Journey Through the Idolverse

I leaned closer, my gaze fixed on the Glimmerleaf Vine on my desk. It wasn't just my imagination; its vibrant green leaves seemed to shimmer with an inner light, more alive than any plant I'd ever seen. A subtle, refreshing coolness emanated from it, making the air around my desk feel incredibly clean and crisp, a stark contrast to the usual stuffiness of my room. I took a deeper breath, savoring the subtle, almost metallic scent that now infused the air. It was invigorating, like standing near a fresh waterfall after a long rain.

'This must be what they call Mana,' I mused, a strange thrill mixed with a lingering sense of unreality. The System had said my room's ambient mana had increased due to the vine's 'First Boost.' But even with this tangible change, I knew deep down that a mere 0.001% increase in ambient mana wouldn't magically grant me superpowers. It was like adding a single drop of water to an empty ocean. The System had also specified that this was an ambient improvement, not a direct enhancement to my own body's mana absorption capability. For that, I suspected, I needed a more personal, perhaps even an invasive, solution.

Just as the thought crystallized, a familiar chime echoed in my mind.

[DETECTING USER'S DESIRE TO INCREASE BODY MANA ABSORPTION CAPABILITY. PREPARING SOLUTION. DOES USER WISH TO HEAR SYSTEM'S PROPOSED SOLUTION?]

"Of course, yes!" I blurted out, my voice louder than I intended in the quiet room. My heart pounded with a mix of anticipation and trepidation. This was it. The direct path to my magic.

[NATSUIRO FAMILY BREATHING TECHNIQUE. SYSTEM SUGGESTS INQUIRING ABOUT THE NATSUIRO FAMILY'S BREATHING TECHNIQUE. OPTIMAL SOLUTION: ASK NATSUIRO FAMILY MEMBERS.]

I stared at the glowing text, a frown creasing my brow. "The Natsuiro Family Breathing Technique?" I muttered, processing the words. "Of course, that's exactly what I should do… but a breathing technique? Are my family secretly members of Murim? Or some ancient martial arts sect with hidden ki manipulation?" I shuddered, a vivid, slightly ridiculous image of my father in a martial arts robe, performing gravity-defying kicks, flashing through my mind. "Hopefully not… I really don't want to deal with any arrogant 'young masters' or intense training montages anytime soon." The thought of accidentally stumbling into a hidden world of martial arts rivalries was almost as daunting as the magic itself.

A different thought then occurred to me, something more practical. "Oh, System," I asked, "what exactly happens to this Glimmerleaf Vine when it reaches its final stage? What's the ultimate payoff for all this painstaking, pre-dawn watering?"

[GLIMMERLEAF VINE IS AN EXTREMELY GOOD MANA AMBIENCE REGULATOR. UPON REACHING ITS FINAL STAGE, THE MANA ACCUMULATED IN THE ROOM WILL INCREASE BY 100%, AND THE ABSORPTION RATE FOR THE AMBIENT MANA WILL INCREASE BY 50%. USER WILL ALSO GAIN A 0.01% INCREASE IN INDIVIDUAL MANA ABSORPTION CAPABILITY DAILY THROUGH PROXIMITY TO THE MATURED VINE.]

My eyes widened, and I nearly choked on my own spit. "What?! 100% ambient mana increase and 50% ambient absorption, plus a 0.01% daily personal absorption capability increase? That's… that's huge!" My programmer's mind immediately went into overdrive, calculating the exponential growth. If I could get this thing to its final stage, it would be a passive mana farm, slowly but surely turning me into a magic user! "System, is this plant rare? Like, ridiculously, impossibly rare?"

[INSUFFICIENT INFORMATION ON GLIMMERLEAF VINE RARITY. USER CAN INCREASE SYSTEM KNOWLEDGE ABOUT PLANTS BY READING RELEVANT BOOKS.]

"Ugh… do I have to read?" I groaned, leaning back in my chair. The thought of pouring over dusty botanical tomes filled me with dread. My specialty was code, not chlorophyll. "Fine… fine. I'll make time to go to the library later. Add it to the ever-growing list of 'things Rekka never thought he'd have to do.'"

Just then, my mother's voice, bright and utterly normal despite her magical inclinations, floated up from downstairs. "Rekka-chan~! Come for breakfast, dear! It's getting cold!"

"Yeah… I'm coming down!" I replied, quickly stashing my dropper and test tube, feeling a fresh wave of anxiety about facing my family now that my worldview had been fundamentally reshaped. It was one thing to deal with the System's cryptic messages in the privacy of my room; it was another to sit across from my parents, knowing they were walking, talking powerhouses of magic.

When I arrived in the dining room, the scene was disarmingly normal. My entire family was already seated at the large wooden table, the morning sun streaming through the window, illuminating plates of fluffy scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, and steaming miso soup. They were engaged in light chatter, a familiar murmur of everyday topics—Dad complaining good-naturedly about a tangled garden hose, Mom recounting a particularly amusing dream, Matsuri humming that same off-key cartoon jingle under her breath.

