"……"
I dropped onto the living room floor, crossed my arms, and closed my eyes.
A habit that surfaced whenever my head got too crowded.
That girl… what was she, exactly?
The silver-haired girl I'd seen yesterday.
Said she was a fan of mine…
That strange expression — the one she'd worn while staring at me from a distance — lingered in my mind.
Too deep to be simple admiration. Something wistful in her face, like a quiet ache.
"Hmm……"
One thought chased another, and before I knew it, a smug little smile crept onto my lips.
Well, if she really wanted one, I could sign as many autographs as she liked.
Oh, right. Did that even matter anymore?
She'd said she was a fan of who I used to be, after all.
The pointless worry was just about to pass when a voice broke the silence.
"Shin-a, are you ready?"
"Yes."
I got up.
Brushed off my pants and adjusted my bag straps. The voice came again.
"Shall we go?"
Right. Because today was…
My first day of school.
***
"……"
I stopped at the school gate and stared blankly at the campus spread out before me.
A wide-open schoolyard, the main building, and various modern facilities I couldn't quite name.
So this is what a school looks like.
The thought that I'd be coming here from now on left me feeling oddly unsettled.
I was still drifting, taking it all in, when Jang-mi gently took my hand and led me forward.
She guided me to a door marked with a placard that read: TEACHERS' OFFICE.
The place where the faculty gathered, I supposed.
I pushed open the door with a vague sense of tension, and a teacher waiting inside brightened and rose to greet us.
"Oh…! You're here?"
"Hello."
Jang-mi returned the greeting with easy composure. I gave an awkward little nod beside her.
"Are you Shin-a's guardian?"
"Yes, that's right."
The teacher studied Jang-mi for a moment, then her eyes went wide as something clicked.
"Um…? Could you be… Kim Jang-mi… the guild master…?"
"Ahaha……"
A strained smile settled on Jang-mi's lips.
Fame, it seemed, was exhausting in moments like this.
"Please take good care of our Shin-a."
"Of course, don't worry…!"
The teacher nodded, flustered, and Jang-mi finally relaxed, giving my shoulder a light pat.
"Shin-a, make sure you call me the moment class is over. Understood?"
"Yes."
The teachers' office door closed behind Jang-mi's parting words.
"……"
"……"
As the sound of her footsteps faded beyond the door, an awkward silence settled over the room.
I let my gaze wander aimlessly before landing on the teacher standing in front of me.
Good impression.
Light brown hair falling softly past her shoulders, a gentle face. She seemed kind.
"Well then… Shin-a, shall we head to the classroom together?"
"Yes."
***
I stood in front of the classroom door.
4th Grade, Class A.
"Ready to go in, Shin-a?"
"Yes."
Slide—
The door rolled open, and a wave of chatter from inside washed over me.
"Okay, settle down, settle down! Everyone, we have a transfer student joining Class A today~"
Dozens of eyes snapped to me all at once.
"Come on, Shin-a. Over here."
"……"
I followed the teacher's lead and walked slowly to the front beside the podium.
Curious stares from every direction. Some kids' eyes lit up; others leaned over to whisper to their neighbors. I took it all in at a glance.
The teacher introduced me with a bright smile.
"Her name is Kim Shin-a. She'll be joining you all and having a great time at school from now on. Everyone be nice and friendly~"
The introduction ended, but I couldn't find anything to add. I just kept my mouth shut.
Awkward…
I had no idea what expression to make or what to say. My mind went blank, but I stared straight ahead and tried to look unbothered.
"Shin-a, you can sit… um, over there… next to Mila."
"Yes."
The seat the teacher pointed to was by the window.
I gripped my bag straps tight and walked through the gauntlet of stares, one step at a time.
I stopped at the desk, hung up my bag, carefully sat down, and looked to my side.
"……?"
What is this…
My mind went blank for a moment.
Because the person sitting next to me was something that blew well past any definition of ordinary I'd imagined.
A head covered in dense dark-grey scales, like a lizard's.
A long tail peeked out from behind the chair.
But from the neck down, the body was entirely human.
A lizard-type beastkin…? Something like a lizardman?
The moment I sat down, the creature beside me flinched and ducked their head low.
Avoiding my gaze, staring only at the desk — they looked, somehow, frightened.
"……"
Anyway. Several minutes had passed since I sat down, and not a single child had spoken to me.
The kids kept their distance, watching me cautiously, or whispered to each other in hushed voices, reading the atmosphere.
The person next to me was radiating an energy like they might burst into tears at any second…
I turned my gaze to the window.
And I had a feeling.
This school life was not going to be easy.
***
I stole a sideways glance.
Head fixed straight forward, I let only my eyes drift to observe the creature sitting beside me.
Something unfamiliar hung in the air between us.
"……"
My mouth felt dry.
Even looking again — not an easy one to approach.
But in this strange space, the person physically closest to me was only this one.
