"I am back..." Walking in the home. Rito called, while a head peeked out of the kitchen side. "Welcome, Rito. Want some tea?" Mikan asked, as she was just making the tea when Rito came home.
"Yeah! Nice timing. I was bringing back some donuts to eat with you. The tea will bring a nice touch to it." He smiled while looking at the packet in Rito's hand. Mikan also smiled, thinking recently, Rito had been bringing snacks from time to time.
"Okay!" With a happy chime, the atmosphere in the home rose up a bit. Rito jogged back to his room and got changed into home clothes before heading down, while Mikan was done with the tea, sitting in the hallroom while pouring them the tea.
"Nice! I am tired." Rito sat while relaxing a lot. Mikan just rolled her eyes at her stupid brother's words.
"Don't look at me like that. Well, one of my teachers had something to carry back to a certain dorm, and I ended up carrying it. But that was not the tiring part of it..." Rito mused, while Mikan felt that this was the first time Rito brought up something about school and paid attention to his words.
Rito told her about the antics of people he just met, making her silently awkward; even she had a hard time swallowing all that in.
Especially the alley filled with weapons lying around for girls to beat those who intrude in their sanctuary. Rito joked about how he almost got beaten there, at which Mikan giggled.
Making the atmosphere light.
While Mikan also sat closer to his side and told her about annoying boys that always come to propose to her just by her looks. Making Rito smile, thinking how Mikan was also opening up to him.
In a small room, a small warm world.
With dinner done and the dishes clinking faintly from the kitchen, Mikan excused herself and went back to her room—she had an assignment due the next morning.
The hallroom grew quiet once more, leaving Rito seated alone, staring absentmindedly at the faint steam rising from his teacup. He sighed, the silence stretching thin, until finally he decided to head out.
The air outside was crisp, the night carrying a subtle chill that brushed against his skin like silk. Pulling his hoodie over his head, Rito began to jog along the narrow streets.
The neighborhood was calm—distant streetlights flickered, and somewhere far away a car engine hummed softly. His breath found a rhythm, steady and deep, matching the pace of his feet hitting the pavement.
As he moved, the cool air filled his lungs, and a sense of vitality coursed through him. Recently, ever since that strange reward—the Kenichi Shirahama template awakening within him—his body had been changing. Even at level one, he could feel the difference.
His muscles responded sharper, his balance was precise, and his endurance had grown beyond what he thought possible.
The Kenichi from the anime had endured brutal, almost inhuman training under masters like Akisame-sensei, yet Rito could faintly sense traces of that discipline weaving into his own body now—like muscle memory carried over from another life.
He slowed his jog slightly, letting his thoughts wander deeper.
'It's strange…' he thought, glancing at his hands. 'How can something like this even work? It's not just physical—it feels like something inside me is resonating, evolving.'
He recalled a concept he had read about once—aura. The word itself sounded mystical, but there was more to it than superstition. On the old Earth—the "Blue Planet," as he sometimes called it now—there had been experiments dealing with this phenomenon.
He remembered one particular study on women suffering from breast cancer. Scientists had supposedly developed a method to scan the human aura, a subtle energy field surrounding every living being.
In that experiment, they didn't just scan patients but also healthy individuals—ordinary women who came for routine checkups. Years later, those same women, the ones whose aura showed faint distortions similar to the cancer patients', developed cancer themselves.
That finding had left Rito awestruck when he'd first read it. It meant something profound—that the aura, this invisible energy, could predict and perhaps even shape the physical body long before any symptoms appeared.
'So that's it…' he mused, his breath forming mist in the cold night air. 'The aura isn't shaped by the body—the body is shaped around the aura. Like a mold that takes form over time.'
He smiled faintly, remembering an old scene from Hunter × Hunter—when Gon's body transformed instantly during his fight, reaching his potential all at once. That wasn't a miracle; it was the manifestation of his aura, his soul's ideal form forcing itself into reality.
'If that's true,' Rito thought, slowing to a stop under a streetlamp, 'then maybe… this change in me is the same. My aura—my will—is reshaping me into Kenichi's potential. Not just the body, but the discipline, the strength, the resilience that came with it.'
The wind blew lightly through the trees, scattering the faint scent of evening dew. He took another deep breath, his chest rising and falling with calm certainty. The night sky stretched endlessly above him, stars glimmering like fragments of unseen power.
'Aura, huh… maybe that's where everything really begins.'
And with that quiet thought, Rito resumed his jog—his shadow stretching long behind him as he disappeared down the softly lit street, carrying with him a growing sense of something awakening deep within.
[TLN: All the things above said are from a certain scientific show I watched on youtube, and are certainly a real deal. Although, it has not been proven right or wrong, given much detail of those experiments is clearly not shown in the internet.]
Even after running for quite a while, Rito didn't feel tired—not even slightly winded. His breaths were steady, his body light, and his heartbeat calm, almost unnaturally so. It was as if his stamina had doubled or even tripled since his training began. Eventually, he slowed down to a walk, letting the rhythm of his footsteps carry him through the softly lit streets.
