Notice:- Edited on June 30th, 2025
Major changes.
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It's early morning, and I have woken up way earlier than I needed to. It might be because of what Ayumi had mentioned earlier yesterday about there being another person we can't remember, as I had dreamed of a younger version of ourselves walking with some gray-haired guy. I couldn't make out his face no matter how much I tried, but in the end, it doesn't matter. Whether he exists or not isn't important to me at the moment.
It doesn't take me long to on my new school uniform (delivered to us last night, courtesy of Nao and Joijiro) and wait for Ayumi to be done with her preparations. I think about the last few days and everything that has happened up until now. I recall I died in a previous life of mine, but I don't remember how I died or what my life was like. Strangely, I remember non-personal stuff such as movies, books, and such. They don't appear in my mind clearly, but there is this sense of familiarity there that can't be mistaken.
Then I was reborn, or more precisely, took over some guy's body that goes by the name Haruka Kasugano. Apparently, he is me and I am him. The same way I am now Yu Otosaka and he is I.
Talk about confusing...
"Brother Yu!" my thoughts are interrupted by a cheerful shout, as a small, violet figure rushes towards me. "Ta-dah! I've prepared you lunch for today!" She hands me a lunch box wrapped in a red bandage with a much smaller box for eating utensils attached to its top.
Amused by her ever so cheerful antics, I ask her, "What's on today's menu?"
She flashes a wide smile (that sends a bit of a chill down my spine) before she loudly exclaims with her arms in the air, "Omelette Rice!"
Ah... Of course.
On one hand, continuously eating a particular food every single day (sometimes more than once) makes the food taste disgusting after a while. On the other hand, I don't mind it much, considering that it's Ayumi trying her best for me, and which is what matters most. I reach out to lightly pat her head, "We should get going now. You don't want to be late for your first day at your new school, do you?"
She hums a cheerful "Um!" as she proceeds to grab her school bag. Once she has brought it, the two of us exit our new home, after which I lock the door behind us before we make our way to the elevator. And thus, we begin our day by walking out through the entrance, during which Ayumi jovially waves at the two security guards standing there, shouting "Good morning!"
The two guards appear to be amused as they wave back, with one of them even saying "good morning, young lady" with a hearty laugh. They seem like nice guys.
"Hey Ayumi," I call out to her once we're in the clear some distance away from the building.
"Hm?" she lightly responds as she looks my way.
"Remember what I told you about yesterday?"
"You mean... the piggyback!? Are you really going to do it?!" excitement practically bursts forth from her as she clings to me, an expectant look forming on her face.
"Of course." I smile as I lower myself on one knee and extend my left arm out to her. She quickly hands over her school bag before climbing onto my back. Once I make sure that she is positioned properly, with her clothes not lifted up or such, I hold her legs tightly before I instruct her, "Hold on to my neck very tightly. I will be running super fast, okay?"
"Okay!"
She does as I say as she locks her arms around my neck with just enough strength that would've probably choked an ordinary human. With everything said and done, I break into a light jog at first.
"Uwaaaa!!!" she screams, most definitely startled by the sudden movement and speed.
I slowly begin picking up speed. As I continue to run, I realize that my earlier lack of speed wasn't just my mind playing tricks on me. My current top speed should be about around... half of what I was capable of back at the Rift. Nevertheless, it's still way faster than what any ordinary athletic human should be able to achieve.
Saying that it didn't take us long to arrive at our destination would be quite the understatement.
I let Ayumi down before adjusting her uniform and hair, during which she spoke of how amazing I am. Extra points of cuteness for her efforts to mimic me "running like a superhero".
I accompany her to her school building, and once I'm sure that everything's fine, I head over to mine.
Once I reach the building, I visit the school principal. With formalities and such aside, I leave the principal's office, only to be greeted by a camera pointed at my face by a certain grey-haired girl.
"Welcome to the academy," she says in a cool tone - the only tone I've heard her speak in so far.
To her side was Joijiro.
Upon greeting them, we start walking to our classroom. Apparently, the three of us are in the same class. Convenient.
On the way there, I ask one of the few questions that have been plaguing my mind, "So, does everyone in this school have a special ability of some sort?"
There is no reply for a short while, before Nao says, "Not exactly. There are students unaffected students, as well as those who have yet to awaken their powers."
Nao continues to explain in her usual tone, "Long ago, people who had awakened special abilities became guinea pigs for scientists."
A brief moment of silence.
"If you get caught once, your life is basically over," she adds.
Hm... Yeah, I can only imagine what scientists would do when it comes the supernatural.
"Sounds terrible."
Nao stops walking for a brief moment and says, "I was speaking of my brother."
She then gives me a brief summary of past events - one related to the school we are in. A certain individual came up with the current system of finding ability wielders and transferring them to specialized schools. Although... it was too late for her brother by then.
