----
The next morning began with cats.
This was no longer unusual.
In fact, if the morning did not begin with cats, Jiwoo would probably become concerned.
He stepped out of the house carrying a bag of cat food in one hand and a small container of water in the other, still yawning from the night before.
Training had taken a lot out of him.
His body ached faintly.
His energy core felt sore in a way he hadn't known was possible before becoming an awakened one.
But beneath the tiredness, there was still that quiet, warm feeling.
The secondary space inside his core.
The strange vacuum Asuka had created for him.
A little easier to sense now.
Still difficult.
Still unfamiliar.
But there.
A gift.
Jiwoo smiled softly to himself as he walked.
Behind him, Asuka followed with her own small bag of food.
She looked calm.
Unbothered.
Bandages wrapped neatly over her eyes.
Kayden walked beside them in cat form.
Not because he wanted to feed strays.
Obviously.
He was supervising.
Maintaining security.
Ensuring Jiwoo did not get attacked by another idiot organization while doing something as ridiculous as handing breakfast to alley cats.
That was all.
Then a little girl walking past with her mother pointed at him.
"Mommy, look!"
Kayden froze.
The child beamed.
"A piggy piggy cat!"
Silence.
Jiwoo stopped.
Asuka stopped.
Kayden stopped.
The mother gasped softly.
"Don't say that."
"But he's round."
Kayden's fur bristled.
Jiwoo immediately panicked.
"He's not— I mean, he's very healthy—"
The little girl smiled brighter.
"Piggy piggy cat!"
Asuka turned her face away.
Her shoulders shook once.
Kayden's eyes slowly moved toward her.
"Asuka."
She pressed her lips together.
"Yes?"
"Do not laugh."
"I am not."
"You are."
"I am breathing."
"You are breathing wrong."
Jiwoo crouched hurriedly in front of Kayden.
"Mr. Kayden, she didn't mean it."
Kayden stared straight ahead.
His expression had gone beyond anger.
It had become philosophical.
Asuka covered her mouth with one hand.
The little girl waved.
"Bye-bye, piggy cat!"
Kayden's tail puffed.
Jiwoo waved awkwardly.
"Bye."
Asuka whispered, "Bye-bye, piggy cat."
Kayden's head snapped toward her.
"Asuka."
Her mouth curved.
"I was repeating for accuracy."
"I will remember this."
"I believe you."
"And you."
He glared at Jiwoo.
"Stop looking like you're trying not to smile."
Jiwoo's face trembled.
"I'm not."
"You are worse than her."
"I'm sorry."
"You're still smiling."
"I'm really sorry."
Kayden stalked ahead with all the dignity available to a large orange cat who had just been publicly called piggy piggy cat by a child.
Asuka followed, silently delighted.
This was already a good morning.
They found Wooin at the usual feeding spot.
He had arrived early.
A few cats were already gathered around him, eating from small portions he had carefully placed apart so the bigger ones wouldn't crowd the smaller ones away.
The white stray from the alley sat closest to him.
Wooin crouched beside it, one hand resting gently near the bowl but not touching, letting the cat decide the distance.
Jiwoo's face warmed.
"Wooin!"
Wooin looked up.
"Jiwoo."
"Good morning."
"Good morning."
Jiwoo crouched beside him and began setting out more food.
"You came early."
Wooin nodded.
"I woke up early."
"Did you sleep okay?"
"Yes."
A small pause.
"Better than usual."
Jiwoo smiled brightly.
"That's good."
Asuka stepped closer and tilted her head.
Her attention moved toward the alley.
There.
Mumbling.
Low.
Intense.
Ridiculous.
She already knew who it was.
Kayden's eyes narrowed.
Jiwoo blinked.
"Is someone there?"
They turned the corner.
And found Jisuk Yoo.
He was crouched in a shadowed corner of the alley, holding a bag of cat food like a man conducting a secret ritual.
Several stray cats surrounded him.
A large brown cat was eating directly in front of him.
Jisuk stared at it with terrifying seriousness.
"That's it."
He poured more food.
"Eat more."
The brown cat continued eating.
Jisuk nodded solemnly.
"Grow big."
Jiwoo blinked.
Asuka's mouth curved.
Jisuk lowered his voice further.
"Develop into an awakened cat."
Silence.
Kayden stared.
Jiwoo stared.
Wooin stared.
Asuka looked like the universe had just handed her a reward for surviving yesterday.
Jisuk continued, unaware.
"You have potential. You're round. You're ugly enough to look strong. That's good."
The brown cat chewed.
Jisuk clenched one fist.
"I'll train you."
Kayden's expression went completely flat.
Jiwoo finally spoke.
"Jisuk?"
Jisuk screamed.
Not loudly.
But spiritually.
His entire body jolted, the food bag nearly flying from his hand.
"What the hell?!"
The cats scattered a few steps, offended.
Jisuk spun around.
"You surprised me!"
Jiwoo looked apologetic immediately.
"Sorry."
"Don't just appear behind people!"
"We walked here normally."
