"I'm home mom."
Satoru enters his house with a blank zombie like expression.
Seeing the exhausted look on her son's face Satoru's mom put down her phone and rushed to her son's side in a panic.
"Satoru what happened to you?"
Her son came home abnormally late. She had repeatedly called her son's phone and is currently on the phone with her son's coach to find his whereabouts.
In fact, she was on the verge of calling the police.
"Mom I might have to go to school." Satoru's said dejectedly.
"What?" Satoru's mom fell into stunned silence.
She was relieved that her son's expression wasn't because he encountered danger on his way home.
But she couldn't understand why her son who dropped out of school to become a professional gamer suddenly say he would go back to school.
Satoru recounted his day to his mother. From the moment his team won to his encounter with the middle aged officer and the mysterious girl inside the alley half an hour ago.
"It hasn't been long since the last time we met."
"Mister prophet."
Satoru's mind turned blank for an instant. Is it over? Have they found my ability?
No, there's no way they know that I have foresight. This is probably a method to make me confess it. Satoru boldly decided to lie with a straight face.
"Listen I don't know anything you are talking about."
"My win rates were a result of my reaction training.. I don't have any supernatural ability let alone an ability to see the future."
"Indeed, there is a possibility that you really have such a good reaction speed…"
The black haired girl sighed.
"I guess there's one way to check it."
"Lend me your hand."
The girl didn't elaborate further after giving out the command.
Satoru complied while also activating his foresight in case something unexpected happened.
In his foresight he saw the girl holding the object tightly in her palm before placing it in his hands.
He looked down to the palm on his palm and saw a black oval shaped object that has a few legs extending from it.
A cockroach…
"A&$?@€#*¥!" The present Satoru, while letting out a shrill scream, immediately retracted his hand.
"What's the matter?" The girl asked.
"WHY DO YOU HAVE A COCKROACH IN YOUR HAND???"
The girl opened her palm revealing the black unmoving oval shaped object… a fake cockroach. The corners of her mouth twitched upwards. "How did you know?"
The scene suddenly turned blurry, the once empty alleyway had an outline of multiple people and various equipments.
Before he knew it he was surrounded by a dozen men in formal black suit and sun glasses each holding cameras, microphones and various other recording equipments that had appeared out of thin air.
All of them are pointed at Satoru from all angles at various distances, the closest microphone was literally in front of his face but Satoru didn't realize anything.
Realizing his mistake, Satoru broke into a cold sweat.
This situation is like the ancient saying "Caught in 4k". He murmured.
"Don't get the wrong idea, we really are part of the law enforcement." One of the men in suit said in a deep voice.
That's what all scammers say! Satoru retorted silently.
"Then why..?" Satoru realized that this whole setup is too exaggerated for only confirming his status as a superhuman.
The middle aged man smiled gently before extending his hand towards the confused boy.
"As I just said, we have a proposal for you"
Satoru's ears perked up in interest.
Oh I've seen this plot line in an anime before! The main character gets approached by other powerful super humans to recruit him into their secret organization.
With that thought, he tries his best to hide the smile on his face.
"What kind of offer?"
Officer Goro smiled reassuring the boy.
"The offer is simple."
"All you have to do is to take your mandatory education as a superhuman."
"You will attend school for people with supernatural abilities just like you."
Satoru's hair stood on end the moment he heard the word "school" and "education".
He was hit with the kryptonite of all gamers, actual responsibilities.
School? I'm sorry bye! Satoru turned his back with the intention of running but he was blocked by one of the men in suit.
The girl approached Satoru and showed him her phone screen which has a particular website open on it.
"Before acting rashly look at this."
What's the problem? Satoru focused his vision on the girl's phone screen. On the screen was the official tournament website with a headline highlighted. That headline was posted less than an hour ago it wrote:
"Competition rule adjustment notice:"
"From the next season onwards super humans are no longer able to participate in official tournaments."
"Effective from March 26th onwards."
Satoru stares at the screen in denial.
"This can't be real."
"Some of the event organizers noticed your abnormality."
Officer goro calmly explained.
"They started investigating your abnormal prediction ability because they suspected you of cheating which yielded no results. One of them suspected that you were a superhuman but they were unsure if you are actually one so they contacted us."
"On the bright side the trophy still belonged to you. After all, there are no rules preventing super humans from participating in this tournament."
Officer Goro's words were meant to cheer Satoru up ended up striking the latter's nerve.
The man's further attempts to offer some more words of comfort was quickly shut down by the girl.
"He needs some time alone."
Officer Goro retrieved two items from his coat, an envelope and a handbook. He offers both items to the boy.
"This book contains most relevant information about the school. Use it to prepare yourself."
