"Arrrghhhhhhh!" I groaned as I sat up from my bed. My head was all fuzzy and my eyes were completely blurred. Rubbing my eyes, I stifled a yawn as I tried to wake my body up. Glancing at the time it was already 7:00am. Glancing at the time again, I tried remembering what time school would start. The memory hit me like a train as I realised class starts at 7:30. Looking at the clock again, it now showed 7:10. Throwing my blankets off, I darted towards the clothes rack and grabbed my towel before jumping into the shower.
Wasting no time I threw on buckets of cold water which instantly woke up the rest of my body. Not caring about the coldness, I continued pouring cold water over my body for the next 3 minutes. Applying shampoo and the rest of my other needs, I quickly rinsed them all off and dried myself.
Exiting the shower, I darted to my wardrobe and fished out my Raizen high school uniform. Drying the last bits of water in my hair, I grabbed a nearby comb and fixed my messy hair. Adjusting my jacket, I moved over to the nearby toaster and plugged it in. Fastening the last button, I opened the fridge door and grabbed the pack of bread inside. Grabbing two slices, I popped them into the toaster and let it do the rest.
Turning on the stove to maximum, I grabbed a clean frying pan and some oil. Grabbing some eggs, I poured the oil into the frying pan to let it heat up. Picking up a bowl from the drying rack, I cracked the the two eggs and beat them with a fork.
Dumping the egg into the frying pan, the room was filled with the sizzling sound of food being cooked. Since the stove was on maximum, it only took the egg 30 seconds to cook. Reaching for an empty plate, I used the spatula to transfer the egg onto the plate. Dumping the frying pan into the sink, I turned the stove off and rinsed the pan.
Grabbing the already toasted bread, I moved over to the table and literally slap banged the two together, creating the most rushed sandwich ever. Stuffing the contents into my mouth, I quickly chewed on it all and swallowed it. Picking up my sling bag, I peeked inside to see if all the stuff I needed for school was there. Sure enough all the things I needed were inside. Swallowing the rest of the sandwich, I wore my sling bag and headed for the door. Switching off the lights and making sure everything else was off.
I grabbed my shoes and slipped them on. Exiting my apartment, I closed the door behind me and stuffed the key into my pocket. Heading down the hallway, I took the elevator and headed straight to the bottom. Breaking into a run, I exited the building and made a right. Turning into an alleyway, I used all known shortcuts I have taken before to get me to school.
Crap! First day of class and I'm gonna be late. Just fucking great!
"How bout using your powers?"
The voice rang through my head.
"You know damn well I ain't using such things here" I respond.
"Just saying, by the way, you have approximately 5 minutes and 27 seconds left before class starts.
Breaking into a run again, I rounded another corner into an alleyway and charged straight through it. Seeing the school not more than a couple of blocks away, I continued running until the gates came into view. Stopping to catch my breath, I wiped the sweat from my forehead. Quickly returning to a normal breathing pace, I looked around to see students still entering the campus. Taking a deep breath, I entered the campus hoping no one would pay attention to me.
Jeez, trying to hide your spirit powers is fucking hard. Especially when you recover almost instantly from a run like that. Anyone who performed such a run would've fainted on the ground outside by now.
Opening the doors, I slowly made my way up the stairs and onto the next floor. Without realizing it, I had gained the attention of every other student in this school. Looking to my left, I found a bunch of girls all pointing and smiling and blushing as they kept looking at me. Facing forward I found a group of guys staring at me like I was some sort of cool dude. Looking down, I walked past them as they greeted me. Raising a hand, I just waved at them. Passing another group of girls, they all greeted me politely like I was very important. Ignoring them, I headed towards the boys locker to get my indoor shoes. Arriving at the place, I walked over to my locker and opened it. Slipping off my shoes, I grabbed my indoor ones and slipped them on. Putting my outdoor shoes away, I closed the locker and secured it shut so no one could enter it. Heading towards my respective classroom, the bell rang all of a sudden meaning class had started. Opening the door to my respective classroom, students were busy chatting away as I entered. Heading over to an empty seat, I pulled the chair back and buried my head in my arms and closed my eyes.
"How the fuck do all those people know me?"
