Thank you very much for your patience and I apologize for the people who read this story!
Whoa whoa! Hold on there buddy before you get excited (Or not) it might be better to lower your expectation (Or not if you already had low expectations)
This story will take a very much different direction from the originally intended direction.
Specifically; From the Rider defeats evil everyday road to the Alternis with OC Highway (You'll find out what Alternis is later as you read)
Not only that this story is the first attempt of mine to incorporate semi-original ideas, characters and minimal romance maybe? Tell me if you guys like my OCs and how I wrote them.
Quite nervous actually since now I'm out of my comfort zone and trying out new things plus this will serve as a warm-up for Grimgar: An Unexpected Journey. I already have some drafts but I'll hold on to that and see how you guys will take this.
You guys know honest trailers? You do? Then can you give me an honest review? Be as nitpicky as much as you want from the smallest typos to the biggest plot holes! Break my heart even! Those things are better than ignoring you know?
In this story I want to improve because in my bucket list I want to write a book of my own!
EIGHT MAN THE DARK RIDER
"…Are you a Chuuni?" I asked the peculiar man with messy gray hair. His foxy eyes seemed like its forever closed despite him wearing a pair of glasses, however the bags under his eyes suggests that he needs some sleep. He wore a white long sleeved coat over a black turtle neck shirt, a simple pair of gray jeans and a pair of black dress shoes.
"You wish I was!" He exclaimed standing up with both hands on hips "You can call me Professor Haans or Haans for short" Then he waved over a woman who also seems to be in her twenties "And this lovely lady here~"
"Pretty weird guy right?" She asked bluntly before introducing herself "The name's Mary" She has orange colored hair, a long low ponytail along with bangs that ended with curls. She had a playful grin on her face despite the bags under her sharp red eyes. Her outfit consisted of a black long trench coat, a white v-neck t-shirt, a pair of blue skinny jeans and a pair of slip-on running shoes "We're both from the JSDF" Hearing this information stunned me.
"Uh Hachiman Hikigaya" I introduced myself feeling overwhelmed in the presence of two JSDF members.
"Heh we know that already Hikigaya-Kun" Mary-San said casually "Please forget everything Professor Haans said to you" She said knocking the Professor on the head "He tends to get overexcited"
"Oh then…"
"Yep! This isn't a private hospital, we're at the local Hospital" She said opening the curtains showing me the town I live in…Oh and there's the school…That wasn't what I had in mind though "Everything else he said was true even though he said it in an exaggerated manner" She side eyed the Professor who just shrugged with an idiotic smile.
"Yeah sure…So what do I have to do with this…'R' thing?" I asked playing along.
"…Haaaah alright I'll take it from here Professor" Mary-San said taking a chair and placing it besides me.
"Sure, I'm not that good at explaining things other than my research" The professor shrugged and then exited the room.
"Alright Hikigaya-Kun, it is very clear to me that you don't trust us" She started, pulling over a television at the foot of the bed and inserted a CD into the built in player "I'll just show you this and hopefully you'll understand what we got ourselves into"
"We?" I inquired only to be silenced with a finger on my lips.
"Sush sush it's starting!" I put the sensation of her soft finger at the back of my mind and watched the TV.
"Are you recording this dad?" The hushed whisper of a girl asked as the recorder attempted to focus the camera on a group of black robed people in the middle of a forest clearing at night, mingling around.
"Y-Yeah I am" The father responded with an equal volume "What the heck are they doing…?"
"Dad, turn the camera to me" The father did so and focused on her daughter "Ame reporting here, while my father and I were about to go to sleep in our tent, we heard a bunch of mumbling voices. We followed it and saw" She took the camera and turned it towards the black robed group "This"
"…What are you doing?" The father asked.
"You know I wanted to be a reporter right?" Ame responded "This could give me the job at Channel 7!" She exclaimed quietly "Ah they're forming a circle" Ame refocused on the group "Looks like the leader, I assume, has come" An orange robed person had walked into the centre bearing a black western sword that had a black aura around it
"Is this a cult or something?" The father uttered out of the shot.
"Tonight" The leader had a masculine and deep voice "Shall be the beginning of Chaos and Despair!" The black robes cheered "And when there's nothing left to hope for shall we truly be free!" The orange robed raised the black sword "Now without further ado…I summon thee, PORTAL OF ALTERNIS!" The sword was stabbed into the ground and seconds later the wind picked up tremendously.
"What the-?!" As the wind was noticeably rotating at the centre, where the orange robed was standing, Ame focused at the centre of it and raised the camera slowly until it reached…The sky…That had a hole in it…Or more accurately a circle with a starry night sky was in the middle of a dark clouded night sky… "It's a portal…" Ame uttered as she was being dragged away from it by, I assume, the father.
"Hah hah…Good thing your 'news footage' wasn't an orgy party this time huh?" The father said out of breath and out of the shot as Ame continued recording the portal "Ame let's get-" Judging from the camera being dropped and the vibration there must be an earthquake and as it ended the head of a dragon appeared from the portal "Ame!" The dragon breathed out fire and everything went white. Nothing happened for a while except for some static and booming sounds until Ames' voice was heard.
"Ugh…Ngh….A-Ah…Whoever sees this" She faced the camera burnt and enduring "Please be careful" She strained a smile and looked up, her face shone bright "Ame...Out" It went white again and that was the end of the video.
