My name is Hina Hanzaki.
If you asked the people around me what kind of person I was, most of them would probably give the same answer.
Responsible.
Hardworking.
Polite.
The kind of student teachers liked and parents proudly talked about.
I attended class every day, maintained good grades, and rarely caused trouble.
From the outside, my life appeared perfectly ordinary.
Unfortunately, appearances could be very misleading.
Because behind that image was a girl constantly trying to live up to expectations that felt impossibly high.
And most of those expectations came from one person.
My mother.
To her, excellence wasn't a goal.
It was a requirement.
Perfect grades.
Perfect manners.
Perfect behavior.
Anything less was considered failure.
For as long as I could remember, every aspect of my life had been carefully organized around that ideal.
It was exhausting.
Not that I would ever say that out loud.
Especially not in my house.
"HINA! ARE YOU STILL SLEEPING?!"
My mother's voice exploded through the house with enough force to shake me from the depths of sleep.
I groaned into my pillow.
The warmth of my blanket wrapped around me like a protective cocoon, and for a brief moment I considered pretending I hadn't heard her.
That idea lasted exactly two seconds.
With a sigh, I rolled onto my back and stared at the ceiling.
The clock beside my bed displayed the cruel truth.
5:30 AM.
I closed my eyes again.
Maybe if I wished hard enough, the numbers would change.
They didn't.
School didn't begin until eight.
There was absolutely no reason for any sane person to wake up this early.
Unfortunately, my mother was not interested in what sane people did.
"Hina!"
"I'm up!" I shouted.
A moment of silence followed.
Good.
That bought me a few minutes.
Reluctantly, I pushed myself out of bed.
The wooden floor felt cold beneath my feet.
Soft morning sunlight filtered through the curtains, painting golden lines across my room.
Today was my first day of high school.
For many students, that would probably be exciting.
A fresh start.
New friends.
New experiences.
The beginning of a new chapter in life.
For me?
It mostly meant additional responsibilities.
More studying.
More expectations.
More pressure.
Exactly what every teenager dreamed about.
After showering and getting dressed, I stood before the mirror.
The black sailor-style uniform fit perfectly.
The red ribbon sat neatly beneath the collar.
I carefully adjusted a loose strand of hair.
No wrinkles.
No imperfections.
Everything exactly how my mother preferred it.
Satisfied, I headed downstairs.
The smell of breakfast greeted me immediately.
Fresh toast.
Eggs.
Coffee.
The familiar scents filled the kitchen.
My mother stood beside the stove, already dressed for work despite the early hour.
Every movement she made was precise and efficient.
Even cooking looked disciplined when she did it.
The moment I entered, her eyes shifted toward me.
"You're cutting it close."
I nearly laughed.
"It's six in the morning."
"Successful people don't waste time."
I took my seat.
There was no point arguing.
Experience had taught me that.
The conversation would only continue until she won.
And she always won.
Breakfast passed quietly.
The ticking clock on the wall seemed unusually loud.
Outside, birds chirped somewhere beyond the kitchen window.
Eventually, I finished eating and stood.
My school bag rested near the front door.
I grabbed it and slipped my shoes on.
"I'm leaving."
Just before I stepped outside, my mother's voice stopped me.
"Hina."
I glanced back.
She was still facing the counter.
Still cleaning dishes.
Yet her voice remained firm.
"First impressions matter."
Of course.
I should have known.
"I know."
The door closed behind me.
Instantly, I felt lighter.
Not free.
Just... less restricted.
The cool morning air brushed against my face.
The neighborhood remained quiet.
Most houses were still asleep, their curtains drawn shut against the rising sun.
For a few peaceful moments, I simply walked.
No expectations.
No lectures.
No pressure.
Just silence.
It was nice.
Unfortunately, it didn't last.
"Hina!"
A familiar voice called from behind.
I turned.
A girl with chestnut-colored hair was sprinting down the sidewalk while waving both arms wildly.
Yuki Shinazaki.
My best friend since elementary school.
She finally reached me and doubled over dramatically.
"You walk too fast."
"You run too slow."
She pointed accusingly.
"Rude."
I smiled despite myself.
Yuki had always possessed an unusual talent.
She could make even ordinary conversations entertaining.
"Big day," she said while straightening up.
"First day of high school."
"Unfortunately."
She groaned.
"You're supposed to sound excited."
"I wasn't informed that was mandatory."
Yuki laughed.
We continued walking together.
As we approached the station, more students appeared along the streets.
Groups of teenagers chatted excitedly about classes, clubs, and future plans.
Everyone seemed energized.
Everyone except me.
"Maybe you'll meet someone interesting today," Yuki said.
"I doubt it."
"Come on. New school means new opportunities."
"I'd settle for no opportunities."
"You're hopeless."
Perhaps.
Still, predictable sounded much better than exciting.
Unfortunately...
Fate had other plans.
A few minutes later, something caught my eye.
An antique shop.
It stood between two modern buildings as though it belonged to another era.
The wooden exterior looked weathered.
The faded sign above the entrance was difficult to read.
Dusty objects filled the display window.
Ancient lanterns.
Old books.
Strange artifacts.
Everything about the place felt oddly disconnected from the rest of the city.
I slowed my pace.
"Yuki."
"Hm?"
"Has that store always been there?"
She followed my gaze.
A confused expression appeared immediately.
"What store?"
I pointed directly at it.
"The antique shop."
Yuki blinked.
Then blinked again.
"...Hina."
"What?"
"There's nothing there."
I stared.
Then looked back.
The shop remained exactly where I had seen it.
