Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Fushigi Yuugi except for those
characters that I've come up with myself.
Beyond Perception: Intuition 2
Taikyoku ESPer Organization, or TESPO for short, is the main ESPer organization of the country located right smack in the middle of the four states: Hokkan in the North, Konan in the South, Kutou in the East, and Sairou in the West. Being the focal association of all ESPers in the country, it oversees the operations of its four institutions: Hokkan, Konan, Kutou, and Sairou ESPer State Institutions in their respective states, which in turn cater to ESPers living in those areas.
It is legally mandated that ESPers, at the first sign of their ESP ability, are to register themselves at TESPO or one of the institutions, whichever nearest, within the next 24 hours. The first signs of ESP usually occur between the ages of seven to 12 years, but in other cases like Shun'u's and Chamka's, such abilities will not show until much later, but not after 21 years of age, where chances of showing any first indication of ESP are slim. Even rarer are the occurrences of ESP display at birth, it being that propensity and aptitude to ESP is too insufficient and undeveloped at such infant stage.
"Sugoi..."
Shun'u was completely awed by the immensity of Konan ESPer Institution as he stood at the gates gaping at it, itself resembling that of a mini university campus. Before discovering his ESP ability, he never bothered visiting its premises even though certain areas were open to public, instead busying himself with Reikaku gang activities, Kouji and booze. And even after quitting the gang and getting acquainted with Chamka, he never did make an effort to pop in for a peek or two, claiming it to be "simply a freakin' waste o' time fer non-ESPers like us", to quote him.
"Are you regretting now about never coming to this place before?" Chamka raised an eyebrow as he glanced at the red-haired teenager. "Bet you'll have a hard time figuring your way around for a while."
"SUGOI!" Shun'u exclaimed, ignoring all of Chamka's earlier comment. "I'm finally gettin' some freedom from home! Ya won't believe how choked up I am in dat house. Imagine five freakin' onnas at yer neck every second!" He cheered and thanked the institution for not only providing compulsory hostel lodging to ESPer students, but also limiting them within the institution on weekdays, allowing them to go back home only during the weekends-another nationally-imposed restriction to prevent young ESPers from recklessly abusing their abilities in public. While many viewed such a restriction as a minus point, Shun'u happily welcomed it.
Chamka sighed, resigned to the fact that he has an utterly tactless, loud- and foul-mouthed teenager as his friend. "I pity your family for having such an unfilial son. But come to think of it, it's a bit tough living together with five...um...interesting...women." He gulped as he recalled seeing Shun'u either being squashed breathless with his mother's hugs or bludgeoned to near-death by his four sisters' friendly punches every time he dropped by next door. Just a few hours ago, he and Kouji had accompanied Shun'u back home to announce to his family his new-found ESPer status, only to find their poor friend being surrounded by five excited women, each giving him their usual 'affection', this time an experience five-fold from usual that Shun'u would never ever forget. "Let's go."
Both of them proceeded past the gates towards the three-storey building right in front, the "Administration" letters laid out in bold prominently. The architecture of the building itself was simple yet professional, its whole exterior almost totally made of glass. As they passed through the auto door, Shun'u noticed a row of counters catering to a wide variety of services including 'General', 'Student Affairs', 'Finance', and of course, 'Admissions'. They pressed the ticket machine button for a number before settling down on one of the seats to wait for their turn to be called.
As Shun'u fidgeted restlessly on his seat, he observed the interior surroundings to while away a little time. Since that day fell on a weekend, it was no wonder that the place was a little crowded, but not many to the extent that people had to stand due to unavailable seats. He noted the majority of them streaming to the Information counter, while most of those his age or younger headed for the one labeled 'Student Affairs'. [[So those must be ESPers]], he thought as he casually observed one particular violet- head girl get up and stroll towards the counter when a new number flashed on the wall's digital screen.
Unable to stay in one place for long without doing anything, Shun'u stood up to walk around. He parked himself in front of the campus map mounted on a part of one glass wall, locating the 'YOU ARE HERE' marking on an octagonal shape that he presumed belonged to that of the building he was presently standing in. Behind the octagon on its immediate right were two large squares, linked to each other by a slightly smaller circle, with the words 'CLASSROOM BLOCK' in bold and pasted neatly next to the combined form.
Directly behind this two-squares-one-circle combination, another structure named "HALLS OF RESIDENCE" was represented by the shape of a cross no smaller than the classroom block. [[So this is where I should be staying]], Shun'u wondered as his eyes drifted over to the right side of the map. On the octagon's immediate left were two other structures-a rectangular-shaped edifice labeled 'FACILITIES LODGE' and behind it a circular building known as 'TRAINING CENTRE'. All geographical information of the institution was listed out in detail on the map, from building name down to the smallest washroom location.
"Big, huh?" A female voice interrupted Shun'u's self-help geography lesson.
