I woke up to the sound of my alarm clock softly exploding.
Okay—not literally exploding. Just screaming like it had opinions about me being late.
Which, fair.
I'd spent the night in Atheria judging a "Serenity Pose-Off" and forgot Earth still had Mondays.
I blinked up at my ceiling.
"Right… Earth Reika today. Normal girl. Uniform. Public transit. Math class."
I sighed. Time powers off. Hoodie on.
No summoning ducks. No magical contracts. No puppy soul-bonds.
Just school.
I walked into the kitchen where Dad was burning toast again. He grinned at me through a cloud of smoke.
"Morning, Rika. You look like you haven't slept in two worlds."
"Ha ha," I said flatly. "Also true."
Twenty minutes later, I was on the train, head against the window, staring at a poster for exam prep courses. Everyone else looked tired, bored, or asleep.
I almost missed the chaos.
Almost.
But it was kind of nice.
School itself was... fine.
Homeroom was uneventful. Except my teacher, Mr. Tanaka, looked suspiciously like a certain bard from Atheria if he wore glasses and hated teenagers.
Coincidence? Probably.
Then came P.E.—my greatest enemy.
We were doing relay races.
Important detail: I am not a runner.
Also important detail: my time-stop power triggers reflexively when I panic.
So when I tripped on the track, arms flailing, and saw the ground rushing up to kiss my face, I may have accidentally stopped time for 0.3 seconds.
When time resumed, I was suddenly standing perfectly upright, baton in hand, mid-sprint… five meters ahead of where I had fallen.
Everyone stared.
Someone clapped slowly.
Another whispered, "Did she just teleport?"
"No," I said too quickly. "I just… believe in momentum?"
Nobody bought it.
Back in the classroom, I sat with my head down while my friends poked me for answers.
"You moved like an anime character," said Aya.
"Do you secretly train?" said Kento.
"Are you a magical girl?" whispered Naomi, only half-joking.
I laughed nervously. "Of course not. I'm way too sleep-deprived to be magical."
But I could hear Kuro's voice in my head, sarcastically meowing:
"Yes. Very convincing."
After school, I went to the corner café, ordered a melon soda, and stared out the window like a brooding protagonist.
My watch buzzed.
Atheria Courier Message:
"Lady Reika! The Calm Goat has gone missing again. We need you and also a snack for morale!"
I sighed.
Just a normal day.
School. Soda. Secret double life.
And now, a missing goat.