Your vision is blurred. A pair of hands reach out to you. Someone is holding your small body. You can't seem to tell the face of the person holding you. You feel calm and warm.
An explosion appears out of nowhere. Some kind of huge and sparkling creature is being seen, still blurry. Lightning flashes around the creature. You fell to the ground as the person holding you dropped you. You see the black, starry sky.
The creature looks down on you. Flashes of white lightning surround the creature and you visibly see its red eyes, staring at you. You see it widening its jaws, flashes of lightning emitting from it. Its breath, its roars, and the crackling of lightning, you can hear them all at once.
Its mouth gets closer and closer to you, and-
...
RING! RING! RING!
A young teen wakes up, alerted by his alarm clock. His eyes wander around the room for a moment, slowly gaining his senses. He looks at his alarm clock, flashing the time. He looks disappointed.
He lazily reaches for it. The clock keeps on ringing, longer than it needed to be. He clicks on the clock button and goes back to bed. After a few minutes of contemplating his responsibilities as a moral student and questioning his existence as a human being, he gets up from bed, feeling like he always has been; "Okay".
He looks out the window to only see the sunrise being shielded by the common houses in the neighborhood. He scratches his chest, lets out a yawn, and says to himself:
"Just another day, huh?"
His name is RYUKEN.
...
Ryuken steps out of his room with a towel by his shoulder and heads to the bathroom. At the end of the hallway, in front of Ryuken, a young girl comes out of her room and dashes to the bathroom. She goes in and locks the door. Ryuken, with little time to process, realizes at the last second, what had just happened. He knocks loudly on the bathroom door.
RYUKEN: Maki! Let me go in first.
MAKI: 10 minutes! I promise.
RYUKEN: You know well that you never spend less than 20 minutes in there.
MAKI: Well, if you don't stop yelling; I might spend more than that.
Ryuken admits defeat and sits on the floor, next to the door.
MAKI: 15 minutes! I promise, alright?
...
24 minutes later
Ryuken is seen sitting on the floor, planting his head on his knees. Maki comes out, looking and feeling refresh.
MAKI: See? Wasn't that long.
Ryuken stares at her with disgust. He gets up while Maki walks to her room. A door from another room opens and out comes a slightly older teenage boy.
MAKI: Morning, Nii-chan!
MAKISE: (yawns) Morning, Maki. You done?
MAKI: Yep! Ryu-nii is going in.
MAKISE: (looks at Ryuken) Hey, Ryu. Wait!
Ryuken notices Makise and quickly goes in and slams the door.
MAKISE: Wait, Ryu! It wouldn't take that long.
RYUKEN: (hangs his towel and proceeds to take off his shirt)
MAKISE: Ryu! AAAAAAHHHHHHH-
...
8 minutes later
Makise is seen sitting on the floor, sleeping with his head by the wall. Ryuken comes out of the bathroom, drying his hair. He glares at Makise.
RYUKEN: (scoffs) It wasn't that long.
He passes by Makise and went to his room. He shuts his door and the sound woke Makise up.
...
Ryuken buttons up his uniform and slings his bag on his left shoulder. He looks at the mirror and brushes his dark brown hair to the right. He pats on his chubby stomach, feeling wishful. As he leaves his room, he pats on the head of a baby dragon plush, sitting on his desk on the way.
In the kitchen, we see AKARI, preparing lunchboxes for her children in coloured Tupperware's. Maki is wrapping her yellow lunchbox. Her husband, ISSEI, comes down the stairs to greet his wife.
ISSEI: Wow! Aren't you spoiling your children a bit too much?
AKARI: Why? You're jealous?
ISSEI: (laughs) I would never be jealous of my own children. Because I know I'll always have a special place in your heart.
AKARI: Just when you're about to leave, you decided it was the right time to be romantic.
ISSEI: (laughs nervously) It'll only be a few days. I'll buy you a gift.
MAKI: What about me?
ISSEI: Ah! For you, definitely. Want me to drop you off at school?
MAKI: You would?
ISSEI: I'm going to fetch Tomoharu later for the trip. He lives not too far from your school.
MAKI: Finally! My feet can rest.
ISSEI: ... it's only a one-time thing.
AKARI: Speaking of the trip, your lunch. (points at a large lunchbox)
ISSEI: Wow! I knew you always think well of me.
AKARI: I made extra for Tomoharu-san as well.
ISSEI: Oh... it's not all for me?
AKARI: You'll be driving all day with him. I can't just have Tomoharu-kun be left alone without anything to eat. Besides, his kind soul will always have a special place in my heart.
ISSEI: (eye twitches) ...since when did you start calling him that?
RYUKEN: (coming down from the stairs) Good morning.
ISSEI: Ah, Ryuken. Good morning.
RYUKEN: How long will the trip last?
ISSEI: Hopefully I can come back in 3 days' time. You alright with that?
RYUKEN: I mean... I know you've been busy.
ISSEI: Yeah. Your old man just can't catch a break.
AKARI: Good morning, Ryuken. Here. (hands green lunchbox)
MAKISE: (snatches the lunchbox) Thanks, mum. See you later, dad. (rushes out of the house)
AKARI: Hey! That's Ryuken's!
ISSEI: Don't worry. A young man like Makise has too much energy flowing inside him. Always good to spend it while he still got it. Right, Ryuken?
RYUKEN: (murmurs angrily)
MAKI: Dad, let's go now!
ISSEI: Oh, alright. Farewell, my dear Akari. (kisses her hand)
AKARI: (smiles) Yeah, yeah.
They both share a kiss.
AKARI: Don't forget to rest.
ISSEI: For you, I couldn't. (brushes Ryuken's hair) Take care, Ryuken.
RYUKEN: (silently nods)
Issei walks out of the house, while Maki waits next to the car.
MAKI: Come on, dad. We gotta fetch Imako and Urara along the way.
ISSEI: Alright, I'm coming. Wait... we're doing what?
They both went into the car and drive off.
RYUKEN: (grabs the last blue lunchbox) Well, I'm off.
AKARI: Oh, wait. Give me that. (takes the blue lunchbox)
RYUKEN: Uh... you don't have to.
AKARI: (takes out the radishes and puts in an eggplant dish in the lunchbox) I know how much you hate radishes so I can't have you eat your lunch feeling bad the whole time. (hands him the lunchbox) Here. To regret what you eat is a sin to all cooks.
RYUKEN: (receives the lunchbox, smiles faintly) ...thanks, mom.
AKARI: (kisses his forehead) Now, go on then.
Ryuken steps out of the house while Akari follows him to the door, waving her hand at him. Ryuken waves back softly and walks to school.
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