ã€ŠEffective Block! [Superhero Urban Fantasy]ã€‹


 CHAPTER 1: Effective Block?

    [ Haru''s Point Of View ]

    Glancing beyond the window of the classroom I was in, my thoughts started to drift away from the lecture that I and the rest of the class were having. The sun was as bright as ever even when it was slowly sinking beyond the horizon. The sport field was empty with only a few pigeons occasionally stepping foot and then flying away immediately. It was an ordinary afternoon like any other. I was sitting at the back of the class, listening to the teacher''s words as he scribbled letters on the board with a piece of chalk. My classmates¡ªmost of them were half asleep and some were taking notes. This had been my life since entering high school.

    "Any questions?" Our teacher turned to us, tossing the chalk perfectly into his table.

    The class denied in unison.

    "Alright. Then the test will be tomorrow." he proceeded. Audible yawning and the plastic sole of the chairs screeching against the tiled floor filled the room as everyone prepared to get up. "Don''t forget to review chapters five to eight. Dismiss." With that, he walked out of the room.

    I grabbed my bag and pushed myself up from my chair. "Yo, Haru." I felt a light tap on my shoulder as I heard Kazuki, my close friend, call my name. I casually turned my head towards him only to see his ever-enthusiastic face. "Let''s head to the club together."

    I nodded. Kazuki and I had been in the same club. These "clubs" weren''t like the ones you would normally find in highschools. It consisted of a group of usually five to eight people who possessed abilities that complimented each other¡ªhence, working perfectly as a team. If I were to choose a word to call it, the closest I could think of would be a "guild" or "party". Club work varied depending on the type of abilities the members possessed. Some specialized in labors such as building, demolishing, or other heavy industrial works, some clubs were specifically formed to be rescue teams or medics. And as for our club, we specialized in combat.

    After walking down the stairs and stepping out of the building, Kazuki and I transversed the campus towards the club fields. Students were scattered around the campus as everyone tended to be busy at this hour of the day. Quite surprising if I do say so myself that the whole day of academic work didn''t drain all of their energy.

    My ability was by no means exceptional, Kazuki wasn''t any different. We had considered ourselves "average" in both ability and skills and society also labeled us as such. Not that I cared, but Kazuki had always been a passionate man. Even though he didn''t deny the fact that his ability was far from strong, he still refused to give up his dream of becoming a Sentinel.

    "Hey, Haru." he uttered while walking.

    I didn''t feel like glancing at him so I just responded with a simple "What?"

    There was a short pause before he replied. "Do you think we''d get expeditions soon?" his usually energetic tone seemed to disappear.

    An expedition huh.. Kyoto High had programs for clubs called "expeditions" where the club members would be sent to missions related to their specialty. If they were to complete these expeditions, not only would the school pay them, they''d also receive credit points in their report cards which they can use when applying for Sentinel agencies. Ever since our club had been established, not a single expedition request had graced our mailbox.

    "Maybe the school hasn''t recognized us yet." my short reply. "Let''s just work on training for now."

    He let out a sigh. "But it''s been six months." he said. I silently hoped that he wouldn''t randomly throw a tantrum. "I wanna test my skills in real missions."

    "Well, it would be nice. But as we are now, we wouldn''t survive even Code Yellow expeditions."

    He replied with silence. Did I just ruin the mood? I was just stating facts.

    We continued to walk towards the training field when suddenly, a disturbingly loud explosion was heard. The world seemed to stop, every single one of the students present in the area turned their heads towards the sound. In this day and age, monster appearances were considered common and the procedures in dealing with them had been practiced for thousands of years. People would normally just look over towards the commotion, call the Sentinels and then calmly leave, but something felt terrifyingly different about what we just heard.

    "What the fuck?" my friend whispered a little too loudly as he instantly looked behind us where the explosion had come from. "A monster?" he mumbled while gazing over the distance. Seconds later, the rumbling ground caused by the thousand footsteps of students running towards us filled our ears. It seemed like they were trying to flee from something. Dust clouds started forming in the distance as Kazuki took a few steps backwards and then looked at me. "I think we should run." he said.

    "No shit."

    We sprinted away as fast as we could. Everyone around us did the same. We weren''t sure what was going on but our instincts told us that we should get out of there.

    Only a few seconds later, screams started to dominate all sounds. Rhythmic thuds vibrated to the ground and it was getting louder and louder. It was getting close. Total chaos enshrouded us, I didn''t even recognize the direction we were headed to anymore. As if in a stampede, we blindly ran and followed the wave of the crowd, even Kazuki vanished from my sight.

    The screaming intensified as a huge shadow covered us. I could hear people being flattened behind me and the thudding sound no longer just vibrated but shook the ground entirely.

    I turned around only to see a giant humanoid abomination of a monster. Its skin was glossy black, long, muscular limbs trampled everything around it. The claw marks it left on the ground were as big as a fully grown human. When it opened its mouth to growl, it felt like we would get blown away. Its sharp, split iris coldly looked at its victims before massacring everyone on its path, painting the ground with blood. My feet stopped on their own when I saw an unfortunate girl falling to the ground. People just passed her by while she hopelessly crawled as fast as she could, having no time to get up.

    ''Should I help her? Even if I wanted to, I wouldn''t be able to accomplish anything.''

    "Somebody!" she screamed. Her face was unfamiliar, she was probably from another class. I knew that the right thing to do, the action that would benefit me most was to turn around and run. But for a split second, it crossed my mind. What if¡ª just what if I tried to help her?

    But it was too late. Even the girl herself gave up and just stared up at the monster that was about to slice her into pieces. At that moment, the only humans left in that area were me and that girl. After killing her, the monster would probably go after me next, yet, my legs refused to move. My hand was itching for some reason to do something, anything.

    My eyes widened as the shockwave of a ridiculously strong collision pushed me back. I covered my face using my arms and when I opened my eyes again to look, I saw a student levitating from the ground, and stopping the monster''s hand with his own arms from hitting the girl.

    "Stand up and run." he firmly commanded, barely turning his head in the girl''s direction. Even with this distance, I could see from his face that he was struggling.

    "Thank you, Saito-san!" the girl yelled in gratitude before running past me. The student was Saito Masashi, a third year. He pushed back the monster''s enormous arm using his sheer strength before punching it in the face mid air, causing the monster to stumble backwards. Rumors, and hearsays. Those were my only basis when Saito-san had been hailed as the strongest in Kyoto. Every word about him that came from the people''s mouth were praises and respect. Now, seeing it with my own eyes, I was wholeheartedly convinced. This guy was special.

    Each time laser beams shot from his eyes, hitting the monster''s skin, I felt the air becoming hotter. At that rate, it was certain that he could beat the monster on his own. I was almost shocked when he turned to me. "You! It''s not safe to stay here!" he yelled loud enough for me to hear.

    I forgot that my hands were in my pockets. I pulled one out and then scratched my head. "Sorry. Do you want me to call for help for that?"

    He flew sharply turning to his side to dodge an incoming attack before countering with a wide punch to the monster''s jaw. "Thank you, but no. Please just get yourself to safety." he replied without ever losing his focus on the battle.

    So not only was he strong, he was also kind and modest. Anyway, I had no more business being in that place so I proceeded to run, going as far from the scene as possible.

    I slowed down my tracks after seeing a group of students clumping together, watching something in the distance. As I got closer, I was able to see what everyone had been watching, causing them to be stranded in one place¡ªanother monster just as big as the first one that we encountered. Four people¡ªKyoto High students were fighting it when I arrived while the rest of us could only watch. It was no wonder. The moment we step into the battlefield, we''d die. The four students who were fighting the monster were the members of Saito Masashi''s club. They were the strongest club not just in our school, but in the whole city.

    Still, we weren''t able to pass through the gate until they beat it. Several giant ice spikes were erected in the front yard, and more small splinters of it were on the ground. Kugiwara Ryosuke froze the air aiming towards the monster''s arms to immobilize it by coating it with thick, solid ice connected to the metal railings on the road. It prevented the monster from moving for a few seconds, enough time for Ueda Nozomi to jump into the air and strike the monster''s head with her sword. All that effort was proven futile when Ueda''s attack only managed to make a shallow cut and the monster had already broken free from Kugiwara''s ice spikes.

    I saw Ueda landing on the ground and then quickly creating distance between her and the monster. They were talking about something we couldn''t hear, probably strategizing against the enemy.

    These are some types of monsters that had never been seen in this city before. Usually, Masashi''s team would have already resolved a monster attack in not more than a few minutes, but some time had already passed, and the monster was far from exhausted. The front yard of the school had become unrecognizable after a few minutes of battle.

    "What the fuck!?? Look!" a student from the crowd screamed his voice full of desperation and shock. "Over there!"

    For a few seconds, everyone tried to find what direction to look until a terrifying roar echoed through the campus. Everyone whimpered in fear as the third monster entered our school by climbing the walls.

    "Another monster!?"

    "Where the fuck are the Sentinels!?"

    "What code level is this!?"

    We felt the ground shake as the monsters struck the ground. Even the teachers were shaking in fear with us, leaving the dangerous battle to the students. Moments later, we heard footsteps coming our way.

    "Everyone! Listen up!" Yamada Kenzou, a member of Saito''s club arrived catching his breath. The fifth and last member, Narumi Shiho, was tailing behind him. "We will sneak you out in small groups. Follow me and try not to draw the monster''s attention."Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    A glimmer of hope seemed to appear in everyone''s faces but it all turned into chaos as soon as the students fought for who should go first. Pushing and pulling, some even started harming one another.

    "P-Please calm down, everyone." Narumi''s voice went unheard as the yelling crowd overpowered her.

    "Let us girls pass first!"

    "The principal is my relative! Let me out!"

    "I''ll fucking pay you, just take me out of here."

    Some considerably responsible teachers helped to organize the crowd, but some, even being adults used their position to their advantage in the desperate situation. The chaos only grew worse overtime as not a single word was distinguishable anymore.

    Silence was brought upon us when Yamada punched a hole through a wall with his fist that had turned into metal. His face darkened while he wordlessly stared at the floor. Narumi was too scared to touch him so she just worriedly looked at the situation unfolding.

    "You fucking pigs." he blurted, full of intensity and rage. "My friends are risking their lives for all of you and you can''t even cooperate." He pulled his fist out from the shattered concrete wall, now his other fist had also turned into metal. "Fine then." Sparks ignited as he bumped his fists together. "You wanna spot beside me? Come. Come so I can bash your pathetic, useless fucking brains."

    No one dared utter a word. They shamefully stood there while Ueda and Kugiwara fought the two monsters.

    "K-Kenzou.." Narumi placed a hand on Yamada''s shoulder with a worried look on her face.

    Yamada let out a sigh before speaking. "Twenty students only. Come on."

    The first twenty students that were closest to them walked forward before they ran away under Yamada and Narumi''s watch from the scene. There were hundreds of us outside the school hall, and sneaking out twenty people over time would take too long. Still, that was the most effective way to save everyone.

    ''Where''s Kazuki, I wonder.''

    Ueda dashed to her side to dodge an incoming smash to the ground. As we watched the fight, we noticed that the monsters were purposefully trying to get closer to the place where we were hiding instead on focusing their attacks on Ueda and Kugiwara.

    "Ueda-san! Kugiwara-kun!" Saito Masashi''s voice echoed through the field as he flew with overwhelming speed towards the scene. The first thing he did was sucker punch the first monster before shooting the second one with laser beams from his eyes. Although wounds were all over his body, he arrived with a smile. I bet that he was glad to find that Ueda and Kugiwara were fine. His friends also seemed like they gained some morale after seeing him.

    "Yes! Masashi is here now!"

    "We''re saved!"

    The students behind me celebrated. Well, it was true that his presence now in the fight would be a huge game changer. He was absolutely wrecking the monsters.

    Moments later, Yamada and Narumi were back. "Next batch! Quick!" he yelled.

    Twenty more people were safely evacuated. At this rate, we might be able to survive this calamity, well, except for all those unfortunate students who died.

    After Yamada and the students left, we returned our gaze to the battlefield only to see Ueda directly receiving a lethal blow from one of the monsters. She was sent flying against a wall and was buried under the rubble. We saw Masashi yell out her name before quickly flying towards her. Unfortunately, one of the monsters caught him by the leg before smashing his body against the ground. They lifted him up again and then struck the ground with his body like he was a hammer. In panic, Kugiwara let out a burst of ice spikes, freezing whatever was in front of him.

    "Hey, hey what the fuck is going on? Weren''t they winning just now?"

    "Pull your shit together, Masashi!"

    "What the hell are they doing!?"

    The crowd was going wild again. I let out a sigh. This was what battle was all about. One small mistake and everything will crumble down, no matter how much advantage you had gained.

    The monsters destroyed the ice spikes Kugiwara used to freeze them as they started to sprint towards him.

    "Fucking move, idiot!" someone from the crowd shouted.

    "The hell, why are you just watching!?" another followed until a chain of voices started to occupy our ears.

    Kugiwara froze in place as he watched death march before him. But before the monsters could reach him, Saito already snatched him and flew into the air. I heard sighs of relief all around me.

    That relief was short lived when the monsters sprinted towards us in full speed now that no one was there to stop them. Only the huge distance between us and the monsters was what was keeping us alive. Now that they had closed that distance, our survival rate had dropped significantly.

    Yamada''s entire body had turned into metal as he hugged the monster''s leg, suddenly appearing on the battlefield in a desperate attempt to stop its tracks even when he was already getting dragged as he anchored his feet on the concrete ground. Narumi was probably by Ueda''s side to heal her using her ability. That''s why they hadn''t come back yet.

    "Let''s get out of here! They''ve gotten close anyway!"

    "Yeah, there''s no use in hiding here anymore!"

    Was I the only one who thought that that was a stupid idea? It seemed that it was a ''yes'' when everyone started to run out in panic.

    Everyone would have been dead if Saito-san hadn''t body slammed the first gigantic monster away from them. The other monster''s legs were frozen on the ground, giving Saito a chance to shoot lazer to its head, wounding it deep enough to make it bleed. They all came running back to our hiding spot, terrified.

    How many minutes had passed? Why were there no sentinels coming to help? I could tell that even Saito was nearing his limits.

    The other monster grabbed Yamada and then threw him away like a toy. Ueda then popped up out of nowhere, managing to stab it in the eye, blinding it. Saito used up all of his remaining strength in one single laser beam that was so bright we had to cover our eyes. The heat almost reached us, penetrating the monster''s body bit by bit until it had broken into its skull and into its brain. It laid dead on the ground as tons of blood gushed from its head.

    The remaining monster had already broken free from Kugiwara''s ice spikes, slamming Saito mid-air. Ueda was quickly alerted and pointed her sword towards it but she couldn''t do anything when another punch came her way. Ueda was sent flying for the second time and I absolutely had no idea how she was gonna survive that.

    The exhausted Saito flew towards the monster to rescue his junior but his strength was all but spent. The raging monster just caught his body mid-air. We saw his eyes glow red in an attempt to shoot more laser beams but nothing was coming out. The next sight we saw horrified the shit out of everyone. Saito had his head grabbed and squashed like a tomato, his brain and blood leaking out of the monster''s fingers. Deafening silence dominated the crowd while they watched their hero being tossed aside like a ragdoll.

    Now, no matter what we chose to do, we were gonna die.

    Everyone was still petrified in disbelief. But Saito was just nothing but a kid like the rest of us. Even though he possessed the powers that he did, without the years of fighting experience, he stood a slim chance.

    The monster slowly turned its head towards where we were, the muscles on its jaw and shoulders lost tension as it slowly approached us, probably because there was no longer any threat around. The moment we thought we could somehow run away from it, the monster began to accelerate. Faster and faster until it was sprinting full speed towards us. The crowd was devoid of any noise as inevitable death marched forth.

    Until suddenly, giant vines of solid ice entangled the monster''s limbs, rendering it motionless for a few seconds.

    "What the fuck are you standing there for!?" the veins in Kugiwara''s neck were popping out as he shouted at the top of his lungs. "Fucking run...!!"

    Screams of fear surrounded me as another stampede just began. Kugiwara tried his hardest to immobilize the monster no matter how many times it broke his ice. I began moving as well when I noticed that everyone when I noticed that everyone went ahead. We all ran in the same direction¡ªtowards the gate while Kugiwara Ryosuke bought us time.

    As we passed by the giant shards of ice lying on the ground, we felt the chill in the air and the wet liquid of melted ice under our shoes. The students who had abilities related to agility or speed enhancement quickly and easily reached the gate and evacuated while us slowpokes were left behind running for our lives. I looked to my right side only to see a familiar figure running alongside me¡ªone of the members of Saito Masashi''s club, Narumi Shiho. I immediately deemed her athletic ability to be as good as shit after watching her gasp for air while desperately moving her legs as fast as she could to get away from the scene. Well, I wouldn''t blame her for leaving her comrade behind, what Kugiwara is doing was simply self-sacrifice. If Saito Masashi himself wasn''t able to defeat it, running away might have been her best choice.

    "Kugiwara is dead!!!" someone screamed from behind. Now that the last line of defense had died, it would only be a matter of time before the monster caught up to us.

    We did not dare look back and just continued running, praying that for some reason we would make it into the gate as if we''d be safe beyond it. Seconds later, we started to hear a violent zapping in the sky behind us. Something was telling me that it was something that I couldn''t ignore so I stopped my tracks and turned around to face it and see what it was, letting all the other students run past me.

    It was a giant piece of metal spinning like a beyblade in the sky and it was flying towards us terrifyingly fast. It seemed to be something the monster tossed. If that were to hit us, we''d be nothing but grinded meat in less than three seconds.

    ''Guess I''ll take care of that.''

    My ability was ''Barrier''. I could summon a thin sheet of translucent, solid matter that was able to block projectiles or any kind of molecule. Although it might sound like a decently strong ability, I had been considered useless in many situations. My barrier''s strength was inversely proportional to its size, meaning the bigger barrier I summoned, the weaker it was. It also blocked projectiles from both sides, so my teammates wouldn''t be able to attack while I was protecting them. The best thing I had gotten from this ability was to barely block bullets.

    Nevertheless, it could sure be useful now.

    The barrier had to be the perfect size in order for me to successfully block the projectile. It couldn''t be too big or it would just shatter and the metal would kill us. It also couldn''t be too small or the projectile would still pass through it and cause casualties. I extended my arm forward and focused on the space in front of me. From its center, the holographic, golden-yellow barrier began to materialize from thin air to its corners as it freely hung in the air, waiting for the impact.

    The metal hit. My barrier shattered like glass. The intense shockwave from the metal colliding with the immovable barrier pushed me backwards slightly. But even though the barrier had been broken, the metal slab bounced off into the ground away from our direction. I did it¡ª I prevented hundreds of deaths.

    "Haru!" a familiar voice echoed from behind before quick footsteps drew nearer. Kazuki tapped my shoulder to get my attention. "Holy shit, you saved us." shock with a hint of disbelief were present in his tone.

    I turned my head to him. "Kugiwara died."

    "Yeah, I heard." he quickly responded. "Let''s run. It''s only us who are left behind."

    I nodded before we started sprinting towards the gate, but I never expected it to be over that easily. We could feel the ground shake from thunderous footfalls of a sprinting giant behind us. Our little steps were nothing compared to the speed of such a creature, it didn''t take a couple of seconds for the monster to reach us.

    Before we got squashed like pests on the ground, I swiftly turned around and summoned a barrier to block its enormous hand, and now that I had seen it up close, I couldn''t help but notice parts of Saito''s skull stuck on its skin.

    My barrier shattered once again when the giant claws collided with it. Along with the splinters of vanishing barrier, a stinging sensation spun in my head like a sudden headache.

    "Shit..." Kazuki seemed to had already lost his mind as he stared into the claw marks on the ground beside us, digging deep into the concrete where I had redirected the attack. I had summoned my barrier inclined at a certain angle such that it would deflect the force to another direction, that''s why even though my barrier wasn''t strong enough to completely block it, we managed to survive that attack.

    A slight shock and confusion was evident on the monster''s face when its attack got parried. It raised the same arm once more for another strike, this time with raging hatred behind its fist knowing that I had run out of tricks¡ªand it was true too. That was the only way that I could block its powerful attacks, but it was something that wouldn''t work twice.

