*Ring**Ring**Ring**Ring*
The shrill cry of the alarm yanked me out of a formless slumber. For a few seconds, I lay still, my eyes fluttering open to an unfamiliar ceiling tinged pale gold by morning light. My heart thudded; it was the same feeling as waking in a stranger's bed—uncertainty, and then, a creeping certainty that something had changed.
Memories surfaced in a sudden flood. Images—not my own, and yet somehow intimately mine—spilled through my mind. My name: Shinji Asahi. Despite completing my last year of Middle School in Kyoto, I am going to have to repeat it due to our move to Tokyo. My mother: Mamako Asahi, warm and effusive. My father: Naoe Asahi, stern but quietly protective. There was my elder sister, Maya, sharp and mischievous; a younger sister, wide-eyed and always hovering at the edge of the crowd; and my little brother, endlessly curious and trailing after everyone.
"It's real," I murmured, testing the words, pinching my arm hard. The sting was sharp. No dream. No illusion. I was here, in this body, with this family.
*Ring**Ring**Ring**Ring*.
The alarm persisted, slicing through my thoughts. I focused, piecing together my situation: Kyoto for now, but in a few days, Tokyo would become our home again. The repetition of my last year of middle school loomed, its details both alien and familiar.
A knock at the door, and then a tidal wave of energy swept in. "Oww, my Shinji-chan is awake!" My mother, Mamako, bounded into the room, moving with the sort of practiced chaos that only mothers could. Her hair was pulled back, still damp from a quick shower, and flour dusted her cheek—a remnant of breakfast preparations, no doubt.
I sat up, rubbing my eyes. "Good morning, Mom," I managed, still unused to the smallness of my own voice.
She grinned, sitting at my bedside without ceremony. "My baby, give your mama a good morning kiss!" Without waiting for a response, she pulled me into a tight embrace, planting a loud kiss on my cheek and then tugging playfully at both cheeks until I squeaked in protest.
"Mom, not so rough!" I tried to wriggle free, but she only laughed, her eyes shining with affection. As she held me, I couldn't help but notice the soft curves of her body pressing against mine, and a forbidden desire stirred within me, a mix of confusion and longing.
She let me go and ruffled my hair. "Breakfast is ready. You'd better hurry, or Maya will eat your share and then some." She leaned in, lowering her voice as if confiding a secret, "She says she's on a diet, but just watch her with the rice cakes."
I smirked, the heaviness in my chest lightened by her easy banter, but the lingering sensation of her touch and the forbidden desire it ignited left me feeling both exhilarated and unsettled. "Okay, okay, I'm coming."
As I shuffled out to the dining room, sunlight spilled across the table. Maya, already dressed and brush in hand, was drawing little cartoons on a napkin. She shot me a quick glance and grinned, "Morning, sleepyhead. Did the alarm finally conquer the great Shinji Asahi?"
I made a face at her, flopping into the seat across from Dad, who sat behind his fortress of newspaper. He didn't look up, but a small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "If you want breakfast, better start eating before your sisters claim the rest."
My younger brother clambered up onto his chair, the legs scraping loudly against the floor. The youngest, my little sister, was already seated, swinging her feet and eyeing the food with the single-minded hunger only children possess.
Mom bustled around, placing bowls in front of each of us. "Eat up, eat up! We have a lot to pack if we want to be ready for our big move." She poured tea for Dad, who answered her with a soft "Mm. Thank you," never looking up from his paper.
For a few minutes, the room became soft and noisy—chopsticks clacking, Maya and I teasing each other about who would have more friends in Tokyo, my little brother insisting he would eat double to grow taller than me, Mom reminding us all to leave some for Dad. There was warmth here, and a thousand tiny details that made this new life feel less daunting.
After breakfast, I slipped away, nerves tightening in my stomach. Had my system—my cheat, the grand promise of new beginnings—really come along for this ride? Or was I to make my way in this world unaided?
Sitting alone, I focused. 'System,' I thought, summoning hope and dread in equal measure. Silence. Nothing.
"'Status,'" I whispered, and suddenly, like a ripple across water, a semi-translucent panel shimmered into existence before my eyes.
[Welcome To The System]
Relief nearly bowled me over. The promise of possibility—whatever came next—was real. This new life, these powers, this family… it was all mine to shape.
As the panel faded, I stood, a sense of purpose surging through me. Today was the first day of my new journey, and I was ready to embrace every challenge and opportunity that came my way. With the system by my side, I knew that anything was possible, even repeating a year of school to start fresh in a new city.