"…Judging from that expression on your face you must be considering whether to believe us or not" She smirked.
"That was either really realistic CGI or…Really real" I said contemplating on what to do then decided to ask questions first "How did you get that though? Wouldn't a dragon's fire breath melt it?"
"It was recorded using a Nokia Quadruple Armstrong Laser Armstrong Video Camera Quadruple Armstrong Laser 2.0" She deadpanned.
"I…Have no response to that"
"If you want further proof then I can show you the girl and the father in the morgue at Kyoto"
"I rather not…" I answered and stayed silent.
"Well then seeing as you have nothing further to say, let me explain" She said and cleared her throat "Ahem! The video was recovered three years ago after a 'Forest Fire' occurred" She finger quoted "Many events like this has occurred but they were small and isolated. The world leaders decided to contain the situation before things get worse and hired the best of the best to destroy these things that came out of the portal" She then gave a small stack of papers to me "Unfortunately even that proved to be difficult as both officials and civilians took matters into their own hands" The cover said 'Casualties'.
"Isn't this classified?" I asked with a raised brow.
"It is and I have permission to show it to others" I nodded and skimmed through the papers, many has either gone mad, missing, crippled or dead.
"And what do I have anything to do with this?" And giving me a list of casualties is not very reassuring…
"I'm getting to that" She answered and continued her explanation "At first we were losing and some of the higher ups were desperate to launch a missile every time a portal opens including the docile monsters" She then took out her phone and showed me a picture of a simple black western sword that the orange robed person held "Until we found this"
"A sword?"
"Yep!" She chirped "Two monsters were summoned at Indonesia and one of them killed the other, this sword appeared when that dead monster vaporized into nothing! One of our guys was there during a mission with their army so after some political fuss we got it" She smirked proudly.
"So…You guys did some experimenting with it?"
"Quick one aren't you? Yeah Professor Haans and some other scientists did their science mumbo jumbo on it and as a result we received some form of repressed ball of aura from it"
"The sword shat something out?" I asked scratching my armpit.
"What?! No!" She answered with furrowed brows.
"Sounds like it shat something out" Wow when was the last time I shaved my pits?
"Wha-Shut up and let me continue!" I did so "Ahem anyway we found out that we could receive one out of five, as far as we know, abilities that could help us on our fight against these monsters" Sounds like a comic show "Unfortunately people age higher than 20 could not receive these abilities"
"Ah so this is where I come in" I said scratching my other armpit "But why teenagers?" So bushy…
"We don't know" She shook her head "It's been like that so far, almost 100 of our guys couldn't get anything from it including me" She looked down in disappointment for a bit and then looked back up at me "And that's why you're here!"
"I see...But what if I said 'I don't want to get involved?" She laughed nervously at that.
"Ah hehe…he…Well what if I told you there's a reason- well not so much a reason but an excuse as to why we hit you by accident?" I raised a brow at the answer "…While we were sending a letter to your house we were…Being chased by a monster…"
"…What?!" I exclaimed quietly, surprised at the information.
"D-Don't worry we shook him off…Or more accurately we don't know where it is"
"Was it chasing you specifically?!" I asked worriedly.
"We don't know but that's why right now we need you to use Alternis Hikigaya-Kun" I looked at her with anxiousness "It could be anywhere nearby right now"
"Why didn't you just left me on the road and called an ambulance?"
"Because we don't know if it'll also target you…And both Haans and me can't use Alternis" She said looking down "Sorry"
"…Haaaah alright give me this Alternis thing"
"What? You believe me? That was faster than the others"
"I didn't say I believe you but if this Alternis thing is real then so does the other things you told me and what do you mean by the others?"
"Oh well-"
"Mary! Code Delta Charlie!" Professor Haans yelled barging into the room, Mary-San nodded and turned to me.
"Alright Hikigaya-Kun, I hope you'll be able to get the Suit. Good luck" She said and went to setup something by the door while Professor Haans stood at the foot of the bed and aimed a gun towards the door.
"Tear the ball in half Hikigaya-Kun, we'll hold off the monster as long as we could" He said giving me a thumb up and a black squishy ball. This is Alternis? "Just tear it in half and then you'll be taken to Alternis"
"Okay…Time to see if this is real or not" I whispered to myself and proceeded to tear the black squishy ball in half, everything went black after that.
I opened my eyes to see that I was floating through a planet-less starry space…
Ah…I can't move my mouth…It looks like I can move my body but that would be pointless seeing as there's nothing to reach for here…Where am I?
(You are in the surplus aura of Alternis)
Another voice responded, multiple of it actually, I looked around and couldn't see anyone around.
So…Everything here is you?
(Correct…Hmmm you are very intriguing)
What makes you say so?
(You are the incarnation of millions of defeated beings)
…I'm a loser even in my previous lives?
(Yes and not one being in your incarnation line has won anything, ranging from a particle that failed to connect with another particle to a monkey who couldn't peel a banana and died due to starvation, not knowing that it could eat without peeling the banana)
…Then am I destined to die an idiots death in this life too?
(I could see many worlds where that is the case but…You will not be defeated in this life and world now that Alternis is heavily being harnessed by you mortals…You are worthy to bear Alternis)
Worthy…Speaking of which what is Alternis?
(You are not ready for that knowledge)
I'm worthy to bear you but I'm not ready to know- You know what? I don't care anymore.
