Prologue Story

She walked me all the way to the front of my house.

As she was seeing me off, she looked slightly disappointed.

“Still haven’t decided on a school yet, huh? Then, what could I do to make you want to come to our school more… Ah, I know! How about visiting our school sometime? That would work. I’ll give you a special tour myself. How does that sound?”

I looked at her with a somewhat surprised expression and said,

“Uh… From what I’ve heard, Daehyun has kind of a secrecy policy. Is that okay?”

“Of course~! Who’s going to object to what I’m doing? Besides, it’s fine for you. You’re actually our number one recruitment priority at Daehyun.”

At her playful smile, I widened my eyes.

Number one priority?

Me?

Seeing my surprised look, she laughed out loud.

“Do you think it’s common to find someone as talented as you? Of course, your friend Inha also seems quite gifted, but she’s not like you, who can create magic and wield it so skillfully. In other words, you’re a little miss who rightfully deserves VVIP treatment at Daehyun.”

Her exaggerated words left me at a loss.

I felt a mix of pride from my magic skills being recognized and pressure from her words.

I let out a sigh.

However, the idea of getting a school tour piqued my interest.

As I was mulling it over, I heard a squealing sound beside me.

I turned my head.

It turned out to be the sound of the gate opening.

Inha slipped out from between the black gates.

“Eunha, you’re late!”

Watching Inha scold me with what would seem like a blank face to anyone else, I chuckled.

The truth was, she was sulking.

To put it in terms of an ordinary expression, it would be like she was pouting with her cheeks puffed out.

She really was cute.

“Oh, hey, Inha! Hi!”

“…Oh, it’s you, unnie.”

Inha, who had been running toward me, momentarily stopped when she noticed the unfamiliar face.

She waved at Inha.

“Hello~. You’re still so pretty. Wow, I was really shocked at first—I don’t see such beautiful people often.”

I nodded in agreement.

Well, it was true.

Inha was truly beautiful.

Her ebony hair was smooth and long, her skin was like pale jade, and her eyes were cold as ice—there wasn’t a single thing that wasn’t strikingly beautiful.

“But I bet being this pretty has brought you some hardship~. Sure, having good looks gives you confidence, but it also attracts weird bugs. If you join our school, I’ll definitely get you some anti-stalker gear. I wouldn’t feel safe leaving you alone otherwise.”

That was something both I and Inha’s parents worried about.

Inha was never allowed to go out alone.

For me, it didn’t matter since I had a plain appearance.

But with Inha’s looks, there was no other choice.

Inha looked at her quietly for a moment, then furrowed her brows with a curious expression.

“And? So why?”

Inha reached out from behind to take my hand.

“Why are you with Eunha, unnie?”

She hugged my arm, eyeing her warily.

I was taken aback, but she only found Inha adorable and reached out.

“Are you jealous? How cute.”

Inha jerked away from her hand, annoyed.

“Ugh, don’t touch me.”

She hugged my arm tighter, pulling me back with her.

Still, she didn’t seem upset and appeared amused.

“Pretty good guard there. I like it, I like it. This unnie loves seeing friends who get along well.”

Honestly, I was starting to realize she was a person who was hard to read.

Whatever the situation, she seemed to handle it with ease.

“Nothing serious, really. I was just inviting her to visit our school. You know, the magician rank exams are coming up. Classes are pretty relaxed these days. Some classes in middle school are, and I can give you a tour of the high school. But of course, this has to stay between us.”

She placed a finger to her lips, giving a mischievous smile.

I turned to look at Inha, who now wore an intrigued smile and gazed at her with shining eyes.

“Really?”

“Of course. This unnie has the ability, you know? I could teleport you to the school in an instant.”

Inha, hearing this, tugged on my arm.

“Eu-Eunha, let’s go.”

“Well, if Inha wants to, let’s go. When would be a good time…?”

“R-right now! Let’s go now.”

“What? Right now?”

I was startled.

She seemed a bit taken aback too, running her hand through her hair.

“Hmm… well, I don’t mind, but…”

“Let’s go! Come on, let’s go now, Eunha~.”

I was flustered, seeing Inha beg in a way that wasn’t like her.

She seemed ready to follow right this second if I gave the okay.

She also nodded in agreement.

“Alright, if you’re going, I’ll take you.”

Inha’s eyes sparkled even more.

I looked between her and Inha, and let out a small sigh.

“Alright then, go let your auntie and uncle know. I also need to change out of my kindergarten uniform, so let’s get ready and meet back here in ten minutes.”

“Yes, yes!”

As expected, we couldn’t go without preparing.

At my words, Inha nodded enthusiastically.

She nodded as well, saying she would wait.

Inha ran into the house, and I followed after her.

“Mom! I’m back!”

“Eunha, you said you’d just be downtown with that unnie you know, but you’re late—I was worried. Who is that unnie, anyway… what are you doing?”

Right there in the living room, I began taking off my kindergarten uniform.

Holding the clothes, I ran up to my room on the second floor.

“Eunha?!”

“Hold on! Just changing!”

What I had on under my uniform wasn’t exactly my style; it was too childish and cute.

I put on black pants and a brown sweater that covered my neck.

Over that, I wore a light jacket.

The clothes I’d just taken off, I left spread out on the bed without putting them away, then packed my small purse with the essentials.

Mom’s self-defense spray from before… what else was there?

“Eunha, what are you doing? Are you going somewhere?”

