This wasn't exactly how Kagami had planned on waking up. He'd fantasized about this day before; waking up to the sound of birds chirping, their sweet melodies filling his eardrums, a fully rested body with no aches or pains, and the fresh and electrifying feeling of knowing that he had the freedom of living all on his own. Instead, he awoke on the floor. His back was in knots, and his stomach was empty a swirling with regret.

"Stupid bed is too small..." he grunted, heaving himself up onto his feet. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Kagami sighed and looked around. "I wonder what time it is... Tch, sucks not having a clock."

He peered out his window. Luckily, it was shaping up to be another bright and sunny day. Perfect weather for having to work at Tom Nook's shop. Wait...

"Crap!" Kagami cussed, rushing over to his bags. Clothes, clothes, he needed to change his clothes. If he were to walk into Nook's Cranny, his first day on the job, wearing the same clothes that he had been sporting the day prior, he would no doubt get funny looks from his employer.

Even though his t-shirt was a wrinkled mess from being squished inside his duffle bag for so long, Kagami ran down the stairs and out the front door. There was no way he was going to be late. He wanted to start off living as a humble citizen of Kiseki Village on the right foot.

"You're late," Tom Nook stated. His voice was firm with authority.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Nook, sir! It won't happen again, I promise!" Kagami apologized, bowing his head for forgiveness.

"Yes, yes, well, there's no time to talk now." Tom Nook was busily rushing back and forth. It appeared to Kagami that he had paper tickets in his hands. Were those order forms? "Here! Put this on." A green apron was thrusted into Kagami's hands. "If you're going to be working for me, you have to dress appropriately. And don't get any funny ideas about taking it off!"

Holding the apron at arm's length, Kagami inspected the article of clothing with unsure eyes. "Um, Mr. Nook? Are you sure you don't have anything in a bigger size? It's kind of small-looking."

"It's the biggest one that I own, so it'll have to make due. Now chop, chop, Kagami! Put it on and get going!" Practically shoving Kagami out of his shop, Tom Nook instructed, "Your first order is from Kise. He's ordered this citrus wallpaper here and I need you to bring it to him. Do you think you can do that?"

"Yeah, I think-" Kagami attempted to say, but was instantly cut off.

"Good, good! Now go! And come back immediately afterward, you hear? No stopping to smell the roses on the way. We have orders to fill!"

When the shop door had been slammed behind him, Kagami sighed. "So much for being a model citizen..." he muttered, before eyeing his apron once more. "Now how the heck am I going to get this to fit?" The neck strap looked like it was barely going to fit over his head. And he was right. Tugging and pulling, gasping for air once he was free, Kagami tied what were supposed to be the waist straps - on him, they were the mid-back straps - around himself and carried on.

"He said Kise, right? Hmm..." Kagami hummed. "I wonder what this Kise is like. Actually, I wonder what all of these people are like. Well, I guess they're not people like me." Positioning the roll of wallpaper over his shoulder, Kagami smiled and concluded, "This'll be interesting, I'm sure."

It was lucky for Kagami that he had his map with him. It was also lucky that Kise's house was very close to Nook's Cranny. Checking his map over and surveying the house before him, Kagami made sure that he had the right place before issuing three hardy knocks on the front door.

"Coming! I'm coming-ssu!" a cheerful voice called from the other side. At least his first costumer would be a friendly one.

When the door had finally opened, Kagami was greeted with the sight of a cute little dog. His fur was a brilliant yellow in color, and super fluffy-looking in texture. Normally, Kagami was terrified of dogs, but he could only imagine how spunky of a person this pup would be if he were human.

"I'm here with a delivery for you. You're Kise, right?" Kagami asked.

"Yup, yup! That's me!" Kise woofed. "But who are you? I don't think I've ever seen you before!"

"I'm Kagami Taiga. I just moved into town yesterday," he explained.

"Really?! How exciting! I'm sure you're going to love, love, love it here in Kiseki!" Yes, Kise was definitely quite spunky. "What do you have for me, Kagami? Omigosh! Is that the citrus wallpaper that I ordered?"

"Yes, it is."

"That's incredible!" Kise cheered. "I just placed my order for it yesterday-ssu! Oh, thank you so much!"