(Excellent, for time moves slowly in your world)
He showed me a vision of Mary-San and Professor Haans gunning down a white humanoid monster that wore a black suit and tie.
What is that?!
(Namuh, a creature of trickery. It has a master and it will see to it that its orders are to be met. Now…Human I shall not only give you the suit of Alternis but also bestow you one other power)
That sounds nice but why?
(In all of your previous lives you did not die a fool's death, each and every death was self-sacrifice…The particle, the monkey, I even foresaw you dying in a zombie apocalypse on the 7th Chapter)
7th Chapter? That fast? Well…That sucks…
(And no matter which reality I see it is the same with you. This is the first ever attempt of Alternis to meddle in a mortals' fate)
Then…I'll accept your help….
(Excellent, I shall give you the Suit of Alternis first then the other power shall appear in time)
Alright…How do I use this suit?
(Simply utter the word 'Beginning' to fuse with Alternis and 'Ending' to defuse from Alternis)
Well…That was simple enough
(Now march forward, further prolonged discussion will lead to death of two. Thy journey shall be assisted by Alternis and thy fate shall be witnessed by Alternis)
"Hikigaya-Kun…" I opened my eyes to see Mary-San looking down at me with blood dripping down her forehead and shoulder with her arms up horizontally, a sharp object could be seen stabbed through her shoulder "…About…Time you…Showed up" She smirked before falling on the ground "Heh you look calmer than I thought" She uttered before going unconscious…She protected me?
"Hikigaya-Kun! She's going to be fine, we need you to fight!" I snapped out of it and looked up to see Professor Haans holding the Namuh in his arms and barely keeping it at bay. I proceeded to attack the Namuh by throwing a fist to its faceless face "Hop!" Professor Haans rolled out of the way as I took the battle to the hallways where many other patients and hospital staffs ran away from.
"This feeling…" I raised my hands to see it embraced by a skin that looked like a starry night sky "This is Alternis?" I also noticed my voice is replaced by Alternis' voice.
"Dis- Fee- Feeling" Raising my head, I saw Namuh standing back up and it was twitching like crazy "Obstruction found- obstruction found- Commencing Destructive mode" It sharpened its hand and dashed towards me who was unprepared at the moment and stabbed me on the chest...I didn't felt anything. I open my eyes and looked down to see it phasing through…Well this feels weird.
"Hmph!" I grabbed its arm and spun around, throwing it across the hall. It crashed into a bunch of furniture, a few seconds of silence later he stood up from the rubble "Fuck…" It had a face now and not only that a whole normal body…And it was mine!
"Objective completed" Ugh is that what I sound like? "Sub-Objective failure. Commencing diversion" It's gonna escape?!
"Shit!" I was about chase it but it threw the broken furniture at me, it phased through but a crashing sound still occurred behind me.
"Agh!" I looked behind me to see Professor Haans, he was the one that got hit by the phased through broken furniture. I looked back at the Namuh only to see a sliver of its foot as it jumped from the windows.
"Damn…Something impersonated me…" I approached Professor Haans "You okay, Professor?" I asked as I reached for him.
"Yeah I'm-" His hand phased through mine as he was about to grab it, making him fall on his face "Okay…"
"Err sorry…" I looked at the broken mirror on the floor; my whole body is like a starry night sky. I didn't have any holes for eyes but I still could see like I normally do. Also I feel really invigorated despite being in an accident recently…Ah I need to stop the transformation "Ending" Alternis vaporized into the air and into nothing as I ended it "Here" I reached for Professor Haans again and helped him stand.
"Ugh~ okay I'm fine now hooh…Hooh man I should work out some more" He said as he popped his backbone "Hey Mary! I'll be back with the doctors!" He yelled towards the room we were in and ran to another floor. I ran inside the room, feeling a bit worried and kneeled down to see if she was breathing.
"Ugh…" She grunted as she was waking up "Hikigaya-Kun? Hmph…You okay?" She asked grabbing my shoulder to stand up.
"Shouldn't you be worried about yourself first?" I asked back as I helped her get onto the bed I lied on before.
"Heh…Worried about me? I'm flattered" She said rubbing my head to which I softly slap away "…Is it gone?"
"It's not dead"
"But it's gone?" I nodded "Haaaah thank you…This is the first time we encountered a monster that's that aggressive" I raised a brow at that.
"A dragon wasn't aggressive?" I deadpanned.
"It…Wasn't actually, the dragon said…In our minds that he was summoned here…During a battle with another dragon so that's why he was breathing fire and that he will only live in the forest and mountains, he won't be disturbing the people of this world" She explained and then gripped the bed strongly "But I've heard worse from the others and we finally got a chance against these bastards…"
"…By the way…Thanks for protecting me…" I said after she relaxed a little.
"Oh that? No need to thank me civilian just doing my job" Her words does not match her proud boasting smirk "I'm glad you got the suit otherwise things would've gone badly" She said and then Professor Haans and a bunch of doctors came in with a stretcher.
"Get her to the ICU!" The doctor yelled as they were lifting Mary-San, I noticed the smirk on her face as she gave me a thumb up.
"Haaaaah I'm freaking tired" I grumbled to myself as I walked home. The sun was setting and I thought about the recent events that happened.
