"Cid! You better get up, or you'll be late for your first day of school!"
That was my mom's voice.
The sunlight poured through the window above me as I sat up from my futon. I could hear the loud noise coming from downstairs. After stretching myself awake and dressing myself for my first day of school, I finally made my way downstairs to the source of the noise. As I walked into the kitchen, I saw my mother in a blue apron standing at the stovetop cooking breakfast while humming an indistinct tune to herself. Her two bright blue braids fell to either side of her face, while the rest of her hair hung down loosely from the top of her head.
"Something smells delicious," I commented idly. "Good morning, Mom."
My mom turned to look at me and flashed me a bright smile. "Good morning, sweetie," she greeted, kissing my cheek. "Are you excited for your first day of school?"
"Excited enough, I guess," I said, taking a seat at the kitchen table. Ashe and Sana, my two sisters, were also seated and having breakfast already.
"Morning, Cid," Ashe said warmly, flashing me a soft smile. Sana ignored me outright, choosing instead to continue eating without paying me any mind whatsoever. Our father Ryo wasn't home; he was likely off to work again already, having left early like usual. Our mother Aoi simply nodded her head at Ashe before returning her gaze to cooking breakfast.
Once our mom finished making my meal, she set it down in front of me. Today's breakfast consisted of eggs sunny side-up alongside toast and sausages, alongside some rice and miso soup with chopped vegetables in it. Everything looked delicious, as always.
After digging in hungrily and scarfing everything down in minutes, I got up from my seat and placed my now empty dishes in the sink next to mom. She glanced over at me before smiling once again. "I know it's a little scary to be the center of attention as a transfer student, but I know you'll do fine, sweetie," Mom reassured me.
That's right. Ashe, Sana, and I all transferred into Mesumigaoka when we moved here not long ago, and today is our first day at our new school.
"...Yeah, thanks, Mom," I said dryly, grabbing my backpack and swinging it around one shoulder. "I'm gonna get going now, goodbye, everyone." I went towards the door to slip my shoes on before heading out, followed shortly after by Ashe and Sana. I lived close enough to walk to Mesumigaoka High, though the trip took around 10 minutes or so at normal pace. Ashe caught up quickly, jogging slightly to match my walking speed. Sana also hurried to catch up, but remained on the opposite side of Ashe when she arrived, keeping her distance from me. Once Ashe reached my side, she gave me another soft smile, which I replied with a tired expression in return.
"Oh come on~ it can't be that bad to walk with your onee-san to school," she joked playfully.
"Well you're certainly enjoying this whole transfer thing way more than I am..." I said passively, prompting a chuckle out of her.
Shortly after, we reached the main gates of Mesumigaoka High School, and our first day of classes at our new school officially began.
∗ ∗ ∗
Akane Suzuki, the homeroom teacher of class 2-3, clapped her hands twice to grab everyone's attention. She then cleared her throat before addressing the class. "Alright, everyone," Akane said, trying to keep her voice steady. "Today we have a new student transferring into Class 2-3." As she spoke, she gestured towards the classroom door and called out to the new student waiting outside. "Come on in!"