The night had grown quieter now—just the distant hum of cars and the faint laughter of people spilling out of nearby izakayas. That was when he noticed something—a familiar voice mingling with the noise ahead.
Not far down the street, near the corner of a convenience store, stood Sayaka Watanabe. Even from behind, Rito recognized her distinctive chestnut hair tied up neatly and that faintly confident posture of hers. But the situation around her wasn't so pleasant.
Sayaka stood beside another girl—black hair flowing down her back, a red ribbon tied loosely above her ear. The girl's cheeks were flushed, her expression dreamy and unsteady, and her body was leaning heavily against Sayaka's side. She was beautiful, even striking—but her unsteady steps and hazy smile made it clear she was drunk.
And in front of them, two guys lingered, each trying too hard to look casual.
"Come on, it's not safe for you girls to go alone at night," one of them said, putting on a gentlemanly tone that didn't match the glint in his eyes.
"We'll walk you home, yeah? It's just a few blocks. Don't worry, we're friends after all," the other added, smirking faintly.
Sayaka's lips twitched—she was clearly irritated. She gave a polite smile, but the sharpness in her eyes could've cut glass.
"We'll be fine," she said firmly. "So don't worry about it. I'll take Yae back myself."
The girl beside her—Yae, apparently—giggled softly, her head resting on Sayaka's shoulder. "Heehee~ Sayaka-chaaaan, you smell nice..." she mumbled, her hand sliding slightly as she lost her balance, causing her chest to press fully against Sayaka's back.
Sayaka froze, her face twitching between restraint and embarrassment. "Yae... please don't do that here..."
The guys exchanged grins. "See? She's not even standing straight. You really shouldn't be alone like this," one said, taking a step forward.
Sayaka's patience was thinning fast. She had kept a sweet, composed act long enough, but her temper was close to snapping. If they pushed one more word—
"Sayaka-san," a calm voice called from the side. "Let's go. I'm here to get you back."
Sayaka turned, startled.
"Rito?"
He stood under the soft streetlight—a simple T-shirt clinging to his form, sweat-damp from his jog. His lean arms, though not bulky, carried a distinct tone—a sense of strength coiled beneath calm skin. His eyes, steady and unreadable, met hers.
For a brief second, Sayaka blinked—surprised not only by his timing but also by something else... different about him.
"Rito! So you did come. You're late—I was about to starve waiting!" she said quickly, catching on, playing her part with a teasing tone. She tugged Yae's arm and turned toward him. "Help me carry her back, will you?"
Rito gave a small nod and moved forward. "Sure."
He adjusted Yae's arm over his shoulder gently, careful not to make her stumble further. Up close, her cheeks were deeply flushed—she smelled faintly of alcohol and perfume.
But the moment he did, one of the guys stepped forward. "Oi, Sayaka, stop joking around. You think we're stupid?" He reached out as if to grab her wrist—
Before the hand could even touch her, Rito's arm moved.
A sharp clap of skin against skin broke the air. Rito's fingers closed around the man's wrist in a firm grip. His expression remained calm, but there was a chill in his gaze that made the air between them tighten.
At first, the guy tried to jerk his hand free—but nothing happened. Rito's grip didn't budge. The veins on the man's forehead popped as he struggled, his strength meeting something immovable, unnatural.
"Let go, you little—"
Before he could finish, his friend lunged forward, hand reaching for Rito's neck—but Rito moved faster. In one smooth motion, he twisted his hips, shifted his stance, and caught the second man's arm as well, locking both of them effortlessly.
Pain shot through their joints instantly.
"Ah—! Tch, dammit!"
"Let go, it hurts!"
Rito's voice stayed level, almost too calm for the situation.
"Just relax," he said quietly. "No one wants a fight. But your help isn't needed here. I'll take them home safely, so let's not make a scene."
The bystanders nearby—a couple walking their dog, a man on his phone—had started watching. The two guys, realizing they were becoming the center of attention, quickly backed down.
Rito slowly released them, his hand dropping to his side. "You should go home," he added mildly. "Maybe put something cold on your arm—it might bruise a little."
The two guys glared but didn't say anything, rubbing their wrists. Rito's grip strength had left faint red imprints—proof of pressure far beyond what his thin frame suggested.
As the men walked off muttering under their breath, Sayaka exhaled and looked at Rito with a small, genuine smile. "You really saved me there," she said softly, her voice carrying a hint of warmth.
Rito shrugged lightly. "You looked like you had it under control. I just… gave you an opening."
Sayaka chuckled. "Still, not bad. I didn't think you'd pull off that kind of move. Have you been working out or something?"
Rito smiled faintly. "Something like that."
As they began walking together under the glow of the streetlights, Yae mumbled something incoherent and giggled, while Sayaka shook her head helplessly. Rito glanced at his hands, flexing them slightly—recalling the momentary flash of power.
'Kenichi's strength… even at level one, it's no joke,' he thought. 'If this keeps growing, I'll have to be careful not to overdo it.'
The night carried on quietly, with the sound of their footsteps fading into the cool, calm air—the city lights flickering behind them, and an unfamiliar strength awakening quietly in Rito's veins.