Chapter 1: Potato Chips

Chapter 1: potato chips

The smell of burnt toast and her brothers terrible coffee hit Mika’s nose before her eyes even cracked open. She groaned, rolling off her bed and landing with a thud on the wooden floor – exactly how she’d woken up every single morning for the past seventeen years. Except… something was off.

The walls of her room were wrong.

Instead of her usual pastel blue paint splattered with dried nail polish and band posters, the space around her was lined with sleek white panels that hummed softly. A glowing screen on the wall displayed text she’d never seen before: ACADEMY OF ENHANCED ABILITIES – DORMITORY BLOCK C, ROOM 317 – STUDENT: MIKA EVERLY.

“Okay,” Mika mumbled, pushing herself up and running a hand through her short, messy blonde hair. The strands stuck up at odd angles like she’d been electrocuted, which was par for the course. “Either Im still asleep, or Tais terrible writing has finally invaded my dreams.”

She’d spent the entire previous night reading her older brother’s latest unuploaded novel – The Infinite Reclaimer. Tai had begged her to be his beta reader, saying she had a “knack for spotting plot holes that make readers throw their phones across the room.” And he wasn’t wrong. The story was full of familiar tropes: an overpowered main character who died and came back to life over and over, a team of loyal allies, a modern world where mana flowed through everything and a system governed every ability imaginable.

The MC, Rin Voss, was supposed to be this terrifying, merciless force of nature – someone whod carved his way to the top by outsmarting and outfighting every enemy in his path. Tai had described him as “a predator in human form, with eyes that could freeze blood solid.”

Mika padded over to the mirror on the wall and stared at her reflection. Same green eyes that always looked like shed just gotten into trouble. Same smattering of freckles across her nose. Same unruly hair that refused to stay flat no matter how much product she used. The only difference was the uniform she was wearing: a cream-colored blazer with dark blue trim, a white collared shirt, and a matching bow tie that was already coming undone.

“Right,” she said to her reflection. “If this is Tais story, then I’m… wait, did he even write a character named Mika Everly?”

She wracked her brain, but all she could remember were the main players. Rin and his team of elites. The evil organization trying to control all mana in the world. A bunch of side characters who mostly existed to either cheer Rin on or get killed to advance the plot. She must be one of the latter – some nobody whod probably trip over her own feet and end up in the crossfire within the first few chapters.

“Nope,” she announced aloud, already making up her mind. “Not happening. Im staying as far away from the plot as possible. No heroics, no getting mixed up with powerful people, just… laying low and figuring out how to get back home.”

She grabbed the small bag shed found on the desk – inside were a few basic supplies, some mana crystals for emergencies, and a schedule that listed her first classes at the academy. Introduction to Mana Control at 8 AM, followed by History of Enhanced Humans at 9:30.

Mika headed out into the hallway, her loud footsteps echoing off the polished floors. The academy was even bigger then Tai had described – glass walls that let in natural light, students walking around with glowing hands or floating books, and the faint hum of mana resonating from every corner. Shed barely made it past the main lobby when her stomach rumbled loudly enough to make a nearby girl with pink hair glance over and giggle.

“Food first,” Mika decided, veering toward the cafeteria shed spotted on the map. “A girl cant avoid plot if she’s hangry.”

The cafeteria was chaos in the best way possible – students chatting and laughing, food stalls serving everything from mana-infused ramen to regular old sandwiches. Mika made a beeline for the snack section, her eyes lighting up when she saw a display of her favorite potato chips. She reached out to grab a bag, but just as her fingers touched the plastic, someone bumped into her from behind.

“Whoa – sorry!”

Mika stumbled forward, knocking an entire rack of chip bags to the floor. They scattered across the tile like orange and yellow confetti, and she winced as she turned to face the person whod crashed into her.

And there he was.

A guy around her age with soft dark hair that fell over his forehead, big brown eyes that looked genuinely horrified by what had just happened, and a face so cute it made her think of a lost puppy. He was wearing the same academy uniform, though his blazer was slightly too big on his shoulders, and he was already dropping to his knees to help pick up the mess.

“I am so, so sorry,” he repeated, his voice quiet and earnest. “I wasn’t looking where I was going – I was trying to find the juice section and I got distracted and –”

“Hey, hey, its fine,” Mika cut him off, dropping down beside him and gathering up as many bags as she could hold. Her hands were full in seconds, and she grinned at him. “Im clumsy enough on my own – you just gave me an excuse. Plus, now I know which chips are the sturdiest. These ones didn’t even break open.”

The guy blinked at her, his cheeks turning pink. He was holding a bag of chips that had survived the fall, and he carefully handed it to her. “I… I should buy you a new one. As an apology.”

“Nah, don’t worry about it.” But when she saw the guilty look on his face, she relented. “Okay, fine – one bag. But only if you let me buy you something too. Fairs fair.”

They stood up, and Mika led him over to the counter to pay. She chattered away the whole time – talking about how weird it was that the academy had her favorite chips, how she still hadn’t figured out where all the classrooms was, and how she was pretty sure shed already gotten lost three times that morning. The guy listened quietly, nodding along and occasionally smiling, his pink cheeks never quite fading.

“I’m Mika, by the way,” she said as they walked out of the cafeteria, each holding a fresh bag of chips. “Short for Mikaela, but nobody calls me that expect my grandma when she’s mad at me.”

“Rin,” he said softly, opening his bag and popping a chip into his mouth. “Rin Voss.”

Mika froze mid-bite.

The chip shed just put in her mouth felt like it had turned to sand. She stared at him – at his cute face, his gentle smile, his slightly messy hair – and

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