"Was it something you did? I mean people gain popularity here just by doing something fancy"
"No I did absolutely nothing of the sorts"
"Well the only logical explanation is maybe of your foreign attitude"
"The fuck? Do I really stand out that much?"
"Hmmm….guy with blonde hair, white skin, strong nose, red eyes, has a facial structure not found to be Japanese, strong build, stands at 6'1 and is only 17. Yeah I'm pretty sure that's clear to everyone that you're a foreigner"
"Although I can speak Japanese good sir"
"But suck at writing it"
"Fuck you Ankylon, just fuck you"
"Haaahahahaha"
I cringed at Ankylon's laughter as he kept teasing me about my bad writing. True that I could speak Japanese, but writing it was like writing the periodical table with no clue on how it actually is arranged. Other than that, the way I look to others must make me seem like an interesting specimen to them.
The door to the classroom opened and a short woman stepped in wearing glasses. She had short brown hair and a relatively white/brown skin, only the white was more dominant. The class greeted her and I just played along. It seems that she was our previous home teacher from last year and everyone was happy. From there on out I didn't pay much attention to what she said. Glancing to my left, I spotted a guy with purple hair who had the look of boredom on his face.
His name was Itsuka Shidou, he was sort of a shy guy. But most of the time he was enjoyable to be around with. I never got to hang out with him much, the only time I ever talked to him was during our group activities and breaks. Other than that you could say we hardly made contact. I never talked to most of the people in this school, usually I would chat with Ankylon on the rooftop and practice my spirit powers. Of course Ankylon wasn't a person so I couldn't talk to him in public or else I would seem like a maniac. In fact he was in my head, or rather temporarily in my head. Whenever I talk to him it's through mentally. Contacting him through our own private channel we usually chatted the long hours away. Jeez, life is hard when you're trying to blend in. Especially when you want to escape your past life of being the infamous spirit hunter. Of course that was a few years ago, now it's just a long memory.
"Tatsuya? Is Tatsuya here?"
Hearing my name being called out, I looked up to find the source. Everyone in class was looking at me which made me uneasy.
"Tatsuya are you present?"
"Yes ma'am" I respond.
"Good"
Sighing, I lowered my head down on the desk and stared out the window into the blue sky. The teacher kept calling out names for the past 5 minutes. Yawning, I stretched my arms out and leaned on my chair. Straightening my jacket, I tried to keep my body from falling asleep. Then all of a sudden the spatial quake alarm started blaring. The high pitched noise rang throughout the campus and city signalling that a spatial quake was imminent. The class started filing out of the classroom in an orderly fashion and we soon made our way to the underground shelter. Glancing around, I noticed a panicked look on Shidou's face. It was rare to see him in this state considering he had done this multiple times.
A minute later we were all in the underground area taking the escalator to the deep shelters. Looking around, the students kept a calm look like it was a normal basis. For me however it was different story.
Jeez, a spirit appearing? That's something. Never expected one to appear this early this though. Guess it's just the way they work. Seems like this one is no different from the rest, causing a spatial quake and leaving behind a massive scene of destruction. Thats your average spirit. But that's something I shouldn't worry about. It was the least on my mind.
Looking around, I spotted Shidou in the back looking at his cellphone nervously like he was desperate to call someone. Looking at his face, I could easily tell he was worried about something or someone.
"Seems Shidou is a bit jumpy today"
"No shit Sherlock"
"Ah well, we can let the AST handle that spirit out there. Besides we're catching a break here since our last training course 5 months ago"
"That was some intense training. Literally intense, might as well kill me. I thought I was going to die back there"
"Easy now pal, at least you have new abilities to use. And don't forget you also have an increase in energy storage and stamina, meaning you can use more attacks this time without fainting in the middle of battle"
"I know I know, you don't have to remind me"
Looking at my front, I was the next person to go down the escalator and into the shelter.
"Shidou! Where are you going?!"
Hearing the teacher shout that, I spun around and spotted Shidou darting around the corner just before he left my view. Glancing at the front, the person in front had already finished going down. Glancing back at the spot where Shidou was, I couldn't help but clench my fist in anger because of his stupidity.
I'm so gonna regret this. Fuck it! If Shidou is running out into the open like that during a spatial quake, then something is up. Better make sure he doesn't kill himself.
