Chapter 1 : Start – 1

Morning broke.

Another day begins.
The first task of the day is preparing breakfast.

Thanks to our dirt-poor finances, it’s a meager meal.
Still, it’s better than letting a growing kid starve.

Frying an egg, I let out a deep sigh without realizing it.
For a month now, I’ve been agonizing over how to stretch our money to avoid going hungry.

Even as an orphan from the bottom rung, I’ve never lived this hard.

Was my wish really such a greedy one?

Pushing away negative thoughts, I set the table.
Not a single item on it was fresh or natural.
Even the egg I just fried was merely a processed imitation of the real thing.

That’s the reality of this era.
In this near-futuristic setting, artificial ingredients are far cheaper than natural ones.
In this city, poverty means you can’t even afford a fresh morning meal.

With breakfast ready, I headed to wake the sleepyhead.
On my way, I caught a glimpse of myself in the cracked mirror of an old vanity.

“…”

No matter how many times I see it, I can’t get used to this face.

Snow-white hair and skin like polished jade.
Sharp, captivating blue eyes that seem to draw you in.
And a charming mole under my left eye.

A surreal beauty straight out of a romance novel.
If this girl wasn’t me, maybe my heart would’ve skipped a beat, even if she’s a bit young.

The problem is, this girl is me.
Even after a month, it still feels awkward.

Objectively, my new appearance is stunning, but it doesn’t bring me much joy.

For one, I’m not into that kind of thing.
More importantly, this isn’t a safe place for a pretty girl to live without a guardian.
Especially not when I have a little sister to care for.

Frowning, my face takes on a delinquent edge.
Maintaining this tough look is my default to avoid seeming like an easy target.

But I can’t show this side to Ruby, so I softened my expression and approached her bed.

A small child curled up on the tiny bed, sleeping soundly.
A dainty girl anyone would find adorable at first glance.

“Ruby. Time to get up. Let’s eat breakfast.”

“Mmgh…”

I poked her soft cheeks to wake her, mumbling in her sleep.
The squishy texture has become addictive over the past month.

Sensing the touch, Ruby slowly stirred awake.
As her eyelids lifted, they revealed gem-like, radiant red eyes.

It’s funny how different we sisters look.

Silver-haired, blue-eyed older sister.
Black-haired, red-eyed younger sister.

Side by side, you’d question if we’re even related.
Maybe we’re not.
There were no parents around when I arrived in this body to confirm it.

“Big sister…?”

Ruby called out to me, rubbing her eyes and sitting up.

“Sleep well?”

“Yeah. So… just a little more…”

“No way. Get up, wash your face, and eat breakfast.”

I dragged the whining Ruby out of bed and pushed her toward the bathroom.

Even though there’s an age gap, this feels more like being a mom than a sister.

Still, she’s come a long way compared to when we first met.
Just a month ago, Ruby didn’t have this childlike innocence.

It took a full month to get her to this point.
The early days were rough in every way.

I still vividly remember the day I met Ruby.

I’d fallen asleep in my bed, but when I came to, I was standing in an unfamiliar house.

A desolate, almost apocalyptic space.
All color had faded, leaving only shades of gray.

In that world, a woman hung from a rope tied to the ceiling.
I later learned she was the mother of this body I’d possessed.

And then.
In a corner of the house, a girl crouched, trembling.

Did she hear me enter?
She slowly raised her head, and our eyes met—hers red, hollow, and filled with emptiness.

That was our first encounter.

A month has passed since then, and thankfully, Ruby seems to have healed somewhat, regaining her brightness.

But I’m still worried.
No, if anything, my anxiety grows with each passing day.

Can Ruby hold on to this purity forever?

My little sister is the villain who killed the protagonist’s parents.
A psychopathic monster whose name alone strikes fear into everyone.

At first, I couldn’t believe it.
How could this tiny, fragile girl be that person?

But aside from her young age, every detail matches the novel’s description.
Her name, hair, eye color, hometown, and age group—all of it.

Ruby will grow up to be an unforgivable villain.
The only silver lining is that it’s a future that hasn’t happened yet.

I have a hunch.
In the original story, Ruby’s older sister—me—never appeared.

When I started caring for her as her sister after possessing this body, Ruby initially treated me like a stranger, wary and distant.

In other words, the original owner of this body, Lapis, didn’t take care of Ruby properly.

Whether she died or ran away, Lapis abandoned her sister.
As a result, this child, who needed someone’s care, was left alone in the slums and fell into the abyss, becoming a terrorist villain.

The thought left a bitter taste in my mouth.

“Big sister? Why’re you standing there?”

“…Nothing. Let’s eat breakfast.”

“Okay!”

From the moment I saw Ruby, I felt a deep certainty.
We were connected.

Even if we’re just characters in a novel’s world, this is my reality now.
The girl in front of me is my flesh and blood.

And in that moment, I made a decision.

I’ll rehabilitate this child.

If I want a pretty, kind little sister, I’ll raise her to be one.
She’s already pretty, so I just need to make her kind.
No problem at all.

A happy ending for everyone.

The protagonist, living somewhere in this city, will be happy.
And unlike in the original story, Ruby and I will live happily too.
We will.

With renewed determination, I began the new day.

To survive, you need to earn money.

In the city of Neotopia, the main setting of the novel, it’s no exaggeration to say everything begins and ends with money.

A near-futuristic era with hyper-advanced technology.
But in inverse proportion, morality has plummeted, creating a dystopian world.

The crime rate here dwarfs that of any real-world metropolis.

The neighborhood Ruby and I live in is the worst slum in Neotopia, with the poorest security.

Rat Town.
Literally the town of rats.
Crimes here aren’t even recorded.
Neither police nor anyone else cares about this separate world.

Naturally, it’s no place for a kid to play freely.
Even with a guardian, you’re lucky if you’re not beaten and kidnapped.

I’d love to leave this garbage dump of a neighborhood as soon as possible, but wanting it doesn’t make it happen.

It all comes down to money.
An outrageous amount for a 16-year-old girl to earn.
If I didn’t have knowledge from the novel, I wouldn’t even dare dream of it.

“Ruby, I’m heading out. Stay safe and watch the house.”

After breakfast, as always, I leave to earn money.

Each time, Ruby looks up at me with pleading eyes and says,

“Can’t I come with you?”

The answer is fixed.
This neighborhood would never leave a cute, kind girl like Ruby alone.
To prevent my sister from becoming a psychopathic villain, I have to refuse firmly.

“Sorry. I’ll bring back something tasty.”

“…Okay. Be careful!”

She’s such a good sister.
I knelt to meet her eyes, patted her head, and praised her.

“Thanks for understanding. Remember what I told you?”

“Yeah. Don’t open the door for anyone!”

“And when I come back?”

“Wait until you give the password!”

Pat pat.
Her silky black hair felt so soft.

It was time to go.
I worried about leaving Ruby alone, but I couldn’t stay home with her all day.

Opening the door, I stepped outside, and the thick, stifling air hit me.
This unpleasant sensation never gets easier, no matter how much time passes.

I shook my head and started walking.

Before I’d even taken ten steps, my fears came true.

“Hey. Where ya rushing off to?”

Thugs emerged from the alley, snickering like clichés.
This is why I don’t let Ruby outside.

Letting out a heavy sigh, I summoned the tough expression I’d practiced in the mirror.
Raising one hand, I flipped them the middle finger and said,

“No time, so come at me quick, you b*stards.”