While at it, Nao informs me of the duties of the student council members and their missions. Basically, it's finding special ability wielders who misuse their powers and either protect them or threaten them to never use their power again.
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"I'm Yu Otosaka, and I've transferred here from Hinomori Highschool. Nice to meet you all," I introduce myself while smiling lightly in front of the class.
"So handsome!" I hear one of the girls exclaim.
There is some chatter among the students as they discuss me. But rather than focus on them, I instead look over at the two that were with me earlier. Nao sits at the frontmost seat in the left row, right beside the window. Joijiro's seat is at the very back of the class in the right row. I also notice that the only empty seat is the one in front of Joijiro.
What puzzles me is that I see Nao playing with her camera, yet no one says anything about it as if it were completely normal.
------
Classes are over, and its lunchtime now. I grab the lunch box Ayumi made for me and take a look at its contents. I see an Omurice with "Congratulations!!" written on it with ketchup.
Before I can start eating, Joijiro appears beside me and says, "Oh, you have a lunch box. I thought we could go to the cafeteria together."
I take a look at the Omurice and then at his pitiful face. I let out a sigh, and close the lid of the lunch box. "Let's go then."
I could just eat it at a table there.
Joijiro pauses points at a certain direction. "Should I invite her as well?"
Looking over at where he was pointing, I spot Nao with earphones in her ears as she gazes outside the window, seemingly lost in her thoughts.
Seeing her like so, I'm tempted to leave her be. But you know what? Why not?
"I'll do it," I say as I get up from my seat and walk over.
Nao notices me approaching as she pauses whatever it was that was playing, takes off the earphone in her right ear.
"Hey. Joijiro and I are going to the cafeteria. Care to join us?"
All I get in response is a quirked brow as she casts a glance at Joijiro before looking back at me, "You're seriously inviting me?"
"Yeah?" I respond. Not sure what she exactly means by the question. "Anything wrong with that?"
Nao stares at me for a moment before she takes off the other earphone as well. "No. Nothing at all."
------
So crowded. That is the first thing that came to my mind once we reached the cafeteria. There isn't a single table that's empty, and there is a long line of students waiting to buy their meal.
"Good luck getting food from there," I say to Joijiro.
"Well, this is where I show off my special ability," he says in a confident tone as he fixes his glasses with his index finger.
"Although, the type of sandwich I get will depend on luck," he adds.
"This moron..." I hear Nao mutter to my left with her head lowered.
The next moment, I see him turning slightly blurry as he moves at an incredible speed, drops some coins over, grabs some sandwiches, and inevitably crashes into and through a glass pane.
I notice the girl selling the meals let out a sigh. My condolences to her. That reaction speaks tales.
"Uh... let us find a table, shall we?" I say to Nao.
"There is one there," she points at a certain direction. I look over and spot a vacant table close to the wall. Great.
"Let's go then."
The two of us walk over to the table. Nao takes a seat reside beside the wall. I opt to sit beside her. She stares at me.
"More fun this way," I say as turn to face her and wink.
"You..." she begins, "you're nothing like how you were two days ago."
"I get what you mean," I respond, "I'm being all buddy with you now despite the rough first impression, yeah?"
Nao simply nods in affirmation.
"Well, think of it from my perspective. I had something going for me and you guys appeared and crashed it. Then, you proceeded to attempt negotiation with me through very questionable means. I wasn't exactly in the mood to be nice."
"Aside from that," I continue, my tone somber, "If we are to spend time together, I'd rather us all getting along rather than bickering."
Looking into Nao's eyes, I notice them widen a bit, "Who would've thought that a cheater would be so sensible."
"Hit me where it hurts most, will you?" I respond with a chuckle.
"Be better next time," she responds.
"No worries. That stuff was an all-time low. Never happening again."
"Hm... I'll take your word for it," she says with a slight grin.
It's at this moment that I notice someone approaching our table.
"Took you long enough, Mr. Faulty Speedster," I joke.
Joijiro, who's literally a bloody mess, simply sighs as he takes seat opposite to me.
"Quite lucky today. I managed to get us cutlet sandwiches."
"You're lucky to not be hospitalized," comments.
"You mean lucky to be alive?" I add.
"I do wear armor under my uniform, you know? So, the wounds aren't that deep," he replies in a matter-of-factly tone.
"Your head," Nao and I say at the same time.
"It can handle this much!" he responds cheerfully.
This guy is a lost cause. Looking to my side, I can see that Nao shares the sentiment. Her eyes say it all.
Well, whatever. He offers a sandwich to me and Nao... or rather what used to be a sandwich. It's been given a bit too good of a squeeze.
"I can't control my grip when I use my ability," he says.
I think I'm going to stick to my Omurice, thanks. Though, poor Nao. Looking at her, I see her head's lowered. Probably cursing at Joijiro for being an idiot or something.
Eventually, we eat our meal and head back to class. On the way, I hear a buzzing before Nao pulls out her phone and checks something.
