After everyone sat at their desks, the door opened again and a middle-aged man with red hair and sunglasses walked in.
Teacher Takeda - "Hello everyone, I'm Haruto Takeda, and I will be your teacher. I hope we will have a great time together. Seeing all the new faces makes me happy, but it would be better to know you a little, so how about we start by introducing ourselves?"
The teacher smiled and looked at everyone.
Students started to introduce themselves.
Mio Takamine - "Hello, nice to meet you too! I'm Mio Takamine, and my friends say I'm really good at sports. I hope we'll have a great time too!"
She sat down.
Finally, Haruki stood up, but he seemed nervous.
Haruki Kurozawa – "Hello everyone, I'm Haruki Kurozawa, and I'm... uhh I'm good at..."
Haruki felt everyone's gaze on him. He could hear giggles and whispers, but in reality, everyone was silent and patiently waiting for him to finish. It was his anxiety that made him feel that way.
After noticing Kurozawa's nervousness, Daiki stood up and cut him off. Haruki sat down.
Daiki Shiranami - "Hello everyone, my name is Daiki Shiranami. I'm good at drawing and I like to read. My dream is to become a famous mangaka someday! Also, does anyone know how to repair a bike?"
Teacher Takeda - "Alright, now that I know a little more about you, I'm glad I have such an interesting class. I'm sure we'll have a great time together. I'm not really good at giving speeches, so you're free to go. See you tomorrow!"
Everyone stood up and left with their newly met friends. Mio went to her group. Haruki sat still for about three minutes at his desk.
Haruki Kurozawa - "God, I'm pathetic." He said to himself and stood up.
As he walked out of the classroom, he heard someone behind him. It was Daiki, leaning against the wall.
Daiki Shiranami - "Yo, do you have some free time? Wanna hang out a little?"
Haruki Kurozawa - "Yeah, sure. Let's go eat something, I'm starving."
As they were walking down the stairs, Haruki spoke.
Haruki Kurozawa - "Thanks for earlier."
Daiki Shiranami - "No problem, bro. That's what friends are for, right?"
Haruki smiled.
After some time, they arrived at Daiki's favorite burger spot.
Daiki Shiranami - "We're here. You can eat the best burgers in town here, I guarantee it."
Haruki Kurozawa - "You guarantee? That's a bold move, but let's eat."
Haruki looked around and saw three guys sitting at a table in the corner, laughing and talking loudly. Haruki took a step toward them, but Daiki stopped him.
Daiki Shiranami - "It'll be better if we leave them alone. That's Ginjo's gang. They're known for stealing and destroying people's stuff. I don't want them to destroy this place too."
Haruki Kurozawa - "Why can't the police step in?"
Daiki Shiranami - "Ginjo's got money. It's meaningless to lock them up, they'll be out in a day anyway."
They both ordered some food.
Daiki Shiranami - "Let's go sit and wait for our food."
After a short wait, their order arrived, and they started eating.
Haruki Kurozawa - "Whoa! This burger is incredible. No wonder you like eating here."
Daiki Shiranami - "Right? I told you."
While they were focused on eating, the guys from earlier approached their table.
Gang Member - "Hey you. We saw you staring at us. Got a problem? We can solve it right now."
He started laughing with the other gang members.
Daiki looked a little scared.
Haruki spoke up, seeing Daiki's reaction.
Haruki Kurozawa - "I'm sorry. It was a misunderstanding. It won't happen again."
Gang Member - "Oh, what a shame."
The gang member looked at Daiki with a disgusted expression. He seemed to recognize him.
Gang Member - "You're here too? How's your bike, huh? Stopping without brakes must be difficult, right? Poor guy."
They laughed again.
Haruki realized it was them who had taken the brakes off Daiki's bike.
One of the gang members reached for Daiki's hair.
Haruki saw it and quickly grabbed the guy's wrist firmly.
Haruki Kurozawa - "Keep your hands to yourself."
He softened his grip and let go.
Just as Haruki thought they wouldn't do anything, the same guy grabbed Daiki with his other hand.
Haruki grabbed him by the back of the head and slammed his face onto the table. Then, he grabbed a plate and was about to throw it at the others when a voice called out behind him.
It was a policeman.
The Policeman - "What's happening here?"
The gang members stood up and ran away.
The policeman approached Haruki and Daiki.
Daiki was sitting, looking down at the floor. Haruki was still holding the plate.
The Policeman – "What are you doing with that plate, may I ask?"
Haruki Kurozawa – "Oh, uh... I was just showing my friend how to throw a frisbee."
He smiled awkwardly.
The Policeman – "Yeah, sure. What you did here was bold, but dangerous. I know you wanted to protect your friend, but it could've ended with both of you beaten up if I hadn't stepped in. I'll let you go this time, but be careful next time."
He patted Haruki on the shoulder and walked away. Haruki sat down.
Haruki Kurozawa - "Are you alright? Were they the ones who took off your brakes?"
Daiki Shiranami - "Yeah, I'm alright. Thanks, a lot. And yeah, it was them."
Haruki Kurozawa - "Is there a reason why they did that?"
Daiki Shiranami - "No, I mean... I did walk into one of them last time, but it was an accident. These guys are a pain in the ass, really."
Haruki Kurozawa - "Yeah, I see."
Haruki Kurozawa - "It's getting late. Let's get going."
Daiki Shiranami - "Right."
They walked out of the restaurant.
Haruki Kurozawa - "My place is this way. See you tomorrow, friend."
Daiki Shiranami - "See ya!"
They both headed their separate ways.
As Haruki walked, he was lost in thought.
Haruki Kurozawa - "That was a close one." He thought.
Suddenly, someone grabbed him and covered his mouth, dragging him into a dark alley. Haruki wanted to scream but couldn't.
The person threw him to the ground.
Haruki coughed and looked up. It was the policeman from earlier, or at least, it seemed like it.
Haruki Kurozawa – "Wh- *cough* what are you doing?! Who are you?!"
??? - "Relax. I'm not a bad guy."
The policeman's entire appearance changed in an instant. Standing before Haruki was a tall man wearing a black haori and a wide hat. He had a scar on his eyebrow.
Haruki Kurozawa – "What the-"
??? - "Alright, listen kid. You want the full version or the short one?"
Haruki Kurozawa - "The shor-"
??? - "Of course you want the short version."
He got serious.
??? - "As you can see, I'm not from your world. I arrived here with some of my comrades. Each of us was sent to different countries. We're looking for strong allies. There's a war coming, kid. A massacre. A tragedy. In about a month or two, everyone and everything you love will be wiped out. Do you understand?"
Haruki understood the seriousness of the situation.
Haruki Kurozawa - "I understand, but I'm just a human, not a superhero."
??? - "I know. That's why we brought this."
The man showed Haruki a pen, but it wasn't ordinary. It had a sharp end.
Haruki Kurozawa - "What's that?"
??? - "Now, write your name on your wrist."
Haruki was confused at first. But after a moment, he understood. He started writing his name, cutting into his skin with the pen. Blood began to drip from his hand.
Then, he finished.
The man took a step back.
??? - "Now, let the magic happen."
A strong wind swirled around Haruki. Everything around him started flying. Then, an enormous amount of aura burst out of him. Windows of nearby old houses shattered. Walls began to crack.
??? - "Whoa."
He smiled.
??? - "This kid is gonna be interesting."