After the surgery I visited Mary-San, she slept soundly with a smile even. Professor Haans briefly explained to me that the government has setup a 'Youth Training Program' as a semi-font for recruiting Alternis users. The 'students' that got chosen will receive many incentives and boy those incentives sure sounds nice especially the lifetime supply of cat food, now Kamakura's fatass won't bother us anymore.
So I decided to fight not only for the incentives but also for my family's safety, they're safety takes priority over mine.
Professor Haans told me to meet him at a maid café after school tomorrow; I'll be having a tour of the facility where the 'Program' will take place.
"I'm home" I called out as I walked through the door. Mary-San said they were sending a letter to my house but I didn't find any in the mailbox.
"Onii-Chan! Onii-Chan! Check this out!" Komachi ran up to me and shoved a piece of paper in front of my face "You're chosen for a 'Special Youth Training Program'!" Oh…She has it. I grabbed the mail and skimmed through it…Yep it's like how Professor Haans explained.
"Yep I know, some officials came and explained it to me at school already"
"That's great! Now you don't need to worry about whether or not you'll get a job!"
"I'm still planning on becoming a house husband though" I said as I went to the couch and plopped myself on it meanwhile Komachi went and sat on my back like it was her property.
"Hmph~ Onii-Chan~" She growled cutely "You and I both know you need a wife to be a house husband" Geez Komachi that stung… "So you better get a job in the future otherwise you'll be a house brother for me" She grinned looking down at me.
"I'll be a house brother then" I responded to which she giggled.
"Hehehe alright let me cook dinner for tonight, you look really tired" I really do feel tired…That's weird, I felt invigorated when wearing Alternis.
After she cooked dinner and dragged me to the dining table we began eating "Ittadakimasu" We said together "So Komachi which college are you going to?" I asked after drinking a bit of water.
"Pfftt~ come on Onii-Chan it's way too early to think about that" She responded "Even if there is an incentive of the government paying our educational bills we shouldn't rush into things-" Komachis voice became incoherent mumbles as I spaced out.
I never thought I get to eat dinner with her tonight after what just happened…I could've died now that I think about it…A second later of anything and I could've died…Why was I so calm in that fight? The anxiousness would've started during and after the fight and would probably go away after a while…Maybe it's one of the effects of bearing Alternis…
Regardless I'm glad I could see Komachi one last time before moving to the dormitory as the program requires me to do so…Haaah well at least people can visit us every Sunday…Once I fight though…
"Onii-Chan, are you listening?" I felt a single grape hit my forehead making me snap back into reality "Are you that tired?" She asked with a worried expression.
"…I'm gonna miss you Komachi" I said which caused her to be a bit embarrassed.
"G-Geez Onii-Chan I can visit every Sunday you know?" She pouted with a bit of red on her cheeks.
"I know but what kind of siscon am I if I'm not gonna miss you on the first day of being away from you?" I joked, smiling a bit.
"…Gross" She smiled back "I'll visit you every Sunday so be sure to have some free time on that day got that?"
"You do know who you're talking to right?" I responded.
"I don't mind if you have plans though, you might make some new friends. After all it's a new start" She grinned and returned to her dinner.
"I doubt that"
-The Next Day-
Last night after Komachi and I told mom and dad about the 'Youth Training Program' they were exhilarated to know that I will have an easy future. However as per usual I shot down their expectation expertly, telling them 'I might still make bad decisions' but they still believe in me and will support me…Hope they won't find out that I'll actually be fighting monsters that emerges from portals…I told them I'll be having a tour of 'CYTI', Chiba Youth Training Institute, after school today.
Speaking of school, Hiratsuka-Sensei, my teacher at Sobu High School, received the memo about the program. She didn't asked why I was absent yesterday so I suspect some of the officials for the 'program' talked to her about it.
She said something along the lines of "You're lucky kid, now you'll have a better chance at getting what you want in the future. Look at me I failed many times yet I got what I needed but not what I wanted" I responded with a joke involving her age and got a knuckle sandwich on the head…Other than that nothing interesting happened.
Today I'll be meeting Professor Haans at a maid café; he'll be showing me around CYTI
"HIKIGAYA-KUN OVER HERE!" I entered the café and cringed at the volume of Professor Haans voice. I turned my head slightly to the left and saw him sitting nearby, I turned my head slightly to the right and saw many people looking at us…I kept my head low as I sat across him "You hungry? I am"
"No I'm not and you needn't to yell like that I was literally right next to you!" I exclaimed. He ignored my comment and called over a maid.
"Give us 2 of your most delicious dish please~" He sang getting a raised brow from the maid as she wrote the order down.
"And what about drinks?" She asked.
"Orange juice please" He answered and then the maid turned to me.
"…Haaah black coffee, no sugar" I ordered, she nodded and went to the back.
"So Hikigaya-Kun got any questions?" The professor asked.
"Well…For starters how come these Alternis events aren't known globally? The paper Mary-San showed only a number of countries that knows its existence" I asked.
"Well all of the countries governments works pretty extra hard for this to stay classified but I say they're doing a half-lousy job at it but meh what do I know? I'm just a scientist. The internet's already blowing up with pictures of monsters so give it a month or two and Alternis will be the top trending thing or maybe you and the other students will become famous"
I really hope that won't be the case…
"How…Do you guys locate these portals?"
