The spacious cafeteria buzzed with conversation during the lunch break, students packed into long tables under fluorescent lights. The smell of curry and fried food hung in the air.
"What an exhausting day," Subaru groaned, slumping over his lunch tray in the cafeteria. He had black hair with a bowl cut. He wore circular glasses.
Across from him, Kaoru nodded in agreement, picking at her rice. "School's gonna be tougher with these qualifiers coming up". She had light brown hair and a few freckles across her cheeks.
"Top schools have top problems!" a student at the next table called out.
"That science session was really hard today," another added.
Kurogane was passing by this group of students as he noticed their sad faces. He stretched his arms above his head, warming up as if he were about to sprint across the cafeteria.
"What's up with this gloominess? I'm actually excited for the qualifiers. You get to stretch a few muscles, break a few bones, and who knows, impress a few ladies," Kurogane said, flexing theatrically.
"It's easy for you. You're athletic and on the school football team. You'll get a slot for sure," Subaru said while taking a bite out of an apple. "But I'm not that good at anything. I mean I can get a few good scores, but this school's filled with some academic monsters."
"Same for me. I barely cleared the cutoff for this school. That too after pulling many all-nighters," Kaoru agreed as she took a sip from her fruit juice.
"The other assessments aren't going to be easy either," Shinichi added worriedly. He was the tallest of the group, with sharp features and a habit of hunching his shoulders.
Kurogane waved dismissively with both his arms. "Come on guys. Subaru, you have the ability to freeze things and last time I checked, the world ranked 2 had the exact same powers! Kaoru-chan, you can talk to animals. I'd kill for that ability. And Shinichi. Hmmm." He paused thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. "Sometimes I wonder how you got into this school."
Shinichi looked down at his tray, his face reddening, while Subaru and Kaoru giggled.
Across the cafeteria, near the back corner, Haruto and Kazama sat at their own table. Haruto adjusted his glasses, watching Kurogane's performance with mild amusement.
"Look at that idiot," Haruto said, nodding toward Kurogane. "Trying to act all cool."
"He's just being himself. Confident and goofy," Kazama replied with a shrug, not looking up from his lunch.
"But one thing's true. His athletic nature's unmatched. He's definitely getting that slot from our school. I've heard he's the best number 9 in U-18 Japan. I don't know what that means, but good for him I guess," Haruto said while taking a bite from a bun.
"That means he's the best striker in his division," Kazama explained as he started counting pointers on his hand. "And number 9 relates to a more physical presence inside the opponent's box. They have really good aerial presence, finishing and positioning, making them the ideal player to score the most goals."
"Didn't know you had knowledge about football," Haruto looked surprised, his eyes lighting up and the bun now back on the tray.
"My sister follows it and won't stop talking about it. She is a huge fan of this English club, Manchester City," Kazama said, his expression turning slightly annoyed.
"Didn't know she had knowledge about football either," Haruto raised an eyebrow.
"Trust me, I wish I didn't know either. Every time she talks, a piece of my sanity packs its bags and never comes back," Kazama said flatly as he now began looking at Kurogane who was dancing for some reason with his arms and legs alternately going up and down.
Haruto laughed at that remark.
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School ended with collective groans echoing through the hallways. Kazama, Haruto, and Kurogane walked out together, the afternoon sun warm on their faces. Kazama had his hands buried in his pockets while the other two chatted animatedly.
Kurogane suddenly snapped his fingers. "I forgot to ask. Did you guys hear about that crazy showdown last night? It's only a few blocks from here."
"Yeah. Heard even Shirai Takeru got involved," Haruto said, while adjusting his glasses and brushing his hair to the side.
"Damn. And earlier yesterday he had saved a lot of people from a collapsing building. That's two major rescues in one day. The guy works so hard," Kurogane said, his eyes lighting up with admiration.
"Shield of the Local for a reason. What do you think, Kazama?" Haruto asked, placing his hand on Kazama's shoulder.
"I just think he's doing his job. He's a hero after all. What else would you expect of him?" Kazama responded, his voice flat and matter-of-fact, while looking straight ahead.
"Damn. You're so harsh on him," Kurogane said, looking disappointed, frowning on his forehead and narrowing his eyes.
