8) Chapter 2. You don't recognize me...? (3)
The children did not exactly welcome me.
We hadn’t seen each other for a year, and maybe things had changed while I was living with my foster family. Life had become so much more comfortable for me that even if they recognized me, most only exchanged a few words before drifting away, or simply watched me from afar. Maybe they instinctively sensed that I now stood in a different place than they did.
My clothes were no longer hand‑me‑downs but expensive brand‑name outfits bought by Auntie Yujin and Uncle Dohyun—matching Soi’s so I wouldn’t feel different. Even my past self would have been shocked by the price. Even if they didn’t know the brand, anyone could tell from the material and fit.
I also had a smartphone—the same latest model Soi used, the kind that cost a small company’s new employee their entire monthly salary if bought outright.
Seeing me dressed like this, carrying something like that, it would’ve been strange if the kids liked it. Who wouldn’t feel jealous?
Even if I had met Chae‑yi here, would she have looked at me the same way as before?
“Rua.”
After looking around the orphanage once, the teacher spoke to me when she noticed how quiet I’d become.
“Thank you for coming back.”
Maybe she noticed the kids’ reactions. She crouched down to meet my eyes.
“I’m sure they were happy to see you. They’re just awkward because it’s been a while…”
I nodded silently, unable to meet her eyes.
She squeezed my shoulder once, then gently took my hand.
“Let’s go.”
I nodded again.
*
“Hmm…”
On the drive back.
Even though it was a weekday afternoon, the road was strangely congested. Auntie Yujin tapped her fingers on the steering wheel, searching for something to say.
“The timing is a little tricky…”
She glanced at me through the rearview mirror, and when our eyes met, she smiled softly.
“By the time we get back, Soi’s kindergarten will probably be over. Want to eat something tasty nearby and go home with her?”
I nodded.
There wasn’t much else I could say. What would I do—burst into tears because the kids didn’t want to play with me?
Leaving the orphanage was inevitable. A child with superpowers—especially one who couldn’t control their emotions—was like a ticking bomb. Someone had to take me in, and if no one did, I would’ve been sent to a special facility. Auntie Yujin had simply given me the best option.
But in the end, it meant being separated from my childhood.
Even though she didn’t need to feel guilty, she still watched me anxiously.
I wished I could always act cheerful.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t that kind of person.
The car stopped.
With Auntie Yujin’s help, I got out and saw a hamburger shop. She lifted me into her arms and strode inside. My body stiffened, but it was still better than when Uncle Dohyun carried me.
People stared.
Auntie Yujin was a famous hero, and even if she weren’t, she was beautiful enough to draw attention. Because she was with a child, no one approached for autographs.
“What do you want to eat, Rua?”
Still holding me, she smiled at the kiosk.
I ordered a kids’ meal with a toy. Anything bigger would’ve been too much for me to eat alone.
We sat together in a quiet corner. As I slowly ate, she spoke carefully.
“You and Soi are starting elementary school this year.”
I froze.
I looked up at her.
Her expression held no complicated emotion—just a fond smile that made me feel oddly embarrassed.
I nodded while chewing, and she smiled brightly.
“Is there anything you want to do once you start school?”
Something I want to do?
Had I ever thought about that?
It had been too long to remember.
If anything, I did have a thought when I entered high school in my past life—after spending my middle school years obsessed with anime and manga, I wanted to experience a school life like the ones in those stories.
Of course, that never happened.
Even though I managed to get into a co‑ed school, I… well… wasn’t exactly popular.
“…?”
Wait.
This life is different.
I’d been feeling down and forgot for a moment—this time, I’m pretty. Pretty enough that no one at the orphanage disliked me, regardless of gender.
Things are different now, and not because of my looks.
So the answer is simple.
“Popularity.”
“Hm?”
When I mumbled, Auntie Yujin leaned closer.
Ugh. Now I felt embarrassed.
“Um… I… want to be popular…”
Yes.
I just wanted to be someone everyone liked.
Not loved by everyone, but someone with a good reputation and a pleasant impression.
So that even if I met Chae‑yi again someday—even if she didn’t remember our childhood promise—
Even if we had to rebuild our relationship from scratch—
Maybe she could still come to like me.
