"Settle down class" Mister Takagi, the homeroom teacher of Class 2-A said. "Um… today we have new transfer student joining us…"
Outside the door, stood a teenage boy with messy black hair and striking green eyes. He stood there in silence, hands clutching to his black backpack, waiting to be called in.
First days… my name is Haruto Aoki and this… this my first time in a class, actually scratch that, this is my first time in a school in ten years…
Being homeschooled does something to you, being socially awkward, not knowing how to talk or act normally…
Hmph!
Guess I'll just have to act like how those kids in the movies act when they arrive to a new class, yeah that's it…
Haruto managed to calm himself down.
I can't stop thinking about it… how could I not, this exact moment is exactly like that time ten years ago… when I first started kindergarten…
+++
I was seven years old, it was my first day in kindergarten, I didn't have my uniform yet so I wore my favorite shirt, it was blue and had a yellow sun insignia on the middle, it was the last gift my grandparents had bought me for christmas before they died in a terrible car crash on their way to Osaka.
I was a shy kid, my parents had just moved into town, we were the type of people who moved around a lot because of their jobs, so I didn't have any friends, and so moving to a permanent place felt so new and scary… everybody was scary…
"Kids why don't you say hi to your new classmate, Aoki Haruto." the teacher said.
"Why doesn't he say anything is he deaf?" a kid teased.
Haruto then saw him, a wealthy looking 8 year-old kid in a tailored uniform with pink hair and dashing crimson eyes…
"Haha, oh man! That's a weird looking shirt…" he continued, and the rest of the students couldn't help but laugh with him, all eyes were on little Haruto.
That's the first time I met him, the nepo-kid who would become my tormentor in the days to come. He could say and do whatever he wanted and no one, not even the teachers would try to stop him.
Smirking at Haruto, the kid continued…
"Look at how whimpy he looks, I bet he's not even a Caster, even if he was, there is no way he'd be stronger than me."
Caster, in the world I live in, you are either born a Caster or a Non-caster. A Caster is someone who has supernatural abilities, these abilities can vary. And Non-casters are normies with no powers like me.
"Oh, look at him just standing there, looks like he wants to cry", the kid laughed. "Looks like we have a crybaby in class."
His name was Agrippa Kiryuu, named after Roman general Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa. He was a kid but still a high level caster…He came from a noble family. The Kiryuu name had money and power, it is one that is known all over Japan and places beyond, hence the special treatment.
Because I had no power, Agrippa saw me as an inferior being, so every chance he got, he'd make my life a living hell. And what's more absurd was that there were other non-caster kids at the school but he seemed fixated on humiliating me.
As the days went on, Agrippa continued to pick on Haruto…
"You are beneath me Haruto! That's why you don't talk right? You non-caster freak!"
That was just the beginning, I remember he and his lackeys would trick me into joining some game they were playing…
"Hey Haruto why don't you come over here and play a game with us?!" Agrippa called. "Yes you, we are one man short, hurry up!"
Together with his caster friends, they would bully me, over and over, every damn day… I became their punching bag, they would test out their powers on me like I was a guinea pig… they beat me, they burnt me, they spit on me and after that, they laughed. It was a routine and they enjoyed it.
"Hey Haruto!" Agrippa grinned as he stepped on Haruto at the school playground. "Aoki is a stupid last name, wouldn't you agree? But I guess it fits you properly doesn't it—Shit for brains!"
I dreaded school, and he didn't stop, the bullying would only escalate. He saw me as a punchbag to let out his frustrations on. I hated him, I couldn't even hide the rage on my face, he saw it and I know he knew how much I wanted to fucking kill him for the pain he inflicted on me!
+++
As I would continue to go to school I started to feel strange, anger was building up inside me almost like a burning fire as I thought about what Agrippa and his friends would do next.
"Hey Aoki, wanna play a game?" Agrippa smirked with his lackeys beside him. "Grab him!"
The caster minions did as they were told and took Haruto, he tried to resist but they dragged him to a secluded place in the school courtyard, were no one could see or interfere in what they had planned.
Agrippa stepped forward with his fists glowing, pink energy all around.
"Guess what game we are playing today Haruto? It's your favorite, it's called, burn the non-caster freak!"
"Burn him! Burn him!", the lackeys urged on.
But then—
"l-leave me alone…" Haruto spoke for the first time, as he lie on the ground, on all fours.
Agrippa laughed, "Huh, did you hear that guys? The dummy talks—
"LEAVE ME ALONE!!!"
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
A burst of golden energy erupted from Haruto, sending all the kids around him flying!
It turns out, I wasn't as ordinary as I thought. Turns out I was the thing I was bullied for not being. I was a CASTER!
Screams! The explosion could be seen from a 5-mile radius, it drew a crowd, they took out there phones to capture it, the police were on there way.
"AAGH!" Haruto screamed as he released his deadly power like a bomb!
Agrippa could be seen a few feet away! Battered and bloodied with burns! He cried out for anyone to help.
Haruto somehow managed to calm down, but by then it was already too late.
+++
My unexpected power outburst didn't just hurt Agrippa and his lackeys… It severely hurt some other innocent people whom where nearby. My caster abilities outburst was a scene no one would ever forget… A chaotic awakening…
When the authorities finally got a hold of me, they called my parents who would finally take me home, there I saw my parents argue about what I'd done. I felt guilty for putting them in such a situation.
"How is this even possible?", Haruto's father—Daigo, complained to his wife—Misaki. "we are both non-casters…"
"I don't know… It must be from your side of the family.", Haruto's mother said.
