Holy, Holy, Morning

Perched atop a slope, the tiny apartment offered a direct view of the busy harbor below. The world outside remained submerged in the murky haze of early dawn. On the table, the digital clock flashed: 5:59.

A low drawn-out ship horn echoed from the docks, seeping through the glass to send a faint tremor across the surface of the water in a glass on the nightstand. The morning was quiet, clean, and frigid—the unmistakable atmosphere of coastal Kyūshū.

All at once, the pristine white ceiling was rent asunder. Not a single grain of dust fell; only a jagged tear in reality emerged, as black as ink spreading through paper. From within that infinite void, an entity descended.

It was a pure geometric manifestation of thermal violence. A white fire spinning into an inverted cone, much like the plume of a supersonic engine. Eyeless, mouthless, featureless.

A wave of eradication spread as it hovered over the floorboards. Stray mosquitoes, ticks, and even every last bacterium and mold spore were instantly annihilated. No ash, no residue. Yet the room temperature didn't rise at all. The morning chill remained untouched, masking that force of absolute ruin.

The entity trembled, projecting its voice through the forced resonance of every atom:

「QADOSH!」

「QADOSH!」

「QADOSH!」

That divine roar finally breached the ears of the sleeper cocooned beneath the blankets, dragging Amano Mari out of her dream.

【POV: Mari】

「Tetsu? Ah, no... that's my alarm.」

「Adonai Tzva'ot, m'lo khol ha'aretz k'vodo!」

「Alright alright, I'm up.」 My voice sounded like gravel from sleep. My left arm crept out from the blanket to reach into the air to gave a casual shooing toward the ceiling.

Zhip.

The rift sealed shut at once. The white flare was pulled back into the nothingness. The room regained its habitual quiet.

I opened my eyes and glanced at the clock. 5:59 had just ticked over to 6:00.

That thing's a Seraph. Yeah, exactly the kind of angel that specializes bootlicking. I'm emphasizing: bootlicking. Still, at least I don't have to vacuum the place.

A long stretch sent a series of cracks up my spine. Shuffling to the window, I shoved the glass open. The salty sea breeze rushed in, hitting me with the scent of fish and engine oil from the docks below. Dawn had fully broken—casting a rosy-orange glow over the waves that sparkled like a vast field of glittering glass shards.

Whatever, teeth first. It’s Friday. I can already hear Yuria teasing: "According to Pantheism... If you and the universe are one, then aren’t you basically just autistic?" Such a drag.

Ponytail tied up. I spat, rinsed, and trudged back to get dressed. White shirt, navy pleated skirt, dark red ribbon tied just right (I'm the future Shushō, asymmetry is a sin). Last was the blazer, sleeves rolled up just enough to show my slim wrists.

The door shut behind me, I headed down the slope. The streets were pristine, not a single scrap of litter in sight. Delivery drones buzzed above like metallic insects.

At the Sakuramachi intersection, I stopped at the light. Across the street stood Mori Tetsuya. Towering and lean with tidy black hair, stood as straight as a post. Yet his eyes were drooping from a heavy yawn.

Right then, an electric bus rolled in quietly from the left. With its engine nearly silent, there was only the whistle of air as it cut across the space between us.

The instant the bus blocked his view, I vanished. Well, technically I was whisked away by my pet.

No smoke or special effects. I was just no longer there.

Tetsu rubbed his eyes. Once. Twice. You didn't need to be psychic to know he was thinking "not this again".

Out of nowhere, two small chilly hands, smelling lightly of my morning vanilla soap, reached around and covered his eyes.

「Guess who?」 My voice sugary and dripping with sarcasm.

Tetsu wasn't startled in the slightest. He batted my hands aside. 「That act just now was wayy too cliché, Mari.」

Of course he'd nitpick everything. I stomped around to the front of him, hands firmly on my waist. 「It's called being "old-school"!」

「It's art!」 I leaped up and gave his cheek a sharp pinch. 「Do you even know what art is?」

Tetsu remained impassive under my assault. 「Yeah, the kind that makes me doubt my own eyesight at 6:00. Truly profound. School now?」

I released him and let out a hmph, though couldn't stop myself from grinning. 「Obviously!」

Tetsu gave a small nod and reached out to straighten my bow, which had gotten messed up when I jumped.

The light changed, and we stepped off together side by side through the crossing.

A completely normal day.

〈Mari's Note for Mortals〉

Hi! Amano Mari here! That's right, it's that fourth-wall-breaking gag again; old but gold, isn't it?

Anyway, I'm here to make a little announcement. The author of this story is such a pretentious snob; he keeps tossing out heavy-duty concepts without explaining a damn thing. At this rate, all the readers are gonna bail!

We can't have that! This story is Absolute Cinema—how could it have no readers?

So, I wanted to say that at the end of every chapter, if there are any confusing or dry concepts, I'll be the one stepping up to explain them in the easiest way possible.

As for this first chapter, things don't seem too heavy yet, right? That Seraph was just shouting: 「Holy! Holy! Holy! Lord of Hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory.」 Sounds badass, doesn't it? And then there's "Shushō", that's 首相 (Prime Minister). Seriously, why is the English word for that so long?

Regarding little Yuria's Pantheism, since it was only just mentioned, I'll give a proper explanation in the next chapter. For now, bye bye!

Oh right! Almost forgot! If you have any questions about the knowledge in this story, don't be shy about commenting to ask. It'll be me, the real Amano Mari, answering you—not that silly author!