    Just when we were about to get killed, a girl came flying from the side as fast as a bullet, her sole landing solidly on the giant''s head. That kick was so strong that it had managed to nudge the giant beast slightly before she landed with a backflip on the ground between me and the monster. Ueda Nozomi''s uniform had become unrecognizable with all the tear and blood soaking it all over. Wounds covered her body but she stood fearlessly in front of the monster.

    Her ability was straight up physical strength enhancement. They had once compared her striking strength to a shotgun fired at point blank and she turned out to be stronger. She usually wielded a blade but she arrived empty handed. Probably because she had lost it in the middle of their battle, but did she really plan to fight with her knuckles alone?

    "You killed my fucking friends." I heard her mumble with burning rage as she walked forward.

    Meanwhile, I turned to Kazuki who was still petrified. "Now''s our chance to run." I said, putting a hand on his shoulder to wake him up.

    He blinked while staring into my eyes before responding. "W-What?"

    "I said let''s run. Someone is occupying the monster."

    He glanced across behind me. "Yeah.. but.."

    Knowing him, I immediately understood what he meant to say. I tightened my grip on his shoulder and shook him up. "Kazuki, we''re weak. We can''t do shit." I said. ''''The best thing that we can do for now is to run and not get in Ueda''s way."

    Even he knew full well that we had no time to contemplate. He clicked his tongue and then we both sprinted away from there as fast as we could while Ueda traded blows with the monster.

    We could have reached the gate but the sound of a concrete wall collapsing made Kazuki turn around and stop his tracks. I looked behind me and saw Ueda being thrown against a wall. Motionless, she lied there as the monster prepared to deliver the finishing blow.

    Ueda would have been dead. But a flaming piece of rock flew towards the monster''s shoulder. It didn''t hurt it in the slightest, but enough to get its attention. Only then did I notice that Kazuki had already run off into the fight in an attempt to delay Ueda''s death.

    "You gotta be kidding me." I whispered to myself in disbelief. I knew Kazuki had always been the type to view himself as some sort of a main character, but I didn''t expect him to do something this stupid. With that said, I didn''t know any better myself. If this sort of thing had been considered to be the normal course of action, I guess I would never know.

    Kazuki trembled when the monster turned its head in his direction. Now what? His ability to imbue small objects with fire, flammable or not, wouldn''t increase the impact force of his throws anyway.

    "I''m right here, fucker!!!" he shouted, even though his voice was faltering, his stance remained steady and he never took his eyes away from the monster''s. He threw another flaming rock towards the monster, hitting it directly in the eye, making the monster flinch and roar in annoyance.

    Kazuki never denied the fact that his ability was nowhere near strong. But nevertheless, I knew how hard he worked every single day to make himself useful in every situation. He practiced his throw since childhood, maximizing his range, strength, and accuracy. That''s how he had become a formidable opponent in ranged combats.

    My feet moved on their own. I had found myself running towards where Ueda was to find and try to rescue her while Kazuki was distracting the monster. I saw her lying unconscious on the ground, she was fortunately breathing for some reason. Although I was rushing, I made sure to be gentle enough when I lifted her up and prepared to make a run for it.

    "Kazuki! I got her!" I shouted to inform my friend.

    He turned towards me, his eyes shone and a smile crossed his face upon seeing us. "Nice save, Haru!"

    Those were his last words before his body got turned into a mush of minced meat and blood splatter on the ground.

    "Ka...zuki..."

    [END OF CHAPTER]

 Chapter 2: Not so effective block...

    [ HARU''S POINT OF VIEW ]

    "Ka...zuki..."

    My voice got weaker in each syllable, I almost forgot how easily humans could die. But I knew, I had no time to mourn. The monster had already turned its head in my direction. It stared into my eyes, as if telling me that I was next. Even though it didn''t speak any words, its body screamed of boasting and arrogance¡ªit was mocking me.

    "What.... are you doing?" Ueda''s voice faintly reached my ears as she got her consciousness back. "Leave me and run."

    I quickly summoned several layers of barrier between me and the monster to keep it at bay before running from it. I was by no means athletic but for some reason, I felt really light on my feet as I ran even when I was carrying Nozomi in my arms. But still, once again, I was back to where we were¡ª away from the exit. I stopped my tracks as a dead end met me, I could hear the monster''s footsteps drawing nearer and my barriers shattering.

    I let out a sigh. "Am I seriously going to solo this thing?"

    After heavy breaths followed by a scoff, a remark came from her lips. "You seem suspiciously calm about all this." Ueda spoke once again, her voice gave away that she was still in pain. "I told you to leave me and run, didn''t I?"

    I crouched and gently put her down on the ground. "I think it''s too late for that, though."

    "So?" she responded weakly. "You''re gonna fight the monster alone?"

    "You tell me. Can you still fight?"

    "No way."

    I sighed once again. "Then I don''t have much of a choice, do I?"

    "What are you gonna do then? Even Masashi''s laser beams couldn''t penetrate that thing."

    She did have a point. Compared to her and Saito Masashi, I was a nobody, a weakling. But that didn''t matter now that I was the only one between her and death, the only one who could save her was me. Kazuki died trying to make a difference using whatever power he had had in him, even when knowing that it was ridiculously futile. And honestly, that was something I could never hope to understand. But even so. Even if the action that I was about to take had no meaning to me, if I was able to produce results, then that would be enough.

    "Don''t worry, I won''t let myself be killed." I replied. "I''ll just have to stay alive and distract the monster until help arrives."

    I stood up and turned around to face the monster who was already standing in front of me, its towering size blocked the light, casting its giant shadow upon us.

    "You better not break your words." Ueda said.

    I wasn''t planning to die. There were still a handful of things that I wanted to do with this life.

    I ran forward at full speed, summoning a barrier above me to block an incoming attack that was unsurprisingly easily broken into pieces. I then quickly darted away, barely evading its massive fist that had shattered the ground. I maneuvered around until I got behind its body. My plan was to draw its attention away from Ueda until either she escaped or help arrived. The monster turned around towards me, now its back facing Ueda, marking the success of one part of my plan. Now, I just had to run around and stay alive. As to how I would do that, I had no idea.

    Even that much was close to impossible. We had never seen something as huge as this thing move with such speed. And it was also considerably intelligent to some degree. I would have had to pull some crazy tricks from up my ass to at least maintain my distance because there was no way I would be able to defeat that. So I kept running.Stolen novel; please report.

    Even if I were fast enough to run from it, which I wasn''t, I would have quickly tired out first before the monster did anyway. I knew that I couldn''t run forever and would have to face it at some point, and that time had arrived sooner than I had expected. I turned around only to be met by a giant accelerating fist toward me which landed straight on the barrier that I had summoned in a fraction of a second. But instead of a flat surfaced barrier, I created a narrow concave barrier to capture its arm and gradually reduce the force of the impact. I felt a sudden pain in my head when the barrier cracked, but for some miraculous reason, it worked.

    After effortlessly breaking free, the monster attempted for another attack. It pulled its fist back, loading for the next punch but before it could even throw it, I summoned a barrier mid air, blocking its fist''s path. That way, generating enough force for a punch would be a little bit harder. I realized that it wouldn''t hold the monster for long so I jumped to my side before I could get squashed like a bug on the ground.

    After that, I ran out of tricks. I bolted away, summoned barriers that got shattered immediately over and over again. I lost track of time as waves of pain surged through my head, hoping that soon enough help would come. I was gasping for air and sweat had soaked my face and clothes. My legs were getting numb and I could already taste my own blood. With all sounds gradually fading, being replaced by just my violent heartbeat, I channelled all of my remaining strength to one single barrier that had managed to block a punch for me before getting smashed into pieces.

    It seemed that I had overestimated myself, or underestimated the enemy. I might actually die here.

    "Kid!!!" A familiar voice of a girl echoed from a distance. "Hold it from the shoulders!!!"

    My eyes widened as sudden realization hit me. I quickly summoned barriers that curved around the monster''s shoulders. Its reaction when it knew that it couldn''t move brought a smirk to my face. Why hadn''t I realized it sooner? If I restricted the shoulders, the body part where the torque was weakest, even something as huge as that wouldn''t be able to move easily. It didn''t work with Kugiwara''s ice vines because his ice was still affected by gravity and would just drop to the ground, but my barrier was different. It could float indefinitely in the sky and would remain immovable until it broke.

    Ueda Nozomi came out of nowhere. At the speed of sound, she tore through the air molecules and with her blade, stabbed the monster in the eye, piercing deep into its head. Roars of pain and agony shook the whole school as it flailed around, shattering my barriers in the process.

    Ueda landed on the ground before running towards me and turning immediately to face the monster in front of us. It seemed that she had retrieved her sword.

    "Not bad, kid." she quickly remarked, swinging her blade downwards to get rid of the blood that covered it.

    "Thanks." I replied, wiping the sweat off my brow. "I thought you''d run away."

    She scoffed. "Aren''t you a cheeky one?" As the monster accelerated towards us, she took a few steps forward. Now that the monster had already gained momentum, I could no longer do the tactic Ueda had brought up unless it stopped moving somehow.

    Before I could say a word, she had already dashed forward, forming dust clouds on her path as she moved with terrifying speed. Though if I were her, I would have used that speed to run away instead. She probably knew that there were still some students trapped inside the buildings, too scared to come out. She planned to kill that thing right here, right now.

    Ueda quickly dodged an incoming smash to the ground before countering with a sudden jump towards the monster''s face. She had only managed to stab its face shallowly because the monster suddenly turned its head, but she had managed to stop its movements, prompting me to enter the fight.

    After Ueda landed on the ground, I immediately summoned barriers around the monster''s shoulders and legs, making sure that it had the surface area that would optimize the strength of my barrier. But even so, I didn''t think that that would be enough to hold the beast for long enough. That was the moment that I felt a certain limit had been broken in my ability. My barrier grew stronger.

    "Now! Ueda-san!" I shouted.

    Ueda made a sharp turn, pivoting back toward the monster before leaping into the air, her sword directly pointing at its other eye.

    But the monster was smarter than we had thought. It suddenly opened its terrifyingly wide mouth when Ueda was about a meter close to its face. The sheer size of its mouth could swallow two people at once, and a girl of Ueda''s size would surely go in there without flaw. And naturally, she couldn''t change her trajectory mid air, she could only watch in horror as she drew closer towards the enormous pit of sharp fangs and throat.

    I supposed they had forgotten what my ability was. Surely they weren''t expecting me to just stand there and watch?

    In a split second, I summoned a barrier between Ueda and the monster''s mouth, she used it to dart away and change her trajectory while the monster chomped nothing but air.

    "Again!" Ueda shouted as she was falling. Immediately knowing what she meant, I summoned another barrier at her feet before she could fall and then she leaped higher into the air, above the monster''s line of sight. Attacking from above, I saw her do the perfect form of a plunging strike. She fell down like a meteor as her sword prepared to tear through the monster''s remaining eye to rid it of its vision completely.

    Just when I thought that it would finally be over, the monster looked up, attempting to catch her with its mouth for a second time. But before its jaws could gape open, I quickly summoned another barrier around its mouth that served as a muzzle. Only then could Ueda complete her strike that would finally end our struggle.

    Her blade was met with a giant fist and splinters of shattered barrier. I saw her getting blown into the sky before the ground accelerated towards my face. Good thing I was quick enough to barely catch myself by blocking the ground with my hands as I hadn''t even noticed that my knees already gave in.

    I used too much surface area that the barrier I had been using to hold its shoulders had been weakened, resulting to Ueda being counterattacked. My barrier broke more today than it did in my entire life combined, giving me intense dizziness and headache. As expected, I had reached my limit. Blood coming from my nose stained the ground as my vision became more blurry.

    As I looked up, Ueda''s body had already hit the ground. The monster simply walked towards her to finally end her. As much as I wanted to crawl and somehow try again and save her, I could barely even breathe.

    The next thing that happened made me doubt whether what I was seeing was reality or just hallucinations. A giant figure of dark smoke materialized into what looked like a human hand, hovering freely above the monster. It was something that could horrify even the biggest beasts. It was so much bigger than the monster that it made it look like a little kitten. The giant hand simply grabbed the monster by the torso and then squeezed the living shit out of it. I saw its blood and organs dripping heavily to the ground before everything went black.

    [ END OF CHAPTER ]

 Chapter 3

    [ HARU''S POINT OF VIEW ]

    I opened my eyes to an unfamiliar white ceiling. Trying to get up proved to be a challenge when I felt resonating pain in my legs as if I had just run a thousand mile marathon. Judging by the curtains and blinds on the wall, I deduced that I was brought into a hospital after the fight with that giant monster. The sky was also already dark and only a little noise can be heard outside. I winced while massaging my legs, trying to reduce the pain even for a little bit.

    "Probably because of carrying Ueda while running." I mumbled to myself.

    Hearing a familiar "Hmm." almost made me jump in shock before Ueda Nozomi''s voice broke the silence. "Cheeky brat. Are you implying that I''m heavy?" It was dumbfounding that I didn''t even realize someone was sitting on another bed just beside mine. I turned my head towards Ueda who was already glaring at me. Bandages covered her arms and the top of her head but over all she seemed like she had recovered compared to the state she had been in a few hours ago. It also seemed like they had changed our outer clothing with clean ones.

    "No." I replied. "The fact that I was able to carry you at all is enough proof that you are very light." she didn''t seem convinced nor amused with my response but oh well.

    "Still as cheeky as ever huh, Takahashi Haruto." I felt a little shocked when I heard her say my name. "You''re not hurt anywhere else?"

    So she had already learned my name. I guess someone told her. But still, it felt surreal to have some as popular as her to know about me. It took me a couple seconds to contemplate the answer to her question. "My head does hurt a little. It''s a side effect whenever my barrier gets broken."

    "I see."

    After a short period of silence, I decided to speak up for the sake of politeness. "And yourself?" she suddenly looked up in my direction. "You were way beat up earlier than I was, and yet you look like nothing ever happened."

    "Rapid healing." she quickly answered. "I recover almost twenty times as fast as other people do. If it weren''t for this, we would have been dead."

    What a convenient ability. On top of monstrous strength, her body also automatically healed damage. Though she wasn''t fully invincible if the rate of damage she received surpassed that of her self-healing, or the damage she sustained was way too severe.

    "You''re right." I said, facing her properly as I continued. "Thank you for saving me."

    She stared at me, the tension in her eyebrows releasing, turning her glare into a blank gaze. Her notorious demeanor seemed to have softened. Kind of ironic how someone who was supposed to be a hero was acting like a full fledged delinquent.

    "Don''t thank me." she said before her eyes dropped on her thighs.

    "What?"

    "Shinohara Kazuki." I felt the urge to swallow the lump in my throat as I heard the name that came from Ueda''s lips. Though, it was quite surprising that she had already learned about us in such a short period of time. "He was your friend, right?"

    Her expression had become too hard for me to read when she gazed into nothingness while gripping the bedsheets tightly. "Yes." I simply answered before silence dampened the mood once again.

    "He''s... dead because of me." she suddenly blurted out, still not making any eye contact. "Masashi and Ryosuke too." her voice got more unstable as she spoke. "So don''t thank me. I didn''t save anyone."

    People always gave off a certain energy around them whenever they were feeling like shit, and Ueda had almost drowned me with it. Silence grew colder as I chose to keep my mouth shut because I didn''t really know what words to say in this type of situation. And then suddenly, as rare as crows turning white, my one prayer at the moment had come true.

    Our heads turned to the door that had just been pushed open gently as a girl slowly peeped into the room.

    "Excuse me." Narumi Shiho whispered as she stepped inside, she was holding a basket of what I thought to be apples and some utensils.

    "Shiho-chan?" Ueda uttered as their eyes met. "You''re safe."

    Narumi''s gaze fell to the floor as I saw her shoulders drop. "Yeah." she quietly replied before walking up to us and then placing her things on the table between my bed and Ueda''s. She took a deep breath before speaking. "H-How''s your recovery going, Ueda-senpai?" her tone didn''t even bother to try and sound lively, it was full of glum.

    Narumi Shiho¡ª one of the five members of Saito Masashi''s club, and one of the three that remained. Her ability "Healing" was a truly spectacular superpower that could nullify even the most fatal injury. From just hearsay information I had, her ability worked by reversing time only within the body of her target. That meant she healed her targets by reverting their bodies back to their state during a certain point of time within a maximum of two hours as long as the target was still alive. Her downside would be she wouldn''t be able to heal people if their injury had happened more than two hours ago. Additionally, she wasn''t able to cause damage with her ability. Although her ability was about reversing the body''s condition, she, for some reason, couldn''t bring back a wound that had already been healed even if it was within her time limit range. In other words, all she could do was heal injuries.

    "It''s going well." Ueda tried to smile, but it barely reached her eyes. "Thank you for these." she said, referring to the food she bought.

    "Yamada-kun is resting in another room." Narumi said.

    Ueda nodded. "I know."

    I knew I wished for someone to enter the room and save me the awkward conversation, and it had happened. But the atmosphere now had just become worse with the conversation happening before my eyes. As much as I wanted to walk away, I knew that I needed to rest.

    Of course Narumi just had to turn to me. "You must be Takahashi-san." she said, finally including me in the conversation.

    "Yes." I simply answered looking at her eyes. "How''d you know me?"

    "Your club mates probably told her." Ueda answered for her. "They were here when I woke up, they were worried about you."

    "I see." my short response. I hoped that she didn''t scare them or anything.

    I couldn''t help but be shocked when Narumi suddenly bowed before me, her hair fell downwards, covering whatever expression she was making. "Thank you for saving Ueda-senpai." she said, bending down firmly.

    I put my hands up in front of me. "Please raise your head, Narumi-san. Anyone would have done the same."

    "No." she quickly remarked. "No one but you could''ve done that." she stood up straight but her gaze still remained on the floor. "I selfishly ran without even thinking, I was so scared."

    "Shiho-chan." Ueda spoke. "I completely understand. What you did back there was the best course of action."

    Narumi turned to Ueda. "But..."

    "If anything, I''m glad that you chose to run. Had you ended up getting hurt too, I..."

    How sweet. Anyway, now that my legs seemed to have recovered, I thought that I could just sneak out. While the two of the most famous girls in my school chattered about friendship and stuff, I quietly got off of bed and slowly walked up to the door. I had a feeling that all of this still wasn''t over. That mysterious ability that saved us from the monster¡ªI had never seen anything like that before. Someone as powerful as that wouldn''t be hiding their ability and just randomly reveal it for that situation. Deep in thought, I approached the door until Ueda''s voice stopped my tracks.

    "Where are you going?" she simply asked.

    I was about to reach for the door when I heard her. I then turned to look at them both.

    "Out?" I answered. "Don''t you two want some privacy?"Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    Her piercing gaze made me feel my soul being revealed inside out. I didn''t know if it was just her, or girls were just naturally scary.

    "You should rest more." she replied.

    What now? Why was she even minding my business? She shouldn''t have anything to do with me now that the battle was over, right?

    "I agree, Takahashi-san." Narumi seconded.

    "Besides," Ueda''s tone had gone colder. "I have questions for you."

    There it was. I knew she was smarter than she appeared to be, but I didn''t expect her to catch a thing just by me fighting with her in one battle. I had no choice but to conform. I walked back to the bed and sat there.

    "What do you wanna ask?" I started. There was no point in dragging things out. For a few seconds, her eyes locked with mine, but before it turned into a staring contest, I decided to call out to her once more. "Ueda-san?"

    She let out a sigh. "You''re weird."

    After processing what she said, I couldn''t help but blurt out a random noise. "Eh?"

    "Back then, when we were fighting the monster who killed the strongest man in Kyoto, you..." she paused, as if searching for the right words to continue. "I sensed absolutely no fear in you." Her statement made Narumi Shiho turn to me. As for me, I silently cursed myself for not being able to make the perfect response aside from silence. "You were calmer than even Masashi-kun himself. And even now, it''s still as if... you''re looking down on us."

    "Aren''t you imagining things at this point, Ueda-san?" I replied to prevent her from going deeper into the topic. "Honestly, I came charging in without a proper plan. I was just really lucky to have survived that." Silence filled the room once again. Ueda was scanning my very being, Narumi was confusedly tracing back the conversation, while I sat there hoping that they''d drop the talk anytime soon.