"That's worse!"
Wooin looked at the brown cat.
"You were talking to it."
Jisuk's face reddened.
"No, I wasn't."
"You said it should develop into an awakened cat."
"I said eat more."
"And grow big."
"I didn't say that."
"And train."
"I definitely didn't say that!"
Asuka tilted her head.
"You did."
Jisuk pointed at her.
"You stay out of this!"
Kayden stepped out from behind Jiwoo's foot.
Jisuk's finger dropped instantly.
His posture straightened.
His soul remembered survival.
"Good morning."
Jiwoo brightened.
"Oh! You're greeting Casein Nitrate?"
Jisuk sweat-dropped.
"Yeah."
He forced his face into something normal.
At least, what he believed was normal.
It looked like a criminal pretending to respect a houseplant.
"Good morning, cat."
Kayden's eyes narrowed.
Jisuk quickly added, "Sir."
Silence.
Jiwoo blinked.
Wooin blinked.
Asuka slowly covered her mouth.
Jisuk went pale.
"I mean—"
Kayden stared.
Jisuk coughed violently.
"I mean, sure. Good morning, sure. Yeah. Normal. Completely normal."
Jiwoo tilted his head.
"You seem really awake today."
"I am not."
"It sounded like you were training cats."
"I was feeding them."
"Very motivationally."
Wooin nodded.
"Very."
Jisuk's eye twitched.
"You two are getting annoying."
Asuka said softly, "Progress."
"Don't call this progress!"
Kayden looked at the brown cat.
Then at Jisuk.
"You are trying to find a replacement for me?"
To everyone else, it was a low meow.
Jisuk's face lost color.
Jiwoo smiled.
"Casein Nitrate is talking to the brown cat."
Jisuk swallowed.
"Right. The brown cat. Obviously."
Asuka crouched and poured food into another bowl.
"Do not worry. The brown cat seems uninterested in awakened training."
Jisuk looked betrayed.
"He has potential."
"He is eating cardboard dust."
"That's grit."
"That is concerning."
Then a voice tore through the morning.
"JISUK YOO!"
Jisuk's entire face collapsed.
"Oh, come on."
Subin Lee stormed down the sidewalk like a weather event.
Her expression was furious.
Her eyes were sharp.
And her presence immediately sent three timid strays under a parked car.
Jisuk stood.
"What now?"
Subin pointed at him.
"Why didn't you pick up my calls?!"
"Because it was hella annoying."
Her eye twitched.
"What did you say?"
"I said it was hella annoying."
Jiwoo immediately stepped in with a bright smile.
"Good morning, Subin."
Subin froze.
Then slowly turned toward him.
"Don't greet me like that."
"Oh."
Jiwoo smiled anyway.
"Did you sleep well?"
"What are you, my grandmother?!"
Jisuk snorted.
Subin snapped back toward him.
"And you! I called you seven times!"
"Exactly."
"What does that mean?"
"It means you called too much."
"I had business!"
"With me?"
"No!"
"Then why call me?"
Subin pointed past him.
"I'm here for Wooin."
Jiwoo immediately turned.
"Oh, Wooin is right here."
Wooin looked up from feeding a small calico.
Subin flushed.
"I can see that!"
Jiwoo smiled.
"Okay."
"Stop acting friendly!"
"I'm not trying to bother you."
"That makes it worse!"
Asuka quietly poured more food.
Kayden sat beside her, still radiating offended dignity from the piggy piggy cat incident.
Subin looked around.
Her anger paused.
"What are you doing?"
Jiwoo blinked.
"Feeding strays."
"This early?"
"Yes."
"We do this every morning."
Subin stared.
Every morning?
Awakened ones.
The strange unaffiliated telekinetic.
The overly cheerful speed user.
The quiet blindfolded girl.
And Jisuk Yoo of all people.
Feeding cats.
She looked slowly toward Jisuk.
Her expression shifted.
Jisuk immediately took offense.
"What?"
"You…"
Her eyes narrowed.
"You've changed."
Jisuk's face reddened.
"I have not!"
Subin looked at the food bag in his hand.
"You're feeding cats."
"So?"
"You used to hate stuff like this."
"I just like cats now."
The words came out too fast.
Too stiff.
Too defensive.
His eyes flicked briefly toward Kayden.
Kayden stared at him.
Jisuk's spine straightened.
"I respect cats."
Jiwoo's face lit up.
"You really do now."
"Don't look so happy."
Subin stared at Jisuk.
Then at Jiwoo.
Then at Wooin.
Then at Asuka.
Then at Kayden.
Her gaze stopped.
"Whose cat is that?"
Kayden froze.
Jiwoo smiled.
"He's ours."
"Ours?"
"My sister's and mine."
Asuka nodded.
"Casein Nitrate."
Subin stared.
"What kind of name is that?"
Jiwoo beamed.
"It's cute, right?"
Subin did not answer.
She crouched slightly, studying Kayden.
Kayden did not like this.
Not one bit.
Her eyes narrowed with suspicion.
"It was a stray?"
