Chapter 1: A very “Normal” Morning

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The alarm rang relentlessly in the dimly lit room.
A small ray of sunlight snuck in through the curtain’s crevices like it was up to something.

Goddamn… stupid alarm. Beep this, beep that—how about beep off?

“Five more minutes,” a hoarse male voice muttered.

“Boy! You better be awake, or else!”
An elderly voice shouted from downstairs. Tone: Threat Level Granny.

Thwack. Click.

The alarm finally shut up.
But if you listened closely, you could still hear a faint echo.
The ghost of beeping past.

The boy got up, barely functioning, ready to start the day.
He yanked the curtains open with the force of someone trying to fight the sun.

Shrrrk.

“Holy—! That’s bright. I’m gonna go blind.”

Why did I do that?
Why.
That’s what you call a natural flashbang.

Sunlight poured into the room like it owned the place.
The rays bounced off everything before catching on something shiny.

A letter.
Gold lettering. Fancy as hell.

Shiny gold-written words sat beautifully on a single sheet of paper.
It glimmered like a thousand diamonds doing a light show.

‘Congratulations. We are pleased to inform you—Shiro Yasaki has passed the entrance exam. We welcome you with open arms to Arcaria Academy.’
– Arcaria Academy Management

“Arcaria Academy…”

He stared at the shimmering words.

“It’s a miracle I even passed.”

He paused, scratching his head.

“I wonder if Daichi got in.”

“That moron probably did… probably… hopefully.”

He muttered into the air, like it owed him a reply.
Maybe hoping a disembodied voice would respond or something.

“Boy! Didn’t I tell you to get up!? Don’t make me come up there!”

Granny Chiro, now entering combat mode.
Level: Irritated. Blood pressure rising.

“Yeah yeah, I hear you, Granny Chiro. I am awake. Rised and shined!”

Honestly… what’s got her so grumpy?
The sun hasn’t even clocked in yet.

Creak. Creak. Creak.

The floorboards screamed with every step as he made his way to the bathroom.
Even a stealth cat would fail to cross this battlefield without detection.

He entered the bathroom. Brushed his teeth. Hopped into the shower.

Shhhhh. Sssshhhh. Psssshhh.

“Nothing beats a warm shower… Seriously, what even comes close?”

Hmm hmm hmmm~

He hummed, light and relaxed.
The kind of vibe that could redeem a low-tier villain.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

“Big bro! Quit hogging the shower! You ain’t a hummingbird!”

A child’s voice called out from behind the door.

Crash.

A hole appeared in the bathroom door.
A tiny arm stuck through it like this was a horror game jump scare.

Oops.
Put a bit too much Karo into it.

“A little help, big bro. I may have caused a slight Karo-related incident.”

Sigh.

Honestly, why are kids like this?
Do they not know what restraint is?

“Yeah yeah, big bro will be out in a second. Hang on, Shinra.”

He got out of the shower, hair still wet.
A thick cloud of steam escaped, drifting around like it had nowhere to be.

He gently yanked Shinra’s hand out of the door.
Nice and easy — wouldn't want any injuries.

“Shinra, what have I told you about regulating your Karo control?
This is already the third time this week.”

…Which doesn’t even make sense.
The week just started like thirty minutes ago.

“Honestly… half of everything written is only possible fictionally.”

A disembodied voice echoed from who-knows-where.

The hell was that?
Did someone just break the fourth wall?

“Sorry, big bro,” Shinra said, sounding way too sincere for someone who just punched a door.

“It’s fine. As long as you understand.
I’m just glad you’re not hurt.”

Karo really is a mysterious power.

Creak. Creak. Creak.

He descended the stairs.
Each step sounded more dramatic than the last.

Thud.

He reached the bottom.
Caught a whiff of something savory wafting in from the kitchen.

He followed the scent like a man possessed.
Let the nose lead the way.

That smells so good...
I wonder what Granny Chiro’s cooking.
Or as I like to call it: Morning Food.

“Morning, Granny Chiro! What you got cooking? Please tell me it’s pancakes.”

Yes, I like pancakes. Judge me all you want.

“Why did I make him like this...?
Actually… I should be asking myself that question.”
A disembodied voice whispered from the void.

“Nah seriously, what is that voice? Where does it even come from?”

Am I insane?
Do I need a mental check-up?

“Boy, quit talking to yourself! Don’t be out here acting crazy!”

Head shake. Slight look of disappointment.

This boy, I swear. Just like his father. Always doing something unnatural.

“Honestly… blame me, lady. That one’s on me. My bad.”

What was that?
Am I hearing things?
Maybe I really am getting old.

(Shakes head in confusion.)

Well, whatever. Probably some weird side effects of Karo.

(It’s not. The voice just likes doing that sometimes.)

“Here you are.”

“Enjoy the grandma special. Be glad Granny loves her beloved grandson.”

He sat down with a soft thud.
A towering stack of freshly made pancakes appeared in front of him like a gift from heaven.

If you squinted hard enough, you could actually see the aroma rising from it.
That’s how divine it smelled.

And then—
A slow, sinful drizzle of honey poured over the top.

Oddly… arousing.

I can die happy.
If this is my final meal, just know I earned it.

“Granny, you don’t understand how much I love you.
Need me to do any chores? Anything at all? You name it — I’m in.”

“Hey, don’t get ahead of yourself, boy.”

She scolded playfully.
A teasing tone. The grandma kind.

“You’ve got orientation today. A very prestigious school, no less.”

“But I’ll take you up on that offer later.”

She turned to make another plate for Shinra.

“Sure sure, Granny Chiro. I’ll definitely be doing that.
Anyway, let me have my way with this tower of—”

Pause.

“Honestly… we’re just gonna skip this part.”

“Let’s fast-forward to when he’s about to head out.”

(Why does this voice keep cutting in…?)

“What? You wanna watch a teenager devour pancakes?”

“Well, too bad for you.”

The disembodied voice mocked, somehow pointing without a body.
How is it even pointing?
Honestly, that’s probably this world’s third biggest mystery.

“Boo hoo. Cry about it. Make a river while you’re at it.”

Anyways, back to the story.

Unpause.