"Ah nice question! One of the abilities you could get from Alternis is the ability to locate portals! Before we had any of them ability users we, believe it or not, don't know how to pinpoint the exact location or when a portal is opening. What we've encounter before finding the sword was by mere luck or coincidence. Now we have Locaters who can help us!"
"Well that's…Good" I commented "Who are we fighting other than the monsters?" He raised a brow "Referring to the video I saw there's definitely people who are using the portals…for…their own purposes…So are there any other enemies?"
"We…Don't know yet" He answered with opened eyes showing his red irises "But when we do I'll make sure that they'll pay" He said with clenched teeth, an angry expression on his face.
"H-Here's your food" A maid arrived with our food.
"Thankies~" The professor reverted back to his normal self and I unknowingly released a sigh of relief…
"So…This is CYTI?" I asked him as I stepped down from the vehicle.
"Yep! Welcome to your new school!" He said presenting the building with wide open arms "I know there isn't much to it but we'll have to make due" He said referring to the overall lacking color and design of the building.
It's like a white brick with windows and stairs…Yeah that's what it looks like.
"By the way I forgot to ask what do you guys call yourselves? You said…'R' or something yesterday right?" I asked, climbing up the stairs.
"Well…Only I call us that, we are officially registered as 'Alternis Resistance Crowds' ARC for short" He explained taking out a badge and showing it to the guard who saluted. The sliding doors opened before we walked through it, the outside looks almost the same as the inside apparently.
With a couple of benches at the centre, a counter on the left side of the room with a door with a red cross nearby and two elevators on the right side, a set of stairs besides it. This looks more like a hospital than a training program center "Raeyana-Tan! I brought the last Alternis user~"Professor Haans cheered as we approached the counter.
"Hachiman Hikigaya I presume?" I nodded "Welcome to the Alternis Resistance Crowds Chiba Branch Building" The lady behind the counter bowed to which I bowed back.
She had dark green shoulder length hair and emotionless onyx eyes. Her clothes consisted of a black blazer over a dress shirt and a mini skirt over black leggings, ending with a pair of black high heels.
"Hey Rae-Tan can we use some of dem government moneh to brighten this place up a bit?" Professor Haans asked the lady named Raeyana.
"If you feel like the design of the premises is not to your liking then I suggest you to bring the décor yourself with your own money, the government funds we received shall not be used for such trivial things" She said with a sharp tongue.
"Oh! We can decorate the place ourselves?! Why didn't you tell me Raeyana-Tan?!" The Professor exclaimed as he danced around the room.
"You must be here for the tour" She ignored him and turned to me, giving me a map "I am Raeyana, I oversee the ARC Chiba Branch Building and manage several documentation such as expense and incentives" She then gave me a shiny golden card "Use this to enter the premises and further in"
The card had a picture of me on it while also having some details about me, from DOB to which school I attended. She then exited the counter and walked towards the elevator, I followed suit not realizing Professor Haans got left behind, still dancing.
"The second floor is the cafeteria and the dormitory where you and the others can replenish and stay" It looks like this place can fit twenty people or more.
"While the third floor is where a couple of classrooms and the faculty can be found" Oh so there are only two classrooms…After that brief two floor tours we returned to the ground floor.
"The first floor serves as both the infirmary" She pointed to the door with the Red Cross "And Registration or Inquiries at the Information Desk" She pointed to the counter "To make sure ARC stays classified please refer this establishment as CYTI to people who aren't in the know" She ended.
"We won't be learning anything and just train to fight then?" I asked.
"No, your education will still take priority" That relived me a bit.
"Where will we train then? Is there a secret underground floor or something?"
"Two underground floors to be precise" Well I guessed that better than expected "Come" She called over as she walked pass the counter and further in to a door, I followed after walking through the counter door, still not realizing Professor Haans dancing around.
"This is the research facility" After a long flight of stairs she introduced the first underground floor which was filled with people in lab coats doing their own thing, the one thing that stuck out like a sore thumb was the Portal Sword being framed with some kind of machine at the center of the room "They do research and run tests involving anything related to Alternis that includes you Alternis Users"
"They're not going to drug us in the future right?"
"As long as Professor Haans keep them in line…And himself for that matter" She said returning to the stairs and went further down "This is the training grounds"
"Huge…" I uttered overwhelmed by the sheer size of it. The training grounds consisted of only white tiles, there seems to be light but I don't know where it's coming from. Not only that it's as big as two football stadium…
"So we may test the full capacity of the abilities of Alternis" She walked forward and pulled out a device from her pocket "This place can also serve as a battle simulation" She pressed some buttons on the device and a moment later a goblin appeared nearby. I flinched and was about to transform but then realize and remembered what she said.
"I see…But is this accurate in terms of um physical calculations and what not?" I asked walking around the unmoving goblin.
"Not yet" She said pressing the device and making the goblin disappear "In the future Professor Haans will invent the necessary technology" She explained pressing the button again, making the goblin disappear "Communication, visualization, sensors and many to come"
"I see…" Man this entire situation still seems too surreal for me…
"That concludes the tour" We returned to the cafeteria where we, including Professor Haans who stopped dancing, ate lunch "Now that all of the selected Alternis users have been recruited we shall begin the opening ceremony tomorrow at the cafeteria. Hikigaya-Kun I assume you have already boxed and taped the items that will be moved into your dorm room?" I nodded "Good"
"So…How many are there? Students like me I mean" I asked.