Kagami handed the roll of wallpaper over and into Kise's tiny little paws. "It's not a problem. Well, I hope you enjoy it, Kise." Kagami was just about to venture off when Kise stopped him.

"Wait, wait! If you give me just a moment, you can have my old wallpaper! I'm sure your new house could use some sprucing up. And you can think of me whenever you look at it!"

Before Kagami could interject, Kise had rushed inside of his quaint little home, shut the door, re-opened the door, and then rushed back out with a roll of his old wallpaper. How this happened in the span of ten seconds eluding him.

"Tah-dah! It's modern wallpaper! I'm sure you'll like it-ssu!" Kise smiled. "Be sure to stop by my place anytime okay? Oh, and by the way, can I call you 'Kagamicchi'? Please, please, please?"

Scratching the back of his neck, Kagami nodded and said, "Sure, I don't see why not. But what am I supposed to do with this roll of wallpaper? I still have work to do..."

"Can't you put it in your pocket?" Kise seemed genuinely confused.

"It won't fit in my pocket..?"

"Hm, your pockets must be full, then. Oh well! Maybe Tomcchi will let you keep it in his shop while you work! Just make sure he doesn't sell it-ssu!"

"Okay, your next delivery is for Midorima. He ordered this regal carpet, yes? He's been waiting on it for almost a week now, so you better hurry it up!" Tom Nook explained, sending Kagami on his way once again.

Midorima lived all the way on the other side of Kiseki Village in a small house that was built just by the mouth of the river. To get there, Kagami had to cross the bridge, walk all the way past his house, and through a large brush of trees.

Just as Midorima's petite little dwelling came into view, suddenly, Kagami was falling.

"Ahhh!" he yelped. Flailing his arms, Kagami shouted out for help.

"Muro-chin..."

"What is it, Murasakibara?"

"He fell..."

"Huh?"

Murasakibara, the lazy, too-big-for-his-own-good bear, pointed forward, saying, "That person there. He fell."

Himuro himself was an eagle - a majestic, well reserved one at that - but seeing Kagami struggling and thrashing, trying desperately to climb out of the hole he had fallen into, was enough to get his feathers frazzled.

"Help! Someone, please help me!" Kagami cried out.

"Here! Grab my wing!"

Kagami was stunned. The creature that reached out to him was breathtaking. His feathers were a crisp black color, much like that of the night sky. His beak looked as if it had been coated in the finest of silvers, and his eyes bore the intensity of a million suns. This eagle was as beautiful as dusk and dawn, and he was currently acting as Kagami's savior.

Grabbing a hold of his wing, Kagami was hauled back up onto his feet. And what's more, the hole he had fallen into had disappeared. Just what exactly was Kiseki Village made of? Magic?

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I think so..." Kagami groaned.

"Pitfalls are the worst, aren't they? Be sure to watch out for them from now on, alright? By the way, I'm Himuro. Oh, and this is Murasakibara." It had taken the large bear the entirety of all of the excitement to meet up by Himuro's side. "What's your name?"

Collecting up his delivery and his map, Kagami looked over at both Himuro and Murasakibara and answered, "I'm Kagami Taiga, but Kagami is just fine. Listen, thank you so much for helping me out, but I really have to run."

"Working for Nook, eh?" Himuro chuckled. "Man, that old raccoon just loves to run people ragged. You be sure to tell him I said hello, okay?"

"I will! Thank you again, Himuro! And it was nice meeting you, too, Murasakibara!"

"Yeah, yeah..." Murasakibara grunted. "Come on, Muro-chin. I'm hungry..."

Shaking his head, Himuro sighed and said, "That's nothing new."

Just as Kagami was about to knock on Midorima's front door, it swung open and nearly knocked him off of his feet. That was something that he really didn't need right now; not after what he had just endured.

"Hey, whoah, who are you?"

Everything that Kagami had learned from fairytales and storybooks was telling him to run for the hills, but something about this wolf's attitude pissed him off too much to run.

"My name is Kagami Taiga and I have a delivery for Midorima. Are you him?"

"Heck no!" the wolf snarled. "Name's Aomine. Better remember it, Bakagami. Anyways, I'm out. Catch you later, Midorima."

As Aomine passed on by, every fiber in Kagami's body wanted him to reach out and pull on his tail, but he was able to refrain himself.

