The Beginning

Genesis

(All characters have reached adulthood.)

"Saku, time to get ready for school."

"Come downstairs and have some breakfast." A kind-faced woman stood by the bedroom door, her knuckles tapping gently against the wood. Her voice was soft and gentle, carrying the tolerance and patience unique to an elder.

"Got it, Aunt Ryo." Responding to her was a boy with a gentle countenance. The boy was named Miyama Saku, and his cheeklines were smooth, lacking any sharp, angular bones, exuding a certain warm softness. Though his long hair had not been trimmed in a long time, it was combed neatly enough not to look sloppy, with a few stray strands hanging over his forehead, adding a touch of lazy casualness.

Inside the room.

The boy stood before the full-length mirror, inspecting the attire on his body. A white shirt neatly fitted his physique, paired with a meticulously tied blue tie, covered by a well-tailored red suit jacket, while the lower half consisted of dark green suit trousers.

"Advanced Nurturing High School, hailed as the nation's top elite school with an employment and advancement rate close to one hundred percent—I really don't understand why Uncle insists on sending me there."

"I handed in blank papers for all subject exams and even skipped the interview, yet I still managed to get an admission qualification. This school is somewhat weird."

"Putting everything else aside, these dark green pants are truly too ugly; the school's aesthetic is really hard to compliment." He frowned slightly, his fingertips brushing gently over the slightly stiff fabric of the trouser legs, his tone carrying a trace of helpless self-mockery.

Miyama Saku let out a soft sigh, his mind stirring as he summoned the status panel obtained along with his rebirth into this world.

Lines of clear text floated across his vision.

[Name: Miyama Saku]

[Attributes/Stat Values]

(Each stat value requires self-training and development)

Strength: A
Agility: A+
Dexterity: A
Intelligence: A+
Endurance: A+
Constitution: A++ (Determines growth cap)

[Skills] (Only displaying actively acquired skills)

Chess (Advanced), Martial Arts (Advanced), Close Quarters Combat (Advanced), Painting (Advanced)...

I still need to continue training.

Miyama Saku thought to himself, his fingertips tapping unconsciously in the air, as if confirming the existence of those numerical values.

"Tie your hair up and come down for breakfast."

He turned and left the room, casually pulling the door shut behind him. The door lock emitted a slight click, exceptionally clear in the quiet hallway.

Miyama Saku walked slowly down the stairs, holding the banister as he reached the first-floor living room. Morning light poured in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting mottled light and shadow on the wooden floor.

In the living room, a family of three was already seated. The male host, Kisugi Kagami, looked scholarly and refined, a true corporate elite. Not yet forty, he already held the position of company president; although there might have been the backing of family forces behind it, being able to sit firmly in that position meant he was no ordinary person. At this moment, he was looking at his phone with a slightly furrowed brow, seemingly browsing the news or handling official business.

Sitting beside him was the hostess, Kisugi Ryo, the person who had just called Miyama Saku to wake up. She was a gentle and virtuous beauty, wearing simple and elegant home clothes, her hair coiled in a meticulous bun. She kept the household affairs in good order, allowing her husband to strive in his career without worries.

"Too slow, Saku."

"Were you a snail in your past life?"

The speaker was the Kisugi family's only daughter, Kisugi Sachi. She sported shoulder-length short hair and snow-white skin, looking at Miyama Saku with an expression of utter disgust. Her voice was crisp, carrying a touch of the coquettishness unique to a young girl.

As an only daughter showered with affection from all directions, Kisugi Sachi was born beautiful, and her well-developed, graceful figure was all the more eye-catching. Although she complained endlessly, Miyama Saku knew her true nature well and paid no mind to her sarcasm.

"Speaking of Sachi, aren't you usually still sleeping in at this hour?" Miyama Saku said as he pulled out a chair and sat down, casually picking up a toasted slice of bread to spread with jam. The sweet fragrance of the jam permeated the air.

"If Mom hadn't rushed me early in the morning, I wouldn't have bothered to get up."

"I certainly didn't rush Sachi, you know!" The woman beside them chimed in with a beaming smile, her eyes full of doting affection.

The girl instantly grew "flustered out of shame": "Mom, you can just watch from the side. I'm starving, I'm going to eat breakfast." With that, she buried her head in furious eating, ignoring anyone who spoke to her, while the tips of her ears quietly flushed red.

"Saku, your uncle said that the Advanced Nurturing you are about to attend is not as simple as you might think." Kisugi Ryo's tone carried a hint of concern.

Saying this, she glanced sideways at her husband beside her.

At this moment, the scholarly and refined middle-aged man had already put down his phone and was quietly watching this side. His gaze was steady, carrying the scrutiny and expectations of an elder.

"Saku, what do you think?"

"It's just a school, no need to worry excessively. No matter how special it is, it can't escape the category of a 'school'."

"That reminds me, I handed in completely blank written tests and even skipped the interview, yet I'm still able to enroll." Miyama Saku's tone was flat as he calmly spoke of events that seemed extremely bizarre to outsiders.

"Uh... How should I put it, Saku, you really are full of personality." Kisugi Kagami smiled helplessly and shook his head.

The girl, who had originally been burying her head in her meal, pushed her tableware aside, elegantly wiped her mouth with a napkin, and said, "You really are a weird person, Saku."

"Right back at you."