    "Nobody has ever heard about you up until now. And then suddenly, you showed up and fought the strongest monster that I''ve ever seen in my life, toe to toe. While using that shitty ability of yours too, to say the least." Ueda sounded like there was no stopping her. Now, even I was starting to worry. "Answer me, cheeky brat. Just who the hell are you?" she ultimately asked.

    To avoid any more suspicions from her, I had to think of an answer quickly. "Like I said, I was just really lucky that time." I said, adding a little bit more depth to my tone. "If you didn''t intercept at the right moment, I would have died. And why are you talking like I''ve beaten the monster? If memory serves, someone also just saved us, right?"

    Before Ueda could speak, Narumi had joined the conversation. "Yes, it is as you''ve said." Ueda and I shifted our attention towards her as I silently thanked her in my mind. "We thought you have been unconscious to witness it, but a Sentinel did arrive to defeat the monster."

    So it was a Sentinel after all. Some people who were blessed with strong abilities had chosen a profession that specialized in handling monster attacks. They operated separately from the government military and police force, but they sometimes worked together. They were called Sentinels¡ªthe modern day Monster Hunters.

    "I''ve been told as well." Ueda said as she crossed her arms. "But even so, I find it abnormal for a nobody like you to have what it takes to do what you did."

    "That''s rather harsh." I remarked.

    "I know, but that''s what I think." she replied. But I guess she had a point. If I were her, I would also find it unrealistic for someone like me to accomplish such a feat when even Saito Masashi, the strongest student in our school had been defeated by the same monster.

    "Sorry, but I don''t really know what you''re talking about." That response was all I could think of at the moment. Hopefully she would drop the talk.

    Narumi put a hand on Ueda''s shoulder to get her attention. "Senpai.. I think that''s enough." she said to her. "Both of you are in the middle of recovery."

    Ueda looked at her before turning to me again. I will never forget this, Narumi.

    After a bit of silence, she sighed and then finally spoke. "Fine. But I''m still suspicious of you."

    I stood up, bowed and then wordlessly left the room.

    The private hospital was small but complete in facilities. I passed by other patients and nurses and nobody seemed to mind me exiting the building at the time of the day. As I walked out of the building, a cool breeze of air blew towards me, smoothly caressing my hair. It was already getting late, and even though I didn''t know whether I was already allowed to go home or not, I decided to leave the place.

    Kazuki had died. It wasn''t like I was new to having people around me dying, but somehow, it felt regrettable. Thoughts like "If I have done this differently, he would have been still alive." lingered in my mind as I walked along the dark, silent parking lot. Not that I could turn back time and redo it, and not that I would want to.

    I stopped my tracks as soon as I heard footsteps coming from behind me. It was something distinguishable from someone-minding-their-own-business type of footsteps, kinda ominous if you''d ask me.

    Obviously, the person whom the footsteps belonged to was walking up to me, so I ultimately decided to turn and face whoever it was.

    "Greetings, Takahashi-san." was the first words I heard, her small voice faintly reverberated through the area. It was a woman in a dark office-suit standing before me.

    "Uhm. Have we met before?" I asked, trying to scan her from her shiny black sandals to her long, wavey hair.

    "No. This is the first time I''ve seen you face to face." she said with a blank expression. "Though that being said, I know quite a lot about you."

    I''d never considered myself good at reading people, but I was pretty sure that this woman was bad news.

    ''Who randomly walks up to people in the middle of the night and says things like that?''

    I pulled out my hand from my pocket. "Are you sure you have the right person?"

    "I just called you by your name, didn''t I?" she quickly responded. "Or would you rather be referred to as 715?" The next moments were hazy enough for me to not be able to tell what was going on. The next thing I knew was I had stepped closer to her and was about to grab her neck hadn''t she stopped me with her words. "Bad move, Takahashi.. bad move..."

    "Who are you?"

    "Please.. I know you pretty much have guessed." she gently pushed me in the chest to create some distance between us. Even I would be troubled if a commotion was caused here so I backed away. "But anyway, I''ll tell you." All noise faded into the background while her voice was the only thing my ears attended to. I tracked every movement of her lips, making sure that I didn''t miss a single word. "My name... well, the one I chose at least¡ªis Watanabe Ichika. You may call me that." she adjusted the glasses on her eyes before she continued. "Also, I was the one who saved your lives."

    My eyes widened. "You mean..."

    "Yes. The ability that killed the monster at your school was mine."

    I couldn''t help but clench my fist as a familiar feeling grew in my chest. "And what do you want from me?"

    "Well, it''s simple." she replied, our eyes not drifting away from one another even for a second. "Work with us." as she spoke those words, questions began to pop in my mind. Regarding who she was, how she knew my true identity, what her goal was, I had no clue. But one thing was certain. She was not a friend.

    "And if I don''t?"

    There was a brief silence before she responded. "Takahashi. You do know that you don''t have a choice, right?"

    "Why is that?"

    "I just told you. That powerful ability was mine." She replied with the same cold but confident tone she had from the beginning. "What do you think would I do if you choose to defy me? How easy would it be for me to force you into doing whatever we want when our powers are levels apart?"

    All the stress had dissipated from my body the moment I heard her response. The hands that were trembling had also stopped. It was a pleasant feeling of relief.

    "Huh?"

    "Are you deaf, or just stupid?" she asked, irritated. "It means I''ll kill you if you do-"

    "Yeah, yeah I heard you." I said, cutting her off. "I was just confused for a second, that''s all. What makes you think you can defeat me?"

    I saw her eyebrows narrowing as she gritted her teeth in anger. "Aren''t you cocky?" Even though the place was dimly lit, I was still able to see the billions of tiny dark particles in the sky merging together to form a shadowy figure of a gigantic hand, materializing in the air above us. "Perhaps I should show you a little bit. How much powerless you really are against me."

    "Watanabe." I said just before she could raise her hand. It seemed to me that she controlled it by moving her own right hand.

    "What? Did you change your mind?"

    "You know nothing about me, after all."

    Her expression somewhat softened and looked like she wanted me to continue speaking. "What do you mean?"

    I stared at her eyes as I spoke. "Something like that... would never be enough to defeat me." As expected, I still lacked a lot of experience. I thought at first that she had some sort of trump card to make me obey her, but it turned out that she was just relying on her own power to corner me. Luckily, that would never work. She might have known some properties about my ability, but she underestimated me bigtime. Watanabe gave a troubled expression after hearing my words. Maybe she was contemplating whether to believe me or not, but if she decided to risk it all, it would certainly end horribly for her and this whole city. "Whoever sent you must''ve wanted you killed." Seconds later, the giant hand in the sky had disappeared. So she chose to believe me. She valued her life after all. Well, it was a good thing that we didn''t have to get violent, because I would rather resolve this peacefully than having to find a new place to start. "Now, you''ll have to answer my questions-"

    "Cheeky brat!" Ueda''s voice echoed through the parking lot as we turned our heads to her entry. She, together with Narumi Shiho walked up to us while scanning the adult standing next to me. "That must be your mother." she said when she got close and then both her and Narumi bowed.

    "You''ve got it wrong, Ueda-san, Narumi-san." I quickly said.

    "Eh?" Ueda looked at me. "S-Sorry for assuming things."

    "Sorry." Narumi said to Watanabe.

    Before I could open my mouth, Watanabe already spoke. "No, it''s fine. I was just asking for directions. Well then, I''ll get going." Watanabe stormed off before I could think of an excuse to make her stay. I had been outsmarted I see.

    All I could do was sigh. As expected, I needed answers from her. Well, if ever she decided to reveal my true identity, I could always just...

    "Takahashi." Ueda called out to me once again, this time by my actual name. "The doctors said we can go home¡ª though I take it that you would have gone regardless."

    "Well, I miss my own bed. The one they have is quite uncomfortable." I answered before turning and walking away. "Well then, I''ll get going too-"

    "Wait!" She shouted, stopping my tracks. "I want to tell you something."

    I turned around to face them only to see Narumi faintly smiling, and Ueda''s embarrassed face. "What is it?" I asked.

    She took a deep breath before starting. "I went and said rude things to you earlier. I wanted to apologize for that." she said, bit by bit her facial expression grew more relaxed. "You risked your life for me." she added as she bent downwards for a polite bow. "Thank you for saving my life."

    ''Kazuki is the one who deserves your words, Ueda. I would have left you to die if it weren''t for him. And just now, I even thought of killing everyone and starting anew.''

    "Well, you did save us first." I replied. "That makes us even, I guess."

    [End of Chapter]

 Chapter 4

    [HARU''S POINT OF VIEW]

    Two weeks had passed since the attack that had utterly demoralized the entire city had occurred. Today was also finally the day that the classes resumed. The incident had hit our school like a sledgehammer financially, and so they had to suspend school activities for two weeks, and even though I felt a little shitty by my way of thinking, I couldn''t help but treat it as a short vacation. Though devastating, things such as that weren''t particularly uncommon. Humanity had dealt with casualties caused by monster attacks for centuries after all..

    And just as I had expected, the reason why Sentinels had not been able to arrive on time during the attack at our school was because several monsters had also attacked on other locations near our school a few minutes prior. That made me think that the incident wasn''t mere coincidence but a full-blown coordinated attack.

    As always, I entered the school early. With my bag on my shoulder, I walked along the campus towards my classroom. And even though it took a while, I noticed that something was off. I felt the countless gazes all around me. I thought I was imagining things¡ªno. I prayed that it was just in my imagination but alas, almost everyone that I passed by sneakily stared at me as I walked past them. And when I tried to look at them, they quickly averted their gaze.

    One conclusion came to mind, and I wasn''t too fond of what it was.

    Watanabe... what did you do...

    I entered the classroom and a few people were already there. The chairs and desks were already arranged and the usual friend groups that I used to see before were still together chattering early in the morning. I guess we were fortunate enough to not be among the fallen ones¡ª apart from Kazuki.

    But then everything turned quiet as soon as I stepped in. I stopped my tracks when all eyes turned in my direction with expressions I couldn''t dare to look at. I froze. Why? Was I scared? Had they found out my secret? Did Watanabe really do it?

    "Takahashi-san." the voice of a female classmate reached my ears as I heard her footsteps draw closer. Perhaps it was her tone or voice, but I felt at ease enough to look at her. It was the class representative.

    "Itoshi-san." I half-finished my words when I saw the rest of my classmates walking up to me. Weirdly enough, I felt my world spinning as an unpleasant feeling grew in my stomach. I would have given up all of my life savings just for someone to take me away from that situation.

    ''They found out.''

    "How are you doing?" one of them suddenly asked.

    "Are you okay?"

    I blinked a few times before someone else spoke right after.

    "We know losing Shinohara-kun was painful. We''re here for you."

    "You blocked that metal back then right? You really saved us."

    "You were really cool when you fought that monster!"

    "Yeah! We never knew you were that badass!"

    I confusedly looked at them one by one, trying to let their words sink in. "H-Huh?" I muttered, still musing what this was about.

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    "Everyone in our school already knows that you''ve saved Ueda Nozomi! That''s totally cool!!!" A classmate exclaimed.

    Upon realizing that the conclusion I had at first was completely off the mark, a sigh of relief escaped my lips. "Kazuki initiated to do it." was my short reply. "But thank you for worrying about me. I appreciate it."

    "Yeah..." they answered sincerely. "Shinohara-san is a real hero."

    A male classmate who could barely contain the excitement barged into the conversation. "We were on the edge of our seats the entire fight! You''re usually really quiet and didn''t show much of your ability, so what you did back there was a surprise!"

    "Give him some space, guys! You''re-"

    "Do you wanna be friends?"

    "Yeah, let''s hang out sometime, Takahashi-kun!"

    "Maybe we can train together."

    I forced a smile out as non-stop words rang through my ears. As annoying as it was, I would pick this any day than them finding out about my secret.

    I noticed them shutting up as I opened my mouth to speak. "Well, uh. If I wasn''t too lucky that day, we might have had a completely different outcome."

    "Yeah." someone replied.

    "In any case, we''re really glad you didn''t die." a classmate remarked with a chuckle.

    With that, the confrontation¡ªor at least that was what I considered it to be¡ª came to an end. I sat at my desk by the window like I usually did while we waited for our teacher to arrive. Though if I were to bring up what changed, it would be Kazuki''s loud voice early in the morning that was now gone. He was the only one who tolerated someone like me after all.

    A few more moments later, the room was filled with students. Class 1-C was finally complete. We were expecting our teacher to enter through the door but instead, the principal had shown up.

    Everyone followed the middle aged man with their eyes as he walked to the front of the class. He then stood there, spreading his gaze to the students to see if he got their full attention. "Class 1-C, am I right? Well uh... good morning." he spoke with a formal tone. Several reasons came to mind as to why the principal had shown up in our classroom. One of them was to give condolences to all the classes in the school for what had happened, and another one was to announce something¡ªperhaps some changes with respect to the defense quality of our school. But the real reason was one that I had never expected¡ªnor wished for. "I am sorry to announce this, but Suzuki-sensei, your homeroom teacher has formally resigned from the position."

    Gasps and murmurs filled the room as soon as the news escaped the principal''s lips.

    "Seriously?"

    "Why?"

    "You must be kidding!"

    "THAT Suzuki-sensei?"

    The principal opened his mouth once again. "Even we don''t know the full story. Perhaps it was related to the attack two weeks ago. It could be that he wants to move to a safer place. In any case, I want you to respect his decision." he stated before looking over and gesturing us towards the door. "And so, I am here to introduce you to your new homeroom teacher." he said as a familiar woman walked through the entrance into the room. "Please welcome, Watanabe Ichika, I hope you''ll get along well."

    The moment I heard her name, I instantly knew how much bullshit was there in the story. Suzuki-sensei must be dead already by now.

    Watanabe walked into the room and then stood beside the principal. "Nice to meet you, everyone." she spoke softly. "My name is Watanabe Ichika. Let''s all get along."

    Two weeks ago, she had managed to avoid being confronted by me that night. Yet, there she was, standing in front of me. Whatever she was planning, I had to get to the bottom of this.

    After some introductions, she explained the mundane details about her being our homeroom teacher but she didn''t mention anything about me nor the ability that defeated the monster being hers. The whole morning period had gone by peacefully and now, it was time for lunch. Some students preferred to eat their homemade lunch at their desk around some friends. Living alone in my apartment, I had no time nor the interest to make my own lunch, and so to the cafeteria I''d always gone to. I''ll just have to try to talk to her some other time but for now, all I wanted was peace.

    Packing my things inside my bag, I prepared to leave the room. There were still short glances from my classmates but they were mostly smiling respectfully to me which was fine, I thought. My actions during that incident had actually caused the stir around the campus, giving my name quite the prominence. Well, that should die out soon enough like any other trend on the internet.

    The one thing that I had hoped for was for that unwanted fame to not cause me trouble, but it seemed that it was not my lucky day. As I turned around the corner just a few steps from the door, I saw three guys standing on the hallway. At the middle, a familiar one crossed his arms as he watched me exit the classroom. Staring at him, I thought long and hard, trying to remember where I had seen him.

    Before I could do so, he already opened his mouth. "Takahashi Haruto." he spoke. "That''s you, right?"

    My brain had half-given-up on trying to remember him but I guess I could just do it along the conversation. "Yes, that''s me." I replied, not breaking eye contact. "How can I help you?"

    He stepped closer until he was mere a couple of feet away from me. And then he answered. "Let''s fight."

    I blinked twice before I could speak. "Huh?"

    "I''m challenging you to a 1v1. Are you up or not?"

    "Hold on, I think you should introduce yourself first."

    Before he could respond, I was finally able to remember where I had heard that arrogant voice and hateful eyes. "You''re really tryna piss me off aren''t you?" he said.

    "No, I really didn''t know who you are but I remember now." I said, he chuckled.

    He lightly, though, disrespectfully patted me on the right cheek as he grinned madly. "Then you must already know how fucked you are right now, huh?"

    Serizawa Osamu. He was one of the most feared in the campus. I heard that he was supposed to be part of the Saito club but got outclassed completely by the current members. His ability "Sonic speed" was indeed strong in its own right, but compared to Ueda and Saito, he was nothing but a runner. Not only were they faster than him, he also didn''t have anything to offer apart from his speed.

    "Can I refuse?" I asked.

    "Hell no." he replied giving me a slight push on the shoulder. "Head to the back lot, bitch."

    [ End of Chapter ]

 Chapter 5: 1 on 1

    [HARU''S POINT OF VIEW]

    Before I could wrap my head around what was going on, we were standing outside just behind the building. Being a garbage dump area, this place rarely had any people staying here aside from a few delinquents. But now, students gathered around me and the man I was about to face had finally arrived.

    The crowd made way as Serizawa made his entrance. His eyes burned with rage.

    ''It''s just my hunch but I think this guy hates me.'' I thought to myself as I looked at him while he walked towards me. I noticed him handing me an object so I looked down at his hand. He was trying to give me a knife.

    The metal surface reflected the sun. Before it blinded me, I looked up at him once again only to see his devilish grin. "Take it, bitch." It wasn''t hard to get what he was trying to say. He wanted it to be a fight to the death. Hesitantly, I took the knife. He walked away to create a bit of distance between us as he drew out his own knife. "You already know what this means, right?"

    "I do."

    He laughed. "You seem pretty calm even though you''re about to die." His rage was caused by his ego. Maybe he felt that I had stolen the spotlight from him by doing what I did during the attack two weeks ago¡ªnot that he had any to begin with. In other words, he was jealous. I could easily lose on purpose and grovel on the ground for his forgiveness if that would stroke his ego and cut me some slack, but it seemed that only my death through a duel would satisfy him. I can''t afford to lose. "Or maybe you fried your brain in fear? That''s alright." Most of the crowd cheered loudly. Maybe they were as crazy as him. But I could see some people at the back watching in anticipation. Mostly my classmates. I knew they''d already called someone to stop this, but I can''t just rely on that. Serizawa is fast, and he could kill me before they arrive. "After all, I''m going to show everyone how weak and pathetic you are. You may have saved Ueda Nozomi''s life by luck but that doesn''t change that you ain''t worth a shit."

    His grin was replaced with a scowl after seeing me toss the knife on the ground. I looked at his eyes before I spoke, "I don''t need that to beat you."

    He clenched his fist. "Oh really?" he adjusted to a charging stance as he prepared to attack. "Then your death is going to be your own fault."

    Dust exploded at his tracks. In milliseconds, he appeared right in front of me with his knife pointing to my face. There wasn''t a world where I could match his speed, so I had to rely on something else.

    The tip of his blade met my barrier. As expected, he wasn''t even strong enough to penetrate it. But before I could even think of what to do after blocking his attack, he already vanished. I found him standing several meters away from me, adjusting his grip on the knife. It seemed like he suffered from the recoil of his own attack.

    The noise from the crowd made it harder for me to concentrate. Since I was much slower than him, I had to predict where he might attack. I could only summon a shield that could cover one side of my body. A bigger barrier would just be too weak to block his attack.

    "What''s wrong?" I asked, not moving an inch from my spot. "We should finish this quickly. Someone already called a teacher."

    He let out a laugh. "Yeah don''t worry. I''ll kill you just in time." He said before dashing towards me once again. And just like before, I easily blocked his knife using my barrier. He backed off and then went for my right side but to no avail, his knife kept hitting the immovable matter. He could only dash in a straight line and had to stop for a moment to change direction. Thanks to this, I was able to see where he was going to attack next.

    In a flurry of dashes, he kept attacking me from every angle he could position himself in. But each time he failed. He was already sweating and panting in exhaustion when he stopped.

    "You''re not even thinking about your moves." I uttered while the dust clouds settled on the ground. "You''re embarrassing yourself."

    "I don''t want to hear that from someone who''s just waiting for a savior to arrive." He replied. "Your plan is to keep blocking until a teacher comes, right?"

    "Pretty much."

    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    He grinned like a devil before responding. "Well too bad. I already handled that." he said before laughing maniacally. Did he perhaps find a way to stall the adults so that they wouldn''t be able to come and stop us? "No one''s coming to save you, boy. Make sure you don''t make a mistake or you''re dead!"

