Kazuma was slightly startled.
He hadn't noticed at all when the woman approached.
Even though, as a member of MDF, their identities were not exactly a big secret to the public, the abilities of unit captains were often kept hidden from general information. They were national assets—irreplaceable pillars of Japan's combat strength.
Because of that, details about their Abilities were rarely known to outsiders.
The fact that this woman could approach him without being detected made Kazuma immediately reach a conclusion.
'So this is part of her Ability…' he thought.
Meanwhile, Tenka Izumo didn't seem surprised by his reaction at all.
Instead, she smiled sweetly, her steps light as she walked closer. Both of her hands were placed behind her back, giving off a relaxed impression that contrasted with their surroundings—the barren land of Mato filled with remnants of battle.
"Nee…" she said lightly.
Her blue eyes examined Kazuma from head to toe.
"You… who are you?"
Kazuma looked at her calmly.
His expression didn't change in the slightest as he answered.
"Me?" he said casually. "As you can see… I'm human."
Tenka blinked once, then let out a small laugh.
"I know that too," she replied. "But what you did earlier… that was an Ability, right?"
Kazuma didn't answer immediately.
He simply stayed silent.
His gaze met Tenka's blue eyes. His look was calm, but clearly carried caution—as if trying to read the hidden intent behind her question.
"You're curious?" Kazuma asked flatly.
Tenka nodded lightly, her smile still there.
"Of course. This is a rare phenomenon… or you're an anomaly capable of overturning the rules of this world."
"Heh," Kazuma chuckled softly. "Something like that. Maybe I really am special."
Tenka tilted her head slightly, then asked another question.
"How long?"
She looked at Kazuma more seriously.
"How long have you had your Ability?"
That question wasn't without reason. If Kazuma had just obtained his power through a Mato accident—like being dragged into this dimension and coincidentally eating a peach—then the level of destruction he caused earlier didn't make sense.
Unless—
he had possessed it long before this.
If that were the case, then it would mean Kazuma had been preparing himself for quite some time. Even if he truly experienced a Mato accident, the explanation would still hold: someone who had trained with his Ability long enough.
Kazuma fell silent for a moment.
Then the corner of his lips lifted slightly.
"Hm… now I'm confused," he said casually. "Is this a direct interrogation?"
He glanced around, then looked back at Tenka.
"Besides, you're alone here."
His tone remained calm, but it clearly implied something.
"If I had to guess… you haven't contacted your teammates yet, have you?"
Tenka didn't answer immediately.
Kazuma continued in a light tone.
"Even though if someone like me suddenly appears in Mato, you should report it right away. I could be a dangerous threat."
He looked at her more intently.
"So why didn't you?"
Kazuma was right.
With her status as Captain of Unit 6 MDF, Tenka should have immediately called for backup upon seeing a man with an Ability.
But she didn't do anything.
She came alone.
Tenka stared at him for a few seconds before finally smiling wider.
"Hee…"
Her tone sounded almost impressed.
"Your analysis is quite sharp."
She shrugged lightly.
"Yeah, you can relax. For now… I don't intend to reveal your secret to the others."
Then she looked straight at him.
"But at least answer one of my questions."
Her steps stopped just a few meters away from Kazuma.
"Who are you?"
Kazuma paused for a moment, analyzing every word she had just said.
Then he answered calmly.
"Kazuma."
He stopped briefly.
"Satou Kazuma."
/---/
Kazuma sat between two large rocks protruding from the barren ground of Mato. Fine dust still drifted slowly in the purple air of that dimension, remnants of the battle that had just ended.
Beside him, Tenka Izumo sat casually, one leg slightly bent while her coat fluttered gently in the dry wind of Mato.
They had been talking like this for nearly an hour.
Yet the atmosphere between them felt… awkward.
Kazuma finally cleared his throat.
"Ahem… this atmosphere is killing me."
Tenka turned to him.
"What?"
"No!"
Kazuma quickly denied it, as if he had just said something he shouldn't have.
A few seconds of silence fell again between them.
Then Tenka broke it with a more serious tone.
"So… you got your power from someone?"
Kazuma nodded slightly.
"Yeah. My memory is a bit vague, but someone injected me with a liquid called Mato Essence. Since then… my Ability awakened."
Tenka slightly furrowed her brows.
"Hm… extracting essence from a Mato peach alone shouldn't be enough to awaken an Ability in a man."
