"Haystt… I'm really unlucky… Of all people, she had to end up being my classmate."
Ken muttered in his mind as he walked toward the front of the classroom.
He approached the teacher's desk to ask where his seat was.
Ken said,
"Good morning, Ma'am. I'm Ken Kuronuwa. Where is my seat?"
The teacher replied,
"Over there. Seat number 7."
"Thank you very much, Ma'am."
Ken slightly bowed in respect before walking toward his seat.
But when he saw where it was located, he suddenly stopped.
Lucy was sitting right beside it.
His heartbeat instantly sped up.
"Seriously… out of all the people I could sit next to, why did it have to be her?"
he muttered in his mind as he slowly sat down.
But maybe this is my chance to apologize to her…
But if I do that, she might think I'm really a rude guy…
Argh! What should I do?!
Meanwhile, Lucy clearly looked uncomfortable.
She slightly frowned while staring straight ahead.
She could hear some of their classmates behind them whispering.
Because both of them had bright red hair.
Argh… this is annoying.
Out of all the hair colors this guy could have dyed his hair, why red?
And why has he been glancing at me for a while now?
Does he like me or something? This guy is so annoying!
Lucy complained in her mind.
Meanwhile, Ken finally decided to talk to her.
He leaned slightly closer.
Ken said,
"Uhm… can we talk later?"
Lucy clicked her tongue.
"Tsk. And why would I do that?"
Ken scratched the back of his head.
"I just wanted to apologize about what happened earlier on the bus. It's true that I was looking at you earlier, but—"
Before he could finish, their teacher suddenly spoke.
"Good morning everyone.
My name is Aiko Tanaka, and I will be your teacher for your first year in college.
We will have a short introduction so we can get to know each other.
Just say your name and age."
One by one, the students introduced themselves until it was Ken's turn.
He stood up.
"My name is Kuronuwa Ken, 18 years old."
After him, the girl beside him stood up.
"My name is Hanajima Lucy, 18 years old."
Ken blinked in surprise.
"Ah… so her name is Lucy."
The teacher suddenly noticed something unusual about the two of them.
Their bright red hair.
"Mr. Kuronuwa and Ms. Hanajima…"
"Dyeing your hair is not allowed for students according to the school's rules."
Ken immediately responded.
"I'm sorry, Ma'am. But this has been the natural color of my hair since I was born."
Lucy added,
"Mine too, Ma'am. This is also my natural hair color."
The teacher thought for a moment.
"Hmm…
You will need proof that this is truly your natural hair color.
But that's probably impossible.
So for now, just return your hair to its original color."
Lucy tried to protest.
"But—"
The teacher shook her head.
"I'm sorry. I'm only telling you the school's rules.
If it's really your natural hair color, then show me proof tomorrow."
A few hours later
Break time.
Many students went to the cafeteria.
However, Lucy remained inside the classroom.
Ken noticed this, so he stayed behind as well.
He walked toward her.
"Uhm… Lucy…"
"I'm sorry about what happened earlier on the bus."
"I didn't really mean anything by it."
"Your hair just caught my attention… and also…"
Ken's face turned slightly red.
"...because you're beautiful."
"That's all—"
But before he could finish speaking, Lucy suddenly stood up.
Without saying anything, she walked out of the classroom.
Leaving Ken behind.
Ken sighed and sat back down.
"Haystt… what's wrong with that girl…"
he muttered in his mind.
Because of that, he lost his appetite for lunch.
Classes resumed
While the teacher was discussing the lesson, Ken couldn't help glancing at Lucy from time to time.
She simply stared at her notebook quietly.
Haystt…
She's really beautiful… cute too… and she smells nice.
But she's so cold.
I wonder what's her problem…
Class ended
Some of Lucy's friends approached her.
Her expression suddenly changed.
She smiled.
It was a beautiful and captivating smile.
Ken noticed it.
"So she's not actually that cold…"
"Maybe I'm really just the problem… maybe she just doesn't like me."
When Ken arrived home
As soon as he entered the house—
"I'm home, Mom."
His mother greeted him warmly.
"Welcome home, son.
How was your first day of school?"
Ken replied,
"Uhm… it was okay, Mom. It was fun."
His mother smiled.
"I see. I'm happy to hear that.
Did you make any friends?"
Ken shook his head slightly.
"Not yet, but I met a few people."
"I'll go rest in my room for now."
"Alright, son. I'll cook something for you."
"Thank you, Mom."
Ken went to his room and lay down on his bed.
But he couldn't stop thinking about Lucy's smile.
Meanwhile…
When Lucy returned to her apartment—
It was silent.
No one greeted her.
No one welcomed her home.
She lived completely alone.
The next morning
"I'm leaving now, Mom! Dad!"
"Take care, son!"
Ken went to the bus stop.
And once again, he saw Lucy.
She was sitting there quietly, as if deep in thought.
Ken walked toward her.
"Lucy… can we—"
But Lucy immediately moved away.
Ken didn't give up.
He chased after her and grabbed her hand.
