Prologue

Hey. My name is Yoshida Junosuke.  I’m a second-year student at Arakawa High School, and one of the brightest minds in my class. To be precise, some say I stand at the very peak of academic excellence.

When it comes to all things books, theories, or anything even remotely scholarly, I’m your go-to guy. I am known by many names: The Prodigy, The Book Wizard, Hyper Nerd, Brain Beast, Genius Klutz, etc.

As uncanny as those names may be, they are a testament to my academic reputation, used not just by my classmates, but whispered among the staff as well.

Despite this seemingly well-accomplished life of mine, there is still one major hurdle I have yet to overcome…

Right now, it’s just about 6:00 AM. My alarm clock’s going nuts trying to stir me up from my slumber. I stretch out an awkward hand to silence the damn thing.

From under the covers, my right arm navigates like a pro to the bedside drawer where the annoying little thing calls home.

I think I’ve got it…

I can feel its polished, curved edges vibrating violently as it continues its relentless assault on my poor ears.

My fingers graze it a little, sending it over the edge with a crash. It continues to ring from behind the drawer, rattling against the wall and creating an obnoxious sound.

Left with no other option, I hop out of bed to fetch it from where it had wound up.

My family home is a two-story building. It bears a rather simplistic design, with its blue sloped roof and white painted walls.

The windows were evenly spaced; three of them faced outward on both the top and bottom floors, two at the sides, and another three mirroring the front.

In front of the house grew a little green patio. On the porch sat a rocking bench. A garage that housed our SUV was stationed at the far left of the home.

After retrieving my alarm clock of doom, I hurriedly grabbed my toothbrush from the rack. I guess I grabbed it a little too quickly—it flew out of my hand, heading toward the toilet…

Luckily, I caught it before it could make the plunge.

Without wasting any more time, I dashed into the shower, applying a generous amount of shampoo to my dark brown hair. I’d say it’s very glossy too, due to the amount of care I—

Ahh! I got some shampoo in my eyes! It burns!

◯ ◯ ◯

I had slipped into my school uniform: an emerald green blazer with silver cufflinks lining the edges, a pure white dress shirt (collar only slightly crumpled), and an all-black belt with matching trousers and shoes.

On the blazer, the school logo was stitched onto its left breast pocket. It strongly resembled a flowing river, with mountain peaks looming behind it.

I ran down the flight of stairs with my bag slung across my shoulders. My feet seemed to chafe with each step I took, which I found odd. But I ultimately ignored it.

My mother was already down in the kitchen, wrapping up the bento box she had most definitely prepared with lots of love. I was an only child, living with my parents, though my father was overseas on a business trip.

“Mornin’, Mom!” I called out to her as I moved like a blur, snatching the bento and heading for the door—

“Junosuke?!” she called back. “You forgot your socks!”

I immediately hit the brakes on my sprint, feet chafing in my shoes even more. Turning around to face her, I now saw her big, beautiful brown eyes set on me, and a loving smile gracing her impeccable features, framed by her long, wavy brown locks.

Her name was Yoshida Leina.

“You need to always remember to put on socks, Junosuke.”

“Yes, Mom…”

If you haven’t already figured it out by now, I am a bit of a klutz. A bit might be an understatement though—a huge klutz is much more accurate. I’m called Genius Klutz for a reason, after all…

And it doesn’t just stop at me; it extends to all those within my vicinity, leading to a series of dire misfortunes and other—sometimes—disastrous events.

But… I wasn’t always like this…