The Sweet Morning
The gentle rays of sunlight reached my window. Outside, a multitude of sounds could be distinguished — the characteristic noise of cars, the barking of dogs, and children playing.
I felt a shake on my bed along with a childlike voice.
"Big brother!"
"Hey, big brother!"
"Razzi, Razzi, Razzi!"
"Alright, alright, I'm awake," I muttered. Sitting on my legs was a little girl with chestnut hair and brown eyes, a wide smile stretched across her impossibly adorable face.
"What is it, Élise? It's still early." I didn't even want to catch my reflection in the mirror — I was sure I'd find a dreadful sight staring back.
"Come on, Mama's calling us for breakfast!"
"Okay," I said with a smile, lifting her into my arms and carrying her with me to the kitchen. She was so unbearably cute — if being adorable could kill, she would have wiped out half of humanity.
I walked into the kitchen and found the table already lively. Ed and Adèle were there, along with Thioller and Myren. I pulled out a chair, settled in, and set Élise on my lap.
Thioller — recognizable by his characteristic red hair and red eyes — was locked in a fierce dispute with his neighbor over the last biscuit.
Myren, with his orange hair and brown eyes, was matching him blow for blow in what could only be described as an epic battle for that final treat — until Adèle stepped in.
"Thioller, Myren — stop playing with the food!" They froze instantly. Thioller was six, Myren five. One year doesn't sound like much, but at that age it can make all the difference, especially during a growth spurt. So naturally, Thioller had the upper hand on the last biscuit.
He was just about to devour it when Myren burst into tears. "Mama, Thioller is being mean!" Adèle didn't miss a beat. "Thioller, share that biscuit with your brother, or you'll have no afternoon snack."
Thioller paused mid-bite, weighed his options, and reluctantly broke the biscuit in two. It was genuinely amusing to witness all of this so early in the morning. On my end, I was busy feeding Élise — she had just turned two, still a little too young to manage on her own.
"Mmmm," Élise hummed happily, savoring the last few bites of her birthday cake. Her party had only been three days ago.
"Ed," I said, looking across the table at him. He glanced up.
"Yeah, Raz?"
"Want to train after breakfast? Unlike you, I have so many gaps to fill that I'm genuinely at risk of finishing last at the exam."
"Ha, don't worry about it," he said, leaning back with a grin. "I'm sure you'll manage — but yeah, there's a lot of ground to cover. You really let your training slip."
"Fair enough. I never planned on taking part in the first place," I replied, glancing over at Adèle to my left. She turned to meet my gaze, a warm smile spreading across her face.
"I'm sure you'll earn a good ranking at the exam if you train seriously," she said. "Even with only two days left."
Then her expression shifted — a mischievous glint lighting up her eyes. "Besides, it'll be full of people your age.
You'll make friends, have fun..." She let the pause linger just long enough. "And who knows — maybe the two of you will even make quite the impression on the girls."
I stared at her with the most sheepish look I could manage. Ed did the same.