Nozomi heard a sound to her left, a repetitive noise akin to an annoying alarm. As she opened her eyes and looked in that direction, she stared groggily at her regular alarm clock showing the time. It was beeping incessantly.
Realizing what was happening, Nozomi sprang out of bed and quickly changed out of her pajamas. After putting on her school uniform, she combed her hair as best as she could. She grabbed her schoolbag with one hand and picked up her shoes with the other.
Exiting her room without a moment to spare, she hurried downstairs to the first floor. There, she saw two small boxes wrapped in a dark-blue blanket, releasing the familiar smell of homemade cooking. Upon closer inspection, she noticed a small note under the wrapper. Picking it up, she read:
'Here's your breakfast and lunch, have a nice day! (:'
A small smile formed on Nozomi's face as she finished reading the message.
Grabbing both boxes, she rushed to the front door. On her way out, she took the third and last spare key from the top of a drawer.
Once outside, Nozomi ran as fast as she could, hoping she would make it in time. Mentally, she reassured herself that she would, as long as there were no distractions or setbacks.
Her thought process was abruptly interrupted when she tripped and fell face-first onto the ground. Though not seriously hurt, the fall was surprising. Looking back at what had caused her to trip, Nozomi's eyes widened. It was a black Labrador in evident pain. Kneeling beside the dog to better assess its injury, she asked frantically,
"Oh no! I am so sorry, a-are you okay?! Where does it hurt?"
Despite knowing the dog couldn't answer, Nozomi felt panic rising. She considered taking it to a vet but had no idea where to find one.
The dog's bark snapped her out of her panicked state. When it saw it had her attention, it pawed at a loosely attached band-aid on its forehead, seemingly wanting it removed.
"Do... do you want me to take it off? Okay then."
Carefully, Nozomi removed the band-aid, ensuring not to hurt or scare the dog. Instantly, the Labrador leaped with incredible speed onto a nearby wall, then turned to lock eyes with her. Taken aback by the dog's agility, Nozomi's gaze was drawn to what the band-aid had concealed: a golden star on its forehead.
For reasons she couldn't explain, she felt entranced by it, as though something in her mind was compelling her to speak. However, the familiar sound of the school bell in the distance quickly snapped her back to reality.
"Ahh! I completely forgot the time! I am going to be late for the first day of class at this rate! I don't have time to daydream!"
Nozomi exclaimed to herself before standing up and resuming her run, hoping she wouldn't be too late.
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In an undisclosed location, a shadowy figure treaded silently through the desolate remnants of what was once a grand castle. The air was thick with neglect, the hallways echoing with memories of former splendor now shattered by years of abandonment. Cracks wove intricate patterns across the ancient stone walls, like the veins of a long-forgotten heart. Every fissure narrated the passage of relentless time.
As the figure moved through the corridor, unlit torches lining the left wall suddenly sparked to life, illuminating with eerie dark-blue flames. The spectral light cast long shadows, revealing a row of doors on the right side. These were the doors to the living quarters, now in the worst condition imaginable. Termites had feasted on what had once been elegantly carved wooden doors, their intricate designs reduced to rotting splinters. Rust had claimed the old locks, rendering them a mockery of their former strength.
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The figure paused before one particularly battered door, the wood groaning softly under their touch. With a deliberate motion, they opened it, revealing a room cloaked in darkness. Inside, the torches instantly ignited with the same ghostly flames, casting an unnatural, flickering light over the space. The illumination unveiled a summoning circle etched into the stone floor, its markings inscribed in a language lost to time and history.
Stepping closer to the circle, the shadowy figure's voice rang out, resolute and commanding, reverberating through the ancient room. "Come, monster that serves the great master!"
In response, dark-blue flames erupted violently from the center of the circle. Initially wild and uncontrollable, they writhed as if they sought to consume everything in their path. With a simple yet powerful motion of their left hand, the summoner tamed the flames, stabilizing them with an eerie precision.