“Hm? Yeah! Ah, Inha insisted, um, remember that student council president from Daehyun, Lee Eunhee? She said she’d take us to her school for a tour. But now Inha wants to go right now.”

“So, you’re going?”

“Yes. She said she’ll take us there by teleporting. Is that alright?”

Mom hesitated for a moment, a thoughtful look on her face.

In the meantime, I found my wallet and put it in my bag.

Finally, Mom murmured with a sigh.

“Well, the school wouldn’t cause any trouble… it should be fine. But it’s the secrecy that’s a little concerning… Are you okay with going alone?”

“Yeah. Just like I said, they’re pretty secretive. It seemed like they’re especially wary of adult magicians. I’m a child, and they’re considering me a recruitment candidate, so they’ll probably make an exception and let me in.”

It seemed Mom had concluded it was alright.

She muttered to herself about Daehyun as I finished getting ready, mostly things she’d heard from Auntie Suna.

Auntie Suna knew the person in charge of Daehyun, and she always spoke highly of the organization.

“Well then, I’ll be off!”

“Alright. Have a good time.”

When I ran outside, Inha was already there, and so was Auntie Suna.

“Huh? Auntie Suna, why…?”

“Oh, just to see you off.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll just be gone a short while.”

Eunhee spoke with a more restrained smile than before. Auntie Suna nodded.

“Alright. Just, don’t mention me to the director there. Things would get a little awkward if we were connected through something like this.”

“Yes.”

She bowed politely and extended a hand to Inha and me.

“Now, shall we go?”

She flashed me a grin.

Her smile toward Auntie Suna and toward me were noticeably different, and only then did I realize she’d been slightly tense around Auntie Suna.

‘Well, that makes sense.’

Auntie Suna was an S-rank magician, and not only that, she was ranked within the top 100 in the world.

Most magicians either feared or admired her.

It was only natural to feel nervous and excited in her presence.

Auntie Suna was an incredible magician.

If she were also Korean, the feeling would be even stronger.

I accepted this silently and took her hand.

With a rush, her magic surrounded us.

I saw the scenery in front of me melt away.

It was the familiar feeling of teleportation by now.

As the magic settled, the school buildings I’d only seen in pamphlets appeared right in front of us.

Inha let out an awed exclamation, which wasn’t like her.

“Wow…”

“Bigger than you thought, right?”

Inha nodded enthusiastically.

“Alright, alright. This way. Ah, we need to be stealthy, so shh. Got it? If someone sees us, we either run, hide… or… Usually, you could pass as elementary schoolers, but Inha’s face really stands out, so… uh. Well, we’ll manage somehow.”

She muttered to herself with a somewhat troubled expression, scratching her head as she glanced over us both.

“Well, elementary school doesn’t have a strict uniform policy anyway… As long as we avoid the teachers, we should be fine. And steer clear of anyone who seems sharp… Alright, let’s go.”

With a determined look, she took our hands again.

Though she was telling us to walk carefully, I had the impression she was simply enjoying the situation.

We crept across the empty sports field, tiptoed down the quiet hallways, and looked around in wonder.

“We’re limited in what we can show you, because of the school rules… At most, maybe a classroom. Ah, though you can’t actually go inside. And maybe the auditorium? We could later head to the student council room and have some tea?”

Despite its grand exterior, the inside was surprisingly normal, no different from other schools.

Compared to the schools I remembered, though, it was tidier.

Inha kept looking around, her eyes wide with amazement.

Though it looked similar, there were many differences too.

In a few corners of the hallway, large potted plants were placed.

These trees were twice our height and emanated magic.

The classroom doors were tinted steel, and the windows were coated with magically enhanced glass.

The doors were even automatic.

Above each lock, there was a slot to input a passcode.

These weren’t things I had often encountered in my past life.

Silence filled the hallway for a while.

The light sound of our footsteps echoed, and beyond the window, I caught a glimpse of the slightly reddened sky.

I thought I could hear the faint flutter of a bird’s wings.

“Oh, someone’s coming.”

She peeked around the hallway corner to check, then let out a small sigh of relief.

“Hm, it should be fine with them. Let’s just go.”

She acted nonchalantly.

I shrank a bit as I followed behind her.

Three high school girls were coming down the opposite hallway, chatting and laughing.

When they saw her, they bowed.

“Oh, president! Hello.”

“Hello.”

“Huh? Who are those kids behind you…?”

“Oh, they’re juniors from elementary school. They were curious about high school, so I brought them along. We’re close.”

“Wow, look at this one! So pretty!”

“Such fair skin~.”

“Adorable~!”

The three cooed as they each reached out toward us.

I put on an uncomfortable expression, and Inha’s face froze.

Seeing this, the president stopped them.

“Alright, alright, you’re scaring them.”

“Aww~.”

She gave them a parting nod and ushered us forward.

“Good luck with your rank exams.”

“You too, president! Hope you get great results!”

“Thanks.”

The three girls squealed as they walked away.

Inha looked back at them with a clearly displeased expression, then turned her attention forward with a prim look.

Hugging my arm tightly, she spoke.

“Next time, let’s avoid people.”

“Want to do that? It would save us from any hassle.”

I watched Inha with a worried expression.

I knew she didn’t like interference from others, but it seemed a little extreme.

Now that I thought about it, it bordered on social anxiety.

‘Maybe it’s just because she’s young? She’ll probably grow out of it.’

Though I wasn’t a fan of people coming up to me either.