Prologue Story

During self-study time, I didn’t initiate conversations, but when someone occasionally talked to me or asked questions, I responded as kindly as possible.

So, I thought I managed to build a decent level of familiarity with my classmates.

For reference, the ones who talked to me the most were the boy and girl sitting right in front of us.

They often asked about the functions of the student ID.

When the fourth period ended, it was lunchtime.

For the first lunch, we ate in the cafeteria under the guidance of our homeroom teacher.

“Since it’s the first day, we’ll line up and go to the cafeteria. But after today, you can bring a packed lunch with friends, eat at the cafeteria, or buy food at the shops. There are places that sell packed lunches, too. But remember, the cafeteria food is free!”

Free! Right, it was free! My eyes sparkled.

Inha, who was standing quietly next to me, chuckled at my reaction.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, I looked away for a moment.

Following the teacher’s instructions, we lined up at the cafeteria and chose from three different meal options.

All three looked delicious, but I chose the menu with pork cutlets.

The food was placed on my tray.

“It looks delicious.”

I had always enjoyed eating in my previous life.

I didn’t indulge in gourmet dining or anything, but I always enjoyed meals.

Wow, it was delicious. I might not even need to buy food.

“Is it good?”

“Yeah.”

I happily enjoyed my meal.

Inha looked at me with amusement as I ate.

After we finished eating, it was time for the homeroom session.

“Alright, everyone, remember to play responsibly and head home on time. Your parents will worry if you get back too late! And when you go out, go in groups of three or more, and stay within the school grounds. Got it?”

“Aww~!”

“That’s too strict, Teacher!”

“If you go outside the school, you must be in a group of at least three! But really, try to play outside only after going home. And stay in safe areas with enough people! If anything happens, use the help system on your student ID or call a senior!”

The teacher nagged like a mother, and the homeroom session ended.

Groups of three, huh? It wasn’t a strict rule (it wasn’t even a policy), but it felt like a hassle, as Inha and I would often be together as a pair.

I looked at Inha and smiled.

“Shall we head back?”

“Yeah.”

“Hey, wait a moment!”

Just as I grabbed my bag and got ready to leave, a girl suddenly approached and grabbed my arm—or rather, my collar.

Surprised, I looked at her.

Seeing this, Inha frowned, and the girl quickly let go of my arm in surprise.

“Um, so….”

“…What is it?”

I was a bit flustered, but I maintained my usual calm expression as I looked at the girl.

I wasn’t great at remembering faces, but… she was the one who had asked about my shoes earlier, right?

The girl hesitated for a moment before cheerfully saying, “So, I looked up the shoe store you mentioned, but I couldn’t find it! Can you take me there?”

For some reason, her hairstyle caught my eye—a twin ponytail secured with mesh hair accessories.

It suited her young appearance.

I hesitated. Take her there? I didn’t mind giving directions, but….

I glanced over at Inha.

She frowned with a neutral expression, then nodded.

I looked back at the girl.

“Sure, okay.”

“Let’s go, quick!”

“Uh….”

She grabbed my hand and ran off.

I barely avoided tripping as I was half-dragged along.

When I looked back, I saw Inha running after us with a slightly annoyed expression.

Ugh, this was going to be a bit of a hassle.

Plus, we were in the school hallway. Running here wasn’t allowed.

Is that too uptight of a thought? Well, we weren’t the only ones running.

Other students, having finished their homeroom sessions, were also running around.

Honestly, I didn’t care much about running in the halls; I just didn’t want to run myself.

But since I couldn’t say that out loud, people often thought I was timid.

I guess I’ll never change….

This girl probably didn’t know her way around the school.

Since she didn’t seem aware of the Warp Hall, she kept trying to take shortcuts through trees and bushes to reach the shops.

“Hold on.”

At this point, I had no choice but to speak up.

I held onto her wrist to stop her from running.

Alright, she’s just a kid. I can speak lightly.

“There… is a faster way. Look, on the map….”

“You see the black hole on the map? That’s the Warp Hall. We can get to the shops instantly through it, so let’s go that way.”

“Huh? Really? Got it.”

She nodded simply.

I sighed in relief and sent Inha a grateful look.

Inha smiled warmly at me. That’s why Inha is the best!

She must have spoken up because she knew I felt awkward.

Talking to strangers was never my strong suit.

It was even harder to talk to people I barely knew.

Thanks to the Warp Hall, we quickly arrived at the shopping area, and I guided her to the shoe store.

“Wow! There are so many pretty shoes!”

“Then we’ll just….”

“Huh? You can’t leave yet! The teacher said we had to stay in groups of three! You can’t go until I buy my shoes!”

“….”

Oh, Inha looked upset.

But the shop owner just looked at us with a warm smile.

As the girl excitedly looked at shoes, I patted Inha’s back.

Well, her boldness was typical for an elementary school student. Yeah, it must be.

“Since we’re here, let’s look around too.”

“…Hmph.”

Inha sighed lightly and nodded.

There were indeed many beautiful shoes.

I spotted a few pairs of heels that I liked, but then I looked at my feet and shook my head.

I was still young, so it was better not to wear high heels.

They’d probably hinder my growth.

My current shoes were boot-like with low heels, making them very comfortable.

“The prices… huh, they’re pretty cheap? None are over thirty thousand won. They looked expensive….”

