Prologue Story

“Alright, everyone, let’s call it a day!”

A corner of my chest felt cold and heavy. Min-hee came over.

“Tomorrow, we’re checking out the high school, okay? I’ll bring my brother along!”

“Hmm….”

I hesitated a little but soon shook my head.

“I’ll just go take a look by myself tomorrow. Let’s meet on the third day.”

Everyone glanced at each other at my words. They must have known why I was saying this. Han-soo sighed first.

“Alright. Do your best.”

I smiled gently.

“Okay.”

That night, I sent In-ha a message using my student ID.

『Recipient: Kang In-ha

In-ha, I’m sorry about today. I wasn’t feeling well, so…

And by the time I felt better, I couldn’t find you anymore.

Do you remember when we said we’d check out the festival together?

Let’s definitely go together tomorrow.』

I wasn’t sure if In-ha had seen the message. I then opened my phone and sent the same message via text. The ‘1’ symbol next to it disappeared.

A corner of my heart fluttered with anticipation, but it was full of anxiety as well.

However, the next day, In-ha didn’t show up from the morning. She wasn’t at home, and she wasn’t at school either. Even when the homeroom period started, she still hadn’t come.

“Hey, what happened to In-ha?”

“I don’t know… Is she sick? She said she was coming to school, though….”

I felt strangely uneasy. Was she unwell? Maybe she was stressed out like me? That could be. If she still considered me important, she might also feel stressed and upset with me. I knew In-ha wasn’t as fragile as I was, but still, I couldn’t help but worry when she didn’t show up. In-ha was my friend and someone I had to take care of. No matter how mature she seemed, In-ha was still just a child.

“I-I’ll go look for her.”

“Hey! Yoo Eun-ha! Wait a second!”

I ran outside. My breathing became labored, and only one thought drifted in my mind.

Kang In-ha.

In-ha, where are you…?

I clutched my chest, now tight with worry, and ran all around. I was someone who could be easily shaken. Just the fact that I couldn’t see her, even briefly, made me anxious and unsettled. I took in deep breaths, looking around at my surroundings, which felt empty despite the noise.

After running around in a daze for a while, I finally thought of using magic. I hurried into an empty classroom where no one would notice me and pulled up the map on my student ID.

I opened the cap of the pen I always carried in my pocket and brought it close to the map. It was ‘Written Magic.’

『Location of Kang In-ha』

The words etched themselves onto the map’s display. But soon, the letters shattered as if they’d been repelled. Just before they broke, red text appeared.

『Unable to Detect』

Unable to detect her with my magic? I only grew more anxious. But I soon forced myself to calm down. The magic I’d just used wasn’t particularly advanced. So, for it to fail in locating her with my magic power meant…

In-ha was incredibly talented, but she was still weaker than me. Her magic power was also less than mine. So it wasn’t possible for In-ha herself to block my magic.

Then there was only one answer.

‘A magic item….’

In-ha had probably anticipated that I’d look for her, so she intentionally wore a magic item to hide. It could have been someone else’s magic, but there was no one in our circle who would deliberately hide In-ha from me. Her parents, who were the most likely suspects, wouldn’t do that either. I frowned.

So, In-ha didn’t want to meet me, to the point of using a magic item to hide. If that were the case, I couldn’t find her magic power with my detection ability. All I could do was wander around until I got lucky.

Where could she be? I wasn’t exactly known for my intuition. My bad premonitions were often accurate, but my instincts weren’t particularly sharp.

I gritted my teeth and started walking again. I had no choice but to look for her. Maybe, if I was lucky, I’d run into her. I might be able to find her.

‘But there’s a higher chance I won’t….’

My thoughts turned increasingly negative. I pulled out my phone.

『Recipient: Kang In-ha

In-ha, where are you? Please reply if you see this.』

I decided to start by searching around the elementary school she was familiar with. For that, I opened my vision, which I’d been keeping closed.

The colors of magic became vividly visible. I tried to make sense of the dizzying array of colors as best as I could. Black, white, gold, blue, green, brown, orange—all sorts of colors mixed together. Recently, my ‘sight’ had grown to the point where I could now detect the color of magic within a 50-meter radius, even through walls.

I scanned the elementary school building, looking for In-ha’s magic. Her magic was a gold color close to lemon yellow, so I focused on that hue. I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to see her magic color if she was using an item to block it, but it was still better than searching aimlessly.

Still, no reply came.

I moved on from the elementary school and headed toward the middle school. By then, I was starting to feel a bit exhausted. My head was dizzy from seeing so much magic, and my eyes began to sting. I quickly drank a restorative drink I bought nearby, which was supposed to be good for fatigue recovery.

At that point, I decided to start asking people around me. Honestly, I should have done this sooner, but my timid nature held me back. Talking to random people felt daunting. But once I started asking, I got used to it, and before long, I was able to ask people regardless of who they were—students, visitors, or school staff.

“Excuse me, have you seen a girl my age who’s extremely pretty?”

“She has long hair and a cool demeanor, and she’s very beautiful.”

“Um, other than that… well, she’s so pretty that even a girl might find her stunning….”

As for In-ha’s distinguishing physical features, she had black hair and blue-tinged eyes, but above all, she was overwhelmingly beautiful. But it seemed that no one had seen a girl as striking as In-ha. Finally, when I was exhausted from questioning, someone said they’d seen her just as I was thinking, ‘Maybe I should head to the high school area….’

“So, you’re looking for a very pretty young girl with long hair down to her back and a cool impression? Yeah, I saw her. She was hard to forget, stood out a lot.”

“Where did you see her?!”

“Over by the high school grounds. But I can’t remember exactly where….”

“T-thank you so much! Excuse me!”

