I'm sixteen now. Somehow, Aether Academy discovered my abilities and sent me an invitation to their entrance exams, which begin in six days.
Not that I care.
Mom insisted I go, though. She said things like "this is your future" and "don't waste this chance," but honestly? It's just going to be a waste of my time and energy. Still, she forced me out of the house this morning. And so, here I am, heading to the first part of the exam: the written test.
Of course, I didn't study. Why would I? Mom nagged me for that too, but I couldn't care less.
"Ahhgg!!"
…A scream?
It came from up ahead. When I walked closer, I saw a girl with yellow hair tied back loosely, her clueless blue eyes darting around. She was wearing a middle school uniform. I was about to walk right past her when she suddenly turned to me.
"Are you going to take part in the Aether Academy entrance exams?"
Why should I tell a complete stranger where I'm going? Before I could say anything, she rudely peeked at my phone screen and noticed my GPS, the map clearly showing a route straight to Aether Academy.
"You are, aren't you?"
"…Yeah."
Her face lit up. "I'm Annie Sukiyaki. What's your name?"
"…Hikaru. Hikaru Kage."
Her expression froze. "Wait… you're from that clan?"
…As expected. The same reaction as everyone else.
"How did you manage to get recruited for Aether Academy?"
That's what I want to know.
"I don't know."
"Since we're going to the same place, why don't we walk together?"
I shook my head. "I'm taking the train."
"Then I'll join you."
Why? Tch. Whatever. As long as she stays quiet, I don't care.
But of course, she didn't.
By the time we reached Shibuya Station, she had talked nonstop the entire way. What's wrong with this girl? She reminds me of someone… someone I don't want to remember.
"Could you stop talking?" I finally muttered.
She giggled. "So he's the quiet type, huh? How cute."
"…What did you say?"
"Nothing~."
Annoying.
When we finally arrived at Aether Academy, Annie's eyes sparkled. "It's huge!"
She wasn't wrong.
The campus was sprawling—about twenty-five different buildings in total. At the center stood a massive glass tower, gleaming under the sun like a blade aimed at the heavens. It looked brand new, almost unreal, like something from the future.
A holographic sign guided us toward one of the buildings.
"That must be it," I muttered.
We entered, joining the flow of students—about five hundred in this group alone. Apparently, another group would take the exams tomorrow.
In the hall, we were told to sit down and prepare for the written exam.
"Good luck, Hikaru!" Annie called out cheerfully before finding her seat.
I sat as well, accepting the test paper. Looking around, I saw confusion and panic in the eyes of the other students. Their despair clung to the air, heavy and suffocating.
When I glanced at my paper, I almost laughed. This was nothing more than a grade-school test.
Pathetic.
By the time the test ended, whispers spread across the room.
"I failed…" one student muttered.
"No, you didn't," his friend reassured.
"You think so?"
"Yeah."
Pointless chatter.
Annie dashed over to me. "How was the test, Hikaru?"
"I couldn't care less."
"So cool."
"…What's cool?"
"Nothing!" she said quickly, grinning.
Annoying.
"I guess I'll see you in two days, then," she added.
"Sure."
"What about your phone number?"
"We just met today. I'm not giving you that."
"Understood. Bye!"
She ran off across the street, waving energetically. I turned away and headed home.
The written exam was done. In two days, the practical exam would begin.
Not that I cared.
I've been saying that line my entire life.
Not because I wanted to. But because it was the only way to keep myself together.
When I was young, the elders of the Kage clan always whispered the same words when they thought I wasn't listening: "That boy… he's the prophecy. The one with the five gods."
I hated it.
I hated the way their eyes lingered on me, not like I was a child, but like I was a weapon waiting to be unsheathed.
Back then, my father was still alive. A strict man, but gentle whenever I asked him questions about the world. I remember once asking him, "Why does everyone keep staring at me like that?"
He didn't answer. He just ruffled my hair. His silence was enough.
The Kage clan was weak. The weakest of all the clans. And yet, the gods had chosen me. Or at least, that's what they claimed.
I remember training with the other children. While they struggled, I could move my shadow. Stretch it. Shape it. The elders smiled when they saw that. "The prophecy is true," they said.
Blessing? No. It was a curse.
The other kids hated me for it. I was beaten, mocked, cornered in the dark. And every time, I clenched my fists and refused to cry. Somewhere along the way, my tears stopped coming. My emotions shut down, one by one, until all that was left was silence.
That's when I realized—maybe this was what it meant to be chosen by the gods.
Still… there was one person who never treated me like that.
A girl.
She dragged me into her games, defended me when the others cornered me. "Don't you dare touch Hira-kun!" she'd shout, fists clenched, even when she was smaller than them.
She was sunlight. The only one who reminded me I was human.
But she left.
When I was ten, my father died. My mother became stricter. The elders demanded more. And that girl's family moved to the city.
The day she left, she cried. I didn't.
"Hira-kun, promise me you'll live your life your way," she said.
I couldn't answer. I only nodded. She smiled anyway.
After that, silence swallowed me whole.
The gods whispered in the silence. Anger. Sorrow. Joy. Fear. Love.
Five voices pressing against my mind.
I built a wall inside me to keep them out. To keep myself in.
That's why I became who I am today. Emotionless. Detached. A boy who repeats the same words over and over: "Not that I cared."
But when I looked at Annie's clueless blue eyes during the exam, I felt something stir. A faint echo of the past. A memory of girl's smile.
The sound of footsteps brought me back to the present.
I blinked. The crowd of students was already dispersing from the exam hall. Annie was waving goodbye as she ran toward the street, full of energy as always.
I turned in the opposite direction.
The streets of Tokyo stretched before me, full of life, noise, and colors that never seemed to reach me. I walked home alone, the memory of Sakura still lingering like a ghost at the edge of my thoughts.
It was irritating. I didn't want to remember. I didn't want to feel.
But even so… her voice echoed in my ears.
"Promise me you'll live your life your way."
Tch.
I shoved my hands in my pockets and quickened my pace.
Not that I cared.