Neo-Kyoto Academy loomed ahead, all glass and steel rising against the morning sky. Students filtered through the gates in their usual cliques, but today the air hummed with something different. Whispers. Glances. The weekend's events had spread through social feeds like wildfire, each retelling more dramatic than the last.
"Did you hear about Tayo?" "The new guy saved her-" "With Abeni-" "Some creep with a knife-" "Could've been killed-"
Three students arrived separately, each feeling the weight of a truth no one else knew.
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First period math might as well have been in ancient Sanskrit for all Hiroki was absorbing. His skin felt too tight, like he was wearing clothes fresh from the dryer, except the heat came from inside. Numbers blurred on the whiteboard as he focused on the warmth in his fingertips.
"You're doing it again," Arkan's voice cut through his concentration.
Hiroki glanced down. A thin curl of steam rose from where his hand touched the desk.
"Shit." He quickly moved his hand, but not before leaving a faint scorch mark on the surface.
"Oh yeah, real subtle. Nothing suspicious about randomly branded furniture." Arkan's presence flickered with amusement. "Though I guess it's better than last night when you melted your doorknob."
"Shut up," Hiroki muttered under his breath.
"Something to share with the class, Tsukishiro?"
He looked up to find the teacher and several students staring at him. Someone snickered.
"No, sensei. Sorry."
"Then perhaps you'd like to solve the equation on the board?"
Hiroki squinted at the mess of symbols that might as well have been hieroglyphics. His skin prickled with unwanted attention.
"Careful," Arkan warned. "You're heating up again."
"I... I don't know the answer," Hiroki managed, trying to stay calm as he felt the familiar flush of embarrassment. The difference was, now that feeling came with actual heat.
"Of course you don't." The teacher sighed. "See me after class."
More snickers. Someone whispered, "Freak's getting weirder."
"Hey, at least you're not on fire," Arkan offered helpfully. "Though that would definitely make this boring class more interesting."
Hiroki spent the rest of the period trying to focus on anything except the power humming under his skin. It was like discovering a new song you couldn't get out of your head, except this song could apparently burn buildings down. Every time he started to drift, to feel that wonderful surge of energy-
"Your notebook's smoking," Arkan pointed out.
Hiroki jerked his hand away from the paper, where the corner had started to curl and brown. Perfect. Just perfect.
"Maybe we should've practiced the whole 'not being a walking fire hazard' thing before coming back to school," Arkan mused. "But hey, look on the bright side - if anyone tries to bully you now, you can literally fight fire with fire. Get it? Because you're- okay, okay, I'll stop. That glare might actually ignite something this time."
The bell couldn't ring fast enough. As students filed out, Hiroki stayed behind, dreading the upcoming lecture. But hey, at least he hadn't accidentally torched anything important.
Yet.
"...and then Takeshi-kun just appeared out of nowhere! Like some kind of drama lead!"
Abeni managed a polite smile as Tayo held court at her desk, surrounded by their usual crowd. The story had evolved since this morning - now apparently Takeshi had performed martial arts moves straight out of an action stream.
"You were so brave too, Abeni!" Mai gushed. "Running in to help like that!"
Weren't you just as brave, fighting that thing alone? A whisper tickled the edge of Abeni's consciousness, so faint she almost missed it.
She straightened in her chair. That voice...
"Abeni?" Tayo waved a hand in front of her face. "You okay? You've been spacing out all morning."
"Sorry, just tired." The lie came easily. Too easily. "The hospital chairs weren't exactly comfortable."
Like this plastic throne you're perching on now? At least the hospital was honest about its discomfort.
Abeni's hand tightened on her pen. The voice was clearer now, feminine and dripping with subtle sarcasm.
"I still can't believe you guys were in that area," Rin leaned in, her eyes bright with curiosity. "What were you doing there anyway?"
Oh yes, do tell them about the mysterious Wraith attack. I'm sure that'll go over well.
"Just a shortcut," Abeni said smoothly. "Lucky coincidence."
"Lucky is right!" Tayo beamed. "My heroes!"
Abeni frowned slightly. "Actually, Hiroki was there too-"
"Ugh, why would you bring him up?" Tayo's nose wrinkled. "That's just weird."
Careful now. Wouldn't want to disturb the carefully crafted narrative.
"But he helped-"
"Abeni," Tayo cut her off with a look that was both concerned and warning. "Are you sure you're okay? You've been acting strange ever since..."
Since you remembered what it's like to actually care about something?
The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
"I'm fine," Abeni said quickly, too quickly. She could feel the others exchanging glances. One wrong move, one misstep...
Like a dance, isn't it? Step carefully, smile prettily, don't disturb the delicate balance. Exhausting, really.
"Look!" Mai suddenly pointed out the window. "Takeshi-kun is practicing archery! He's so cool!"
The crowd shifted, attention diverted, and Abeni felt herself breathe again. But the voice in her head wouldn't let her rest.
Interesting how easily they forget. One shiny distraction and poof! All questions vanish. Rather like how they forgot about your old friend, isn't it?
"Stop," Abeni whispered.
"Did you say something?" Rin turned back.
"Just... need to use the bathroom." Abeni stood, careful to move with measured grace. "Save my seat?"
She made it halfway to the door before the whispers started again.
Running away? How very on-brand for you.
This, Abeni decided as she hurried down the hallway, was going to be a very long day.
"Yes, nii-san, I understand the family's concerns..." Takeshi kept his voice low, pacing the empty student council room with measured steps. His phone felt warm against his ear - he'd been fielding calls since dawn.