He turned around to find a girl his age, or slightly younger, standing next to him with one hand on her hip as she browsed the map lazily. If Shun'u's hair was a brilliant flame-red, hers was a dull burgundy with dyed streaks of yellow, and long enough to be twirled and secured together with a hair stick at the back of her head. Her blood-red eyes strikingly contrasted with the fairness of her skin, and the white tank top, loose khaki brown pants and sneakers did nothing but bring out the smallness of her frame. She was clean of all accessories, save for the simple red ruby pendant stringed by a white-gold chain hanging around her neck. Completing the image was a bubble gum in her mouth that she constantly chewed and blew, irritating Shun'u to no end.
"Yeah, it's big alright. An' who're you? Another ESPer?" he asked, realizing that Chamka was already by his side, annoyed that he had strayed off while he himself was keeping an eye on the call-number.
The girl grinned and extended a hand. "Han Kairu. I'm a new ESPer as of today, and I've just finished my registration to confirm it. Yoroshiku ne."
"Oh, so you're the other newbie who's been found today. By the way, I'm Chamka, and this is Shun'u. He's also a newcomer here, so probably you can look out for each other in future," Chamka said as he took her hand in a handshake.
Kairu raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? No wonder he's looking at the map as if he wants to eat it all up. Hasn't he visited this place before?" She commented as she turned to Shun'u. "At the very least you should have visited those places that are open to the public. Wouldn't you be interested in seeing some of the ESP abilities around here?"
"It's none of yer damn business, onna. An' quit it, Chamka. I can look out for myself. I ain't need anybody ta watch my ass fer me, an' I definitely ain't need anybody telling me ta watch out fer some other's ass." Shun'u spat, slightly insulted by Kairu's earlier remark.
"Who needs to watch out for an ass like yours when your mouth already stinks enough to drive people away? And I definitely don't need anybody to watch out for MY ass, especially from guys like you. Who knows what dirty intentions you might be harboring," Kairu retorted, disgusted by Shun'u's more than unique language. "And don't you come begging me to bring you around if you're lost."
"I'd rather die than kiss your fuckin' ass! I don't need an onna- mmrrph...!!" Shun'u was about to snap back further when Chamka covered a hand over his mouth.
"Don't mind this baka. He sometimes speaks without using his brains. It's nice knowing you. Hope to see you around." Chamka smiled apologetically, noting the unwanted attention they were getting from the other people in the waiting area. Fortunately, Shun'u's turn for registration came, which Chamka gratefully dragged his friend to the counter. "Oy, cut it out! I won't be going through the registration with you so wise up a bit!"
Shun'u reluctantly complied, giving Kairu (who stuck out her tongue at him before leaving the area) one last glare and turning to face the counter officer, "So how'm I s'posed to register?"
The bronze-haired counter officer in front of them looked them over coolly, obviously unperturbed by the slight ruckus earlier. A piece of paper manifested on her extended right hand. "Fill in your particulars on this registration form first, then I'll guide you through," she said as coolly as she looked, a woman no younger than 25 years old. She held out her hand again, upon which a pen also appeared out of the blue, before handing it over to Shun'u.
"Is everybody working here an ESPer too??" Shun'u whispered to Chamka as he filled in his particulars, feeling a little intimidated by the lady ESPer in front of him.
"Not every employee is, since the population of us ESPers is so small. In fact, today has one of the highest number of new ESPer registrations, with only you and that girl whom you quarreled with just now," the counter officer called Hon Shinran, as reflected on her name tag, interrupted, mildly shocking her two customers as she continued. "The average is usually one new ESPer in a month, or even longer. So nobody mans this counter on normal days, unless there's report of a new ESPer. And that's why I'm here today to assist you."
Chamka, having recovered from his minor shock, agreed. "Yeah, Hon-san will be guiding you through the registration. I'm not allowed to accompany you, and anyway I've gotta go back to the academy... running late. So see you later and happy exploring!" He gave a brief wave before rushing off.
"Yeah, jaa." Shun'u muttered as he proceeded to finish up with the last section of the form, pasting a passport-sized photo of himself on the upper right hand corner as required before handing it back to Shinran, who looked slightly amused but did not comment when she took a brief glance at it.
"Okay, come with me," she said, the paper in her hand disappearing into thin air as she walked out of the counter.
[[No wonder there ain't anybody at dat counter earlier... Must've brought dat Han-whatever onna for registration]], Shun'u thought to himself as he followed Shinran out of the administration building, the counter officer's object-disappearing acts giving him the creeps.
As they walked towards the buildings behind the administration block, Shun'u recognized the rectangular building on his right as the Facilities Lodge, which they did not enter, but head straight for the circular, on rather in three-dimensional view, two-storey cylindrical one behind it-the Training Centre. As they approached the main door of the centre, Shinran willed a card to appear in her hand before holding it up against the sensor located beside the door, a beep sounding instantaneously to indicate granted access.
