Jazz was Deebt's younger brother, born just a few minutes after him.
They were twins, identical faces, one with black eyes and the other with hazel, one with brown hair and the other with black, but they had different personalities.
"Okay, I'm coming." Jazz closed his bedroom door and went downstairs with Deebt.
Jazz looked at Deebt with a hint of surprise, he sensed something different about him.
"Bro, is something wrong?" Jazz asked, his voice calm and clear.
"Yeah, Jazz, but after we eat dinner, we'll talk in my room or yours." Deebt said, his eyes distant.
"Alright, as you wish." Jazz went down the stairs and headed to the living room.
Jazz was entertaining, he quickly began chatting in an engaging way with his parents, making them laugh and smile from the bottom of their hearts.
Deebt looked at the scene, picked up his fork, and ate quietly.
He couldn't join in, it wasn't his habit.
He rarely spoke much or smiled much, his family understood his nature and respected him for it.
Watching his brother laugh and enjoy himself didn't make him feel left out, on the contrary, he was happy, because it was his brother who was bringing joy to the family.
'It really feels strange to be eating with you while I feel like I've been away from you for so long.' Deebt thought quietly.
"Mom, I'd like some soup." Deebt asked his mother.
"Okay, I'll pour you some… here you go." Deebt's mother placed the bowl of soup in front of him, she was smiling and seemed to be enjoying herself.
'Even though I don't laugh like my brother, it's good that my family has always treated me fairly, they're good parents.' Deebt smiled quietly, he was enjoying this thought.
"Deebt, are you smiling? That's rare for you." Jazz smiled and nodded at Deebt.
"Yes, Deebt, Jazz is right, that's rare for you." His mother smiled brightly as she emphasized this point.
"Well, smiling while eating such a delicious meal and sharing beautiful moments with my family, wouldn't that make me smile?" Deebt's words surprised them.
Even his father looked at him in shock.
"I can't believe you're saying things like that, I didn't know you thought that way. Good for you, son." said Deebt's father with a satisfied smile on his face.
"Hahaha, yeah, I do think that way." Deebt said, then got up from his seat and headed upstairs.
"I think he's a little shy." she remarked contentedly.
"I think so too, Mom." Jazz smiled and agreed with his mother's statement.
…
After dinner, Jazz went upstairs, heading first to Deebt's room and knocking on the door.
"Deebt, I'm here."
Deebt opened the door.
"Come in. Jazz, you can come in."
Deebt's room was a bit messy, with some clothes in the corners and schoolbooks and comic books scattered everywhere.
Jazz looked at all the mess and shook his head, even though Deebt was the older brother, he was truly messy.
Jazz sat down in the chair at Deebt's desk, while Deebt sat on his bed.
"So, what's up, bro?" Jazz asked.
"I want to ask you about the major you chose. I've been thinking about changing my own major." Deebt said, as a look of shock crossed Jazz's face.
"What? You've decided to change your major? That's really great. At first, you were so set on that nonsense about becoming a government employee. You wanted to stay away from fighting and live a normal life. What changed your mind, bro? Is it Milly? Because she chose the Free major?" Jazz spoke passionately, pouring out his heart.
Now it was Deebt's turn to be shocked.
"Wh…what are you saying? It's true that I initially chose to be a government employee, but changing my mind now doesn't mean it's because of that annoying girl." Deebt made an important point.
"Annoying? That's unusual for you, brother. Don't you love her?" Jazz asked curiously.
"No, love is a waste of time. I realized that today, I'd rather just focus on my own life." Deebt said sarcastically.
"Well, that's great of you. So, what kind of help do you need from me?" Jazz looked at his brother and got to the point.
"Brother, I want you to teach me how to fight. I know you're good at it since you decided to join Sunsite after graduation, so there's no one else who can help me with this."
"Alright, I'll help you, but you have to learn to wake up early first."
"Don't worry about that, I can handle it."
"Well, we'll see. I'll let you know when we start later." With that, Jazz left the room.
Deebt didn't move from his spot, he'd just been thinking about his brother.
Jazz had always wanted to join the Sunset, so my parents gave him all the help they could.
While Deebt decided to become a government employee, they helped him too, but in one way or another, Jazz's ambition was greater than his.
Because he was ambitious, whereas Deebt's desire to be a civil servant was an escape from conflict.
"What if I'm a coward? That'll let me live longer. That is, if I make it past forty three." Deebt smiled as he spoke to himself, then lay down on his bed and fell into a deep sleep.
…
Early in the morning, Deebt and Jazz's mother woke up, prepared breakfast, and woke her husband and two children to enjoy a hearty, warm meal.
7:30 a.m.
Everyone sat down at the breakfast table and enjoyed their meal.
After finishing, Deebt went to his room to put on his school uniform, he didn't wear any of his four necklaces.
Then he hurried down the stairs, Jazz was at the door waiting for him so they could go together.
They attended the same high school.
As they walked out, neither of them spoke for a while, then Jazz broke the silence.
"So, bro, are you still set on your decision to switch majors and learn to fight?" Jazz asked calmly.
"Yes, I'm switching majors today. As for learning to fight, let's get started as soon as possible. You can plan it however you like." Deebt's tone was firm.
