It was finally the first day of school. Already waiting by the gate were Shinjiro and Ryoichi. A lazy Masuyo appeared in the distance, hands in his pockets and hoodie pulled over his head. He met up with his friends.
"Ugh, finally!" Shinjiro groaned. "Thought we'd have to wait for you all year."
Ryoichi chuckled.
"Oh man," Masuyo sighed. "Another lecture from Shinjiro."
"Well," Shinjiro crossed her arms, "what do you have to say for yourself?"
Masuyo grinned nervously. "Uh, I'm sorry, big sis."
Ryoichi burst out laughing.
"Why, I oughta..." Shinjiro stepped toward Masuyo.
Ryoichi gently held her back by the arm. "Um, why don't we head to class before we're really late, huh?"
Masuyo laughed nervously. "What he said."
Shinjiro huffed. "Hmph, fine. You're lucky Ryoichi saved your bacon, Masu."
---
The trio entered the main gate of the academy and headed toward the Year 1 homeroom.
Inside, the classroom was already buzzing with students chatting in their seats. They walked toward the back where Ryoichi sat next to Shinjiro, while in the last row, Masuyo sat next to a stoic Kuro.
"Hey there, Masuyo here," he said.
Kuro said nothing.
"Uh... okay," Masuyo thought to himself. Why couldn't I sit next to someone normal?
Up front, a very vocal Shi was giving a mouthful to Tomoko and Aya, who were trying to taunt Yuko.
"I sat here just for this!" Shi declared. "I knew you two would attempt something. Well, newsflash – not while I'm here!"
Yuko stayed silent, shyly looking down.
Tomoko scoffed.
"Come on, Tomoko," Aya said. "Let's let this one slide."
"Sure," Tomoko replied. "For now."
Shi then turned back to the girl behind her. "Hey, I'm Shi."
Yuko stammered. "I'm... uh... I'm Yuko."
Shi giggled. "Nice to meet you. No need to worry. I'll be here for you as your shield and friend."
Yuko smiled softly. "Uh... thank you."
Just as the conflict seemed to settle, Izuku – with her unsettled impulsive energy – caught Shi's attention. Shi watched in surprise as Izuku playfully teased Makoto.
"What's up with ya, Mr. Gloomy Face?" Izuku said, grinning.
Makoto just clenched his shoulder strap and looked down, almost unfazed.
"Huh?" Izuku tilted her head. "Well, someone sure is embodying the word 'emo.'"
She proceeded to laugh loudly, almost to tears, while banging her table.
Meanwhile next to Shinjiro, Tatsuya watched with a condescending expression. "My, aren't you quite the impulsive one," he said.
Just then, Kuro stood up, smacking his desk. His eyes pierced with annoyance toward Tatsuya. Masuyo, despite his calm facial expression, was startled.
"Why, you—" Kuro growled. "I can't stand entitled brats like you! Why don't I—"
Suddenly, the homeroom door slid open.
---
Masuyo wondered who it could be.
Ryoichi leaned over. "Must be our homeroom teacher," he whispered.
The man proceeded to take a stance at the podium up front. He spoke.
"Greetings and pleasantries, young novices," he said. "I go by the name Katsuhiko sensei. You can shorten that however you like. I don't care, really. Just don't leave out the 'sensei' part."
He then laughed with a chilling calm expression that left the children stunned in confusion and slight unease.
"Now then," Katsuhiko continued. "I only have three rules in my class. Respect yourself. Respect your peers. And above all... respect your teachers."
The last part he spoke with an intimidating, almost cold look before proceeding to smile warmly and chuckle.
Masuyo thought to himself. What is up with this guy? He is even more unpredictable and eerie than Masashi sensei.
Katsuhiko clapped his hands together. "Now, we have some guests this morning. Let us welcome them in."
---
The door slid open. In walked Grandprincipal Takeru, Masashi, Ryoma, Osaki, and finally – Yuuta. He walked to the front, not paying attention to the class.
Shinjiro flinched, recalling the orientation day incident, and glanced at Masuyo intently.
Masuyo wore an emotionless, nonchalant expression as he watched Yuuta walk to the front. He caught Shinjiro's and Ryoichi's eyes, reacted with a slight startle, and gestured with his hands that he was okay.
---
Katsuhiko sensei spoke again.
"Now, the six of us here will be your teachers."
The room filled with whispers of disbelief. Recent academy graduates – Yuuta, Ryoma, and Osaki – were going to be their teachers?
