The sun shone brightly in the sky.
The morning was peaceful.
But she was still in bed, fast asleep.
Megum entered the room holding a school bag in his hands.
With a touch of annoyance in his voice, he said,
"Now wake up, it's already time for school and you're still not ready. Just leave the bed, sister."
Through the window, sunlight spilled across her face.
She was a girl of ten years—full of ambitious dreams, yet unaware of the path her future would take.
"Brother… five minutes more," she mumbled sleepily.
Megum groaned. "Why is it that at night, when I tell you to sleep, you always beg for 'one more episode,' and then in the morning you won't wake up? I'm fed up with this routine! If you don't get up in a minute, I'll tell Mommy!"
"Okay, okay, I'm up," she sighed, crawling out of bed and shuffling toward the bathroom.
Inside, she picked up her designer toothbrush—the one with a mic-shaped tip.
After getting ready for school, she walked into the hall.
Silvey, her mother, spoke with soft maternal affection.
"Darling, you're still half-dressed. Get properly ready before you sit for breakfast."
Quickly, she pulled on her school sweater and coat.
The three of them sat down at the table. Between feeding her daughter, Silvey said,
"Are your books ready? This is your first day in the new session. Listen, darling—you're a grown-up girl now. Don't get mixed up with bad boys or bad students. Mother doesn't want you to get hurt."
She smiled warmly, her love clear in every word.
The girl smiled back, silently promising obedience.
After breakfast, she and Megum set off for school.
Megum was known as a brilliant student—a boy with a sharp mind, capable of creating anything from scraps of scientific material. A born scientist… though there was something about him that set him apart from the rest.
When she entered her classroom, a voice boomed from behind.
"MARINE!"
Yes—Marine was her name.
A girl destined for something far greater than she could yet imagine.
The voice belonged to her "school brother," Rex—a boy she had met on her very first day here in this school.
Rex was… well, a harmless pervert. He chased after every girl in sight, desperate to find a girlfriend, yet somehow never succeeded.
On her first day, she remembered, it went like this:
She had barely stepped into the classroom when Rex strolled up to her.
"A new girl, huh? Hey, are you free after school? Want to grab a chocolate shake with me at the cafeteria?"
Marine froze for a moment, then found her voice.
"No, I wouldn't."
Rex's face crumpled, and he burst into exaggerated tears.
"Why doesn't any girl want to be with me?" he wailed.
Something about his act struck her as absurdly funny, and before she could stop herself, she laughed.
"Why are you laughing?" Rex demanded.
"Because you looked hilarious when you were crying… actually, you even looked kinda cute," she teased.
Rex froze. "What did you just say? Repeat it."
"I said you were cute," Marine repeated casually.
In a flash, Rex dropped to one knee as if proposing—but before he could speak, she smacked him across the face with her book, leaving his cheeks even redder.
Angry, he declared he wouldn't talk to her again.
But by the end of the day, Rex returned, looking sheepish.
"I'm sorry for earlier. But… do you know what it's like to be single for nine long years? I've begged so many girls to go out with me, and they all refuse."
Marine smirked. "It's fine. You're just like my brother."
His eyes lit up instantly. "You… you called me brother?"
"Yes. Any problem?"
"Nooooo! For the first time in my life, a beautiful girl has called me her brother. Usually they just call me a pervert… but you—" His voice broke again, tears flowing dramatically.
"Stop this act already," Marine sighed.
"My beloved sister," he declared solemnly, "from now on, tell me what to do. Your brother will always be by your side."
From that day on, Rex stuck to her like a shadow.
A boy with red eyes—just like hers—but with jet-red hair.
No matter his antics, Marine saw him as family.
She turned to the other corner of the classroom, where her gaze landed on someone else…