In my hurry, I nearly tripped as I spun around. Stumbling forward on unsteady legs, I barely managed to regain my balance and started running again.

“Hey, kid, be careful!”

I felt embarrassed, knowing I’d made a stranger worry. Feeling my face heat with shame, I sprinted even faster. But all that running practice paid off; I didn’t stop until I reached the high school.

“Huff, huff…!”

My heart was pounding wildly. I looked up at the school building and opened my sight again. Compared to the middle school, this place was filled with countless, vividly colored magic signatures. My head spun. Just as I was steadying my breath and taking a step forward, I ended up colliding hard with someone.

“Ouch…”

I thought I’d been watching my surroundings carefully, but I never expected to run right into someone. Covering my face with my hands from the pain, I also felt my face flush with embarrassment. Resolving to apologize after I checked my face, I raised my head.

“…Eun-ha?”

“Huh? Who’s that?”

I checked the face I had bumped into and opened my eyes wide.

What an incredible coincidence it was.

How likely could it be to run into someone I knew among so many people?

With a surprised expression, I opened my mouth.

“Uh… Seonghu o…ppa…?”

I hesitated as I spoke.

Actually, I intended to call him “senior,” but Eun-hee unnie’s words came to mind.

‘Even though he looks that way, he likes kids. His personality is cute, unlike his face, so try calling him ‘oppa’ later. He’ll love it.’

He flinched slightly when he heard my term of address.

I felt tense even after saying it.

Ugh… What if he hates it?

I decided to apologize first.

“Um, I-I’m sorry for bumping into you.”

“Wow… Other than Min-hee, you’re the first person to call me oppa. Do we know each other?”

Even Min-hee was the only one who called him that!

I shrank back a little at the words of the person next to Seonghu oppa.

I thought he might be displeased even if he didn’t get angry.

However, unexpectedly, he patted my head kindly.

The cool magic power didn’t feel unpleasant.

Maybe it was because I had a good affinity with water magic.

I looked at him with slightly bewildered eyes.

“It’s fine, really. It’s not something you need to apologize for.”

“Ah, okay…”

Then, the guy next to Seonghu oppa, who seemed to be his friend, asked.

“So, who is she?”

“A junior.”

“Well, that much is obvious from the uniform… Oh? Now that I think about it, isn’t she the girl we saw at the sports festival last time?”

I flinched at his words.

We met… at the sports festival? Who?

I blinked, searching through my memory.

Hmm, nothing comes to mind…

The faces I remember from this school are my classmates, teachers who directly teach me, and a few seniors.

I don’t even remember the faces of the so-called “famous ranks” unless I’ve met them directly.

“Remember the quiz contest? Isn’t she the girl you gave the free meal ticket to? It stuck with me because I’d never seen you do something like that before.”

“That’s right.”

Seonghu oppa nodded, and I managed to piece it together.

Aha, so he was one of the people there.

I shrank and nodded my head.

Then, he smiled at me with a delighted look for some reason, as if thinking, “I knew it!”

“Hello. I’m Yeon Yoon, this guy’s friend. So, little one… Hmm, what’s your name, young lady?”

“I’m Yoo Eun-ha…”

“Alright, Eun-ha. Are you here alone?”

“Uh… Um, yes.”

As I answered awkwardly, the senior who introduced himself as Yeon Yoon gave me a concerned look.

‘Huh…? Yeon Yoon…? That name sounds familiar…’

Even while thinking this briefly, I grew more restless with impatience.

I wanted to part ways with them and find In-ha as soon as possible.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay? High school can be confusing. If you’re alone, you might get jostled around.”

“I’m okay. Actually, I’m looking for a friend…”

“A friend? Did they get lost? Should I make an announcement for them?”

“N-no!”

I raised my voice, startled.

“Um, um, she’s upset with me, so if I do that, we might end up fighting.”

“Ah, so that’s why you’re searching for her on foot?”

“Yes…”

I nodded slightly.

Without realizing it, I clutched the hem of my skirt in nervousness.

Looking up was starting to feel a bit awkward.

Then, at that moment, the senior spoke again.

“Alright then, we’ll help you look.”

“…What?”

I looked up at him in surprise.

He was smiling warmly with a friendly look on his face.

“That’s fine, right, Seonghu?”

“Yeah. Honestly, leaving a kid, especially a girl, to wander around alone is worrying.”

Huh? What?

It somehow felt like accompanying me was already a foregone conclusion.

I waved my hands in surprise.

“Um… but…”

“Hey, it’s fine, really. We’re part of the high school student council, you know? We have ways to find people, like checking surveillance cameras or tracking student IDs.”

Hearing his words, I widened my eyes.

These weren’t methods an individual student could easily use, but they were indeed options.

“Um, but are you allowed to…?”

“Of course not. What are you even saying?”

Seonghu oppa glared at his friend in a scolding tone.

Then he chuckled and replied.

“We might not be able to track her, but we can at least check the security cameras, can’t we? Especially since this little girl is so desperately searching for her friend.”

At that, Seonghu oppa looked down at me.

My body reflexively stiffened.

He stared at me for a moment, then nodded.

“…Alright. I agree with helping. I don’t have anything urgent to do right now.”

“See, he’s on board. Come on, little one, give me your hand. Actually, you know what? Maybe it’d be better if I carried you so you don’t get jostled. Want a piggyback ride?”

Dazed by the rapidly unfolding situation, I stared at the hand extended in front of me, surprised once again.

This guy’s friendliness is off the charts!

For some reason, he reminded me of Min-hee.

But he had a big-brotherly warmth that was entirely different from Min-hee.

If anything, he was more like Hyun-ho.

I quickly shook my head.

“N-no, it’s okay!”

Inside, I felt desperate.

In the end, in my attempt to refuse him, I missed my chance to argue against this awkward arrangement.