❝ A MONSTER? NOT ANY MORE THAN THE REST OF US. ❞

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"Huh? No way!" The steady hum of gossiping students resounded through the long school halls. "Such a thing really happened on the first day?"

It was the day after the incident and school had just let out, as a single pretty-looking girl walked through and by the excited congregation, her pleated navy skirt swishing gently against her pale legs as she was accompanied by an exhausted-looking boy by her side wearing a face-mask covering the lower part of his looks. 

"Believe it! Those three girls were sent to the hospital with broken bones and internal bleeding!"

"What did they do in the first place?"

"Oh, they were bullying some abnormal."

"Seriously? Those abnormals sure are dangerous."

In this cruel and uncertain modern world, things had changed drastically only a few years prior with the emergence of a new class of humans, completely crumbling the previous norms and conceptions of humanity.

The mysterious emergence of 'abilities,'『 アビリティー 』strange powers that seemed to have been granted to a certain minority, caused mass panic, fear and confusion. They were deemed as "monsters," "demons," or simply "inhuman," and completely ostracized from society.

The government attempted to regulate these strange happenings by having all peoples with such powers go through a mandatory registry and as such they were often denied jobs, services and there were even designated neighbourhoods for them to live in, away from the rest of the populace. 

As a light rain pattered away outside against the building, the two figures slipped off their slippers and placed them away in their shoe lockers before changing into their appropriate footwear. 

Izumi-chan hadn't come into school that day on account of the incident and how it was probably going to be pinned on her for sending those three girls to the hospital.

Unfolding an umbrella, Daisuke Fūjioka walked out with Himikō standing under the same black shelter and slipped one of her delicate hands into his pocket, knitting their fingers together. 

The sound of rain and their shoes hitting the wet sidewalk accompanied their comfortable silence before the girl decided to speak, tightening her hand slightly with his intertwined one as they walked along the grey streets. 

"Are you going to be bringing Izumi to them?" She asked hesitantly, completely unlike her normal boisterous and outgoing self. 

"I'll have to." Was the serious factual reply. "It was one thing to have her abilities know just at school, but now that this incident reached the parents there'll probably be a school board council meeting on further controlling ability-users in our school."

"So... she won't be able to go anymore?" Himikō bit her lip sharply as she watched the rain puddles ripple as new droplets fell around them. 

"It wasn't your fault. She could barely attend her classes with how bad the bullying was getting. We all knew she couldn't last another year to graduate." Daisuke tightened his hand around hers.

There were many emotions running through Himikō then; guilt, regret, sadness and anger. She was almost ashamed of the difference between her and Izumi since although all three of them were ability-users, Izumi was the only one with an ability she couldn't conceal, while her and Daisuke's were untraceable. 

"Stop thinking so much about it, stupid."

Himikō blinked as Daisuke stopped walking as they reached in front of her apartment complex, the rain slowly letting up although the skies were still a dark grey.

He seemed annoyed by her troubled expression which made Himikō laugh teasingly and stand on her toes to kiss his cheek. Though the two had been a couple since their final year of junior-high; four years now; and Daisuke still had that awkward tenderness she loved to tease.

His black uniform, dark under eye circles, ever-present face mask and annoyed expression hadn't changed either since their first meeting.

"Thank you." She smiled.

━━━━

ᵀᴵᴹᴱ / 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐀𝐠𝐨

The sound of feet pounding against the dirt path in a sprint was heard as a girl in a middle-school sailor uniform laughed happily with her hands outstretched, her long, waist-length black hair flying behind her.

The sky was slowly turning into a peachy colour mixed with purples as the sun slowly began its descent in the sky, with two children racing to catch it before it went to sleep.

"Hurry up, Fūjioka!" 

The girl laughed in a childish manner, her eyes sparkling with excitement. The boy in question was walking up the hill behind her at a slower walking pace and rolled his eyes at her, though not unkindly.

"Not all of us have your energy, you child." He groaned as he reached the top of the hill, catching up to the girl who turned her head to look out onto the horizon with a gentle breeze rustling through the long grass of the hilltop.

"Look!" The girl only grinned as she pointed out to the colourful sky of reds, oranges and brilliant purples. "It's just as pretty as you told me!"

Standing beside her in his own all black middle-school uniform, he sat down on the green grass and watched the scenery with her, crossing his legs informally.

"It's like the sun is melting into the ground, don't you think?" She marvelled over the sight, commenting in rapture. The two watched in a peaceful silence for a few moments, the girl standing while the boy sat calmly.

After a few minutes of quiet, the girl spoke quietly in a soft tone of thanks. 

"Thank you, Fūjioka."

"Hn?" Turning his head to look up at her, the boy raised an eyebrow in query. Though her long hair was covering her face then, he could oddly tell that her expression was one of pain.

"I...if I hadn't met you then, I would never have known anything this beautiful."

A wind blew through, causing a rustling sound through the green blades as the dark undereye circled boy looked up at her with wide eyes before closing them for a moment as the girl tucked her hair behind her ear and continued watching the sun setting.

Soundlessly pulling his face mask down, he reopened his eyes with an unnameable expression visible in them. 

« This... need to protect someone other than myself... »

"Daisuke. Call me Daisuke." He spoke with a rare gentle smile that was almost foreign on his usual stoic face as he turned his head to watch the same darkening skyline.

 « I too only learned of such a feeling when I met you. »

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Daisuke knocked thrice curtly on the wooden door before opening it to a neat office space with tall windows and a desk where an elderly, kind-looking man was sitting, who looked up to see who had just entered before smiling upon seeing the dark-eyed boy.

"Ah... Fūjioka-kun," He waved the younger boy into the office. "It seems as though you are here due to Izumi Midorkawa's situation."

Though the office was rather bare, retaining a minimalist decor, a single certificate of pride was hanging behind the man reading:

「Humanity Award - to the A.H.P.C in recognition.」

"Please don't read people's intentions, Director." Daisuke sighed in annoyance as he sat down in one of the rather large visitor chairs before the desk. His face mask remained on his face, though the Director seemed used to his strange manner of covering despite not being sick. 

"For someone who likes others to think he doesn't care about anything, you're worried enough to visit me to ask about the young Midorikawa to grant your lady friend peace of mind. You are quite the kind boy, Fūjioka-kun."

"I said not to read my intentions, old man." Daisuke's frown was covered by his mask though his eyes were narrowed slightly.

"Hoho. Very, well then. Though you already seem to know it, Midorikawa-san will no longer be able to attend her previous school. Luckily we have teachers here for events like this who teach our 'ability-holder children,' in their stead."

"I figured that much," Daisuke spoke sarcastically, looking down at his hands resting on his knees. "I suppose it won't be too bad. She's already lived here her entire life, what's studying here too?"

"Indeed, our institution's children don't get much of a life except what we can try to give them. But of course, you should know this yourself as one of our orphans who was raised here."

━━━━

A single ding of a text notification went off as the pretty raven-haired girl turned off the stove, having finished cooking her stir-fry. 

Untieing her hair and letting it fall loosely over her shoulders like a black waterfall, she checked her phone and upon seeing the sender's name and usual blunt, to-the-point text she broke out in a happy smile.

『 Daisuke: Izumi will be fine. 』