I wake up to the sound of knocking on my door.

  Knock. Knock.

  The sound of the wooden door grows louder each time.

  Just as the knocking stops, I hear the door burst open.

  As I slowly try to open my eyes, I see the wall coming closer.

  My body feels light.

  Then I realize—the wall isn’t coming closer.

  I’m flying toward it.

  Before I can process what’s happening, my face is already stuck against the wall.

  I fall to the floor and turn around.

  My sister, Yui, stands there. Her face clearly shows that she is in a very angry mood.

  I check the time.

  7:38 a.m.April 7.

  Not even a blink after that peaceful morning—after she agreed not to train me in the afternoon because of a call from someone who was coming—my peaceful vacation life is about to end.

  And that someone is none other than…

  Back to the present.

  My sister makes me dress up and try different clothes and styles, even though she knows I’m half asleep.

  After an hour, the doorbell rings.

  The “someone” is standing outside. The doorbell keeps ringing.

  Yui forces me to open the door. I walk lazily toward the entrance and open it.

  Guess who it is?

  Yes. None other than the most annoying creature after my sister—the enemy of my laziness.

  Sophia. Who else would it be?

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  I open the door with half-closed eyes and greet her in a lazy voice.

  “Good… morning.”

  I let out a big yawn.

  She laughs softly.

  Then I notice her dress. It’s a one-piece—white with a slight pink tint. Her hair is loose, and on top of that, she wears a simple yet very cute smile that could kill any man’s heart with just a look.

  Then there’s me.

  Lazy eyes. An oversized double-sleeved hoodie. Messy hair that clearly shows I just woke up—which is true. Dark circles under my eyes.

  Standing in front of Sophia, a literal goddess of beauty.

  She looks at me in a cute way, as if trying to imprint her smile into my heart.

  But her tricks don’t work on someone like me.

  “I’m looking forward to what the day holds for us,” she says.

  From inside the house, Yui calls out, “Have a great day, you both.”

  Both of them smiling…

  Yet I feel something.

  Later that afternoon—

  Sophia tells me that my very own big sister, Yui, sold me.

  She says she wanted to spend a day with me, and as Yui’s little brother, I was apparently part of the deal.

  A day ago, after training, I told Yui I was tired.

  Then this morning, before I woke up, Sophia called Yui.

  When Yui answered, Sophia said from the other side of the phone, “$10,000.”

  And Yui, without a second thought, replied, “Deal. You get my brother, I get the money.”

  Apparently, Yui is in love with money.

  Since childhood, Sophia has paid Yui just to get me out of my room and go outside with her.

  All of this happened without my permission.

  Of course—she’s my big sister.

  She can do almost anything for money.

  Even steal her little brother’s comfortable bed and peaceful sleep.

  Back to the present.

  We stand facing each other for a moment.

  “Good morning…” I say lazily again.

  Then I notice something.

  Something feels off.

  I don’t feel that familiar presence around her.

  “So… where is Covi?” I ask in a confused voice.

  For a moment, I see something like hesitation on her face.

  Then her expression suddenly changes before I can read it properly.

  A soft smile appears.

  “Oh, Covi? Right, right. Covi is sick. That’s why Covi can’t come to the real world. Covi is resting in the inner demonic realm.”

  (The inner demonic realm is a special realm accessible only to those connected to their inner demon—the owner or master. It depends on the inner demon’s personality. For example, Sophia’s inner demon, Covi, is lazy, so the realm reflects that. Everything there is automatic and effortless. Even the color and appearance of the realm depend on the owner.)

  For some reason, something feels wrong.

  Her voice sounds different.

  Colder.

  But I ignore it.

  We walk to a nearby shopping complex.

  She buys many things, but I notice something strange.

  Usually, she talks to me—a lot. Mostly nonsense.

  But now, she hasn’t said a word since we left my house.

  It’s very strange.

  She walks ahead of me.

  Her shoes don’t even make a sound.

  It feels like a dream.

  She points toward the restroom and goes inside.

  I stand there alone.

  Lost in my thoughts.

  Then I feel a sharp pain in my head.

  And in my heart.

  I grip my chest and fall to my knees.

  Blood flows from my mouth.

  My head starts to spin.

  My vision turns blurry.

  And then—

  I hear something.

  A weirdly cold, almost lifeless voice.

  I don’t know what it’s saying exactly.

  But it sounds like—

  Please… die for me.”

  Yet even though the voice is lifeless…

  it feels warm.

  And familiar.