Got it! We'll keep the whole first chapter focused on Raiko's morning through school day—no after school scenes yet. We'll build the slow reveal purely through his day and the growing mystery around the tattoo and strange energy.
Here's the revised pacing for 25 pages just covering that part:
Chapter 1: Morning to School Day (25 pages)
Pages 1–5:
Early dawn Shinmachi cityscape.
Raiko wakes up, morning routine, casually looks at tattoo — thinks it's a birthmark.
Pages 6–10:
Raiko walks through city streets on the way to school.
Notices odd shadows or energy flickers, but brushes them off.
Pages 11–15:
Flashback to childhood with the tattoo, family reactions (teasing, concern but no answers).
Raiko's internal thoughts about feeling "different" but unsure why.
Pages 16–20:
At school: conversations with classmates, maybe a small conflict or playful teasing about his birthmark.
News or gossip about strange happenings or Voidwalker rumors heard at school.
Pages 21–25:
End of school day, Raiko senses something weird again — tattoo glows faintly but he's unsure what it means.
Scene ends on a subtle cliffhanger: Raiko looking at his arm, confused and nervous