A year had passed since the day Kousuke and Akane had played the laser tag game. After that day, he was taking small steps to get out more; it wasn't much, but it was a start as he tried new ways to convince himself he wasn't the pathetic person he was before. He hung out with Akane when she was home for leave, where she helped him learn beginner-level self-defense techniques and workout routines for his growing body. He started learning how to cook from Mana at her restaurant so he could feed himself in the future. It was a great moment for her to spend time with him, too. Seeing him stumble or make a mess would make her laugh, but she still enjoyed his company.
He started spending more time with Itsuki at school than he usually did, a surprise to her; he was taking the initiative, which she appreciated. They hung out together when school field trips came around; at one point, they held hands when they had to split into groups of two. They would be embarrassed, but it was platonic, so it didn't make them that uncomfortable. They even saw a movie together, with the family driver giving them a ride. They still hadn't met each other's families yet, but it was nice that they were getting closer at their own pace.
More and more, he was getting comfortable with moving away from the mentality of hiding in his room and focusing on his studies.
He asked Akane, the last time she was down, to show him how to use flame magic. She wasn't a master at it with her level or had a special affinity with any particular flame attribute, but she was good at her current level and made use of it for various tasks out on the field. She was better at fighting with her weapons and being a good leader to her squadmates.
She was currently on another assignment. She had been gone for a while. Akane promised Kousuke that if he practiced more, she would show him more advanced techniques, including videos of his Grandfather's victories, the most significant being the last big war when powerful masters led the Ghasts. He wanted to watch them because they were not yet available to the public due to the brutality of the war. After he finished his homework assignments, Kousuke went to practice outside on his magic. It was the weekend, and he wanted to get it done early so he could focus on training in other areas.
He could feel how a powerful mind affected the body and the surrounding atmosphere, how it could see a 'sequence' or 'code' in everything, deciphering it for its advantage. He thought it was a natural talent for those with the Esper class till the screen popped up to give him a notice.
[Skill unlocked. Skill, Code Breaker. The user can see the sequence of life in living beings, magic, and their self-code. User can manipulate coding as long as knowledge of the User's target is within the User's mindset]
'A skill? My first skill! I can't believe I got one now. Thankfully, it fits my personality. I did so many coding jobs for beta test games, and with how smart I am, this is going to be good'
This skill for code reading was perfect; seeing sequences of numbers and letters made it easy for him to decipher his power, his body, and other objects. By rewriting the coding in his white blood cells, he found a way to make them work more efficiently, accelerating healing even more than he had before. He also used it on his muscle fibers to promote healthy muscle regeneration, doubling his strength and body growth, much like bodybuilders lift weights to increase size and mass. Since he had no affinity for healing magic, he had to do this to heal himself up as best as he could for now.
He flexed his little arm, admiring his little muscle bump, even checking the wall outside where Akane and Mana marked his height increase every year, seeing that he had made himself grow three more inches. He was excited, he felt better about himself because he was getting all this with hard work, a better payoff than he had asked for, than getting high marks on exams or being top in class could get.
After practicing for three hours, he could finally handle the fire magic Akane taught him with decent control. The Prime Caliber part of him made it easy to understand the fundamentals of casting it without using words or speaking tools as a medium. Kousuke's fire was stronger than Akane's ever was, but it still had a bad recoil because he was so young and still in training. He almost burnt the skin on his hands trying to shoot flames or make big fireballs as he saw in his games.
"Ittttttai, hot hot." He yelled as he singed his hands. "Ok, so not quite there yet. Gotta take it slow and figure out how to use it my way before I accidentally burn the house down."
Instead of trying to shoot flames, he tried to control them into a single point in his hands, making a burning fist.
'Imagine a small spot. Imagine a small flame. Focus on the flow of magic into a controlled area. Stay calm, let it come naturally.'