"This school looks expensive…"
The officer noticed the concern on the boy's tone and responded with a smile.
"Don't worry about the tuition fee we will have you covered with a scholarship. Your foresight ability is extremely rare and your mastery over it is already sufficient to land you in a scholarship program."
"Then I have to count on you." Satoru thanked the man with an awkward smile.
"Here is your recommendation letter. If anybody has a problem feel free to tell them to call me."
With that the officer and the mysterious girl left the alleyway.
Satoru turned his back only to find the dark and endless path has turned into the usual short alleyway.
"Tsukimori academy?" Satoru's mom couldn't help but gasp.
Mom knows about it? Without suppressing his curiosity Satoru asked.
"What type of school is it?"
"Mom's not sure, the school facilities were built right after the third world war ended. But they were recognized as a school only a few years ago."
"Back then, only invited students could enter the school but recently regular people could apply to join after passing an exam."
"Mom had an old friend that transferred to that school. We haven't talked for a long time but mom heard that she now has a high position in the government."
Recommendation? Working for the government? Satoru had a rough idea of the purpose of the school.
It was to gather around superhumans to work for the government.
"You should head to bed first Satoru since you have to wake up early tomorrow. Mom will pack your bag."
"Thanks mom" Satoru finally headed to bed after a very long day.
In the blink of an eye, the enrollment day has arrived
Satoru stood at the school gate with a tired expression.
The day had just begun and he is already exhausted.
Luckily for him, today's morning classes were replaced by an entrance ceremony so he would have some time to adjust him self or catch up with his sleep if he is lucky.
The crowd heading to the gymnasium is very dense due to the entrance ceremony so Satoru decided to wait in the cafeteria first before heading there.
Thud!
Satoru got too immersed in his phone, he accidentally bumpted into someone. The feeling of beging struck by a powerful force is quickly followed by the feeling of losing his balance.
Oh crap.. I'm going to hit the ground. Satoru braces himself for the impact
"Are you hurt dude?" Satoru slowly opens his eyes to see a towering figure in front stretching his hand towards him.
Satoru apologized "It's my fault I wasn't looking…"
Satoru took the hand of the person who bumped into him embarrassedly. He wanted to quickly leave after apologizing until he heard a voice calling out his name."
"Satoru is that you?"
He looks up toward the figure towering him. The boy has white spiky hair and gray eyes. His facial features are very sharp as if cut by a knife, he has a very muscular body akin to that of professional bodybuilders.
Satoru exclaimed in surprise.
"Keiichi?"
He recognizes the person in front of him.
The white hair boy's face brightened as he lunged at his old friend to give him a pat on the shoulder.
"It's really you! I haven't seen you for months." He said cheerfully.
"Why didn't you call me bro? How are you doing these days.
Satoru gave a self deprecating smile. "Yeah we haven't met too much since I dropped out of school."
This person is Satoru's old friend Kousaki Keiichi.
They met each other in their old school. They bonded over their shared love of anime and manga. Needless to say Keiichi is as edgy if not even more edgy than Satoru himself.
Back then, Satoru could be considered an outcast among his classmates. He is definitely not too smart but also not strong enough to join the delinquents comfortably.
Keiichi is among Satoru's few friends. He is someone very expressive , but he is also an extremely upright person. His lack of self control combined with these two traits made most people find him annoying. Which is why people also avoid him like Satoru.
If it weren't for the fact that he was a genuinely good person he wouldn't have had any friends.
Keiichi gave Satoru a pat on the back.
"Following your dreams is always a good thing."
"Don't let the dinosaurs hold you back. Listening to them will someday turn you into one of them."
Satoru asked curiously.
"Isn't this school for super humans why are you here?"
"This school isn't just for super humans you know?" Keiichi explained to his friend. "People who have special talents or individuals who have high probability of awakening can enroll in this school too."
"It may not look like it but my family has a lot of superhumans you know?"
"What is your family like?" Satoru asked since he couldn't remember his friend mentioning his family in any conversation before.
The corners of Keiichi's mouth curled downwards slightly but he still answered his friend's question.
"It's less like a family and more like a clan."
Keiichi rarely makes that face… Satoru didn't ask further questions after noticing the discomfort his friend's expression.
He shifted the topic. "Speaking of school… Why are you wearing a school uniform? Didn't you drop out to pursue a gaming career? What happened to your contract?"
Satoru gave a self deprecating smile. He thought of last night's events that forced him to come back to school.
"It's a long story" He replied awkwardly.
Satoru sat down on a nearby bench and vaguely recounted the recent events in a passive aggressive tone. To which his friend listens attentively.
Unlike back when he recounted the events to his mother, he didn't go too much into detail.
Keiichi's face gradually grew astonished. The plot twist that his friend was always a super human and the ridiculous way they used to identify super humans is an eye opener to him.
