ALL NOVEL Chapter 1 - Chapter 1: Somehow I Know
0th Lap
Chapter 1: Somehow I Know
It was before winter break.
“Can’t be true…”
In the mid-term exams of my second year in high school, I stood frozen in front of the ranking board. Despite being an ordinary guy in every sense, my name somehow appeared at the top. It felt surreal.
“Hey, Alexi, you did it!”
Bruno slapped my back from behind. Surrounded by friends, I endured a mix of encouragement and teasing, from questions like, “Did you hide and study?” to “Sneaky move, you scoundrel,” and even jokes about today’s cafe tab being on me. Amidst the chaos, I couldn’t help but notice something odd about this exam. The difficulty level remained the same as before, yet I felt a sense of déjà vu, as if I had taken it once before. And this familiarity didn’t start with the exam.
Looking back to October 1st, our prestigious school, Reiryu Academy, commenced the new academic year. Fresh faces of junior high newcomers nervously entered the gate, while we, the seniors, guided them to the auditorium. My role was to attach ribbons to their chests after completing the registration.
“Congratulations on joining. Class B is in the middle…”
Pointing to the prepared seats, I suddenly “remembered” this scene. Yes, he went in the direction I pointed, but due to nervousness, he ended up avoiding people, bumped into a chair, and “fell.”
*Crash*
“Oops, sorry!”
I watched the scene in disbelief. Why did I “know” this would happen?
From then on, similar occurrences occasionally happened. A friend got injured in the swordsmanship class. A unexpectedly large magical beast appeared during the senior’s outdoor training. The school nurse and the history teacher announced their engagement. I felt the sensation of “knowing” multiple times and eventually started jotting down notes like, “Seems like something like this is about to happen soon.” And each time, my predictions came true. Of course, it applied to the exam content as well.
This could be called foresight. However, what I knew was limited to events around me and only a few years into the future. Nothing too useful, and telling anyone about it would likely result in disbelief.
“Why did you suddenly become the top student?”
“I don’t know, just following the mountain’s prediction.”
As expected, while settling the cafe bill, I sipped cocoa with my friends.
Splitting the cafe bill among us wasn’t unusual. This was Reiryu Academy, where children within the territory, upon reaching a certain age, attended the school. However, tuition fees were exempted only for junior high. Entering from elementary to high school was limited to a few affluent families. We happened to be the sons of those wealthy enough.
Leaving the academy, my role as the second son of a merchant would involve assisting my older brother. Friends pursued careers as officials or aimed to become guards. As we chatted and joked in the cafeteria, we lamented the remaining less than two years of our moratorium.
The next day marked the start of winter break. Since my family home was in the capital, the term “going home” meant a mere 30-minute walk. My parents praised me for the sudden improvement in grades, but my brother, training to inherit the family business, eyed me with suspicion. He wasn’t known for good behavior, and I served as a convenient punching bag. Pretending to be modest, I returned to my room. It seemed drawing attention with a sudden boost in grades wasn’t favorable. However, intentionally making mistakes when I knew the correct answers also felt like a dubious strategy.
From then on, relying on the knowledge of “somehow I know,” I led a safe school life. Troubles could be avoided if I knew about them in advance. Of course, I didn’t remember every detail, so things didn’t always go smoothly, and problems I thought I had avoided sometimes came in different forms.
After safely passing the third year, I joined my family’s merchant house. Using the sense of “knowing,” I smoothly handled my duties. It didn’t feel like my first time. I justified it by saying I had been watching work since I was little. Despite continued disapproval from my brother, I managed to get through each day, occasionally feigning ignorance.
What’s strange is that the events I “know” are about to run out. Since that day three years ago when the second year at Reiryu Academy started on October 1st, I had knowledge of how things would turn out until this autumn. For some reason, it stopped this year. I don’t know what will happen from now on, and this uncertainty is quite unsettling, even though it’s natural and inevitable.
I wonder what will happen after autumn. Could I possibly die? No, that’s unlikely. I’m probably overthinking it. Until I entered the second year of high school, I had no idea about the future. It’s okay, it’s okay. I reassured myself and immersed myself in my daily tasks.
And finally, that day arrived. When I woke up in the morning, I found myself in the school dormitory. October 1st, today marks the beginning of my second year in high school.