"Did I say anything wrong?" Kazama looked genuinely confused, now looking at Kurogane.
Haruto tried to mediate, now placing an arm on both Kazama and Kurogane's shoulder. "I agree with Kazama, but we should appreciate the man's efforts. Anyways, I think we got sidetracked a bit due to Shirai's outstanding hero work. Such showdowns are uncommon in such areas."
"Involving superpowers on top of that. Must be those idiots on the internet who do acts to get popular," Kurogane said, gesturing animatedly.
Kazama gave him a stern look without saying anything.
They continued walking until they reached a small neighborhood park. The playground equipment looked old and worn, paint peeling from the metal slides. Near the far end, by a cluster of trees, raised voices caught their attention.
A girl stood with her back to a chain-link fence, arms spread protectively. Behind her legs, a small brown puppy whimpered and pressed itself against her ankles. Three teenage boys who were clearly not from their school based on their casual clothes and aggressive postures, had formed a semicircle around her, cutting off any escape route.
The girl had dark green hair tied back in a ponytail, and despite the fear in her dark green eyes, her jaw was set with determination.
"Hey, back off!" she shouted.
"Back off?" The tallest teen sneered, cracking his knuckles. He had a shaved head and multiple piercings. "That puppy's mother bit me a few days back. Heard some car got her, so I'm here to collect the debt."
"That's so cruel! I'm not gonna let you do anything to this puppy," the girl said, her voice trembling but determined.
"Hey!" A second teen, stockier, with bleached hair stepped forward menacingly. "You don't have any business here, princess. Now move before you get hurt as well."
"Yeah, listen to big bro here. We're keeping the streets safe by removing such pests," the third teen added with a mocking grin. He was bulkier than the other two.
The puppy whimpered again, pressing harder against the girl's legs. The three teens advanced slowly, spreading out to cut off any possible escape.
"Isn't that Kiyomi Asahi from class E?" Haruto recognized her, tensing slightly.
"Are you guys thinking what I'm thinking?" Kurogane's expression turned serious, his playful demeanor evaporating.
"We should warn them off first," Kazama said, already moving forward. "Hey! Leave her alone!"
The three teens turned to face them. The tall one with the shaved head laughed. "Oh look, more kids. You wanna get hurt too?"
"There's three of us and three of you. Walk away now and we won't have a problem," Haruto said firmly while spreading his arms.
"Fuck off," the stocky one spat. "This ain't your business."
Kurogane cracked his knuckles. "We tried being nice."
"Those delinquents don't have any powers that I can sense. We should take them on fairly. Would keep us out of trouble," Kazama said quietly to his friends after analyzing their body movements and behaviour.
"How do you know ?" Kurogane asked while keeping an eye on the teenagers.
"They seem aggressive. If they had any powers, they would have used them already to clear us out. We shouldn't use our powers either." Kazama explained.
"You're so boring, Kazama. The world's not fair. And we're outside school, so no bracelet restrictions. Besides, what's wrong with bending a few rules?" Kurogane smirked mischievously.
Before Kazama could respond, Kurogane thrust both hands toward the ground. Sand from the park's playground area rose up in a swirling vortex around his legs, lifting him two feet into the air. The mini sandstorm propelled him forward like a wave, and he used the momentum to launch himself at the tall teen with the shaved head.
The teen barely had time to look up before Kurogane's fist connected with his jaw. The impact sent him sprawling backward into the grass. He also lost a tooth.
"I'm with him," Haruto said, grinning at Kazama with excitement and putting his glasses in his pocket.
Haruto pointed towards a wall, and reality seemed to tear on the wall as a small violet portal was created. He stepped through and disappeared. A split second later, another portal opened directly behind the two remaining teens. Haruto emerged and grabbed both their heads, slamming them together with a resounding crack. They staggered, dazed.
Kazama sighed with resignation. "What would I do with you guys? We're definitely going to regret this later."
Blue electricity crackled down his legs, the energy wrapping around his calves and thighs. He burst forward in a blur of motion, covering the distance in less than a second. The stocky teen swung at him, but Kazama ducked under the wild haymaker. His hand shot out in a precise chop to the side of the teen's neck. The teen's eyes rolled back, and Kazama followed up with a running knee to his midsection that folded him like a lawn chair.
