The power allowed him to project the thoughts in his mind onto any surface, transforming them into physical words.
His second ability was less visible but equally useful—it slowed down his perception of time, granting him crucial moments to think before acting.
“You’ve got the A+ ability, Satoshi. You’re the one set up for success,” Shinji muttered, sitting down against the wall, staring at the ground. “I’m just… well, I’m barely scraping by.”
Satoshi squatted beside him, eyes level with Shinji’s. “You’ve still got a chance. Come on, let’s get some ice cream. That always helps, right?”
The two friends walked to a nearby bench after buying their ice cream. The cool sweetness melted the tension away, if only for a while.
“Satoshi, I’m seriously broke,” Shinji confessed, his voice more vulnerable than usual. “I haven’t even paid off the debt my father left behind before he died. The yakuza are breathing down my neck.”
Satoshi stood dramatically, raising his arm as if addressing a crowd. “No need to worry, for the great Satoshi is here! I’ll protect you, no matter what!”
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Shinji chuckled, trying to stifle it but failing as a small smile crept onto his face.
“See? I made you laugh! You’ve gotta look at the bright side, man, or you’ll never make it through this.”
But Satoshi’s smile faded as his attention shifted to a scene unfolding across the street—a woman being dragged by a rough-looking man. His fists clenched. “Hold my ice cream. Watch this.”
Satoshi bolted towards the man, hands tucked behind his back as if preparing for something more than a simple confrontation. The man’s skin turned metallic, steel-like, as he crossed his arms, anticipating Satoshi’s attack. But thin, scissor-like cuts began to slice across his hardened skin—Satoshi’s ability at work. His A+ power, Scissoring, allowed him to create precise, lethal cuts on any material, even through steel.
The man retaliated, peeling the steel from his skin, manipulating it telekinetically into a sharp spike that launched itself at Satoshi with lightning speed.
Satoshi caught the spike with his bare hand, blood trickling down his arm as the sharp metal dug into his flesh.
“Satoshi!” Shinji yelled, rising from his seat.
“Stay out of this, Shinji!” Satoshi shouted, his eyes narrowing with concentration. “I’ve got him. Didn’t I mention my range is absurdly large?”
More cuts began to form on the man’s body as blood seeped from the wounds, despite his attempts to guard himself with steel.
“What the hell is this!?” the man growled, but it was too late. His defenses crumbled under Satoshi’s relentless attacks, and the woman broke free, sprinting away.
“Shinji! Let’s go!” Satoshi grabbed his friend’s arm, and the two dashed away before the situation could escalate further.
In the chaos, Shinji had instinctively created a net out of words that caught their ice cream before it hit the ground.
Satoshi looked back, panting as they came to a stop. “What… was that? I didn’t know you could make solid objects out of your letters.”