“Really?”
Auntie Yujin’s face lit up.
She hugged me tightly and ruffled my hair like I was the cutest child in the world. When she realized I’d gone stiff, she quickly let go.
But I didn’t dislike it.
“I see. You want to be popular.”
She mulled over my words for a long moment, then nodded.
“That won’t be a problem. Not for you, Rua.”
“…Huh?”
“If it’s you, you’ll be popular no matter what.”
Well… she wasn’t wrong.
Even in the original story, the reason the character was so irritating early on was because she was pretty. It was described that even whining and crying would convince half the people around her.
So all I needed to do was be a little nicer than the original.
Don’t drag Soi into trouble, study hard, help people when I can.
I didn’t expect to become a hero with my abilities, but as long as I didn’t become a villain, that would be enough.
Thinking that made the hamburger in my hand taste a little better.
*
Even though we lived in a big house, the car we rode was a normal domestic model, and the elementary school Soi and I would attend wasn’t some fancy private academy.
I was a superpowered child, but since I hadn’t caused any problems yet, I was allowed to enter a regular school.
Of course, the biggest factor was that my guardians were famous heroes.
“Ooh…”
Soi’s eyes sparkled as she looked around the auditorium.
It was an ordinary public school, but the facilities were clean. If you looked closely, you could see signs of age, but the place was well maintained.
The other children also looked around with bright eyes.
They’d never been around this many kids at once in kindergarten. Maybe this was the first time in their lives they’d seen so many people gathered in one place.
And most of all—
The stares directed at Soi and me.
Partly because of her parents, but the kids glanced at us more than at them.
“Heh.”
Of course.
Because I’m pretty. Pretty enough to surprise myself whenever I look in the mirror.
Kids grow fast at this age.
The difference between kindergarten and first grade isn’t huge, but the “potential” is already visible.
“People keep staring at us.”
“It’s because we’re pretty.”
“Wow!”
Soi’s eyes sparkled again.
She loved compliments—not to the point of begging for them, but enough to brighten instantly.
Maybe she already had the makings of a hero.
Though in the original story, her powers were so insignificant that I barely remembered what they were.
“I’m excited!”
“Yeah. Me too.”
I nodded.
In the end, I never found out which school Chae‑yi went to.
If Auntie Yujin and Uncle Dohyun weren’t heroes, I might’ve begged them to check, but they were people who followed the law strictly.
But it was fine.
If I studied hard, played hard, and trained my abilities…
When we met again at the academy, it would be easier to become close again.
Throughout the entrance ceremony, I repeated that promise to myself.
*
—Or so I once thought.
There were a few small problems.
First, I had always been shy.
You might ask why I’m saying that now, but thinking back, even in my past life, I only played easily with kids when I was very young. As I grew older—upper elementary, middle school, high school—I spoke less and found it harder to approach people.
I thought it would be different this time.
Because I’m pretty. Because people naturally feel some fondness when they see me.
…But well.
If it were that easy, I would’ve had more friends in my past life too.
And most importantly—
“Rua? I don’t know anyone by that name.”
Chae‑yi narrowed her eyes slightly as she said that to me, after I’d finally gathered the courage to greet her.
It was definitely her.
Even in fourth grade, her pink bob cut was the same, her face still resembled her childhood self, and I even heard other kids call her by the rare name “Chae‑yi.”
Most of all, she had been famous from the moment she transferred.
Maybe not more famous than Auntie Yujin, but at least as famous—because she was the daughter of a hero just as renowned.
The person who took her in had been someone like that.
I had prepared myself for the possibility that she might not remember me after all these years, but—
“You don’t recognize me…?”
—her cold words still shocked me deeply.
So that was it.
The reason for my introverted, outsider personality in my past life wasn’t just my appearance complex.
It was this too.
Author’s Note
I didn’t skip the entire elementary school period; there will be some explanation in the next chapter!
Thank you for reading today! Sorry for the delayㅠㅠㅠㅠ
The update schedule is unstable, but I’m aiming for two chapters on five days of the week and one chapter on the other two days!
Today is a single‑chapter dayㅠㅠㅠㅠ