I turned 18 today. Happy birthday to me, cause my family will no longer celebrate my shit now that I'm old enough.

"..."

He was nervous. He held a certain red… thingy on his lap. The colour is too bright for his liking. The rustling plastic cover is beginning to grate his nerves. He looked over Aiho from the driver's side.

He opened his mouth, nothing came out. Only when he eyed the thing again did he find the courage to actually speak. "Do I really have to use this? I don't really mind, but… in front of people?"

She glanced at him briefly, turning back to the road not a second later. "What's wrong with it?" The question sounded normal enough, but it made Hirano of all people flinch. He doesn't want to sound or appear ungrateful. But his pride won't allow him.

"It's just… the colour is gonna attract too many eyes."

She hummed. "Don't worry, everybody else will be using the same thing. You'll get used to it." She reassures him.

He has no say in this. He's the one who asked her to do this anyway. And it's not his money that is being spent, not that he has any to begin with. He can only sigh, accepting and surrendering to whatever fate that she has in store for him.

The car came to a halt. His seatbelt off, he got out of the car, leaving the red bag inside the passenger seat. He looked around. The place isn't as crowded as he had imagined it to be. Every place he'd been to was usually filled to the brim with people. The quietness of this place somehow calms him.

Yomikawa Aiho emerged from behind, she grabbed onto his hand. She leads him inside the place. Just like outside, it is very quiet. You could probably drop a needle and hear it's echo.

They approached a desk. A man with a black rimmed glasses, no older than his 30s, noticed them. "You guys here for the evaluation? Or are you here to bribe too? Because if it's the latter, then I suggest you leave now." He sounded annoyed. Hirano could see him reach for something beneath.

"Evaluation." Was all Aiho said.

The man eased, releasing a relieved sigh. Whatever it is he's reaching for down there, he was sure it won't end well. Not for the clerk that is.

"Finally." He rang a bell, not a moment has passed when a door slammed open. An old woman came rushing in. Her eyes were gaping. "They're here for an evaluation."

"For real? Finally!" He felt confused. Why would people want to bribe city officials? "Alright then, follow me."

Unlike the reception area, the inside has more people in them. The hallway was coloured pastel or whatever it is called. A long series of window to his left, allowing the massive flat field out to be seen. People would occasionally pass by them, most of them are going on leisurely, having nothing to do themselves. He was sure he even saw someone taking a nap on top of their desk.

Taking a turn at some point, they entered a massive hall of some sort. Numerous rows of vacant desks with the same small contraption on top of said desk. A clipboard left unattended.

The woman turns towards them. Specifically, him. "So, boy… or is it, girl?" she turned to Aiho with a raised eyebrow. She confirmed it was the former. "So, boy, have you ever taken this test before?" He nodded. "Then I'll assume you have taken the written test, so we'll skip that. Now, can you recall what your type is? ESP or PK? And the level as well."

He nodded again. It is impossible for him to forget. How could he forget the look of absolute awe those people sent him? "Psychokinesis. Vector Control. Level 5."

The two older women eyed him incredulously. There was an audible gasp coming from the older woman. Yomikawa Aiho however, seemed to have come to a realization. The older woman knelt. "You're not fucki-... Messing with me, are you, boy?"

"No. Why would I?"

"Then proof it." She got up and walked up to the desk, pulling the piece of metal off the contraption. She handed it to him. He could feel the weight and the thickness of it. "That is 5 inches of pure steel. They use this material for tank armours. I want you to bend it at exactly 90." She crossed her arms, sitting atop the desk.

Aiho frowned at the older woman. She doesn't like the harsh tone she's freely throwing around. But couldn't exactly blame her either. He was claiming to be a Level 5 after all. So far, there has only been 4 legitimate people with such titles. And in the past century, less than 20 people have been referred to as one.

One was a Tokiwadai student. No corner in the universe is safe from her power. The next is an heir of the Mugino family. The other is a gemstone, while the most recent was said to be capable of creating matters never seen before.