What Shun'u saw inside took him by surprise. The building was simply like a coliseum or circular sports stadium, except that the spectator seats were replaced by rooms lining the two storeys and conjoint to one another by corridors, aligned such that they occupy only the circular perimeter of the whole building. The inner circle that was supposed to be the gladiator arena or track-and-field area was exposed to natural sunlight, which streamed in through a rooftop made of thick glass and steel beam structure. The area was void of any training equipment, and instead of cemented ground, Shun'u saw grass.
Much as the architectural peculiarity fascinated him, Shun'u was more interested in the ten or so people on the grass patch, grouped in pairs of mainly a child-adult combination, and it did not take him long to realize that the older one was the mentor. One child was concentrating intently on hearing his mentor who was standing from a distance, the latter's mouth moving as if talking, but without any sound whatsoever.
Another adult stood beside a little girl no older than nine, gently giving her advice and encouragement as the girl held a glass of water in one hand, eyes focusing hard on the object. Within seconds, bubbles appeared in the water within the glass and increased to a boil before quickly dying down when the little girl stopped abruptly and panted heavily, slightly exhausted from over-exercising her ESP.
Shinran took an expectant sideways glance at Shun'u before explaining, "What you're seeing now are the newer ESPers having their training routines, and since new ESPers have unstable ESP in the beginning, they usually have a mentor who will guide them in controlling their abilities. Let's go. You'll find yourself here soon enough anyway."
They proceeded past the rooms, whose interiors could be seen thanks to the glass wall and door at the front of each room, and Shun'u took a glimpse although all happened to be unoccupied. Except for a few digital gadgets mounted on the wall, they looked like ordinary offices to him, or even more luxurious-chairs, tables, sofas, and even beds, which did nothing but heighten his curiosity. Shun'u made a mental note to check it out some time later; registration is now not even over yet. He nearly bumped into Shinran when she stopped abruptly.
"We're here," Shinran spoke as she knocked the door, opening it when she saw her superior's nod of approval through the glass. "Hou-san, this is our second new ESPer today."
Shun'u noted the "Student Affairs Office" plate on the door, as well as the person behind the desk who was rising to stand as he entered the room. Dressed in light blue, long sleeved shirt, maroon tie and dark grey office pants, this Hou-san looked like any ordinary middle-aged businessman. Although slightly on the overweight side and almost a head shorter than Shun'u, it was the authoritative yet warm aura he exuded that made Shun'u like him upon first impression.
"Hello, you must be Shun'u. I'm Hou Jinnou," he smiled amiably as he extended his arm for a handshake, which Shun'u accepted with a short 'hi'. "Please to meet you. Come, have a seat and make yourself comfortable. Shinran, thanks for bringing Shun'u here. I'll notify you later to collect his ESP data." He smiled at Shinran, who acknowledged with a slight smile- the only one Shun'u could remember since he first saw her at the counter.
"If there's nothing else, I'll go back to the office," Shinran turned to take her leave.
After the door closed behind her, Jinnou and Shun'u settled down opposite each other as the director continued, "Shinran has sent me your registration form. So you're presently in second year of Kaibu College? I heard the school's famous for its basketball team and musical band." He said as he glanced through the scribbled words. "Judging from your awards, I guess your team's doing well with you as captain of the basketball team."
"Nah, no big deal... I juz give 'em some fu- uh... directions here an' there, dat's all," Shun'u commented, trying hard to mind his language. "Too much control is bad. Our onna team's cap'n f- controls too much. Don't think she can get a husband. Dat onna's too tall anyway...even taller than me."
Jinnou gave a hearty laugh. "Well, I think you'll like our basketball team here. They're an interesting bunch."
"So how'd da co-curricular activities go about here?" Shun'u asked, recalling Chamka mentioning about Konan Gakkou operating almost the same way as any non-ESPer school.
"It's basically the same as those in your college," Jinnou replied. "I'll be giving you a set of instruction booklets later for your information. Right now, I need to know more about your ESP. You stated you were able to generate fire?"
Shun'u nodded, keeping mum about the cause of the incident lest he got into more trouble. "Yeah, but not every time. Happens when I ain't expectin' it. An' I think I can only do it with my tessen." He took out the iron fan from his backpack.
"I see, so that's your restriction," Jinnou remarked as he scrutinized the object. "You see, although we have ESP, there is also a limit to which ESPers can use their abilities. For you, I guess it's quite impossible for you to generate any flame without this fan."
[[Dat Chamka didn't freakin' tell me about this. Din't wanna lemme know his weakness, eh? Dat showoff.I'll get him fer dat later]], Shun'u decided. "So Hou-san, are you an ESPer? I heard from Hon-san that non-ESPers also work here."