Jiwoo nodded.
"Yes. We adopted the cat."
Subin looked Kayden up and down.
Then said the most dangerous thing possible.
"It must've been a really well-fed stray."
The air died.
Jisuk's mouth opened.
Wooin froze.
Jiwoo went pale.
Asuka's shoulders trembled once.
Kayden's eyes became empty.
Subin continued, completely unaware.
"It's fat."
Jisuk's soul left his body.
Jiwoo rushed forward.
"Casien's not fat! It's just that—"
Asuka finished, "Round."
Subin nodded.
"Very round."
Kayden slowly turned his head toward Jisuk.
As if this were somehow his fault.
Jisuk raised both hands.
"I didn't say it."
Kayden's stare sharpened.
"I swear I didn't say it."
Subin looked between them.
"What are you doing?"
"Nothing!"
Jiwoo crouched quickly near Kayden.
"Our cat is healthy."
Subin tilted her head.
"It's a boy or a girl?"
Jiwoo blinked.
"Oh. A boy."
Subin nodded thoughtfully.
"Is he neutered?"
The world stopped.
Wooin went completely still.
Jisuk turned white.
Jiwoo made a sound like his soul had tripped.
Asuka's hand flew to her mouth.
Kayden's fur stood up all at once.
For one long, silent second, nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
Even the cats seemed to sense danger.
Subin, however, continued observing like she had asked a perfectly normal question.
Which, to be fair, she had.
To everyone else.
"He probably isn't," she muttered. "His ear isn't clipped."
Kayden's eyes glowed with murder.
Jisuk slowly stepped backward.
Not because he wanted distance from Subin.
Because he did not want to be in the blast radius.
Jiwoo stammered, "S-Subin, maybe don't—"
"What?"
Subin looked at him.
"It's important. Stray cats should be checked."
"That's true," Wooin said very quietly.
Jisuk whipped toward him.
"Why would you agree right now?!"
Wooin blinked.
"It is factually true."
"This is not the time for facts!"
Asuka's shoulders shook.
She tried.
She truly tried.
But the mental image had arrived.
Kayden.
Legendary awakened one.
World-class monster.
The man who had terrified entire organizations.
Sitting in a vet clinic while someone asked if he had been neutered.
She made a small sound.
Very small.
Barely there.
But Kayden heard it.
His head turned slowly.
"Asuka."
She pressed her lips together.
"Yes?"
"Do not."
"I am not."
"You are."
"I am trying."
"Try harder."
Jiwoo's eyes widened.
"Casein Nitrate looks upset."
Jisuk whispered, "You think?"
Subin frowned.
"He's aggressive too?"
"No," Jiwoo said quickly. "He's very gentle."
Kayden's head snapped toward him.
Jiwoo corrected instantly, "Dignified. Very dignified."
Jisuk nodded violently.
"Yes. Extremely dignified. The most dignified cat."
Subin stared at them.
"What's wrong with you two?"
"Nothing!"
Asuka finally looked away.
Her shoulders continued trembling.
Kayden's tail lashed once.
"Laugh and die."
Asuka whispered, "I understand."
"You do not."
"I do."
"You are still laughing internally."
"Respectfully."
Jisuk pointed at her.
"Don't steal my word!"
Subin looked between them all again.
"I don't get you people."
Jiwoo smiled awkwardly.
"We hear that a lot."
Subin huffed and turned toward Wooin.
"Anyway. I came to talk to you."
Wooin looked up.
"About the Union?"
Subin crossed her arms.
"Yes. No. Sort of."
Jisuk muttered, "Wow, clear as mud."
Subin snapped, "Shut up!"
Kayden took one step forward.
Subin glanced down.
"What?"
Kayden stared.
She stared back.
For a moment, the alley seemed colder.
Then Subin said, "What's with that look? You want food too?"
Jisuk gasped softly.
"Don't antagonize him."
Subin turned slowly.
"Him?"
Jisuk's face twitched.
"The cat."
"It's a cat."
"Yes," Jisuk said, voice strangled. "Exactly. A cat. A normal cat. A cat deserving respect. And privacy."
Subin stared.
"Privacy?"
Jisuk's eyes flicked helplessly to Asuka.
Asuka had fully turned away now, one hand covering her mouth, fighting for her life against laughter.
Jiwoo looked deeply confused.
Wooin looked like he understood enough to remain silent forever.
Kayden sat down very slowly.
Too slowly.
The movement carried more threat than an attack.
Subin watched him.
"He really is round."
Jisuk made a wounded noise.
"Stop saying that."
"Why do you care?"
"I respect cats!"
Jiwoo nodded earnestly.
"He really does."
Subin looked horrified.
"You are all weird."
Asuka finally managed to speak, voice slightly uneven.
"Welcome."
Subin blinked.
"What?"
"To the group."
"I am not in your group."
Asuka smiled faintly.
"Not yet."
Subin's face twisted.
"What does that mean?"
"Nothing."
Kayden looked up at Asuka.
"That sounded ominous."
"It was friendly."