"There are 20, not a lot but it'll have to do" Professor Haans shrugged "We'll take it easy tomorrow but the day after we'll start leaning and training, we need to keep up the momentum" He said solemnly.
"Sounds good to me" I responded and then with another question "Do we have uniforms?"
"Nope, you can wear anything here"
"As long as it's something respectable and does not violate the school code" Raeyana-San continued "Speaking of violation, I heard from Mary-San that a creature has mimicked your physical features" I gripped my chopsticks tightly at being reminded of that.
"Yeah…I almost forgot about that" I said angrily "Do the Locaters know where the monsters go?"
"Sorry they only locate portals" Professor Haans answered "Don't worry though Hikigaya-Kun some of us already started searching for it"
"Can't say my worry disappeared but thanks for telling" I replied.
-The Next Day-
"Bye Onii-Chan! I'll make sure to visit you on Sundays!" Komachi said as I walked to the door after making sure all of my personal/important/school things got sent to my room at the ARC dormitory.
"I sure hope so; I can't survive without looking at you at least once a week" I responded as I put on my dress shoes and looked at the mirror to see if my long sleeved collar shirt and dress pants have no wrinkles.
"Gross…" I ignored that comment and turned to my parents.
"Make sure you eat healthily alright? Also make some friends! It is a new start after all!" My mother worried.
"Hahaha don't worry about our boy, hon. He's smart and he'll find a way to survive even without friends" My father laughed and then put me in a headlock and whispered "Don't worry I burnt all the Ero Mags you hid before the officials moved your things" He said as all of us exited the house.
"You burnt them?!" I whispered exasperatedly. No wonder I couldn't find them!
"Now son the car's waiting for you and so is your future!" He exclaimed ushering me to the car.
"Right…See you soon guys"
"Nya…" I felt Kamakura on my legs.
"You too Kamakura, enjoy the lifetime supply of cat food" I rub his head then walked out of the gates. I smiled at them despite the anxiousness I feel and entered the car waving at them as the officials drove me to ARC.
"Yo Hikigaya-Kun" As soon as I set foot out of the car Mary-San greeted me with a casted arm at the bottom of the stairs.
"Mary-San? Aren't you supposed to be in the hospital?" I asked as I walked towards her.
"Pfffft it's not like I'm dying you know? Plus there's no way I'm gonna miss the opening ceremony since I'll also be one of the teachers so call me Mary-Sensei from now on!"
"Ah I see that makes sense" I said walking pass her and showed the guard my golden card.
"What~? I was expecting you to be a bit more shocked by my wonderful presence being part of your life now" She said as we entered the building.
"After seeing a dragon and something mimicking my appearance nothing normal can shock me to be honest"
"Oh! Don't forget being hugged by a starry skinned suit"
"Yeah that too" I said as we rode the elevator and arrived at the cafeteria where many people were mingling around.
"Welp gotta go now see ya later Hikigaya-Kun" Mary-Sa-Sensei said as she went to Professor Haans who was talking talking to a group of adults while I decided to sit at a round table that was not occupied by anyone. It doesn't seem like anyone here knows anyone judging from the awkward silence and acts of avoiding eye contact but some are trying to get past that and have a conversation.
"May I have your attention please?" My observing was halted by Raeyana-Sensei's voice through the speakers "The opening ceremony shall being shortly so please sit at a closer distance if you cannot hear or see properly" She recommended as all of the students began sitting closer to the podium including me but not too close to the others.
"Is that you Hikigaya-Kun?" A familiar yet unwanted voice called out to me from the front. I raised my head and saw the last brunette I want to be in school with "It is you! You got recruited too?!" She excitedly asked.
"Well what do you think?" I asked back crossing my arms "I didn't expect you to be recruited either…Orimoto"
"Good morning everyone" A masculine voice spoke cutting our already short conversation short, I took the chance and sneaked far away from Orimoto "My name's Higurashi. I'll both be your principal and trainer" A muscled man in a black suit and tie with swept back gray hair and goatee introduced himself, his tiger-like eyes scanning us. He smirked after a brief second.
"On behalf of the country I would like to thank you for the contribution you have made" He bowed as well as the other adults behind him evidently making some of us flustered "And despite the situation I hope you will enjoy your…Substitution of school life" He grinned and then rubbed the back of his neck "For your information I have no idea what to do as a principal"
Why the heck are you telling us that?!
"So in case you have any questions regarding the school please refer to the other 'teachers'" He air-quoted while Professor Haans laughed in the background and Mary-Sensei face palmed, Raeyana-Sensei and the other teachers aren't fazed at all "Anyway…The next teacher will inform you of the Alternis Codec System in which you will go through the school year…Sugimoto your turn!" He yelled.
Well that was…Amusing at least.
"Yahallo hallo everyone~! My name is Sugimoto, your teacher and~ mission assigner~!" A man with long blond hair and sleepy soft green eyes in blue pajamas cheered as he turned on a projector showing us a map of Chiba "Chiba will be divided into four parts and each part will be administered by one division!" He then snapped his fingers and on cue came men in black suit and ties carrying tablets "The tablets you are holding contain information regarding Alternis and several other things. Riders will be the leader for their respective team by the way~"
I turned on mine and saw that I represented the Fourth Division…Crap! So I'm a Rider? That's what they call the people with the Alternis Suit ability huh? Haaaah damn it…Well at least there's no one that I know is in my Division "Phew" I sighed in relief after double checking.
