"Even though Wa-chan is a boy, why do you like looking at dolls?!"
"It's disgusting!"
"I really hate Wa-chan!"
...
*Ring! Ring!*
"...Huh?"
Hearing the annoyingly familiar sound of his alarm ringing beside him, Wakana Gojo's eyes slowly opened, waking him from his sleep.
He picked up the phone beside him and immediately turned the alarm off, staring at the time.
5:00 AM.
"Ugh..."
He took a deep breath and slowly got up from his bed, switching from a lying down position to a sitting one, facing towards the wall.
Wakana slowly stretched his hand towards his face and rubbed his eyelids to keep them from shutting again.
"I can't believe I dreamt of that situation again... has it been 5 years already?"
Thinking of what had happened between him and his childhood friend Non back then, Wakana could only laugh and shake his head.
After his parents had died in a car crash, Wakana Gojo was extremely devastated and fell deep into depression.
During that time, he refused to go out or interact with anyone.
It was only then that he had met the daughter of Aunt's neighbor, whom he'd been staying with after the death of his parents, Nobara Aoyagi, also known to him as Non-chan.
Over time, she had cheered him up and helped get him out of his initial reclusiveness, becoming his most precious friend at the time.
However, due to a certain circumstance, their relationship had gotten sour quickly.
With the intention of cheering him up, his grandfather, Kaoru Gojo, a Hina Doll Maker, brought him to his home and occupational space, Gojo Dolls.
And it had worked as intended.
As he laid his eyes on the Hina Dolls for the very first time, Wakana Gojo instantly fell in love.
However, it was not with the dolls themselves.
Instead, his gaze focused on their delicate clothing.
It was an explosion of texture and color.
The hina doll, in her jūni-hitoe, a style of formal court dress first worn in the Heian period by noble women, was cloaked in a flowing mountain of silk, layer upon layer of sleeves forming subtle, intentional gradients of color.
Pale green fading into bright yellow, accented by the stiff, metallic sheen of gold brocade.
Tiny, repeating patterns of paulownia crests and whispering bamboo leaves covered the fabric, a mesmerizing lesson in precision.
He saw the matte crimson of a simple outer robe set against the complex weave of a rich, patterned obi.
To him, these were not merely clothes; they were architectures of cloth, and Wakana felt an immediate, powerful longing to learn the secret language of every thread and fold.
He never knew clothing could be so beautiful before.
Because of this encounter, Wakana Gojo decided to move in with his grandfather and learn his craft, although it was mostly about the clothes themselves.
Unfortunately, this move had gained the ire of his friend Nobara, whom he had taken to his new home to visit, leading to the situation that had happened in his dream.
"Looking at dolls, huh?"
Wakana Gojo chuckled.
Looking back then, he was undeniably quite affected by the end of their friendship.
However, he was able to pick himself back up quickly and put his focus on a new goal.
At the time, he didn't have time to explain to her.
Non-chan, it's not about the dolls themselves.
It was all about their attire!
At the very first moment he laid his eyes upon them, Wakana's future dream appeared in front of him.
To create the best clothing.
A Fashion Designer!
...
"Haaa... Finally reached fifteen kilometers today in running distance. Not bad."
Having just finished his morning run, Wakana Gojo gasped lightly, stretching his arms and body to prevent stiffness.
As a changed person, Wakana took his health seriously ever since he lived with his grandfather and often went on runs early in the morning to exercise.
He also sometimes took his grandpa Kaoru out with him, intending for him to get some exercise and keep himself healthier while he still could move around.
Although his grandpa often complained about how too early it was, and the importance of getting good sleep.
With this being said, Kaoru Gojo still accompanied his grandson sometimes, fully knowing his intentions.
Wiping his sweat with a towel, Wakana looked at the glaring 6:23 AM on his watch and started to walk back home.
Today was a special day.
After arriving back home, Wakana immediately headed into the bathroom for a quick shower.
He sat in the bathtub filled with cold water, intending to soothe and heal his slightly aching muscles from his intense run.
"So good..."
He soon got up, revealing his well-toned body, and wiped himself dry and put on his clothes.
Wakana dried his hair and stared into his reflection in the mirror.
His hair was getting quite long, reaching below his eyes, and on the edges reaching below his nose.
However, this made him only his handsome face look more charming.
He had a sharp jawline, very well-toned due to his constant exercise over the years.
His gray eyes matched his features perfectly, and God even seemed to give him an extra feature that adds to his charm.
A beauty mark on the outer lower corner of his right eye.
In Japanese standards, there was a word used for him.
Ikemen!
And definitely a top tier amongst them too.
Brushing his hair back, Wakana only looked one more time and went out of the bathroom and headed into the kitchen.
He saw that the morning rays were starting to penetrate the curtains and smiled.
"Looks like grandpa will be up soon. I need to start making breakfast."
He grabbed an apron and tied it around himself, and then another white hairband to tie around his forehead, and put his hair up.
He opened the fridge and scanned the contents inside.
"Hmm... let's make a simple omurice for this morning."
He first reached for a carton of eggs, pulling out four.