[[So what do you think?]]
Shun'u's heart skipped a beat when he suddenly heard another voice in his head. He looked at Jinnou, who grinned back and winked.
"Holy shit! So dat's yer ability!" Shun'u exclaimed, all manners totally forgotten.
"Yup, but I've also got my limits," Jinnou answered, undisturbed by Shun'u's lack of etiquette. "I can speak to other people, and even animals, through telepathy, but they can't speak back to me the same way. You should know Shinran's ability by now, right? She can only teleport objects to and fro within a certain distance. That's her ESP limitation. But right now it's still a question mark as to how many limitations there are, and how far an ESPer can push a limitation."
"So dat means other than this tessen, I can't use anything ta fire?" Shun'u queried, a little disappointed with his limitation.
"Yes, but you might have other abilities that you haven't discovered, so don't worry too much about it," Jinnou said, glancing at his watch. "Let's proceed with the registration. The earlier class should have ended. Hold on a moment." He said as he got up from his chair and proceeded to the adjacent room through another door within the office, returning with what looked like a metal earring clip and a stopwatch. "Come with me."
Shun'u followed Jinnou outside to the grass area, where the latter requested that Shun'u clip the earring onto any part of his ear.
"Wat's this?" Shun'u asked as he followed instructions.
"What you're wearing is an ESP transmitter," Jinnou explained before holding up the stopwatch look-alike. "And this is the ESP analyzer. The transmitter consists of a chip that transmits information to the analyzer, which will then record your identity as an ESPer and the nature of your ability. After that, we'll input your information into the ESPer database. This analyzer can also analyze ESP activity in real time."
Shun'u only muttered an 'oh' before Jinnou continued his short lecture. "While training in here, you'll have to put on the transmitter so that we can monitor the progress and stability of your ESP. Only after when your ESP is confirmed to be stabilized will you be allowed to train without it," Jinnou instructed. "Now I want you to try releasing your ESP using your tessen."
"Okay, here goes," Shun'u held up the iron fan before quickly bringing it downwards in one swiping motion. "Hya!"
No flame ignited.
Shun'u flapped and swiped the fan in different directions hoping to find a way to bring on some fire, while a large sweatdrop slowly formed behind Jinnou's head.
After a few more failed attempts, Jinnou finally spoke up, "That's enough, Shun'u. Don't worry, there're many new ESPers like you who can't stimulate their ESP the first time round. Now, I just want you to close your eyes and concentrate. Picture fire being generated from your fan in your head, and you must believe in your ability.
Shun'u did as he was told, closing his eyes and trying to visualize how his former leader ignited the flame, and how he himself had previously ignited the fire. Slowly but surely, he could feel something stirring within him as if waiting to be released. He stood holding his fire, anticipating the climax. [[Now's the time!]] He opened his eyes.
"REKKA......SHINEN!"
With one large swing of the tessen, fire ignited from the tip and followed the path of the swinging action as the iron fan dragged it along, forming a flaming semi-circle.
Shun'u sat panting slightly from over-exhausting his ESP, but the fanged grin on his face was more that enough to describe his excitement and satisfaction in producing the fire, and especially under circumstances where he EXPECTED to produce the flames. He looked up expectantly at Jinnou, "Heh, a little too much eh, Hou-san?"
A slightly charred and singed-haired Jinnou smiled at the boy, giving him a thumbs-up sign while reading the analyzer. "Slightly overdone, but a good one. In fact, your ESP was more stable than I expected it to be. I won't be surprised if you're able to complete basic training faster than normal, young man."
"Whoa, great! Can't wait ta get into fuc- real action soon! Yoshya!" Shun'u punched a fist victoriously into the air. "Wait till Kouji an' Chamka see my power! Ha!"
"I've already instructed Shinran to process your registration," Jinnou said. "Come back next Monday, and report at the admin building at 9am sharp. We will inform Kaibu College about this but meanwhile, you're not allowed to use your ability as long as you're outside this place. I'm sure you know of this regulation."
"Yes, sir. Too bad my buddy ain't able ta see it."
"Well, if he pays you a visit, he'll be able to. Anyway, welcome aboard, my boy," Jinnou smiled paternally as he took back the transmitter that Shun'u returned. "You may go off now. Registration's complete and besides, I've got more visitors." He said as he waved towards the direction of his office where two of his students were waiting, themselves returning the wave.
"Okay, think I'm goin' off then. Hou-san, thanks for the ESP lesson. Jaa ne," Shun'u excused himself as he waved to the two students as well, realizing that one of them was the violet-haired girl he had seen earlier at the administration building. Both students looked surprised for a moment, but smiled and waved back nevertheless. [[Today's a good day]], Shun'u thought as he dashed off to tell Kouji and Chamka about his findings, the door to the training centre closing behind him as he ran.
