"We should move quickly," Ayaka said, already heading toward the roof's edge. "The Gate signature is strongest near the financial district where the casualties occurred."
They made their way across the city, moving through back alleys and side streets to avoid attention.
The tactical bodysuit Ayaka wore seemed to blend with shadows, while Akira's dark clothes helped him stay inconspicuous. Twenty minutes later, they arrived at the scene.
"This is it?" Akira asked, staring at the cordoned-off area.
Police tape surrounded a whole block, keeping people away. Officers stood at different spots to make sure late-night walkers didn't get too close. Emergency vehicles with flashing lights gave off an unsettling strobe effect against the buildings nearby.
The official story was clearly being kept under wraps, with no signs of any supernatural events being revealed to the public.
"The readings were strongest here an hour ago," Ayaka said, her eyes scanning the area with supernatural sight. "But now..."
"I don't see anything," Akira said. "No portal, no distortion, nothing."
The system suddenly flared to life in his vision, text scrolling rapidly.
[ANOMALY DETECTED]
[GATE SIGNATURE: UNSTABLE]
[READING: OFF THE CHARTS]
[WARNING: CLASSIFICATION ERROR POSSIBLE]
"Ai, what's going on?" Akira thought urgently.
Ai's voice came back, unusually serious. "Darling, I think we have a problem. The energy signature here is way too strong for a Grade Gamma Gate. This feels more like... Alpha or Beta level."
"What? But you said…"
"I know what I said! But something's wrong. The signature is masked, disguised to appear weaker than it actually is."
Ayaka's expression had gone pale. "Akira-kun, do you feel that? The essence here is wrong. It's layered, compressed. This isn't a Gamma-class entity."
"Ai says it might be Alpha or Beta level," Akira said quietly. "Disguised as something weaker."
"That's... that's not supposed to be possible." Ayaka's hands began glowing defensively. "High-tier Gates don't mask themselves. They don't need to. Unless..."
"Unless what?"
"Unless they're intelligent. Unless they're hunting." She grabbed his arm. "We need to leave. Now. If this is what I think it is…"
"What do you think it is?"
"A Wandering Gate. They can jump locations, appearing and disappearing at will. They use weaker signatures to lure in prey, then..." She trailed off, her eyes scanning the shadows around them with growing paranoia.
Akira felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. "So it could appear anywhere? At any time?"
"Yes. And if it's been tracking your essence signature as I suspect, it might already know where you live."
"Fantastic," Akira muttered. "So what do we do?"
"We be watchful. We prepare. And we don't go anywhere alone." Ayaka pulled him back toward the alley. "Come on. We're too exposed here."
They made their way back to the apartment in silence, both of them jumping at shadows. By the time they reached the building, Akira was exhausted from the adrenaline and the late hour.
"Get some rest," Ayaka said at the entrance. "But sleep lightly. If that thing appears, we'll need to move fast."
"Yeah. Thanks for the warning."
"Akira-kun?" She paused at her door. "Be careful tomorrow at school. If this Gate is as intelligent as I fear, it might try to target people close to you to draw you out."
The words sent a chill through him. Mia, Rina, Aoi… they could all become targets without even knowing it.
He barely slept that night, his hand never far from the dagger under his pillow.
Morning came too soon. Akira's alarm went off at six, and he dragged himself out of bed feeling like he'd been hit by a truck. But the daily quest system was unforgiving.
[DAILY TASKS REMINDER]
[TASK 1: RUN 500M]
[TASK 2: 30 PUSH-UPS]
[TASK 3: 50 SIT-UPS]
He put on his workout clothes and stepped out into the early morning streets. The run helped clear his mind a bit, with the physical exertion pushing away the anxiety left over from last night.
After that, he did some push-ups and sit-ups in a nearby park. By the time he finished, he felt almost human again.
[DAILY TASKS COMPLETED]
[REWARD: 20 PP + 3 CHARM]
[PP: 425 → 445]
[CHARM: 9 → 12]
He showered quickly back at the apartment, careful not to wake anyone, and headed to school. The morning was designated for sports activities, something about promoting physical fitness before the cultural festival.
Akira found himself on the field with the rest of his class, divided into teams for various competitions.
"Alright, listen up!" the gym teacher shouted. "Today we're doing relay races, tug-of-war, and some basic combat drills. Partner up!"
Akira was about to look for a partner when someone clapped a hand on his shoulder. Hard.
"Well, well. If it isn't the Creep King," Kenji's voice dripped with venom. "Heard you've been getting cosy with my ex-girlfriend."
Akira turned slowly, meeting Kenji's glare with surprising calm. The basketball star looked furious, surrounded by his usual group of lackeys.
"Rina can make her own choices," Akira said evenly.
"Her choices?" Kenji laughed, but there was no humour in it. "You think she actually wants you? She's just using you to make me jealous. And when I take her back, and I will, you're going to look like an even bigger loser than before."
"Maybe. Or maybe she's tired of assholes who treat her like property."
The words hung in the air. Several nearby students stopped what they were doing, sensing drama.
Kenji's face went red. "What did you just say to me?"
"You heard me." Akira felt his Aura of Power humming beneath his skin, responding to the confrontation. "You dumped her because she wouldn't do what you wanted. That's not a relationship… that's control."
"You little…" Kenji stepped forward, with his fists clenched.
"Problem here?" The gym teacher appeared between them. "Takahara, Kanzaki, if you two have energy to argue, you have energy to compete. Tug-of-war. Opposite teams. Now."
They were divided into two teams for the tug-of-war competition. Kenji made sure to stand directly across from Akira, with a look on his face that showed he was ready for a fight.
The whistle blew.
Both teams pulled hard, the rope going tight between them. Akira felt his enhanced strength from the essence absorption kicking in; he was stronger than he'd been just days ago, and his stats were actually making a real-world difference.
Kenji's team was losing ground. The basketball star's face contorted with effort and rage as he realised this nobody, this "Creep King," was actually holding his own.
"Pull harder, you idiots!" Kenji shouted at his teammates.