There are places that exist to teach people how to grow up.

And there are places that exist to decide who deserves to stand above the rest.

Seiei Academy was the latter.

Located in the heart of the city, Seiei Academy was one of the most prestigious academies in the country. It gathered exceptional students from countless fields—people who might one day become doctors, lawyers, researchers, entrepreneurs, politicians, athletes, or names that would continue to be spoken long after they left this place behind.

At Seiei Academy, talent was the price of admission.

But to stand at the very top...

Talent alone was never enough.

I knew that better than anyone.

My name is Ren Takamori.

A second-year student at Seiei Academy.

I was born into the Takamori family—a lineage that had endured for generations, where honor and achievement were always placed above all else.

Ever since I was young, I had been taught how to study, how to think, how to control my emotions, and how to stand before others without ever lowering my head.

I had never once thought of myself as a genius.

But if I had to describe myself in a single word...

Then perhaps "elite" would be the closest fit.

My grades were good enough to draw attention.

My ability to lead was strong enough to earn trust.

And in my second year at Seiei Academy, my name had begun to appear in conversations about the position of Student Council President.

I had grown used to expectant gazes.

The evaluations.

The handshakes.

The conversations adults deliberately lowered their voices for, yet still allowed me to hear.

"Ren Takamori would be an excellent choice."

My future seemed as though it had already been written.

All I had to do was keep walking forward.

Until the day Rei entered Seiei Academy.

"Big Brother!"

A familiar voice rang out from behind me.

I turned around.

Rei Takamori was standing in the middle of the hallway.

Her hair swayed gently in the breeze drifting in through the windows. On that face, always brimming with life, was the smile I had seen countless times since we were children.

My little sister.

Smart.

Sociable.

And always giving everything she had for one very simple reason.

She wanted me to be proud of her.

"What do you think of this uniform?"

Rei spun once in front of me, lightly tugging down the hem of her skirt as if to make sure she looked perfectly proper.

"It's fine."

"Just fine?"

"It looks beautiful."

"I knew it."

She smiled.

I couldn't help but laugh along with her.

That day, the two of us passed through the gates of Seiei Academy together.

I stepped into my second year with a future that was all but decided.

Rei stepped into her first year with a future still unwritten.

I thought it would be an ordinary year.

I thought we would grow up together.

I thought that as long as someone was smart enough, strong enough, and resolute enough...

then they could protect the things that mattered to them.

I was wrong.