Beyond Perception: Intuition 2
Taikyoku ESPer Organization, or TESPO for short, is the main ESPer organization of the country located right smack in the middle of the four states: Hokkan in the North, Konan in the South, Kutou in the East, and Sairou in the West. Being the focal association of all ESPers in the country, it oversees the operations of its four institutions: Hokkan, Konan, Kutou, and Sairou ESPer State Institutions in their respective states, which in turn cater to ESPers living in those areas.
It is legally mandated that ESPers, at the first sign of their ESP ability, are to register themselves at TESPO or one of the institutions, whichever nearest, within the next 24 hours. The first signs of ESP usually occur between the ages of seven to 12 years, but in other cases like Shun'u's and Chamka's, such abilities will not show until much later, but not after 21 years of age, where chances of showing any first indication of ESP are slim. Even rarer are the occurrences of ESP display at birth, it being that propensity and aptitude to ESP is too insufficient and undeveloped at such infant stage.
"Sugoi..."
Shun'u was completely awed by the immensity of Konan ESPer Institution as he stood at the gates gaping at it, itself resembling that of a mini university campus. Before discovering his ESP ability, he never bothered visiting its premises even though certain areas were open to public, instead busying himself with Reikaku gang activities, Kouji and booze. And even after quitting the gang and getting acquainted with Chamka, he never did make an effort to pop in for a peek or two, claiming it to be "simply a freakin' waste o' time fer non-ESPers like us", to quote him.
"Are you regretting now about never coming to this place before?" Chamka raised an eyebrow as he glanced at the red-haired teenager. "Bet you'll have a hard time figuring your way around for a while."
"SUGOI!" Shun'u exclaimed, ignoring all of Chamka's earlier comment. "I'm finally gettin' some freedom from home! Ya won't believe how choked up I am in dat house. Imagine five freakin' onnas at yer neck every second!" He cheered and thanked the institution for not only providing compulsory hostel lodging to ESPer students, but also limiting them within the institution on weekdays, allowing them to go back home only during the weekends-another nationally-imposed restriction to prevent young ESPers from recklessly abusing their abilities in public. While many viewed such a restriction as a minus point, Shun'u happily welcomed it.
Chamka sighed, resigned to the fact that he has an utterly tactless, loud- and foul-mouthed teenager as his friend. "I pity your family for having such an unfilial son. But come to think of it, it's a bit tough living together with five...um...interesting...women." He gulped as he recalled seeing Shun'u either being squashed breathless with his mother's hugs or bludgeoned to near-death by his four sisters' friendly punches every time he dropped by next door. Just a few hours ago, he and Kouji had accompanied Shun'u back home to announce to his family his new-found ESPer status, only to find their poor friend being surrounded by five excited women, each giving him their usual 'affection', this time an experience five-fold from usual that Shun'u would never ever forget. "Let's go."
Both of them proceeded past the gates towards the three-storey building right in front, the "Administration" letters laid out in bold prominently. The architecture of the building itself was simple yet professional, its whole exterior almost totally made of glass. As they passed through the auto door, Shun'u noticed a row of counters catering to a wide variety of services including 'General', 'Student Affairs', 'Finance', and of course, 'Admissions'. They pressed the ticket machine button for a number before settling down on one of the seats to wait for their turn to be called.
As Shun'u fidgeted restlessly on his seat, he observed the interior surroundings to while away a little time. Since that day fell on a weekend, it was no wonder that the place was a little crowded, but not many to the extent that people had to stand due to unavailable seats. He noted the majority of them streaming to the Information counter, while most of those his age or younger headed for the one labeled 'Student Affairs'. [[So those must be ESPers]], he thought as he casually observed one particular violet- head girl get up and stroll towards the counter when a new number flashed on the wall's digital screen.
Unable to stay in one place for long without doing anything, Shun'u stood up to walk around. He parked himself in front of the campus map mounted on a part of one glass wall, locating the 'YOU ARE HERE' marking on an octagonal shape that he presumed belonged to that of the building he was presently standing in. Behind the octagon on its immediate right were two large squares, linked to each other by a slightly smaller circle, with the words 'CLASSROOM BLOCK' in bold and pasted neatly next to the combined form.
Directly behind this two-squares-one-circle combination, another structure named "HALLS OF RESIDENCE" was represented by the shape of a cross no smaller than the classroom block. [[So this is where I should be staying]], Shun'u wondered as his eyes drifted over to the right side of the map. On the octagon's immediate left were two other structures-a rectangular-shaped edifice labeled 'FACILITIES LODGE' and behind it a circular building known as 'TRAINING CENTRE'. All geographical information of the institution was listed out in detail on the map, from building name down to the smallest washroom location.
"Big, huh?" A female voice interrupted Shun'u's self-help geography lesson.