And suddenly—
A powerful force surged through their bodies.
It felt like an extremely strong electric shock.
Their vision suddenly darkened.
And then—
They saw a vision.
A world in chaos.
Strange creatures appeared.
Their bodies looked like the universe itself, as if stars were shining within them.
People were screaming.
Buildings were collapsing.
And in the middle of everything—
They saw…
themselves.
The vision suddenly ended.
Both of them stepped back in shock.
They couldn't explain what they had just felt.
Because of that—
Lucy agreed to talk with Ken after class.
After class
Ken and Lucy walked out of the school together.
Some of their classmates noticed them and began whispering.
"Hey, look… Hanajima and Kuronuwa are walking together."
"Man… I'm jealous. Lucy is really beautiful."
"But Ken is handsome too. I think they look good together."
"Especially since they both have natural red hair."
While they were walking, someone suddenly shouted.
"Lucy!! Lucy!!"
Two girls quickly ran toward them.
Lucy greeted them.
"Hello, Hiley. Mira."
Mira said excitedly,
"Let's go home together, Lucy!"
Hiley looked at Ken curiously.
"So who's that guy with you?"
Lucy hesitated for a moment before answering.
"Uhm… sorry. I can't go home with you today. We still have something to talk about."
"And this is Ken Kuronuwa."
Ken smiled politely.
"It's nice to meet you."
Mira replied shyly,
"Uhm… hello."
Hiley grinned.
"Wow, both of you have red hair. Are you hiding something from us, Lucy?"
Mira teased her.
"Maybe he's your boyfriend."
Lucy suddenly blushed.
"What are you talking about?! Boyfriend?! Tsk. I only agreed to talk to him because I want to know something!"
Her voice sounded annoyed, but she clearly looked embarrassed.
Ken chuckled awkwardly.
"You're being harsh."
Lucy sighed.
"Anyway… see you tomorrow, Mira… Hiley."
"Bye Lucy!"
A few minutes later
Ken and Lucy sat inside a small café near the park.
The atmosphere was quiet, with soft piano music playing in the background.
Lucy leaned back in her chair and looked at Ken.
"So tell me… did you see or feel something weird earlier?"
Ken nodded.
"Yeah."
"When I grabbed your hand earlier, I felt a really strong spark."
"And then something flashed in my mind."
"There were people in chaos… buildings collapsing."
"And I saw a strange creature. I can't explain it… its body looked like the universe itself, like stars were shining inside it."
"And then… I saw myself."
Lucy listened carefully.
"I knew it…"
"I felt and saw the same thing."
"Judging from your expression earlier, you were really shocked."
Ken rubbed his chin while thinking.
"I also remembered something."
"When we first moved here to Japan, I had a dream while I was sleeping."
"It wasn't clear… but it felt similar to what we saw earlier."
"And I saw a girl with red hair."
They looked at each other.
Both confused.
Both searching for answers.
After a moment, Ken spoke again.
"What if we try holding hands again?"
"Maybe we'll see something again."
Lucy quickly leaned back.
"Huh?! Why would I do that?!"
Her tone was harsh, but she clearly looked nervous.
"Come on."
"How will we know if we don't try?"
Lucy sighed.
"Tsk… fine."
They slowly held hands.
A few seconds passed.
Nothing happened.
No spark.
No vision.
They even tried closing their eyes.
Still nothing.
Meanwhile, two of their classmates inside the café secretly took a picture of them and quietly walked away.
Lucy suddenly stood up.
"Haystt! What a waste of time!"
"I guess I'm not getting any answers to my questions!"
Ken asked,
"What questions do you want answered?"
Lucy's expression suddenly became serious.
"A lot."
"Why does my hair have this color?"
"Why does it feel like I'm cursed?"
"Why is there someone else born with the same red hair as me?"
"What does all of this mean?!"
Her voice was filled with frustration.
Ken blinked.
"Cursed?"
"What do you mean by that?"
Lucy took a deep breath.
"When I was young… luck always followed me."
"Almost every day, people would give me things."
"Everyone who gets close to me experiences extreme luck."
"But I realized… they were just using me."
"Even my parents."
"They only wanted my luck."
"They forced me to do things I never wanted."
Ken listened quietly.
"I see…"
"I experienced something similar."
"But the difference is…"
"I bring bad luck."
"Almost every day people insult us."
"And every accident in our village…"
"They blame it on me."
"But even so… I'm still happy."
"Because my parents are there to protect me."
Lucy became quiet.
"I've tried dyeing my hair black many times to look normal."
"But it never works."
Ken nodded.
"I tried that before too."
"It didn't work for me either."
Lucy sighed.
"I'm tired."
"Let's just go home."
"Okay."
That night
Ken couldn't stop thinking about Lucy's beautiful face.
And her sweet scent.
Especially the strange thing that happened earlier.
Meanwhile…
While Ken and Lucy were sleeping in their own homes…
Something strange happened.
And a voice from the void.
And there—
Their true destiny would begin.