"No, it wasn't."
"It can be both."
Jisuk stared at her.
"That's the kind of thing villains say."
Asuka tilted her head.
"Is it?"
"Yes!"
Subin pointed at Jisuk.
"And you're one to talk!"
Jisuk snapped, "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means you look like a villain while feeding cats in an alley!"
"I do not!"
"You were whispering to a brown cat!"
"That was private!"
"It was weird!"
"It was training!"
The brown cat meowed.
Everyone paused.
Jisuk looked down.
The brown cat bumped his ankle, then went back to eating.
Jiwoo smiled warmly.
"I think it likes you."
Jisuk froze.
His face turned faintly red.
"Tch."
Subin stared.
Then looked away.
"Seriously. You've changed."
Jisuk's expression tightened.
But this time, he did not immediately yell.
He looked at Jiwoo.
At Wooin.
At Asuka.
At Kayden.
Then at the cats eating around their feet.
Finally, he shoved his hands into his pockets.
"Maybe I got bored."
Subin frowned.
"That doesn't answer anything."
"I wasn't trying to."
Jiwoo smiled.
"That's okay."
Subin snapped, "Why are you smiling again?"
"Because everyone is here."
Subin froze.
That answer was so stupid.
So simple.
So completely Jiwoo.
She didn't know what to do with it.
Kayden stared at him too.
Then sighed.
This brat.
This absurd, sunny, oblivious brat.
Somehow he kept dragging people in.
Jisuk.
Wooin.
Now the ice girl.
Maybe this was Jiwoo's true power.
Not speed.
Not force control.
Not the ridiculous space-vacuum core Asuka had made for him.
Just this.
The ability to make troublesome people stand in an alley at sunrise feeding cats together.
Asuka crouched and scratched a grey cat beneath its chin.
Kayden glanced at her.
She was smiling.
Softly.
Not laughing now.
Just watching.
Like she knew something the rest of them didn't.
Which, unfortunately, she probably did.
Subin huffed.
"I didn't come here to feed cats."
Jiwoo held out the food bag.
"Do you want to try?"
"No."
A small orange kitten approached her shoe.
Subin looked down.
The kitten looked up.
Silence.
Jiwoo whispered, "It's okay. Just pour a little."
Subin glared.
"I said no."
The kitten meowed.
Subin's face twitched.
Jisuk grinned.
"Oh?"
"Shut up."
"You're folding."
"I am not."
"You're definitely folding."
"Shut up, Jisuk."
The kitten meowed again.
Subin snatched the bag from Jiwoo.
"Fine. Just once."
Jiwoo smiled brightly.
"Okay."
Subin crouched stiffly and poured food into a little pile.
The kitten began eating.
Subin stared.
Then, very quietly, her expression softened.
Only a little.
Barely.
But enough.
Asuka saw it.
Jiwoo saw it.
Wooin saw it.
Jisuk saw it and immediately opened his mouth.
Kayden's eyes snapped to him.
Jisuk closed his mouth.
Survival.
Growth.
Progress.
Subin cleared her throat and stood too quickly.
"There. Done."
Jiwoo smiled.
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me."
"Okay."
"And don't tell anyone."
Jisuk grinned.
"Too late. I saw everything."
Ice sparked around Subin's hand.
"Want to die?"
Wind stirred faintly around Jisuk.
"Try me."
Jiwoo panicked.
"Please don't fight near the cats!"
Asuka sighed.
"Again?"
Wooin quietly moved the orange kitten farther from them.
Kayden sat between Asuka's feet, still offended, still round, still very much not forgiving anyone.
Especially Subin.
Especially the child from earlier.
Especially the phrase piggy piggy cat.
And absolutely, under no circumstances, the neutering question.
Asuka glanced down at him.
Her mouth curved again.
Kayden's eyes narrowed.
"Asuka."
"I said nothing."
"You thought something."
"Yes."
"Stop."
"No."
"Asuka."
She smiled.
"Dignified piggy piggy cat."
Kayden's fur puffed instantly.
Jisuk screamed, "Don't say it out loud!"
Jiwoo blinked.
Subin blinked.
Wooin closed his eyes.
The cats continued eating.
And just like that, another peaceful morning collapsed into chaos.
Later that day, back at Seo residence, Jiwoo received a call from Shinhwa.
Specifically, from Inhyuk.
Which meant two things.
One, it was probably important.
Two, there was at least a small chance it somehow involved cats.
Jiwoo stood in the living room with his phone pressed to his ear, blinking.
"Yes?"
A pause.
"Oh. Right now?"
Another pause.
He glanced toward Asuka.
Asuka was sitting on the couch with The Meaning of Life open in her lap, looking deeply unbothered by existence.
Kayden lay beside her in cat form, still sulking.
The dignity damage from that morning had not healed.
Piggy piggy cat.
Neutered.
Round.
Fat.
Too many attacks had been made against him in too short a period of time.
Even his recovery speed had limits.
Jiwoo lowered the phone slightly.
"Asuka."