He turned around to find a girl his age, or slightly younger, standing next to him with one hand on her hip as she browsed the map lazily. If Shun'u's hair was a brilliant flame-red, hers was a dull burgundy with dyed streaks of yellow, and long enough to be twirled and secured together with a hair stick at the back of her head. Her blood-red eyes strikingly contrasted with the fairness of her skin, and the white tank top, loose khaki brown pants and sneakers did nothing but bring out the smallness of her frame. She was clean of all accessories, save for the simple red ruby pendant stringed by a white-gold chain hanging around her neck. Completing the image was a bubble gum in her mouth that she constantly chewed and blew, irritating Shun'u to no end.
"Yeah, it's big alright. An' who're you? Another ESPer?" he asked, realizing that Chamka was already by his side, annoyed that he had strayed off while he himself was keeping an eye on the call-number.
The girl grinned and extended a hand. "Han Kairu. I'm a new ESPer as of today, and I've just finished my registration to confirm it. Yoroshiku ne."
"Oh, so you're the other newbie who's been found today. By the way, I'm Chamka, and this is Shun'u. He's also a newcomer here, so probably you can look out for each other in future," Chamka said as he took her hand in a handshake.
Kairu raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? No wonder he's looking at the map as if he wants to eat it all up. Hasn't he visited this place before?" She commented as she turned to Shun'u. "At the very least you should have visited those places that are open to the public. Wouldn't you be interested in seeing some of the ESP abilities around here?"
"It's none of yer damn business, onna. An' quit it, Chamka. I can look out for myself. I ain't need anybody ta watch my ass fer me, an' I definitely ain't need anybody telling me ta watch out fer some other's ass." Shun'u spat, slightly insulted by Kairu's earlier remark.
"Who needs to watch out for an ass like yours when your mouth already stinks enough to drive people away? And I definitely don't need anybody to watch out for MY ass, especially from guys like you. Who knows what dirty intentions you might be harboring," Kairu retorted, disgusted by Shun'u's more than unique language. "And don't you come begging me to bring you around if you're lost."
"I'd rather die than kiss your fuckin' ass! I don't need an onna- mmrrph...!!" Shun'u was about to snap back further when Chamka covered a hand over his mouth.
"Don't mind this baka. He sometimes speaks without using his brains. It's nice knowing you. Hope to see you around." Chamka smiled apologetically, noting the unwanted attention they were getting from the other people in the waiting area. Fortunately, Shun'u's turn for registration came, which Chamka gratefully dragged his friend to the counter. "Oy, cut it out! I won't be going through the registration with you so wise up a bit!"
Shun'u reluctantly complied, giving Kairu (who stuck out her tongue at him before leaving the area) one last glare and turning to face the counter officer, "So how'm I s'posed to register?"
The bronze-haired counter officer in front of them looked them over coolly, obviously unperturbed by the slight ruckus earlier. A piece of paper manifested on her extended right hand. "Fill in your particulars on this registration form first, then I'll guide you through," she said as coolly as she looked, a woman no younger than 25 years old. She held out her hand again, upon which a pen also appeared out of the blue, before handing it over to Shun'u.
"Is everybody working here an ESPer too??" Shun'u whispered to Chamka as he filled in his particulars, feeling a little intimidated by the lady ESPer in front of him.
"Not every employee is, since the population of us ESPers is so small. In fact, today has one of the highest number of new ESPer registrations, with only you and that girl whom you quarreled with just now," the counter officer called Hon Shinran, as reflected on her name tag, interrupted, mildly shocking her two customers as she continued. "The average is usually one new ESPer in a month, or even longer. So nobody mans this counter on normal days, unless there's report of a new ESPer. And that's why I'm here today to assist you."
Chamka, having recovered from his minor shock, agreed. "Yeah, Hon-san will be guiding you through the registration. I'm not allowed to accompany you, and anyway I've gotta go back to the academy... running late. So see you later and happy exploring!" He gave a brief wave before rushing off.
"Yeah, jaa." Shun'u muttered as he proceeded to finish up with the last section of the form, pasting a passport-sized photo of himself on the upper right hand corner as required before handing it back to Shinran, who looked slightly amused but did not comment when she took a brief glance at it.
"Okay, come with me," she said, the paper in her hand disappearing into thin air as she walked out of the counter.
[[No wonder there ain't anybody at dat counter earlier... Must've brought dat Han-whatever onna for registration]], Shun'u thought to himself as he followed Shinran out of the administration building, the counter officer's object-disappearing acts giving him the creeps.
As they walked towards the buildings behind the administration block, Shun'u recognized the rectangular building on his right as the Facilities Lodge, which they did not enter, but head straight for the circular, on rather in three-dimensional view, two-storey cylindrical one behind it-the Training Centre. As they approached the main door of the centre, Shinran willed a card to appear in her hand before holding it up against the sensor located beside the door, a beep sounding instantaneously to indicate granted access.
