Walking to school was such a drag.
With that thought lingering in his mind, Hiro an average-looking male with black hair and grey eyes, forced his feet forward one after the other.
Each step felt heavier than the last as he made his slow journey toward school, his personal chamber of preferred torture. The morning air was cool, yet it did little to refresh his spirit.
A brief wave of boredom washed over him. Sighing, Hiro slipped his phone out of his pocket, placed his headphones over his ears, and immediately began playing music. The familiar rhythm dulled the monotony of the walk. As the beat filled his ears, he scrolled through the latest headlines.
Imperial Army Defends Yuan Region from Class 2 Ather Surge Attack
Baron Cohen Becomes First Male Governor in Fortress City History
Richard Hart Awakens as S-Class Demonic Tiger, Joins the Imperial Army
Hiro snorted quietly.
"Bloody idiot. Why would you join the Army? It only means you're going to be a slave," he muttered under his breath, shaking his head at the last headline.
In his opinion, males who joined the Imperial Army fell into three categories: those desperate for money, wannabe "heroes," or straight-up masochists. Male treatment within the military was at least ten times worse than that of females. Ever since the Great Collapse, society had changed in ways that few could have predicted and not for the better, at least not for men.
He slipped his phone back into his pocket as he approached a crosswalk.
Then, without warning, the traffic lights turned purple.
Hiro froze. Every pedestrian around him stopped instantly as well. Purple lights meant only one thing.
They're coming, Hiro thought grimly.
Seconds later, the sound of roaring engines shattered the morning calm.
An armored jeep sped past the intersection at a velocity that was definitely nowhere near the legal speed limit. The vehicle's reinforced plating gleamed under the sun, Imperial insignias etched proudly along its sides.
But for a brief, fleeting moment, Hiro saw something that made his breath catch.
Seated in the back of the open vehicle was one of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen.
Her pink hair flowed wildly behind her, carried by the rushing wind. It shimmered like strands of silk caught in a storm. For a split second just a single, fragile moment, it felt as though she noticed him staring.
Slowly, almost deliberately, she turned her head.
Two crimson eyes locked onto his. They were piercing, sharp, and impossibly intense, as if they could see straight through his skin and into his soul. Hiro forgot how to breathe. The music in his ears faded into nothingness.
'She is so beautiful.' the thought going through his mind.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl. The city noise dulled, the wind quieted, and for that single heartbeat, it felt as though the world had narrowed down to just the two of them. As if the universe had paused to grant him this impossible, stolen moment.
Then reality crashed back in. The jeep sped away, disappearing down the street. The crosswalk light flickered back to green, signaling pedestrians to cross. People resumed moving, chatting, and carrying on with their lives.
But Hiro remained still. He stood rooted in place, trying desperately to engrave the image of that Imperial soldier into his mind before it faded.
'If only I had a girlfriend like—'
A sudden smack against his shoulder jolted him back to reality. He pulled off his headphones and turned around, only to come face-to-face with Brad.
"Why the hell are you daydreaming in the middle of the street?" Brad asked, a teasing smile plastered across his face.
Brad had been Hiro's closest friend since middle school. Though Brad was athletic and outgoing while Hiro leaned more toward the unofficial nerd category, they had always found common ground. Somehow, their differences balanced each other out.
"Just thinking about a few things," Hiro replied casually as they began crossing the road together.
"I bet you were thinking about a girl," Brad said, flashing a childish grin.
"Of course not, dude," Hiro shot back, attempting to maintain a poker face.
Unfortunately, a faint blush betrayed him.
He must not find out I developed a small crush on a girl I just saw, especially an Imperial soldier, Hiro thought desperately.
"Hahaha! Dude, you're so bad at lying," Brad laughed, clearly amused.
Hiro rolled his eyes.
"Why are we walking so slowly?" Brad suddenly said, glancing ahead.
"Do you think the teacher will let it slide just because we're boys?"
Hiro froze.
