The sun was high and warm, casting long shadows across the Astra campus.
I had stayed behind after early morning drills, wandering the rooftops near Nova-1. The quiet up here was deceptive — only the wind, the distant hum of the training grounds, and the faint pulse of my own heartbeat.
Then I saw it.
A knife, small but precise, lying near the edge of the roof. Stainless steel, clean. No fingerprints, no obvious clues.
My stomach clenched.
Not a prank. Not a careless student.
Himiko Toga.
I clenched my fists. The faint pulse in my mind — the Sovereign Pulse — stirred. Someone had been testing me, daring me, warning me. And now… she had left this.
I grabbed the knife carefully, tucking it into my bag. I couldn't let Taiyashè see this yet. Not here. Not now.
Lunch felt almost normal. Almost.
Taiyashè flopped onto the bench across from me, grinning as usual. "So… any new souvenirs from rooftops? Notes? Knives? Ghosts?"
I muttered, "Knife. Definitely a warning. Not a joke."
He whistled. "Renny-Penny, your life is getting weird. Superhero weird. And I love it."
Before I could reply, another student plopped down beside us, grinning like he already owned the cafeteria.
"Hey, you two! Mind if I join?"
I glanced up. The boy had spiky red hair, a wide smile, and an air of confidence that didn't overstep.
"I'm Kirishima. Eijiro Kirishima. Nova-1."
Taiyashè grinned immediately. "Of course you can join. You have to meet Renny-Penny here — my roommate, my best friend, my fellow detective in a sticky-note mystery."
Kirishima laughed. "Renny-Penny? That's… unique. I like it."
I rolled my eyes, but a small smile tugged at my lips.
"So… what's your quirk?" Taiyashè asked.
Kirishima flexed casually. "Harden. I can toughen my body — basically take hits without getting hurt. Tank stuff."
I blinked. "Like… invincible?"
"Not invincible," he said with a grin. "Just… really durable. And yeah, I've tanked some crazy attacks before. You'll see."
Taiyashè leaned back. "Perfect. We could use a tank for sticky-note mysteries, right?"
Kirishima laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'll take it. As long as you two don't get us caught up in anything too crazy."
I nodded, still thinking about the knife in my bag and the faint pull in my mind. "I… hope so."
Taiyashè nudged me. "Renny-Penny, relax. New friend. Lunch. And yeah… maybe a little danger sprinkled in. That's life at Astra."
I looked out the window toward the rooftops, shadows falling just right. Someone had been there. Watching. Testing. Leaving knives.
But for now… I had allies. Friends. And a lunch that, for a brief moment, almost felt normal.
Almost.