[...(static)]

The image of a boy opening a shoe locker appears.

[ "Huh? Come to think of it, I haven't seen him in awhile."]

He scratches his head...

[ "Is there something that you need from him?" ]

He let's out a breath.

[ "Look, if you owes you money or something, I wouldn't bother getting it back." ]

[...(static)]

The image of a young girl eating bread surfaces.

[ "-zura? ...I don't know anyone by that name..."]

She looks to the side.

[ "...I don't think you have the right classroom." ]

Her face visually expresses irritation.

[ "If you don't have anything else to say, could you please bother someone else?" ]

[...(static)]

Now the image of an older man...

[ "Let's see. Let's see." ]

While adjusting his glasses, he bends over from his chair and slowly opens a nearby file cabinet.

[ "..." ]

Sifting through the many folders with his long fingers...

[ "The kanji for that should be... should be... should be something like..." ]

His eyes brighten. He smiles and slips the file out to read...

[ "Ah, here it is..." ]

He starts to say...

[ "...it says here..." ]

[ "...that he dropped-"]

[ (cut) ]

"Damn..."

...

A boy was shaking.

Taking slow but deep breaths, he stood weakly by the side of a road...

His palms were sweating. His vision was blurring. He needed to calm down.

Though what he needed to do and what was happening were two entirely different things.

Just what was it that he was so scared of...

Was he afraid that his teachers might scold him?

No...

In fact... he probably would have been happy if they did do that...

...

Was he afraid that his classmates might make fun of him?

No way...

He was already use to that.

More so than he would have liked to admit.

Maybe...

It was just...

Because he was weak...

...

That's right.

A level 0 like him was weak and helpless...

If only he were a little stronger...

If he listened more in class...

If he tried harder...

And went that extra mile...

Then maybe...

But...

...

The boy clenched his trembling hands.

"...damn."

He could only uselessly utter a curse through his teeth.

Exactly... what did he do wrong...

He did his best.

He really did...

So much so, he almost felt pride in his work...

...

But...

Everyone else had moved on...

While he became stuck...

Frozen in time, forced to look at the backs of others...

He was a failure.

With each and every passing day...

He felt like he was getting further and further away from where he wanted to be...

Away from the things he wanted to do...

And the people he wanted to be with...

...

A gap had steadily emerged...

To a point where he couldn't even see what he wanted anymore...

...

There were tales of a level 0 who...

Through hard work and perseverance...

Became a level 5...

...

Innately, he knew there was a difference between him and that such person...

Unlike him... that other person had something he didn't.

That was potential.

It was as simple as that...

No matter how hard he tried.

The number of hours he spent studying...

The days he spent wishing...

He could never stand among those ranks.

It wasn't possible for the likes of him.

He understood that.

And this was something he could tell without the aid of machines.

A failure like him couldn't move forward.

...

It was too late...

A fact he steadily came to realize...

In a place where science makes dreams come true...

He became lost...

And alone..

And scared...

...

Maybe that's why...

He didn't want to disappoint himself any further...

His hands stopped shaking...

...

It seemed like...

He wouldn't go today either...

...

...

...

The image of a young boy appears. This image had not been taken in Academy City, but had been taken a long time ago in some other place...

Someone asks him a question.

[ "Is there something you would like to do?" ]

Grinning from ear to ear, the boy replies.

[ "Everything!" ]

[...(static) ]