"Do you?" His eldest brother's voice crackled through the speaker. "Father is asking questions, Takeshi. About your sudden transfer, about your movements. The Kurogane name carries expectations."
They're circling, Umbrel's presence rippled with dark amusement. Like wolves testing for weakness.
"My movements are calculated," Takeshi replied smoothly, watching his reflection in the window. Perfect posture, not a hair out of place. "The academy offers... unique opportunities."
"You mean that surge of power from the weekend? Don't think we didn't notice."
Of course they noticed. Your siblings probably have half the city under surveillance.
Takeshi's phone buzzed with another incoming call - his third sister this time. He declined it with a practiced motion.
"If you've noticed," he kept his tone carefully neutral, "then you understand why I'm positioned here. A new power like that... the family would benefit from having first access."
A pause on the line. He'd caught his brother's interest.
"You have one week," came the eventual response. "Show results, or father will recall you."
The call ended. Takeshi's reflection smiled - sharp, calculated.
Another plate spinning, Umbrel mused. How many before they all come crashing down?
His phone lit up again, but this time with a message from an unlisted number: "Crimson Hand received your inquiry. Proof required."
Speaking of plates...
Takeshi typed back: "The Forger's abilities exceeded expectations. Worth your time."
The response came quickly: "Location and time of your choosing. One chance."
Perfect. Now for the public performance.
Takeshi stepped into the hallway just as students were changing classes. The effect was immediate - heads turned, whispers started. He'd calculated this entrance precisely.
"Takeshi-kun!" A group of girls called out. "Are you really joining the archery club?"
He offered them his practiced smile. "Just observing for now. Though the captain was quite... insistent."
The resulting giggles were predictable. Across the hall, he caught Abeni's eye as she hurried past, clearly fleeing something. Probably that new voice in her head.
Her control's slipping, Umbrel noted. Unlike your little fire hazard, who's practically advertising his problems.
Through an open classroom door, Takeshi spotted Hiroki frantically trying to hide what looked like a smoking textbook. Amateur.
His phone buzzed again - another sibling calling. Behind him, the archery captain was approaching, probably to press her recruitment pitch. And somewhere in the city, the Crimson Hand was waiting for proof of his claims.
You're enjoying this, Umbrel accused.
"Of course," Takeshi murmured, straightening his already straight tie. "What's the point of a performance without a little fun?"
Time to keep the plates spinning.
The cafeteria at Neo-Kyoto Academy was an exercise in unspoken hierarchy. Near the windows, sunlight fell on the "prime" tables, where Tayo held court with Abeni and their circle. The middle ground housed the comfortably average, while the shadows near the walls belonged to everyone else.
Today, those invisible boundaries felt like live wires.
"And then," Tayo was saying, perched elegantly on her chair, "I swear I thought I was done for, but Takeshi-kun just appears like-"
"Like a knight in designer armor?" Takeshi's voice cut in smoothly as he approached their table, earning squeals from several girls. He set his expensive bento down with careful precision. "I assure you, it wasn't nearly as dramatic as all that."
Liar, Umbrel whispered in his mind. It was far more dramatic. Just not in the way they think.
"So modest!" Tayo beamed. "But really, I don't know what would've happened if you and Abeni hadn't been there..."
Near the wall, Hiroki picked at his convenience store lunch, trying to ignore the conversation carrying across the room. A small curl of smoke rose from his chopsticks.
"You're going to need new utensils at this rate," Arkan commented. "Maybe we should've packed metal ones. Or asbestos."
"Shut up," Hiroki muttered, then noticed several students nearby edge away from the weirdo talking to himself.
Back at the window table, Abeni pushed her food around, the whispers in her head growing more insistent.
Look at them, hanging on every word of a manufactured story. Don't you want to tell them the truth? About the darkness, the fear, the way he actually saved-
"Abeni?" Mai touched her arm. "You're being really quiet."
"Sorry, just thinking..." Abeni's eyes drifted to Hiroki's solitary figure. "It's strange that no one mentions-"
"Oh god, not this again," Tayo cut in with a laugh that carried just a bit too far. "Why are you so hung up on Tsukishiro? It's weird enough that he was there at all."
"But he helped-"
"Please," Tayo's voice dropped lower, serious now. "You're acting really strange about this. People will talk."
People always talk, Abeni's Wraith whispered. That's the real currency here, isn't it? Words, glances, careful omissions...
"Speaking of strange," Takeshi smoothly redirected, his smile sharp as a knife, "I heard the most interesting rumor about the archery captain and the student council president..."
The table erupted in eager gossip, crisis averted. But Takeshi's eyes met Abeni's for a moment, heavy with meaning.
Watch yourself, Umbrel commented. Your priorities are showing.
Near the wall, Hiroki's chopsticks finally snapped, smoldering at the edges. He stood abruptly, drawing unwanted attention.
"Leaving so soon, Tsukishiro?" someone called out. "Got another conversation with yourself planned?"
Laughter rippled through the cafeteria. Hiroki's hands clenched, temperature rising.
"Easy there, matchstick," Arkan warned. "Unless you want to give them a real show."
Hiroki forced himself to breathe, to move normally toward the exit. He could feel Abeni's eyes on him, could practically sense her wanting to say something.
But she didn't. She never did.
"Well," Takeshi's voice carried clearly as Hiroki reached the door, "I suppose some people prefer solitude. Though really, after what happened with Kai last semester..."
More laughter. More whispers. More carefully crafted narratives that left convenient shadows for certain people to disappear into.
The door closed behind Hiroki with a final click, leaving the cafeteria to its delicate dance of social power. But the air felt heavier somehow, charged with unspoken truths and brewing storms.