[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/qCPiD5t.png[/img][/center]
There was a saying that for one to eat healthily, they must eat thirty different ingredients every day. Before him, however, Kouki could count forty, and all of this was just for breakfast. His mother, eyes bagged from an early morning but face beaming with an excitement that he couldn’t show as easily, patted him on the shoulder, encouraging him to eat.

So he did. It wasn’t like he was against good food anyways. He drank the miso, chewed on natto, flaked apart mackerel, cracked open an egg, tried an assortment of pickled vegetables, cleansed his palate with rice, tried out some porridge, mixed his sprouts with mayonnaise, soy sauce, and wasabi. And that was a quarter of the table. His father had his own breakfast of coffee and the newspaper, sipping quietly, while his mother continued to motion for Kouki to eat. [b]“It’s your first day to high school, after all,”[/b] she beamed warmly. [b]“I made you extra for lunch too, so make sure to share with your classmates, ok? Especially the girl you’re interested in!”[/b]

Kouki hunched his shoulders, his ears burning. He covered his thoughts in savory pudding instead, before grunting vaguely. Probably was a mistake to tell the truth, but it was worse to lie. Or maybe he was already pretty bad just for joining a hero class without heroic aspirations? He chewed on stir-fried tofu skin and crunched on julienned carrots. If the clock was accurate, there was another fifteen minutes before he would be late. Not nearly enough to clear the table, not when his stomach already felt half way through popping out. He looked up at his mother again, who had moved on to washing the gratuitous amount of dishes that such a breakfast would demand. She hadn’t eaten either yet. That made him feel slightly better to not finish his meal.

Someone else, however, didn't want such a defeatist attitude so early.

[b]“C’mon and eat up, son.”[/b] His father, stubble-faced with a natural sneer, motioned. [b]“Gonna need plenty of stamina if you wanna be a hero, yeah?”[/b]

Kouki looked at him, shook his head.

[b]“Hey now, you can be a hero for just one special someone too, y’know?”[/b] The man drained his mug of coffee, before pushing away from the laden table and walking to his workplace, five meters away. [b]“And if you ever need any advice, I’m always willing to lend an ear.”[/b]

[color=ccddee]“Mhm.”[/color]

[b]“Of the romantic kind, of course. Can’t remember shit ‘bout high school sciences.”[/b] The man chortled, then plugged his headset in and began the hour-long process of replying to his e-mails.

[color=ccddee]“Nn.”[/color] Kouki continued to eat. Fifteen minutes passed, and he made it one-third of the way through the breakfast buffet. He had a good idea of what dinner was going to look like tonight, at least. The boy shrugged on his blazer, picked up his bag in one hand, and grabbed his lunch box with the other. The weight gave him pause; it looked like the amount one would pack for sports day. A whisper of a sigh seeped out from between his teeth. He could try at least. If others asked. They probably wouldn’t.

Sliding his chair back into the table, the gray-haired youth made off. He managed to open the door part way before he heard his mom speak up.

[b]“Kouki, what do you say when you leave?”[/b]

[color=ccddee]“See you.”[/color] A pause. He should be thankful for the food. He was a first year high school student now. He could try making a more mature effort. [color=ccddee]“Have a good day.”[/color]

[b]“You take care too,” she said, sliding over to give him a tight hug. “Make sure to take lotsa photos and show us later, ok?”[/b]

Better than having his parents show up like they had during middle school. Kouki nodded, then walked off. Down the apartment staircase, down three blocks, and there Matsubara High School was. Ten minutes away walking, a boring building that he had seen every day of his life here in this city. Other students filed into it, while salarymen headed the opposite direction, towards subways that would carry them into the business district, or perhaps an entirely different city. He slipped his headphones out of his bag, plugged them into his phone, put them over his ears, and continued walking to a [url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECkq2vCZb8A]remix.[/url]
 
The teacher manning the gates made a disapproving motion when Kouki passed by, but he couldn’t hear him, so he wasn’t going to stop for him either. Steps matching the beats of the song, he swapped his sneakers for slippers, strode into his classroom, nodded once at the teacher, beelined for a desk at the back, plopped his bag and lunchbox down on either side of him, as if erecting walls, and reclined on the chair.

It would be harder to see the board from the back of the class, but Kouki was willing to make the sacrifice this time around. He’d be able to see her from the back as well, after all.

The music continued to play, as the clock continued to tick down.