"Yes, Oppa?"
"Shinhwa wants me to come by."
"I know."
Jiwoo blinked.
"You know?"
"Yes."
Kayden opened one eye.
Jiwoo tilted his head.
"How?"
Asuka turned a page.
"Pattern recognition."
Kayden's eye narrowed.
"That means future sight."
"No."
"Asuka."
"Fine. It means future sight."
Jiwoo smiled awkwardly.
"Oh."
Inhyuk's voice came faintly through the phone.
"Jiwoo? Is Asuka there too?"
Jiwoo lifted it again.
"Yes."
"She can come if she wants, but Jiyoung said it's fine if you come alone. It won't take long."
Jiwoo looked at Asuka.
Asuka did not look up from her book.
"I will stay here."
Kayden's tail flicked.
Jiwoo nodded.
"Okay. I'll come by."
After he hung up, he slipped his phone into his pocket.
"Do you know what it's about?"
Asuka hummed.
"An academy."
Kayden's eye opened fully.
"Academy?"
Jiwoo blinked.
"An awakened academy?"
"Yes."
Asuka turned another page.
Kayden sat up.
His expression sharpened despite his round cat body, which made the seriousness slightly less effective.
"Explain."
Asuka tilted her head.
"Jiyoung will explain better."
"I'm asking you."
"Trouble."
Kayden stared.
"That is not an explanation."
"It is an efficient summary."
Jiwoo smiled nervously.
"Is it dangerous?"
Asuka paused.
That was a complicated question.
Dangerous?
Yes.
Safer?
Also yes.
The future rarely gave clean answers.
She had seen paths where they went to the awakened academy.
Most of them.
Not all.
But enough.
In most of those futures, their awakened lives shifted there.
Changed there.
Expanded there.
Friends.
Rivals.
Spars.
Rankings.
Egos.
Organizations.
Unaffiliated students being looked down on.
Affiliated students discovering that arrogance was not armor.
Jiwoo learning the wider world.
Wooin deciding to come too.
Subin shouting.
Jisuk enjoying everyone's suffering.
Kayden pretending not to be invested.
Asuka being forced to participate in far more nonsense than she wanted.
And in the futures where they did not go?
Trouble still came.
Different shape.
Different timing.
Same result.
Because Kayden was here.
Because the world would not ignore him forever.
Because Jiwoo, kind as he was, had already stepped into the awakened world.
Because Asuka existed.
And existence, apparently, was enough.
"It can be dangerous," Asuka said at last.
Jiwoo listened.
"But it may also be useful."
Kayden studied her.
That answer told him more than she probably meant it to.
Useful.
Asuka's favorite word for things that were actually absurdly important.
Jiwoo nodded slowly.
"Then I'll go hear what they have to say."
Asuka looked up slightly.
"Okay."
"Do you want anything while I'm out?"
"Strawberry milk."
Jiwoo smiled.
"Okay."
Kayden stared.
"You're sending him to Shinhwa and asking for strawberry milk?"
Asuka blinked.
"Yes."
"You're unbelievable."
"Thank you."
"That was not praise."
"It sounded accurate."
Kayden sighed.
Jiwoo laughed and headed out.
The house became quieter after Jiwoo left.
Asuka remained on the couch.
Kayden remained beside her.
The cats dozed around them in patches of sunlight.
For several minutes, neither of them spoke.
Then Kayden said, "You already decided."
Asuka turned a page.
"Yes."
"You want him to go."
"Yes."
Kayden watched her carefully.
"You hate organizations."
"Yes."
"You hate being controlled."
"Yes."
"You hate troublesome social structures."
"Yes."
"And you still want to go."
Asuka's finger paused against the page.
Then she smiled faintly.
"That is how you know it is important."
Kayden clicked his tongue.
He hated when she had a point.
Asuka leaned back against the couch.
"I have seen futures where we do not attend."
"And?"
"We get dragged deeper into the awakened world anyway."
Kayden's expression darkened slightly.
"Because of me."
Asuka did not answer immediately.
That was answer enough.
Kayden's tail stilled.
Asuka finally said, "Because of many things."
"Asuka."
"Yes?"
"Don't soften it."
She turned her bandaged face toward him.
"I was not."
"You were."
"Fine."
Her voice stayed calm.
"Mostly because of you."
Kayden snorted.
"There."
"Happy?"
"No."
"Accurate?"
"Yes."
Asuka looked back at her book, though she was no longer reading.
"Oppa will be in danger either way."
Kayden said nothing.
"At least at the academy, he can learn."
A pause.
"He can meet others."
Another.
"He can understand the world before the world decides to crush him."
Kayden's eyes narrowed.
"You make it sound inevitable."
"It is not inevitable."
Asuka's hand moved slowly over the grey scarred cat sleeping beside her thigh.
"But probability is irritating."
Kayden stared at her.
She continued, "If we attend, trouble gathers in one place."
"That's your reason?"
"One of them."
"You want all the idiots in one location so you don't have to chase them."
"Yes."
Kayden stared.
Then laughed.
