The sound of my phone alarm woke me up.

I checked the time—it was 8 AM.

Since I had been too lazy to go out yesterday, I really had to go today.

If I didn’t pay the bills at the bank, my electricity and water would get cut off.

Might as well set up automatic payments while I’m at it.

I got out of bed and walked down the hallway, where the family photos were hanging.

As I looked at the pictures, a question popped into my head.

Everyone in my family looks the same as they do in this parallel world.

But why am I the only one who’s different...?

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t figure it out.

I went into the dressing room, undressed, and showered in the bathroom, but my reflection in the mirror still felt foreign.

With my height barely reaching 130cm, even when I stood on tiptoes, and my thin, frail body...

My wrists even had scars from self-harm.

Because of those scars, I had to wear long sleeves even in the summer.

After drying my hair, which took forever, I thought about cutting it, but the thought of going to a hair salon scared me.

This body’s memories had given me a communication phobia.

With a sigh, I packed my bankbook and bills into my bag and stepped outside, immediately feeling the stifling summer heat.

Because of my appearance, I had to hide myself under a hoodie and a hat, even in the middle of summer, which made me feel like I was suffocating.

But if I didn’t cover myself like this, it would cause trouble.

The bank was a 30-minute walk away.

I wanted to take a taxi, but since it was only a 5-minute drive, no taxis would pick me up.

So, I had no choice but to endure the torturous walk for 30 minutes until I finally arrived at the bank.

As I stood there in the refreshing air conditioning, spacing out for a while, I felt eyes on me.

People in the bank were staring at me suspiciously. What was going on?

Oh, right, it was because of my outfit.

Just then, a man in a suit approached me and spoke.

“What brings you here today?”
“I’m here to set up automatic payments for my utility bills.”

He handed me a ticket after hearing my response.

When my number was called, I walked up to the counter and sat down. I handed over my bills and bankbook, explaining that I wanted to apply for internet banking and automatic bill payments.

As soon as the clerk saw my bankbook, he looked at me in surprise.

“I’m sorry, but may I see your ID?”
“Here.”

I handed over my ID, and he looked at me with a disbelieving expression. Honestly, I couldn’t believe it either.

If I told someone I was 21 years old with this appearance, they’d think I was insane.

But the ID was real.

As he handed back the bankbook after finishing the setup for internet banking and automatic payments, he asked me another question.

“Sir, would you be interested in one of our investment products?”

He started explaining how it was a waste to leave such a large amount of money in a bank account and that they had a good investment option, but I wasn’t interested.

Besides, I already had enough money in the account to live comfortably for the rest of my life.

It was all from the life insurance policies of my family, though.

I politely declined, took my bankbook, and left the bank, wanting to get home as quickly as possible to escape the oppressive heat.

I decided to take a shortcut through an alley, which saved me about five minutes. But as I walked into the alley, I bumped into someone.

“Kyaa!”

I fell backward, landing hard on my rear, and my hat flew off.

“I-I’m sorry! Are you okay!?”
“I’m fine.”

Though my rear hurt, there was a bigger problem.

I had just screamed “Kyaa!” like a girl.

The woman who had knocked me over helped me up, but something seemed off about her expression.

She was staring at my face for a long time. What was this about?

Then I realized—my sleeve had ridden up slightly, exposing the scars on my wrist.

“Hmm.”

With my awkward cough, she seemed to snap back to reality and handed me my hat.

“Maybe you should go see a doctor. You might’ve injured your tailbone when you fell.”
“I’m fine! Have a nice day!”

“W-wait a moment!”

I heard her calling after me, but I ran away at full speed.

After about a minute of sprinting through the alley, I was completely out of breath.

I trudged along, gasping for air, and finally saw my house in the distance.

A red-roofed, two-story detached house.

My parents and I had moved here when I was in middle school.

We sold our old house when its value skyrocketed due to redevelopment and bought this one.

Back then, everything was great.

I opened the front door, went inside, and collapsed onto the living room sofa, panting heavily.

After resting for a bit, I pulled my bankbook and phone out of my bag, then opened the fridge, only to find it empty.

I should’ve bought something at the convenience store on the way home, but I had forgotten after bumping into that pretty lady.

“She really was beautiful...”

