[https://i.imgur.com/RpxKhRQ.jpg]

On the bogie, Syd Barrett also listened to music on a wireless Bluetooth headset.

The first thing he aimed today was to meet Jody Johanson. The boy had something prepared for her.

While waiting for the underground to arrive at the destination, The boy did something to kill the time such as He looked at the reflection of himself in the gate's mirror, then fix his hair.

But he spotted someone was approaching him from behind.

He turned back.

And found that it was Jody Johanson.

" What a coincidence." She said, “ Is your place around here?”

" yeah."

“What exchanged program you're in? UCL?”

“Why should I tell you?”

“I'm just trying to have a conversation here.”

“From what I've seen yesterday, Can I say I don't believe you?”

“That's a yesterday me. Today's different.”

“Yeah. 'Cause you just get slapped on the face, I assumed.”

“.....”

" So what drives you to me?" Syd asked her,

" You are not the type of extrovert, this means you want something from me?"

Syd stared into her eyes.

" I come to apologize...for underestimating you. I'm sorry."

Said Jody, “ I just don't like when people make fun of me.”

" So you thought I was dissing you?"

" Yes. I've met so many of these cocky people in school. So I thought you were just another one..."

“What the hell, I'm that worse?”

The boy twisted his eyebrows.

“ It couldn't be helped. You look like that kind of person.”

Syd turned around and looked in the gate's mirror.

“Maybe I should wear glasses. What do you think? Would it reduce my villain energy?”

” Maybe... but too late...I guess. I think you'll be the talk of the town for a while.”

“ I don't care those people.”

Said the boy.

“ Neither do I.”

“ How did you hear me complain back in the class? ”

" Haven't anyone told you of my Ability?"

" No?"

" ...... "

“ Hey. Don't make that face.”

“......”

“ For real, I went straight home that day.”

" My Ability is Air-Manipulation."

When she said that. The boy saw there's an air spinning around her fingers.

" And with this ability, I can hear..."

Jody pointed to her ear

"... The vibration of the particle in the air better than others. So when you speak, even if you're whispering, as long as it's not very far from me, I can hear it."

“So you're saying your ears can receive the wider range?"

Jody nodded,

" I've seen that you looked like you're having a hard time on the test. But why? "

Jody didn't even finish her sentence, the boy grin.

" !? "

“I just abhor Literature.”

“.....”

" That means....wait a second...If you failed at the literature, Then you have to get a full score in the other 4 subjects! "

" Yeah, I guess... you can say that."

Seeing the boy scratched his head like it's normal stuff to him, Jody began panting.

(... If he's good at all subjects... then he could even pass me.)

Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

" You are like... serious about these ridiculous things? What's up with that? why did you care about it so much?"

" I'm just surprised there's someone like you out there..."

" Huh? You mean you're glad that you've met me? "

“ Yeah. You can say that.”

"About the classmates... They seem to be afraid of you. "

" They are," Jody said,

" Because they've witnessed ‘The welcome ceremony’...they've witnessed what I've done back there...1st year of school."

" Welcome ceremony?"

“ Oh, I may need to amplify. Not a welcome ceremony like that. But a welcome ceremony in The-ability-User-kind-of-way.”

Jody explained,

“ At our school, we have this thing call 'The Battle'. To put it simply, It's just a formal fight between students to find out who's the strongest.”

" What a child's play..." Commented the boy.

" You're right. That's why I fade from them. I don't like fighting... not anymore. To live peacefully without getting oppressed by those who think I'm weak, I joined the battle and show them what will happen if they try to come up to me."

After finished her explanation, Jody asked him a question she wanted the answer since yesterday.

" What about you? do you have any special ability? I assume you should because this school is full of ability users."

" Aha, So this is what drives you to me. but first, Let me confess something to you."

The gate opened, they stepped out to the school's station.

Both Syd and Jody walked up the stairs.

"Confess what?" Jody confused.

" I know from the very beginning about your Ability. Also... what happened back in Philadephia."

" !? " her eyes widened, “.... So you knew it...”

" And I bet you looked up mines too, right?"

"...." Jody turned her face away because she couldn't argue back.

" Sorry for gaining nothing but public-access."

He grin,

" Correct me if I'm wrong, but You were a problematic person... you've been involved in many cases of fightings and physical assault...and you've been in ICU once... what do I call it?... a ‘mysterious’ accident you fell down the stairs heh? "

" Is that... on the Internet too...?" Jody asked in an unpleasant voice.

" Hey, don't be mad. It's all on the internet. I can show you the website I've read."

" No need." She sighed,

" It's true as you say. Back when I was in middle school. I'm a very terrible person... a worthless scum...I don't know what the internet says about me and I don't care. But today is not the same. I'm done with it and quit being that old ‘Jody’... Not anymore.”

" But... I have a piece of information which... is NOT public-accessed."

" !? "

" You try to hide it from everybody but you can't hide from me."

Her sweat appeared on the forehead.

