"Time flies, doesn't it?" A girl said as the bell rang. Upon hearing the blaring chimes, the silence of the classroom was quickly replaced by the cheering crowd of students, the ruffling sheets of paper, and the clanging chairs being piled up.
Kyounaga Highschool, situated in the center between Chiyoda and Chuo as its name suggests - this was a prestigious school whose students are at the very least children of lawyers and doctors; one could even say getting into Kyounaga High was basically going into a renowned university early.
"No kidding! Summer break was so short!" Another student by her side responded as they packed their bags. "Man, I didn't even get to spend much time with my boyfriend."
Boyfriends! Unlike any other school in Japan, Kyounaga High is not against romantic relationships between students. In fact, many of the students in the disciplinary and student councils were in a relationship. There were, of course, guidelines to follow to "date responsibly" as proposed by the student council, but generally, holding hands was not a rare sight at Kyounaga Highschool.
As the first day of school concluded, a svelte figure gently walked out of her classroom and made her way towards the student council room when someone suddenly called her name.
"You're Kaminomiya-san, right?" A boy with long, chalk-white hair strolled up to her.
"Y-Yes, I'm Shouko Kaminomiya. Can I help you?" She timidly asked the boy.
"Ah... well, please go out with me," the boy said, his face expressionless. "Kaminomiya-san."
Shouko Kaminomiya, first-year student - a prodigy in music, had never gotten a test score below 95, participated in five different clubs, and on top of it all, she was elected as one of just five prefects in her three middle school years - a stunning beauty no one in the school wasn't familiar with.
Thus, this princess of a girl was confessed to. It wasn't out of the ordinary; in fact, she received love letters every other day in middle school. What shook her was that this boy standing in front of her had never spoken a single word to her - not even anyone in the class - and now, he was confessing to her.
That's right. Sumisaki Kei - an average boy with an average musical talent, an average amount of achievements, and an average average - had never gone a full term without missing at least 10 classes, and even in class he barely participated at all. He kept his hair sloppily long, but despite that, his looks were pretty decent.
However, there was another side to Sumisaki Kei only a select few know of: he was a renowned author under the name of Kyouka Sumi. He was signed under the biggest light novel publishing company worldwide, known for not only the vivacity of his stories but also his ability to write in practically any genre he desires, perfectly.
The traffic of students moving in the hallways did not disrupt the two silently staring at each other.
"Um... sorry, but I barely know you." Shouko broke the silence, shocked at the sudden confession. "I mean, I do know who you are, Sumisaki-kun, but you've never even spoken up in class."
"I see. Sorry for bothering you." Kei simply nodded and walked away, leaving a puzzled and flustered Shouko in the middle of the crowded hallway.
"How does a confession work? Mm…" Kei pinched his chin as walked down the streets to his apartment, an elegant gilded pen in his hand.
This pen, seemingly nothing more than just an expensive pen, was actually a special pen given to every generation of Sumisakis, capable of a terrifying power - omnicreation.
During the Edo period of ancient Japan, a dictatorial emperor forced his scribe to write out his tyrannical laws. Wanting the best for his country, The Scribe refused to concede to The Tyrant and tried to persuade him to rethink his laws - much to The Tyrant's dismay. Furious at The Scribe's disobedience, The Tyrant slit The Scribe's wrist and left him in a prison to die over time. Inside his cell, The Scribe used his last bit of strength to take out his pen and write out his dying wishes for the country - a place without tyranny, without war, and without famine - using the blood from his wounded wrist as the ink.
Having heard his sincerity, the God of Creation granted The Scribe's wishes. The Tyrant abruptly died and was replaced by a benevolent leader, who kept the country peaceful for as long as he lived; the dry, barren land was blessed with decades of prosperity. As well, The Scribe's blood became a powerful catalyst for creation, and anything he wrote with it would turn real; this power was inherited for centuries down the Sumisaki family.
Now, recall that Sumisaki Kei could write in practically any genre he desires. There was, however, one exception: romantic comedy, commonly known as rom-com. Successful as he was, Sumisaki Kei frequently received the same question from his readers: why doesn't any of his books touch on the topic of love.
The reason was simple. The Sumisaki pen allowed him to visualize anything he writes - an entire fantasy world, spaceships and mechas, horrifying monsters - as long as he understood them. Romance was the only concept he never understood.
Before he wrote anything, Kei would create a pocket world of the story setting and experience his own stories himself. Hands-on was Kei's preferred way of learning. And now, he was going to experience love himself.
And so began Sumisaki Kei's conquest to understand love.