Another ordinary morning.
A girl opened her eyes to the sound of birds chirping.
"Huaaam…"
Ugh, I’m so sleepy.
I want to sleep more.
Still half-asleep, the girl tried to drift back off, lying down on her bed.
But soon, she had no choice but to get up on her own—the enticing aroma tickling her nose was impossible to ignore.
It smells delicious. Is it breakfast?
The hunger that hit her the moment she caught the scent made her sigh as she changed her clothes.
Right, today’s the Academy entrance ceremony.
Waking up early won’t hurt.
"Oh, what’s this? Our daughter’s up early."
"Morning, Mom… I was going to sleep more, but the smell woke me up."
"You’ve always had a nose for food, haven’t you? Just wait a little longer. It’ll be ready soon."
"Okay."
Peeking into the kitchen, she saw far more dishes than usual being transformed into mouthwatering meals by her mother’s hands.
It looks amazing.
Her mother’s cooking was always delicious, but today, it seemed like extra effort had been put in, making her anticipation swell.
Grinning to herself, she returned to the dining table—only to find her father already seated there, sipping coffee.
"Morning, Dad. When did you get here?"
"Before you woke up, Irene. You just didn’t notice."
"Liar?!"
"It’s true. You sleep like a log, you know."
She’d woken up early today, so she thought something was up.
Muttering to himself, her father made her face flush red without meaning to.
She really hadn’t noticed a thing.
Ahh, so embarrassing…
"How do you expect to achieve your dreams like that? If you want to be a hero, you need to be diligent."
"I can do it! I woke up early today, didn’t I?!"
"Hmm…"
Her father’s meaningful smile made her pout in frustration.
He was great in every way, except for his occasional mischievous side.
Just wait. From now on, she’d wake up at this time every day and make him look at her with admiration.
But given her track record, she couldn’t think of a proper retort, so she decided to change the subject.
She’d do better from now on. That was fine, right?
"Where’s my little brother?"
"He’ll be up soon. Wait and see—he’ll be shocked when he sees this."
"Dad, you always exaggerate."
Even if she *had* woken up a little early, was it really that surprising?
That thought vanished the moment her brother’s voice rang out from downstairs.
"…What? Why is my sister here? Am I still dreaming?"
"Hey?! That’s going too far?!"
"Huh. It *is* you, sis? You actually woke up early?"
Damn it.
Why was her reputation in this house so low?
Okay, fine, she *did* usually wake up late… but not *every* day!
…Well, her brother *did* have to wake her up most mornings.
She had no comeback.
"You two, stop bickering. Si-hyun, sit down. Let’s eat."
"Yes."
Luckily, her mother finished cooking just in time, shifting the conversation.
One delicious dish after another was placed on the table.
The spread of food was so lavish it made her mouth water just to look at it.
"…What’s with all this?"
"I went all out today. It’s a special occasion, after all."
"Thanks to you, sis, I’m gonna burst before noon."
Wasn’t this a bit too much?
She had the thought, but the sight of her mother smiling warmly at her made her decide to just be grateful and dig in.
"I’ll eat well."
"Eat plenty."
She took a bite of the freshly made, steaming hot dish—and her eyes widened in surprise.
I once devoured a meal at an expensive hotel, marveling at how something so delicious could exist.
This meal brings back memories of that time.
"Mom, I knew you were a good cook, but this is amazing..."
"Of course. I’ve been preparing hard since yesterday."
Mom smiled brightly, as if to say, *If I had the time, I could do even better.* Her confidence was almost intimidating.
She was so beautiful that it was hard to believe she was a mother of two.
"...Speaking of preparing, Irene?"
"Yes?"
"Did you prepare well for the practice you mentioned?"
"..."
I *had* practiced.
As much as I could to avoid looking unnatural.
But would that be enough?
That doubt left me speechless in response to Mom’s question.
"...I’m sorry, Irene."
"Ah, Mom, you don’t need to apologize!"
"But... the reason you have trouble making friends is because of me, isn’t it?"
I couldn’t really argue.
This expression of mine—the one that made me look like I had my eyes closed—was inherited from her, after all.
But I wanted to tell her it wasn’t her fault.
Because I wasn’t the least bit ashamed of resembling her.
"Hmph. People who judge others by their looks are the ones I dislike."
"Irene..."
Mom and I looked alike.
So much so that when we walked together, people sometimes asked if we were sisters.
We were mother and daughter, of course.
...But because of that, I could see my own expression objectively.
Since Mom’s face was essentially mine.
I didn’t even need a mirror—just looking at her told me how others saw me.
Objectively speaking, Mom looked *suspicious*.