    He dashed to my right side, acting like he was about to charge at me from that direction only to continue dashing behind me to attack me from the back. Too bad I already summoned a barrier there. I heard the knife hitting it before he repositioned himself to my left and then back in front of me.

    "Aren''t you gonna attack? You can''t win like that." he chuckled.

    "I''m a defensive support unit."

    Once again he dashed to a random direction, trying to find an angle where he could attack me. He stopped on my left side where I watched as he dashed towards me. But there was one thing I noticed. His second dash was much slower than the last. In fact, the dash he used prior to the last one was the fastest I''d seen him do. The dash he used to charge at me was much slower. It was such an obvious attack that even I could see it. Was it because he was tired? Even so, his speed couldn''t diminish in such a degree and still have that arrogant look on his face. All of my experience told me that there was something behind this pathetic attack and before I could realize what it was, I already instinctively blocked in the direction where he was coming from. Shortly after that, I felt a stinging pain on my right shoulder as blood soaked my uniform.

    "I got you, bitch." he remarked with a grin on the other side of my barrier.

    What a clever move. Before dashing to my left, he threw the knife at me from the front. And then he dashed from my side as a decoy to hide his real attack. I could understand how simple the trick is, but I didn''t expect him to move faster than a flying knife thrown by him.

    I quickly held on to my shoulder and before I could think, he already vanished along with the knife I tossed on the ground.

    The crowd went crazy with the turn of events. He dashed from side to side maybe to confuse me and hide his real goal. I knew he wasn''t thinking the same trick would work on me twice and so I had to anticipate a new trick. Whatever he was planning to do, I can''t let him succeed. The next attack would kill me if he did.

    He came charging from the right but I managed to block him. After that, he became even faster than before, appearing and attacking from different directions. One small mistake and it''d be over for me.

    But even that disadvantage could be used to win. I just had to use my cards right. Compared to that beast, Serizawa was nothing.

    After hundreds of times I had blocked his attacks, I summoned a large barrier weak enough for him to penetrate. Blocking his random burst of attacks had allowed me to analyze his rhythm. Given that he was moving at top speed, the gaps between his attacks had been constant. Thus, making him easier to predict.

    Just as planned, he broke right into my barrier. He was so used to getting blocked that he didn''t expect my barrier to break. It was similar to expecting one more step of stairs when descending but it was already the bottom. He lost his balance, but there was still the knife issue. And since I haven''t moved an inch from the start, he definitely wasn''t expecting me to do so.

    I ducked, and quickly grabbed his arm that had the knife. I then used his own momentum to throw him to the ground while neutralizing his weapon.

    He winced in pain as he hit the ground. Not wasting any time, I swiftly summoned barriers that held his arms and legs down, making him unable to move.

    I stood up, watching him struggle. But it was no use. After I placed my barriers no one and absolutely no one would be able to move them unless they broke. And I was sure that Serizawa would not be able to break them. My plan was a success. I baited him to focus on waiting for me to make a mistake in my predictions. But after catching him, I was able to properly chain him down with my barrier.

    He struggled wordlessly in shame, desperately trying to break free. The crowd''s noises became even more intense after his defeat.

    "Just give up, Serizawa." I spoke.

    "Shut the fuck up!" he replied, still squirming and struggling pathetically.

    Hearing the crowd suddenly grow quiet, I turned my head only to see two familiar faces arriving just in time. Startled delinquents fled the scene while most of the spectators stayed to watch how this all would conclude.

    "It hasn''t even been a month and you''ve already made a scene again." Yamada gazed at me coldly before his eyes fell to Serizawa on the ground. Behind him was Narumi wearing a stressed expression. I had almost forgotten that their club wasn''t just for regular student activities. They also served as the disciplinary council. I guess I''m in trouble now.

    "I''m sorry." I immediately replied.

    Narumi''s eyes widened after seeing my injured shoulder. Speaking of which, I could use some medical attention at the moment. "You''re wounded!" she exclaimed before rushing to my side. "Let me see." her gentle hands touched my shoulder as she inspected the injury. She then carefully removed the knife stuck between my muscles. Thank goodness we used smaller knives. "I''ll heal you quickly." she declared before hovering her hands above the bleeding wound.

    "Thanks." was my only response. I had seen her use her ability in public before, but I had never had the opportunity to experience it first hand. The pain was overshadowed by curiosity as I intently watched her heal me.

    It was like magic, literally. Even the blood on the ground separated itself from the dust as it gathered in the air. The stains on my shirt got erased as well as all the blood I had lost rushed back inside the wound before it closed. I had been healed as if nothing happened.

    "There. You should be fine now." she muttered, softly touching where the wound used to be.

    Amazed, I was about to thank her when Yamada passed me by. I watched him crouch down to close the gap with Serizawa who looked at him with the most scornful eyes. "You can remove your barriers now." Yamada said, probably referring to me.

    "Are you sure?" I asked.

    "Yes." Though half hesitant, I decided to trust them. The small rings of matter that restrained his wrists and legs onto the ground disappeared into nothingness. "You''re out of your fucking mind." Yamada commented as he stared down Serizawa. He then stood up and looked around the crowd. "Everyone, get out of here. The show is ove-"

    The instant he removed his eyes from Serizawa, he had already vanished from his spot. For me, it didn''t need to take long before I could realize in which direction he went. Of course he dashed in my direction, but I couldn''t prepare for what he wanted to accomplish. Instead of charging towards me, he targeted the person beside me- Narumi Shiho. I didn''t have enough time to think. I quickly summoned a barrier between her and Serizawa, successfully stopping his tracks.

    "You fucker.." Yamada muttered with rage before bashing Serizawa''s head into the ground.

    Struggling with all his strength, Serizawa lifted his head and looked at me with a devilish grin on his face. "Fooled you twice, bitch."

    "Takahashi-san!" Narumi yelled at me, wearing a worried expression.

    I barely felt it, but he did fool me twice. Never thought he would dare attempt to do that trick again. I looked down at my stom

    ach where the knife dug itself into before everything went black.... again.

    [ End of chapter ]

 Chapter 6: The swordsman

    < < | NOZOMI''S POINT OF VIEW | > >

    Leaning against the wall in front of the door of the principal''s office, I crossed my arms impatiently while Kenzou stood across me, his eyes glued to the floor. For the past six minutes, no words had been spoken between us. The occasional passing of students along the hallway were the only noises that could be heard and that was if they weren''t trying to be quiet like their lives depended on it.

    I didn''t even notice that I had been looking at him this whole time. Nor did I realize that I had been gripping my own arms tightly that my nails started to dig past my uniform into my skin. That''s five thousand yen repair tomorrow.

    The silence wouldn''t seem to end soon if I didn''t start the conversation, my patience was wearing thin anyway.

    "Hey." I spoke out of the blue. He slowly lifted his head up to look at me, still not uttering a word. Knowing him, it would be better to just get straight to the point. "You were behind this, weren''t you?"

    He let out a sigh before looking away. Probably surprised that I had figured it out. "Well, sort of."

    When he said that, I subconsciously thanked the passersby between us. Had it not for them, I would have jumped straight and kicked him into the other side of the wall. "Sort of?" I asked calmly. Though I''m not sure what my face looks like right now, I was pretty sure it wasn''t exactly one that people would want to see.

    He glanced at me. "There were things that went overboard, but my goal was still achieved-"

    "Yamada Kenzou." I shifted, lifting myself from leaning against the wall as I uncrossed my arms. I have been known to act on impulse so I''m trying my hardest to stay calm right now. I took a deep breath before asking my next question. "What would you have done if Takahashi didn''t choose to protect Shiho?" He looked away once again, unable to answer. "I am disappointed in you."

    "Narumi wasn''t supposed to be there." he uttered. "She overheard that Takahashi was in trouble, so she insisted on coming."

    "And you still told Takahashi to release Serizawa?"

    "I... thought he wasn''t going to hurt her... Because I knew he had feelings for her."

    "That doesn''t justify the fact that you used Takahashi to have Serizawa expelled from this school."

    His eyebrows narrowed, I raised mine. Did he really have the nerve to be angry? "Please keep your voice down, Ueda-senpai." said Kenzo. He rarely used that honorific with me and I could sense his sarcasm. "Besides," he added. "I didn''t really force things to happen. All I did was make sure Serizawa''s ego got trampled on by Takahashi''s sudden fame."

    "Tch.."

    After what felt like forever, the principal''s door opened. Serizawa Osamu and his mother walked out of the room passing by me and Kenzou not before giving us a look of disdain. Did he finally have the guts to look me in the eye knowing this''ll be the last time he''d see me? This kid had potential. Masashi had almost picked him as our fifth member if he didn''t meet Kugiwara. His failures had piled up, adding to his frustration, eventually guiding him to the wrong path. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    With that, Serizawa Osamu had been expelled from Kiyoto High.

    "Are you happy now?" I blurted out to Kenzou who was about to to leave.

    "I guess so." he said before walking off like nothing happened.

    I wondered: How would Masashi handle this situation? He used to be the one who dealt with these kind of problems while I watched behind him. Since civilized discussions aren''t my thing.

    Maybe if I had died instead of him, everything would have been better.

    Before realizing it, I started walking. Thoughts flowed through my head constantly until my feet eventually brought me in front of the infirmary.

    "Right. Kenzou didn''t even bother." I knocked several times before opening the door to a wide room. Patient beds were alined to the sides with only dark green curtains acting as dividers. I walked into the dimly lit room, most of the light was coming from the window through the blinders. "I''m here to visit Takahashi Haruto."

    The school nurse directed me to his bed where I found him peacefully sleeping. Beside his bed was Shiho-chan sitting on the bench with some unfamiliar faces. "Ah.. Ueda-senpai." she greeted after seeing me. "I''ve already healed his wound but the nurse said he still needs to rest." she added. I looked at them one by one and they only glanced at me gloomily. "T-These are his club mates..."

    The guy who seemed to be a second year like me stood up and walk up to me. "I''m Fujimoto Mitsuki.. leader of the Fujimoto club."

    "I''m Koshimizu Reiko." another second year. The girl who looked like a first year like Takahashi didn''t even stand up and introduced herself. It was subtle, but I had this feeling that she had something to say to me. "H-Her name is Murayama Akane.." Koshimizu added. "I-If you remember Shinohara Kazuki... He''s her childhood friend."

    I suddenly felt something stuck in my throat. It had become difficult to breathe as I felt my heart sinking to a bottomless pit. "Of course... I remember him." was the only thing I could dare to say.

    Koshimizu shifted her gaze towards Takahashi who was soundly sleeping. "A lot has been happening to our club lately.. h-hehe.."

    My hands had clenched into a tight fist. As I thought, I was way too incompetent to be the leader of this school.. of the student body. If Masashi were here, these things wouldn''t be happening. "I''m sorry." I blurted out.

    "N-No! None of this is your fault, Ueda-san!" She exclaimed.

    "If anything," Fujimoto joined the conversation. "I am the one responsible here. Because he''s my club mate."

    I felt a light tap on my shoulder. "Ueda-senpai.." Shiho-chan looked at me with visible sadness.

    We were just kids after all. Seeing our friends die and carrying on without them was something we never dared to imagine. We used to be invincible together. Heroes that everyone looked up to and relied on.

    "I''m sorry... for *sniff* failing you. I''m no good. *sniff*"

    "Eh!? U-Ueda-san!?" Koshimizu and Fujimoto suddenly yelled, even Murayama was startled.

    "Who made you cry, Ueda-san?"

    Takahashi''s voice almost made me jump in shock, effectively bringing me back to my senses. I thanked the heavens for giving me superhuman speed to wipe my tears immediately. What the hell was I thinking!? And why the hell was he waking up now!?

    "Takahashi!" Shiho-chan and the others enthusiastically exclaimed before rushing to him.

    "What? Have I been out for a year? A decade?"

    "We wouldn''t be wearing our uniforms after a decade, moron." Murayama remarked, finally deciding to speak.

    "It has been roughly fourty minutes since you passed out." Shiho-chan informed. "Don''t worry, all of your injuries have been healed. You''re back in tip top shape!"

    "Thank you, Narumi-san." he replied with his usual pokerface. Maybe that was just the way he is, but everytime I see him interact with anyone, something tells me that something was wrong with him. "Anyway," he then looked over at me. "What were you crying about, Ueda-san?"

    "Gh!?" Even I didn''t know the answer so it wasn''t like I could tell him. "Well... uh.."

    "She was worried about you, Takahashi-kun." Shiho-chan said with a wide smile.

    I looked at her with widened eyes. What gives!? That was so off! "Excuse me?"

    "Was I wrong, Ueda-senpai?" she asked, playing innocent. What did I do to her to deserve this? Why was she doing this to me?

    "I mean... I... Well, it''s uh.." Shit! What has gotten into me!? My brain went blank that I couldn''t even answer a simple question?

    "Thank you for your concern, Ueda-san. You''re such a reliable senior that you''d even cry for me."

    I wanted to cover my face in shame so badly but that would be unbecoming of me. "Y-You... I wasn''t crying!!!"

    "I''m pretty sure you were."

    "Was not!"

    Everyone burst out in laughter. I just wanted the floor to swallow me whole.

    "I didn''t know Ueda-san had this side of her." Koshimizu remarked.

    "You see, Koshimizu-senpai." Shiho-chan butted in. "It''s really rare to see her in this state so feast your eyes!"

    "Don''t treat me like a rare natural phenomenon!"

    [ END OF CHAPTER ]

 Chapter 7: A new mission

    [HARU''S POINT OF VIEW]

    The members within a club were called a team. And each team must fulfill five roles to function. The artillery unit was the one responsible for free fire, attacking from a distance with consistent and powerful shots. The Defense/Support unit usually protected the artillery, but their main job was to protect everyone. The attack unit''s job was to find the target''s weak spot and exploit them in an attempt to end the fight as soon as possible. The Field-Control unit possessed powerful abilities that could affect large areas. They were responsible for groups of enemies or keeping the aggressive targets at bay. The vanguard unit risked themselves in close quarter combat to create openings for the attack unit.

    All members must coordinate, watching each other''s back to ensure any operation was a success.

    "Watch out!!!" Koshimizu-senpai shouted   as a round-ish figure the size of a school bag jumped from the shadows to the darkness. Currently, we are inside an abandoned building trying to fight an overgrown rat.

    After waking up at the infirmary two days ago, my club mates had informed me about the overflowing emails we had received. We finally received missions. They said it was probably thanks to me, but that didn''t really matter now. Especially at this moment.

    "W-W-W-Where did it go!??" Murayama-san trembled while cautiously extending her hands, ready to blow some intense wind to the enemy. That''s right. Her ability was controlling the direction as well as the pressure of the wind in a small area in front of her. Like a fan. Our Field-Control unit.

    "H-H-Hold s-still Akane-chan!" said Fujimoto-senpai. "Make sure to s-stay behind me." he added as he stood before us. His arms barely transformed into a much larger, stronger, and uh.. furrier(?) version with huge, sharp claws. His ability was morphing into a beast but he could only do it if the surrounding was dark enough. Our Vanguard unit.

    "Are you sure you''re not the one who needs to stand back?" Koshimizu-senpai asked in annoyance. Her ability was electroshocking any living organism that she touched at will. Like an electric eel or something. Since she had to do close quarter combat to use her ability, she practiced judo and karate for a long time, even becoming a regional champion. Our attack unit.

    And I was their support slash defense unit. I used my shielding ability to keep them from receiving any damage as much as I can.

    "W-What are you waiting for, Fujimoto-senpai!? Go get it!" Murayama-san demanded.

    We could hear him swallowing the lump in his throat before going ahead. "A-Alright."

    The three of them jumped in fear as soon as the monster(?) showed itself. And I must admit, the sight of a rat that huge with its bloodthirsty eyes and sharp fangs was enough to send shivers down anyone''s spine. It was our first time handling a real situation like this as a team. So I didn''t expect everything to go well. But boy was I not prepared for what happened next.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    Screaming for her life, Murayama-san showcased the maximum output of her ability, blowing away the huge rat alongside Fujimoto-senpai. Koshimizu-senpai rushed to provide back up but it was too late. The target had been alerted and managed to escape through the halls. Unfortunately, they didn''t see it and kept on spamming their attacks in the dark.

    "Guys, I think the rat got away." I uttered. Thankfully, I got their attention.

    "Eh!? Where!?" Koshimizu-senpai asked, confused.

    "I think he went that way." I said, pointing to the dark, narrowed hallway ahead. "But I think we need to treat Fujimoto-senpai''s injuries first."

    Murayama-san scoffed in annoyance. "Hmp! How could you be injured by an enemy that small?"

    "You were the one who injured him." I responded in Fujimoto-senpai''s stead.

    It was messy, but we decided to proceed to the hallway. According to the email, this place used to be a corporate building. But monstrous rats like the one we just saw began appearing, harming the civilians working here, leading to this place to be temporarily closed until the monsters had been taken care of. And that was our job.

    "Hey, Haru-kun." Fujimoto-senpai tapped my shoulder with his reverted hand as we walked ahead of the girls.

    "What is it?"

    After a short silence, he let out a deep sigh. "If Kazuki-kun were here, he''d be like, really pumped up, wouldn''t he?" he spoke with a weak voice. It was dark and I couldn''t see his face very clearly, but his tone was enough to give away his sadness.

    "He used to talk about wanting to go on real missions." I replied.

    "And the combo''s he and you could pull off together." he chuckled.

    Kazuki used to be our artillery. His throws could reach speeds up to 160 kilometers per hour. Add the fact that he throws projectiles at burning temperatures, monsters like these wouldn''t stand a chance. Too bad we couldn''t see his full potential.

    We tried to conceal our presence as much as possible to catch the monsters of guard and eliminate them. Murayama-san was scared stiff and was clinging close to Koshimizu-senpai the whole time, but I was prepared to wrap them up in my barrier should any danger arise so I wasn''t worried. We continued walking until we passed by a suspicious room by the stairs.

    It was the only room with closed doors and the stains on the floor lead to its entrance. "H-Hey, Reiko.." Fujimoto-senpai uttered, observing the stains. He then turned his head to us.

    We gave him nods of affirmation which horrified him. Perhaps he was expecting us to ask him to turn down this mission completely. "You can do it, senpai." I said on a whim. Who knows? Maybe it would give him courage.

    He looked at me and then laughed to himself before reaching for the doorknob. "Right. How could I call myself a leader if I can''t handle something like this? H-hahaha...ahh.." The door knob made a squeaking noise as he turned it, but he stopped midway and kept silent. As if he was frozen in place.

    "What''s wrong, Mitsuki?" Koshimizu-senpai asked.

    "Our enemies are rats right?" he asked with a dry tone. Murayama-san and Koshimizu-senpai gasped as they realized what Fujimoto-senpai did. "How could they lock themselves inside this room, then?"

    I felt the sleeve of my uniform being pulled lightly. Also the back of my shirt. I looked to my side only to see the two girls almost tearing my uniform in fear. "Then does that mean.. there''s something more powerful than those rats behind that door?" Murayama-san uttered.

    "Maybe that." I butted in before stepping ahead of Fujimoto-senpai and opening the door myself. "Or something entirely different." I heard them calling my name as I entered the room. Turns out, my hunch was right. A person was lying unconscious on the ground with empty food and water containers on the floor. The light that came from his phone flashlight on the table was the only thing that lit up the dark room.

    "Haru-kun!!!" Koshimizu-senpai whisper-yelled from the outside.

    "Come in, guys. I found something."

    [END OF CHAPTER]

 Chapter 8: Takahashi Haruto

    [HARU''S POINT OF VIEW]

    Koshimizu-senpai rushed to the man and checked his pulse. The pent up air in our lungs was relieved when she confirmed that he was alive.

    "It seems that this man has been trapped here for a while and no one noticed." said Murayama-san.

    Fujimoto-senpai senpai followed and then crouched to pick the man up. "But don''t you think it''s quite strange? He had supplies of food." he remarked, inspecting the surroundings. "If he was left here by accident, why does it seem like he was prepared to stay here for long periods of time?"

    Koshimizu-senpai let out a deep breath. "We don''t know the answers yet, but we need to get him out of here." she said.

