Chapter Text
Beep!! Beep!! Beep!!
The room echoed with the shrill cry of an alarm clock.
“Uuuuugh,” groaned a boy buried under a mound of blankets, blindly smacking the clock until the silence returned. Ootsuka Jokan slipped off the bed with a soft thud, sprawled out on the wooden floorboards, already drifting back to sleep as if gravity itself had beckoned him there.
Heavy footsteps thudded up the stairs. The door flew open, slamming against the wall. Junsaku, his older brother, stood in the doorway, towering and annoyed.
“Jokan, wake up! You’re going to be late for school, and it’s Friday too. And don’t forget—you’re going to be graduating soon, so attendance is very important if you hope to join my school, you know.”
One eye barely peeked open. “Five more minutes,” Jokan muttered, pulling a pillow over his head. Junsaku sighed and stepped closer. Just as he was about to retort, Jokan launched up with a burst of energy—his head colliding with Junsaku’s chin. “OW! That hurt!” Junsaku winced, clutching his jaw. But Jokan was already dashing out of the room. “Graduation! Oh no!” he shouted, disappearing into the bathroom while Junsaku muttered curses under his breath.
Four minutes later, Jokan barreled into the kitchen. His family was already seated: his mom, his 8-year-old sister Junho, and Junsaku, still nursing his sore chin.
“Good morning, Ma!” Jokan said, grabbing a slice of avocado toast and planting a kiss on Junho’s forehead. “Morning, Jun.”
She giggled. “Morning!”
Their mother smiled warmly. “Good morning, dear,” she said, handing him his packed lunch.
Jokan wolfed down his toast, grabbed his backpack, and dashed to the door. Junsaku was already waiting, helmet strapped on. “Come on, we’re going to be late!” Junsaku called. “Hold on Sakkun!” Jokan replied, hastily tightening his backpack straps. “Bye, Ma! See you later, Junho!”
“Have a good day at school, honey!” his mom called, followed by Junho’s cheerful, but muffled—with her mouth full of toast— “Bye!”
Jokan hopped on his skateboard while Junsaku mounted his bike. And with that, they were off. It takes them about 30 minutes to get to their schools since Junsaku goes to a prestigious school outside the village.
The wind kissed Jokan’s face as he rode, the thrill of speed coursing through him. He loved skating; the freedom, the exhilaration, the occasional trick on stair rails. Speed was his strength, his lifeline. Though his world revolved around magic—a world where nearly everyone had powers—Jokan was a part of the 1% who hadn’t developed the genetic mutation needed to get magic. Most kids developed their abilities by age five or six, with rare cases at seven. But him? Nothing.
'Why did this happen to me?'
He asked himself that question every day. But despite everything, he refused to lose hope. Junho had inherited water magic—one of the world’s major elements—just like their mother. Their family (on his mother's side) had a long lineage of different types of water users, though as regular people, their magic was weak. Their father, on the other hand, wielded a powerful variant of stone magic strong enough to almost match a Royal Guard. That’s how Junsaku ended up with crystal magic—a fusion of their parents’ magical genes and a bit of some unusual genetic mutation. Their father’s skills had earned him a spot among the magic adventurers, a job that wasn’t luxurious but had kept the family afloat even after his death.
Being a Venturer was an honor in a small town like Kontentsu, Jokan’s hometown. The name itself meant “content”, a perfect description of the people who lived there. The villagers never sought more than they had. As long as a problem could be solved, they saw no reason to worry. That was one reason why Kontentsu wasn’t exactly a hot spot for ambition. As they arrived at school, Jokan snapped out of his thoughts.
“Yo, Jokan! Good morning.” a familiar voice called.
“Ah! Ei-chan!” Jokan greeted his best friend, Eichi, “Morning.”
They basically had every class together. Looking down the direction they came from, Jokan could see the silhouette of his brother from afar. Junsaku had rushed off to Hoshi high (he’s a 2nd-year Adventurer student) to keep his reputation of always coming to school on time not bothering to snap Jokan out of his daze.
In two weeks, Jokan would become a 4th-year middle schooler. Once graduation came, he’d be eligible for the Early Venturers’ Scholar Exam [EVSE]—the only way to enroll in Hoshi High, Niigata’s most prestigious Venturer school. Passing the test came with perks as well. [EVSE] scholars are given the ability to choose their course and are given keycards to specific areas in the upperclassmen's building. And Junsaku had taken the test and passed. It was held annually for 3rd-year middle schoolers who wanted to skip their 4th-year to get a headstart at the school, and Jokan was beyond excited.