Vector Control has never been heard of.

So when Hirano held the metal piece with just his fingers, holding it vertically, and in an instant, it bent. Fast enough for you to miss it had you blinked. It came with the sound of a twang, echoing across the hall.

They eyed it, flabbergasted. His guardian gently took it away from his delicate fingers and inspected the item. There were no curves. No chipping. It was clean. She tried putting in force. No reaction. Harder this time. Still none. "It's solid." She murmurs.

The two turned to him. "What else can you do?" The other woman asked.

He merely shrugged. "What do you think?"

They made him level a boulder.

The blank spot on his ID card is now filled with the number 5, typed in with a BIG, BLACK font. He eyed it with wonder, feeling a degree of accomplishment on it.

"I can't believe you actually did that." Aiho giggles as she drives around a corner. "You were so cool back there." He hummed in response. "God damn, I can't stop picturing how you wipe that smirk off of her face. It's very satisfying."

She continued to giggle throughout the ride, holding her stomach with one hand and guiding the vehicle with the other. He felt anxious when she almost bumped the curb at the last turn.

Alas, she had fun, even if it almost cost her a few inches of her vehicle's hood.

A few minutes in, the car came to a stop. Aiho took a look at the watch. "8:38. Just in time." She states. He looked over to his right, for the first time he actually felt anxious.

The place is massive. It's colour white and grey. Many windows decorate every corner of it. He could spot several buildings inside the perimeter. He wondered how many people would be attending this school. He could see now why she told him that he won't ever be lonely. Problem is, he didn't know whether he would be able to speak to anyone. He's no good at socializing.

The fence is made of metal, thick, wide and tall, sharp on its edges. The gate was guarded by two security guards. Their post is right inside.

They unbuckled their seatbelts, getting out and crossing over the road. She didn't forget to remind him to wear the bag, much to his annoyance. A good thing though was that there was a zebra cross just a few metres away. The guards noticed them. He leans on the wall.

Working her magic as usual, Yomikawa Aiho got them over the fence. He thought about how easy it is for her to talk with people. Was it a skill acquired over time? Or was it a hereditary skill? Whatever it is, he can only hope of ever acquiring it.

The floors are smooth, lights reflecting on it showcasing its cleanliness. Just like the evaluation office, this place also has many rows of windows, showcasing the outside's vacant piece of land.

He kept his eyes glued to it, a mistake resulting in him almost bumping at his guardian's behind. "You okay?" She asked, her hand holding onto a sliding door.

"Yeah. Just zoning out a little."

Her eyes lingered on for a second. She shrugged it off, accepting his answer. She opened the door, revealing the small faculty room. Desks and cupboards are the most prominent furniture present in the room.

All eyes are on them now. "Hello," Aiho started. "I'm here to deliver Yomikawa Hirano. I believe that you are expecting him." She speaks cooly, bringing him over to her side, keeping her palm atop of his head.

"Ah, yes, the new student was it?" answers a young woman to their right. She stood up from her desk with a file in her hand. Aiho confirmed with a nod. "Alright, we're gonna need to confirm some details first and register him into the school database. It shouldn't take no more than 5 minutes." She explains, gesturing them to follow as she leads the way out the office onto the stairway.

The upper floors looked very much identical to the lower one, so there really weren't that many things for him to see. They reached the top floor quickly enough, walking down on another hallway into a grand office.

The headmistress's office, he assumed. As the woman sitting on the massive mahogany table, dons a clean suit that nobody else in the faculty rooms wears. The woman looks up to see them. "So you ended up adopting huh, Yomikawa Aiho?" The tone and choice of words made it clear that the two knew each other.

"Haven't found the right man for me yet. Still has to wait a bit more for that, It seems." Aiho replies. "This is Hirano," she gestures towards him. "He's the ward I was talking about."