    Fujimoto-senpai started to lift him up after partially transforming his upper half for some extra strength. "Should we get him out first and continue the mission later?" he asked.

    "I think." Murayama-san responded.

    So we decided to carry the man and leave the building. But as we were about to exit the room, the ground started to shake.

    "What the hell?" Fujimoto-senpai exclaimed.

    The low rumbling of the floor alerted everyone, prompting us to rush out of the building. We started to run through the dark hallway back to where we came from, but I guess things wouldn''t be so easy for us. Hundreds of blood-red glowing eyes blocked our path in the distance. Deafening screeches filled our ears, keeping us from communicating. We immediately stopped our tracks and tried to turn back but we saw the exact same horrifying sight.

    "Oh no! We''re surrounded!" shouted Koshimizu-senpai.

    "Shit... shit shit shit shit." Fujimoto-senpai muttered, slightly trembling.

    I felt small hands grabbing me by the arm tightly. It was Murayama-san. "W-What should we do!?" she asked in fear, it was almost hard to hear her due to all the noise around us.

    "Murayama-san, I''ll handle this side, please handle that one." I replied, pointing to the other end of the hallway.

    "Eh!?" she yelled before finally mustering her resolve. "O-Okay!"

    She will handle the direction where the exit was. They''ll slowly tear through the monsters until we get out while I blocked the ones that were behind us.

    Well then, let''s get started.

    "Fujimoto-senpai, Koshimizu-senpai, please help her clear the monsters as much as you can." I said as I walked past them.

    "Leave it to us." Koshimizu-senpai replied, determined.

    I took a deep breath before extending my arms forward. One after another, dozens- no, hundreds of huge, monstrous rats collided with my barrier that blocked their path. Each second that passed, the barrier''s form felt heavier and harder to maintain as they kept pushing through, desperate to break in.

    I took a quick glance behind me and saw my clubmates slowly but steadily clearing the path for us. Koshimizu-senpai was causing an electroshock-chain each time a group of monsters touched each other, taking multiple enemies out in one fell swoop. Murayama-san kept pushing on and blew the monsters away using her ability. Though it wasn''t strong enough to deal serious damage to the enemies, she was very useful in keeping them at bay. Fujimoto-senpai multitasked. With one hand, he carried a full grown man, with the other, he slashed any monster that got close to us.

    Good. They''re creating distance now.

    "Haru!" Murayama yelled out my name from afar.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Slight cracks from my barrier started appearing from the sides, creeping their way to the center. That familiar mixed feeling of headache, nausea and my ribcage tightening almost made me lose balance. I turned my head to glance behind me, and they were already by the exit while I was left behind to keep the hallway from being flooded by viscous rats once again.

    "You go ahead!" I shouted back, hoping my voice would reach them amidst all the screeching noise. Well, I assumed that it did, but I only received gasps and looks of disbelief and terror as a reply. "I need to hold these monsters!" I added, but that didn''t seem to register in their minds as they still stood there in silence. "You get that person out of here and call for help! I''ll wait for you!"

    "I''ll stay with you!" said Murayama who was about to walk up back to me when she was stopped by Koshimizu.

    "No! There''s nothing else for you to do here!" I responded. "This is not a Code Yellow Expedition! There was a mistake! Call for help before my barrier collapses!"

    Though reluctant, they decided to rush out of the building. If they truly believed the words that I said, I should be the only one left in this place by now.

    "Well then, let''s see what you got for me."

    . . .

    . .

    .

    [ FLASHBACK: Two days ago]

    The Fujimoto club sat around the long table inside our club room with the club president at the back end of the table. In front of him was his laptop sitting on the table.

    "A total of 57 emails, Haru-kun." he said calmly though overwhelmed. "57 requests had been sent to our club."

    "That number is absurd." I commented.

    "The top clubs in this school receive 80 emails per week on average." said Koshimizu-senpai who was sitting at the front end of the table. We turned our heads towards her as she spoke. "Even for an above average battle club, 57 requests is a tough number to reach."

    That was true, we used to receive none, actually.

    "This is probably thanks to Haru-kun." Fujimoto-senpai remarked while smiling at me. "The news about you going toe to toe with a Code White opponent boosted the reputation of our club."

    I scratched the back of my neck. "It''s not like I was the one who defeated it."

    He stood up from his seat and walked up to me only to tap me on the back harder than he should have. "Man, you don''t understand!" he said laughingly. "Most of us couldn''t even imagine doing what you did! Nope! Never!"

    "He''s right, Haru-kun." Koshimizu-senpai seconded.

    Fujimoto-senpai laughed out loud. "Oh man! Meeting you and taking you in was such a huge blessing!" he added. Well may be that was too much, even I cringed at that statement. "You deserve a reward or something!"

    "A reward?" I looked up at him.

    The group pondered for a few seconds but came up with nothing. "What do you even want, Haru-kun?" Koshimizu-senpai asked.

    "Nothing in particular." I replied.

    Fujimoto-senpai scratched his head. "It''s kinda frustrating that we barely know anything about Haru-kun. You''re always silent and would only speak if necessary." he remarked. But from my point of view, I always tell too much. "Hey, Murayama-san." he said, turning his head to her who was sitting across me. "You''ve known him longer than we have, right? Any ideas?"

    She shook her head. "Not really. We''ve only known each other since the start of the school year when Kazuki introduced him to me."

    Fujimoto-senpai let out a sigh. "This is bad. We have no idea how to reward you at all..." he said in agony.

    Murayama-san lifted a finger as if she''d come up with something. "How about.." We all turned our attention to her. "How about letting him choose our first expedition?"

    Fujimoto-senpai and Koshimizu-senpai''s eyes lit up. "That''s brilliant, Murayama-san!" they exclaimed.

    With that, I was sitting on Fujimoto-senpai''s seat, scrolling through the emails on his laptop with my clubmates behind me. We''ve received all sorts of requests like escort missions, extermination, etc. The people behind me could hide their excitement as we were reading through our options.

    "These are all interesting missions." Koshimizu-senpai remarked.

    I kept scrolling down until I reached request number 28 in which I saw a sneaky odd name. Laughable. I had met quite a few strong individuals. They had many differences, such as their ideals, goals, or even ways of fighting. But they all had one thing in common.

    They were hungry for a challenge. They always stood on top of others, there was barely anything that could get their heart pumping. No stimulation, no danger, their strength was merely for display. And so when an opportunity to test their limits arrive, they always foolishly and arrogantly dive in for the thrill.

    "What''s wrong?" Murayama-san asked.

    "Is that what you''ve picked?" Koshimizu-senpai leaned closer to the screen. "Monster extermination, code yellow... Uh.. request sent by.... Watanabe?"

    . . .

    . .

    .

    [ END OF FLASHBACK: Present]

    My footsteps sounded quiet on the surface of the barrier beneath my feet. I refused to walk on the floor flooded by blood.

    The pieces of cleanly-cut rat flesh scattered all around the hallway, even the walls was painted by blood. Though this wasn''t the worst thing I had ever smelled in a long time, I hurried up my pace. Aside from it reeks in here, my clubmates might return soon.

    I didn''t have to search for long. After reaching the second floor by stairs, I was met by none other than Watanabe Ichika. She stood across me with her arms across her chest and a demonic grin on her face.

    "Thank you for accepting my invitation, 715-san."

    [END OF CHAPTER]

 Chapter 9: Options

    [HARU''S POINT OF VIEW]

    "Thank you for accepting my invitation, 715." said Watanabe.

    I sat down on the chair I had made using my barrier because I had been standing for a while now. "Well?" I started. "What is this about?"

    She looked at me, her eyebrows narrowing in annoyance. "Quite rude of you to sit by yourself while I''m standing here."

    "It''s your fault for not bringing your own chair."

    She scoffed at my statement. "Anyway, congratulations on receiving your first mission."

    "I don''t need you to roleplay as my mother. Why did you send us a request?" there was no problem with my patience but I really needed to hurry or my clubmates would find out about my bullshit.

    She let out a chuckle as she walked to the side. "I''ve done a bit of research, you know? About you."

    "Cool. What did you find out?"

    Her hands were in the pockets of her blazer as she walked to the sides back and forth. Very relaxed¡ª too relaxed even. At this point I didn''t know whether her guard was down completely or she was laying a trap. "As your teacher, it is simply my obligation to know as much as possible about you." she stopped at the middle of the hallway and then faced me completely. "I heard that you''re currently living alone in your apartment. And your relative is supporting you from abroad." after saying that, her lips curved upward even more.

    I think I know where she''s getting at.

    I stood up casually as I erased the barrier I was sitting on. "You''ve done well, Watanabe."

    She let out a devilish laugh. "What a cute little backstory you got there, huh? Ta..ka..ha..shi..-kun" she said mockingly. "Did you really think you could escape your past? It will stay with you forever, Takahashi-kun. No matter where you go. No matter how many times you restart. You will be nothing more than a failure of a tool. A defective product. You will never become a human like the rest of them." It was like she was dragging me down into a realm that I had been desperately trying to escape from. Unsure of what to do next, I decided to stay put and keep listening. I would compromise if I have to, but I really didn''t know what I should do from this point on. After all, everything she just said was true. "You belong with us, 715. We are the ones who understand you. And we will be the only ones that you''ll ever understand." she continued with a gentler tone, her grin was replaced with a smile. "Why are you doing all this? You''re suffering unnecessarily, and you''re getting innocent people caught up. Join us. We will handle everything. I just need your agreement, 715." All of me was screaming ''no''. I didn''t want to go back. I like the way things are now and I have worked so hard to get here. The people who cared about me made sacrifices just so I could make my selfish wish come true. And more importantly, I made a promise. "Join us. For Tendou Mikari''s sake, and yours as well."

    Tendou Mikari. A worker from the organization''s facility who had helped me escape and took care of everything for me when I moved to Kyoto. And even now, she''s supporting me with my school expenses. It seemed that they''d found out about her and used her as leverage for negotiation.

    A sigh escaped my lips as I looked her dead in the eyes. "Threaten or persuade me, pick one for fuck''s sake."

    Her smile quickly changed into a scowl. "It seems like there''s no convincing you, 715." she said.

    "Yeah, no. You almost made me tear up from your speech though, but as I thought, I really hate your guts."

    Her eyes widened in anger and veins started to pop out on her face and neck. "Then you and your precious Tendou can die-"

    Before the blade-shaped barrier could cut her in half, the giant shadow hand emerged from beneath our feet, destroying the second floor, and blocked it. She had her guard up the whole time after all. But my blade was unstoppable. No force in this universe could stop the motion of the barrier I created. She was sent flying through the glass window outside the building along with her ability, destroying the walls of the hallway in the process.

    I laid a horizontal barrier to act as a bridge on the hole that she created and then crossed to the other side. I walked towards the shattered window where she fell but she wasn''t on the ground below me. Had she ran away? Judging by her determination to skin me alive, not likely. The giant fist that came from above destroyed the ceiling and was only stopped when it hit the solid, glowing gold matter. The ground shook as the two entities collided, swaying the very building I was in.

    I take it that she''s no longer here.

    The whole building had become a devastation. I summoned a horizontal barrier beneath my feet and used it to fly my way outside of the building. That was when I found Watanabe standing on the rooftop of the next building, gripping her wounded arm. She looked at me with unwavering rage and malice.

    I descended where she was and landed on the rooftop with my feet, erasing the barrier. "Are you ready to die?" I asked.

    She let out a chuckle. "You''re gonna kill me, huh?" she said before bursting to laughter. "You.. you didn''t change. You can''t change."

    I was annoyed so I decided to add some cuts to her body. Blood dripped from her arms and legs, tearing through her clothes as smaller variants of the blade barriers barely missed her skin. "I was trying, Watanabe." I walked closer to make myself clearer, and I also wanted to see her suffer up close. "Until you came along and destroyed everything."If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    "Go ahead." she coldly replied with a blank stare. "Cut me to pieces like you did the people who raised you and taught you how to live." I wanted to end her right here. But after coming back to my senses, I figured that I needed to think carefully about my next move. If she dies here, I would be the only suspect. "What are you waiting for?"

    Without taking my eyes of of her, I thought about all of our interactions together, from the night we met until now. If she was from the organization and all she wanted was to convince me to go with her, then the things she''d been doing and the way she talked to me contradicted it. She seemed to be so impatient about me and would be blinded by rage when things didn''t go her way.

    "Let me ask you some questions first." I said, she just gave me a sharp gaze. "How much of the organization managed to survive? Who is your new leader?"

    She frowned at my words, but she looked more confused than angry. After letting out a sigh, she spoke. "Don''t be cocky. Just finish me off while you have the chance."

    Four spears made out of my ability appeared, hovering just above me and pointing directly at her heart. "You said it, Watanabe. I didn''t change." I sent one spear towards her and as I expected, she blocked it with her ability. Turns out she still wants to live. It pierced through the shadow hand''s palm, disappearing before it could hit her body. What surprised me though was her falling to her knees and screaming intensely while holding out her left hand as it bled. I had just discovered that any damage the shadow hand received would be reflected to her own left hand. "Why are you dragging me back to the organization?"

    She panted heavily as beads of sweat trickled down her face that was contorted in pain. "W... What are you talking about?" she said with her remaining strength. Did I hear her right? I was pretty sure I did, but I stepped closer to clarify since she looked like she would no longer pose any threat. "Who said I was from that organization?"

    I couldn''t help but frown at her statement. "You''re not? How come you know so much about my past?" I asked but she refused to reply, keeping her head down. "More importantly, who the hell sent you? Who are you working for?"

    Only then did she lift her face to look at me. "We don''t have time to pretend like normal people, 715." said Watanabe, out of breath.

    I carelessly crouched down to her level and put a hand on her shoulder. "Is there a reason why you can''t answer my questions?"

    The light in her eyes faded before she could answer. It shut as her body collapsed to the floor. Well, it wasn''t like she was going to say anything useful anyway. I let her fall to the ground unconscious as I stood up and looked around me.

    The building next to us was half demolished, but at least it wasn''t completely destroyed. The sun was setting and the place was getting darker, the chaos had suddenly been replaced by utter silence. It was a good thing that this place was abandoned and not a soul was present¡ªor so I thought.

    Footsteps followed by an unfamiliar sigh broke the silence.

    "Gosh, how useless can she be?" a man came out of nowhere and walked over to Watanabe. At first glance, one would think that he was your everyday salary man with his formal attire and gentle demeanor. He looked at me before turning his eyes to Watanabe. "This sister of mine is a handful, isn''t she?"

    This building had at least ten floors and we were at the rooftop. I didn''t see him coming through the rooftop door, did he climb all the way up? What was his ability? He mentioned Watanabe being his sister, did he have a similar ability as her? Blood-relation or DNA didn''t have the slightest effect on what the ability of a person would be, so that was unlikely. I observed him as he crouched down to Watanabe''s level and placed his hand on her forehead. "And who are you? Are you here for a fight as well?" I asked him.

    Ignoring my question, his eyes remained looking at Watanabe''s face. His defenseless stance was making it very easy for me to kill him on the spot too, but it seemed that he didn''t care at all. "She passed out because of pain, didn''t she?" he spoke softly, his hand still on her forehead. "That''s very unacceptable, you know?" All of a sudden, Watanabe''s eyes shot wide open, her back arched and she screamed like no one did before. She grabbed the man''s wrist that was at her forehead but he refused to let go. She writhed in pain and agony but all she could do was scream and struggle in vain as tears, saliva and sweat soaked her face. And when he removed his hand from her head, she stopped screaming and fell to the floor like a vegetable, eyes wide open and catching her breath. "Hi! Are you finally awake now?"

    She nodded desperately but was unable to speak.

    "Great!" he responded before standing up and looking at me. "Now then... Takahashi-san, am I right?"

    "Yes."

    He cleared his throat and adjusted his necktie. "Nice to finally meet you in person, Takahashi-san. You see, I... don''t have a name." he said, I felt that this person was even more dangerous than he was letting himself out to be. "I wish I could introduce myself to you, but it is truly unfortunate." he added with a static smile.

    From what I saw, I still had absolutely no clue about what his ability was. On top of that, he said that he didn''t have a name.

    "Is Watanabe really your sister?" I asked as I looked at her trying her best to get up.

    "Sadly, yes." he answered, not even throwing a glance at Watanabe. "But keep it a secret for now, please."

    "I am more than willing to forget about you and her if you''ll leave me alone." I said. This guy gave off a different vibe. I was sure there was something disgustingly sinister behind that smile of his and I would rather stay out of his business.

    He chuckled at my words and scratched his head. "I''m afraid we can''t do that."

    I fought the urge to gulp. "Why not?"

    My alertness was heightened when he suddenly raised his hand. The snap of his fingers reverberated in the air before rhythmic thuds filled the silence. It was coming from below the building we were on¡ªor rather, within the building itself. "I sent my dear sister to..." he spoke again amidst the growing noise. "persuade you into joining our ranks. One of the worst mistakes I''ve made. You can''t really trust her with anything after all." After a few seconds, I realized what the noise really was. Something huge was climbing this building. "We can''t tell you the details unless you decide to join us, but I can tell you this much." Massive claws dug to the side of the rooftop and then the monster finally dragged its body up, revealing itself. That familiar demonic eyes, its gigantic body, deadly claws. There was no doubt. It was the same kind of monster that attacked our school. "We need your powers, Takahashi-san. And we will never stop until you become ours." After saying that, the giant monster grabbed Watanabe''s body and bowed its head to the man, probably offering a ride.

    "You sound awfully confident, sir."

    He laughed at my statement. "It''s one of my good traits, they say." he replied before standing on the monster''s enormous shoulder. "Soon enough, we will succeed."

    I looked at the monster he just summoned. "Was it you who sent those monsters to my school? Is it your ability to control them?"

    The monster turned its body, ready to descend from the rooftop when the man looked at me one last time. "Maybe." he replied. "Anyway, how''s the man you rescued earlier?" he asked before that familiar grin that Watanabe usually wore crossed his face. "I hope he''s better now."

    [END OF CHAPTER]

 Ability List & Information

    NARUMI Shiho: (Bio-Reverse) by reversing the physical state of the target''s body, Shiho heals wounds acquired not more than two hours ago from the present. Her palms need to be at least 5cm away from the target to commence healing. Only works if the target is alive.

    YAMADA Kenzou: (Steel Morphing) Can transform his entire body into solid iron that can be bent and controlled by him (can only bend at joints) at will. Kenzou can transform any part of his body into iron at any time. During morphed state, any damage he receives will be nullified once he returns to normal(except severed limbs) but he needs to wait 5 minutes to 1 hour before he could transform again (depending on how much body mass he has transformed

    UEDA Nozomi: (Locomotor Amplifier + Accelerated healing) Contrary to the belief that Nozomi is physically strong, her ability only allows her movements to dominate space-time. Any movement that she does will be faster and much harder to stop, defying laws of physics. Instead of using force to affect her surroundings, the universe itself bends to her will (in a microscopic scale). Her expertise with the sword and battle IQ was self-earned. Her body recovers much faster than other humans.

    KOSHIMIZU Reiko: (Electroshock) Reiko can electroshock any living organism she touches with any part of her body (she prefers hands and feet) at will. Can send up to 500 volts of electricity to the target''s body. Can repeat maximum output up to 50-60 times per day. Recharges by eating sweets.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    FUJIMOTO Mitsuki: (Beast Morphing) If the surrounding is dark enough, Mitsuki is able to morph into a powerful beast that looks a lot like a humanoid wild wolf. He has full control over his actions at all times in a morphed state. This transformation has no duration limit. As long as there is minimal light in the area, he can stay morphed for as long as he wants. Transformation may happen even when the area is bright if Mitsuki has sustained critical damage that would result in death, but will only last for 10 seconds. After which, all damage he has received before the transformation will be nullified.

    MURAYAMA Akane: (Air Pressure Manipulation) within a volume of 125-216 cubic meters, Akane can control the pressure, speed, and the direction of the air molecules. The movement of air molecules outside of this volume of space can be affected by the movement of the ones within it. She can move the winds up to 100 kilometers per hour within this space in any direction she chooses. Must use her hand to conduct which direction the wind should move.

