Early April in Japan, land of protagonists and weary, everyday working-class people.
For some, it was just another day; for others, it was the exciting start of a new school year; and for a few, it marked a new chapter in their strangely unsettling lives.
ChirpChirpChirp
The sound of singing birds, not too loud but just enough to cause slight discomfort to a certain sleeping person.
Beep-beepBeep-beepBeep-beep
At the same time, a phone alarm blared, sounding oddly in sync with the birds, evoking a faint sense of déjà vu—a feeling both distant and familiar, like any other day.
"…Stop…"
A tired voice emerged from beneath the blanket of a once-soundly sleeping person.
Beep-beepBeep-beepBeep-beep
SLAM
A hand shot out from under the blanket at lightning speed, slamming the phone to silence the annoying sound.
Whoosh
Ladies and gentlemen, behold a miracle: a flying blanket soared upward, strangely flat, before descending neatly back to its original place, now without the person who had been sleeping beneath it.
"Damn you, phone. Damn you, daily life."
A slight grumble escaped the person's mouth as he stood, eyes closed, yawning and stretching simultaneously, his hand covering his mouth.
He flexed his body and shuddered, savoring the pleasure of morning stretches. (Relatable.)
A slight moisture welled in his eyes as the yawn reached a certain intensity.
"Right, today's the day…"
He glanced at his desk, littered with books and school materials he'd received early last week.
Approaching the desk, he picked up the now-silent phone. Staring at the screen, he noted the date displayed beneath the time.
Monday, April 7th
Whooo
He exhaled softly, closing his eyes to focus.
Shaking his head to fully wake up, he began dressing in his new school uniform.
Standing before the mirror, he checked his hair—decent. He tugged at his sleeves, inspecting for any unwanted marks or creases from washing, and gave himself one final look-over.
[...otice.....min....roo.....]
In the reflection stood a male, above average in height, standing at six feet tall.
Dressed in a black school uniform with white accents, he looked far more striking than in the old uniform he'd worn before moving back to Japan.
His face clearly reflected his mixed heritage—a Japanese-Scandinavian-Slavic blend of genes, giving him a charismatic appearance, strikingly shiny hazel eyes, and slightly lighter black hair with a silver hue that gleamed under the sunlight streaming through the window.
As he snapped out of his trance, still pondering what felt so different since his birthday last Friday, a strange sensation lingered.
[Notice… Admin… Welcome… to… Room]
He caught a weird glow in his peripheral vision. Just as he was about to focus on it—
BAM
The door flew open, and a pleasantly melodic woman's voice followed.
"Reeeen-kun, ah!"
Noticing her son already up and ready, she lost her cheerful energy and shifted into a new act.
"Boo, Ren-kun, you're not as cute anymore! You've grown up, and your mommy can't even cuddle with you in bed anymore!"
"Mom, the last time we did that, I was clearly just being polite and pretending to be asleep, right?"
Ren turned his head, offering a tired smile as he looked at his mother, Hoshino Alice.
A charming woman, clearly not Japanese in appearance, stood slightly shorter than him, her silver hair cascading straight down to her waist.
Her face, slightly smaller and round, shared the same shiny hazel eyes and silver sheen in her hair under the sunlight.
His mother hailed from one of the prominent noble houses in Scandinavia.
To this day, Ren couldn't believe how his father had won over such a beauty—though, to be fair, it wasn't that surprising.
The Hoshino family, a semi-noble lineage, stood as the largest entertainment dynasty in the country. Few knew the name, only those on a need-to-know basis, but nearly everything on TV or in ads—on phones or computers—bore the Hoshino family's influence.
The family held significant sway in the early years of the last century, though not enough to dominate in those times. In the late 1950s, Ren's grandfather, Hoshino Ken, took the reins and elevated the family to unprecedented heights.
Branches of the family spread across the country and beyond, controlling 80 to 90% of the media. In the 21st century, HoshinEnt stood tall and strong. As such, Ren's father, Hoshino Zen, the young and bright heir, was tasked with finding a bride to continue the family line. After years of searching—or rather, by chance—Zen and Alice met during a business trip to Europe to seal a deal.
Not long after, the deeply in-love couple settled in Japan, and, well, it's not hard to guess what followed. (Wink wink.)
Dismissing his long train of thought, Ren shook his head and glanced again at the person in the doorway.
"When are you and Father leaving for Kyoto?"
"Ah! Souka, souka, Ren-kun can't wait to get rid of his parents and experience his new adult life? Mommy is so sad, so, so sad!"
She turned sideways, casting a mock-sad glance.
"You're not fooling anyone," Ren sighed.
He shook his head and followed his mother out of the room.
"It was decided long ago by Grandfather and Father that I'd experience an adult lifestyle, right?"
He wielded his ultimate weapon: logic.
"Soda ne, you grew up so fast, always so serious and not cute, humph!"
His mother, Alice, grumbled as she descended the marble staircase leading to the spacious main room, which connected the entrance and the open kitchen.
In the kitchen area, between the island and the main room, stood a long dining table—honestly too large for their small family of three, sometimes four when the family maid was roped into dining with the chatty, not-so-serious couple and their young heir.
[Notice… Admin… Welcome… Chat Room…]
"Hmm?"
Ren shook his head, thinking he still wasn't fully awake, and followed his mother into the kitchen.
'Renner… submit the damn report! Renner! You're fired!'
Distant whispers crept into his ears, and that strange feeling washed over him again. Just as he was about to speak, a hand landed on his shoulder, snapping him out of his odd state.
To his left, between him and Alice, stood his father, Zen. He looked Ren in the eyes and said seriously,
"Ren! As a young and promising adult, now 18 years old, you're about to enter the final stage of your high school life—your third year. Your mother and I…"
"Baka! It was Zen-kun and Father-in-law. For me, it was Kyoto's main house, garden, and all the aunties that finally pushed me over the line in that matter, humph!" Alice cut in, pouting cutely as she headed to the kitchen to prepare the dining table for breakfast.
"No, no, my love!" Zen spun around at flash speed, jogging after Alice with exaggerated facial expressions.
"Sigh, you're both in your 40s, for heaven's sake."
For Ren and his family, this was almost a daily occurrence. When they weren't working or traveling for business, their lives often resembled a TV drama.