Chapter 23

The weather grew colder with each passing day.

I cupped my hands, blowing warm breath into the air.

Normally, I would go back on the kindergarten bus, but since I started receiving allowance, I sometimes took the bus or walked to town or the shopping district.

After looking around the shops, I’d buy a snack or a cute item that caught my eye, then head home.

Because of this, my mom would sometimes nag, and Inha would sulk, saying I should take her along too, but I still had days when I wanted to do this.

Today was one of those days, a day I’d saved up my allowance just for.

‘Well, since Inha will sulk, I’ll buy her a fish-shaped pastry or two.’

But if only Inha eats, it’ll feel awkward, so maybe I should get four.

Thinking that, I headed to the fish pastry stand I’d spotted and bought some.

The lady selling them chuckled, saying, “What a cute kid,” and leaned out a bit to hand the bag over to me, seeing how short I was.

I thanked her, reaching for my wallet from my pocket.

“Here.”

“Yes?”

Just then, someone reached over my shoulder and paid for me.

Startled, I turned to see who it was.

Standing there was an older girl in a school uniform who had suddenly appeared and paid for my pastries.

She was mostly hidden by her coat, but I caught a glimpse of the uniform beneath.

Maybe she was around sixteen, barely an adult?

Then that would likely be a high school uniform.

In this world, the age of adulthood was surprisingly young—quite a bit younger than in the world I came from.

Fifteen was the legal age for adults here, meaning anyone over fifteen could take the ranking exam to establish their status as a magician.

I frowned, looking up at her.

“Excuse me? What’s the meaning of…?”

“It’s alright, it’s alright. Big sister will pay for it.”

“No, seriously, what’s…?”

“Oh, you must have come with an older sibling, right? I mean, there’s no way your parents would let a kid as young as you wander around alone. Well, get home safely now.”

The lady selling fish pastries waved at me as she said this.

I stood there in a daze, while the older girl grabbed my hand and started leading me somewhere.

Caught off guard, I walked a few steps before pulling my hand away, glaring at her with the determination to scream if she got any closer.

“Who… who are you? Why did you pay for me… and why are you suddenly holding my hand…? D-don’t come any closer. I’ll scream!”

“Oh, you’re wary. That’s good. A kid like you should have a healthy sense of caution.”

She bent down, meeting my eyes.

I hesitated, stepping back nervously, but she simply smiled.

“Your name’s Yoo Eunha, right?”

I flinched.

“H-how do you know my name…?”

“Hmm… Well, sorry for learning your name on my own. But you just seemed like you could be in danger. And honestly, I was shocked too! I was actually supposed to visit you soon, but I saw a familiar face wandering the town alone. Now, is it okay for kids to roam around town by themselves?”

“But, really, how do you know my name…?”

She kept smiling as she watched me, wary as I was.

Then she took something out of her bag.

It was an envelope.

“Here. Tada! I was on my way to your house to deliver this.”

She looked surprised as she spoke, and I stared wide-eyed.

“A-are you a friend of my parents?”

“Nope!”

“Then who are you…?”

“Lee Eunhee. What on earth are you doing here?”

Just then, someone interrupted me and approached her from behind.

He was a young man, probably in his early twenties, with glasses and slightly curly, ashy hair.

“Oh, teacher.”

Straightening up, she brushed the dust off her knees and adjusted her skirt.

Before she could say anything, the man looked at me, surprised.

“Yoo Eunha…?”

Once again, I flinched.

What was going on? Why did these strangers know my name?

As I started to back away cautiously, the man looked over at the woman.

“What are you doing? Why is she here before you even reached her house?”

“Well, I found her wandering around town alone. I got worried and said something.”

“And why is she so wary of you?”

“Well… I just walked up to her and tried to take her hand and bring her along…”

The man sighed, looking exasperatedly at the woman.

“…Are you an idiot?”

“Aw, that’s harsh!”

“You’re just asking to be suspected. Whatever. Show her your ID or student card already.”

Muttering to himself, he took a lollipop from his pocket and popped it into his mouth.

She grumbled at him but eventually started digging in her pocket.

Suddenly, I flinched.

I sensed the faint presence of magic activating nearby.

Tensing up, I glanced around.

‘This… does feel like magic… but what kind of magic?’

On high alert, I watched as she pulled something out.

It looked like a bracelet.

With a small touch, a light blue orb on the bracelet projected an electronic document.

“Here. See? I’m a magician from Daehyun.”

I widened my eyes.

What emerged from the orb was her personal information.

It listed everything from her home address to the school she attended and her magician rank.

She was ranked C and had completed several D-level missions.

But what caught my attention the most was that she was a magician affiliated with Daehyun.

Daehyun—an elite school famous even outside of our country.

It was a school I had considered attending instead of Yuran.