    WATANABE Ichika: (Shadow Hand) It''s still unknown what the shadow hand is made of. Dark particles will gather to form a hand. The size varies depending on Ichika''s choice. All sensations and damages the shadow hand experiences will be relayed to her own left hand. She must control the movements and speed of the shadow hand with her right hand, and the position of the shadow hand with her left. The shadow hand can fly up to 600 kilometers per hour and can apply up to 70 KN of force. Can only appear within a 60 meter radius from Ichika.

    TAKAHASHI Haruto: (Barrier(?)) It''s also unknown what the barrier is made of. Haruto can summon mysterious particles that move through space at his command. The limits, logic, and mechanics of this ability are unknown.

 Chapter 10: Truth

    < < | NOZOMI''S POINT OF VIEW | > >

    My lips immediately stopped humming when I heard someone knocking on the clubroom door. I was satisfied with how the books on the bookshelf looked anyway, so after putting the dust brush down, I turned towards the door. "Come in." I said with enough volume before sitting behind my desk.

    Kenzou came in, wearing his usual cold expression. In his hands was a piece of paper that I didn''t quite recognize. "Good afternoon, Ueda-san." he spoke quietly as he walked up to my desk.

    "It''s still too early for club activities. What brings you here?" I asked. He placed the paper on my desk wordlessly. I blinked several times, trying to read its contents, but for some reason, I couldn''t get past the header. I reached for it to read it again up close and then I looked up to him. "You..."

    After a moment of silence, he exhaled deeply through his nostrils. "I quit, Ueda-san." he said.

    I looked at the paper again and it was indeed the necessary document for quitting a club. My head went blank. I stared at it for a few seconds before it finally sank in. "But... why?" were the only words I could think of.

    "I just realized that I''m not meant for this kind of stuff. You should just find someone else." he answered nonchalantly. "If this upset you, I''m sorry. And thank you for your help these past few months. I learned a lot. Well then, I''ll get going."

    I wasn''t sure if I understood every word that he said, but before I could formulate a sentence to say to him, he had already left.

    My hands folded the paper and placed them neatly under the heavy documents on my desk. I felt like vomiting.

    How could I blame him? This club had been a mess ever since Ryosuke and Masashi were gone. We tried to recruit new members but none of them were close to passing our standards. Lately, our operations haven''t been going smoothly. It was the same for our training too. At this rate, I wouldn''t be surprised if even Shiho decided to quit.

    "The inter-campus event is in two months, too." I muttered to myself. Every year, Japan held an inter-campus event all over the country where different schools would participate. There were plenty of programs included in the event, but there was one particular program that everyone looked forward to. It was called "Battle Tournament". Two teams of one to five members that represented their schools would compete in one arena and the winning school will be given the title "Home of Royals". The team that won the competition will be given tougher missions that are almost on the level of what the professional sentinels were handling. Kyoto High held that title for two consecutive years because of Masashi and me before the new members joined. But maybe it''s the end of the streak for this school. I doubt that Kenzou would be interested in joining.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    I didn''t notice the time passing. But I had decided to tell Shiho about Kenzou quitting. After locking the clubroom up, I went to the infirmary where Shiho served as an assistant nurse.

    "Oh, you''re looking for Narumi-san?" the school nurse took her eyes off of her computer and looked at me. "She left for a bit. Take a seat if you want to wait for her here."

    "Okay."

    I let myself drop at the seat in the corner. I''d never felt this exhausted before and I hadn''t even done any physical tasks. Moments later, I heard rushing footsteps coming from outside. There were several people coming towards us. I let out a sigh, I thought I had made it clear enough that running in the hallway isn''t allowed.

    As I stood up, planning to check the commotion outside, the door had already been slammed open by Fujimoto Mitsuki who was catching his breath. My eyes widened and my brows furrowed upon seeing his clubmates behind him panting, an unconscious man on his shoulder, and the absence of Takahashi Haruto.

    "What the- What''s wrong?" I asked, rushing to their aid. I immediately took the man off of Fujimoto''s shoulder.

    "Ueda-san!" Koshimizu stepped forward, panicking. "We need your help!"

    After calming down, we let the unconscious man lie down on one of the beds in the infirmary.

    "Now..," I started. "..tell me what happened."

    Koshimizu took the initiative and told me about the details.

    "Right now, Haruto is still in that building, waiting for rescue!" said Murayama. Worry was evident in her face. "We already called for help but..."

    So Takahashi is the main issue here. Then I don''t think the situation is as bad as they think it is.

    I put a hand on her shoulder. "Don''t worry. I''ll go there right now." I said, her eyes lit up a bit.

    All of a sudden, Koshimizu gasped. "Guys! He''s awake!" she said, pointing to the man on the bed.

    We were all startled when he suddenly started screaming, gripping the bedsheets, and flailing uncontrollably. His widened eyes gazed into nothingness. Even the nurse was shocked and backed away.

    "Sir!" I yelled, trying to restrict his movements. "Please calm do-"

    He just threw me across the room. My back hit the concrete wall on the other side of the infirmary. It had happened so fast that I couldn''t react or defend myself. Though it didn''t hurt that much at all, I felt a familiar sensation when the man overpowered me.

    Come to think of it, there was something odd about the story. Why was a man like him trapped inside an abandoned building with food supplies? As if he was prepared to stay there for a long time? Did he stay there on purpose? Or maybe... someone forced him to stay there...

    Takahashi is still in that building right now...

    He chose this mission...

    The mysterious man with unexpected strength...

    Shit! I don''t have my sword!

    I screamed with all my might. "Everyone!!! Get out of there!!!"

    The man on the bed suddenly stopped moving. Until his skin got ripped apart by the muscles that bulged from inside his body. The human that was once on the bed was devoured by the new entity that came from within him, shattering his limbs so that the new ones could break free. His skull exploded as the monster let out a deafening roar. The walls and the ceiling collapsed as it kept growing in size, destroying everything around it.

    Just like that, the man had turned into a monster. The same kind that killed my friends.

    "Fujimoto-senpai!!!" Murayama screamed. I rushed towards them. My eyes widened as I saw Fujimoto taking a hit trying to protect the three girls behind him.

    "Everyone! R-Run!" he muttered as he tried to maintain his balance.

    "Get out of here!" I yelled to them and thankfully they listened. They rushed out of the room, leaving me, Fujimoto, and the monster alone.

    "U-Ueda-san..." Fujimoto held the huge wound on his chest before collapsing.

    I felt my blood running cold seeing him almost lifeless on the ground and his blood painting the floor red. When I tried to run towards him, the monster blocked my path, as if to deliberately force me to watch him die hopelessly.

    "H-Hang in there!" I yelled although I could no longer see him behind this huge monster in front of me. "Please!"

    [ END OF CHAPTER ]

 Chapter 11: Rage

    "My mission was a success. It went smoothly  too...

    I entrusted you this task because I thought... you of all people should know how to handle it."

    "...."

    "Why must you fail? Why disappoint me so? I gave you everything you need, even the instructions for it."

    "The information you gave me was false."

    "None of it was wrong. Your interpretation of it was. If I thought your method would have worked, I wouldn''t have sent all those people to their deaths."

    "So it''s my fault? It''s my fault that all those people had to die? You were the one who came up with that."

    "But it was you who made all those deaths meaningless."

    "....."

    "Now, we have to start all over again. Though this time, I will have to put my hand on it. How many times do I have to clean up after your mess, dear sister? Have those years of anguish and torment taught you nothing? All of us have weaknesses. And if someone doesn''t, you can create one. I will personally deal with him. Just follow all of my orders and don''t get in my way."

    < < | NOZOMI''S POINT OF VIEW | > >

    The fight was brought outside when me and the monster broke through the wall. I fell from the third floor of the school building straight to the ground at the school yard. Honestly, I was enduring all sorts of pain at the moment but I couldn''t care less. The importance of the information I had just gathered surpassed any emotion or pain.

    The ground shook when the giant landed on its feet.

    "So that''s how it is." I muttered to myself, wiping the blood off my mouth.

    The school alarms rang loudly through the whole vicinity. Evacuations started to commence as I kept the monster occupied. I wouldn''t dream of rushing to defeat it now like I did when I first encountered it. It cost me my friends after all. I won''t make the same mistake twice.

    It charged towards me on all fours, but I easily dodged its attack by dashing away. After leaping into the air, I delivered a spinning kick straight to its jaw and then used the spare second to jump away. If this monster manages to grab me, there would be nothing I can do.

    But this solved the mystery of why nobody saw the monsters coming. Ordinary people were being transformed into them. Is it some kind of ability or a technology that we don''t know yet? But that being said, a lot of questions still remained. I had a hunch that the attack two weeks ago and this was connected, I was just missing some key information.

    Patience was going to be a huge factor in defeating this monster, but I know what to do this time. Fujimoto has a wound across his chest but Shiho-chan should have seen him by now. Everything will be fine!

    The ground shattered as the monster''s giant fist smashed where I had been standing. I would have been crushed if I didn''t dash away from the attack.

    After dodging all of its attacks, I could feel my heart pounding rapidly against my chest. I was out of breath too. I stood there, my alertness was through the roof, ready to react to whatever the monster might choose to do next.

    I was in a safe distance so I would have had plenty of time to react to its next attack. But the monster stopped and let its guard down completely by turning its back on me. It then picked up a large rock from the ground before facing me and looking at me in the eyes.

    Is it going to throw that rock at me? It should have known by now that I will be able to dodge that anyway. What''s it up to?

    It slowly walked up to me before coming to a full stop. And there, I saw the most disgusting grin that could ever exist in this world. I never knew monsters could express emotions, but this monster''s lips curved from ear to ear, showing its sharp teeth. It was uncanny, creepy and disgusting to see. And just when I thought I had seen the worst, the monster raised its arm, and then crushed the rock in its hand. All while staring me in the eyes as the meaning of its actions slowly sank inside my brain.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    I knew it would have laughed if it could. The crushed pieces of rock fell to the ground before being pulverized when the monster inhumanly stomped on it.

    Why did it do that? How did it know? Was it there when those monsters did that to Masashi? Why would it do that? Why... why..

    It''s mocking me. No matter how I look at it, it''s mocking the way he died. Does it think it can get away with that? Without suffering a humiliating and horrifying death? Does it expect me to stand here and just let that slide? It''s looking at me... standing right in front of me. It''s still here within my reach. Why? Why did you do that? You''ll die, you know? I''ll obviously kill you for that. So why are you still here? I''ll tear up all of your limbs, you know? I''ll break you until you wish for death. Slowly, I''ll kill you. Slowly. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you.

    I''LL KILL YOU...

    "a..n."

    DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. DIE. D-

    "Ueda-san!!!!!"

    Pain. It was all that registered in my head. The blurry image of a man hovered above my face as I struggled to breathe. "K..ill.."

    "Ueda-san!!! Are you okay!?" Gradually, I was able to see who it was, as well as recognize whose voice it was. Fujimoto worriedly kneeled to the ground as he watched over me. "Thank goodness you''re awake!" he exclaimed. The feeling is mutual. I couldn''t move to save my life but I was so glad he''s alive. We were still at the school yard. Is the battle still going? I tried to get up but my body betrayed me as deadly pain surged through me. I couldn''t even scream, I just fell right back to the ground. "P-Please stay put! Yamada-kun is fighting the monster right now and he needs my back up. Sorry I can''t bring you to safety yet." he said before storming off.

    Kenzou is here? No way. He''ll end up dead before help even arri-

    I took just a glimpse of what the battle looked like and my eyes widened. The monster was missing an arm and a leg. Massive amounts of blood gushed from its body as it desperately tried to fight off Kenzou who was hitting it where it hurt.

    Did I do that? I wasn''t sure, but right now I needed to focus on healing myself. Not that I can do that at will. My healing ability worked automatically and wasn''t affected by my actions. Crap. What can I do? I need to help them.

    Kenzou''s body of steel ate all of the monster''s punches. He was thrown around, crashing against the ground and the walls but he immediately got back up for its head.

    He was tough. I knew that much. But he wasn''t indestructible. With enough force, iron could be broken, crushed, and destroyed.

    I had no idea how long I had been out for. I had no idea how long he had been fight that monster for. Even I couldn''t withstand a single blow from that thing, so I wasn''t surprised when Yamada just failed to get up one more time. On his knee, he began reverting back to normal starting from his head as he watched the monster horrifyingly crawl towards him.

    I can''t feel my hands. My legs were broken. My arms too. But nevertheless, I gritted my teeth as I forced myself to get up. It hurt so much that I cried but there was no way in hell that I would allow Kenzou to get killed.

    When I fell right back to the ground, I wanted to scream but I had no strength. Kenzou used his steel arms to block the punch but he was sent flying through a wall. In that moment, it took all of my energy just praying that he was still somehow alive.

    Damn it... move.. move..!

    The monster turned to me with its mocking grin before slowly crawling in my direction. I did it again. The people I care about will perish because of me. If I had just controlled myself. If I had used my brain a little more. This wouldn''t have happened. I was doing well. I actually could have defeated it so why? Why!!? Why does this always happen!?

    Tears streamed down my face. All I could do was watching as it kept drawing closer.

    But then, Fujimoto blocked its path. Trembling, a knife was in his hand.

    "D-D-D-Don''t worry, Ueda-san... I''m here."

    What the fuck is he saying? Does he want to die?

    He stood between me and the monster like an idiot, having no idea what to do next. Is he planning to fight the monster with that knife? He can''t transform, it''s not even dark enough.

    "G.. get..." inhaling air hurt just as much as using my throat to speak did. "out of.. here." with that, I declared myself useless. Strongest in Kyoto my ass. I got saved by a weakling and now, I''m being protected by a regular man. I would absolutely not be able to forgive myself if this man dies for my sake too.

    All of a sudden when the monster got close enough, Fujimoto lifted up the knife. I thought I was going insane at first as I refused to believe what he did next because of how ridiculous it was.

    My eyes widened when he used the knife to stab himself in the throat. He got shocked by the pain. I was too. But after doing so, he had successfully turned into a powerful beast.

    And then his fight began. My jaw dropped seeing him do relatively well against the monster. He was fast enough to duck and dodge its attacks and deal decent damage as well. He used all available weapon within his body. His claws, his teeth, his fist, all of it got covered in blood as he ripped through the monster''s flesh.

    I thought that would do it. But after a short while, Fujimoto reverted back to normal. At the same time, he fell unconscious to the ground.

    The monster let out a roar of victory.

    It raised its fist to flatten Fujimoto before me.

    I closed my eyes.

    Sorry, everyone.

    This is where it ends.

    A loud noise filled my ears. As if two hard objects collided with each other. That wasn''t something I was expecting to hear at this moment. What happened?

    As I opened my eyes, I saw a familiar glowing translucent object blocking the monster''s fist from hitting Fujimoto.

    "Sorry I''m late."

    I used all of my remaining energy to look behind me.

    "T-Ta...ka..hashi.."

    [ END OF CHAPTER ]

 Chapter 12: 715

    < < | NOZOMI''S POINT OF VIEW | > >

    "You''re still alive, Ueda-san." Takahashi looked exhausted, his face was covered in sweat and he was panting heavily. But he was as calm as ever. He walked up towards the monster fearlessly. His eyes didn''t show a hint of hesitation, like all of this was trivial to him. I had always known that something was off with this person. It wasn''t bravery nor compassion that pushed him to save me that day. His eyes were always empty, his words lacked emotion. Every time we spoke, I felt like he was looking right through me.

    And now, his actions added fuel to my suspicion. He was connected to what had been happening in this city.

    He drew his hand forward, palm pointing to the monster. His eyes glowed a bright yellow each time he summoned his barrier. A thin sheet of matter floated horizontally mid-air, before taking the shape of a single edged, curved blade. He looked at me as he said, "Listen, Ueda-san." I just noticed it, but he was carrying my sword with his other hand. "You defeated this monster and saved Yamada Kenzou and Fujimoto Mitsuki. Do you understand?"

    I stared at his eyes, wanting an explanation. But he turned his gaze towards the monster before sending the blade flying in its direction at terrifying speed, cleanly cutting it in half. The upper part of the monster plopped down to the ground like rotten meat and it stayed there lifeless.

    I struggled with all I have trying to defeat it, and he did it effortlessly.

    He was pretending all along.

    "Takahashi..." I said as loudly as I can but it sounded like a mere whisper.

    "Do you understand, Ueda-san?"

    My hands had clenched into a fist before I could realize it, gripping a handful of dirt and sand along the way. With gritted teeth, I looked him in the eye. "What the fuck are you on about, Takahashi?"

    He returned my glare with his emotionless eyes. "You will tell people that you were the one who defeated the monster."

    "And why the hell would I do that?" I ignored all the pain in my body as rage started to accumulate within me once again. "You''re pretending to be weak by hiding your ability like that." I pushed myself to stand up, even almost losing my balance. But I just had to grip his collar. "You could have defeated those monsters two weeks ago. Why, Takahashi... why did you let them die?"

    "I don''t have an obligation to save anyone."

    What did he just say?

    He was serious. He could have prevented all those innocent people from dying, Masashi and Ryosuke didn''t have to sacrifice themselves. He could have done it all while sitting on a chair. Yet he didn''t do shit.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    "You''ve gotta be kidding me..." was all I could say. My feet took a few steps backwards. "Why?"

    "I''m planning to tell you about all of it Ueda-san." he replied, handing me my sword. "Because I''m going to use you."

    I felt my fist breaking when it hit Takahashi''s barrier. "Fucker... Who the hell do you think you are?" I still had my left hand. But before I could use it, a familiar voice echoed through the yard.

    "Ueda-senpai!" Shiho ran towards us not before Takahashi erased his barrier. "Ueda-senpai, Takahashi-kun!" she worriedly inspected us all including Fujimoto who was lying on the ground unconscious beside us. "This is bad, you''re all beat up, Ueda-senpai!"  she looked behind us to see the monster sliced in half. "Did you beat it by yourself?"

    I looked at Takahashi who was already looking at me. There was a moment of silence. I had tons of questions for him on top of me wanting to punch a hole through his body. People transforming into mindless monsters, Takahashi''s true identity, who was behind these attacks, I believed Takahashi had all the answers for those questions.

    "I did." my short reply.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Shiho healed all of the injured, including me, before we were called to the principal''s office for a report. Takahashi instructed me to not say anything about the information I had gathered regarding the monster for now. I didn''t know why I listened to him, by I kept my mouth shut.

    Hours later, I found myself at the front door of his apartment. The sky turned dark as the sun sank in the horizon.

    I put my phone back in the small pocket of my blazer after telling my mom that I''ll be out late. Not that they''d be worried if I didn''t.

    Takahashi opened the door and went in ahead, not even turning around to invite me inside. I stepped inside as soon as he turned the lights on. The apartment was surprisingly clean, all was kept neatly in their place and the furniture and decorations looked decent too.

    "Sit wherever you like." he said before using his ability to close the door. I sat on the sofa by the coffee table, he sat across me. "Do you want anything to drink?" he stupidly asked.

    "I don''t have time for that. Talk."

    "Sorry, I saw on television that you must offer beverage to your visitors."

    "Are you a NEET?"

    "I guess you can call me that."

    I glared at him as I leaned in closer. "I don''t trust you one bit. Tell me your reason for hiding your abilities and letting all those people die. If it turns out to be something ridiculous and selfish, I''ll kill you in an instant."

    "You''re weaker than me by orders of magnitude though." he replied, not batting an eye.

    "I don''t give a shit, Takahashi. I''ll make sure that you''ll die even if it kills me."

    There was a few seconds of silence, as if he was pondering his next words. He looked down before he spoke. "You must be really angered by that." he said, still lacking any emotions behind his words. "You really cherish your friends."

    "Angered?" he looked back at me as I said that. "I would give everything I have to bring them back, Takahashi."

    "I feel like I can relate to you, but also not at the same time. It''s strange." he replied

    I let out a deep breath. "Who are you, really?" For the first time, I saw him hesitate his words. It could be that he was really the stupid guy that I knew and he was just as clueless about what to do, but I needed answers. He almost died saving my life back then. He risked his life trying to keep this secret. I don''t believe that letting all those innocent people could be justified, but I''ll hear him out. I''ll give him a chance to speak.

    "For starters, Takahashi Haruto is not my real name." as he said that, my eyebrows furrowed. "We didn''t have names. I was called 715."

