The next morning felt… normal.
Too normal.
The sky was clear. Birds were loud. And I'd barely slept.
Even when I reached the school gates, there was that same weird pull in my chest. Like something was waiting.
I climbed the stairs to the third floor and opened the door to Class 3-G. Most of them were already here.
Class 3-G – Morning Chaos Begins
"Oi, Takashi!"A loud voice thundered before I could even step in.
Itsuki was waving his book in the air. "You forgot to return this yesterday."
He tossed it at me without warning. I caught it with one hand.
"Your aim's getting better." I smirked.
He rolled his eyes. "Maybe because I spend every morning training to deal with your forgetfulness."
"Ughhh, it's too early to be this loud."Rika Aizawa, my girlfriend, dragged her feet into class, rubbing her eyes. "I wanted to skip today…"
"You say that every day," I replied.
"I mean it today," she mumbled, plopping into her seat and laying her head on the desk. "My dream last night was so weird. Something about… light swallowing us whole or something."
That made me pause.
At the back of the room, Sora Amano was already seated. Quiet, head down, earbuds in.
As always.
"Yo, Sora!"Daigo Shun threw an arm around his neck from behind.
Sora didn't even flinch. Just pulled one earbud out with a sigh."Too early for your wrestling moves, Daigo."
"C'mon, man! Cheer up. You look like you woke up in a grave."
"I feel like I did," Sora muttered.
Across the room:
"Rika, stop looking half-dead. You're making the class look bad."Ayaka Fujino placed a small bento box on Rika's desk.
"Breakfast?"
Rika groaned. "You're saving my life again."
"Someone has to," Ayaka smiled softly.
"Move it, peasants. The future king of magic has arrived."Riku Kamishiro strutted in, flicking his hair. He wore sunglasses. Indoors.
"No one asked," muttered Sayaka Minori, without even looking up from her notebook.
"Yet everyone is blessed by my presence."
I rolled my eyes. Some things never change.
"Hey Takashi, race you to the vending machine during break?"Yui Kanzaki dropped her bag onto her seat like a bomb.
"Again? You still owe me a melon soda from last time."
"I'll double or nothing it!"
"You're on."
Noa Yukimura entered next. As usual, she said nothing. Her eyes briefly scanned the room. No expression. Then she quietly sat and pulled out a sketchbook.
Somehow, her silence said more than Riku's shouting.
Reiji Narukami arrived carrying two chairs — don't know why — and helped the teacher set them properly without being asked.
The guy radiated "responsible older brother" energy.
Mei Tachibana stormed in seconds later.
"Sora, you forgot your notebook again! I picked it up—why am I always the one doing this for you!?"
She slammed the notebook on his desk. Sora blinked.
"Thanks."
"Don't thank me, just remember it for once!"
"Noted."
Her face turned red as she turned away, muttering something like "idiot."
"Yo, Toru, where's my science report!?"
Hinata Moriyama chased Toru Makabe, who had somehow climbed halfway out the window.
"Hold up! I'm doing... field research!"
"You're going to do a free fall if you keep this up!"
And Then...
The homeroom bell rang. Students groaned, shuffled, stretched.
I sat down. Something in me still itched. That weird feeling hadn't left.
I looked around.
They were all here.
Laughing.
Yelling.
Living.
And then—
The light changed.
It wasn't the sun. It wasn't the overhead bulbs.
It was coming from nowhere—and everywhere.
Blinding. Cold. Eternal.
Time stopped.
Voices were cut off mid-sentence.
My hand rose to shield my eyes, but my body refused to move.
In that moment, I heard a whisper.
Not in my ears.
In my mind.
"The summoning has begun…"