World Isekai

It was Christmas.

Nothing special, really.

A day like any other, where people exchange gift, while light snow silently fell outside.

The world came to a stop.

The streets were empty, everyone staying inside with their family, sharing what would become fond memories.

No loud construction sounds echoed through the skyscrapers. No excessive honking made its way up, nor did any general 'living' noises.

It was calm, quiet and relaxing.

Everything was closed anyways, so most people out just headed toward their friends and families.

Every company had a minimum of days off to distribute to employees. DiveCore was no different.

Mori was able to spend another Christmas with his mother.

When he woke up, it was complete silence.

No noise pollution at all, the difference was day and night.

All he could hear were quiet 'ping' sounds coming from the living room, with violent button mashing.

He sat upright in his bed, tossing the red blankets aside as he yawned, stretching.

His room was a mess.

His desk had an amount of dishes that shouldn't be allowed. His clothes paved the ground, while most drawers had piles of useless things on them.

It was messy, but that was the only time he truly let himself be.

Christmas days was the only time he allowed himself not to do anything. Even if he tried, his mother was actually the one to stop him.

She would come in his room, and talk real loud about how it was not the time to be productive, that it was some of the only days we could take for ourselves.

At first he was barely able to listen to that rule.

If he didn't do homework or projects during Christmas, his note would suffer from it. Sneaking his homework through the days off he had was impossible, so he created a perfected process to make it through.

While the process itself wasn't really something new, he played it as something new. A sort of challenge.

It was procrastination.

How fast could he do it, at the last possible minute before he needed to turn them in?

While it was in its summary really just procrastinating, to him it was a challenge. That one time in the year he's pushing the boundaries. How far can he go if he went 100% into something.

Well, his procrastination technique still had a few days before coming in effect, so letting his room go toward chaos was no big deal for now.

He slowly got up, his feet touching the cold floor, somehow dodging the clothes that tried to hide it.

Winter was cold, obviously, but with how life made cold a trivial problem, it was easily forgotten.

The only reason he could even feel some of it was his mother's approach.

Winter was her favorite season, but cold is something she especially appreciated.

Her reasoning to not turning on the heat on the floor, or the heaters in the rooms, or buying those heat lamps or anything of that sort was a concept she applied to a lot of things.

To truly enjoy something, you need to experience its opposite.

She wasn't wrong.

That feeling of rolling into the blankets, sitting in front of the television in the living room with hot beverages while eating sweets, wouldn't feel the same in summer days.

So, he walked through his room to reach his wardrobe, every step reminding him how cold it was outside.

The first thing he put on was socks, then it was his hoodie and sweatpants.

They didn't match in color, but it didn't matter as he had no plan to leave the house, anyway.

The state of his room was truly bothersome, however.

After all, just a little won't hurt.

He went next to his bed, where a red empty basket lied on the floor.

He rolled it in the middle of the room, and started picking up his clothes, but like a bloodhound his mother quickly appeared in the doorway.

"Wow. So you think I wouldn't realize your treacherous actions?" she said.

"Treacherous actions? Cleaning my rooms?"

"The signed treaties were clear, and this is a breach of the dynasty's traditions. A mockery of our negotiations."

"Negotiations? You said, and I quote, 'Don't you dare do it'. How is that negotiations? If anything, that's tyranny."

"Hah! Insubordination so early in the morning... tsk. tsk. Rebellious phase it is..."

"If anything, refusing that I clean my room is more rebellious."

"Enough of your uprising against authority, how about some co-op game?" she asked.

He sighed, but nodded.

"Good. The council approves. Be quick, we need to use that rebellious energy," she said while leaving.

She closed the door on her way out, while he looked around for wherever he left his bath towel, which, surprisingly, was exactly where it should've been.

He took it, and headed toward the bathroom.

A hot shower in a cold room was truly a great feeling. He truly looked forward that moment everyday, yet the problem always lied in how leaving the shower for the cold room wasn't as great.

The only strategy to beat this problem was to fill the room with hot steam, after an extremely long time spent under hot water.

Once he was done, and visibility had considerably decreased, he got out and dressed himself again, rejoining the cold hallway.

Right before he reached the living room, he found his slippers on the ground, quickly wearing them as he looked around.

"What are we eating?" he asked, as he found his mother on the couch.

"Eh, maybe you make something this time."

"What? ehh, I don't know..."

"I can't pause this game, you know it..."

"I've been cooking-"

"These past mornings, and I've prepared everything else forever. I think if you want to do a balance patch, it won't go in your favor."

"Okay! Okay, I'll make something. Geez."

He wouldn't fuck around and find out.

Surprisingly, she was consistent. If for him to realize how lucky he was required being the opposite, she would do it. She would show him how unlucky things can be.

He wasn't looking forward to cooking every meal, so it was a small price to pay.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"Huh?"

She wasn't paying attention. Her eyes were stuck on the phone she was holding.

A lot of messages were clearly popping out of a message exchange app.

They rapidly succeeded each-other, she barely had time to send one.

He couldn't see what they were about, but it must've been important.

"Work?" he asked.

"...Yeah."

Not that it mattered. She looked concerned, but it wasn't the first time.

"Is everything fine?" he asked.

"Yeah, yeah," she absently said.

"Good talk..." he said, walking away.

He knew, wherever he would work wouldn't be as stressful as DiveCore.

The amount of times he saw that look on her face was extenuating. Stress came with the job, she said. A lot of money went into everything they did, so people tend to be intense there.

She used to say she enjoyed it there, but now that he thought about it, it had been a while since she last stated that.

He walked into the kitchen, looking around the available ingredients trying to figure out what it is he would do.

There wasn't that many thing he knew how to cook, despite his occasional cooking mandate.

His mother helped him a few times, stating his 'cooking level' was too low. Well, it still was apparently.

"What do you think of pancakes?" he yelled across the room.

"Sounds good," she replied right behind him.

"Fuck!"

Mori jumped, while his mother laughed at his scared face.

"Alright, frightened child, I have some things to do, turns out. Just a quick run at the office to drop some files, I'll be back in time for those pancakes so make the good kind with, like, uh... everything."

"Aren't you on Christmas break?"

"Officially, yes, but some things just can't wait, apparently," she said while waving a flash drive.
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"Alright, take your time. You'll experience that balance, coming back from the cold outside."

"Oh yeah. Make hot chocolate, better be ready when I'm back."

"Yes yes, just go."

She took her winter jacket, quickly shoving the drive into her pocket, zipping it and heading out.

Her offices were actually extremely close.

She worked at DiveCore for so long, they offered her that place at a great price so she wouldn't have to go such a long way to get to work.

They were all about efficiency. Quickly, however, she realized it wasn't so much to help her out, but more to help them out.

Being so close to work meant they could call anytime, saying 'It'll be quick, you live right next door, just come in 30 minutes and go back'.

What could she reply? They knew where she lived, and her refusing usually meant a bad time for whoever on her team that stayed behind.

While management burned in hell for all she cared, her team was precious to her. They all made the games possible, and she'd never let them down.

Being a lead meant taking that bullet sometimes.

"Alright. Pancakes..." said Mori to himself.

He looked around for flour, milk, and eggs.

Quickly, from those three ingredients, he expended on the recipe.

He added quite a few things. If it 'felt' good, then in the bowl it went, from vanilla extract to cocoa powder.

If his mother said anything, he was ready to use the 'I'm an alchemist testing recipes' card. What could she reply to that, if he used her own spells against her?