I slid into my seat, a silent observer in their seemingly ordinary world. My mind, however, was anything but ordinary. It buzzed with questions, specifically about the "Natsuiro Family Breathing Technique." I ate slowly, trying to appear casual, but my internal clock was ticking. I had to ask. This was my chance.

Taking a deep breath, I set down my chopsticks, feeling the gazes of my family turn toward me. "Um… Father," I began, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. "Does our family… have a special breathing technique? You know, like… for health or something?"

A sudden silence fell over the table. My mother, who had been about to spoon some rice, froze, her spoon hovering mid-air. Her eyes, usually full of gentle warmth, widened comically. "Ara~! Rekka-chan is interested in breathing techniques?" she exclaimed, her voice hitting a higher pitch than usual. "Oh, my! This is wonderful news, Papa-san!"

My father, who had been sipping his miso soup, nearly sprayed it across the table. He put down his bowl with a decisive clink and looked at me, his expression suddenly intensely serious. Then, just as abruptly, his eyes welled up with tears, glistening ridiculously in the morning light. "Rekka… my boy!" he choked out, pushing his chair back with a scrape and lunging across the table to pull me into a surprisingly strong, tearful embrace. "Finally! My son is interested in our family's martial arts techniques! Mama-san, we must celebrate this! This is a monumental day!"

I was trapped in his bear hug, a faint scent of old spice and garden dirt clinging to his pajamas. "But about the breathing technique…" I tried to muffle through his shoulder, my voice barely audible.

"We order sushi for dinner tonight!" My father, utterly oblivious to my attempts to get a clear answer, was already lost in his own celebratory euphoria, his voice booming. "The good stuff! From that new place by the station!"

My mother clapped her hands together, equally swept away. "Sushi alone isn't enough, Papa-san! We must order A6 wagyu beef too! And premium sake for us, of course!" Her eyes sparkled with a mischievous glee that made me wary.

"Um…" I tried again, feeling a vein throb in my forehead. This was not going as planned.

"Papa… Mama…" Matsuri finally cut them off, and for a fleeting second, a spark of hope ignited within me. Maybe she'd be the voice of reason. But then, she flashed me a wide, mischievous grin. "I agree with you both! This calls for a grand feast!"

'Oi!' I thought, my jaw dropping. 'I thought you were going to stop them! You were supposed to be the sensible one, Matsuri!' Before my family completely detached from reality and planned an entire week of celebratory feasts, I mustered all the volume I could and bellowed, "THAT'S ENOUGH!"

The abruptness of my shout cut through their joyous reverie. They stopped, blinking at me, their faces comically startled. But then, those ridiculously teary eyes, full of exaggerated puppy-dog sorrow, were directed at me. My father's lower lip trembled ever so slightly.

'No, no, no!' I chanted internally. 'I will not fall for those puppy eyes!' But resisting them was like trying to stop a tidal wave with a spoon. My resolve crumbled faster than a stale cookie. "Alright," I sighed, rubbing my temples. "Fine. We'll celebrate tonight."

"""YAY!""" they cheered in unison, their faces instantly brightening, the tears miraculously vanishing. It was like watching highly emotional, incredibly powerful children.

I could only let out a long, weary sigh, slumping back in my chair, utterly defeated by my family's boundless enthusiasm. My magical questions were still unanswered, buried under layers of celebratory food planning.

Just as I was contemplating a strategic retreat from the dining table, my gaze snagged on the old analog clock hanging on the kitchen wall. My eyes widened in alarm. "It's already this late!" I practically shrieked. "Nee-san! We're going to be late for school! Seriously late!"

"WHAT?!" Matsuri shrieked in surprise, finally snapping out of her food-induced daze. She scrambled to her feet, looking at the clock with genuine panic.

"Now… now~…" My mother's voice was calm, almost melodic, despite Matsuri's sudden frantic energy. She waved a dismissive hand. "For today, it's special, so~… Ey~!" Instantly, with a shimmering ripple in the air, a perfectly circular, intensely blue portal materialized next to the dining table, humming faintly. It spun gently, revealing a glimpse of what looked unmistakably like the school gates on the other side. "For today, you may use the portal to school." She smiled serenely, as if conjuring a portal to bypass traffic was the most mundane thing in the world.

A bead of cold sweat trickled down my forehead, despite the pleasant warmth of the room. I stared at the shimmering blue gateway, then at my nonchalant parents, then at Matsuri, who was already eagerly stepping through. 'Seriously?' I thought, a desperate, almost comical realization washing over me. 'I need to master magic quickly, or I'm going to feel like a complete muggle living in a wizard family forever.' The gap between their casual magical prowess and my utter lack thereof was a chasm I suddenly felt compelled to cross.