Her squinty, softly smiling expression reminded me of the shadowy figures from the villainous organizations in the cartoons I watched as a kid.
Always smirking like some sinister mastermind.
And if she *tried* to open her eyes wide on purpose, that was even scarier.
Like when she occasionally got angry at me—I’d be startled every time.
Her eyes were undeniably a beautiful crimson... but...
How should I put it?
They seemed to carry an ominous presence?
And since I looked just like her, I was no different.
From kindergarten to elementary, middle, and high school.
I had no idea how much the other kids avoided me.
It was worst when I was little.
By middle or high school, kids had enough social awareness to just avoid me, but...
Little children would just burst into tears, saying I was scary.
Some even believed cartoons were real, so...
I lost count of how many times a kid cried, convinced the boss of an evil organization had appeared right next to them.
...Ah, damn it. I keep thinking depressing thoughts.
"It’ll be fine! Things will get better at the Academy! Didn’t you make friends there too, Mom?"
I forced myself to speak brightly, shaking off the gloom.
It was true I hadn’t made many friends up until now, but I didn’t blame Mom for that.
No one knew better than me how much she loved me.
"I-I mean, maybe there’ll be someone like Aunt Amelia or Aunt Dorothy there too?"
"Yeah, that’s right..."
Those two—Mom’s friends who occasionally sent gifts to me and Sihyun.
She’d said they were friends she made at the Academy.
Maybe there’d be someone like them among my peers too?
The Academy was an institution for training Heroes, after all.
Kids who judge others just by their looks are the enemy. Yeah.
…Ah, now that Aunt Amelia mentioned it, it suddenly came to mind.
"But, Mom."
"Hmm?"
"Why does Aunt Amelia’s expression get all weird whenever she sees me?"
"Weird?"
"Yeah. She says weird stuff with a weird look on her face. Something like… a blood clump? Wrinkly?"
"…It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it."
"Really…?"
"She’s just an old maid, that’s all."
I tilted my head, not understanding what she meant.
Well, if Mom says it’s fine, then it must be fine. I decided not to think too much about it.
"When you get to the Academy, some teachers might react strangely… Don’t pay it any mind."
"React strangely?"
"Well, you and I look so much alike. The teachers might be surprised when they see you, right?"
"…Oh."
So some of the teachers who taught Mom back then might still be teaching now.
It felt strange.
Going to the same school Mom attended and being taught by the same teachers who once taught her…
Not just anyone could have an experience like this.
Just as I was starting to feel happy about that thought, Sihyun spoke up.
"By the way, noona. Shouldn’t we stop talking and get going soon?"
"Huh? How much time has—wha—"
At my little brother’s words, I glanced at the clock and froze.
It was already this late?!
I might actually be late!
"Uh, Mom! Dad! Sorry, I’m heading out first!"
"Be careful."
"See you later!"
I hastily shoved a few bites of food into my mouth and rushed upstairs to my room.
Even if I ran or took public transit, the distance from home to the Academy was too far. I was definitely going to be late.
So I had no choice.
I urgently threw open the window, leapt out, transformed my hands into threads, and stuck them to the side of a building. Using momentum, I moved in an instant.
The cold morning wind messed up my hair a little, but I didn’t care.
Better than being late.
After moving like that, clinging to my threads for a few minutes…
Fortunately, I arrived at the Academy just in time. I greeted the familiar face standing at the entrance.
"Claire?! Hello! And goodbye!"
"Ah, hello Irene… Already gone. You’re fast."
Claire sighed.
Not a single thing in common with her parents.
Even as she thought that, she couldn’t help but smile at the fact that the daughter of her old student had now become her student as well.
"Well then, the latecomer is…"
BOOM!
"I’m not late, right?! Huh?! Teacher Haryul?! Teacher Haryul is my homeroom teacher?!"
"…Call me Teacher. Since it’s the first day, I’ll let the tardiness slide. Now that you’re here, introduce yourself and come in."
"Phew…"
I could see Teacher Haryul glaring at me with disdain.
His expression seemed to say, *Just how long were you sprawled out sleeping to show up now?*
…Having someone I know as my homeroom teacher isn’t all that great, huh.
As I awkwardly tried to fix my messy hair, I noticed the other students staring at me.
"Uh, that… Ahem."
Right, self-introduction. Time to deliver the lines I’d practiced so hard.
Maybe this would help me make some friends.
I took a deep breath, then smiled at the kids who might become my friends and said,
"Hello, my name is Irene Isis! Just because I have lazy eyes doesn’t mean I’m a mastermind! Nice to meet you!"
- Just because I have lazy eyes doesn’t mean I’m a mastermind! (End) -