4th Division:
(Rider) Hachiman Hikigaya (Junior – Sobu High School)
(Locater) Yaseko Yajuno (Senior – Kaihin Sougou High School)
(Creator) Alice Tomatsu (Senior – Reikaku High School)
(Fusionist) Kosui Sune (Senior – Reikaku High School)
(Informant) Tsui Nigate (Freshman – Ichikawa Academy)
Excluding Sune who's a guy and Nigate who's my Kouhai most of them are girls and my Senpai's so that still makes it a bit uncomfortable for me to lead but I'll get used to it…I hope…
"Riders, you will be the vanguard of your Division. The suit gives you advantages against the anomalies that come out of the portals, we still don't know much about it so Higurashi-Sensei will be in charge of that" Sugimoto-Sensei continued.
"And I might as well train you all" The principal spoke out.
"Creators; the ability to form weapons from Alternis's aura. With the guiding of and cooperation with Professor Haans and his team, provide your Division Members with weapons to protect themselves and others"
"Osu~ that'll be me, I'm looking forward to making some cool looking weapons with you all" Professor Haans cheered, raising his hand up.
"Fusionists, since the Makers can't make armor we'll have you work with Officer Sakaki head of security, he will guide and train you on using your skills. The ability to manipulate objects with Alternis's Aura will certainly be beneficial" He advised.
"Hm…" A man in a police uniform nodded towards us, most of his features are hidden beneath the police hat. The most peculiar feature that could be seen is his stern dark brown eyes.
"Informants, your role is vital. Please upload the information that you have gained from Alternis into the tablet. Our website will only be accessible by scanning the black bar on the back of your Golden Card" I looked at the back of my card and could see the black bar like she said.
"Don't bother accessing the internet through that though, I can see everything including the dubious histories you all have…Researched…That includes you girls too…hehe…hehehehe" A hunching man with gray hair and eerie dark purple eyes in a black coat said.
Creepy…
"…Ahem this is Kuripi-Sensei he will be our Technician. If you need to know something that you can't find even from the internet then ask Kuripi-Sensei" Sugimoto-Sensei explained "That will be all regarding the Alternis Codec System, Mary-Sensei if you may do the closing speech please" Mary-Sensei stood at the podium next.
"Thank you Sugimoto-Sensei" She began "Due to a sudden stomach ache I will do the closing speech instead of Higurashi-Sensei" She kept a firm hold on her hand when Professor Haans kept giggling "I believe it is safe to say that all of you are still overwhelmed by all of this and we understand that but please understand that we also need you guys to work with us in order to protect everyone…Luckily the opening of portals have ceased since we recruited our latest student. Locaters, you still don't sense any portals opening?" Some students shook their heads.
Ceased opening? Hm…That's pretty weird…
"That means we need to take advantage of it and better ourselves both physically and mentally, we don't expect you to become professional soldiers but we believe in you to do what's right and protect each other as well as your loved ones" All of us nodded, some more hesitant than the others and some more determined despite this Mary-Sensei smirked "…Then you are now officially students of the Chiba. Youth. Training. Institute and official members of the Alternis. Resistance. Crowds!" She exclaimed with opened arms and all of us clapped.
"Wow the JSDF are really cool as expected"
"I don't know…They finished like in 22 paragraphs"
Haaah glad that's over…
"Since today's just the opening ceremony you guys can roam around the place, don't worry about the stressful stuff and just focus on getting to know everything and everyone alright guys? Take it easy, me and the other teachers will too" Everybody visibly breathed a sigh of relief, though I noticed a slight strain on Mary-Sensei's smile.
After that we dispersed, some in groups and many alone, I wandered around until I reached the entrance to the rooftop and it seems like the teachers were discussing something heatedly. I decided to eavesdrop on them after contemplating a little.
"We don't know that yet!" Mary-Sensei exclaimed "There's no possibility of a member of the Nil Apostles to be recruited"
Nil Apostles? I knew it…There are problems other than monsters and Alternis itself…Professor Haans withheld information from me.
"But there's also no knowing whether one is a Nil Apostle or not" Raeyana-Sensei countered "They all may just be mere teenagers but with how easily one could get a grasp of the Portal Sword, the key to the portal, a toddler could even end the world. Not to mention an easily distressed and impressionable teenager having abilities beyond human capabilities"
"Raeyana-Tan~ Don't you think you're exaggerating a little?" Professor Haans tone sounded playful but it carried a bit of anger in it.
"Stop" Officer Sakaki voiced out stopping all arguments "There's no point in arguing about something that we can't do anything about"
"…Mary-Sensei I've heard rumors of a direct attack occurring during the recruitment of the latest student" Kuripi-Sensei continued "Hachiman Hikigaya was it? Doesn't it seem suspicious that as soon as it's his turn to be recruited an aggressive monster emerged and almost killed the two of you? Our Locaters even detected a portal opening near the vicinity of his neighborhood and no portals opened ever since in Chiba"
…Shit, a day here so far and I'm already being suspected…
"…There's no way Hikigaya-Kun would be a part of the Apostles" She growled.
"Hahahahaha!" Higurashi-Sensei laughed out loud "What's this Mary?! Are you becoming fond of him?!"
