"…Okay, students, let's end today's class with one more homework."
"One more homework?! Sensei, can you give us a little mercy?!"
"Yes, Sensei! Moritaka-sensei has already given us two sets of exercises for science class!"
"No, cannot do that, students. You are about to get into third grade, so you'd better start getting used to those exercises! Prepare yourself better for the University Entrance Exam, okay?!"
"Hai…."
If anyone didn't know better, they would think this was a scene in the classroom that was about to come to an end. However, the situation wasn't exactly like that. No, right now, everyone still had their eyes on the board while the teacher was explaining a complicated mathematical formula. Well, not everyone, per se. Some slackers in the back row had already prepared to go home or had just awoken after their short nap, groaning after having a bad night's sleep on the desk.
No, the interaction earlier didn't really happen in reality. Everything just flashed inside Ryusuke Higo's head, and right now, he was counting silently, his eyes moving rapidly from the clock to the board.
'3… 2… 1… Now!'
DING! DING! DING!
Right after the countdown inside his head finished, the school bell rang, and then, the exact scenario that he envisioned before finally happened in reality. From the teacher announcing homework to the students' complaints, and then the teacher scolding them again, everything unfolded exactly as he had envisioned, as if he were a director watching the movie he had created.
'This time, 6 seconds, huh?' He muttered. 'Well, at least, it doesn't deviate too far from yesterday. Still, concentration is not the key, eh? I wonder what the trigger is…'
The boy shook his head quickly, starting to prepare to go home as well, just like his other classmates.
His name was Ryusuke Higo, and he was just an ordinary high school student. He wasn't quite short, but not tall enough to stand out compared to his friends. He wasn't handsome enough to attract girls' attention as well, and his grade was also quite ordinary. He was the definition of normal, or, some of his friends said, a perfect NPC.
However, he had a secret that could shake the entire world.
Higo could see a glimpse of the future.
It sounded ridiculous, and Higo would never believe it if anyone else told him that this was possible. However, the reality was in front of him, and he couldn't deny it when it was his brain that received the signal. Honestly, it freaked him out a little the first time he got this ability, and the boy couldn't help but wonder where it came from.
Of course, he didn't dare to tell anyone else about it. After all, he searched on the Internet, and there were a lot of reports about how people with 'special' abilities were experimented on by the CIA or some secret agents like that. Higo didn't know whether it was true or not; nevertheless, the thought of him lying on the operating bed, getting operated to pry his secret open, was enough to send a shiver down his spine.
Also, while the ability might sound cool, it didn't really give him any advantage in life. It only gave him a glimpse of what would happen in the next few seconds, and the ability was still quite erratic. Sometimes, it gave Higo a vision of the next 3 seconds, then the next 5 seconds, the next 7 seconds, then back again to the next 2 seconds, and going over and over again.
He couldn't really control his ability, and with how near the future he saw, it was impossible for Higo to do anything about it. That was why it wasn't really a special ability, just something that he had to brighten his dull day.
"Hmm… She is already here?" As Higo walked out of the classroom, a vision flashed inside his brain, and he couldn't help but smirk. "3… 2… 1… Yes, Kumiko-chan? Are you searching for me?" He suddenly turned around, just to find a girl with fluffy hair, who was startled as she got caught offhandedly wanting to surprise the boy.
"Mou… This is the third time in a week! How could you always notice me sneaking from behind?!" The girl pouted childishly.
"I tell you, I have a clairvoyance skill." Higo chuckled, pinching her soft cheek playfully.
"Urgh… Stop it! Stop acting mysterious like that!" She slapped Higo's hand quite hard, glaring at the boy as if it were his mistake in the first place.
Her name was Kumiko Shishida, and her family lived next to Higo's apartment unit. Even though they were neighbor, people still wondered sometimes how they could be friends. After all, their interests didn't really intersect. The girl loved football to the core, even going to support the local team in the stadium almost every week and becoming the manager of the school team, while Higo enjoyed peaceful quietness, preferring to get himself warm under the kotatsu instead of running outside in the middle of the harsh winter in Hokkaido.
However, that might be the magic of friendship. They didn't need to have anything in common, but as long as their brain clicked, they would be closer than ever.
"So, you still haven't given up on the football team?" Higo asked as they walked through the corridor. "You know, you are about to enter the third year, right? Most of your core players are going to be retired soon, and you still haven't found any capable kouhai to continue the legacy, right?"
"Urgh… Don't remind me!" Kumiko slapped her shoulder hard. "I have already accepted that next year, our team might be disbanded by the school. Still, just this year… I know that this year, we are strong enough to challenge Sappotani for the ticket to the national tournament. We just miss one last piece, and our team will be perfect…"
Higo could only scratch his head as he listened to the girl's mumble. He himself wasn't that interested in football, and all the knowledge he had on this matter came from Kumiko's enthusiasm.
Fortunately, he knew that the girl didn't really need his advice. No, she just wanted to have someone to listen, and he didn't mind becoming the one to whom she vented. It also didn't help that he found her to be cute, and he loved watching the girl talk so passionately about the subject she loved.
They kept chatting while also enjoying the journey, but the moment they stepped outside of the building, the cold wind and thick snow falling were enough to dishearten any attempt to do an outdoor activity.
"Kumiko-chan, are you sure that the football team is still practicing in this weather?" Higo couldn't help but ask skeptically, tightening the shawl around his neck.
"Of course!" Kumiko answered instantly. "If anything, we should be training harder! If somehow, we managed to get into the national tournament, we would have to play in Fukushima, and the temperature would be way hotter for us, the cold creatures! We are already at a disadvantage compared to the other prefectures, so we have to fight harder!" She explained passionately.
Higo could only nod silently, pretending to understand what she said. However, before he could say anything else, another vision flashed in his head, and his body reacted immediately as he realized what would happen in the next three seconds.
"KUMIKO-CHAN, DUCK!"