Just one room over, the smell of freshly toasted bread and eggs wafted into my nostrils. With a deep, heavy sigh I plopped onto the soft furniture nearby. There were blankets on it, as if someone had been sleeping there recently. A single pillow laid on the floor nearby, leaning against the wide recliner I was currently lazing on.
"Come and eat, Yoiya."
Drowsily lifting my head, I rolled off the couch and onto my feet. With Mia waiting at a small table, I took the seat across from her.
She clasped her hands together and closed her eyes. With a voice as soft as you'd imagine an angel's voice to be, she spoke.
"Thank you for the food."
I stared at her with that same old blank face. I guess looking devoid of expression was to be expected, considering where I came from.
With a short moment of hesitation, I, too, pressed my palms together and repeated her words.
"Thank you for the food."
Then, I proceeded to gaze intently at the food before me. Although I could identify this is the food that I was smelling earlier, it did not occur to me how I knew what it was this time.
~Perhaps it has something to do with that dream.
Casually, still lost in thought, I gently stabbed the egg with the rounded edge of the spoon. A gleaming yellow liquid began to seep out of it, drowning the whites and overwriting their essence of purity.
With a slight bend of my wrist, I broke off a piece and plopped it into my mouth.
My eyes were drawn to the kitchen, with all of the appliances: the fridge, the sink, the microwave, the blender, the stove, the oven.
"Something the matter, Yoiya?"
"Huh?" I quickly turned my attention back to the girl sitting across from me, the same girl who took me in just yesterday.
She tilted her head, confused by my vague response. Leaning over the table, her well-endowed chest bounced a bit as she placed her hand on my forehead.
"You seem okay." She spoke softly, sitting back down in her seat.
I gave her a small nod, attempting to assure her I was fine, as I continued to eat the breakfast she so graciously prepared.
"It's good." I uttered the words so softly so none could hear.
Mia smiled at me, as if to make my attempt to hide a pointless charade. She stood from her seat, and walked over to stand behind me. With a gentle touch, she placed her hands upon me; one on my shoulder, the other on my head.
In a whisper, she said the phrase so naturally with a calm, soothing tone.
"Thank you."
My eyes widened, a bit startled by her words to me. The genuinity of them struck a chord in me, though the feeling was still a mystery to me.
I could feel heat gathering in my cheeks and my lips formed a smile.
"Oh! Hey!"
I jumped from my seat, scared out of my wits. I quickly raised my hand to swipe the air, fully prepared to cast my magic.
Mia burst into laughter. "What the hell kind of reaction is that?" She held her stomach as she keeled over, her chuckles causing a single, concentrated uproar in the apartment. "Ah, I'm so sorry for yelling in your ear, Yoiya but—"
Her laughter continued for a solid few minutes. Staring at the clock on the microwave, I watched as a good three minutes passed.
"Ah… gee." Mia sighed in relief, having finally calmed from the storm of amusement she had experienced. "Anyways. Yoiya. I'm taking you to school!"
"Wha-" My mouth gaped open.
~What the hell is 'school'?
…
"Crap, crap, CRAP!" Mia panicked as she taped on the steering wheel. "We're going to be late. Well… I guess we're already late but we're gonna be later than the time I told them! Crap!"
There inside a strange transport device called a car, I sat in the back seat. Ignoring Mia's rising panic, I gazed blankly at the small white card in my hand.
"Yoiyami Yuruichi."
This card's purpose was to help identify me in this nation, or 'country' as Mia called it. Rather, I was to use it to assist others in verifying who I was.
Though, there were a few things on it that puzzled me.
For one, it read my age as twelve. But that was not of much concern to me. What did was—
"Yoiyami Yuruichi." I read the card out once more. "Yuruichi." I stared at Mia, who was still panicking about being late for something. "Isn't that your name?"
Mia, having heard my voice, immediately stopped panicking. Without turning her head to look back at me, she replied.
"Yeah. That's right. My name is Mia Yuruichi."
"So… why is my name the same?"
"Because, I decided to adopt you."
"Eh?"
I was confused; unsure what she meant by 'adopt'.
"I talked it over with my friends last night after you fell asleep. In the end, I decided to take you in, so I might as well give you my last name."
"Aren't you a bit young to be a mother?" I stared at her with doubt.
"A mother? Haha. No way!" She giggled. "Think of me more like… a big sister! Yeah! I'm your big sis, Mia! We're family now, so don't forget that, okay?"
~Sister, huh?
I stared up into the sky, thinking back to the last words I heard from my brother. Back to the primordials that always hung around me.
~A family, huh?
The car came to a sudden halt.
"Hey, Yoiya. We're here! With just enough time to spare too!" Mia let out a loud sigh. She was clearly relieved. "Now let's get this done with so I can go catch my classes as well."
"Huh?" I looked at her, dumbfounded.
"Grab that bag behind my seat and let's go, lil bro!"
She flashed a big smile at me, quickly opening the door and hopping out.
Still in a state of utter confusion, I followed her instructions and climbed out of the car as well.
Mia quickly grabbed my arm and started guiding me along the streets.
"Where are we going?"
"To your school. You're only 12. So you'll be in your freshman year of junior high."
"What?"
"Yep! You'll be transferring into this school tomorrow!" She exclaimed as we reached a large black gate.
The gate was wide open and beyond it, a wide walkway leading to a large building.
I blinked, still dumbfounded.
"You said tomorrow… Why are we here today?"
"B-because!" She stuttered. Her face suggested she just remembered something.
"Yeah…?" I raised my brow at her, almost glaring at her through my long white bangs.
"W-we're taking a tour!"
"Didn't you say you also had classes? I'm not sure what that means but it sounded important."
"U-uh. Yeah!"
"Uh-huh."
In the end… we went home— And I learned that Mia had forgotten what day of the week it was. It was apparently a Sunday and they don't hold classes on Sundays and Saturdays, also known as: The weekends.
…
"Ugh."
I groaned, flopping into bed.
A million thoughts ran through my head as I lied there, tired from the day.
Guess I haven't gotten used to how energy flows in this world quite yet… Damn… The mana field here is so limiting… It's… hard to access all my energ-
My eyes slowly shut, and I fell into a deep slumber.
Drip.
Splash.
The world around me was dark. A blackened sky, murky blue waters; only illuminated by a single glowing sphere in the sky.
"Oh. This place again, huh?"