As the stocky teen hit the ground, Kurogane finally got a good look at the girl they were protecting. His eyes widened. For a moment, he just stared, completely forgetting about the fight happening around him.
The tall teen with the shaved head, the first one Kurogane had punched, struggled back to his feet. He charged at Kazama from behind, but Kazama heard the footsteps and spun. Before he could react, Haruto appeared from another portal and launched himself into a running single legged dropkick, with one foot connecting with the teens head while the other remained suspended in the air, sending him crashing back down.
Haruto dusted off his hands as he landed gracefully. "That should do it."
Kazama nodded approvingly. "Not bad."
But the bulky teen had recovered. He charged at Haruto with a yell. Haruto opened a portal directly in front of himself and stepped backward into it. The teen couldn't stop his momentum and slammed face-first into the park's brick wall where Haruto had been standing a second ago. His nose crunched audibly.
Haruto re-emerged from a portal beside Kazama. "These guys don't learn."
The shaved head teen pulled something from his pocket, a switchblade. The blade snapped open with a metallic click.
"Hey, watch out!" Kiyomi screamed.
Kurogane had been completely distracted, still staring at the girl with an idiotic smile on his face. He turned just in time to see the blade coming but too late to fully dodge. He twisted away, but the knife caught him across his left side, slicing through his shirt and skin.
"Tch... Bastard got me," Kurogane hissed, pressing his hand to his side.
Kazama's eyes flashed blue. He made a finger-gun gesture with his right hand, pointing at the knife-wielding teen. Electricity gathered at his shoulder, crackling and sparking as it traveled down his arm, through his elbow, and concentrated at his fingertip. A bolt of blue lightning shot out with a sharp crack, hitting the teen square in the chest. His body went rigid, the knife clattering to the ground, before he collapsed.
"Hey, are you okay?" Kiyomi rushed over to Kurogane, her earlier fear replaced with concern.
"Just a small cut. Nothing to worry about," Kurogane tried to play it off casually, attempting what he probably thought was a heroic smile.
"You don't seem fine! You're bleeding!" Kiyomi's voice trembled.
Kurogane felt warmth spreading across his left side. He moved his hand from where he'd been pressing against the wound and looked down. His palm was completely covered in red, blood dripping between his fingers. His white shirt was rapidly turning crimson around the cut.
"Oh," Kurogane said, his bravado faltering. "Okay, maybe it's not that small."
Kiyomi spread her arms wide, and a soft greenish aura enveloped her hands. She pressed them gently against Kurogane's side, and the glow intensified. Kurogane watched in awe as the burning pain began to fade, replaced by a tingling warmth. The flow of blood slowed, then stopped entirely.
When Kiyomi pulled her hands away moments later, Kurogane lifted his shirt cautiously. The skin was still stained with blood, but underneath, the wound had closed completely, leaving only a faint pink line.
"Woah. I didn't know you could do that. Thanks. Really, thanks," Kurogane said, staring in amazement.
"I should be the one thanking you guys. To be honest, I didn't know what to do after standing up to those bullies," Kiyomi said gratefully.
The puppy tentatively emerged from behind her legs and started jumping excitedly. Kiyomi picked it up, cradling it against her chest.
Meanwhile, the three unconscious delinquents lay scattered across the park grass. Haruto and Kazama dragged them over to a wall, propping them up in sitting positions against the brick.
"Good thing Kiyomi turned out to be a healer. She's pretty good," Haruto said, wiping his hands on his pants.
Kazama glanced at Kurogane, who was still making puppy eyes at Kiyomi, and allowed himself a small smirk. "Seems like his injury's sorted. I'll leave this idiot to you, Haruto. Get him home."
Kurogane turned toward Kazama with a confused expression, his eyebrows furrowed. What does he mean by sorted?
"Where are you going?" Haruto asked curiously, putting back his glasses.
"I've got some things to do," Kazama responded vaguely.
"You got a part-time job?" Haruto raised an eyebrow with hands on his waist.
"Something of that sort," Kazama replied evasively.
Kazama walked off in another direction, hands back in his pockets. Haruto watched him go, a puzzled expression on his face.