While the Venturers’ Enrollment Exam [VEE]—the exam that those who either didn’t do or failed the [EVSE] toke—was a last resort.
Magic or not, he was determined to become the greatest adventurer the world had ever seen. Wouldn’t that be amazing? Of course, one person stood in his way: Hokuto Ishizashi, the strongest magic wielder in their class and Jokan had a one-sided rivalry with him. Carefree, naturally gifted, and practically swimming in talent, Hokuto had already secured a recommendation to Hoshi Academy. He was top of the class in everything.
It pissed Jokan off.
He wasn’t dumb, but he wasn’t a prodigy either. His grades were average. So, to make up for his lack of magic, he trained his body. Speed was his strength, and he pushed himself every chance he got.
The classroom was already buzzing with energy as they entered. They were dodging and avoiding the chaos on their way to their seat. After he sat down, he started to dig through his unorganized bag to get the materials he needed for class. Since he struggles to learn properly, he does his best to maintain grades good enough to get into Hoshi High. After he's done with that, he waits patiently for class to start looking around to try and distract himself.
To Jokan’s left, Hokuto sat relaxed, radiating effortless cool. His pristine-white button up shirt was visible beneath the opening of his sharp black mandatory school jacket with its top 3 buttons undone, paired with the school's-issued slacks. His crystal-blue irises shimmered faintly—a passive reminder of his immense magical ability.
Jokan’s eyes narrowed, Hokuto barely tried yet always excelled. A natural at everything Jokan had to fight tooth and nail for.
To his right, Eichi Nozaki twirled a pen in his fingers. He wore an orange shirt underneath his school jacket, all the buttons undone and the sleeves bunched below his elbows. His backwards cap held back the chaos of his curly, two-toned brown hair. A chain dangling from his belt loop clinked softly whenever he moved.
Jokan’s outfit reflected his practical, slightly rebellious personality—a mix of comfort and effortlessness. He wore a navy-blue hoodie that complemented his spiky dark-blue hair, layered under the school jacket, which he rarely buttoned. The school-issued black slacks were intentionally a size bigger, perfect for skateboarding. Scuffed knees and faint chalk stains hinted at his love for tricks. His orange headband added a pop of color and matched his bold hair.
Then the door to the class slid open indicating class was about to start. Everyone quickly stood up to greet Mr. Kato, their homeroom and magic ethics teacher.
He waved at them to sit down before he cleaned the doodles of the board, took out his textbook and told the class todays lesson page. As he spoke, he would turn to the board to write down key aspects of the lesson.
Eichi was making stupid faces at Jokan, trying to mimic Mr. Kato and making Jokan have a hard time trying not to laugh and pay attention.
“Nozaki-kun!” Mr. Kato barked.
“Yes, Kato-sensei!” Eichi replied caught red-handed, his hand in a salute making the class laugh.
“Hmph. As I was saying...” Mr. Kaito continued.
After the lesson was over, he closed the textbook and capped his marker, dropping them back in their respectful places. “I know most of you are currently aiming to be Adventurers, some of you Discoverers, some of you Researchers.” He scanned the room.
“The best place to start is Hoshi Academy, where you'll take the Hoshi Adventure Exams the [EVSE] and, as a last resort, the [VEE]. Now, I'm sure that you all already know this but I'm just going to repeat it again. But if that’s out of reach, there are other top-tier schools like; Tsukiakari Prep, Seika Academy, Yume no Gakuen, Mizu Hikari Institute, and Kaze no Juku. Yes, I will admit that not everyone has the flash or power to make the cut, but I have faith that all of you will do great things in your lives beyond the tests.”
The room erupted with excited murmuring and side-conversations. Kato-sensei raised his voice again, announcing he had a meeting—probably about the graduation ceremony, Jokan figured—and instructed them to study until he returned.
In other words: “Be quiet and do whatever until I get back.”
With that, he left the classroom. Naturally, no one studied especially since instructions were done for the year, but the noise level stayed tolerable. Eichi scooted over to Jokan's desk, chatting about Hoshi High and the Exam.
Nearby, a group of students buzzed about the upcoming entrance exams. Jokan glanced left—and immediately scowled. There he was again. Hokuto, surrounded by admirers—mostly girls—basking in their attention like it was his birthright. One of them, clearly fishing for a way to flirt, tilted her head and asked, “So... what do you want to be?”
“I—” Hokuto paused, picking his next words carefully, “I might as well become an Adventurer, then,” he replied, voice flat, eyes half-lidded.