"Do you know many people he hurt?", Daigo continued. "He almost killed the kids he attacked! One of them is the son of the Kiryuu family, if they take legal action, we are screwed!"
"I understand that but, what are going to do about Haruto, are they going to take him away?", Misaki worried.
"I don't know but he's too dangerous! He clearly has no control over his caster-abilities…", his father said. "He can't stay here."
And so they sent me away to a place far away from civilization, to a place I couldn't hurt anyone with my powers.
+++
They told me that this place would help me gain control of my caster-abilities… This random place in some jungle they left me in, needless to say that I was really scared.
It was a strange looking facility… but I guess that I was glad to see that it was real and not a ploy by my parents to dump me in the woods.
"Welcome young traveler! We've been expecting you, Aoki Haruto!", a serious elderly man in a robe said.
His name was Master Kagawa, he was the one running the facility, he was going to be my teacher. Kagawa-sama was a caster of the highest level, If there was anyone who'd help me control my newly found abilities, it was him.
"...so you're the kid that caused that catastrophe back in the city huh? Yes, I can sense it already, you're a special one." Master Kagawa said.
Apparently my strong solar caster abilities were something never seen before, I was too young to exhibit such power… I was tied to an important prophecy.
"huh?"
—To my surprise, standing by his side was a girl, she had pretty long black hair and her crimson eyes were so full of curiosity… the way she looked at me…
"Haruto, this is Ishi Kazehaya. Ishi is also 7-years old and just like you, she has extraordinary caster-abilities." Master Kagawa added. "Now shall we begin our training?"
Kagawa-senpai was the teacher but there were also a number of scientists at the facility who would study me, I was obligated to demonstrate my powers to them everyday as I progressed in my training… it was weird, but I did what I was told, with hopes that one day it'd be over and I'd go back home.
It was hard trying to control my powers, it felt like a curse, I wondered why those kids back home made it look like it was so damn special…
"Hey, why do you always look sad all the time?", Ishi asked.
And then suddenly, the girl started talking to me… I thought that if I ignored her, that maybe she'd stop but she even started smiling at me.
A few days passed and the same continued. She would follow me around and stare at me for hours, I even noticed that she started to dress like me.
"Hey Haruto, let's play together?" she pestered. "I'm not going to leave you alone until you agree. Haruto?.. Haruto?… Haruutooo?…"
I eventually caved, so Ishi and I became friends. Things, somehow started to look up, I even started to gain control of my powers…
I was so happy, and so was Ishi—for me. All that I spent hating casters, and finding out that I was one devastated me… but for the first time I… I liked it. I think having Ishi—having a friend was what I longed for all the while, and Ishi was my bestfriend, my only friend—my muse.
As we played, Ishi started hugging me all the time, she became so clingy…
"Ishi?, why'd you do that?", Haruto asked.
Ishi smiled. "Hey Haruto… when we get out of here… let's get married."
Haruto blushed. "W-What are you saying… stop messing around."
+++
A whole year had passed, I got used to my new life but all of a sudden, like a rug being pulled underneath—the unexpected happened…
"What? I'm going home?" Haruto asked.
"That's right Haruto," a scientist who was examining him said. "Isn't that great?"
—The car was already waiting outside, I was told to get in without asking any questions… I didn't even get to pack.
Before I knew it, the car was already on it's way… The only thing I thought about the whole way home was how I'd never see Ishi again, I never even got to say goodbye, I wondered if she'd be okay…
When I got home, I felt lonelier than ever, my parents would travel most of the time so I hardly so saw them, the help they hired would be the one's to take care of me from time to time… I was no longer allowed to go to school anymore inorder to avoid losing control of my caster powers. I had no friends, no pets and basically no family… I missed playing with Ishi, she was the only one that got me, I knew that I'd lost a special connection.
Before I knew it, time passed by, I was already a teenager, and since I was indoors all the time, I started online gaming, I would play the RPGs, First Person Shooters and whatever else I felt like playing, even solitaire…
"Haha! Big mistake @cosmo905!", 13 year-old Haruto laughed as he glared at the computer scree, holding a controller in hand. "Your dumb legendary sword is mine, what a total loser, is he new?"
Time passed, but I never stopped training, It became a daily routine and by 14 years-old I finally managed to gain control of my powers… it became as easy as flicking my fingers.
I continued to game, and at 15 years-old I became curious about girls so I read those pervy adult magazines to satisfy my curiosity. At 16 years-old I gamed even more until I got bored out of my mind… I also looked at more and more cute girls everynight.
—And then suddenly, one day I got an email from my parents who were away working overseas…
"What the hell?"
In the email they said they had enrolled me in a school and that I'd have to attend:
'Dear Haruto, sorry we haven't been around these last couple of months, we hope you are doing good, the help tell us you are doing fine. Anyways, we have been thinking about you, and we know how hard it's been on you to be on your own, being homeschooled isn't an easy thing but you've handled it quite well, but we thought a change of scenery would be good for you so we enrolled you at Hoshizora highschool. This new experience at a normal highschool will help you build a social life and also, we've gotten rid of the help and rented an apartment for you that's closer to the school—we don't like the idea of you living in that big house all by yourself. We will send you more details in a few days.
Love — Mom & Dad.'
"Dame it."
So here I am now—17 years-old, attending a second year highschool class with no socials skills whatsoever… but I'm not 7 anymore… I'm not the same pushover I was back then, I'm still a bit awkward but I'm stronger!
"Come in and introduce yourself" Mister Takagi called.
I won't let anyone push me around ever again!