" What do you mean?" She still played it cool and cozy, however, the act came to collapse as he said...

" You can't 'run', Jody. "

" !!!! "

" That's why you've come to school this early. because if you 'Run' It will cause you a big fucking problem." He said while looking at the wristwatch.

The girl didn't reply but shock.

" I know that when you got out of the hospital, You got a disease called ‘osteogenesis imperfecta’ on both legs, yes? "

! ! ! ! ! ! !

As if the world stopped spinning.

A secret Jody has tried to hide for a long time. Nobody in the school or even in London knows about this....

HOW DID HE....

Syd walked around Jody in a circle.

" osteogenesis imperfecta... also known as “brittle bone”. It's a group of genetic disorders that mainly affect the bones. It results in bones that break easily. The severity may be from mild...up to severe... And this disease happens only at your legs, am I correct?"

" How...? how did you find any of this?..."

It's uncomfortable for Jody to breathe. She felt insecure, unsafe, and paranoid.

A medical record isn't something one can easily access... Regardless of how much money or power he has.

" Don't worry. It's okay to be mad at me. because the patient's record is used to be secretive. However..."

“.....”

“.....”

“... However what?! ”

Syd Barrett left the last sentence blank... He had pulled her curiosity out to the fullest.

.

.

.

.

In the restaurant, 5 blocks from the School.

Syd looks pretty chill, In the opposite, Jody was very serious as hell...even she's trying really hard to keep her cool.

Syd was acting way TOO chill that he thought if he kept doing it any longer, she would have gone crazy for sure. So he better get to the goddamn point.

" Your disease... is making your life harder... One of the many reasons that make you don't socialize... is that you are afraid that people will know that this disease is your weakness."

Syd took a bite on the hamburger.

He talked while chewing.

" But... What if I say I can cure your disease?"

! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Jody's eyes widened.

" What ...? What did you just say?!..."

Syd moved his face closer.

" I said I'm offering you an opportunity that can make your legs turn back to normal again.”

" ...No... You're lying... Bullshit...you must be fooling with me... It is impossible."

" Welp, I'd expected you to say that. For a person who's been, what should I say, suffering from depression for 2 straight years... I'll show you"

Initially, they sat on each opposite side, facing each other with a table in the middle. Now the boy moved to the same side she's on.

" Your feet. Please put it on my lap." Syd said.

" Pardon...?"

" Your feet. My lap. *tap* *tap* "

" Syd... You're embarrassing me..."

" It's still morning. there's no one here. Or would you like to throw away a chance to cure your disease?"

Jody had no choice but to follow his order.

She lifted her feet and put them on Syd's lap.

" May I ?" Syd asked for permission.

After she nodded, Syd then proceeded to pull down one of Jody's stocking, Revealing her white leg skin.

Jody still felt very embarrassed even there's no one around.

" Could you grab that pastry fork and pass it to me?"

" What it has to do with this?"

" Just do it"

" Fine..."

Jody passed a fork to him.

Suddenly something strange happened...

She saw a “Red” aura coming out of Syd Barrett's hand.

One of his hands was touching on Jody's leg, another was holding a fork.

The red aura stopped leaking, Syd put the fork down and his hand away from her leg.

" Now what a patient with brittle bone shouldn't do?"

Jody wiped water out of her face She's heavily confused. She didn't understand... What's going on?!

" W...What...?"

" Do 'what'? huh, I never heard of that."

" What have you done?!... Syd Barrett! I'm asking you! What have you done!?"

The boy grin.

" See for yourself."

As he finished his sentence, Syd immediately hit on Jody's leg from the left side.

That made Jody screamed in shock.

" SYD!?!?!... WHAT THE HELL---... !!!?? "

“....”

“........”

( Long pause)

“......”

( Began to realize)

“......”

"... Wait... where's the cracking sound?? wait a second..."

*tap* tap* tap*

Jody touched on her legs.

" I don't feel any pain... I don't even feel that my bones are cracking...Even he hit me... but I don't feel any damage..."

" Because I “SWAP” your bones with that Stainless fork you gave me, check it out."

Lifting her face, Jody saw Syd was holding a fork she had given him.

And something weird happened

Syd Barrett squeezed the fork with his thumb, It easily broke apart like it wasn't stainless. Which was so unlikely.

" !?!?!??!?!?!?! "

" Now you understand? "

Jody suddenly raised. She then started to run out of the shop... WITHOUT BREAKING HER LEGS.

" I..Impossible... I can't believe it...Now I can run...!"

She stopped and jumped up and down, Using her legs in many ways possible.

No cracking sound.

She ran back to the restaurant and grabbed Syd's shoulder and pulled him closer.

" SYD!... HOW??... HOW DID YOU?? IS THAT YOUR ABILITY?!..."

Jody forgot where they were, she was very excited. She even forgot that the waitresses were looking at them as she's shouting.

" Shh... be quiet. they're watching at us."

" I DON'T CARE! PLEASE TELL ME! SYD! "