The headmistress's gaze went over to him, and he returned with a gaze of his own. The woman smiles. "Ever so stoic, eh? Is he always like this?"

Aiho nods. "He's not much of a speaker. Even worse when we first interact. It feels like talking to a statue." she playfully ruffles his hair, ruining it even though she herself spent 15 minutes trying to fix it into a certain shape.

The headmistress's giggles. "Well, enough with it. The second period is about to start." Aiho nods, wiping the grin. His guardian turns to him, asking for his identity card. He gave it, and in turn, she handed it over to the well dressed woman.

There was an audible gasp with a second long silence, but that was that.

The young woman from before took him over towards the table at the centre of the room. The file from before is now opened. There were test sheets inside, varying in difficulties. "These are the standard issued tests for each grade. Could you please answer them all?" She asked gently, almost as if she was talking to a child.

He didn't question it. The test was easy. All of them were mathematical physics related, which is already his specialty. If all he's going to be learning here was this, at a level like this as well, he was sure it was gonna be boring as shit.

He breezed through the first sheet in less than three minutes. The young woman stares in awe at the rapid pace. The sheet has about 30 questions. With the combined amount of 150 questions, he did them all in 10 minutes.

After that, still in a state of shock, the young woman grades them each individually. Surprisingly, he got 498/500 She points at where he was wrong. Though, she had misread his 7 as a 1 due to his poor writing. He couldn't care less anyway, he'll take it as a challenge to fix this handicap of his.

They then had to manually input his data because he had no prior ones. The tests were to measure out his knowledge on physics, as it is the only thing that decides your grade here. Anything else is simply there because you'll need it later in life.

With this test alone, he throttled himself up amongst the people considered to be prodigies. He ranked in the Top 10, only those who scored a perfect 500 placed above. But if the time taken were to be considered as well, he would've been the Top 1.

After a full 15 minutes in, they were done. The headmistress's stretched. "That's that." She popped a muscle on her neck. She looked over to the clock on the walls "He can go now. The second period had just started." The young woman nodded, gesturing for him to follow.

He put his red backpack, his eyes lingering on his guardian for a second, who only smiles at him and waves. "I'll pick you up once school's over."

He walked behind the young woman down the pristine white hallway. They crossed over a connector right onto the next building. They passed several doors over, until they stopped at a particular one. He looked at the sign on top. "3-2." It reads.

She told him to wait. That's what he did. She enters the ongoing class, most likely to inform the homeroom teacher of his sudden appearance.

His ears perked up when he heard a voice. Four people passed by, three of which were adults. Another was a child, probably around 7 years old. She looked curious. Her hand is held on by what looked to be her mother. Her hair is curvy, their colour reminds him of a peach, tied to a loose twin tail.

The girl looked at him with curiosity. He looked at her back. There was something about her eyes that caught his interest. It's the way they perceive the world. Something about it just clicked.

"Guess what guys, today we're gonna have a new friend!" The voice inside said with an air of enthusiasm. Their tone filled with unbridled excitement.

"You can come in now." The woman from before said as she headed for the stairs. He nods as she leaves. He took in a deep breath before stepping over the door.

The little girl's eyes lingered on the spot for a bit longer. "Did you see something interesting, Kuroko-chan?" Her mother's voice caught her attention.

She nods. "You didn't tell me that a prince would also be attending." her eyes lit even brighter. Her mother can only giggle, ruffling the little girl's hair with gentleness.

…

Hands gripping the strap on his bag. The room is filled with kids, all about the same age as he is. Their eyes followed him as he walked across the room, stopping right at the centre, next to the adult.

The woman wore a pinkish white long sleeved sweater and a red skirt. Her black hair tied in a ponytail, though the bangs are kept at the side of her face. She was wearing thick glasses with a pair of wire frames. They seem to give her a different appearance between mature and child-like.