Stepping out of the line, I broke into a run in an attempt to follow Shidou. Hearing my name being called out, I ignored it and pressed on. Taking the elevator up, I stepped out and soon found myself outside the school. Taking off into a sprint, I stopped and scanned the area. No sign of Shidou. Concentrating for a few seconds, I scanned the ground for any movements or anything equivalent to that of a human in my gravity sense.
Sensing a target running at full speed, I tracked down the moving being just a few blocks down, heading towards the city. Breaking into a full out sprint, I kicked my spirit powers into effect and leaped onto the rooftops of nearby houses. Jumping from roof to roof, I spotted Shidou exiting the alley and making a left towards the city. Switching to the next set of roofs, I kept my distance in order to not get seen by prying eyes. Following Shidou throughout the wide city, I could already tell he was tired out, but seeing as how something kept him going, I kept following. Changing rooftops again, I was now practically running on top of buildings. The whole city had been evacuated as I shadowed Shidou. Seeing him make another turn, I followed suite.
BOOOOOM!
A sudden purple aura appeared in the city and soon destroyed the area sending debris and anything else that was throwable directly towards us. looking at Shidou I saw him raise an arm to defend him from the oncoming dust. Increasing my gravity, I anchored myself down to the ground as to not get blown away by the powerful blast.
Mentally putting up a gravity field, I shielded myself from the powerful dust and debris. Letting the wave of destruction wash over me, I just stood there silently as the dust flew over. After a few seconds, the place became quiet as everything that was just thrown at me fell dead. Lowering my field and returning my gravity to normal, I looked around at the aftermath, buildings were torn apart and cars were blown everywhere.
In the middle sat a large crater brimmed with a purple aura. Looking back at Shidou, I saw him walking closer to the crater. Pinching the bridge of my nose, I wondered how far his curiosity and stupidity would take him. Crouching down, I observed from the nearby building at what the purple aura was about. Sharpening my vision, I was soon fixated on the figure in the middle. Standing there in glorious purple armour, was a girl with a purple hair and standing on what seemed to be a chair. Observing more, she seemed no more than 16 years old, meaning she is quiet the young spirit.
"Know this pretty girl?"
"What? You fall for here already?"
"No not that! Who is she? Seems like a powerful spirit ripe for stealing"
"Your not serious about stealing her energy right? Do you even know who she is?"
"Nope"
"Oh my God….that's the famous princess. Ring any bells?"
"Nope, is she strong?"
"Well, in your current power state. I'd say she would pose a little threat, so it should be quite easy"
"Coming from you, even though you say such things I wouldn't take her too lightly. Considering that's what the military calls her then she is a dangerous threat"
"True, I learnt that a long time ago. No matter how easy your opponent may look, it's better safe than sorry to plan an attack out"
"But I don't think it would be wise to attack at such a time. Hold that thought, It seems that Shidou has gotten himself into some trouble"
BAAAANNNNNG!
A loud blast echoed through the area and the building behind us was destroyed instantly by a purple wave, looking back at the source. I spotted Shidou and the princess. Only this time the princess was holding a sword to his face.
Expecting her to smite down on Shidou, I readied myself to take her down. Killing her was way out of my league for I was not ordered to do so and because I don't want to do it. It if she slays a human, then she might as well perish since she killed an innocent being. Seeing Shidou fall to the ground, I saw him utter some words which must've stunned the princess judging by her initial stance reaction. Looking at the sky, I sensed the AST approaching at high speeds. In a matter of seconds they would be here.
Jeez, I really let my senses down. Better not do it again or else it might cost me next time.
*mixture of 3rd POV and 1st POV
Seeing the AST units flying in, they fired a volley of missiles at both the princess and Shidou. Obviously they hadn't planned on hitting civilians. Tensing up, I observed some more to see what she was capable of. Just as the missiles were about to hit their target, the princess created a field and stopped them dead in their tracks. Detonating them, the area around the place was covered in smoke and burnt rubble.
Watching the AST soldiers get closer with their CR-units, they launched another volley at the princess. Watching her leap into the air, she swung her sword in a combo and destroyed the oncoming missiles. More missiles were fired and she easily destroyed them all without breaking a sweat. She released and X blast from the sword and sent it flying towards the oncoming AST units, whom avoided it easily. As she landed on the ground, a familiar girl with white hair pointed a cannon at her.
