April 1, 2424

The car glided smoothly across the Shinra Bridge, connecting the city center to its outskirts. The morning sun reflected off thousands of glass panes and steel surfaces, illuminating the skyscrapers that towered like giants of concrete. The city of Shindō never slept, always driven by the constant energy pulsing within it—Nexis. This was the world of tomorrow, a place brimming with advanced technology but also rigid power divisions, where women with Nexis ruled and men with the same energy were met with distrust. And on this April 1, 2424, Ren Amagiri would begin his new life as a student at Reijō Academy, the most prestigious school for training warriors.

In the front seat, his father, Kenji, drove with a stern expression. His eyes were fixed on the road, but his face bore the exhaustion of recent months, as though the weight of it all had crushed him. Beside him, his mother, Miko, spoke to him in a low, tense tone.

"I still don’t know if this will work, Kenji. The girls will suspect him. He’s not like them. And the authorities, too. We can’t ignore these details."

Kenji, as always, didn’t answer immediately, keeping his eyes firmly on the road ahead. His hands gripped the wheel as though it was the only thing he could still control.

"He has no choice. His life depends on this. We’ll keep it under control until he settles in. If they find out, it’s over, Miko. I’ve said this before."

Ren could feel the conversation echoing inside his mind. "It’s over." The words dragged on, impossible to escape no matter how hard he tried. His hands were nervously clasped in his lap, as if that small gesture could create a point of stability in a world crumbling around him.

He looked out the window. The sprawling city of Shindō loomed, immense and distant. Despite its modernity and advancement, Ren felt like he didn’t belong in this world. He was no longer Ren Amagiri. He was no longer himself. He was Yuki Amagiri, an identity hastily and desperately crafted by his parents to shield him from society’s watchful eyes.

What troubled him the most was the void he felt toward his parents. They were like distant stars, shining far away but unreachable. Miko and Kenji had made the decision to force this facade upon him without considering the psychological toll it would take. He had always been close to them, but now he felt as though they were treating him like a stranger, not their own son.

The growing emotional distance was tangible, and it became harder each day to see them as the loving parents they once were. The silence between them only widened the chasm, and Ren often wondered if they truly saw the consequences of their actions. It wasn’t just the deception being imposed on him but the emotional disconnection. He couldn’t tell if they were trying to secure his future or if they were blinded by societal pressures, acting out of fear rather than love.

Ren glanced at his reflection in the window. His snow-white hair fell softly over his face, the fringe partially covering his ocean-blue eyes. His delicate features were often mistaken for a girl’s, and his slim frame made him appear fragile, lacking any masculine presence. It was as if his appearance was part of the lie he now lived. Every detail of his body defied societal expectations, yet there was nothing he could do about it. Even his face, soft and almost ethereal, was now masked under the name and identity of Yuki.

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It was difficult to look at himself this way. His mother, eager to avoid any suspicion, had dressed him in fine feminine clothing bought in haste—a pink silk blouse, a short skirt, and white boots. The feel of the fabric against his skin brought a strange discomfort, a shiver of unease. The weight of the clothes wasn’t just physical but psychological. He no longer felt like himself. He no longer felt like a boy.

"We’re almost there," his father said, breaking Ren’s thoughts. Kenji didn’t look back, but Ren knew he was addressing him, trying to ease the tension inside the car.

Ren sighed softly and looked out the window again. The Reijō Academy came into view, its glass and concrete walls gleaming with a cold, impersonal light. Inside, he would be just another student, another warrior to be shaped for a society that excluded men with Nexis. Inside, he would begin the journey of hiding who he truly was.

The car stopped at the imposing entrance of the academy, a structure of glass and steel that resembled a fortress more than a school. Ren felt his chest tighten as he looked at the building. He was about to start a new life there, a life where he could no longer be himself. He would be Yuki Amagiri, and that was already decided. All that remained was to follow the rules.

Kenji turned off the engine and took a deep breath, his face tense. He glanced quickly at Ren but said nothing. It was as if there was nothing left to say. Miko, sitting beside him, reached into the back seat for an envelope and handed it to her son without a word.

Ren took the envelope with trembling hands. The paper, thin and pristine, felt like it weighed a ton. His father turned to him, his face serious but softer than usual.

"This is what you’ll use to get in, Ren..."

Miko interrupted with a sharp gesture.

"Yuki, Kenji. You have to use the right name. Yuki. Now, Ren, look at this."

Ren looked at his mother. Her voice was cutting as always, but there was genuine concern hidden behind her words. Deep down, he knew she was trying to protect him in the only way she knew how. Yet, he couldn’t shake the feeling of being just a puppet.

He opened the envelope and pulled out the identification card inside. It wasn’t just the name that made his stomach churn. It was everything. The gender, the height, the weight—they were all there, as if describing someone else, a Yuki who wasn’t him. The photo, with its forced smile, wasn’t his. He looked like a stranger, a caricature of himself.

The emptiness he felt staring at the card was so overwhelming he had to take a deep breath to avoid being sick. How could he accept this? How could he be forced to live such a massive lie? He stared at the feminine face in the photo, the appearance he knew he had to embody now, and a wave of nausea swept over him.

"This is who you are now," Miko said, her tone relentless. "If you want to live here, you have to accept this. Yuki Amagiri will be your name, your future. There’s no room for anything else."

Ren couldn’t respond. He felt a pressure in his chest, as if he were being crushed from the inside out. His mother’s words echoed, but he couldn’t find the strength to speak. He wanted to scream, to understand why he was being forced into this. He didn’t want to be Yuki. He didn’t want to live a life that wasn’t his own.

But before he could say anything, Miko leaned closer, her sharp gaze making Ren tense. She raised her hand as if to strike him, her cold expression only deepening the pain within him.

"I won’t say this again. If you want to survive, you have to adapt."

Ren swallowed hard, his body trembling. Before her hand could touch his face, Kenji spoke, his voice weary and urgent.

"Miko, no!" He raised his hand to stop her. "Not here. Not now."

Miko glared at Kenji, her fists clenched, but he continued to plead.

"Don’t make a scene. He knows what he has to do. He’s not a child, Miko. He... he already knows how this works."

There was a hopelessness in Kenji’s words, as if he already knew there was no turning back. Ren looked at them both, feeling the tension between them rise. There was no room left for decisions. They had placed him in this position, and now he had to move forward, with no other choice.

Ren lowered his head, feeling the weight of the lie he was about to live. He no longer felt like their son—just a piece in a game he hadn’t chosen.

When he looked at his parents again, something inside him broke. They were there, but it felt as if they were somewhere else. The emotional distance was greater than any physical divide. They no longer saw the boy he was but the reflection of what they wanted him to be.

"Let’s go," Kenji finally said, breaking the silence that filled the car. He stepped out first, followed closely by Miko, without another word.

Ren hesitated for a moment, clutching the card tightly in his hands. He looked at the academy building ahead and, for a brief instant, wished he could disappear. But he knew he couldn’t. He had nowhere to go.

Taking a deep breath and casting one last glance at his parents, he followed them toward the academy’s entrance. The lie had already begun.