To his left was a bunch of kids. They eyed with expectations. He felt uneasy. So he turned towards the woman again, who only looked at him with a reassuring smile. For a few more seconds, he stayed quiet, having no idea whatsoever what he was supposed to do. "You can start by introducing yourself now." The woman whispered at him.

"Yomikawa Hirano." He said, looking at his feet. He's never spoken in a room this tense, with this many people to boot. "Pleased to meet you." He added moments later, his voice pitched low and forced.

Again, quiet. "Anything else you would like to share, Yomikawa-san? Like your favourite food?" His eyes twitched when he was referred to with Aiho's name. He held in a sigh.

He thought for a second. "I like coffee…?"

There were murmurs from the back of the class, chatters were thrown here and there. "Anything else, Yomikawa-san?" He shook his head. "Well alright then. There's a vacant seat over there." She said, pointing to a seat located at the very end of the class, right next to the window. He felt like he had seen this trope before.

He felt eyes from every direction at him as he walked past a few people. Their gaze are sharp, judgemental even with their very young age. This feeling feels very familiar to him, in a way that he feels uncomfortable. It was that ice box all over again.

He took off his bag, hanging it on the back of his chair and looked around for a bit and noticed that everyone had their books out. "Please open your book to chapter 1 at page 12. Read point number 1 carefully, as we will be doing some review and comprehension exercises on the topic in -between."

The quiet class suddenly bursts into movements as they quickly pick out a different type of book and open it. He couldn't help but feel compelled to do the same.

He fished the book out along with his pens from his bag, setting them at the top of the desk. He opens page 12. "Chapter 1: Chemical Equilibrium." Written on it.

The kid to his front scoffed. "Now, you all have 15 minutes to try and read this chapter thoroughly." the teacher said, writing on the board an equation. "After that, the first person to solve this question will get an extra points." Once she was done, she moved aside, revealing the entirety of it. It's a complex one as it is a subject he's never learned before.

He frowns a little. He knew that there were many knowledges in this world that were currently unknown to him, and it frustrates him that one of them happens to be in a subject that he most excels at. Curiosity is a trait that he has been developing for a while now. Aiho's choice of bringing him here wasn't wasted after all.

He buries his head into the book, indulging in its touch, absorbing all the parts he finds interesting and digesting the few unfamiliar ones in his head.

There was a silence as he remained engrossed in his book, not even aware that the class had stopped reading and merely talking to each other. A couple of minutes later, he was beginning to grasp the concept and thought that the task was easy enough for him to do it. He spends the rest of whatever time they have left with testing and learning, enjoying every bit of it.

An alarm of some sort, quiet enough on its own, beeps across the room. "Alright everyone, it's time." She stood up from her desk, grabbing a chalk. "Anyone wanna give it a go?" A couple of people raised their hands. But the fastest of them all was the kid to his front, he practically stood up with his right hand raised.

The teacher giggles. "Well alright then." The kid walks up with an air of confidence. Snatching the white chalk and began solving the equation.

His writing was rapid, almost reckless. The answer was going good for most of it, until the last two marks. The kid incorrectly used the K without accounting for the changes in concentrations during the reaction.

He didn't notice. Setting the chalk on the board's edge, walking back, feeling even more confident as the class clapped. He fell onto his chair and caused it to creak.

She eyed him for a bit with a smile. "Yomikawa-san?" The teacher called out, he cringed with the way she mentioned his name. "Wanna give it a try?" He braved it up and stood up.

That seemed to cause the smug on the kid's face to morph into a confused one. The kid leaned in anticipation as he walked past him, watching closely in his answers.

He seemed even more confused when he wrote the exact same answers. All the exact replicas, down to the last dots. Until the last two marks. "Very well done. May I ask what you change?"

"He didn't use the correct stoichiometry in the equilibrium constant expression."

She nodded with a satisfied smile. "Very nice. And that's why kids, you make sure to read the question very carefully." She announced it to the class. Hirano could feel a weight on him, particularly from the kid from earlier. The teacher turned to him again. "I'll be expecting some perfect marks from you from now on then?"