What Shun'u saw inside took him by surprise. The building was simply like a coliseum or circular sports stadium, except that the spectator seats were replaced by rooms lining the two storeys and conjoint to one another by corridors, aligned such that they occupy only the circular perimeter of the whole building. The inner circle that was supposed to be the gladiator arena or track-and-field area was exposed to natural sunlight, which streamed in through a rooftop made of thick glass and steel beam structure. The area was void of any training equipment, and instead of cemented ground, Shun'u saw grass.
Much as the architectural peculiarity fascinated him, Shun'u was more interested in the ten or so people on the grass patch, grouped in pairs of mainly a child-adult combination, and it did not take him long to realize that the older one was the mentor. One child was concentrating intently on hearing his mentor who was standing from a distance, the latter's mouth moving as if talking, but without any sound whatsoever.
Another adult stood beside a little girl no older than nine, gently giving her advice and encouragement as the girl held a glass of water in one hand, eyes focusing hard on the object. Within seconds, bubbles appeared in the water within the glass and increased to a boil before quickly dying down when the little girl stopped abruptly and panted heavily, slightly exhausted from over-exercising her ESP.
Shinran took an expectant sideways glance at Shun'u before explaining, "What you're seeing now are the newer ESPers having their training routines, and since new ESPers have unstable ESP in the beginning, they usually have a mentor who will guide them in controlling their abilities. Let's go. You'll find yourself here soon enough anyway."
They proceeded past the rooms, whose interiors could be seen thanks to the glass wall and door at the front of each room, and Shun'u took a glimpse although all happened to be unoccupied. Except for a few digital gadgets mounted on the wall, they looked like ordinary offices to him, or even more luxurious-chairs, tables, sofas, and even beds, which did nothing but heighten his curiosity. Shun'u made a mental note to check it out some time later; registration is now not even over yet. He nearly bumped into Shinran when she stopped abruptly.
"We're here," Shinran spoke as she knocked the door, opening it when she saw her superior's nod of approval through the glass. "Hou-san, this is our second new ESPer today."
Shun'u noted the "Student Affairs Office" plate on the door, as well as the person behind the desk who was rising to stand as he entered the room. Dressed in light blue, long sleeved shirt, maroon tie and dark grey office pants, this Hou-san looked like any ordinary middle-aged businessman. Although slightly on the overweight side and almost a head shorter than Shun'u, it was the authoritative yet warm aura he exuded that made Shun'u like him upon first impression.
"Hello, you must be Shun'u. I'm Hou Jinnou," he smiled amiably as he extended his arm for a handshake, which Shun'u accepted with a short 'hi'. "Please to meet you. Come, have a seat and make yourself comfortable. Shinran, thanks for bringing Shun'u here. I'll notify you later to collect his ESP data." He smiled at Shinran, who acknowledged with a slight smile- the only one Shun'u could remember since he first saw her at the counter.
"If there's nothing else, I'll go back to the office," Shinran turned to take her leave.
After the door closed behind her, Jinnou and Shun'u settled down opposite each other as the director continued, "Shinran has sent me your registration form. So you're presently in second year of Kaibu College? I heard the school's famous for its basketball team and musical band." He said as he glanced through the scribbled words. "Judging from your awards, I guess your team's doing well with you as captain of the basketball team."
"Nah, no big deal... I juz give 'em some fu- uh... directions here an' there, dat's all," Shun'u commented, trying hard to mind his language. "Too much control is bad. Our onna team's cap'n f- controls too much. Don't think she can get a husband. Dat onna's too tall anyway...even taller than me."
Jinnou gave a hearty laugh. "Well, I think you'll like our basketball team here. They're an interesting bunch."
"So how'd da co-curricular activities go about here?" Shun'u asked, recalling Chamka mentioning about Konan Gakkou operating almost the same way as any non-ESPer school.
"It's basically the same as those in your college," Jinnou replied. "I'll be giving you a set of instruction booklets later for your information. Right now, I need to know more about your ESP. You stated you were able to generate fire?"
Shun'u nodded, keeping mum about the cause of the incident lest he got into more trouble. "Yeah, but not every time. Happens when I ain't expectin' it. An' I think I can only do it with my tessen." He took out the iron fan from his backpack.
"I see, so that's your restriction," Jinnou remarked as he scrutinized the object. "You see, although we have ESP, there is also a limit to which ESPers can use their abilities. For you, I guess it's quite impossible for you to generate any flame without this fan."
[[Dat Chamka didn't freakin' tell me about this. Din't wanna lemme know his weakness, eh? Dat showoff.I'll get him fer dat later]], Shun'u decided. "So Hou-san, are you an ESPer? I heard from Hon-san that non-ESPers also work here."