A low, sharp sound.
"Lazy monster."
Asuka nodded.
"Yes."
"I was insulting you."
"I accepted it."
"You're impossible."
"So I have heard."
Kayden shook his head, but there was amusement in his eyes.
She truly did want a lazy life.
Food.
Cats.
Books.
Training when necessary.
Doing whatever she wanted.
Ignoring rankings.
Ignoring politics.
Ignoring the awakened world's endless obsession with status.
But she was also arranging the board before anyone else saw the game.
Not because she cared about winning.
Because she cared about keeping Jiwoo alive.
That was the dangerous thing about Asuka Seo.
She cared selectively.
And once she cared, she became impossible to stop.
Jiwoo returned near sunset.
With strawberry milk.
Naturally.
"Asuka, I'm back!"
The cats reacted first.
The tabby ran toward him.
The black-and-white cat stretched on the couch.
The grey cat opened one eye.
Kayden did not move.
He was still pretending not to care.
Asuka set her book down.
"Welcome home, Oppa."
Jiwoo smiled and held out the strawberry milk.
"I got two."
Asuka accepted one.
Kayden stared.
Jiwoo blinked.
"Oh."
He reached into the bag and pulled out a cat treat.
Kayden's expression changed immediately.
Not happily.
Dignified.
Obviously.
Jiwoo smiled.
"And this too."
Kayden looked away.
"Tch."
Asuka accepted the second strawberry milk anyway.
Jiwoo sat across from them on the floor.
For a moment, he was quiet.
That alone made Kayden pay attention.
Jiwoo was rarely quiet after coming home unless he was thinking deeply or worried.
Sometimes both.
Asuka poked the straw into her drink.
"Jiyoung invited us to the awakened academy."
Jiwoo blinked.
"I didn't even say it yet."
"You were going to."
Kayden looked at Jiwoo.
"Both of you?"
Jiwoo nodded.
"Me and Asuka."
He took a breath.
"Jiyoung said there's going to be a new awakened academy where young awakeners from different groups can train and learn together."
Kayden's eyes sharpened.
"New?"
"Yes."
"And she wants you two to participate?"
Jiwoo nodded again.
"As independent members."
A pause.
"With Shinhwa's sponsorship."
Kayden's tail flicked.
"So Jiyoung wants you and Asuka to attend as unaffiliated students under Shinhwa's protection."
Jiwoo brightened.
"Yes. I think that's it."
Kayden looked thoughtful.
"That means ordinary unaffiliated kids probably aren't allowed."
Jiwoo blinked.
"What?"
Kayden glanced toward Asuka.
"You understand, right?"
Asuka nodded while sipping strawberry milk.
"Only members of awakened groups are originally invited."
Jiwoo looked surprised.
"Really?"
Kayden nodded.
"If Shinhwa has to sponsor you, it means they're bending the entry requirement."
Jiwoo looked down.
"Oh."
Kayden continued, "She's doing you a favor."
Jiwoo's expression softened.
"Jiyoung said it would be helpful."
"She's right."
Kayden jumped onto the couch arm and sat like a person.
"She probably didn't explain all of it to you because you wouldn't understand the value immediately."
Jiwoo scratched his cheek.
"That's true."
"The requirements must be strict."
"How strict?"
Kayden looked at him.
"You said two or three students from each group?"
"Sometimes four."
"Then they're not sending ordinary students."
Kayden's grin widened slightly.
"They're sending their star pupils."
Jiwoo's eyes widened.
"The strongest young awakeners?"
"Or the most promising."
A pause.
"Usually both."
Jiwoo swallowed.
"That sounds intense."
"It should be."
Kayden's eyes gleamed.
"There are a lot of crazy freaks among awakened ones."
Then he glanced at Asuka.
"Like your sister, for example."
Jiwoo immediately looked startled.
"Mr. Kayden."
Asuka lifted one hand.
"It is fine."
Kayden smirked.
"She knows."
Asuka shrugged.
"I am somewhat unusual."
Kayden stared.
"Somewhat?"
"Yes."
"Somewhat?"
Asuka sipped her strawberry milk.
"Moderately."
Kayden gave up.
Jiwoo smiled despite himself.
Asuka set the drink down.
"In all honesty, Oppa, I think it will be a good learning experience."
Jiwoo looked at her.
"You think so?"
"Yes."
"We would be able to learn firsthand what other awakeners are like."
She counted casually on her fingers.
"Beyond Subin, Jisuk, and Wooin."
Kayden nodded.
"You've only seen a small piece so far."
Jiwoo thought about that.
Jisuk's wind.
Subin's ice.
Wooin's telekinesis.
Mr. Park.
Jiyoung.
Inhyuk.
The Klein brothers.
Kayden.
Asuka.
His world had grown so quickly, but maybe it was still small.
Kayden watched him.
"I've said all of that, but you already know my answer, right?"
Jiwoo looked up.
Then smiled.
"You mean…"
Kayden waited.
"To do what I want?"
Kayden grinned.
"Yeah."