"All right then, I'll do my best." Jazz smiled sincerely.
"Deebt, Jazz, wait for me."
A girl was shouting from behind, about 15 meters away from them.
"Oh, Milly, hurry up so we don't get late." Jazz called out to her loudly.
"Okay, just wait for me."
Jazz stopped, but Deebt didn't stop until Jazz tapped him on the shoulder.
"Wait, bro. Didn't you hear her calling our names?" Jazz gave him a threatening look.
"So what?" Deebt pointed out the important part.
"I'll make things right between you two, bro. Don't worry."
"Ugh, man, I told you I'm not interested. Love is really just nonsense." said Deebt right in front of Milly, who had just walked up to them.
He didn't bother looking her way and continued on his own.
'Stupid hassle. I don't know what happened to my future self that he feels so annoyed at the sight of Milly, but he's right. When I look at it logically, there's no point in my love for her, it's just vague feelings.' Deebt thought as he strode forward.
Meanwhile, Jazz and Milly were left behind in a state of shock.
"Milly, did something happen between you two?" Jazz asked.
"No, but now that you mention it, I felt yesterday that he was different, and today I'm sure of it." Milly said in a tone tinged with annoyance at what she'd heard from Deebt.
"Yesterday? Now that you mention it, he really was different, he's decided to change his major." Jazz smiled as he said this.
"Whaaaat? Whyyy? Didn't he want to be a government employee?" Milly's eyes widened in disbelief.
Deebt had always mentioned that he would become a government official and live a quiet life away from monsters and fighting.
"Yes, he's changing his major today. At first, I thought it was because of you that he decided to change direction. But it doesn't seem that way to me, I think he chose his own path."
Milly looked at Deebt, who was walking away alone. She knew he loved her, but he had always been a man of few words.
Although he used to talk to her happily and smile, now he doesn't seem to care about her at all.
For some reason, this bothered Milly.
Jazz looked at her as she gazed at Deebt.
"Are you upset that he doesn't care about you?" Jazz smiled lightly.
"Huh? No, why would I think about him?" Milly replied quickly.
'Jazz, that jerk. I don't know how he does it, he always reads people's expressions and thoughts. His analytical skills scare me.' Milly thought as she looked away from Deebt.
…
Deebt arrived at his classroom.
As soon as he entered, he put his bag in its place, then left.
Milly entered after him and sat down in her seat, she was next to Deebt.
Jazz wasn't in the same row as them.
She looked around and couldn't find Deebt, only his bag was there.
'Is he really going to change his major? What happened to him?' Milly thought.
…
Deebt went straight to the principal's office.
He wanted to explain his request to him first, since the principal had the final say in changing his major.
After all, there were only three months left until graduation, and the major had been chosen at the beginning of the year, so any change now required the principal's intervention.
Deebt arrived at the principal's office.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Come in."
Deebt opened the door and entered.
"Hello, Principal. I have a request."
"Hello, Deebt. Sit down first, then tell me your request." The principal gestured to the chair in front of Deebt.
Deebt sat down and, without delay, dropped the bomb.
"I want to change my government major to a free major." His voice was steady, confident, and calm.
"You want what? Didn't you say that being a government employee was best?" The principal was surprised by what Deebt said, as far as he knew, this might be the only student who wanted to be an employee, given his talent as a conqueror.
"I regret my choice, I was reckless, so I want you to help me change my major." Deebt's deep, confident tone left the principal in awe.
"Alright, kid, I get it. Fine, I'll help you. I'll change your major to a Free major, but tell me where you want to go? Sunrise or Sunset? With your talent, it won't make any difference to you." The principal spoke, pointing out the key points.
"I want to go to Sunrise."
"Alright, I'll do my best. I'll let you know when your major is changed. You may go." The principal spoke in a decisive yet calm tone.
"Alright, thank you." Deebt left immediately.
"What a boy, he almost wasted that talent of his. I don't know why he changed his major, but it's good for him."
…
Deebt entered the classroom again, it was history class.
Class hadn't started yet, but all the students were present.
Deebt went to his seat and sat down quietly.
Milly looked at him, but she didn't speak to him.
Five minutes later, the teacher in charge of the class entered.
After placing his things on his desk, he began calling out names to take attendance.
"Mile Khavia."
"Present."
"Sam Lucas."
"Present."
…
…
"Present."
"Deebt Jacks."
"Present."
"Milly Hamilton."
"Present."
…
The teacher quickly finished calling all the names and then began explaining his lesson, today's topic was "The System."
"As you all know, the System emerged about 200 years ago and has remained with us to this day. It has helped us understand and accurately identify our statuses and information, and it has also helped us understand the monsters and their levels."
"It was even the reason we came to understand the Gates of the Horizon."
"No one knows where the System came from or how it began, but it was a help to us humans. Without it, we would never have reclaimed Africa and Asia. After all, those two continents were crucial to humanity's survival in the early days of the Horizon Gates' descent and the monsters' devouring of the world."
The professor explained in a clear and understandable way, no one interrupted him the entire time.
They listened intently to the information about ancient history.
After all, the system was unknown to them, and although humans fear the unknown, it piqued their curiosity.
...