She looked at Kazuma more sharply.
"So…?"
Kazuma let out a small sigh.
"Yeah. After the injection, I found a flash drive. Inside it was a recorded video file from the person who made it."
Tenka didn't interrupt.
Kazuma continued.
"His name is Omar Bradley."
He retold what he remembered from the recording.
Omar Bradley was a genius scientist who researched human biology. However, in the process, he admitted to conducting various unethical experiments to achieve his goal—creating a way for men to obtain powers like those who consumed Mato peaches.
His research project centered on a woman called Eve.
Her Ability was known as Sephirot.
With that power, Eve could grow a kind of sacred tree that produced a fruit called Golden Apple—a fruit meant to rival the Mato peach.
But the experiment was far from successful.
Most trials ended in failure.
Many test subjects instead underwent horrific mutations, turning into unique Shuuki that possessed their own Abilities.
Tenka crossed her arms over her chest, listening carefully.
Kazuma continued.
"Eve herself was originally a woman brought by a man named Abel."
That name made Tenka slightly narrow her eyes.
"Abel?" she repeated softly.
Kazuma shrugged.
"He's still a mystery. From that recording, it seems like he was the one who motivated Omar Bradley and his partner to carry out those insane experiments."
Kazuma smiled faintly.
"Two of the craziest people on the planet trying every way possible so men can also have superpowers."
The wind of Mato blew again across the rocks around them.
Tenka stared into the distance for a moment before finally speaking softly,
"If I hadn't seen you myself…"
She glanced at Kazuma.
"…I probably wouldn't believe a story like that."
Kazuma chuckled lightly.
"Not just you."
He leaned back, supporting himself with both hands behind him while looking up at the purple sky of Mato.
"I also thought Omar Bradley had eighth-grade syndrome at first."
Then he slowly raised his hand. His palm opened, then clenched again, as if showing something invisible yet clearly present.
A faint heat emerged once more from his skin.
The air around him trembled slightly.
"My Ability is called Solar Genesis," he said calmly. "It works like a nuclear reactor. When my body heats up, it generates a massive amount of energy… and that increases the destructive power of every movement I make."
Tenka looked at him with sparkling eyes.
"That's incredible!"
Her reaction wasn't fear at all—it was genuine admiration.
Kazuma gave a faint smile, but soon shook his head.
"Yeah, incredible," he said. "So incredible that I have to be extremely careful."
He looked at his palm for a moment before continuing.
"This power depends heavily on my emotions. The stronger the emotion, the greater the energy it produces."
He closed his hand again.
"That means this ability is dangerous not only for enemies."
His gaze returned to Tenka.
"But also for myself… and the people around me."
Kazuma let out a slow breath.
"Because basically…" he said flatly, "I've already turned into a kind of walking nuclear bomb, with my emotions as the trigger."
Tenka watched him for a few moments, then smiled slightly.
"I see. It must have been difficult at first."
She reflexively reached out her hand, as if to casually pat Kazuma's head.
But before her hand could touch him—
Kazuma had already moved.
He shifted his body quickly, putting a bit of distance between them.
"Don't come closer!" he said firmly. "My Ability is still active."
Tenka immediately stopped her hand midair, then pulled it back without insisting.
"Alright, alright."
Kazuma looked back at the barren ground in front of them.
"By telling you all this," he said quietly, "I realize that I might become a target for various parties around the world."
He let out a small breath.
"Whether it's because of my power… or because of my body that can awaken an Ability."
At his core, Kazuma was just an ordinary young man—someone with simple ambitions and hopes for a bright future. He had never imagined his life would change this drastically.
Without realizing it, he had already been dragged into a scheme involving the global elite.
Tenka fell silent for a moment before asking another question.
"Hm… can that Mato Essence be mass-produced?"
Kazuma answered immediately.
"Only Omar Bradley knows."
He turned slightly.
"And from the recording I watched, he already said that he's most likely dead."
Kazuma shrugged.
"Even if he's still alive and gets captured, I doubt he'd reveal his secret."
His gaze turned serious again.
"That technology is too dangerous."
He paused for a moment before continuing.
"You can imagine what would happen if every human could have superpowers like this…"
Tenka didn't answer right away.
But from the look on her face, it was clear she fully understood the meaning behind Kazuma's words.
A world already made fragile by the existence of Mato… would turn into something far more chaotic.