Jiwoo's smile warmed.
"You always say that."
"Because you keep asking."
"Right."
"And because it's the only answer that matters."
Jiwoo looked down at his hands.
His own hands.
The ones that had once only fed cats and helped people quietly.
Now they carried awakened energy.
Speed.
Time affinity.
A secondary space inside his core.
Power that could hurt people.
Power that could protect them.
He thought of Kayden.
The first person who had taught him.
The person who had pushed him, mocked him, protected him.
He thought of Asuka.
His little sister.
Who had always been strange and quiet and brilliant.
Who smiled softly at cats.
Who casually created impossible techniques because she wanted him to live.
He thought of Wooin.
Who had chosen for himself.
Jisuk.
Who shouted too much but had protected them anyway.
Subin.
Who yelled, threatened, fed one kitten, and pretended it meant nothing.
Jiyoung.
Who had offered help without forcing his hand.
Jiwoo was lucky.
He knew that.
If he had never met Kayden, his life would have been different.
If he did not have Asuka, he might never have understood half of what was happening around him.
He had been scared before.
Still was, sometimes.
But not as much as he used to be.
Not alone.
"I want to go," Jiwoo said.
Kayden watched him.
Asuka's mouth curved faintly.
Jiwoo lifted his head.
"I don't know what will happen there."
A pause.
"But I want to learn."
His voice grew steadier.
"I want to meet other awakeners."
Another pause.
"And I want to get stronger."
Kayden's eyes sharpened.
"Why?"
Jiwoo answered immediately.
"So I can protect people."
Kayden sighed.
"Of course."
Asuka smiled into her strawberry milk.
"Very Oppa."
Jiwoo looked at her.
"What about you?"
Asuka tilted her head.
"What about me?"
"Will you go too?"
She hummed.
"I cannot let my Oppa go to some foreign place alone."
Jiwoo's face softened.
"Asuka…"
"Also, I am curious."
Kayden stared at her.
"You just admitted curiosity."
"Yes."
"Dangerous."
"Probably."
Jiwoo smiled.
"What are you curious about?"
"What an awakened academy is like."
Her voice turned thoughtful.
"Whether it is structured. Whether it is fair. Whether the teachers are competent. Whether students are protected."
Kayden's gaze sharpened slightly at the last part.
Asuka looked toward the window.
She thought of another school.
Jujutsu High.
Old halls.
Training grounds.
A place that was not truly safe, but safer than the rest of the world.
Protected by people who stood between students and those who would use them.
Satoru.
Haruka.
Utahime in Kyoto, sharp-tongued and protective in her own way.
Teachers who were flawed.
Troublesome.
Sometimes ridiculous.
But who cared enough to stand in the way.
The awakened academy might not be like that.
Probably would not be.
This world was too political.
Too structured around groups.
Too invested in hierarchy.
Affiliated students would arrive with backing, pride, and expectations.
Unaffiliated students would arrive with disadvantages already placed around their necks.
The divide would be obvious.
Groups would measure one another.
Students would become representatives before they could be people.
And the unaffiliated ones?
They would be easy targets.
Caught between egos.
Caught between organizations.
Caught between adults pretending it was education when it was partly competition.
Asuka's fingers tightened slightly around the strawberry milk carton.
She disliked that.
Picking fights with the weak had never been her thing.
It was boring.
Cruel.
And usually done by people who wanted to feel strong without facing anyone who could actually break them.
Unfortunately for those students…
Jiwoo was not weak.
Wooin was not weak.
And Asuka—
Well.
Asuka was Asuka.
Kayden noticed her expression.
"You saw something."
"Many things."
"How bad?"
Asuka thought about it.
Then answered honestly.
"Troublesome."
Kayden stared.
"That is not enough detail."
"It is accurate."
"Asuka."
She sighed.
"There will likely be separation between affiliated and unaffiliated students."
Kayden's face darkened with recognition.
"Of course."
"Affiliated students will look down on unaffiliated students."
"Also expected."
"Some will provoke fights."
"Good."
Jiwoo blinked.
"Good?"
Kayden grinned.
"You learn faster when idiots volunteer to be lesson material."
Jiwoo looked unsure.
Asuka nodded slowly.
"Unfortunately, he has a point."
Jiwoo turned to her.
"You agree?"
"Yes."
"But fighting—"
"Should not be started carelessly," Asuka said. "But if someone insists on proving a bad point…"
Her mouth curved faintly.
"It can be corrected."
Kayden laughed.
"That sounds like something a villain would say."
Asuka tilted her head.
"Is it?"
"Yes."
"Maybe villains are occasionally efficient."
Jiwoo looked between them, mildly concerned.
Kayden looked proud.
"My disciple."
Jiwoo smiled nervously.
"Asuka, you won't go too far, right?"
Asuka looked at him.
"Of course not."
Kayden immediately said, "Define too far."
Asuka paused.
Jiwoo's smile stiffened.
"Asuka?"
She sipped her strawberry milk.
"I will be reasonable."
Kayden snorted.