He hummed. He didn't doubt that. Hirano just walked back to his chair. There were still whispers thrown his way, but the way they were spoken has a hint of enigmatic aura behind them. They were questioning some things, and it's nothing bad, he could feel. Except for one.

He made contact with the kid's eyes. He was glaring. He didn't know why he did that, but he gave a glare of his own. It didn't break until he was back to his seat.

The kid leans on his back, turning slightly enough that he knew he was spoken to. "In case you don't know, I'm a Level 3."

"I don't remember speaking to you."

"I'll cut off that tongue if you keep speaking like that."

"Try me."

That seemed to have deeply angered the kid, as he immediately jumped off his seat. He turned over towards him. There was a bleeding red flash of light coming from his hands, hatred dripping from his eyes.

"Sakazuki!" The teacher interferes before anything serious could happen. She didn't show any signs of her previous motherly kindness. "What're you doing?!" she yells.

A brief look of fear flashed across his face. "I d-" his words were cut off quickly before they even formed a coherent sentence.

"Nu-uh. Whatever you're doing this time can't be excused. Not only are you using an ESP at school grounds outside of tests, you're also scaring a new student not even an hour into his first class." She shook her head disapprovingly, pointing her fingers at the door. "Stand by the door for the remainder of the period. Right. Now."

He was about to protest. Just seconds away from even making any bits of sound, before suddenly that look of anger shifted into something else. First a realization, and then a massive, palpable grin. "Yeah, right, I scared him shitless."

"Sakazuki. Language!" She yells once more. He only grins even more as he walks outside.

The class fell into a quite tense silence. She sighed deeply. "Sorry, he was a nice boy. Just… that he's a bit temperamental sometimes. Most of the time… all the time." He shrugged it off. He could tolerate it now that he knows. Probably. "Anyways, back to the lessons."

For about an hour or so, the class went on just fine even without the presence of one of their own. They learned the entirety of the first chapter. He was getting a better grasp of the subject over time, until it suddenly became a second nature to just look at the question and complete it in his head.

The young teacher packed her stuff. The class ended. She told everyone to get ready because the next one is about to start. A new teacher was brought in for the different subjects. It was geography.

The teacher was a man this time. His hair black, reaching just the tip of his ears. He wore a full on grey suit with a red tie.

There were many things he didn't know about the world. And geography was a slap from reality to show it all. He didn't know that over 70 percent of the world is water. That Australia is wider than the moon. That there's a lake within an island, within a lake, within an island called the Vulcan point in the Philippines.

He has only seen that numbers are the most important thing, and the only fascinating things to do in his free time. That's what they told him, at least. He's been lied to. Big time.

They were mostly told to read. So that's what he did. And was actually enjoying it. This eventually led to the teacher dubbing him as the most curious student he's ever taught.

At some point, the bell rang, signalling lunch.

He was approached by everyone.

"Ne, ne, what's your level?"

"Did you bleach your hair?"

"Why are your eyes red? I want to make mine red too!"

Those three were one of the few things that he managed to catch. The rest went by his head. There were too many, and too many given at every moment. He was reminded of a certain event like this just a week ago.

He snapped out of his trance by the sound of the door being slammed open. Hands in his pocket, Sakazuki eyed him with a bored look. He inched closer and everyone moved out of the way.

Stopping right next to his seat, the two eyed one another. Hirano was trying to read in-between the lines of his actions. Sakazuki is trying to assert dominance, he noted.

Never been one to back out of a game of authority, he hardened his gaze. The boy did the same. They're stuck in a stalemate. Everyone shuddered from the cold, intense atmosphere. Most had already left for lunch.

Eventually, the boy clicked his tongue. "Better watch your back, Yomikawa." The boy took out a rectangle box from his bag and left the room, throwing one last glare before slamming the door again.

Those who remained in the class can only stare. Hirano sighed. "What's his deal?" He asked the closest person.