According to the information displayed, she was indeed a Daehyun student and even the high school’s student council president.

“Do you trust me now?”

She spoke confidently, giving me a cheerful smile.

Shrinking back, I glanced around.

An adult showing personal information to a kid in the middle of the street was bound to draw attention, yet everyone around seemed to ignore us.

It appeared that a Concealment Magic was in place, blocking any onlookers.

The magic created an invisible shield to hide specific things from people’s view.

I clenched my fists, still casting wary glances at her.

Forging one’s identity in this world wasn’t easy.

Still, even though her ID seemed real, I couldn’t shake off the suspicion.

After all, her approach had been highly suspicious, and now she was even blocking the view of passersby.

I could guess it was meant to show her ID, but it was hard to quell the doubt rising inside me.

The man spoke, noticing my distrust.

“She doesn’t seem to believe you.”

“Oh dear~. What should I do? Well, at this point, you’d better show your ID too, teacher! Doesn’t my face say it all?”

She pointed to him with a teasing look, but I simply tilted my head in confusion.

The woman looked exasperated, while the man brushed her off, waving his hand.

“Forget it. If you’re still unsure, just call your mother. We didn’t come unannounced, you know. We sent word ahead to your family. Did your parents not tell you?”

“Oh, well… my dad, I’m not sure, but my mom’s been busy lately, so she’s been out a lot…”

I muttered, flustered, shifting on my feet.

The woman looked around, then pointed to a spot.

“Ah, perfect timing! There’s a public phone right there.”

She was right.

Where she pointed, a row of public phone booths stood.

Gauging their expressions, I quickly dashed into one and locked the door.

Public phone booths, despite their appearance, were fortified with defensive and soundproofing spells.

In case of emergencies, they were even treated as safe havens.

When someone was inside, a Concealment Magic was activated to hide them from view.

I inserted a coin and dialed my mom’s number.

The phone rang, and soon my mom’s face appeared on the screen.

[Oh my, Eunha? What’s going on? Isn’t it time for you to be out of kindergarten? Inha is waiting for you.]

“Yeah. Actually, I went to town…”

[Oh, you! I told you, if you want to go shopping, I’ll go with you!]

“Yeah, but… I met someone from Daehyun…”

[Ah… Right. I forgot to mention it. They did say they’d be sending someone for a scouting visit.]

What?

I stared wide-eyed.

[They said you’re a candidate for scouting. I don’t know how much they know about your skills, but apparently, you’re on their list. Daehyun’s information network is well-known. I only got around to checking the message last night, what with everything going on. They said they’d stop by this afternoon…]

“Yeah. I think… I met them by chance. She knew my name, showed her ID, and said she’s the student council president…”

[The student council president? Oh my, for someone so skilled to come in person… Head home quickly, then.]

“…Alright.”

I ended the call, lost in thought.

It seemed they really were from Daehyun.

But to scout me? How did Daehyun know about my skills?

After standing there, speechless, I snapped out of it and stepped out of the booth.

The two of them waited in front of the booth.

The woman still smiled brightly, and the man had his usual languid expression.

“So, will you lead us to your house? Using magic would be faster, but you seem a bit anxious.”

“Oh, come on, teacher, can’t you be a little more cheerful?”

“Quiet.”

Holding the bag of fish pastries, I walked towards the bus stop with a complicated expression.

When I arrived home, my mom and Inha were waiting.

“Where did you wander off to alone again?”

“Sorry. Here, this is a gift…”

I grinned, offering Inha the bag of pastries as she pouted.

Though she tried to hide it, her face flushed with delight as she took the treat.

It was clear she liked it despite her attempts to act indifferent—truly a child at heart.

Inha glanced warily at the two people standing behind me.

“Hello, pleased to meet you. I’m Lee Eunhee from Daehyun.”

“It’s a pleasure. I’m Lee Baekhan from Daehyun.”

My mom’s eyes widened when she heard the name Lee Baekhan.

Confused, I looked at her.

“Mom?”

“Oh my… truly, Mr. Lee Baekhan? I never imagined such a renowned person would visit us…”

“Scouting talented students is in line with our school’s philosophy. That’s what drew us to the school in the first place.”

He smiled politely, a very different demeanor than before.

Seeing this, my mom smiled back, pleased.

“I see. Oh, please, come in.”

“Excuse us.”

With that, we all took our seats in the living room, facing each other with the coffee table between us.

On one side sat the two from the school, and on the other were my mom, Inha, and me.

Suddenly, a thought struck me, and I asked carefully.

“Um, can Inha stay here too?”

The woman looked at me curiously, then nodded with a smile.

“Of course. She’s also a potential candidate.”

“…Though originally, someone else was supposed to take that spot.”

“Oh, it’s fine for them to be together.”

The man nodded curtly and then took an envelope from his pocket, placing it on the table.