Pulling the trigger, she fired the cannon. But the shot was easily stopped by the princess. Princess easily hacked the cannon away and sent the white haired girl back. She detached most of her suit and leaped over to Shidou, both of them seemed to have locked eye contact for a short period of time. I watched as she leaped over Shidou and drew her plasma sword and attacked the princess. The two duelled furiously as blast waves were sent everywhere. Both the princess and the familiar girl hacked and slashed at each other in order to gain the upper hand. The two broke apart and charged at each other again, this time, when the two blades met. A great power surge coupled with a shock wave erupted from the two sending a purple energy wave and a bright white light.
*end of 3rd and 1st POV mixture
Standing up, I anchored myself to the ground and created a small force field. The energy wave passed over me and did no damage whatsoever. Raising a hand to block the bright light, I squinted to see what was going on but the light was too intense. Using my senses I still detected multiple beings in the area. Clearly they had been stunned as well by the bright blast. Once the wave had dispersed, I jumped down from the building and landed on the ground breaking the floor and making a big crack. Walking away quietly, I decided to let the army handle the rest here.
"It seems Shidou will have a lot of explaining to do to the people that find him"
"Well as long as he's safe that's fine by me. I don't give two shits though if he does something reckless like that again. Maybe next time I'll bring popcorn and watch as he gets torn apart by other spirits"
"It's odd though, the fact that princess didn't kill him is a shocker"
"Maybe he said something to change her mind? Who knows, he must've done something"
"Maybe he got a boner in the middle of all that"
I stopped dead in my tracks as I heard Ankylon say that. Imagining the scene in my head, I tried to stop myself from laughing too much at the horrible outcome. It would've been funny though if he actually did it. Shaking my head, I continued walking away from the area.
"So we're really gonna leave Shidou like that?"
"Yep, not my problem. If anything else, they might get suspicious about me"
"True that, you went under the radar for quite sometime. But that doesn't mean you're not out of the danger zone. News about you has quickly spread like wildfire and that battle two years ago only proved it. You are a very dangerous threat to humanity, but seeing how you just do it to save them. They might as well shut their traps"
"You don't have to remind me, at least the hood covered my identity for the past few years"
"Well, like I said. Let's take a break from all off this for awhile before resuming it. It's better this way"
"Only if we have something to kill that is"
"Assuming there is something to hunt/kill"
"Isaac isn't too pleased with me dropping off the grid. Besides it's not like he owns me or anything, I'm just a hired gun"
"Just forget it for now. Let's head back to the apartment. School is likely to be closed due to the spatial quake so let's bail"
"Yeah, you're right there"
*the next day
Walking into class 2-4, I spotted Shidou chatting away with his best friend as usual. Sitting down in my respective seat, the bell rang just in time and the rest of the students moved about to their own seats. The teacher walked in with a bright smile and greeted us all.
"Today is the start of a new semester, so this classroom will be getting a new assistant teacher"
She said happily, I looked at the new assistant teacher and eyed her carefully.
"My name is Murasame Reine...I teach physics" she said before collapsing to the floor.
I pinched the bridge of my nose thinking to myself, what sort of physics teacher is this? In the span of 5 seconds I already observed enough to tell that she was lazy. But something told me that underneath that sleepy mask was a bright woman working for an organization who was sent here to keep an eye on someone.
"You have a hunch?"
"Yep, and it involves the new physics teacher"
"She looks like she barely even tries to get out of bed! What kind of hunch do you have for her?"
"Think about it, a physics teacher transfers into this classroom with that sort of attitude. No principle in their right mind would hire such a person unless they were forced to or bribed"
"Meaning that someone must've bribed or forced the principal into letting her in and positioning her as a physics teacher. Come to think of it, the other classes don't have an assistant teacher. So why this one?
"This makes it all the more suspicious, it seems someone wants to keep an eye on somebody here"
"Why do I have a feeling it might be Shidou?"
"Considering how he was found near the blast of a spatial quake and found unconscious after a battle between a spirit and the AST. The government or somebody else wants to keep close tabs on him. See if he acts out again"
"Let's not jump to conclusions here"
"Agreed, for now we shall just observe"
"OR maybe she really is lazy"
"I think so too, but this hunch is really nagging me. So I might as well see if it's true"