Every detail unchanged.
The sign.
The window.
The door.
Everything.
A strange feeling settled into my stomach.
"What do you mean there's nothing there?"
"I mean exactly that."
She pointed toward the location.
"That's an empty lot."
I turned again.
The shop was still there.
Very much not empty.
A chill ran down my spine.
Maybe she was joking.
Maybe I was imagining things.
Neither explanation felt convincing.
Inside the antique store, an elderly man stood quietly near the window.
Long gray hair rested against his shoulders.
His face carried the weight of countless years.
Beside him floated two small creatures.
One white.
One black.
Neither larger than a house cat.
The old man's eyes followed the two girls outside.
His expression remained unreadable.
"So," he murmured.
"It has finally begun."
The white dragon fluttered closer.
"Master..."
Its voice was soft.
"Did you feel it too?"
The old man nodded.
A shadow crossed his features.
"Yes."
The black dragon lowered its head.
"The darkness has returned."
The old man's gaze hardened.
For two centuries he had waited.
Two hundred years of silence.
Two hundred years of vigilance.
Two hundred years carrying a burden no ordinary human could imagine.
And now...
The presence he feared had finally resurfaced.
"What will we do?" the white dragon asked.
The old man's eyes drifted toward one particular girl.
Hina Hanzaki.
A faint glow surrounded her.
Invisible to ordinary people.
Yet unmistakable to those who understood what it meant.
The black dragon noticed it as well.
"...Is she the one?"
The old man remained silent.
Then slowly exhaled.
"Perhaps."
The white dragon looked troubled.
"She's only fifteen."
"I know."
The old man's voice carried a sadness that neither dragon had heard in many years.
"But fate rarely waits until someone is ready."
Outside, Hina suddenly shivered.
She rubbed her arms.
"Did it get colder?"
Yuki stared at her.
"It's summer."
"...Right."
Maybe it really was her imagination.
The two girls continued toward school.
Neither noticed the old man watching them leave.
Neither realized that events set in motion centuries ago were finally beginning to move again.
Soon, the towering gates of Hazuki High School appeared ahead.
The campus was massive.
Several academic buildings surrounded a spacious courtyard.
Hundreds of students moved across the grounds.
Excited conversations filled the air.
"Wow," Yuki whispered.
"This place is huge."
I had to admit she was right.
The school looked more like a university than a high school.
After entering, we headed toward the locker area.
Rows upon rows of metal lockers stretched across the room.
Students crowded every aisle.
The atmosphere buzzed with nervous excitement.
Eventually, I found my assigned locker.
Yuki waved.
"See you in class."
"Yeah."
I placed my bag down.
Then reached for the handle.
The moment the locker door opened—
FWOOOSH!
Something exploded directly into my face.
Cold.
Sticky.
Sweet.
For one frozen second, my brain completely stopped functioning.
Then reality caught up.
Strawberry jam dripped down my forehead.
Whipped cream covered my uniform.
A bent pie tin slid slowly onto the floor.
The entire locker room fell silent.
Then laughter erupted.
My eye twitched.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
I turned around.
And immediately spotted the culprit.
Hanato Hamagi.
Blue hair.
Blue eyes.
Annoying grin.
Everything about him screamed troublemaker.
He was laughing so hard he could barely stand.
The idiot actually pointed at me.
"Wow."
His grin widened.
"Looks like our princess got cream pied on the first day."
Something snapped.
The next few seconds happened automatically.
I walked forward.
Raised my fist.
And punched him directly in the face.
BAM.
The sound echoed through the room.
Hanato stumbled backward.
The laughter died instantly.
Every student froze.
Hanato touched his cheek.
"...Ow."
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
The entire locker room looked traumatized.
Then Yuki suddenly appeared beside me.
"Bathroom."
She grabbed my arm.
"Now."
And dragged me away before I could hit him again.
As we disappeared down the hallway, I heard a student whisper:
"...Reminder to self."
Another nodded.
"Never prank Hina."
Smart decision.
Several minutes later, after cleaning strawberry jam from my hair and uniform, we finally arrived at class.
At exactly eight o'clock, attendance concluded.
Our teacher clapped his hands.
"Everyone line up. We're heading to the gymnasium for the opening ceremony."
Students stood and began filing out.
Soon hundreds of first-year students gathered inside the enormous gym.
The noise was overwhelming.
Yuki leaned closer.
"You know..."
"What?"
"Despite the pie incident, today isn't going too badly."
I stared at her.
"I punched someone."
"You punched Hanato."
"...Fair."
The ceremony was about to begin when something outside caught my attention.
Through one of the gymnasium windows, I spotted a familiar figure.
The old man.
He stood beneath a tree across the courtyard.
Watching me.
My breath caught.
For a moment, the sounds of the gym faded away.
The old man didn't move.
Didn't blink.
His gaze remained fixed on me.
Then—
"Everyone quiet down!"
A teacher's voice echoed through the gym.
The spell broke.
I looked back toward the window.
The old man was gone.
Completely gone.
As though he had never been there.
"Hina?"
Yuki nudged me.
"You okay?"
I stared at the empty courtyard.
"...Yeah."
But I wasn't convinced.
Not even a little.
Because deep down...
I could feel it.
The strange antique shop.
The mysterious old man.
The unsettling feeling that someone had been watching me.
None of it felt like coincidence.
And somehow...
I knew this was only the beginning.
My first day of high school had barely started.
Yet already, the ordinary life I had always known was beginning to crack.
Soon, something hidden beneath the surface of the world would reveal itself.
And when it did...
Nothing would ever be the same again.