Was she mixed-race? Her hair didn’t look dyed, but it was blonde.

As my mind wandered, I opened the kitchen cabinet and grabbed a packet of ramen.

I cooked the ramen to fill my stomach, then headed to my room.

Today was the day I’d been waiting for—my summon was finally going to hatch.

I couldn’t even begin to describe how long I had waited for this day.

I put on the gear and pressed the start button, and my vision shifted.

When I opened my eyes again, I was lying in the inn bed. I stretched and got up.

I checked my inventory and pulled out the incubator—there were only a few hours left until hatching.

Might as well grab a meal and kill some time at the library.

As I went downstairs, I noticed the inn was bustling with people.

Bell noona spotted me and waved.

“Did you sleep well? Want some breakfast?”
“Yes! But Bell noona, I’ve been meaning to ask you something.”
“What is it?”

I hesitated for a moment, then carefully spoke.

“Why do you always speak formally to me?”

“Oh, well, that’s actually a secret.”

She gestured for me to come closer, so I leaned in, and she whispered into my ear.

“It’s a habit. I always speak formally to those who know my true identity.”

She then told me to wait a moment while she prepared breakfast and disappeared into the kitchen.

I sat down and eavesdropped on the conversations around me.

“Hey, did you hear about that? A monster attacked the neighboring village…”
“Is that true? That’s serious. Shouldn’t we be preparing in case it happens here too?”
“Ah, come on. What are the chances something like that would happen?”

Just as the conversation got more interesting, Bell noona returned with a meal.

“Enjoy your food!”
“Let me know if you want more.”

“That’s alright.”

Even now, the table was overflowing with food—there was no way I could eat more.

After finishing my meal, I headed outside and made my way to the library.

What book should I read today?

“Little lady!”

A voice called out from somewhere.

When I looked in the direction of the voice, I saw Charles, the guard captain.

“Captain Charles!”

“Where are you off to today, little lady?”
“I’m heading to the library to read some books!”
“Haha, books are great, but as a traveler, strength is just as important. Want me to help you train?”

At that moment, a message appeared.

[A quest has arrived.]
Train with Guard Captain Charles.
Reward: A small amount of experience.

“I’ll do it!”

“A traveler should be quick to decide! I like it! Let’s get started!”

This is where I should have run away.

I didn’t expect him to make me swing a sword 100 times.

I told him I was a summoner, but that didn’t matter to him at all.

In the end, I had to swing the sword 100 times, and after getting my form corrected, I probably swung it closer to 300 times.

“Well done! I’ll help you again tomorrow!”

[Quest success!]
Your reward has been granted.

I checked my experience—it had gone up by about 30%.

Finally, I’d found it.

A way to gain experience without fighting monsters.

I said goodbye to Charles and made my way back to the inn.

With trembling hands, I opened the inn door, and Bell noona looked at me.

She asked what had happened, and after explaining my day, she smiled brightly and said she’d be back in a moment, then left.

Not long after, I heard the sound of an explosion.

I had nothing to do with that.

Now, it was time.

I went upstairs, locked the door, and pulled the incubator from my inventory.

Just when I thought the moment had finally arrived, a series of notifications appeared.

[■■■ is intervening.]
[Unique trait: Protective Instincts nullifies ■■■'s interference.]
[■■■ is intervening.]
[Unique trait: Protective Instincts nullifies ■■■'s interference.]
[The presence of ■■■ fades.]
[The malice of ■■■ is dispelled by the effect of Protective Instincts.]
[With the power of ■■■, the ??? egg hatches.]

A flurry of notifications appeared and disappeared, then cracks slowly formed on the egg.

What emerged from the egg was… a tiny snake?

The snake stared at me.

"Hi there."

"......"

At that moment, another notification appeared.

[Congratulations! You have successfully obtained your first summon! The reward has been added to your inventory.]

[Tutorial: A Summoner’s First Steps.]
Please give your summon a cute name!

A name, huh...

“How about Snakey, since you’re a snake?”

I could tell without it saying anything—it was glaring at me.

[You have 2 more attempts.]

“There are even chances!?”

Flustered, I tried to think of a better name, but nothing came to mind.

Then, a thought flashed through my head.

“How about Yongyong, as in ‘dragon’? It means you’ll become a dragon someday!”

"......"