"A comrade will show up soon," she says.
A... comrade? Does she mean another student council member? Why does it matter?
"That means that all the student council members should head over to the student council room," explains Joijiro.
"A little confused, but sure. Let's go."
------
The moment we step into the student council room, I feel my breath being taken away. Simply put, the place looks wonderful. There is a table at the center of the room with a map laid out on it, and to one side bookshelves packed with books, and on the other, a TV with an old school DVD player.
My senses pick up someone right outside the door. I move aside as a freak of some sorts enters the room. It's a guy with his body soaked from head to toe, his face not visible thanks to long, damp hair covering it. He moves towards the table with the map and points his finger somewhere as a drop of water hits the map.
"The ability is... Thoughtography," is all he says before leaving the room.
"...Well, that was something."
Nao and Joijiro aren't the least bit surprised. This means that this is a common occurrence. Though, what was that exactly? Does he point out where special ability users are? It would explain how Nao and Joijiro do what they claimed to have been doing. Also, how they found me.
Apparently, I was right. The location was a high school not that far from here.
The three of get ready to head over to the school marked on the map, but then Joijiro suddenly staggers before we even leave the room.
"Are you alright?" I ask as I hold his arm to support him.
"I feel a bit lightheaded..." he responds.
I look over at the top of his bloodied head as one thought crosses my mind - gee, I wonder why.
"You go get your head treated and rest," Nao says in a tone that leaves no room for discussion, "the newbie and I will handle this case."
After a moment's hesitation, Joijiro sighs in resignation as he leaves the student council room.
"Will he be fine?" I find myself asking.
"He should be. This isn't the first time such a thing has happened..."
"I had a feeling that was the case," I remark with a chuckle.
And so, only Nao and I end up at the school where our "target" is. We waste no time as we start looking for clues regarding the ability user. After a while of asking around, Nao rushes over to me and tells me she found a guy that's acting suspiciously.
I go along with her, only to see a guy in a desolate spot of the school holding a bag closely to his chest as he anxiously looks around. Yeah, that's as suspicious as one could get.
The guy notices us and immediately breaks into a run.
"After him!" shouts Nao.
Wasting no time, I dash over and lightly push him over. He falls and drops the bag.
Nao comes over and starts rummaging through his stuff, only stopping when she finds a black envelope. "Aha. I wonder what this is~?"
The guy visibly flinches when he sees the envelope in her hand and seems to intend to lunge at her, but a little press of the sole of my shoe against his back keeps him in check.
Nao opens the envelope, and inside of it are two photos. One photo is that of a girl in this school, if her uniform is anything to go by. The second photo is the exact same picture, but the uniform has become transparent showing her underwear.
"Seriously?" I mutter with a frown as I press my foot harder, "Where'd you get this?"
The guy only shakes in fear, refusing to answer.
"I'll warn you once." I voice putting even more force into my foot, "Either you tell me, or I crush your spine. Speak."
This time, the guy hastily with the name of a student and the class he's in.
Nao and I immediately go looking for him.
After a short while, we find the guy in the archery club.
"You. These look familiar to you?" I question as I point at the photos in Nao's raised hand upon entering the club room.
The guy lowers the bow he had raised and raises one brow before he looks behind us, probably to see if anyone else was present. "What's it to you?"
"Oh, a lot. Why do this?"
"Of course, for the money, what else? It's the easiest way to make it. And you..."
His gaze focuses on Nao as he pulls out some empty film. I realize what he is about to do, and before he can even begin, I dash at him and deliver a calculated punch to his stomach. It's more than enough for him to be out of breath for a while.
"Try that again, and I will target your eyes next," I threaten.
Before he can respond, I use my ability to possess him and look for other photo films, but I find none. Once the possession is over, I get up from the ground. There is a slight tingling in my head.
That's the first time "I" used this ability. Felt odd... and uncomfortable, given the one I was possessing was not exactly in the best state.
"This ability," Nao begins, "could make you money, yes. But it will ruin your life. It's only a matter of time."
In response to this, the guy just curses at her under his breath.
"It's your choice whether you want to destroy your life with your own hands or decide to be better."
With that said, Nao doesn't wait for his response as she turns to leave. Was that seriously enough?
I cast one last glance at the guy before following after her.
"Hey," I say once I'm at her side, "Is that all? Shouldn't you do more?"
Nao looks over at me meaningfully before turning her head away. "It's more than enough."
"...If you say so."
Who am I to complain anyways.
Still, this was a pretty interesting experience. Maybe being in this school and this student council isn't so bad after all.
As we continue to walk, I recall what she said earlier this morning. "Say, what happened to your brother?"
Nao doesn't say anything for a moment before answering with a suggestion, "It's not like there is anything to hide, so why don't you come with me to visit him tomorrow?"
"Sure," I agree, "can't say no to that."
And so, my first day at this new school comes to an end.