Besides, my body was a child's, but my mind certainly wasn't.
What kind of language do kids use these days?
I had no idea how to start a conversation that wouldn't come across as weird.
"……"
Still, introductions first. That was the decent thing to do.
I carefully cleared my throat and opened my mouth.
"Um……"
"Wh— wha…?!"
The moment my voice reached them, they jolted as if they'd been shocked. Big eyes, wide with fright, trembled and turned toward me.
The look on their face was unmistakably startled.
"Hi. I'm Shin-a. Nice to meet you."
I tried my best to smile gently and extended my hand slightly.
But instead of answering, they just stared at me with their mouth half open.
In those eyes: wariness, and some unreadable confusion all mixed together.
Too stiff? Too sudden…?
Just as I was starting to feel a phantom cold sweat down my back—
"H… hi. Nice to meet you……"
A reply came, squeezed out with effort.
Halting, not quite smooth, a little creaky.
But there was no sign of avoidance or dislike.
At least it wasn't a wrong answer, I thought, and a small relief brushed through me.
I pressed on and carefully asked the next question.
"What's your name?"
"M… me? Mi, Mila……"
"Oh… Mila? Okay, Mila. Hi."
"Mm……"
I repeated the name and gave a small nod. She dropped her gaze and murmured quietly.
Silence again.
We sat watching each other's reactions, mouths closed. The air between us was still awkward, and neither of us could find anything to say — just fidgeting with our fingers.
"……"
"……"
The longer the uncomfortable silence stretched, the more tangled my thoughts became.
I had to say something, anything, to break this—
But I couldn't even get a foothold on what topic to raise.
Your scales… your scales are really cool?
I caught a glimpse of the scales on her body.
But I immediately dropped the idea — it might come across as a discriminatory remark about her race's physical features.
What are you good at? You fight?
Even worse.
Asking something like that out of nowhere — did I want to brand myself as a battle maniac on the first day?
More than that, one fundamental question had been nagging at me.
This kid…
Was she a girl?
The thin voice and general atmosphere suggested yes, but it felt presumptuous to just assume.
Then again, asking outright was also a bit…
Oh, forget it.
After all that deliberation, I parted my lips and stared straight ahead as I blurted it out.
"Are you a girl?"
"Wh… what? Mm……"
Her voice wavered, small and flustered.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see her pupils go perfectly round with surprise.
"Yeah, me too."
The moment I heard her answer, I fired back like I'd been waiting for it.
Then I shut my mouth again.
I acted as if nothing had happened, as if I'd just finished the most ordinary, unremarkable exchange in the world — but inside, I was burning.
Ha…… I blew it.
I could feel her bewildered stare boring into me from the side.
"Me too" — what kind of conversational flow was that supposed to be?
The intent had been to build common ground, but now that it was out of my mouth, something about it sounded deeply off.
I stared dead ahead and thought to myself:
I want to sew this stupid mouth shut.
"……"
Was communication always this hard?
***
Mila fidgeted with her fingers in her lap and stole a very careful sideways glance.
Kim Shin-a.
Glossy black hair, dark eyes that seemed to hold the depth of a night sky, and a neat bob cut that suited her perfectly — she was a pretty girl.
Shin-a was staring straight ahead with an indifferent expression, but Mila could read the tension in her plainly.
Looking closely, fine beads of cold sweat had gathered near her temples.
Beneath the stiff, upright posture, awkwardness and anxiety seeped through.
'……She's kind.'
Mila bit her lip lightly.
She must have felt out of place too, yet she'd worked up the courage to speak first.
More than anything — she hadn't wrinkled her nose or recoiled at Mila's strange appearance.
She'd been plain and warm, the way you'd treat any ordinary classmate.
"……"
Something tickled at the corner of Mila's chest.
She wanted to talk to this girl more. The wish to become friends lifted its head.
But that hope cooled quickly.
'I can't……'
A scene flashed through Mila's mind.
Shattered glass. Screaming. Eyes full of terror, all aimed at her.
'I can't… hurt anyone again.'
Mila pulled her gaze away from Shin-a and lowered her head back toward the floor.
***
"……"
"……"
Mila, flustered and at a loss, quickened her pace.
Pitter-patter, pitter-patter…
She didn't need to look back to know.
Maintaining a fixed distance, as if magnetized, a small set of footsteps followed her with stubborn persistence.
When Mila stopped, the footsteps behind her stopped. When she turned left, the air behind her shifted left.
"U… um, why do you keep following me……"
Unable to bear it any longer, Mila spun around and asked.
Whether from nerves, the tip of her tail was trembling faintly.
But even at the pointed question, Shin-a gave no answer — she just looked back at Mila with clear, steady eyes.
The silence lasted longer than expected.
Mila couldn't tell what was going on behind that blank expression, and she grew more and more uneasy.
At last, Shin-a parted her lips and said, with complete calm, a single sentence.
"Because I want to be your friend."