The Otaku's Odyssey: Reincarnated with a Grand System

After hours of brutal, soul-crushing "training" at the hands of Orion Ethera—Archon-tier sadist and proud father—Astrid lay sprawled on the muddy ground. His face was blank, eyes glazed over, staring at the glowing ceiling of the magic barrier above.

He looked like a soldier who'd survived twenty wars and regretted every second.

'Four hours of this crap,' he groaned internally. 'I took a shower, like, just moments ago. This outfit was brand new, dammit.'

His shirt was torn at the sleeves, his pants stained in every possible way, and dirt clung to his hair like he'd wrestled the planet itself. Spoiler: he kind of had.

Off in the distance, his loving father was still going strong—training solo now, thank the gods. With every casual swing of the wooden sword, Orion ripped apart the earth like it owed him money. Astrid could only watch in silence, flinching every time the ground shook.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps broke the rhythm of destruction. Astrid sat up with a groan, his body aching in ways no ten-year-old's body should.

A servant came into view, panting like he'd just run across half the continent. "Y-Young master! The Mistress sent me. That young lady, Sienna… she's arrived."

Astrid's eyes lit up instantly. "Wait—Sienna? She's here?!"

Without waiting another second, he turned to the servant, lowered his voice and whispered, "Follow me. Quietly. If my dad sees me—I'm dead."

Before the poor man could respond, Astrid bolted like a man possessed.

The servant blinked. "I... I just got here…"

He sighed in defeat and turned to chase after the boy—only to freeze as a shadow loomed over him.

A wooden sword slammed into the ground in front of him, shattering it into pieces.

"And where the hell do you think you're going?" Orion's voice echoed like the grim reaper's ringtone.

The servant paled.

Back on the other end of the field, Astrid cackled.

'Sorry, bro. You were a good man. But sacrifices must be made for love!'

He raced through the open field, his body aching but adrenaline-fueled. Even the fastest cars on Earth would've struggled to keep up. His ten-year-old body zipped past trees and gates, a blue-haired blur on a mission.

And finally, he reached the front door of the mansion.

He flung the door open with zero hesitation.

Inside, sitting elegantly on the living room couch, was a tall, stunning woman with pure white hair and a mature aura of nobility and warmth. Beside her sat a girl, the spitting image of her—except smaller, younger, and cuter. Her presence instantly brightened the room.

Across from them sat Lia Ethera, Astrid's mother, her warm smile widening at her son's sudden entrance. "Ah, Astrid! You're back. Did your father go easy on you today?"

Astrid gave her a tight smile. 'If only she knew I've been the main course on a one-man beatdown buffet for four hours straight...'

"It was..."

"Astrid!!" Sienna shrieked with delight and practically tackled him, wrapping her arms around him like she was trying to absorb his soul.

Her floral scent hit him instantly, a mix of lavender and whatever heaven smelled like. Astrid paused, stunned by the sudden softness now clinging to him.

"Sienna…" he smiled, hugging her back. "Been a while."

"I've been great!" she said, tightening her hold on him like a clingy panda.

Astrid turned to the woman beside his mother. "Good afternoon, Lady Misha. It's a pleasure seeing you again."

Lady Misha nodded gracefully. "And you, Astrid. Still butting heads with your father?"

Lia giggled. "Oh, they're still at it. It's honestly comedy at this point."

'Comedy, she says,' Astrid mentally screamed. 'Woman, I'm the punchline in this comedy! Literally!'

Sienna finally pulled away, her eyes narrowing as she scanned his filthy clothes. "Astrid… What happened to you?"

"Oh, you know," he said, waving it off, "just some light bonding time with my dad."

Her face puffed up into a pout. "I hate the way he trains you! When I get stronger, I'm gonna beat him up on your behalf!"

Lia and Misha burst into laughter.

Astrid, however, froze. 'Wait… did she just say she's gonna take on my father? My Archon-tier monster of a father?'

His expression was pure disbelief. "You'd do that... for me?"

"Of course!" she huffed proudly. "No one's allowed to bully my Astrid but me!"

His heart melted a little. Just a little. 'wait a minute! What does she mean by but me' He thought, his eyes widening at the sudden realization.

"Astrid, go clean yourself up," Lia said with a chuckle, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes. "You look like a sewer goblin. Then you can entertain your guest properly."

"Yes, ma'am." He nodded, turning to leave.

"I'm coming with him!" Sienna declared, grabbing his arm before he could take a step.

Neither mothers objected.

Lady Misha simply smiled. "Those two… inseparable as always."

Lia shook her head fondly. "Honestly, it's cute. They act like an old married couple already."

"I know. And Astrid's maturity—it still surprises me. He doesn't act like a ten-year-old at all."

"That boy's been surprising us since the day he opened his mouth," Lia said with a sigh and a smile.

---

Upstairs, Astrid led Sienna into his room. It was familiar and quiet, its simple layout echoing a space he once had back on Earth—TV, wardrobe, desk, clean bathroom. Yet despite the familiarity, the silence between the two of them felt louder than usual.

Sienna sat on the edge of his bed, watching him with those sparkling silver-blue eyes as he peeled off his muddy shirt and tossed it into the laundry basket. Her cheeks tinted red, but she didn't look away. She never did.

"I missed you," she muttered softly.

Astrid paused, holding a clean shirt in his hands. He glanced over his shoulder, brows raised. "You were here last week."

"I still missed you," she repeated, voice firmer this time.

He smiled slightly, pulling the shirt over his head. "Well... I missed you too."

She beamed. "Good."

An awkward silence crept in again—at least for him. She was completely fine just watching him. He, however, was starting to sweat for a different reason now.

"So…" Astrid said, trying to break the tension, "how long are you staying?"

"I wanna stay two weeks," she replied cheerfully. "And in the next five years, I'll be joining the Academy. Just like Aria."

Astrid froze. "Wait—you're going to the Academy too?"

"Mhm!" She grinned proudly. "Mom said I'm more than ready. So, you better hurry up and catch up with me, fiancé."

There it was again. That word.

Fiancé.

It still felt weird hearing it, even though he'd known for years now that their engagement had been arranged since they were toddlers. His mother and Lady Misha were that close—two best friends who had turned their bond into something eternal.

Sienna had always accepted it wholeheartedly. He, on the other hand, still had mixed feelings.

Not about her, though.

About what's coming.

Because if Sienna was headed to the Academy… then that meant—

The Main Character is about to enter the scene.

Astrid's eyes darkened slightly.

He remembered the story well. Sienna was supposed to fall in love with the MC. They'd become an iconic power couple—untouchable, unbeatable, and unbreakable. He was the witty underdog. She was the hidden powerhouse with a soft heart.

Except now? She already belonged to someone else.

To him.

"You okay?" Sienna asked, tilting her head.

He blinked out of his thoughts and forced a smile. "Yeah. Just thinking."

"You do that too much," she teased. "Let your brain rest before it melts."

"Can't," he muttered, half-joking. "I'm in a race against time."

She didn't understand what he meant. Not yet.

Astrid looked out his window, eyes narrowed. The sun was shining brightly, it was still mid day. The scene almost looked like a painted piece of art.

As sienna stared at this scene, her face got tinted red once more.

Astrid slowly turned to face her, "Come on! Let's go and play outside."

---