The following day, my mother woke me up, and I found myself sitting in the living room eating breakfast with Toko.
"It’s still pitch black out..."
Four in the morning isn't 'morning.' That’s the middle of the night.
"It can't be helped. You'll get used to it eventually," Toko said, chewing on her bread with a look of utter exhaustion.
She’d probably just managed to settle into the routine when Golden Week hit, and now she was suffering from a serious case of May Sickness.
"Are you already dressed?" I asked.
Toko was already in her uniform—the same white ensemble I’d seen Shar wearing the day before. However, unlike when Shar wore it, seeing my younger sister—who shared my exact face—in the outfit did absolutely nothing for me.
"I’m heading out ahead of you. Got it? We’re strangers. Just classmates."
She sounded like she was in the middle of a rebellious phase. Though, to be fair, I felt the same way.
"Understood, La Forge-san."
"Yes, Nagase-kun."
""Ugh, that feels so wrong. It’s my own last name.""
Our voices overlapped perfectly, and we immediately glared at each other.
"Just hurry up and eat, both of you. And Tsukasa, it’s your first day, so at least do something about that bedhead before you leave."
My mother tossed the reprimand my way from the kitchen. I finished my breakfast quickly, headed to the sink, and flattened my messy hair. Then I went back to my room and changed into my own uniform.
"Alright, let’s do this..."
The moment I muttered the words to myself, there was a knock at the door.
"Wh-at? I’m coming out now!"
I called out toward the door, but it opened anyway, and my father and mother stepped inside.
"Tsukasa, your lunch."
My mother held out a bento box.
"I’m pretty sure school ends at noon, though?"
Classes wrapped up at 12:00, but in this world’s time, it was only 9:00 AM.
"You’ll probably end up hanging out with friends before you come home anyway."
Ah... well, she had a point.
"I'll work hard on my studies, too," I said, tucking the bento into my bag.
"Tsukasa, do your best, but don't overdo it," my father advised.
"I don't really have a choice in the matter..."
If I didn't work hard, my arm was literal toast.
"Considering your mana capacity, it’s unlikely you’ll run dry anytime soon," my father continued. "Besides, it sounds like La Forge’s grandmother will be sending over plenty of mana-restoration potions, so you won't run out for at least a few months. Even by a conservative estimate, you should be fine for several years. So don't push yourself too hard. Given your personality, if you overextend, you'll just end up throwing it all away."
Well... the result of me throwing away the studies I hated was my stint as a NEET.
"Actually, the thing I'd be throwing away is my arm! Hahaha!"
".................."
That was my best joke of the year, but my parents clearly didn't find it funny.
"Magic, huh... I’ll give it a decent effort."
I tried to reset the mood.
"Right... Also, take this."
My father handed me a single black card.
"What’s this?"
"I assume you haven't bothered reading the guidebook, so I’ll explain. People from all over the world gather in Astral, so their native currencies are all different. Because of that, the currency within Astral has been unified into something called Mana."
"I can't use yen?"
I only had 800 yen on me anyway.
"No. That’s what the card is for. Astral has gone mostly cashless lately. You can use that to buy whatever you need."
"How much is on it?"
"Twenty thousand Mana from your mother and me as an enrollment gift. Thirty thousand from La Forge’s grandmother. Also, another fifty thousand was deposited without us knowing, but since it came from a French account, it was probably from La Forge’s grandfather. Use it wisely."
I was grateful, but since I had no idea what the cost of living was like, I couldn't tell if that was a fortune or pocket change. Also, since he was the one who slapped this weird bracelet on me, Nagase’s grandfather should have sent something too.
Then again, I was the one who put it on without listening to the explanation.
"Thanks. I'll give the La Forge family a call tonight."
"See that you do."
"Well, I’m off."
I unlocked the door to the dormitory and stepped into my room. It felt a bit desolate since I hadn't moved any of my personal belongings in yet.
"Maybe I'll redecorate this weekend..."
Muttering to myself, I left my room. Unlike yesterday, there were several other boys walking down the hallway. All of them were in uniform, clearly students of the Magic Academy.
I walked across the hall and knocked on Cedric's door.
"Hey! Rise and shine!"
"I’m already awake."
"Over here, over here."
I heard a voice from the side. Cedric Seager and Frank Hedrich were already sitting in the break area we’d used yesterday, both fully dressed in their uniforms.
"Oh, you're over there."
I walked over to join them.
"We told you we’d wait here. I’m impressed you actually made it out of bed," Frank teased with a laugh.
"I made it. But it's four in the morning back in Japan, you know? Nobody told me about the time difference. This is ridiculous."
"How did you not know that...?"
"Do you really know absolutely nothing about Astral?" Cedric asked, looking genuinely exasperated.
"Not a clue. But I’ll get used to it. More importantly, let’s get to school. I’m not being late on my first day."
"Fair point."
"Shall we?"
The two of them stood up, and we headed down the stairs to the entrance. I’d actually remembered to bring my shoes this time. Once I had them on, we left the dormitory and walked down the hill.
As we moved, we began to see female students mixed in with the boys. It finally felt like a real commute to school.
"This is nostalgic... This is exactly what I saw every day until two months ago."
Though, back then, almost everyone had black hair, so the vibe was a little different. With so many international students here, it was a lot more colorful.
"Right, because you were a NEET," Frank said.
"Aren't your parents crying?" Cedric added.
"My mom definitely was. Hahaha!"
Last night, she’d hugged me and told me, "You’re a child who can do it if you try."
"That’s... not really a laughing matter..."
"Look, if you can't keep up with the lessons, I'll teach you. Just don't stop showing up, alright?"
Cedric really didn't have a sense of humor.
"You know, for an obnoxious snob, you're a pretty good guy. I’ll be sure to borrow your notes before the exams."
"Take your own notes, you idiot."
I couldn't. My handwriting was so bad I couldn't even read it myself.