“Well, of course. They’re sold through the school.”

The lady smiled as she watched us browsing the shoes.

The cheapest ones were indoor shoes.

The entire school, including the classrooms and hallways, was protected by anti-dirt magic, so we could walk around with shoes on.

But some kids preferred indoor shoes, priced between 1,500 and 4,000 won.

Good school, huh?

We nodded in agreement at the lady’s words.

It certainly seemed that way from what we’d seen so far.

“Alright! I’ll go with these!”

The girl picked up a pair of shoes identical to mine.

“Three… four zeros… so, thirty thousand won, right? Here you go!”

“Sure, sure.”

“Hehe. My mom gave me the money to buy them!”

She held the shoes in her hands and happily dashed out of the store.

Come to think of it, what was her name…? I hadn’t really paid attention during roll call, so I couldn’t remember.

“Eun-ha, Inha! Let’s go eat something!”

The girl shouted happily at us with a bright smile.

I felt a bit overwhelmed by the idea of spending more time with her….

Thinking that, I glanced at Inha.

She gave the girl a slight frown and spoke coldly to me in a tone I’d never heard before.

“No.”

“Huh?”

“There’s no reason for us to spend more time together. We’re heading back now.”

“What? No way! I still want to play….”

Sigh. Dealing with kids could be tough.

I thought for a moment.

What could I say to end this on a good note?

“Inha, Eun-ha~ let’s play some more! Huh? Please?”

The girl tried to act cute, but Inha stayed stern.

“If you want to play, go by yourself. Don’t drag us into it.”

“You’re so mean!”

The girl shouted with a furious expression.

Startled, I tugged on Inha’s sleeve, but she just turned away from the girl with a cold look.

I looked back and forth between them, then apologized to the girl.

“Sorry, Inha’s just not in a good mood….”

“Ugh, fine! Eun-ha, come play with me!”

She grabbed my arm.

Feeling awkward, I gently pulled my arm free.

I didn’t want any ill feelings with my classmates right from the start.

But there was no choice. Inha was my most important friend.

“Sorry, I’ll be heading back….”

“Hmph! I’m going home too! ‘Return!’”

The girl, still pouting, was soon enveloped in light and disappeared.

I reached over and patted Inha’s head as she stood with a cold expression.

“Inha, that was a bit much.”

“…Not really.”

Inha turned around quickly, grabbed my hand, and started walking briskly.

“I only need you as my friend.”

“…That makes me really happy.”

I blushed slightly at those words.

There’s no greater joy than hearing that from a friend like Inha, who was also so pretty.

But I laughed and tried to soothe her.

“But she wasn’t a bad kid.”

“I just said how I felt.”

“You’re cool, Inha. I just don’t want to be disliked by anyone. And she’s just a kid.”

“What? She’s our age. Besides, I don’t like her. She’s too selfish.”

“…Everyone is a little selfish.”

Hearing that, Inha paused and looked at me.

“You’re not, though.”

“I’m just the same, doing what I want.”

I simply wasn’t good at voicing my opinions, and since I didn’t want to be disliked, I tried to be more considerate.

But when there was something I truly disliked, I refused to accept it, no matter who said it.

I was just an ordinary person with a mental age a bit older than other kids because of my past life.

“To me, it doesn’t look that way….”

“I don’t befriend people I dislike either. But it’s not pleasant to provoke them for no reason.”

“Well… I guess you’re right.”

Inha quietly agreed.

I chuckled softly.

Inha seemed mature but was still very young.

Unlike me, she was unmistakably still a child.

☆

“Hey, Inha! Want to go to the shops with us today?”

“Inha, your hair is so long~ and pretty!”

The kids chattered as they gathered around Inha again today.

I could feel their obvious curiosity directed at me, standing beside her.

Inha coldly ignored all their comments.

It was honestly… overwhelming.

Despite her cold expression, I was sure Inha felt the same way.

With that kind of excessive attention… if it were me, I’d have run away already.

While I was sympathizing with her, a boy suddenly confronted her.

“Hey, don’t you think you’re acting a bit arrogant? For a girl, getting all the attention from other girls… and ignoring people, too.”

“…”

“…Ugh! What’s with that look?”

When Inha turned her icy gaze on him, the boy flinched and backed away.

Making people back off with just a glance… Inha’s charisma was no joke.

She gave him a passing look, then turned her gaze back to her book, as if uninterested.

Ah, books were always a good refuge.

As I glanced around, the boy leaned toward me and whispered.

“Hey, what’s her problem? She acts like she’s above everyone. Her gaze is terrifying, too.”

“Huh? Me?”

“Yes! Why are you friends with that?”

Wait, ‘that’?!

Inha was so cool, amazing, and pretty; how could he question why I was friends with her…!

I glared at him, feeling a surge of anger.

Now, what was his name again?

I was really bad at remembering faces and names.

I had barely glanced at the attendance list on the student IDs, and here I was, clueless.

“—You.”

Then, for the first time, Inha, who had ignored all the remarks around her, responded to someone other than me.

Inha looked at the boy with a cold expression and spoke.

“Don’t talk to Eun-ha.”

“Huh? What?!”

“If you’re just looking to pick a fight, don’t talk to her.”

“Wha- what kind of person are you…!

Hey! How did you even become friends with her?”

I thought for a moment.

Come to think of it, how did we become friends?