The Day Begins

  “AHHHHHH!!!”
The scream could have shattered glass.
I froze mid step at the bottom of the stairs. My- well, Iris’s mother had collapsed dramatically onto the couch, her hand over her heart like she’d just witnessed a murder. Eliah, my newly acquired older brother was standing beside her with his mouth hanging open, and my father’s glasses nearly slipped off his face as his eyes widened in horror. I didn’t blame them. Honestly, even I was a little impressed.
A few minutes earlier, I’d been upstairs, staring at my reflection,“Hmm… hmm… since I’m already stuck here, why not get a haircut? I hate long hair anyway.”
I rummaged through the drawer until I found a pair of scissors. With one determined,
 *snip* 
After another, I sliced through the silky black strands that reached down my back. Locks of hair fell to the floor, and in a few minutes, Iris’s trademark waist-length hair was gone, replaced by a messy shoulder-length cut that framed my face perfectly.
I smiled at the mirror, proud. “Beautiful... Finally, I can breathe again”
The original Iris had grown her hair long because of him, the male lead, Evan. Ugh... Just thinking about it made my eye twitch. “Evan this, Evan that…” I muttered, combing through my shorter hair. “He’s not even my type”
I glanced at the clock,“Judging by the date… this must be near the beginning of the novel”
And so, scissors in hand and satisfaction in my heart, I went downstairs, only to cause a family panic attack.
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“My sweet daughter!” my mother gasped, clutching her pearls like a soap opera actress. “What happened to your hair?!”
My father adjusted his glasses nervously. “Sweetheart… are you all right? Did something happen?”
“No, Dad,” I said calmly. “I just thought a haircut would be nice”
The silence that followed was… legendary. “...Did she just reply normally?” Eliah muttered, disbelief all over his face.
“Ah, crap,” I thought, smacking my forehead internally. “The original Iris was a shy, quiet girl who barely spoke. Oops”
Before I could say anything else, my mother suddenly smiled, teary-eyed. “Oh, darling… I think she’s growing up...”
“Growing up?” my dad echoed, confused.
“Yes! She’s entering adulthood!”
I blinked at them. “You two… seriously need hobbies...”
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After surviving that small domestic meltdown, I grabbed my bag and headed toward the front door. Then it hit me.
“...I don’t remember the way to school”
“Did vacation erase your brain or something?” Eliah’s teasing voice came from behind me. He leaned against the wall, smirking that infuriatingly cool smirk.
“Shut up, brother,” I snapped.
He blinked in surprise, then laughed softly. “Well, someone’s feisty this morning”
We ended up walking together, his laughter echoing faintly down the road.
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“Finally,” I sighed in relief as the familiar gates of the academy came into view. “Lunaria Academy”
Somewhere inside were Iris’s friends Layla and Clara probably waiting. I barely finished the thought before two voices called out.
“Iris! Over here!”
A blonde girl with twin pigtails ran toward me, her blue eyes sparkling like the ocean. That was Layla, all sunshine and chaos. Beside her was Clara, with long brown hair and calm green eyes that gleamed like emeralds soft-spoken, polite, but deceptively sharp.
“Iris! We missed you!” Layla beamed, practically bouncing in place.
“I missed you two too!” I grinned, hugging them both. Honestly, I never acted this openly back in my world, but maybe this time, I wanted to.
Layla blinked. “Wow! You’re suddenly so… energetic?”
Clara tilted her head. “Did something happen between you and… him?”
Ah. Him. Of course she meant Evan.
“Oh, him?” I said with an exaggerated shrug. “Yeah, I don’t like him anymore”
Both girls froze mid-step. Before Clara could even process that bombshell, a cold laugh sliced through the chatter.
“Well, well. Look who’s pretending to have a spine”
We turned to see a tall girl with red hair streaked with white highlights. Her crimson eyes gleamed like a devil’s.
“Who are you?” I asked, genuinely puzzled.
Layla burst out laughing while Clara sighed. “Iris… that’s Everest”
“Ahhh,” I said as memory clicked into place. “The annoying bully girl. Got it.”
Everest huffed and stormed off, her minions trailing behind her like poorly trained ducks. I rolled my eyes and followed my friends into class.
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“Alright everyone,” our teacher announced. “After the break, the class will gather in the schoolyard for a visit from the Department of Dimensional Security(DDS). Don’t be late!”
The classroom erupted in chatter the moment he left.Layla clapped her hands together. “Ooh, I’m so excited! I wanna be a Supporter, so I can buff my friends during raids!”
Clara smiled. “I’ll probably train as a mage. My family’s good with magic”
They both turned to me expectantly. “What about you, Iris?”
“Me?” I pointed to myself. Layla laughed. “Of course you’ll be a healer-”
“Nope.” I crossed my arms confidently. “I’m going to be a fighter.”
The silence was deafening. Then both of them burst into laughter.
“A fighter? Really?” Layla giggled. “That’s a first!”
“If that’s the case,” Clara said between smiles, “I guess I’ll have to be the healer, then. Someone’s gotta keep you alive”
I grinned. “Deal...!”
The laughter died, though, when a familiar voice cut in, “Fighters are for boys, sweetheart.”
Everest again. She sauntered over, her lips curling into a cruel smile. She poked me with her pen like I was a bug. “Maybe you should stick to fainting prettily in someone’s arms”
Layla stepped between us, glaring. “Back off, Everest”
The sound of the slap echoed through the classroom. Layla stumbled back, clutching her cheek.
My mind went blank. Did she just...?
“Oh, you fucked up.” I don’t remember moving. One second Everest was sneering, the next my fist connected squarely with her face. The satisfying smack reverberated through the room.
“You bitch,” I said, grabbing her collar and slapping her across both cheeks. “Try that again”
Students screamed, desks clattered, and then the teacher stormed in, yanking us apart.
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The walk to detention was silent. Awkwardly, painfully silent. And so was the scolding from the teacher, but thankfully it was our first time we got only fifteen minutes of lectures.
As we were walking back.“That,” Layla whispered, “was the most amazing punch I’ve ever seen!”
Clara laughed softly. “You could see the terror in her eyes”
“I felt her makeup come off,” I added, deadpan. The three of us burst out laughing right there in the hallway.
For the first time since waking up in this ridiculous world, I felt something warm bloom in my chest. They weren’t afraid of me. They weren’t judging me. They were with me.
“Sorry,” I said after a moment, scratching my head. “I just… couldn’t stand seeing you two hurt...”
Layla nudged me, “Don’t apologize! That was epic!”
Clara smiled gently, “You’ve changed, Iris. But it’s a good change...”
I smirked, “Then it’s settled. From now on, I’ll protect you two~”
“Protect, huh? You sound like a real fighter already,” Layla teased.
“Damn right.” I slung my bag over my shoulder. “Now let’s get to the school ground. We already wasted our break in detention...!!”
“Right behind you!”
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Meanwhile, somewhere else…
On the boys’ bus heading toward the DDS training facility, laughter echoed.
“Yo, Orion, move over,” Eliah said, dropping into the seat beside a red-and-white-haired boy whose golden eyes gleamed mischievously.
“Why so late, Eliah?” Orion asked.
“My sister,” Eliah replied with a faint grin, “knocked out a girl’s teeth”
Orion blinked then burst out laughing. “Pfft- hahaha no way! She sounds fun~”
He leaned back, smirk widening as the sunlight glinted off his golden eyes.
“I think I’d like to meet your sister~”
And thus, somewhere between fate and chaos, the story begins, yet the eyes of the three unknown beings never left her.
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To be continue~