A vein twitched on Jokan’s forehead. That was it. He shot up so fast his chair clattered to the floor, startling Eichi—and the rest of the class. Without hesitation, he climbed atop the fallen chair, planted one foot on Hokuto’s desk, and struck a pose that made him look larger than life—despite being the third shortest kid in class.
He was fuming.
With fury blazing in his eyes, he pointed straight at Hokuto—who barely flinched, still wearing that maddeningly detached expression—and growled: “I’m sick and tired of you! If you want to be an Adventurer, then act like it! A real Venturer needs integrity, heroism, humility, and a sense of duty to others!” He gripped the collar of his shirt, determination in his eyes. “If you can’t even fake that, then just give up now. ‘Cause I'm going to be an Adventurer—the best of the best!”
The class quieted down now focused on the confrontation.
Saito stepped forward, ready to intervene—but before he could, Hokuto calmly brushed Jokan’s hand away, smoothed his collar, and stood.
“You?” he said, voice cool and sharp. “A nobody with not a drop of magic in your veins? You think you’ll outmatch me?” His tone was calm, but the disdain was unmistakable.
Jokan was taken aback a little. You’d think he would’ve gotten used to Hokuto's blunt tone by now.
“I’m top of the class in academics and magic. Heir to one of the strongest Zen Clans," Hokuto continued, eyes locked on Jokan’s. "But you? A lower-class nobody from a family known for nothing. You’ve got nothing going for you except... oh right, your legs.” Hokuto’s cold glare locked onto Jokan's. He stood his ground, fists clenched, jaw tight.
Before he could explode again, Eichi wedged himself between them. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! let’s not do this, guys.” He turned to Jokan, voice low. “Come on, man. Let’s just go back to our sea—”
“JUST YOU WATCH!!! I’M GONNA BE THE GREATEST ADVENTURER IN ALL OF HOSHINARI—MAYBE EVEN THE WORLD, DAMN IT!!!!”
There was a sickening silence. Then came the wave of:
“Yeah, right!!!”
“That’s never happening.”
"Bro, WTF??
“BROOOOOOOO!!!”
“Seriously Jokan? Do you hear yourself?”
“Was that supposed to be a joke, dude?”
“Oh my, what a declaration~”
“Pft! GYAHHAHHAHAHHAHAH!”
“Cut it out already, weirdo. ’Bout to get us ALL in trouble.”
Jokan turned beet red. Eichi groaned and slapped his forehead. He supported Jokan’s dream—he really did—but yelling it straight into Hokuto’s face like that? Yeah... maybe not the best move. Still, he knew Jokan wouldn’t take it back. “Hey!! Stop laughing, damn it!!!” Jokan blushed in embarrassment. He then turned to Hokuto, “I meant every word, ya got that!”
But Hokuto didn’t even blink. While the rest of the class was doubled over in laughter, he just stared at Jokan with a mix of confusion, indifference, and a hint of something else in his eyes. Then, with a bored exhale, he turned and sat down at his desk.
“Whatever.”
But Jokan wasn’t done. “Hey! I’m not finished yet- Ack! -”
Eichi thumped his knuckle against Jokan’s head just as Kato-sensei reentered the room—looking absolutely done. The classroom snapped into silence. Uh-oh.
“Seats. Now." A very annoyed voice said.
Everyone scrambled. Jokan clutched his head, groaning dramatically, still standing when Kato-sensei called him out. “Care to explain why the entire school staff just sent me complaints about one student—Mr. Otaku—causing a massive disruption during my meeting?”
Jokan straightened up awkwardly. “I am deeply sorry, Sensei, but—”
Mr. Kato put his hand up, cutting him off, “No excuses. I don’t want to hear it. And since it’s the end of the year, I’ll go easy on you. No suspension. Just clean-up duty after school today. Alone.”
Jokan’s face dropped. “Wha—?”
“Can I clean too, Kato-sensei,” Eichi said, raising his hand.
Jokan looked at him, "Ei-chan..."
He sighed as he took his glasses off for a brief moment to rub the space between his eyes. He seemed to be thinking for a second before responding to Eichi’s request. “Fine. Both of you can clean the school campus. The school should be sparkling by Monday.”
A few classmates snickered.
“Quiet," He reprimanded them. "Honestly it’s a good thing you’re not alone, Jokan. Who knows what chaos you’d cause for the custodians if we left you unsupervised with cleaning chemicals.”
Kato-sensei pinched the bridge of his nose again.