He focused his thoughts to remain in a clear state of mind to shake the magic into his hands. The flames didn't go wild; they burned roughly still but were now focused in his tiny fists. He still felt the heat; he had to release it soon or risk scorching the skin on his hands.
Kousuke ran in to throw a punch at the mannequin targets Akane set up for him. He smashed one with incredible force, the flames burning it to ash.
Kousuke had slight burns on his hands, and his healing process treated them before any real damage could be done. The flames were a basic red; Akane told him that signature flames would be born when a Caster found their synchronization with them. Every magic spell had its affinities; unlocking it was difficult since not everyone shared the same lifestyles or souls, making it impossible to know what the Caster wanted until the day it would manifest. Akane never got hers because she never met the condition requirement, but she didn't mind, as she achieved a lot without it. She mentioned that most who got their affinity did so through emotional, spiritual, or sheer determination to push past their mental and physical limits.
[Magic acquired. Flame magic will now be added to the User's repertoire. Level Up! Increase in magic power achieved.]
"I got a level from this. Too bad there's no bar for Exp to see how much I gain or how much I need. This world still has some mystery to it, including this system, but this will work for now."
The status screen had more pros than cons for things like this; it made it easier to track his progress and what he was currently capable of. He saw that the level on the screen increased his endurance and casting time stat by one point. He sulked that it was only one point, but with his stats already high for a child his age, he couldn't complain.
"Let's see, my endurance is now 30, and my casting time is at 70. Most kids my age are barely at a three. This is good. I'll have to be careful for now so I don't break my body badly overestimating myself by accident."
"Oy, Kousuke, come inside, we're about to leave soon to pick up Mama Akane," Mana called from the kitchen window.
"Coming!" He shouted back, cleaning himself up, hiding the residual burn heals before he left the house with Mana, hoping his body would get rid of them before they got to the airport.
Akane was coming home again. She got her leave approved to visit the family for three weeks before heading back out to the war zone. Akane's unit was overworked, more terrorists were popping up lately, and the Ghasts were evolving more often now than they did before. As if something is helping in their evolution process, trying to speed up humanity's end.
Mana was worried about Akane's well-being; as her partner, Kousuke wasn't bothered. Akane was tough; she always came back from her missions with little to no problems. He would never believe that something as simple as a Ghast would take her out easily.
The drive to the airport was about an hour and a half long, thankfully with little traffic. Kousuke sat in the back with his earbuds in, playing his music. He was admiring the scenery and how much this new world reflected his old one during the time he lived in it. Ranging from the same countries, same historical people, with slight differences in certain events in history, such as the Salem witch trials never existing, the death penalty, to acts of racism, including gladiatorial events still ongoing for those who wanted to showcase their fighting abilities. There were advancements in technology and medicine that were years ahead of what he had, but most of everything else was the same.
He did find it funny that he was reborn as a Japanese boy again. For all he knew, he could have been born in some fictional magic kingdom where he was an orc or a vampire, he joked to himself many times how funny it would be if he were some silly incarnation that saved the world; the joke of it all was he didn't care, as long as he got the same life he got now.
Mana and Kousuke finally made it to the airport, and they waited for all the arrivals to exit baggage claim until they saw Akane in her uniform walk out of the room with her duffel bag in hand.
Mana called out to her partner. Akane heard her and waved with a smile. Mana ran up to her with joy in her heart as she welcomed her partner home.
Kousuke caught up to them, and he hugged Akane, too, walking her back. The trio looked like the perfect couple to everyone in the airport; they couldn't help but feel happy for them.
"Welcome home, honey!" Mana whispered.
"I'm home," Akane said with a smile as she kissed her partner. Akane turned her attention to Kousuke, giving him a hard, heartfelt hug, him begging her to let go as he felt he was getting choked to death.
The three left the airport after their reunion to find somewhere nice to eat that wasn't their restaurant. Akane wanted something other than the taste of field rations she had to eat over the last few months, which had almost killed her palate, along with the mountains of coffee she had to ingest to stay awake during the night shifts she worked with her team during fire guard and patrols.
