“You sing whenever you heal others?”

“Oh. Yes, I do,” she answers.

“That’s utterly ridiculous,” he states. “Remnants don’t require singing or any other activation from their voice. They’re not robots or idols.”

“It might not be needed or practical. But I enjoy it. It’s soothing to the soul. The first time I did it, I couldn’t help but do so. Even now, I can feel the joy of wanting to do it again,” she says, unwavering to the requirements.

“So you gain happiness from singing?”

“Yes, yes. It’s entirely so. I feel it calms me.”

He scoffs, his head lingering down and blatantly tilting his head in disgust.

“I can’t understand what would make you so happy about being a freak. Are you some kind of idiot?”

With a gust of wind, a razor-sharp blade touches his neck. Okazaki’s scrunched nose stares at him with a blazing disgust.

“Don’t you dare talk to Takei like that!” The man looks down at the blade, its shine, its sides perfected. He smirks.

“My, that’s a fine blade you made there. I bet it’s strong enough to even cut through the bricks of this alleyway. Why don’t you try it out?” The face of Okazaki remains the same, keeping his weapon at his neck before reluctantly pulling back and throwing the knife behind him with immense force. There’s a clunk of brick and the sound of masonry dripping to the ground.

“You see that?” He walks over to the knife lodged into the wall. He attempts to yank it out to no avail. “What a great power! I can’t move it at all. You made that blade better then any normal human could ever.” He sparks back at them, leaning against the wall once again. “You all have immense power in you, and all so young and inexperienced. I can’t imagine all your potential. Maybe even Miss Monger level.”

“Miss Monger, you say?” Usagi says coldly. “Comparing us to a monster such as her? Don’t do that. I understand what you mean, but she is one of the cruelest of Mr. Nuke Happy’s underlings. She’s a war criminal who has taken countless innocent lives.”

“I find your attitude interesting. Very well, you are all your own people. It is best to make something of yourself rather than comparing yourself to others.” He removes his hat and bows respectfully. “My name is Kubo Chiasa. My true name, that is. Pleased to meet you.” Having his hat removed made his ordinary face more familiar. Keiko recognizes it immediately.

“You’re the one the police are looking for! They showed you your photo at school! But.. that wasn’t your name?”

“So you’ve heard of me? Yes, some have heard of me, or more so, my alias name, mostly including law enforcement. Being the speech bearer of Mr. Nuke Happy will do that to you.” He places his hat back on. “Good thing there’s not many around here and how ordinary I look. You wouldn’t say I stick out in a crowd, would you? Unlike you kids.”

“No. I wouldn’t say you do at all. That’s extraordinary in is own self.” Ishimoto analyzes him. An empty demeanor lacking anything that would set him off from a normal person at a bus stop or a salary worker making his way to his eight or twelve-hour shift. “I can’t say even with my knowledge that I would know it’s you. Then again, I wasn’t shown the photo like Keiko was.”

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“Yeah, I still don’t get that. Why didn’t they just show us all so we could know immediately, like Keiko?” Takei places her finger beneath her chin, wondering.

“I wish I could know that, too,” Shoji adds. “I was still pretty tired, but they showed it to me, and, like, I didn’t know it was him, but, uh, you know, I could have still probably guessed if I wasn’t so sleepy.” He chuckles.

“You.” Kubo inspects him. The first thought is that this boy doesn’t seem too reliable, and the teddy bear charm around his neck is the most unusual one. “A teddy bear? Is your power to conjure stuffed animals? That can’t be.”

“Huh? Oh, no, that’s not what my power is. Have I not shown you all? I forgot.” He gives a dumb smile.

“Shoji… Stop being a sleepy mess and show us. Come on, come on! I want to see!” Keiko encourages.

“Ah, well, all right, since everyone else has shown or tried to, let me see…” Spinning around and facing everyone, he gets ready to demonstrate. “Observe.” He closes his eyes and falls asleep.

“Your power is to… fall asleep?” Keiko asks, confused.

“Well, to some adults, that is a superpower,” remarks Kubo.

“No, give me just one second.” He swings around and reveals the stuff bear Keiko was going to give him. “Presto! I have done it. Oh yeah, you left this at my house yesterday, Keiko. I figured it was for me since you rubbed my name on it with marker and gave it a name. It’s cute.” He smiles.

“Ah! I almost forgot about that completely! Yes, that’s yours. I was going to give it to you after the party, but y’know, awakening to our powers kind of got in the way. Glad you like it, though!”

“Yep, now watch what I can do with it.” He shimmers it, and it emits a purple light.

“Uh. You can turn it into a nightlight? I mean, that’s good for keeping the spookiness away, but is that all your power is?” Keiko, baffled, pokes the bear.

“No, no, that’s definitely not his limitations,” says Kubo. “However, he seems to be lower on the totem pole when it comes to your Remnant powers.”

“Hey! No, I’m not! I’m just as powerful as all of you guys. I can do more!”

“I can’t say you are on the same level. A glowing stuffed bear isn’t viable in any type of combat besides a night of nightmares. I’m sorry to say Shoji, but you might just be a low-t—”

“No, I’m not,” he says before chunking his bear at the wall. To everyone’s surprise, the bear melts through it with no effort, creating a huge hole in it.

“What the hell?” Kubo himself didn’t expect this. He goes over to the wall, the bear laid out before the other side of the abandoned building unscathed itself. It appears to have a laser-like effect, slicing through it with great ease. “A stuffed bear with a punch? Can’t say I would have ever guessed that.” On further inspection, he makes a conclusion. “Yes, your Remnant is actually really powerful. Remnants with this sort of power tend to become top-tier, in fact. That manifestation of a pillow you made can cut through anything if you hone it. The only thing it likely won’t is Remnants with more power than you. As for myself and other humans, if we were to touch it, it would wilt our flesh instantly.”

“Woah, really? Then I better make sure nobody hugs it. Wait, hold on, why doesn’t it do that to me?”

“Like I said. Remnants are more durable when it comes to others' abilities. However, you’re immune to your own, at least, the ones I've seen.”

“That may be so. Yet, with a power like Shoji’s, I wouldn’t go swinging it around at us. We don’t know how powerful we truly are,” Ishimoto says.

“I agree. His power could be deadly if it was someone weaker than him. We all need to train and be aware of this on a deeper level. Which is why I’ve come up with a suggestion.” Usagi steps forward and stares up at Kubo. “Mr. Kubo, we intend to take out the Remnants of the world that are destroying it. With your wisdom, can you aid us in that duty?”

“What? So… like your teacher?” There’s a pause in his words. He exams each of them, one by one, taking them in for a moment. He hadn’t thought about this before. He only wanted to introduce them to their powers in hopes of pushing them forward. But now he feels a new resolve, a wish to make these kids the ones to take them all down.

“Very well. I agree. I will be your sensei and the one to guide you on the path to defeat the Remnants.” I will be the guiding light this world so desperately needs.