"I…May have a soft spot for the boy but-"
"Aw~ the other students are going to be jealous now~" Sugimoto-Sensei voiced out in a teasing tone. After making sure that it was more teasing of Mary-Sensei I climbed down the stairs and put the last parts of the conversation at the back of my head.
"Looks like my suspicions are correct" After reaching the bottom I turned my head and saw the ice cold beauty of Sobu High school leaning on the wall with crossed arms, looks like she's also recruited… "I assume you are Hachiman Hikigaya?" I nodded "My name is Yukino Yukinoshita 1st Divisions Informant from Sobu High School" She held out her hand and I shook it.
"Rider. 4th Division. Same school…Despite what you've heard, you're acting like I'm not an enemy" I said as we started wandering around together.
"There are still a variety of x factors to consider and we only have the corner pieces of the puzzle" She said coolly and separated away from me "I think it would be wise if we keep the information we eavesdropped to ourselves" I nodded and walked away and without knowing it I reached the training grounds where most of the students are mingling around, some trying out their ability.
"BEHOLD! MY ZWEIHANDER! TREMBLE AT ITS POWER!" A shout took my attention and I saw a heavy built guy with silver hair holding up a black two handed sword surrounded by black aura "I, CREATOR FOR THE 3RD DIVISION FROM SOBU HIGH SCHOOL YOSHITERU ZAIMOKUZA ALSO KNOWN AS BLADEMASTER GENERAL, SHALL SURPASS EVERYONE AND CARVE A WAY FOR THE FUTURE!" He then stabbed the two handed sword into the ground and posed a heroic pose. Somehow an aura of wind blew out from him and made most of the people surrounding him fall to the ground.
Damn it…Another Chuuni and a tough one too. A bit frustrated at the recent Chuunis, I proceeded to exit the training grounds and visited the classroom.
"Haaaah…" I sighed in relaxation as I took a sit next to the windows; a breeze of air cooled me down and made me relieved that I decided to check this place out. It looked like any normal classroom actually, nothing special about it. I continued to relax until two people walked into the room, a girl comforting a sobbing girl.
"There there Sagami-Chan, you're gonna be just fine" The gray haired girl patted the others back over and over as she sat the red head down two tables from me at the other side.
"Sorry Shiromeguri-Senpai, looks like I overreacted a bit" The girl named Sagami said with a smile after calming down. Now that I think about it wasn't there a red head named Sagami in my class last year? Must be her.
"It's okay, Kuronawa-San might be a bit…Ambitious but we'll have to get used to it. After all he's the Rider in the group" The girl named Shiromeguri said, it doesn't seem like they notice my presence (As expected) so I took the chance and exited the classroom
"Hey~ Tama you shouldn't have made that scary speech you know?" Orimotos voice snapped me out of my daydreaming and hid behind a wall. It looks like I'm at the cafeteria "You scared poor little Sagami"
"You really done it Tamanawa, we barely met 10 minutes and you're already telling us how the 'burden of the world's' on our shoulder" Another girl decided to add.
"I-It's not like I'm not telling the truth, Chika you've seen a lot of movies, don't you understand the magnitude of the situation?" The person named Tamanawa asked only getting a glare from both girls.
"That doesn't mean you need to shove it on our face or better yet Sagamis face who's your Locater. Meguri-Senpai sure is going to have a hard time dealing with you two" Orimoto retorted making Tamanawa slump in defeat. Deciding I had enough of the skit I proceeded to sneak away to the first floor lobby.
"Haaaah…" I trudged over to a bench, took out the tablet and sat down "…Burden of the world…Huh?" After looking at the tablet for who knows how long I decided to take a look at all of the division members.
Alternis Resistance Crowds [Chiba Branch]
Divisions:
1st Division:
(Rider) Anak Sen Yoom (Freshman – Ichikawa Academy)
(Locater) Hikari Kai (Senior – Reikaku High School)
(Creator) Kaya Sir Ulf (Junior – Ichikawa Academy)
(Fusionist) Risu Tani (Junior – Kaihin Sougou High School)
(Informant) Yukino Yukinoshita (Junior – Sobu High School)
2nd Division:
(Rider) Tamanawa Kuronawa (Junior – Kaihin Sougou High School)
(Locater) Minami Sagami (Junior – Sobu High School)
(Creator) James Ale Rose (Senior – Ichikawa Academy)
(Fusionist) Meguri Shiromeguri (Senior – Sobu High School)
(Informant) Azumi Asakura (Freshman – Reikaku High School)
3rd Division:
(Rider) Janne Ale Rose (Senior – Reikaku High School)
(Locater) Chika Nakamachi (Junior – Kaihin Sougou High School)
(Creator) Yoshiteru Zaimokuza (Junior – Sobu High School)
(Fusionist) Kaori Orimoto (Junior – Sobu High School)
(Informant) Mahiro Inami (Senior – Ichikawa Academy)
4th Division:
(Rider) Hachiman Hikigaya (Junior – Sobu High School)
(Tracer)Yaseko Yajuno (Senior – Kaihin Sougou High School)
(Creator) Alice Tomatsu (Senior – Reikaku High School)
(Fusionist) Kosui Sune (Senior – Reikaku High School)
(Informant) Tsui Nigate (Freshman – Ichikawa Academy)
It'll be a tough school year…No doubt about that…
CHAPTER 2
IMMINENT UNCERTAINTIES
END