Masashi stepped forward. "I know you are all surprised why Yuuta, Ryoma, and Osaki are your teachers. The truth is, these three are exceptional Aura Masters. Plus, they are close to you all in terms of age. The school saw it fit that they teach you the fundamentals of discipline and conduct, among other aspects required of you, spirit apprentices."
The whispers died down. Each teacher proceeded to address the room.
Katsuhiko raised a hand. "I will take you through our course on squad and military division logistics."
Masashi nodded. "I will take you through our course on Soul Energy and History."
Ryoma spoke calmly. "I shall take you through our course on Aura."
Osaki chuckled maniacally. "I will teach you how to not get yourselves killed on missions! Ha ha ha!"
Ryoma shook his head, eyes closed, looking down.
Then came Yuuta.
He paused, staring around the room. "I will take you through our course on Ranks."
He focused on Masuyo's direction.
"So you know how the food chain works here... and where you stand."
The last part was spoken with a calm, cold expression directed at Masuyo. Masuyo maintained a locked-in stare toward him, unwavering.
Just then, Grandprincipal Takeru laughed, cutting through the chilling atmosphere.
"I will teach you manifestation of Soul Energy and Aura," Takeru said, "as well as our course on Kingdom Law."
Katsuhiko smiled. "Thank you, everyone. Why don't we give them a round of applause?"
The class applauded. Ryoichi, however, still noticed the tense exchange ongoing between Masuyo and Yuuta. Ryoma broke the contact by putting his hand on Yuuta's shoulder. Yuuta crossed his arms, closed his eyes, and simply looked away.
---
Katsuhiko cleared his throat. "Now then, you have familiarised yourselves with your teachers. Since today is your first day, I thought – why not take you on an official tour around the school and some places you will be using to develop yourselves?"
The other teachers proceeded to leave. But as Yuuta walked out, he stared back coldly at Masuyo – just for an instant. Shinjiro saw it and looked back at Ryoichi with concern. Masuyo, looking out the window calmly, didn't notice.
Katsuhiko gestured toward the door. "Now then, let's proceed to walk out in an orderly manner, shall we?"
The class walked out. Aya and Tomoko laughed as they chatted. Yuko followed Shi, who talked about how she hated bullies. Izuku poked fun at Makoto, who just held onto his shoulder strap in silence.
They toured the Great Hall, the indoor training hall, and finally the training grounds.
Katsuhiko turned to face the class. "I think that pretty much wraps up our tour and—"
Izuku interrupted impulsively. "What about that place?"
Tatsuya smiled smugly. "That's basic stuff. The Great Ceremonial Stadium, of course. Everyone knows that. Or maybe not, it seems..."
Masuyo just stared at Tatsuya. He sure is a cocky know-it-all.
Kuro pursed his lips in annoyance once more.
Masuyo thought nervously. Uh-oh.
Ryoichi whispered, "Easy, Kuro. Not here. It's just day one."
Masuyo exhaled internally. Phew... thank you, Ryoichi.
Katsuhiko nodded. "Correct. That is where, next year, you shall clash before graduating to become Aura Apprentices."
---
Katsuhiko clapped his hands. "Now, let's call it a day. See you tomorrow, when we will start hitting the books for real."
"Thank you, sensei!" the class chorused.
Everyone walked off toward the front gate. Masuyo and his friends walked slowly behind.
Shinjiro looked at Masuyo with concern.
Ryoichi glanced at her. "You saw it too, didn't you, Shinjiro?"
"Yeah," she said quietly. "Every last bit of it."
Masuyo looked between them. "Huh? What are you guys on about?"
Shinjiro stepped closer. "Come on, man. What's the beef between you and Yuuta?"
Ryoichi nodded. "The tension was palpable to anyone aware back there. Just now."
Masuyo shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant. "Look, I don't even know myself, you guys."
Ryoichi frowned. "Yeah, well... I just hope it doesn't turn ugly. Or make its way into our lessons with him."
Shinjiro crossed her arms. "Indeed. If you say it's nothing, I'll believe you. But if he ever crosses the line—"
Masuyo cut her off nervously. "It won't have to come to that, Shinjiro."
He thought to himself. I hope not.
---
Masuyo walked home with Shinjiro and Ryoichi, the three of them laughing about something Ryoichi had said. The sunset painted the sky orange. Warm. Easy.
He didn't look back.
From the classroom window, Yuuta watched them go.
His expression was cold. Not angry. Not yet. Just... certain.
"Late on day one," he muttered to himself. "Hands in his pockets. No sense of urgency."
He turned away from the window.
"Kids like him don't last. They wash out the moment things get hard."
The classroom fell silent as he walked out.
---
END OF CHAPTER 2
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