Morning arrived just like any other day.

The chirping of birds woke the young girl.

“Yawn…”

She was still sleepy.

She wanted to sleep more.

Not fully awake yet, the girl lay back in bed, trying to get more rest.

But soon, she caught a whiff of a smell that made her get up.

A delicious smell. Breakfast?

Her stomach growled at the aroma, and she sighed, changing into her clothes.

After all, today was her first day at the academy.

Getting up early wouldn’t be a bad thing.

“Oh, what’s this? My daughter is up early.”

“Good morning, Mom… I was going to sleep more, but I smelled something delicious.”

“You have a keen nose for food, don’t you? Just wait a little longer. Breakfast will be ready soon.”

“Okay.”

Peeking into the kitchen, she saw her mom preparing an unusually large amount of food.

It looked so tasty.

Mom’s cooking was always delicious, but today she seemed to be putting in extra effort.

Feeling excited, she walked back to the dining table, where her dad was already seated with a cup of coffee.

“Good morning, Dad. When did you get here?”

“I’ve been here since before you woke up, Irene. You just didn’t notice.”

“No way?!”

“It’s true. You always sleep so much.”

Her dad’s murmuring made her blush with embarrassment.

How did I not notice?

So embarrassing…

“How can you achieve your dreams like this? You need to be diligent to become a hero.”

“I can do it! I woke up early today!”

“We’ll see…”

Her dad’s teasing smile made her pout.

He was great, but sometimes he was too teasing.

Just wait. From now on, I’ll wake up at this time and make him proud.

But given her past habits, she decided to change the subject instead of arguing.

“I’ll change from now on, really.”

“Where’s my little brother?”

“He’ll be up soon. He’ll be surprised to see you up this early.”

“Dad, you exaggerate too much.”

Even if she woke up a bit earlier, it wasn’t such a big deal.

Her thoughts were interrupted by her brother’s voice as he walked down the stairs.

“…What’s going on? Why is my sister up? Am I still dreaming?”

“Hey?! That’s too much!”

“Huh. You really are up early, sis.”

Darn it.

Why was her reputation so low in her family?

Even if she woke up a bit earlier today, it’s not like she always slept in… which she did.

Her brother always had to wake her up.

She had no defense.

“Enough chatting, you two. Si-hyun, sit down. Time to eat.”

“Yes, Mom.”

Thankfully, her mom finished cooking and they could move on.

Dish after dish, the table filled with a variety of delicious foods.

“…What’s with all the food?”

“I put in some extra effort today. It’s a special day, after all.”

“Thanks to sis, we’re having a feast this morning.”

Isn’t this too much?

She thought, but her mom’s smile made her decide to eat gratefully.

“Thanks for the meal.”

“Eat a lot.”

The hot food was so good that she was reminded of a family trip when they had marveled at the delicious food in a fancy hotel.

“Mom, I always knew you were a great cook, but this is amazing…”

“Well, I worked hard on it since yesterday.”

Her mom’s proud smile made it seem like she was saying, “This is how good I am if I have time.”

She looked stunning, hardly seeming like a mother of two.

“…Speaking of which, Irene?”

“Yes?”

“Are you prepared for the entrance ceremony?”

“…Yes.”

She had practiced.

She had tried to make sure she wouldn’t appear awkward.

But would it be enough?

Her uncertainty made her hesitate to answer.

“…I’m sorry, Irene.”

“Mom, it’s not your fault!”

“But… you find it hard to make friends because of me.”

She couldn’t deny it.

Her sharp, almost closed eyes were a genetic trait from her mom.

But she wanted to say it wasn’t her mom’s fault.

She wasn’t ashamed of looking like her mom.

“Humph. People who get scared because of looks aren’t worth my time.”

“Irene…”

She and her mom looked alike.

So much so that people often mistook them for sisters when they walked together.

Not sisters, but mother and daughter.

…Anyway, because they looked alike, she could see herself objectively.

