As the four new recruits stared at Makoto Katsuragi and he stared back, an awkward silence thickened the air, punctuated only by the low hum of the headquarters' unseen machinery. He was an anomaly in their midst—a hardened, cynical figure among a group of energetic, nervous teenagers.
A boy with a wide, infectious grin broke the silence. He stepped forward with an excited energy that filled the room. "Another member? This is gonna be fun! I'm Haruto! What's your name?"
Makoto glanced at him briefly, a flicker of coldness in his eyes, then walked past without a word. His silence was a wall.
"Ouch… at least act like I exist," Haruto muttered, his grin faltering.
Makoto looked over the group, his expression one of bored, cynical judgment. They all look boring. No one stands out, he thought to himself. His internal monologue, however, halted abruptly as his gaze landed on two of the girls. One, Miwafe, possessed an undeniable elegance, while the other, Yuna, had an almost disarming cuteness.
"I take it back," he said out loud, his voice flat but audible.
The group blinked, confused by his sudden, cryptic comment. "Take what back?" Yuna asked, her voice soft.
Before Makoto could answer, Takumi Enatsu's voice echoed from the hallway outside, his tone one of weary apology. "I'd like to apologize for Makoto. He's what you'd call… odd."
Makoto frowned, turning to face the direction of the voice. "That's how you introduce me?"
Haruto jumped in, seizing the opportunity to re-engage. "So your name's Makoto!" Then Rin, who had been lazily perched on the edge of a steel desk, leaned forward, a smirk on his face.
"Let's reintroduce ourselves. We've got a new guy," Rin suggested, his voice dripping with cool arrogance.
Miwafe huffed, crossing her arms defensively. "What's the point?"
But Haruto was already too excited to listen. "I'll go first! I'm Haruto, 19, from the west side. My ability's kinda like magic. Check this out!"
He pulled a single playing card from his pocket, held it out, and tapped it with his other hand. With a faint shimmer of light, the card instantly doubled in his grip. He grinned, fanning out the two identical cards.
"See? I can multiply anything I touch. Cards are just my thing," he said proudly.
Makoto raised an eyebrow, a flicker of genuine curiosity in his eyes. "Why only cards? Can't you multiply other stuff?"
Takumi chimed in, stepping into the doorway. "Probably because he's used cards his whole life. His Standz flows naturally with them. With training, he could branch out."
Haruto's eyes sparkled at the news. "Seriously? That's dope!"
Miwafe, flustered and seemingly against her will, stepped forward. "Fine, I'll go—not like I want to or anything!" she huffed, a faint blush on her cheeks.
Makoto winced. "Why are you yelling?"
"I'm Miwafe Cutki, 19, single—and not that it matters!" she shouted, her face turning a furious red.
Makoto, however, wasn't listening. His eyes had drifted lower—a reflex born of his old habits.
"HEY! Stop staring, you perv!" Miwafe screamed, a wave of cold energy erupting from her. A giant ice boulder, the size of a small car, materialized from the humid air above him.
Before Makoto could react—BOOM!—the ice boulder slammed him into the floor with a bone-jarring force.
"I'm guessing your Standz is ice control…" he groaned from the crater, his voice a muffled complaint.
Yuna, the other girl, rushed to his side with a worried expression. "Are you okay?"
"Define 'okay,'" he muttered, pushing himself up to a wobbly crouch.
Yuna giggled, a nervous, high-pitched sound. "I'm Yuna, 19, from here actually. My Standz lets me read minds."
Makoto smirked, a dangerous glint in his eye. "Read mine."
She nodded and focused, her small frame surrounded by a gentle, pulsing glow. The air around her grew still.
Suddenly, her face flushed a beet red. Her eyes widened in shock and embarrassment.
Damn, I'm good, Makoto thought with a private smile.
Yuna stammered, unable to speak, her cheeks now a furious crimson.
"What did he think?!" Haruto and Rin demanded, a mix of curiosity and outrage on their faces.
Yuna shook her head furiously, too embarrassed to speak.
Miwafe squinted at Makoto, a new accusation in her eyes. "You… pervert!" A second, even bigger boulder of ice formed above him, shimmering with a colder, more menacing aura.
"Wait, can we talk—" BAM! The second boulder hit, sending him flying across the room and slamming him into the far wall with a deafening thud.
"I thought they were newbies," Makoto muttered, slowly peeling himself off the wall.
Miwafe blinked, her anger giving way to a flicker of genuine concern. "Maybe I overdid it…"
Rin laughed, his arrogant smirk returning. "Try not to kill him before I get my turn."
Makoto stood, wobbly but miraculously unharmed. Rin stepped forward, taking center stage with an air of self-importance.
"Rin Dice. 18. Youngest here, but obviously future leader." He smirked. "I'm from the north. My Standz is sand control. I need actual sand, so I can't show you right now—but believe me, I'm a prodigy."
Makoto blinked. The attacks had rattled him more than he'd let on. "You might have to repeat that…"
Yuna, still flustered, stepped in to save the moment. "We all introduced ourselves. Your turn, Makoto!"
Haruto clapped his hands together. "Yeah, show us your Stark!"
Miwafe scowled. "It's Standz, not Stark, idiot."
"Maybe he's immortal," Rin joked, his gaze lingering on the craters Makoto had made in the wall and floor. "He tanked two Miwafe attacks."
"Laser eyes!" Haruto guessed, his excitement renewed.
"Why is that the first thing you think of?" Miwafe sighed in exasperation.
Outside the closed door, Takumi was panicking. I can't let them know Makoto has no Standz… Think fast…
But Makoto spoke first, a quiet resolve in his voice. He locked eyes with his new teammates and told the lie he had just concocted. "Makoto Katsuragi. 19. From the central region. My Standz is enhanced physical ability."
Takumi's eyes widened in a mixture of shock and reluctant admiration. What are you doing?!
Rin leaned in, his tone now one of genuine interest. "What kind of 'enhanced'?"
Makoto answered, his voice firm and steady. "My strength and durability are ten times that of a normal human."
Haruto whistled, his eyes wide. "No wonder you survived the Ice Queen!"
Takumi seized the moment. He yanked Makoto outside, slamming the door behind them, his face a mask of frantic worry.
"What were you thinking?!" he hissed.
Makoto shrugged, the stoicism returning to his face. "It's technically true. And if I dodged the question, they'd be suspicious."
Takumi sighed, a reluctant, impressed smile touching his lips. "Alright, fine. But we've got a bigger problem. The boss is on his way. This is it. You're either in… or out."
Makoto's eyes hardened, his resolve solidifying. He thought of his family—his grandfather, Renji, and his sick sister Airi. The high-paying job, the risk, the lies—it was all for them.
"I'm in," he said, his voice quiet but echoing with unbreakable conviction. They began walking to the boss's office, each step a heavy beat in the silent, tense hallway.