"Did you say you had something for me, nanodayo?"

"Ah, yes, I have your car...pet? Hello?" When Kagami had turned around, he half expected to see another wolf; you know, judging from the deep, throaty voice. However, he saw nothing. No one.

"I'm down here, you fool," Midorima scoffed. "You have my carpet? It's about time, nanodayo."

Looking down, further down, and even further down, Kagami had to refrain himself once again, but this time for an entirely different reason. Staring up at him was a pint-sized frog with a stuck-up expression and glasses far too big for his complexion.

"Uh, yeah, I have your...carpet," Kagami snickered. It was just too funny. How could someone with such a deep and demanding voice be so tiny?

"I haven't a clue as to what you find funny about this, nanodayo. Please give me my carpet," Midorima demanded, extending one of his nubby little hands forward.

"You don't need any help with it?" Kagami asked, noting how the carpet's weight made Midorima's hand drop slightly when he received it.

"Of course not. I've exchanged carpets by myself before. And since I won't be needing my old one, I suppose you could have it. But you better take good care of it, nanodayo."

Kagami guessed this must have been the norm for Kiseki villagers. Once they got something new, they'd instantly swap out the old. However, when Kagami took a peek at the carpet he would be getting, he couldn't help but notice just how exquisite it was. "Erm, are you sure you want to give it to me? It's kind of nice..."

"Take it. Blue has become an unlucky color for Cancers. I need it to be as far away from me as possible," Midorima explained, lifting the rolled up carpet for Kagami to take.

"Cancer? Like from the zodiac, or whatever?" Kagami questioned.

"Exactly. Tell me, what is your sign?"

"I'm a Leo, but I don't really believe in that kind of-"

"Today is said to be a particularly unlucky day for Leos," Midorima interrupted. "Do you have your lucky item with you?"

"Uh...no?"

"Well, you should. Anyways, we're done here, so goodbye-"

"Wait, Midorima?" It was Kagami's turn to interrupt.

"What is it?"

"My name is Kagami Taiga," he said, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "I just figured I should introduce myself to you, or something."

"Very well, then. As you know, I am Midorima. Now, goodbye."

"Bye-" Before Kagami could finish, the door had been shut in his face. He couldn't allow too much time to ponder on how rude both Midorima and Aomine had been. After all, he still had orders to complete.

"Your next delivery is for Akashi. He's ordered an axe. Now, I want you to be extra careful, okay? It's sharp, so don't go falling into any pits like you did with your last order," Tom Nook warned.

"Got it," Kagami nodded.

Akashi's house was located in a forrest-ridden area off in the west side of town. It was no wonder he had ordered and axe; he probably wanted to get rid of the over growth of trees!

For some people, walking through the forrest would put them at ease, but for Kagami, the moment he had entered the expanse of trees, for some reason unbeknownst to him, his heart rate began to pick up and the hairs on the back of his neck were all on end.

The sight of Akashi's house didn't make him feel any more comfortable, either. It wasn't that it looked unkempt, or anything like that. In fact, it was just the opposite. Everything about Akashi's house absolutely screamed aristocracy...but why was it located in the middle of the forrest?

When Kagami knocked on the front door - hesitantly, but he did knock - he was surprised that there was no answer.

"Hello?" he called out. "I'm Kagami Taiga. I'm working for Mr. Tom Nook? I have your delivery for you."

"Oh, is that my axe?"

The voice that had asked such a simple question was just above an eloquent whisper. It had come from behind, and it had scared the living daylights out of Kagami.

"Careful now. Don't go dropping it," Akashi ordered.

Turning around, Kagami dipped his head in apology and said, "I'm sorry about that. I really wasn't expecting you to be outside. Or behind me..."

"I see..." Akashi, a reddish cat with piercing, heterochromatic eyes, looked Kagami up and down, almost as if he were studying him. "You're new here."

"Yeah, I am. I just moved here yesterday," Kagami responded. He felt a bit wary. Something about making light conversation with Akashi was off-putting.

"From where?"

"Los Angeles. Have you ever heard of it?"

"I have. It's famous for its beaches and cinematic creations, correct?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that. So, um, here's your axe. You probably want to start using it to cut down all of these trees, right?"

"Oh, is that what you think I'll be using it for?" Akashi gave an eerie chuckle. "That's funny."

