Chapter 1: The Double Life of a Bored High Schooler

Okay, listen up. My name is Kenji.

If you look at me right now, walking down this dusty street in suburban Tokyo, you just see… a guy. Short black hair that refuses to settle down without a gallon of gel, a slightly crumpled school uniform, and eyes that look like they desperately need another three hours of sleep. I am the definition of "Background Character A" in a budget anime.

I get average grades. I sit in the middle of the classroom—not the protagonist seat by the window, and not the delinquent seat at the back. I am perfectly, beautifully mediocre.

But here is the thing nobody knows.

Inside my backpack, sandwiched between a math textbook and a stale melon bread, is a USB drive worth more than my house.

Why?

Because I am Twilight-Senpai.

Yeah, that Twilight-Senpai. The guy who wrote "The Crimson Valkyrie." The illustrator behind "Love in the Time of Mecha." The mysterious creator whose works are currently outselling everything in Akihabara and making editors cry tears of joy. Millions of fans online scream about my plot twists, but if I told anyone at school, they would probably just laugh and tell me to stop daydreaming.

So, I keep my mouth shut.

"Kenji-niisan! Wait up!"

I flinch. The sound barrier breaks behind me.

Aiko crashes into my back like a heat-seeking missile made of sugar and violence. My little sister wraps her arms around my waist, burying her face in my blazer.

"You walked too fast!" she complains, her voice muffled by my uniform. "I told you I needed five minutes to fix my bangs!"

I sigh, peeling her off me. Aiko is fifteen, cute enough to have a fan club at her junior high, and possesses a brother-complex so strong it probably violates several laws of physics.

"You took twenty minutes, Aiko," I say, adjusting my bag. "And get off. People are staring."

"Let them stare!" She pouts, fixing her long black hair. "They are just jealous that I have the best big brother in the universe. Did you finish the manuscript last night? Did you? I made you coffee, but you locked the door!"

"Shh!" I look around wildly. "Keep it down. We are in public."

Aiko giggles, skipping alongside me. She is the only person in the world besides my editor who knows the truth. And honestly? She is my biggest fan. It is terrifying.

"The new chapter is fire, Niisan," she whispers loudly. "The way the protagonist saved the princess? Ugh, my heart. You are a genius. Why can't real boys be like the ones you write?"

"Because real boys have back pain and deadlines," I grumble.

We reach the intersection where we split up. Aiko grabs my hand, squeezes it tight, and beams up at me.

"Do your best today, okay? And don't let Yoshi-bakeru steal your lunch money!"

"He's my friend, not a bully," I roll my eyes. "Go to school, Aiko."

She waves frantically as she runs off. I watch her go, a small smile creeping onto my face. She is annoying, loud, and clings to me like a koala, but she keeps me sane.

I turn toward my high school. The massive gate looms ahead.

Time to put on the mask of Kenji, the painfully average student.