, glancing back at Sirise just as he started chasing after me.
"You better stop—!"
Of course, I didn't.
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