Gradually, the flames receded, revealing a shadowy entity at their core. The creature's presence was shrouded in darkness, its form barely distinguishable except for the sharp, cat-like eyes with slit pupils that glowed with an unsettling intensity.
The summoner's voice cut through the silence, filled with authority and purpose. "Bring me the Crystal of Darkness."
The spectral creature bowed slightly in acknowledgment, its eyes never leaving the summoner's, before vanishing into thin air, leaving only a faint whisper of its presence behind.
Standing alone in the dim, flickering light, the summoner allowed a small, sinister smile to cross their face. "Hopefully, this will be enough," they murmured to themselves, the echoes of their voice lingering in the charged atmosphere. Now, let's do something more... fun.
With those words, the shadowy figure turned and exited the room, the dark-blue flames dimming as they left. The ancient darkness reclaimed its dominion.
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The angry voice of an adult woman could be heard from inside classroom '1-2.' "Nozomi Nakagawa! It's not enough that you came to school late a lot last year, but now you're doing it again this year?! Go outside and wait by the door in the hallway until I call you back!"
"Yes, teacher..." replied a Nozomi. The classroom door slid open, and out stepped a schoolgirl with messy, short blond hair, brown eyes, and an annoyed expression. She slid the door closed behind her and stood where her teacher had instructed. She wore a uniform consisting of a black jacket and skirt, a red tie, and carried a schoolbag in one hand and her wrapped bento boxes in the other.
"This sucks. It's only the first day, and sure, I guess I was late last year too... but still, I'm trying my best here," she mumbled to herself, pouting. She then looked around and let her mind wander. You know... something interesting could happen. Every year feels more boring than the last...
A growl from her stomach interrupted her daydream. Oh, I forgot, I haven't eaten anything yet... well, maybe I have time if I do it fast enough.
She placed her schoolbag on the floor, picked up the bento box with her breakfast, and carefully set her lunch box on the ground. She then readied her chopsticks.
Just as she was about to start eating, the classroom door slid open. It revealed an adult woman with long dark hair and brown eyes, wearing a light blue jacket, black jeans, and pink heels. On reflex, Nozomi tried to hide her bento, sweating bullets.
Scary! Nozomi thought to herself. You're going to give me a heart attack before classes even start! Manabu Kibishi is the perfect name for someone nicknamed the 'School's Oni' among students. Hopefully, she won't take my bento if I play it cool... right?
The teacher confronted the 14-year-old, her serious, no-nonsense gaze making Nozomi feel incredibly intimidated, almost as if the teacher was growing larger. Manabu spoke without breaking eye contact.
"What do you think you're doing?" Manabu asked Nozomi.
Nozomi couldn't tell if the teacher was genuinely curious or if it was a rhetorical question. She could only muster enough focus to stay calm and answer truthfully, hoping the consequences wouldn't be too severe. "W-well..." she began, but a loud growl from her stomach interrupted her, its sound echoing through the hallway.
The tension evaporated. The teacher blinked a few times, trying to process what had happened. Manabu soon recovered and sighed. "I assume that not only are you late, but you also didn't have time to eat breakfast. Is that right?" she asked Nozomi, her tone calmer.
Nozomi nodded, looking away in embarrassment as her cheeks flushed. Manabu sighed again. "Just... finish quickly and get to my class. And please, try not to make this a habit like last year, okay?"
Without waiting for a reply, Manabu returned to the classroom and slid the door closed, leaving Nozomi to eat her bento in peace. The tension drained away completely.
Phew... that was so scary. Good thing she was in a good mood today. Now, thank you for the food! Nozomi thought to herself in relief.
Despite her mother often being away at work, she still managed to cook a bento that left Nozomi feeling energized and happy. After eating, she carefully packed the bento box back in its dark blue blanket, picked up her schoolbag, and stood ready to face whatever challenges the day had in store.
Opening the door and now well-fed, Nozomi was prepared for whatever lay ahead.