"So, where should we eat? I'm starving!"
"Sure, you don't want to eat at our place? The staff can be ready in no time to cook for you." Mana asked; she was always ready to cook for her beloved partner.
Akane smiled as she held Mana's hand.
"Please, they work hard enough for us already, especially with this little glutton here eating everything up like human garbage disposal." She joked, looking at Kousuke, who pouted at the quip. "Say, Kousuke, doesn't your friend have a restaurant too, the one I see you hanging with most of the time? I could have sworn you mentioned it before when I asked what her family does for a living."
Akane was referring to Itsuki, whom Kousuke had mentioned before. He asked her at times what properties her family owned outside of their usual business.
"Do you mean Shirayuki Itsuki? Her family owns a five-star restaurant close by, and I heard her say they use it to promote the food they develop. It's mainly for the elite to eat. I don't think we would fit in."
"Nonsense. I'm sure they would let us in. Besides, I haven't met her yet since I'm away most of the time. I wonder why you don't invite her over or go to her place after school. Are you shy hanging around a girl, hmm?"
Akane was joking with him on the matter. It didn't seem right that they still hadn't met; it was a decision they'd both made for now. Hearing Akane say Kousuke was asking shyly to be near a girl his age was a bit of a blow to his ego
'Not that I'm nervous. I didn't invite her over because mentally I'm nineteen years older than her. It wouldn't feel right in a way, even though I have a legal age body, I still feel like maybe I'm gonna commit a bad idea.'
It was reasonable for him to think that way; it was the main reason he kept making excuses not to be around her after school.
"Don't be nervous, it's nice to see my son have one person he can turn to when I'm away. Just want you to have someone you can talk to and rely on when something could happen in the future at any time with all the monsters out there."
Kousuke felt that comment. He could see that Akane was worried for him. His original parents were never enlisted in the service, but he had classmates in that life who were. He saw how hard it was for them, and he didn't feel sympathy for them since they weren't his family, but now he understood their feelings toward Akane, and he apologized in his heart for how inconsiderate he was to those students back then.
The family drove to Itsuki's family restaurant, the Shirayuki name was on it, making it easier to find on the GPS map. It was just as fancy as they expected, a real elite eatery with barely any parking. The Mothers were in awe of the place and its atmosphere.
The hostess welcomed the family to come in. Akane showed her military ID and unit crest so they could get a table faster, avoiding the insane wait time for those not on the list or from upper families. They were brought wine and fancy hors d'oeuvres as appetizers, and regular milk for Kousuke, along with a plate of gyoza for him.
"Amazing. I must learn how they make some of these. It would be great for our place." Mana loved the hors d'oeuvres; anytime she ate anything, she thought it would help her place in feeding the neighbors. She wanted to know.
"Oh, sweetie, don't doubt yourself. Your Ramen and Oden are the best in town. I bet they would hire you here with your cooking skills." Akane told Mana to feed her one of the hors d'oeuvres to boost her confidence.
Kousuke agreed. He wasn't fond of Oden originally, but he loved it now, the way Mana made it. Her restaurant made many dishes, including Ramen, Oden, Sushi, and Sukiyaki, all of them delicious, thanks to the care Mana put into them and her years of honing the right recipes.
"Huh, what are you doing here?"
Kousuke heard the voice from a table across from his. He turned to see Itsuki eating with her parents and younger sister. Kousuke almost spat the milk out seeing her, but he held it in, not wanting to make a scene in front of them.
"Oh, is that your friend Kousuke? You didn't tell me she was that cute, hehe." Akane joked, trying to get an expression out of him.
'I'm too old for that kind of teasing, thank you. Man, I didn't think she would be here today. What kind of cruel timing is this? Well, it would be nice to introduce her to Akane and Mana. I do owe them that for never inviting her over to the house, even when she asked. God, if you're hearing me, please don't smite me for this.'