Kagami gulped. Yeah, he definitely didn't like being around this cat. "It's...not?"

"Shouldn't you be heading back to Tom now? I'm sure he's waiting on you," Akashi smiled, completely ignoring the subject at hand.

"Yeah, I guess I should. It was...nice meeting you?" Even Kagami could hear the uncertainty in his voice.

"Yes, but the pleasure was all mine. Take care, Taiga."

A chilling shiver ran up and down Kagami's spine. That was the first time that someone in this town had called him by his first name...and it just had to be from the psychotic cat.

When Kagami had entered Nook's Cranny for the fourth time that day, he was surprised to see that the shop wasn't in complete disarray like it had been early. Maybe it was because he had been too busy being shoved in and out to go and fill orders, but the atmosphere around the shop felt a lot more at ease.

"Ah, Kagami! Yes, yes, welcome back! Did Akashi enjoy his axe?" Tom Nook smiled, scampering over to greet his employee.

"I think so. He was smiling..." Kagami replied.

"Good, good! Let's see now..." Tom Nook was surveying his list, checking off the names of those that Kagami had already given deliveries to. "Your next order will be for...hmm, well, you know what? It's fine. I'll make a personal delivery myself, for this one. Let's call it a day, shall we?"

Kagami couldn't be happier. Regardless, he wanted to make sure that he was off the hook. "Are you sure? I mean, I can make a quick stop-"

"No, no, there's no need for that. I'll take care of it all on my own," Tom Nook said reassuringly. "And with that, your work for me is done! Completely done! As in, you're a free man now, Kagami! Congratulations, ho, ho!"

"Whoah, what?" Kagami gasped. "But it's only been one day!"

"One day, one year, work is work, and your work is done! Now let's see about your debt, hmm? I'd say from today's deliveries alone...you've earned at least 1,800 bells. That'll bring your mortgage payment down to the lovely price of 18,000 bells!"

For some reason, Kagami felt like he was being gipped. All of that hard work, all of the disagreeable customers that he had to put up with, and for what? 1,800 bells? Though, what did he know? Maybe 1,800 was a lot of money in this foreign currency.

"Thank you, Mr. Nook, sir! It's been a pleasure working for you!" Kagami bowed.

"Ho, ho! The pleasure's all mine, Kagami!" Tom Nook chuckled. "Be sure to come back anytime! Now go home and get some rest. I'm sure now that the townspeople have gotten to meet you, they'll be excited to spend time with you! Before you know it, you'll be blossoming into Kiseki's most social of butterflies!"

Kagami doubted that, but he nodded his head and agreed.

Back home, Kagami assessed his earnings of the day. He had a modern wallpaper, a blue carpet, and 1,800 bells, bells that weren't even in his possession. "I guess I'll work on carpeting this place tomorrow," he sighed and tossed the blue carpet out onto the ground in front of him. Before his very own eyes, the carpet expanded and spread out to cover the entirety of his floor.

"Holy-! What the heck!?" he shouted. But with the initial shock quickly fading away, he began to wonder. "Will it work for the wallpaper, too?"

Throwing the roll of modern wallpaper at the back wall of his house, Kagami was mesmerized to see it envelope all four of his walls in the time that it takes one to bat their eyelashes. "What's up with this house..." Too tired to question it any further, Kagami went upstairs into his bedroom.

Earlier, before he had left Nook's Cranny, Kagami had asked Tom Nook about the antique phone in his house.

"Oh, that old thing hasn't worked in decades, ho, ho!" Tom Nook had laughed. "I just thought you would like to look at it. But if it's contact with your mother that you want, take this lovely paper back with you and write her a letter. You met with Pelly, right? If you bring your letters to her, she'll be sure to send Pete off to mail them!"

Now that he was in the security of his home, Kagami began to compose his letter.

Hi, Mom,

It's Taiga. I know I said I'd call you when I arrived,

but my phone doesn't work. It sucks. I miss home.

I miss you and I miss Dad, but at the same time,

I still feel like I want to live here. Maybe things

will start looking up for me soon. I love you.

Kagami Taiga

Hi there! Chappy here! :D

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! The Generation of Miracles (plus Himuro) have finally made their appearance! (:

Thank you for taking the time to read!

- Chappy