"And that's about it." Satoru finished his rant. "Any thoughts?"
"I'm sorry bro, I haven't heard about foresight or similar abilities before."
"It's alright."
After a brief pause Keiichi suddenly remembered something.
"Since you are also a freshman I assume that you are also heading to the gym correct?"
"Yep" Satoru nodded.
Keiichi enthusiastically said. "Let's go hurry up then, otherwise we could be late. By the way what time is it?"
Satoru looked at the time in his phone screen. "No need to rush it's only-"
He checked the home screen on his phone. It shows 8:57 approximately 3 minutes before the start of the entrance ceremony.
The two boys stared at the clock, the next moment they looked at each other with the gaze that exclaims. "OH SHIT."
The two boys quickly pack their things before running towards the gymnasium with all their might.
Approximately three minutes later the adrenaline filled duo barely managed to arrive at the ceremony on time.
Fortunately for them, there are still many vacant seats left. Keiichi scanned an area and conveniently found two empty seats right next to each other He gestured Satoru to go sit with him.
At least we can continue to talk during the ceremony. Satoru thought to himself.
Inside the gym a man who looks to be either in his late forties or early fifties stood on the podium.
His hair has started to turn gray and he has a stern look on his face. He is the principal of this school. He unfolded a piece of paper and read it out loud into the microphone.
"Today, the moment you pass the gates, you enter one of the finest schools of its kind—a place shaped by high standards, hard work, and a long tradition of excellence. Built for nurturing mankind's finest super humans."
"Your power serves to protect what matters most: your loved ones, your family, the pride of our school and the liberty of our country."
Somewhere within the crowd. A white haired boy shook his friend awake and whispered in his ear.
"It's people like these prioritize their looks over other people's wellbeing."
"Ah… uh… huh…?"
His monotonous voice made Satoru nearly doze off.
Keiichi's constant rants were the only thing keeping Satoru awake.
"Your family chose this prestigious school because they know the significance of your future. They must entrust it to the best school of their ability which is why you all are here today. Do you wish to disappoint their hard work?"
Are you sure about "choosing"? Satoru had a self deprecating thought.
"The bonds formed here will become shelter, and the lessons learned will become light. Let today mark the beginning of your future that is full of hope!"
The principal's exaggerated speech resonates with a portion of the students which bursted into a round of applause.
Keiichi and Satoru didn't join the crowd as the former didn't resonate with the message while the latter just wasn't listening.
After the round of applause the principal continues.
"Now we will have a few words from this year's top scorer, Akai Hikaru and our please step onto the stage."
Satoru felt something was amiss and asked "There was an exam?"
"You didn't take it?" Keiichi was slightly taken aback.
"You are a special admission student?"
Satoru nodded confirming Keiichi's suspicions. The latter continues.
"I should have expected it."
"Your foresight ability is already very rare and I assume your mastery of it is very good among super humans which is probably why they didn't force you to take the test."
He then stared at Satoru with a curious look.
"By the way do you have any unique experiences as a specially admitted student?"
"There were some" Satoru, looking away from his friend, replied.
The experience of almost getting kidnapped that is.
Keiichi sighs. "I'm jealous."
Keiichi knows about this school better than my mom whose friend graduated from here. Is this information provided by his "clan" or obtained through other sources? Satoru thought to himself.
While the boys were talking, three rows behind them, a soft looking boy sitting there had already walked to the stage. He has slightly curly brown hair and amber colored eyes. In addition to the school uniform, the boy also wear a gray newsboy cap. This is none other than the top scorer of this year Akai Hikaru.
The room fell silent as the boy slowly reached the microphone. He stood on the podium, his gaze swept down at the crowd of freshmen with an unreadable expression.
So this is this year's top scorer… Satoru tensed up as he looked at the boy on the stge.
His calm gaze complemented by the room's dead silence gave off a tense feeling.
Five minutes into the silence, the boy seemed to have realized something and blurted out.
"Was I supposed to say something just now?"
…
Uhhh…
Satoru was stunned by the boy's attitude. This awkward atmosphere was a stark contrast to the principal's strict attitude.
Not only him, the room also fell into dead silence, trying to process what the boy just said earlier. After all the person who was supposed to represent the academy's top genius had just made a fool of himself in front of everyone.
Silence slowly turns into gossip as people start to doubt the authenticity of the results of the entrance exam.
Keiichi too leaned in and whispered into Satoru's ears.
"Is that autistic guy actually a top scorer?" Keiichi asked baffled.
"I'm not sure either." Satoru laughed dryly.
Before things escalate any further, a teacher called the brown haired boy down to ease the tension.
The entire ceremony came to an end just like that.