Kousuke complained in his head at first, but relented for his mom's sake, trying to be less selfish, praying for the first time in his life that he wouldn't have extremely bad karma coming his way.
"Is that the boy you mentioned from your school? The one that is a natural born Prime Caliber you're acquainted with?" Itsuki nodded yes to her mother, who asked the question. The parents got up from their seats to walk over to Kousuke's table, with Itsuki and her sister following. Kousuke's mother was nervous seeing the Shirayukis. Such a refined noble family coming their way was a sight to see; just the air of them walking their way breathed royalty.
"Hello, you must be the mother of this young boy. It's a pleasure to meet the ones who birthed a Prime Caliber." The first Mother said. The first Mother was Yue Shirayuki; she wore a well-tailored suit with her hair combed back. The other Mother was Ayaka Shirayuki; she was the beautiful one with a red dress and a white shawl. Itsuki's little sister, Kaede, clung to Itsuki's side, nervous about talking.
Akane stood up and saluted the parents.
"Yes, ma'am, Captain Hayashi Akane at your service. This is my partner Mana and our son Kousuke."
Akane felt better calling herself a Captain again. She worked hard to get her rank and grade back. She was recently demoted for punching a fellow Captain in the face after she saw said Captain leaving her troop behind to save herself during an ambush.
"Oh, Hayashi. By chance, was your father Hayashi Sei? I have a business partner who worked alongside him during their service." Yue said with admiration.
"Yes, ma'am!" Akane said back with a proud response.
Yue saluted Akane back, and she asked for a handshake as well. The families sat together to talk and eat. Kousuke and Itsuki looked annoyed at their parents drinking and joking around about the theme and ideas of arranged marriages—a typical reaction to kids embarrassed by their parents in these situations.
"Do your parents always do this, Shirayuki-Hime?" Kousuke asked. Kaede chortled a bit at the nickname. Itsuki's cheeks puffed in irritation from that.
"No, you should be grateful for this since you never let me come over or visit my house when I asked. And stop calling me that, you know I hate that nickname."
Kousuke couldn't help but grin at her annoyance. He just knew how to push her buttons. She let out an annoyed breath before talking with him to drown out their parents' conversation.
The evening felt great, everyone was happy and enjoying the food and talk. It was a nice moment that should have been cherished, but something bothered Kousuke. He felt an eerie chill run down his back, like a sliver of ice water running down his skin, chilling into his bones, a feeling that made him terrified to his core.
'Found you!'
A cold and distorted voice in his head called out.
Koutetsu's eyes widened, and he turned his head around to look out the front windows of where the voice was coming from. He saw a pale woman in white clothing and a white hat, with platinum-blonde hair. He couldn't see her face, but her lips were painted blue. She gave a malicious smile before pointing a finger in Koutetsu's direction.
"Everyone get down!!!" He shouted, trying to warn everyone at the table.
"Bang!!!"
An explosive blast of energy shot at the restaurant. Koutetsu was too late in warning everyone.
The restaurant was totaled in the blast, and many of the patrons were killed, and others were injured.
Kousuke struggled to open his eyes when he regained consciousness. He saw Mana holding Itsuki and Kaede as they were shielded by the Shirayukis' ice barrier, which Ayaka and Yue had made. The barrier was small and seemed only to fit the Shirayukis and Mana. The time it took them to make it was short, but not enough for the protection they were trying to achieve.
Akane wasn't in there. Kousuke kept looking for her until warm liquid hit his face, and he looked up to see Akane covering him from the blast. She was bleeding and injured, and Kousuke's eyes widened more; he was terrified, he was truly terrified for the first time in his existence.
He was having a powerful panic attack at the sight of Akane's battered body and face. The blood hitting his face, her covering over him with her injuries, he couldn't figure out how to react to it logically. It wasn't logical; it was just horrible, a horrible sight a child shouldn't see, even one with a mind like his.
'What the? What the? What the hell is going on here!'