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The morning sun streamed through the window, birds singing softly as their songs danced across the room. Shion Lazaro stirred beneath his blanket, clothes scattered across the floor and manga piled haphazardly beside him. On the wall, a poster of Goku from Dragon Ball stared down, silent and imposing.
Shion's alarm rang sharply. In his dreams, he had been running with his friends, laughing under a massive tree. A boy with fiery red hair, their leader, had smiled at him. "Of course we'll stay friends," he'd promised, eyes shining with certainty. A girl, head bowed, muttered, "But if we had other powers and went to Tokyo School… would we still be friends?" Hands joined in solemn promise, Shion had smiled quietly, savoring the warmth of the memory.
Now awake, Shion groaned, arm covering his face. Why did he keep having that dream?
He rolled over, glancing at the clock and then the calendar. Today was the start of his first year at the academy. And, as usual, he didn't want to go. Dramatically flopping from his bed, he muttered, "Ow… what a drag."
His thoughts turned to his sister. "If I don't go, she'll be mad… can't have that." Sighing, he got dressed, grabbed his bag, and left the room. A neatly folded note on the counter read, Here's your lunch. He took it without a word.
Walking down the street, hands shoved into his pockets, he crossed the road, narrowly missing a car. Soon, he arrived at the school building. Students of all uniforms swirled around him—white, red, blue, black. Following the students in black, he found himself in a large classroom.
When everyone had taken their seats, a man with a microphone addressed them.
"Some of you may wonder why uniforms differ. It reflects your rank. White uniforms—Class A—are S-Rank and A-Rank demons: the best of the best. Red is Class B: strong, but not top-tier. Blue, Class C, handles demon detection. And black? That's Class D—the lowest rank. Your missions will be to take down weaker demons."
A murmur rose from the black-uniformed students.
"There's a path to Class A," the man continued. "Defeat demons, get points, rise in rank. All dismissed."
Shion sighed, already feeling the weight of the day. He followed the crowd to his classroom, taking a seat at the back. From there, he could observe everything.
A woman entered. Her aura was sharp, commanding attention. "I hope you won't fail like the others," she said with a sigh. "Introduce yourselves."
A boy's hand shot up. "Mustn't you introduce yourself first?"
The teacher, clearly exasperated, gave a small nod. "I'm Mrs. Airi Kanzaki."
One by one, students stood. Riku Hayase introduced himself, his confidence palpable. His ability? Lightning, crackling across his hand. The classroom murmured in awe.
Next was Himari Sunohara. She smiled warmly. "I can heal. And I want to make lots of friends." Shion glanced at her, thinking, That'll be easy for her. She's naturally likable.
Then came Natsu Arashi, fiery hair and a wide grin. "Why am I stuck with this weak class?" he shouted, summoning a small fireball.
Shion's attention drifted to the girl beside him. Long black hair, calm, almost cold. She didn't speak.
Finally, Shion exhaled. It was his turn. "I… my ability is Immortal. But my weakness… I can still feel pain."
The room went silent. Natsu laughed, loud and scornful. "Class D, huh? Maybe you do belong here."
The teacher interrupted, announcing the first assignment: "Go to the church, take any quest, complete it. Teams will be paired in threes."
Shion, Suzuki Hoshian—the girl beside him—and Natsu Arashi found themselves paired. Walking to the church, Natsu eagerly jumped into every task. Suzuki crossed her arms, calm but clearly annoyed by Natsu's energy. Shion sighed, resigned. Of course I'd be paired with the overconfident and the cold one. What a drag.
At the church, Natsu chose the obvious mission, shouting, "Leave this one to me!" Suzuki's sigh conveyed silent patience. Shion just followed, rolling his eyes.
This is just the beginning, he thought. And somehow, I have a feeling my year is going to be… complicated.
On school of power next time
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