Next came a handful of button mushrooms and a firm yellow onion.
A small, bright green bell pepper was quickly selected for a pop of color and freshness.
He then grabbed the bottle of ketchup and the butter stick from the dairy shelf.
A final scan confirmed he had the cooked white rice already portioned and chilled from the day before. Perfect for frying.
He quickly chopped the onion, mushrooms, and bell pepper into small, uniform dice.
Wakana added a splash of oil went into a wok, and he set the pan over medium-high heat.
Soon, he sautéed the vegetables until the onions were translucent and the mushrooms tender, then added the cold rice, breaking up any clumps with the back of his spoon.
After that, a generous pour of ketchup went in, followed by a dash of soy sauce; he tossed everything until the rice was evenly coated and piping hot.
The ketchup rice was spooned onto a plate, molded into an oval, and set aside.
Next, the star of the dish: the omelet.
He cracked the eggs into a bowl, whisked them vigorously with a pinch of salt and pepper, and heated a small, non-stick pan with a knob of butter until it melted and sizzled.
Pouring the egg mixture in, he let it set for a moment, then rapidly shook and swirled the pan while gently pushing the cooked edges toward the center, creating a soft, slightly liquid center.
With a confident flick of his wrist and a fold of the pan, he used a rubber spatula to carefully drape the beautifully golden, half-set omelet over the mound of ketchup rice.
He stood back for a moment, admiring the shape, then grabbed the ketchup bottle and drew a perfect, thick zig-zag across the top, finishing the classic dish.
And as if just on time, an old voice sounded from behind him.
"What's that delicious scent I smell?"
Wakana turned around and saw his grandpa, Kaoru Gojo, standing behind him with a smile.
"Good morning, grandpa. I made omurice for breakfast today."
Kaoru stood beside his grandson, who seemed to have surpassed his height by a margin already, and patted his back.
"Wakana, I'm definitely glad to have you here. Your cooking has been improving quickly and has even far surpassed this old man. I look forward to eating your dishes every day."
Wakana laughed.
"It's not that exaggerated, grandpa. It's just a simple omurice."
Hearing his own grandson being so modest, Kaoru snorted playfully.
"Nonsense, if your dream wasn't to become a fashion designer, then being a world-renowned chef would definitely not be out of reach for you."
His grandpa's praise made him feel a little embarrassed, prompting him to only give out a light laugh and scratch the back of his head.
"Well then, I'm guessing you're feeling quite hungry after your morning run. Let's quickly get breakfast ready. You have a big day ahead of you today."
Wakana nodded, and the two of them started to prepare the plates and utensils, setting them on the table.
"Itadakimasu."
Soon, the two of them were eating.
"It truly tastes like heaven... Whoever marries you in the future is definitely going to be lucky."
"As lucky as you when you married grandma?"
"Hahaha... you sly boy. But you're right, I really am blessed to marry a woman like your grandmother."
"Hahaha."
Both grandfather and grandson had a good time chatting while eating.
"I just remembered," Kaoru looked at his grandson. "How were the new designs you submitted? Any news?"
Wakana smiled.
"They loved it. In fact, it's being submitted by the Tokyo branch to their European headquarters."
Hearing this, Kaoru was immediately shocked.
"E-European headquarters..?"
Picking up and putting a spoonful of omurice into his mouth, Wakana slowly nodded.
"That's right. I estimate I'll probably receive around a million yen for the design," he continued. "It's not a bad price for a freelance designer like myself. I'm guessing they value my potential at this age."
Kaoru scratched his chin and looked at his seemingly calm grandson, who announced that he would most likely earn a million yen from one design at the age of 14.
"Seriously... I never thought you would reach this point so fast. I don't even know how much you've earned overall since you started two years ago. You've even used your earnings to expand our house."
Kaoru had never met a 14-year-old like his own grandson before.
Even if they could match his attitude, can another 14-year-old really match his grandson's earnings at this age without any type of pedigree involved?
Quite terrifying.
"27,465,800 Yen."
"Huh?"
"That's how much I've earned since I started submitting designs. Although more than half of it was used for expanding the house and fixing the shop."
Truly terrifying.
"Wakana…"
Hearing his name, he looked up from his plate. "Hmm?"
"Don't overwork yourself, alright? Leave some time for other things as well. Pick up a hobby or two."
Sensing his grandpa's concern, Wakana smiled.
"Don't worry, grandpa, thinking and drawing up designs isn't hard for me at all. I'm just paving the way for my future. As for getting a hobby… isn't this already considered one?"
Kaoru sighed.
"Work is not a hobby."
"Well… what about making Hina dolls in my spare time? Aren't I getting better at drawing their faces?"
"That's true…"
Kaoru slowly nodded.
Wakana reassured his grandpa even more.
"Don't worry, grandpa, I really do have it handled well. After all, this is my dream," he smiled.
"You've really matured quickly these past few years, Wakana. I'm sure your parents would be proud of you."
Wakana turned his head towards the small shrine on the corner of the house.
There, a photo of his mother, father, and grandmother was situated.
"I'm sure they are."