"She won't kill anyone."
Jiwoo relaxed slightly.
"That's good."
Kayden continued, "Probably."
"Mr. Kayden!"
Asuka hummed.
"I will not."
Jiwoo looked relieved again.
Then Asuka added, "Unless necessary."
"Asuka!"
Kayden laughed outright.
Later that evening, Wooin came by.
He had not intended to stay long.
That was what he said.
Then the black cat climbed into his lap.
So he stayed.
Jiwoo told him about the academy invitation.
Wooin listened quietly.
Asuka watched from the couch.
Kayden, pretending to nap, opened one eye.
Jiwoo finished explaining with a hopeful smile.
"Jiyoung said Asuka and I can attend as independent students with Shinhwa's sponsorship."
Wooin looked down at the cat in his lap.
"I see."
Jiwoo hesitated.
"Do you think you'll go?"
Wooin blinked.
"Me?"
"If you're invited."
Wooin did not answer immediately.
Asuka already knew.
She had seen enough futures to know that if Jiwoo and Asuka went, Wooin would follow.
Not because he was dependent.
Not because he could not choose alone.
Because this time, choosing them was still choosing for himself.
Wooin gently stroked the black cat.
"If both of you are going…"
He paused.
Then looked up.
"I think I would like to go too."
Jiwoo brightened.
"Really?"
"Yes."
A tiny pause.
"If I'm allowed."
Kayden snorted.
"With what you showed against the ice girl, they'll allow it."
Wooin looked down at Kayden.
To him, it was just a meow.
Jiwoo smiled.
"Casein Nitrate agrees."
Wooin nodded solemnly.
"I see."
Kayden stared at him.
Asuka covered her mouth.
Wooin was getting better at surviving this house.
Too good, maybe.
That night, after Jiwoo fell asleep, Asuka stood by the window.
The house was quiet.
The cats slept in their chosen places.
Jiwoo's breathing was soft from the next room.
Kayden jumped onto the windowsill beside her.
"You're thinking again."
Asuka looked out at the dark street.
"Yes."
"About the academy?"
"Yes."
"Regretting it?"
"No."
Kayden watched her.
Outside, nothing moved.
But Asuka could see it anyway.
Possibilities.
The academy gates.
Students staring.
Subin shouting.
Jisuk laughing.
Wooin standing quietly beside Jiwoo.
Affiliated students sneering at unaffiliated ones.
Teachers pretending not to see.
The first spar.
The first defeat.
The first crack in the hierarchy.
The look on an affiliated student's face when an unaffiliated boy with kind eyes moved too fast to follow.
The silence when Wooin's telekinesis pressed someone to the floor before they realized they had underestimated him.
The sheer, terrible stillness when Asuka finally decided to show just enough.
Not everything.
Never everything.
Just enough to make the room understand.
Kayden looked at her.
"You're planning."
"I am trying not to."
"That means yes."
Asuka smiled faintly.
"Maybe."
"What do you want from this?"
She thought about that.
Not rankings.
Not fame.
Not influence.
Not recognition.
Those things meant nothing to her.
She had seen what it meant to be placed above people.
What it meant to be treated like a weapon.
A symbol.
A threat.
A miracle.
She wanted none of it.
"I want Oppa to learn safely."
Kayden listened.
"I want Wooin to have options."
A pause.
"I want Subin and Jisuk to stop trying to kill each other in inconvenient locations."
Kayden snorted.
"Impossible."
"Likely."
"And for yourself?"
Asuka looked down at him.
Then back at the window.
"I want a calm life."
Kayden stared at her.
Then slowly looked around the house.
At the cats.
At the training marks.
At the girl who could manipulate space and time.
At the boy who could one day stop time.
At the looming academy invitation.
At Frame's shadow somewhere beyond Korea.
"At this point," Kayden said, "that may be the most unrealistic goal you have."
Asuka sighed.
"I know."
He grinned.
"At least you know."
She looked outside again.
"But if the academy can gather trouble somewhere predictable…"
Kayden's grin widened.
"You can be lazy more efficiently."
"Yes."
He laughed.
"Lazy monster."
Asuka smiled.
"Thank you."
"Still not praise."
"Still accurate."
Kayden shook his head.
Troublesome.
Always troublesome.
But as he looked at her standing there, quiet and strange and far too young to carry memories that heavy, he understood something.
Asuka was not going to the academy because she cared about the awakened world.
She was going because Jiwoo did.
Because Wooin might.
Because the people around her would be safer if she stood nearby.
And if, along the way, a few arrogant affiliated brats had their egos broken?
Well.
Kayden was not exactly opposed.
Asuka's mouth curved faintly.
Far away in the dark, the future shifted.
Not peacefully.
Never peacefully.
But maybe…
Fairly.
And if this world insisted on building a place where some students were treated as lesser before they had even begun, then perhaps it deserved what was coming.
After all—
Haruka or Asuka.
Different names.
Different lives.
Same belief.
If she could give someone a fair chance, she would.
Even if it was a pain in the ass.
----