    "S-Seven one five?"

    "Sometimes seven hundred fifteen. Depends on who was calling me."

    "Wait.. wha.. I don''t think I''m following."

    He took a deep breath and sadness suddenly creeped into his eyes. "We were human experiments, Ueda-san."

    [ END OF CHAPTER ]

 Chapter 13: Freedomless and Clueless

    { THIRD PERSON POINT OF VIEW }

    "They''re here." a man whispered, loud enough for the woman by the dining table to hear. And she was alerted. He stood up and took a deep breath in his all-white outfit that almost blended with the small, white room.

    Moments later, someone knocked on the metal door. The man looked at the woman one last time. She gave him a nod before he opened the door to the hallway, revealing a little girl, and a man in a lab coat behind her. "I''m home, dad." the girl said with a fragile smile.

    The woman by the table stood up to greet her. "Welcome home, Hanabi-chan." with a warm smile, she crouched to hug the little girl.

    "You''ve done a great job as always." the ''Dad'' remarked.

    "Mm-hm!" Hanabi chirped in joy.

    The woman released her from the hug before saying, "Alright! Mom is going to prepare dinner, do you wanna help?"

    Hanabi nodded with a smile.

    After the man in the lab coat left, the family of three enjoyed a peaceful dinner. Hanabi was smiling all through the meal as she was showered with praise by her parents.

    "We are so proud of you, Hanabi-chan." said the dad with a tender smile as he looked at her.

    "Do your best again tomorrow, okay?" the mom gave her an encouraging smile.

    The little girl was very happy hearing those words. And she did want to keep making her parents proud. But the thought of tomorrow brought a single drop of tear to her eye. Tomorrow. She was going to go through all of that again tomorrow, and every single day.

    "I''ll do my best." Hanabi replied.

    The next day came. Hanabi woke up early to prepare with the help of her parents. Her breakfast was delicious and at the same time, tasteless. Her clothes were neat and clean. With teary eyes, she looked back at her parents. They only waved good-bye with wide smiles.

    The man and Hanabi walked through the hallway. The floor, the walls, and even the ceiling were pure white. The static light from above illuminated their path as they wordlessly walked to their destination. The man ignored the quiet voice of a crying girl beside him as he took her to the lab once again.

    "Subject 944, Test #503. Commencing."

    Hanabi laid down on the metal bed, her hands and legs were tied up. The lights focused on her, almost blinding her from the brightness. Moments later, those dreaded footsteps resounded against the silence once again. Cold sweat trickled down her face as her breathing grew faster.

    Hanabi''s thoughts started to drift away from the lab. Dad had bought her a magazine not too long ago. It was about fireworks. Apparently, her name bore similar meaning. She had never seen a firework show before, but according to dad, it was so grand and beautiful. People gathered with their loved ones to watch big, colorful explosions in the sky. Since then, she dreamed of watching one. Dad had promised her that once the experiment was over, he would take her to the greatest firework show in the world.

    Hanabi cried when the sharp drill went through her skull. Her screams, her instinctive struggle just to relieve the unthinkable pain for a bit were futile. She was forced to feel it all. As the sharp metal held her head open for the researchers to observe her immortal brain, all noise she made was ignored, even when she began crying blood. The grinders opened up her stomach. Hanabi closed her eyes to spare herself the sight of her own organs being cut out of her own body. She screamed from the pain. They used sharp saws to cut through her flesh to study her veins. What was it in her blood, in her DNA, that prevented her from dying? How did her body keep on regenerating no matter what they did? Until they had the answers that satisfied them, Hanabi''s suffering would not end.

    The day was finally over. It was time to go home. But the man who escorted her everyday had to wait until she was done crying.

    "Dad, mom, I''m home."

    The door opened up as her beloved parents welcomed her with their warm and loving smiles. After the man left, they had a peaceful dinner. And then the next day came.

    "Subject 944, Test #504. Commencing."

    The room had successfully hidden the girl''s screams. Not a single noise escaped outside of the hell room. As they butchered her from limb to limb, forcefully dragged her veins from her flesh, and broke through her skull, the ones outside of the lab remained oblivious to her pain and agony.

    "Subject 944, Test #505. Commencing."

    "Subject 944, Test #506. Commencing."

    "Subject 944, Test #507. Commencing."

    "Subject 944, Test #508. Commencing."

    ...

    "Test #515. Commencing."

    "Test #524. Commencing."

    "Test #577. Commencing."

    ...

    ..

    "Test #1027. Commencing."

    Hanabi never questioned her life, not even once. It was all she''d ever known. Once again, her parents waved her goodbye as she was taken by the faceless man.

    From inside the white room, dad watched as Hanabi walked alongside the man, her eyes filled with darkness, until they disappeared into the corners of the dimly lit hallway. As he closed the door, he ran his fingers through his greying hair as he let out a deep breath.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    "She''s losing more weight." he mumbled.

    "She''s growing taller after all. She''s turning seven years old soon." mom replied.

    With his head down, dad walked towards the dining table and let himself fall on the chair. "This is..." he muttered, burying his face to his palms. "I don''t think I can continue like this."

    Mom looked at him with a scowl. "What are you saying?" she scoffed, he looked at her. "You know we can''t back out now."

    Dad hung his head down, facing the plain white table. "Hanabi doesn''t look cheerful lately. She''s smiling less too." he remarked with shakey voice.

    Clicking her tongue, mom replied. "You''re right. Maybe we need to do something new to cheer her up."

    Dad stared at her for a few seconds. His blank stare soon turned into anger. "Are you serious?" he questioned, "Did you lose your humanity too?" his voice gradually became louder each word. "She''s ¡ª Do you have any idea what that girl is going through every day!? Can you even imagine how much pain she''s been enduring!?"

    Mom was not swayed. Her scornful eyes remained fixated on his. "Now you have a brass neck to say all of this when you were the one who put us in this situation in the first place." hearing that, dad''s expression softened. "We are not her real parents, she is not your daughter. We are just some failed actors trying to make a living by deceiving a child so that she doesn''t lose her will to live."

    The deafening silence filled the room as dad failed to respond. His heart ached, but he knew there was nothing he could do. "This is too cruel.." he whispered to himself.

    Mom stood up and walked up behind him. "We signed the contract. We can''t just say ''I don''t want to do this anymore'' and then walk away." she stated, dad replied with silence. "Her ability makes her an immortal. These crazy scientists want to make use of that so they need to study how it works by doing all these cruel experiments. But she only regenerates if she wills it. The moment she gives up on life, the moment she decides that she doesn''t wanna live anymore, her ability will not activate. And it''s our job to prevent that from happening." she put a hand on his shoulder and began to caress it gently. "You know what they''ll do to us if we fail, right?"

    Without saying anything, dad gave her a slow nod.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Subject 944, Test #1036. Commencing."

    As the spinning blades drew closer to her chest, Hanabi closed her eyes and clenched her jaws. With baited breath, she anticipated the pain as she laid down on the metal surface.. She couldn''t see anything, but heard the growing noise of the machine that was about to cut her open.

    But suddenly, it stopped. Almost choking on her own breath, she gasped out the pent up air in her lungs as tears bursted from her eyes. This had never happened before. The lights also turned off as well as all of the machines and the computer systems.

    "What the.." one of the scientists blurted out, his tired voice echoing through the dark room. "We lost power?"

    "There''s a problem." another one replied. "Our power source was damaged."

    "What a pain."

    "They sent a notice."

    "What happened?"

    "Subject 715. His ability went on a rampage."

    "What the hell are those guys doing? They were supposed to... ugh.."

    "Can''t we just use the generators?"

    "The lines themselves were damaged. It''s gonna take 14 hours to fix."

    "This really is a pain in the ass."

    "Let''s just continue tomorrow."

    One by one, the scientists left the room after unlocking Hanabi''s hands and legs.

    With a flashlight in hand, the escort man guided her out of the lab. He had never spoken to her. On her first day, Hanabi asked him all sorts of questions. It was three years ago. She was but a small child then. Even when she begged him for answers to what she was suffering for, he didn''t utter one word. Hanabi also had never seen his face. As time went by, she eventually stopped asking questions.

    Hanabi''s legs wobbled as she stepped onto the cold floor. For the first time, she wasn''t bathing in her own blood when she got off the metal bed.

    The hallway was dark, they couldn''t see the corners that led to her house without the flashlight. The man began walking ahead, expecting Hanabi to follow him. She''d always been so eager to go home after the experiments to be welcomed by her sweet parents. But today, he didn''t hear her footsteps following behind.

    He looked back and saw the girl standing still. He pointed the light to her face out of curiosity and it almost blinded her.

    Using her thin arms, she shielded her eyes from the light and then asked, "Are we going home?" Behind his colorless mask, the man''s eyes widened. It had been years since she spoke to him.

    For the first time in a long time, Hanabi heard his voice. "Yes." he replied quietly.

    "Can I go outside with my parents?" she muttered, he lowered the light from her face. "It''s been a while since I saw the sky."

    There was no one else around them amidst the darkness and cold. The higher-ups said all operations became limited because of the power outage too. Would he be punished if he made a choice for her right now? How severe would that be? Would he be put to death? Tortured?

    Would it be even slightly close to what she had been enduring all these years?

    He didn''t know the answers to any of that. And he wasn''t brave enough to find out. He walked towards her to grab her arm. It used to be like this back then too. Everytime she refused to do as she was told, he dragged her by the arm and let the higher-ups decide what to do. He was just an escort after all. He gripped her wrist tightly and started pulling her with him.

    But this time, she pulled back. His eyes widened when her wrist slipped out of his grip. She started running in the opposite direction into the dark, to the place that she''d never been to before. He was too late to react. Hanabi had already turned to a dark corner his light couldn''t have reached.

    "Shit." he mumbled.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Hanabi wandered in the dark, passing by many doors along the hallway. As she ran, she asked herself: Why did she run away like that? Where was she planning to go? It was a sensation that she''d never felt before. She didn''t feel it when she came home to her parents, or when they showered her with praises, not even when the escort accompanied them outside the facility to see the sky. It was brand new. Tears fell down her cheeks as she ran faster. Who knew that doing what she liked regardless of what anyone would say or think felt this good?

    She ran nonstop, not knowing nor caring about where her feet will take her. Her heart pounded with a new kind of joy, one that didn''t depend on another human. What lied ahead, something that she''d never seen before?

    Amidst the dark, one steel door had beams of light faintly escaping through the glass pane. It was shining a bright, golden yellow. It made her stop her tracks. For someone who hasn''t seen any color of light apart from white, this was enough to pique her interest.

    "Fix this immediately." a muffled voice of a man commanded behind the door.

    "Y-Yes sir." another one replied.

    When Hanabi heard footsteps coming from inside the room, she immediately hid herself behind the dark corner not too far ahead. The door slid open and then the two men left and went the other way. When she confirmed they were gone, she tried to walk as quietly as possible towards the door before it automatically closed. The bright light still lingered, though it was slowly vanishing. She didn''t know where she wanted to go, but she found the desire to see where the light was coming from.

    Inside the room, she found a boy around her age. She felt a shiver run down her spine as their eyes met.

    His eyes glowed a bright yellow, his head was shaved bald. Around him were weird glowing objects that floated and changed into random shapes constantly.

    There was only silence between them. The weird objects revolved around the boy as he stared at her with his lifeless eyes. Before she knew it, the door had already closed behind her, locking her up with him.

    Hanabi didn''t know what to say to him. In a way that she couldn''t explain, it felt like asking any type of question would be inappropriate. Much less starting a conversation.

    "Um..." she muttered, he remained motionless.

    [ END OF CHAPTER ]

 Chapter 14: Clueless and Freedomless II

    { THIRD PERSON POINT OF VIEW }

    "Subject 715, Test #1229. Commencing."

    From behind a reinforced glass barrier, three scientists observed the boy as he stepped into the test chamber. He was painfully thin, his expression vacant, his movements mechanical. His shaved head was uneven, as if the one who had done it hadn''t bothered to be precise. The room was vast, its sterile white walls, floor, and ceiling stretching endlessly, giving the illusion of infinite space.

    One of the scientists leaned toward the microphone, his voice echoing into the chamber.

    "715. Walk to the black circle in the center of the room."

    Without hesitation, the boy obeyed, his empty yellow eyes fixed straight ahead.

    The scientist continued.

    "5t, Y: 3816.21, X:184677.2, Z: 23.4

    LS: equal, RS: equal, Center.

    R: 3

    Domain: equal. Space, start."

    Upon hearing the command, the boy raised his hand. His dull eyes suddenly gleamed with an eerie yellow glow, and in response, a strange object materialized in the air before him. It pulsed with light, shifting and morphing as though it had no defined form¡ªliquid yet solid, flickering between existence and nonexistence.

    From behind the glass, the scientists let out quiet sighs. One shook his head, another rubbed his temples in frustration. Disappointment hung thick in the air.

    "It worked just the other day," one muttered, scanning the monitors in search of an anomaly.

    They flipped through stacks of documents, cross-referencing past test results.

    "The calculations are correct. He just doesn¡¯t understand," another sighed.

    A third scientist leaned back in his chair, taking a slow sip of coffee. "We''re stuck. We pushed past a huge breakthrough, and now we¡¯re going in circles."

    "Agreed," the second scientist responded, clicking his pen absentmindedly. "His ability defies the laws of physics, and yet... neither we nor he can make proper use of it."

    "Let''s try again."

    They turned back to the microphone, reading out another set of mathematical coordinates.

    Numbers were the only language that could even attempt to describe the impossible nature of Subject 715¡¯s power. He could manipulate matter that didn¡¯t follow the laws of the universe¡ªan ability that bent space itself. And yet, no matter how much they tried to quantify it, to instruct him, true control remained elusive.

    The moment the boy let out his first cry¡ªjust seconds after leaving his mother¡¯s womb¡ªa strange, glowing matter spiraled around him. It had no defined shape, no logic to its form. It flickered and glitched through space itself, warping reality as it tore through the delivery room. Within moments, everyone nearby was dead.

    That was the day the organization took him.

    Raising him was a costly endeavor. His abilities had gone out of control multiple times, leading to severe losses for the organization. To contain him, they stripped him of normal human interaction, limiting his emotional connections from the very start. Instead, they filled his mind with numbers, equations, and laws of physics¡ªhis entire existence shaped by mathematical principles. From the moment he learned to speak, they taught him to describe his power in terms of logic and formulas.

    Using advanced graphs and calculations, they instructed him on how to place the matter exactly where he willed it to be. This was the only way he could learn. The only way he could function.

    Upon hearing the second command, 715 extended his hand once more. The glowing matter appeared before him, shifting and stretching unnaturally. Then, it veered sideways¡ªwas it his mistake, or a flaw in the instructions? It didn¡¯t matter.

    The substance shot through the walls effortlessly, piercing them like a hot knife through butter.

    Alarms blared. Lights flickered. The scientists panicked. The anomaly kept expanding, growing beyond control. It spread, threatening to consume the entire test chamber.

    "Stop¡ª!!! Stop!!!"

    But just as it was about to spiral further out of reach, the power to the entire facility was cut.

    Everything went dark.

    The glowing matter vanished into thin air, defying the very laws of physics¡ªthe law of conservation of energy meant nothing to it.

    Gasps and heavy breaths filled the small observation room.

    "I thought we were dead," one of the scientists muttered, still catching his breath.

    "We will be if this shit keeps up," another snapped. "If we don¡¯t produce results soon, the higher-ups will tear us apart."

    The dim beams of their phone flashlights cut through the darkness as they instinctively began tidying up the scattered documents and equipment.

    "First things first¡ªlet¡¯s get the power lines fixed," one of them said. "We¡¯ll resume testing as soon as possible."

    With that, 715 was escorted back to his personal room.

    Two men were deep in conversation in his room while 715 sat silently. The room was dark, lit only by the glow of two electric lamps placed by the scientists.

    "This one worked because the limits aligned with the origin. What if we adjusted the formula this way too, sir?" the younger scientist asked.

    "How? The maximum starts at Y:2881.5 and exceeds the origin. Are you blind?" the older replied sharply.

    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    "R-right¡­ but if we could ch-change the form like that¡­" the younger continued hesitantly.

    Then, without warning, glowing objects began to materialize around the quiet boy. Their radiance outshone the lamplights, and both scientists immediately turned their heads toward him, their eyes widening in shock.

    "W-What the¡ª" the older muttered. "Did you give him a command?"

    "N-no, sir¡­" the younger stammered, equally surprised. He stepped closer to 715. "Why did you activate?" he asked dryly, as if he was speaking to a machine. "No orders were given."

    The boy looked up and replied simply, "Because it''s dark."

    Both men gasped, their eyes growing even wider.

    "What is the meaning of this¡­" the older whispered.

    "N-no¡­ this wasn''t¡­ supposed to happe¡ª" the younger began, but couldn''t finish.

    "Why is he deciding on his own!?" the older shouted at his colleague. "You''re supposed to be controlling him! You were meant to prevent this! He mustn''t have autonomy or will!"

    "I¡ªI was, sir. Even I don''t know why he¡ª" the younger stammered.

    "Fix this immediately," the older demanded, turning toward the door.

    "Y-Yes, sir," the younger replied.

    Then, grabbing the lamps with them, they left the room in a hurry, utterly choosing to avoid being in that room.

    The boy sat in silence, staring at the door as it prepared to automatically close before him. His vacant eyes gave the impression that his mind was empty, devoid of thought. In reality, however, he was running real-time simulations of hundreds of geometrical calculations and differential equations in his head. Maintaining a stable manifestation of the mysterious matter required constant calculation of its four-dimensional coordinates, as he processed countless logical tasks within his mind.

    Even when a girl slipped into his room, his constant thinking remained uninterrupted. As the door shut completely behind her, their eyes met.

    He stared at her silently, taking in the strange event before him. It was odd¡ªtoo odd. Not just to him, but to the entire organization. This was something that shouldn¡¯t be happening. A girl, someone completely foreign to this place, was standing in his room. No one but him and a select few scientists had ever entered his room before. In the first place, he¡¯d never seen a girl this small. The only females he knew were the adult scientists who monitored him. But she¡ªsomeone his age¡ªwas different.

    The girl stared back at him, wearing an expression he couldn¡¯t recognize. Her entire presence was new to him. And amidst the endless equations in his mind, a single thought surfaced: she was truly odd.

    The silence broke when the girl hesitantly spoke. "Um..." she mumbled, fidgeting with her fingers.

    715 didn''t respond. He simply watched her, unblinking, unmoving.

    In all her years here, Hanabi had never met anyone who felt this... hollow. Even the scientists, cruel as they were, had something behind their eyes¡ªambition, frustration, something. But this boy? There was nothing. No curiosity, no hesitation. Just a quiet, mechanical stillness, like a puppet waiting for its strings to be pulled.

    Her gaze shifted to the strange objects orbiting around him. Their fluid, ever-changing forms were too mesmerizing to ignore. She hesitated for a moment, then took a step toward him.

    715''s focus wavered.

    He wasn¡¯t sure why, but something about her movement unsettled him. Disruptions like this always led to disaster. Every time his concentration broke, the matter spiraled out of control, causing destruction¡ªhurting people. He had never thought much of it before. But now, for some reason, he did.

    For a fleeting moment, Hanabi caught something in his eyes¡ªa flicker of struggle. Then, the glowing objects around him glitched violently, their light faltering. She barely had time to react before the glowing objects disappeared entirely, leaving them both in the dark.

    Silence settled between them once more. Hanabi reached out cautiously, her hands feeling through the darkness. But as her eyes slowly adjusted, she could make out faint outlines¡ªenough to see him still staring at her, unmoving.

    Something flickered in his gaze, something almost human. The sight sparked an unfamiliar excitement in her chest. Maybe she could talk to him.

    Summoning her courage, she took a deep breath. "M-My name is Hanabi!!!" she blurted out, squeezing her eyes shut as if bracing for impact.

    Nothing.

    Then, a soft glow returned, bathing the room in golden light. She hesitantly opened her eyes.

    And then, at last, she heard him.

    "I''m confused," he said, his voice empty, void of emotion.