"I wasn't praising you, you freak."

"Didn't you say back then that you didn't want me to go to that school, and asked me to find a way to mess up the exam? You even said things like not wanting to be separated from me."

"It took you so long to come back, and the promise to accompany me out to play for a while hasn't been fulfilled yet—couldn't you have just scored a little worse on the test instead of handing in blank papers..."

The girl called Sachi turned her face away, muttering under her breath as her fingers unconsciously twisted the napkin.

"Besides, you really are a weird person."

"When I had my birthday as a child, you said you'd send me a flower that would never wither, and I was actually looking forward to it, only for you to send me a plastic flower!"

"It doesn't wither, does it? I see you still keep it now, and I thought you would've thrown it away."

"It's the first gift you ever gave me, after all, so there's no way I'd ever throw it away." The girl wore an expression of complete incomprehension, yet a flash of softness crossed her eyes.

"Putting that aside, the flower you gave me hasn't faded after all this time. Ordinary plastic flowers would discolor at least a little."

"Where did you buy it anyway?"

"That was so long ago, who can remember?"

"You were gone for three years, Saku, so why did you grow your hair out? You're so pretty, I'm even jealous of you." The girl resting her chin in her hands asked the question, her gaze lingering on his face.

"Isn't it inappropriate to use 'pretty' to describe a man? I grew my hair long because it fits the image of a 'master' in my mind—after all, I spent the past two and a half years becoming a Daoist priest and training."

"You don't look like one at all, plus you aren't growing a beard right now, so you look even more feminine instead."

"My looks are inherited from my parents, which I can't change, and besides, I am a dignified man."

"Speaking of which, uncle, why do you want me to enroll in that boarding school?" Miyama Saku looked toward the man nearby, hoping to get an answer.

"Simply because it's my alma mater, and I hope you can go take a look."

"It's getting late, it's time to set off for school. Even though there's a bus, it's bound to be crowded, so I've already instructed the driver to take you to school."

"Thank you for your kindness, uncle, then I'll be off."

Miyama Saku stood up and shouldered his backpack to get ready to leave, then suddenly remembering something as he looked at the girl still sitting in her seat, he said, "Come to think of it, I haven't given you a gift since returning to the country."

He reached into his backpack, pulled out a box of exquisitely packaged pens, and handed them to the girl.

"Here, a gift for you, a pen that never runs out of ink."

A silence enveloped the living room as the atmosphere suddenly turned awkward.

"If I'm not seeing things, this is just a pencil." Kisugi Sachi stared at the pen in his hand, the corners of her mouth twitching slightly.

"You're not seeing things, I specially brought it back from abroad."

"You really are messing with me, where would a pencil get ink from?"

Miyama Saku turned his face away, deliberately avoiding the girl's gnashing expression.

"If you don't want it, I'll take it back."

He deliberately made a motion to put the pen back into his backpack, his fingertips gently rubbing against the barrel.

"Hand it over." The girl reached out to demand the gift, a trace of reluctance in her eyes.

"There's really no helping you, I'll give it to you since you want it so much."

"You really are a bastard."

"Alright, I'm heading out."

"Have a safe trip."

"Hurry up and get going already."

Walking slowly to the door and opening it, the boy turned around as if remembering something and said to the aunt still in the living room, "It might be a bit late, but I'm very grateful that you accepted me."

With that, he bowed deeply toward the living room and then walked outward without looking back.

"Mom, are you alright?"

"You look like you're about to cry."

The woman nearby covered her mouth with her hand, trying to control her emotions as the rims of her eyes turned slightly red.

"I'm fine, I'm just a bit overwhelmed."

"Mom, you're having maternal instincts flare up again."

"After all, he's a child I raised myself."

"And Sachi, aren't you going to properly say goodbye to Saku? You won't be able to see each other for quite a long time after this."

"Mom, you're so annoying."

Miyama Saku sat in the Kisugi family's private car, gazing at the scenery outside the window. It had just rained moments before, a fine drizzle showering the earth while the air was filled with a moist, fresh scent mixed with the fragrance of earth and green grass.

Pedestrians on the road were of all sorts—some walked in a hurry to catch work, some strolled and chatted leisurely, while others carried shopping bags and were keen on consumption, occasionally catching sight of a few students wearing Advanced Nurturing High School uniforms just like him.

Observing closely, one could feel the joy, anxiety, anticipation, and fatigue flowing through the crowd.

Before he knew it, the car had driven to the starting station heading toward Advanced Nurturing. At this time of day, a portion of students wearing uniforms was already waiting for the bus. They might have been old acquaintances or new friends, talking to each other with relaxed and joyful expressions on their faces as their laughter drifted in the morning breeze.

Speaking of friends, whether in his past life or the present, it seemed there were very few people worthy of being called friends during his school years.

Some people believed that exchanging contact information meant being friends, but in his view, that wasn't the case. A friendship should be based on sincerity and frankness, existing as someone with whom one could share inner thoughts and secrets with each other.

Everyone's definition of a friend is different; you might think he is a friend, but he might not necessarily see it that way.

In fact, even if contact information is exchanged, you might not contact each other a few times all year, and most people become strangers after graduation.

He also didn't know if he would be able to make any true friends.

Miyama Saku thought to himself, his gaze drifting toward the streetscape gradually receding outside the window.