'Oh no'
He quickly checked the time on his phone.
9:15.
'Crap, I left home too early'.
Their lessons started at 9:10.
"Brad, we're already late!" Hiro shouted as he broke into a run. Brad cursed under his breath and sprinted after him.
Within minutes, they could see the school gates ahead. Mr. Thompson, the school guard, was just beginning to close them.
"Mr. Thompson! Let us in!" Brad yelled, waving frantically.
The heavy metal gate creaked ominously.
To their shock, it began to open again.
Both boys stood still, stunned. Mr Thompson was notoriously strict.
Getting mercy from him was like expecting rain in the desert.
I didn't think she'd actually let us in… he must be in a good mood, Hiro thought in relief.
They stepped forward—
And froze. Standing behind the gate wasn't Mr. Thompson.
It was Mr. Rogers, the senior master.
Otherwise known among students as "The Punisher."
The color drained from both boys' faces.
Mr. Rogers' old, stoic expression made him look like he was ready to deliver divine judgment.
"I don't know why you two are always late," he began in his signature concerned-but-deeply-disappointed voice, shaking his head.
"I expect this kind of behavior from the girls, not from you, the future gentlemen of tomorrow."
Hiro bit back a retort.
"How do you expect a woman to propose to—"
Right on cue, a small group of girls approached the gate at a leisurely pace, as though they weren't late at all. Mr. Rogers immediately stepped aside, posture softening.
"Good morning, gir—"
"Shut up."
The cold voice belonged to Takashi, one of Hiro's classmates. She didn't even break stride as she glared at him.
Takashi wasn't an ordinary student.
She was awakened. The air around her seemed to hum faintly with restrained power. No one dared challenge her.
The group of girls walked through the gate without so much as an apology. From the corner of his eye, Hiro noticed Mr Thompson giving them a slight bow.
The inequality between the genders is seriously getting worse, Hiro thought bitterly.
Mr. Rogers cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Girls will be girls, I suppose," he muttered before turning back to the boys. His expression hardened instantly.
"However, the two of you are not excused. After-school punishment. Both of you."
Clearly, he was venting the humiliation he had just endured.
"Yes, sir," Hiro and Brad replied in unison.
After finally being allowed inside, they hurried toward their classroom. Thankfully, their subject teacher hadn't arrived yet.
"Well, look who it is," a voice rang out. "Bread is finally here."
Brad visibly deflated.
Hiro followed the sound and found himself staring at a girl with shining white hair and piercing golden eyes. A faint, radiant halo floated above her head as though it were a natural part of her existence.
Kimberly Clark.
Brad's personal tormentor and Hiro's occasional nightmare.
"Why are you late again, Breadly?" Kimberly smirked.
"Did you have wet dreams about me or something?"
Brad clenched his fists. "I don't have time for your antics today, Kimberly."
He tried to walk past her toward his seat.
Suddenly, Kimberly grabbed him from behind. Brad winced in pain.
"You know, at some point you'll have to give up this cute little booty to me, right?" she said with a cocky grin.
"That's sexual harassment, Kimberly," Hiro said firmly, stepping forward.
"Shut it, Diro," she snapped dismissively. "I was just reminding Breadly here who he belongs to."
She finally let go. Brad's face was red with frustration, but he didn't retaliate. Any attempt to defend himself would only backfire.
Teachers always dismissed male complaints as exaggerations, especially when the girl involved was awakened. They called it teasing. Harmless fun.
Hiro and Brad made their way to their seats at the back of the classroom, where the rest of the boys sat.
The seating arrangement was simple and painfully symbolic: girls at the front so they could "see the board properly," and boys at the back to "make more space."
A few minutes later, their history teacher entered. "Alright, class," she began, placing her materials on the desk. "Today's topic is The Great Collapse."
A collective groan rippled through the boys in the back. This is going to be a long day, Hiro thought.
He leaned back in his chair, unaware that today, the very day he dreaded would be the day that changed the course of his entire life forever.