    Hanabi gasped, her eyes widening in shock before a bright, genuine smile spread across her face. "M-My name!" she repeated eagerly. "I''m Hanabi! What''s your name?"

    He tilted his head slightly, his glowing eyes unblinking. "I don''t understand."

    Her excitement didn''t waver. "Your name! What do people call you?"

    But the words meant nothing to him. A name? The concept was entirely foreign. His existence had always been defined by numbers, coordinates, and commands. The longer they interacted, the deeper his confusion grew.

    Yet, for the first time, confusion wasn¡¯t something undesirable to him. It wasn¡¯t a mistake in calculations or an error in execution. It was¡­ something else.

    There was something beyond this unknown she presented to him. He didn¡¯t understand it¡ªbut the mere fact that understanding was possible ignited something deep within him.

    For the first time in his life, he wasn¡¯t just confused. He unlocked something all humans should have¡ª

    Curiosity.

    He asked himself, What did people call me? What was she talking about? Was there a variable that referred to him? Was he part of the equation, not just the one solving it?

    For the first time, his mind wasn¡¯t filled with numbers and formulas but something entirely different¡ªan evaluation of his own existence. But unlike the calculations he had mastered, this had no clear answer. No matter how much he thought about it, there was no solution, no conclusion to reach.

    "I don''t understand," he finally said after a long pause.

    Hanabi stared at him, neither of them looking away. She scratched her head, muttering, "Hmm..." There was something about his confusion¡ªit felt real, raw. He truly had no idea.

    Her eyes drifted back to the glowing object, its shifting form just as captivating as the boy himself. "Hey¡­ what''s this?" she asked, pointing at the floating matter that pulsed with light.

    715 followed her gaze. "Absolute Effector," he answered flatly before looking back at her.

    "Absolute Effector¡­?" she echoed. "So that''s its name, huh?"

    Without hesitation, she reached out toward it.

    His eyes widened. "Don''t¡ª!" he shouted, his hand darting toward hers.

    But it was too late.

    The moment his focus wavered, the matter glitched. A jagged fragment of light shot forward, piercing straight through her chest.

    His breath caught as he watched blood spill from her mouth.

    She was just as shocked¡ªnot by the pain, but by him.

    For the first time, she had seen real emotion in his face.

    His widening eyes locked onto hers. He froze.

    The barrier flickered erratically before phasing out of her body, then slowly stabilizing once more.

    Something unbearable welled up inside him¡ªan unfamiliar, unexplainable feeling.

    He had expected her to collapse, to fall lifeless to the ground. But she remained standing.

    Wiping the blood from her mouth, she blinked at him, her eyes still shining as bright as ever.

    ¡°W-Woah¡­ that surprised me,¡± she muttered, glancing down as the hole in her chest sealed itself shut.

    He stared. Hard.

    The tear in her clothes remained¡ªundeniable proof that what had happened was real. But the wound itself was gone.

    The confusion in his head swelled, growing louder, more tangled.

    "I''m¡­ confused," he murmured.

    She tapped her chest where the wound had been. ¡°Oh¡­ this?¡± she said casually. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t die.¡± Then, with a bright smile, she looked up at him. ¡°Dad said I was special¡ªblessed by the gods above. That I was chosen to end the suffering in this world. That¡¯s why my body is immortal.¡±

    He understood none of that and she knew it.

    So instead, she shifted her attention back to the floating matter, pointing at it again.

    ¡°So this thing is called Absolute¡­ Absolute what again?¡±

    ¡°Absolute Effector.¡±

    ¡°Right. Absolute Effector.¡± She nodded, then turned her finger toward him.

    ¡°And you?¡± she emphasized, her finger pointed directly at him. ¡°Who are you?¡±

    And then, something clicked.

    A name¡ªhe had no concept of it. But an identity? That, he understood.

    "715," he answered.

    She tipped her chin down, murmuring to herself, ¡°Hmm¡­ 715¡­" after a brief pause, she shrugged. ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like a name, but whatever.¡± She looked back at him, her smile unwavering. ¡°Nice to meet you, 715. I¡¯m Hanabi.¡±

    Finally, he understood.

    A name¡ªthe word itself was unfamiliar, meaningless. But identity¡ªthat, he grasped. Identity dictated value. It dictated purpose.

    So that was her identity. She was¡ª

    ¡°Hanabi,¡± he muttered.

    Her smile widened, the light in her eyes shining even brighter.

    ¡°Yes!¡± she chirped, overflowing with joy.

    But the moment was cut short.

    The door suddenly slid open.

    Hanabi¡¯s eyes widened in shock while 715 remained still, silently observing.

    Standing at the doorway was the escort she had escaped from.

    She gave 715 a final look before she was dragged away.

    A look unlike any he had seen before.

    Something stirred within him as he watched, a feeling unfamiliar, unquantifiable. He couldn''t understand it, and he wasn''t sure he wanted to.

    Then the door slid shut.

    And just like that, she was gone.

    The room was silent once more.

    ¡ª

    Hours passed. The facility¡¯s power was restored, the dim emergency lighting replaced by the stark, sterile white glow of the overhead panels. The hum of machines returned, and with it, the routine.

    Inside the test chamber, 715 stood at the center once again.

    "Subject 715, Test #1229. Commencing."

    The commands came in a steady monotone, each coordinate delivered with precise calculation. He raised his hand and obeyed.

    For a moment, there was nothing.

    Then, the matter flickered into existence.

    The scientists leaned in, breath caught in their throats. Their eyes widened. Their knees weakened.

    Finally.

    After countless trials, endless failure¡ª

    The matter took form.

    The most basic shape in the universe: a perfect sphere.

    It hovered in the air, smooth, flawless, untouched by the laws of the world around it.

    The room erupted.

    "Fuck yeah!"

    "Let¡¯s go!"

    Some laughed, some cursed, some grabbed onto each other in sheer disbelief. The sight before them was a breakthrough beyond anything they had accomplished before.

    715 remained still, unfazed by the outburst.

    The hollow sphere wavered.

    It flickered.

    And then¡ªIt vanished.

    Barely a few seconds. But it was a success nonetheless.

    Days passed, and with each one, 715¡¯s progress soared.

    He no longer struggled with the fundamentals. The barrier bent to his will, forming precise two- and three-dimensional shapes¡ªa triangle, a pyramid, a disk, a square, a cube. Each success fueled the scientists¡¯ euphoria. Their voices buzzed with excitement, their notes filled with frantic scribbles, their hands shaking with the weight of their discovery.

    They believed they had perfected him.

    They didn''t notice the subtle shift beneath the surface.

    They didn''t see how his pauses grew longer, how his gaze lingered on his creations as if searching for something beyond mere calculations.

    They didn''t realize that 715 was beginning to think.

    That he was beginning to wonder.

    That he was no longer the empty puppet they had shaped him to be.

    [ To be continued ]

 Chapter 15: Absolute Effector

    { THIRD PERSON POINT OF VIEW }

    The waves rolled lazily across the open sea, rising and falling beneath the small boat that carried nothing but a boy and the atomic bomb. The sun blazed high in the sky, its heat relentless. His gaze remained fixed on the device in front of him, its beeping slow and steady, counting down.

    The ocean stretched infinitely in every direction, the only movement coming from the gentle sway of the water and the flickering numbers on the bomb¡¯s timer. There were no landmasses, no rescue teams, no signs of civilization¡ªjust him, the deep blue abyss, and an experiment that could determine everything.

    This was the next step. After weeks of progress, after proving he could control the Absolute Effector to some extent, they had brought him here to do the impossible: contain the force of an atomic explosion.

    715 remained still, his feet planted firmly on the deck as the boat rocked beneath him. He didn''t react to the unstable footing, nor to the sound of water splashing against the hull.

    Through the monitor drones hovering above the boat, the three scientists who were responsible for studying him observed intently from miles away.

    Taniyama, the lead physicist, exhaled slowly as he set down the paper filled with his painstaking calculations. His fingers lingered on the edges, gripping slightly, as if that alone could stabilize the chaos brewing inside him.

    "This is insane," he muttered under his breath, his voice barely above a whisper.

    A colleague standing behind him let out a short chuckle. "You worried, Taniyama-sensei?"

    Taniyama turned slightly, catching his colleague¡¯s gaze. He liked to believe he was a decent man, but when faced with the opportunity to study something that refused to bend to the laws of the universe¡ªsomething as impossible as the Absolute Effector¡ªhe hadn''t been able to refuse. Even if it meant using a child.

    He hesitated before speaking. "It''s too early for this experiment¡­" His voice was quieter now, tinged with doubt. "If he fails, we lose him. And with him, our only chance to study the Absolute Effector."

    The third scientist, standing near the desk, placed a thick stack of documents in front of him with a dull thud. "The higher-ups know," he said, his tone flat, almost weary. "We don¡¯t have time to hesitate."

    Taniyama turned to him slowly, his eyes sharp with unspoken demand. "What?" he muttered.

    His two colleagues exchanged glances, the weight of unspoken concerns passing between them. Then, as if reaching an unspoken agreement, they both turned back to him.

    "715¡­" the younger scientist, Sonozaki, hesitated, choosing his words carefully. "He''s¡­"

    Taniyama¡¯s patience thinned. "He''s what, Sonozaki-sensei?"

    Before Sonozaki could answer, the older scientist, Toyoshima, cut in, his voice low but firm. "It''s beginning."

    And it was. The countdown had reached its final ten seconds.

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    Through their screens, the scientists watched in tense silence as 715 extended his arm, reaching toward the bomb. And then, just like that, it materialized. A transparent golden sphere appeared, slowly manifesting from top to bottom, enveloping the bomb in a perfect seal. The Absolute Effector had no gaps, no seams. It was a flawless prison of all matter, not a single speck of air could leak out.

    Then, inside the sphere, everything turned blindingly white¡ªas if a miniature sun had been trapped inside. The light pulsed with an almost tangible intensity, a seething energy that roared silently behind the barrier. It was the raw power of a nuclear blast, condensed into a tight, golden bubble. The pressure built up steadily, the energy working its way to break free, but the sphere held it all in a delicate, if dangerous, equilibrium.

    "U-Unbelievable..." Sonozaki muttered.

    The scientists watching knew one thing: if even a tiny crack appeared, that pent-up energy would burst out with catastrophic force. But 715¡¯s barrier remained unyielding, defying physics by containing this raw explosion within such a confined space.

    "What a monster..." Taniyama remarked, his voice low and steady as he exchanged glances with his colleagues. "Quantum tunneling hasn''t even made a dent¡ªif even that can¡¯t break the Absolute Effector..."

    Toyoshima nodded. "Yes. He''s ready for phase five."

    The sphere continued to hold, a perfect, unyielding prison for the impossible energy inside. The explosion clawed at its confinement, struggling against an absolute force that denied its right to expand. It was unnatural¡ªeverything in the universe obeyed the principle that energy must disperse. But here, in this golden shell, it had nowhere to go. It could only churn violently in place, folding over itself in an endless cycle of destruction and recreation.

    From beneath the harsh sunlight, 715 slowly lifted his gaze to one of the hovering drones. His expression remained blank, his voice calm, as if he weren¡¯t holding the force of a nuclear detonation mere feet from his body.

    ¡°The condition has been satisfied,¡± he stated, the words clear and measured.

    Back at the lab, Sonozaki immediately responded through the speakers. ¡°Confirmed. Proceed to the next operation: energy neutralization.¡±

    Taniyama inhaled sharply, gripping the edges of his desk. His eyes flickered between the screen and the stacks of paper in front of him. He had been the one to design the energy neutralization formula, and now, at the final moment, doubt clawed at him.

    He frantically skimmed over the dense pages of calculations, scanning for a flaw, a misstep, anything he might have overlooked. There was no margin for error. If he had made even the slightest mistake, the consequences would be beyond catastrophic. A single drop of sweat traced a slow path down his temple as his hands trembled over his notes.

    Because if he was wrong¡ªif the math failed¡ªthere would be no second chances.

    715''s breath grew heavier, his pulse hammering in his ears. Sweat soaked through his clothes, clinging to his skin as he fought against the laws of reality themselves. The first step had been a test of strength, but this¡ªthis was something else entirely. A slight miscalculation and error in execution would mean his death. He needed to control his ability as if his life depended on it, because it did.

    In the lab, Taniyama barely flinched when he felt a light tap on his shoulder. He turned to find Toyoshima standing behind him, arms crossed, his expression unreadable.

    ¡°There wasn¡¯t a mistake in your equations,¡± Toyoshima said, his voice flat but firm. ¡°You checked them a hundred times, I checked them twice. If this works, it works. If it doesn¡¯t, it¡¯s not on us.¡± He let out a dry, humorless chuckle. ¡°This whole magical ability bullshit shouldn¡¯t even involve us in the first place. We¡¯re academics, not warlocks. If it fails, it¡¯s on the boy. And it¡¯s on them.¡±

    Taniyama¡¯s grip tightened around the edge of his desk. He knew Toyoshima was right. Logically, he had done his part¡ªhis calculations were sound, the theory checked out. But logic had nothing to do with what was happening here. They weren¡¯t dealing with numbers on a page; they were watching a child attempt to suppress the raw force of an atomic explosion.

    Even so, Taniyama couldn''t pull his eyes away from the screen. Despite himself¡ªdespite the risks, despite the ethical nightmare they were tangled in¡ªhe wanted to see. He needed to see if the impossible could be made real.

    [ To be continued ]

 Chapter 16

    { THIRD PERSON POINT OF VIEW }

    The golden sphere began to shrink. Slowly, steadily, it collapsed inward, squeezing the sheer destructive energy within it into an impossibly tight space. The pressure inside skyrocketed, compressing atoms beyond recognition, crushing quarks, bending spacetime itself. And yet, outside the barrier, the ocean remained still, the sky untouched. It was as if reality itself refused to acknowledge the chaos unfolding within that perfect, unyielding shell.

    The three scientists jolted in their seats, their gazes locked onto the screens displaying impossible data.

    ¡°I-It¡¯s happening!¡± Toyoshima stammered, his breath catching.

    Taniyama¡¯s hands trembled slightly as he gripped the edge of the desk. He had spent years buried in theory, and now, before his very eyes, was proof of something beyond theory¡ªbeyond science. He held his breath.

    The sphere shrank further, its golden glow intensifying, condensing every ounce of violent energy into something infinitesimally small. And then¡ª

    It vanished.

    No explosion. No residual shockwave. The sheer, cataclysmic power of an atomic bomb¡ªdeleted, erased from existence.

    Taniyama removed his glasses with shaky hands, his eyes never leaving the screen. His breath came slow and unsteady as the reality of what he had just witnessed settled in.

    "I was right.."

    ¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C

    Deep within the mountains of Japan, buried beneath layers of rock and secrecy, lay the heart of the organization¡¯s facility. A labyrinth of cold steel and sterile lights, spiraling downward for hundreds of floors. Each level held something¡ªsomeone¡ªworth studying. Children, taken from the world above, their existence reduced to data points and experiments.

    Footsteps echoed through the dimly lit corridor. An old man walked, his lab coat swaying with each step.

    "Good morning, Taniyama-sensei."

    "Good work, Taniyama-sensei."

    The greetings came from passing staff, but he barely acknowledged them. A stiff nod. A half-hearted glance. His grip tightened around the files in his hands.

    He reached his team¡¯s office, pushing open the door to the familiar space. Sonozaki and Toyoshima weren¡¯t in yet. Taniyama set his things on his desk and lowered himself into his chair. For a moment, he simply sat there, staring at the papers in front of him.

    His discovery could change the world¡ªwhether for better or worse, he wasn¡¯t sure. And that uncertainty terrified him. A power that could bend the laws of the universe itself wasn¡¯t something someone like him should be handling.

    The door creaked open.

    Taniyama expected Sonozaki¡¯s usual polite greeting or perhaps Toyoshima¡¯s careless morning remark. But what followed was silence. A cold weight settled in his stomach. Out of curiosity and growing anxiety, he turned his head. A man stood in the doorway. His face obscured by a mask, his body hidden beneath a pristine white lab coat.

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    Taniyama stood up slowly, keeping his movements measured. He faced the visitor with a composed expression, though he could feel the slight tremor in his own voice.

    "How can I help you?"

    The man exhaled shakily before removing his mask. Beneath it, his face was pale, tense, and mixed with exhaustion.

    "Are you¡­ Doctor Taniyama?" he asked, his voice controlled but carrying an edge of desperation.

    Taniyama swallowed. "Yes."

    The man stepped closer. "I¡¯m Natsukawa. I¡­" He hesitated, his breathing uneven. "I need your help."

    Taniyama¡¯s brow furrowed. "What¡¯s wrong?"

    Natsukawa¡¯s hands clenched at his sides. "You¡¯re the one in charge of that boy, aren¡¯t you? Subject 715?"

    Taniyama¡¯s mind raced, trying to piece together where this was going. "I am. Why? What do you need?"

    He sighed, "You might want to take a seat," Natsukawa said.

    Taniyama hesitated but eventually gestured toward the chair across from him. He wasn¡¯t sure if he was making the right call, but he was too tired to think it through.

    "Now, tell me what this is about," he said.

    Natsukawa exhaled deeply, his gaze fixed on the floor. "It started two months ago," he began. "When the power lines were cut across the entire facility."

    "Right¡­ 715 caused it," Taniyama said, slowly piecing things together. But he still didn¡¯t know where this was going.

    Natsukawa suddenly looked up, his eyes dark and hollow. "Are you aware of the Immortality Project?"

    Taniyama couldn''t utter a word. He shook his head.

    "Subject 944¡­ is a little girl," Natsukawa continued. "About the same age as your boy." Taniyama felt a strange sense of unease settle over him. "Her ability is immortality. Every day, I take her to the lab and perform experiments on her. But¡­" Natsukawa¡¯s voice faltered. "It¡¯s not research. It¡¯s more of a torture than an experiment. She suffers unimaginable pain, and I witness it every single day."

    Taniyama sat in stunned silence, his stomach twisting at the words. He had always known this organization had its secrets. But this was beyond anything he had imagined. Taniyama felt his grip tighten on the armrest of his chair. He didn¡¯t realize how hard he was clenching his fingers until his nails dug into the fabric.

    Natsukawa kept going, his voice flat, hollow¡ªlike a man who had long since lost something vital. "No matter how much we dismembered her, she kept regenerating. We don¡¯t know where the cells are coming from. They just keep coming." His words were measured, but the pain behind them was impossible to miss. "But according to the information we received about her¡­ she only regenerates if she wills it."

    Taniyama¡¯s breath hitched. "After all that¡­ she never lost the will to live?" he asked. His voice was quieter than before. "Are you using numbing drugs on her?"

    Natsukawa shook his head. He wasn¡¯t looking at Taniyama anymore¡ªjust at the floor. "We tried to, at first," he admitted. "We tried a lot of different things on her¡­ She was just a small kid back then. A toddler." Silence settled between them, thick and suffocating. Natsukawa finally spoke again. "Nothing worked," he whispered. "She kept crying. She kept screaming. Begging us to stop."

    Taniyama covered his mouth, his breath catching in his throat. His eyes widened at the words he had just heard. "That''s¡­"

    Natsukawa didn¡¯t wait for him to finish. "So the team came up with something," he continued. His voice was eerily steady, but there was an exhaustion beneath it. "We started giving her pleasures, little by little. We gave her toys. We gave her parents¡ªones that loved her dearly. We even took her outside, let her see the sky, the sun, the stars. All just to keep her from giving up." He paused, running a hand through his hair. "And she bit it," he muttered. "She clung to it."

    Taniyama felt something twist in his chest.

    "And then two months ago, when the power lines were cut¡­ we couldn¡¯t carry on with the experiments. I was supposed to take her back to her personal room, but¡­" Natsukawa hesitated, his eyes distant. "She ran away."

    Silence.

    "I don¡¯t know why," he admitted, his tone quieter now. "She just¡­ suddenly decided. On her own."

    That last sentence echoed in Taniyama¡¯s head, bouncing around like it held a meaning he hadn¡¯t quite grasped yet. "Decided¡­ on her own?" he repeated, almost absentmindedly.

    Natsukawa nodded. "When I found her, she was in his room. 715¡¯s personal room. It looked like she got there by accident."

    [ To be continued ]