Chapter 1: Mikasa - A Gloomy Girl!
The sun slowly crept up, its light gradually spilling across the land and brightening the room. Warmth seeped into the covers.
Luke Nova, deep in sleep, was pulled awake by an odd sensation. He blinked his hazy eyes open, his mind slowly coming back online, like his very soul had been off on a trip and just snapped back into his body.
As awareness dawned, he figured out what was going on and let out a weak, soft sigh.
A moment passed.
"Sigh."
He pushed off the soft blanket piled entirely on his upper body and looked helplessly at Mikasa Ackerman standing beside his bed.
"Mikasa... can't you just wake me up normally?"
Mikasa wiped the corner of her mouth. Her long black hair was casually thrown over her shoulders, and her bright, clear eyes were fixed on him.
Yet, her pretty features seemed completely devoid of emotion. She utterly ignored his question.
"Breakfast is ready. You can get up and eat now."
"Changing the subject again." Luke didn't press further; he just needed to get dressed.
But the two just locked eyes, standing in silence, as if time itself had frozen.
"Could you step out for a sec? I need to change," Luke urged her.
Mikasa paid him no mind, simply standing her ground.
Her voice remained flat. "Helping the Master change is part of a maid's duties. Please don't push it away."
Luke was lost for words. He stood up and gave Mikasa a little push, trying to get her out of his room.
It was one last stand for his dignity.
But how could he, barely stronger than your average guy, possibly stand against the oh-so-delicate Mikasa?
"You're already tired enough from your usual work. Just leave little things like this to me."
Mikasa's expression remained calm as she spoke, her hands already moving.
She grabbed Luke's arms, effortlessly subduing her master, who'd foolishly overestimated himself and tried to be self-sufficient.
Mikasa executing the classic 'Gekokujou' – the lower overthrowing the upper!
His lack of strength forced him to accept defeat.
And so...
"Just cooperate, or we'll run out of time."
"Forget the clothes, but you don't need to change my underwear!"
"I've studied basic health. Boys your age need to change their underwear frequently."
"But not every single day!"
Luke's attempt to overthrow Mikasa's reign failed... spectacularly, again.
Luke panted, catching his breath, while looking at Mikasa, whose breathing was still perfectly even, looking relaxed and comfortable.
He couldn't wrap his head around it. He'd never skipped a workout, and his strength had definitely increased as he grew, so why did the gap between him and Mikasa feel like it was only getting wider?
After years of practice, Mikasa was incredibly skilled at this whole changing routine.
Even with his reluctant cooperation, she dressed him up in no time.
"I'll tidy the bed in a bit. You go wash up." Mikasa tugged at the hem of Luke's shirt, smoothing out the wrinkles.
Luke tugged at his collar and warned her, "Don't do anything weird with my underwear."
Mikasa just went back to work, neatly folding his pajamas and setting them aside before starting to straighten the sheets and fold the blanket.
Her silence spoke volumes.
Luke shook his head and walked into the bathroom.
He turned on the faucet. The splash-splash sound of running water was calming.
He scooped up a handful of cool water and splashed it onto his face.
The morning struggle with Mikasa had finally shaken the last bits of sleep from him.
After a quick wash with some face cleanser, he looked at himself in the mirror.
He'd been in this world for two years now.
Living in a world quite similar to his last wasn't something he could really complain about.
His foreign father and local mother had even left him a house and enough money to scrape by.
The family's long-standing reputation in the exorcism business meant he had a decent enough stream of clients.
With a solid income from his profession plus the money in his account, he wasn't living a life of luxury, but at least it kept him fed and clothed decent enough.
But starting out completely alone had been a bit much to handle for someone like him who'd never really had to fend for himself.
Luckily, the ever-reliable 'cheat' system had given him a "New World Starter Pack," letting him summon two maids: Annie Leonhart and Mikasa Ackerman.
According to the info, they were from an anime series called Attack on Titan.
He wasn't too familiar with it, but their arrival definitely spiced up his life and broke him out of his solitary existence.
The downside? Finances that were comfortable for one person suddenly became tight.
Thinking of this, he pulled up the system interface—
[Life Growth System]
[Name]: Luke
[Attributes]: Strength 12, Agility 12, Constitution 9, Spirit 15; (Average Human: 10)
[Household]: Maids: Mikasa Ackerman, Annie Leonhart
[Occupations]:
[Occupation 1]: Exorcist
[Occupation 2]: Student
[Occupation 3]: Transmigrator
[Items]: Exorcism Talismans, Exorcism Sword, Inconspicuous Glasses
[Missions]:
[Occupation Mission (Exorcist)]: Kick these ghosts' butts. Help others with supernatural problems: 8/10.
[Occupation Mission (Student)]: Study hard, improve daily – the duty of every student. Complete homework assignments: 37/50.
[Occupation Mission (Transmigrator)]: Change the life trajectory of world characters: 0/3.
[Life Mission]: The value of life lies in continuous self-improvement. Total attribute points exceed 50: 48/50.
—
He gently dried his face with a towel and walked out of the bathroom. He could brush his teeth after breakfast.
All the food was already laid out on the table.
"Resistance failed again?" Annie asked, lightly brushing a stray strand of blonde hair from her face as she rested her chin on her hand, looking at the boy.
"Sigh." Luke let out a helpless sigh. It was a long, tearful story.
"If this keeps up, I'm seriously going to be turned into a complete waste."
"It's fine. I have faith you won't let yourself go," Annie said.
"Don't overthink it. This is just that gloomy girl's way of trying her best, after all."
Gloomy girl?
Thinking about the intense, almost sulky expression Mikasa always wore whenever she saw him talking to other girls, Luke couldn't help but chuckle.
"Haha- cough. Let's eat, let's eat."
Mikasa happened to walked over to the table and looked at Annie, putting on the exact gloomy expression Annie had just described and Luke had imagined.
Annie calmly put down her bowl and chopsticks, completely unfazed by Mikasa's death glare.
She looked up at the black haired girl, thought for a second, and said, "We're out of eggs. Remember to pick some up from the supermarket after school."
"Mm," Mikasa replied faintly, pulling out a chair and sitting down.
This back-and-forth was part of their daily routine.
Even though they came from the same world and had lived together for a while, minor clashes often happened... on the surface, at least.
After all, their personalities and ways of handling things didn't exactly mesh well.
Luke quickly finished his meal.
Thanks to Mikasa's personal alarm clock service, he didn't have any more time to waste.
Being late for school wasn't a good habit. So, he wolfed down his food.
"I'm full." Luke put down his empty bowl.
He didn't bother with pleasantries as he left the table. Anyway, with their dedicated mission to spoil him rotten, they certainly weren't about to let him lift a finger for chores.
...
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