They all shrugged. "He's usually just like that. But he seems to hate you in particular." One girl replies. Tugging on her dress absentmindedly. "So what do you have in your lunch box?"

He tilted his head. "Lunch box?"

"Maybe he's supposed to buy some in the cafeteria." One boy adds in.

Hirano sweats a little. Was he supposed to bring money for lunch? What the hell is a lunch box? Is that lunch in a box? Is he supposed to bring one?

He frowns a bit. Judging by their looks, they already knew what's up. "Do you… not bring anything?"

"... No…"

Another boy jogged over to his desk and brought over a box. "Here! You can have my sandwiches!" He reluctantly took one. He seemed very to have shared this massive thing. "Mum kept making one even though I repeatedly told her that I don't like mayonnaise" He added a bit after.

The sandwich was alright. Though he could see why the kid would hate it. The bread is practically soggy with mayo. It's rather disgusting to eat, but good for satiating his hunger.

The group of 5 would then bring in their desks around his, forming a bigger table to share between them. It was like a feast, he thought.

The conversation made the quiet classroom feel lively. Some of their laughter resonates through the hallway. He genuinely felt welcome around these people. He could see why Aiho said those words last night.

They talked about who of the current Level 5s are the strongest. They brought in their arguments of their own. Most of them are rooting for the Tokiwadai Empress. He kept quiet most of the time, occasionally adding in his own rebuttals when the girls began to claim that no other Level 5s could ever wish of rivalling her.

Although he was annoyed with their childish arguments, all in all it was enjoyable. It was the most he has ever spoken, maybe in his entire lifetime.

With lunch break slowly ending, people are beginning to come back into the class. At some point, the bell rang again. The fun was short-lived, but he was at least fine knowing that he would be able to do it again tomorrow.

The next class was physics. After that was Japanese. He wasn't looking forward to the latter, not ever, he thought. It was a drag.

At this point, he was feeling very sluggish, his mind fogging up. He was yawning, and everything was starting to feel very hazy.

It took everything he has not to sleep at his desk. He resolved himself not to do so, knowing full well that they'd punish him like they did to Sakazuki.

By 3 o'clock, he was almost completely ready to pass out. His daily dose of napping hasn't been met yet, and he's feeling the effects of being too exhausted.

Heaven had heed his prayers not even a minute later with the sound of the ringing bell. He groans in pain, desperately attempting to keep himself balanced when the class president told them to stand up, bidding their goodbye to the teacher.

The 5 people for earlier, along with a few extra approached him. "Yomikawa-san, wanna go to the arcade? There's this new game that's coming out today!" One boy exclaimed with starry eyes.

He shook his head. He put on his backpack. "No. Maybe tomorrow. I'm tired."

They seemed disappointed, and kept on insisting for a few more minutes, but stopped when Aiho waved at them by the gate. They reluctantly bid their goodbye as he enters their car.

For most of the ride, they were quiet. He hugged on his bag, his head leans on the window, eyes closed shut trying to sleep.

"How's school?" Aiho with a sing-along tune. He hummed, holding his bag tighter. "Come on, you need to tell me! It's your first day after all. The most amount of fun always happen during the first day."

"I'm tired." He growled, muttering a few words.

"Whatever." She rolled her eyes, waving it off. "You're being so grumpy. You're acting like a 10 year old." There was a trace of sarcasm in her voice. She was quiet for a minute until she decided to be annoying again. "So made any friends yet?"

He didn't give any signs of hearing it. But one of his eyes opened slightly. After a few seconds he hummed. "Plenty."

Aiho glanced. "Plenty, you say? I'm assuming it's those kids you walked out with." He affirmed with a hum. "They seemed nice."

...

"Would you be alright to go again tomorrow?" She asks.

"Yeah." There was a pause. "Make me lunch for tomorrow. It's weird being the only one who's not sharing anything."

New Chapter Next Week!