[[So what do you think?]]
Shun'u's heart skipped a beat when he suddenly heard another voice in his head. He looked at Jinnou, who grinned back and winked.
"Holy shit! So dat's yer ability!" Shun'u exclaimed, all manners totally forgotten.
"Yup, but I've also got my limits," Jinnou answered, undisturbed by Shun'u's lack of etiquette. "I can speak to other people, and even animals, through telepathy, but they can't speak back to me the same way. You should know Shinran's ability by now, right? She can only teleport objects to and fro within a certain distance. That's her ESP limitation. But right now it's still a question mark as to how many limitations there are, and how far an ESPer can push a limitation."
"So dat means other than this tessen, I can't use anything ta fire?" Shun'u queried, a little disappointed with his limitation.
"Yes, but you might have other abilities that you haven't discovered, so don't worry too much about it," Jinnou said, glancing at his watch. "Let's proceed with the registration. The earlier class should have ended. Hold on a moment." He said as he got up from his chair and proceeded to the adjacent room through another door within the office, returning with what looked like a metal earring clip and a stopwatch. "Come with me."
Shun'u followed Jinnou outside to the grass area, where the latter requested that Shun'u clip the earring onto any part of his ear.
"Wat's this?" Shun'u asked as he followed instructions.
"What you're wearing is an ESP transmitter," Jinnou explained before holding up the stopwatch look-alike. "And this is the ESP analyzer. The transmitter consists of a chip that transmits information to the analyzer, which will then record your identity as an ESPer and the nature of your ability. After that, we'll input your information into the ESPer database. This analyzer can also analyze ESP activity in real time."
Shun'u only muttered an 'oh' before Jinnou continued his short lecture. "While training in here, you'll have to put on the transmitter so that we can monitor the progress and stability of your ESP. Only after when your ESP is confirmed to be stabilized will you be allowed to train without it," Jinnou instructed. "Now I want you to try releasing your ESP using your tessen."
"Okay, here goes," Shun'u held up the iron fan before quickly bringing it downwards in one swiping motion. "Hya!"
No flame ignited.
Shun'u flapped and swiped the fan in different directions hoping to find a way to bring on some fire, while a large sweatdrop slowly formed behind Jinnou's head.
After a few more failed attempts, Jinnou finally spoke up, "That's enough, Shun'u. Don't worry, there're many new ESPers like you who can't stimulate their ESP the first time round. Now, I just want you to close your eyes and concentrate. Picture fire being generated from your fan in your head, and you must believe in your ability.
Shun'u did as he was told, closing his eyes and trying to visualize how his former leader ignited the flame, and how he himself had previously ignited the fire. Slowly but surely, he could feel something stirring within him as if waiting to be released. He stood holding his fire, anticipating the climax. [[Now's the time!]] He opened his eyes.
"REKKA......SHINEN!"
With one large swing of the tessen, fire ignited from the tip and followed the path of the swinging action as the iron fan dragged it along, forming a flaming semi-circle.
Shun'u sat panting slightly from over-exhausting his ESP, but the fanged grin on his face was more that enough to describe his excitement and satisfaction in producing the fire, and especially under circumstances where he EXPECTED to produce the flames. He looked up expectantly at Jinnou, "Heh, a little too much eh, Hou-san?"
A slightly charred and singed-haired Jinnou smiled at the boy, giving him a thumbs-up sign while reading the analyzer. "Slightly overdone, but a good one. In fact, your ESP was more stable than I expected it to be. I won't be surprised if you're able to complete basic training faster than normal, young man."
"Whoa, great! Can't wait ta get into fuc- real action soon! Yoshya!" Shun'u punched a fist victoriously into the air. "Wait till Kouji an' Chamka see my power! Ha!"
"I've already instructed Shinran to process your registration," Jinnou said. "Come back next Monday, and report at the admin building at 9am sharp. We will inform Kaibu College about this but meanwhile, you're not allowed to use your ability as long as you're outside this place. I'm sure you know of this regulation."
"Yes, sir. Too bad my buddy ain't able ta see it."
"Well, if he pays you a visit, he'll be able to. Anyway, welcome aboard, my boy," Jinnou smiled paternally as he took back the transmitter that Shun'u returned. "You may go off now. Registration's complete and besides, I've got more visitors." He said as he waved towards the direction of his office where two of his students were waiting, themselves returning the wave.
"Okay, think I'm goin' off then. Hou-san, thanks for the ESP lesson. Jaa ne," Shun'u excused himself as he waved to the two students as well, realizing that one of them was the violet-haired girl he had seen earlier at the administration building. Both students looked surprised for a moment, but smiled and waved back nevertheless. [[Today's a good day]], Shun'u thought as he dashed off to tell Kouji and Chamka about his findings, the door to the training centre closing behind him as he ran.