Her mom’s appearance was hers.

Without needing a mirror, she could see how others viewed her by looking at her mom.

Her mom looked quite suspicious.

Her half-closed eyes and gentle smile reminded her of a sinister character from a childhood cartoon.

A smiling villainous mastermind.

And if she opened her eyes wide, it looked even scarier.

Sometimes, her mom’s red eyes, though beautiful, seemed to harbor an ominous presence.

I looked no different from my mom.

From kindergarten to elementary, middle, and high school.

She was often shunned by her peers.

Especially as a child, it was worse.

By high school, kids were more considerate and just avoided her, but younger kids outright cried because she scared them.

Some children even thought cartoons were real, crying that a villain had appeared next to them.

It was disheartening.

…Darn it. Only depressing thoughts are coming to mind.

“It’s okay! Things will be better at the academy! Mom, you made friends there too, right?”

She tried to sound cheerful to push away the gloomy thoughts.

She hadn’t made many friends, but she never blamed her mom for it.

She knew how much her mom loved her.

“Well, Aunt Amelia and Aunt Dorothy were also academy friends, right?”

“True…”

Mom’s friends, who occasionally sent her and her brother gifts.

They both said they made friends at the academy.

Wouldn’t there be someone like that for her too?

The academy was a place to train heroes.

There wouldn’t be many kids who judged others by their appearance.

…Thinking of Aunt Amelia reminds me.

“Hey, Mom.”

“Yes?”

“Why does Aunt Amelia’s expression change whenever she sees me?”

“Change?”

“Yes. She says strange things and her expression gets weird. What was it, ‘little bundle of flesh’? ‘Wrinkly’?”

“…Don’t worry about it.”

“Really…?”

“It’s just that Amelia is single, that’s all.”

I didn’t understand, but if Mom said it was okay, then it must be okay. I decided not to think about it.

“At the academy, some teachers might react strangely… don’t let it bother you.”

“Strangely?”

“It’s just that you and I look very similar. The teachers might be surprised.”

“…Oh.”

Teachers who taught my mom might still be there.

It felt strange.

Going to the same school my mom attended, being taught by her teachers.

It wasn’t an experience everyone had.

The thought made me happy, and my brother spoke up.

“But sis, shouldn’t you be leaving soon?”

“What? What time is it… already…?”

Looking at the clock, I was shocked.

Was it this late already?

I’d be late!

“Mom! Dad! Sorry, I have to go!”

“Take care.”

“See you later!”

Stuffing a few bites into my mouth, I hurried upstairs.

Running or taking public transport would mean I’d definitely be late given the distance to the academy.

So there was no choice.

Opening the window, I leaped out, transforming my hand into a thread to stick to the building’s wall and quickly move using the momentum.

The cold morning air messed up my hair a bit, but I didn’t care.

Better than being late.

After a few minutes of moving with the thread, I arrived at the academy just in time and greeted a familiar face at the gate.

“Claire! Hello! And goodbye!”

“Oh, hello, Irene… she’s already gone. So fast.”

Claire sighed.

She’s nothing like her parents.

But thinking about it, she smiled at the thought of having a student who resembled her old ones.

“Now, the latecomers…”

Bang!

“I’m not late, right?! Huh? Hayeon?! You’re my homeroom teacher?!”

“…Call me ‘teacher.’ I’ll let it slide today since it’s the first day. Introduce yourself and come in.”

“Phew…”

Hayeon’s look said it all.

How could she sleep so late and rush like this?

…Knowing the teacher wasn’t always a good thing.

Feeling awkward, I fixed my hair as I noticed the students staring at me.

“Um, ahem.”

Introduction, introduction.

Time to deliver the lines I practiced so hard.

It would be nice to make some friends.

Taking a deep breath, I smiled at the students who might become my friends.

“Hello, my name is Irene Isis! Just because I have squinty eyes doesn’t mean I’m a villain! Nice to meet you!”