"Mmph... rotten luck... wanted to sleep longer..." Though he’d just had a nightmare, the boy remained calm—after all, repeating the same nightmare too many times dulled its terror.

Awakening brought a sharp whiff of ink. His drowsy eyes barely parted in the darkness, save for a sliver of light blocked by the book covering his face.

He pushed the book aside. Noon sunlight stabbed his eyes. He snapped them shut, shielding them with his hand. Only after a moment did he slowly lower it, revealing a face that was boyishly handsome yet oddly guileless.

It was high noon in June. Dressed in short-sleeved uniform, he shifted the silver metal gauntlet hanging from his waist and sat up slowly. Rubbing his messy hair, he stretched his stiff neck and scanned his surroundings—a habit.

This magic academy sat in a remote coastal town, the only one for miles. Small and selective, it held barely two hundred students across three grades—all sixteen or seventeen. Unlike ordinary schools, magic academies demanded both steep tuition and innate talent. For fishing families, that bar was sky-high.

Lunch break. He’d been napping on a grassy corner of campus. Nearby, students playing on the field noticed him waking. They swarmed over.

*Here we go again…* he thought.

"Yo, Foolish Giant, awake?"

"Napping in broad daylight? Daydreaming again?"

"Yeah—dreaming you got into Augustus College?"

"Haha… he’s too dumb to even talk back!"

The ringleaders jeered openly; others joined the laughter. Seniors and freshmen alike mocked him—proof his school life wasn’t easy.

His name was Ouyang Tao. But here, he was just "Foolish Giant."

He towered over everyone, his face mature beyond his years. By looks alone, he should’ve been the campus big brother. Reality? The opposite.

"Why, Foolish Giant, show us a fireball!"

"No fireball? An ice arrow then!"

"Heh, a waterball’s perfect—take this!"

A watery orb splashed against Ouyang Tao’s chest. Taunts had turned to provocation. Once, he’d have chased them down—only for the crowd to scatter with mocking spells.

Now, he just smiled. "Heh. Can’t cast fireballs. But I *can* draw a mana structure diagram for one."

The students howled louder. "Haha! Foolish Giant’s spouting nonsense again!"

That was why they mocked him: a magic academy student who couldn’t even cast beginner elemental spells like Fireball.

"Enough!" A girl’s voice cut through the crowd. Wind surged without warning, bowling over everyone around Ouyang Tao—yet leaving him untouched. Precision control.

"Ah! The Boss is here!"

"She’s mad! Run!"

"Scatter!"

The crowd vanished. Only Ouyang Tao and his rescuer remained. He grinned sheepishly. "Thanks, A Xue."

Before him stood Ouyang Xue. True to her name, silvery hair framed porcelain skin that glowed like winter snow under the sun. She radiated the sacred grace of an ice-born princess—*if* she stayed silent.

"Brother! Let them bully you? Even if you won’t fight back, *yell* back! You *must* strike back—hard! Then they’ll stop!" Her regal aura shattered as she shook her fists, pouting fiercely.

A top-tier senior, she mastered every elemental spell she’d learned. Her sharp tongue and sharper magic made her the undisputed campus Boss.

Ouyang Tao just chuckled. "Heh, I’m fine. No injuries. Besides… I knew you’d come."

"*Sigh*. You can’t rely on me forever. What if I really get into Augustus College? Who’ll look after you then?"

"I’ll stay here. Work at the shipyard. Earn your tuition."

"Don’t be silly! You came to the exam with me—didn’t you read the brochure? Augustus waives tuition *and* gives monthly stipends!"

"Oh. That… sounds nice."

Unlike her magically inept, soft-spoken brother, Ouyang Xue was the academy’s star student. She’d aced the entrance exam for Augustus College—the nation’s pinnacle magic institution—and stood on the verge of acceptance.

A weak, talentless brother and a fierce, brilliant sister. Strangers would doubt they shared blood.

Truth was, they didn’t. Not even close. Ouyang Tao didn’t know his real name—or past.

Six years ago, on a storm-lashed night, Ouyang Xue’s fisherman father rescued a boy washed overboard. The boy woke with no memories. Adopted, he became Ouyang Tao.

"So!" Ouyang Xue jabbed his chest. "You *must* try harder! Then we can go together!"

"You… wanna take my shifts at the shipyard?"

"Mmph…" Her lips tightened. She muttered, "If you didn’t skip class for work, your magic wouldn’t be so terrible."

"Heh. We’re good at different things." He picked up his book, rising to his full height—a head and a half taller than her. His gentle smile held no foolishness now, only brotherly warmth. He ruffled her hair. "Lunch break’s almost over. Back to class."

"Don’t mess my hair! I’m not a kid!" They walked toward the teaching building together.

Every time, Ouyang Xue’s heart twisted with frustration. Her family’s meager fishing earnings couldn’t cover *one* magic tuition—let alone two. Ouyang Tao paid for both by working at the Shipyard Forge.

Work stole his time. He skipped classes, rushed to the forge, never practiced magic. Of course he failed. *That’s* why, she believed.

*What if I really get in? Will I really leave Brother behind?* Her heart ached at the thought.

But as Ouyang Tao said: everyone shines in different ways.