---
Morning sunlight streamed through the curtains of a cramped apartment, casting golden rays across the dusty floorboards. Shotaro stood silently in front of a mirror, adjusting his school uniform collar.
> "My journey begins again…" he murmured.
From his pocket, he drew out a glowing red orb—the Tenku Ball.
Its surface pulsed faintly in his palm. His breath hitched as a memory struck him: Hikari, reaching out with her final smile before disappearing… and her Tenku Ball, now lost.
He clenched his fist.
> "I don't have a choice. I have to go back… to that academy."
He looked down, face tightening as another memory surged—friends he'd once trusted glaring at him in horror.
> "He's the Demon King of Zarkhoth!" "He'll kill us all!"
He exhaled slowly, clearing the fog of the past.
> "New name. New apartment. No one can know who I am."
He slung his bag over his shoulder, stepped out the door, and joined the bustling rhythm of the morning city. Cars hummed by. Conversations blended into white noise. His feet moved on their own.
A flashback again—running through the academy halls, hunted like prey. Betrayed. Alone.
He checked his phone.
> "I'm late…"
Suddenly—
> "I'm laaaate!"
A girl flew past him in a blur of motion, nearly crashing into a street sign. She turned, catching sight of his uniform. Their eyes met.
> "Wait… you're from Fatebound Academy, right?"
"Uh…"
Before he could respond, she grabbed his hand and took off running.
> "I'm Lirina Mokaze!" she beamed mid-sprint. "And you?"
"…Shotaro Kurgane."
> "Nice to meet you, Shotaro! Come on—we'll miss the gate!"
They arrived just as the academy gates slid closed with a heavy clang. Breathing hard, they laughed.
> "So, what class are you in?" Lirina asked between pants.
"…Class D."
Her eyes lit up.
> "No way! Me too! That's fate, right?" She giggled.
They approached a classroom labeled Class D.
> "This is us!"
The teacher glanced up from his desk as they entered.
> "Late," he muttered.
> "Sorry!" Lirina grinned, unfazed. "Lirina Mokaze. And this is Shotaro Kurgane."
"…Take your seats," he replied dryly.
Lirina leaned toward him.
> "Let's sit togeth—"
"Lirina! Over here!" a group of girls called, waving eagerly.
She paused, caught between them and Shotaro, who had already moved to the back corner.
"…Sure," she said to the girls, forcing a smile. But as she took her seat, her eyes kept drifting back.
Shotaro sat beside a girl with long black hair, who was buried in a thick textbook. He leaned forward, head resting on his arms, shutting out the classroom noise.
> "QUIET DOWN," the teacher snapped.
No one listened.
When the final bell rang, Shotaro stood to leave—only to find Lirina waiting by the door.
> "Hey!" she said, a little out of breath. "Want to hang out?"
"…Huh?"
> "Come on!" She grabbed his arm before he could argue.
They ended up at a small café near campus. Light chatter filled the space, and Shotaro munched quietly on bread as they sipped coffee.
> "So," he said, "Why talk to me? You've got plenty of fans."
Lirina looked down.
> "Because… most people only like me because I'm 'destined' to become a princess. But you didn't care. You just… treated me normal."
Shotaro blinked. "That's... it?"
She smiled. "Exactly."
Suddenly, the girls from earlier appeared, flustered.
> "Lirina! The teacher's looking for you!"
> "Again?" she groaned.
They whisked her away. Shotaro finished his bread and quietly slipped outside.
As he passed an empty classroom, he paused. The girl from earlier—the one with black hair—was still inside, hunched over her desk.
"…Still studying?" he murmured.
She suddenly collapsed.
> "Hey!" he shouted, dashing inside.
---
Flashback — Sayaka's Memory
"You're pathetic," her father spat, slapping her across the face.
"Your siblings are geniuses. You? You're like your mother—useless."
She didn't cry. Not anymore. She just bowed her head.
---
Back in the present, Shotaro sat beside her in the nurse's office, her head resting gently on the pillow. His heart thudded.
Suddenly, his Tenku Ball began to glow faintly.
A soft blue light answered from the bag beside her.
> "…That light—" he whispered.
The door slammed open.
> "There you are!" Lirina panted. "Students said you carried Sayaka here."
"…Sayaka?"
> "Yeah! Sayaka Yukishiro. That's her name."
The girl stirred. Her eyelids fluttered open.
> "Where… am I?"
> "Nurse's office," Shotaro said gently. "You collapsed in class."
She immediately tried to sit up and leave.
> "You shouldn't move yet."
> "I have to study," she said flatly. "An hour lost is an hour wasted. I need to reach Class A."
"…Class A?" he asked.
Lirina stepped in.
> "It's the academy's rank system. A is elite. Then B, C, D… We're at the bottom."
> "I must prove I'm not worthless," Sayaka said, already walking out.
---
Later that evening, as Shotaro walked home, he heard shouting.
Rounding a corner, he froze.
Sayaka's older brother had her pinned against a wall.
> "You're a disgrace," he hissed. "You'll never bring honor to our name."
His fist raised—
CRACK!
A stone flew through the air, smacking him across the face.
> "What the—!?"
Shotaro stepped forward.
> "I hate people who treat others like trash."
The brother's eyes narrowed.
> "You don't know who I am, punk."
He vanished—only to reappear behind Shotaro, striking fast.
But Shotaro blocked the blows with ease.
> "Tch. You made a friend, Sayaka?" the brother sneered, before vanishing into shadow.
Sayaka collapsed to the ground, trembling.
> "…Maybe he's right," she whispered. "I am a burden…"
"No," Shotaro said, kneeling beside her. "You're not. And I'll help you reach Class A."
> "…Why?"
He pulled out his Tenku Ball.
> "Because you have one too, don't you?"
Sayaka slowly reached into her bag. Her fingers trembled as she revealed a blue-glowing orb.
> "Mine is the fourth Tenku Ball… the God of War, Ryuzan."
Shotaro stared at her with wide eyes.
> "I have the second one… The God of Destruction, Zarkhoth."
He offered his hand.
> "Help me find the rest of the Tenku Balls… and I'll help you reach the top."
She hesitated… then placed her hand in his.
> "Deal."
Shotaro looked up at the stars.
> "Hikari… I'm one step closer. I will find the others. And when I do… I'll bring you back. Just wait.