I woke to the harsh buzz of an alarm I didn't remember setting. My body jerked upright, heart pounding before the grogginess pulled me back down. For a moment, I lay there staring at the sterile white ceiling, disoriented all over again. The memories came in sluggish pieces.
Right. That wasn't a dream. This was real.
Dragging myself out of bed, I shuffled into the uniform neatly folded on the desk chair. The skirt felt awkward, alien against my legs, the jacket stiff across my shoulders. Even the act of putting on clothes felt a little clumsy, like my fingers had forgotten they belonged to me.
I caught my reflection in the mirror above the desk. Pale. Hair messy, black strands sticking out in every direction. Eyes that weren't mine staring back. A stranger's face.
Shaking it off, I turned to the desk where my ID lay. Temporal Friction. Those words from the ID. Yesterday, I had turned them over and over in my head, imagining possibilities. Maybe today, I'd test them.
I picked up a pen from the desk and rolled it. Slow down, I thought, focusing, willing the world to bend just a little. Nothing. The pen stayed stubbornly still. I tried again, harder this time, picturing it moving sluggishly through the air like it was underwater. My arm trembled. Nothing happened.
A sigh escaped my lips. "Figures."
After several more failed attempts slowing a pen, speeding up a sheet of paper, even sliding the alarm clock I slumped back in the chair, frustrated. If this ability was real, I wasn't unlocking it anytime soon.
Which meant I needed answers.
I headed to middle school Tokiwadai, the school loomed tall and pristine, its gates gleaming with polished steel, students filing in with practiced grace. Everything about it screamed order, discipline, and a kind of pride I couldn't even fake.
I made my way to the front office, nerves curling in my stomach. Inside, the air was sharp with disinfectant, the counters spotless, polished wood gleaming under artificial light. Behind the desk sat a woman in her thirties, hair pulled into a perfect bun, glasses perched on her nose. She didn't even look up as I approached, her fingers clicking across a keyboard.
"Excuse me," I started softly. My voice cracked more than I wanted it to.
Her eyes flicked up, sharp and assessing. "Yes?"
"I… wanted to ask a few questions" I slid the ID onto the counter.
She picked it up, scanning it quickly. Her lips curved into something that wasn't quite a smile. "Ah. Level Two."
The way she said it… dismissive, clipped, like she was pointing out a stain on her sleeve.
I frowned. "Is… something wrong with that?"
"Wrong?" She chuckled, but there was no warmth in it. "No. Just… Level Two. You'll find most of Tokiwadai's students are Level three and four. Level Twos are… rare." Her eyes lingered on me, heavy with judgment
I shifted uncomfortably, heat crawling up my neck. I didn't fully understand what she meant, but the disdain in her tone was clear.
Then she frowned at the screen. "It says here you haven't been attending classes for the first half of orientation week." Her voice tightened, clipped and formal now. "Even if it's orientation, attendance is not optional. Being absent is unacceptable."
My stomach dropped. "Wait, what? I… I just got here yesterday."
Her brow arched, unimpressed. "That's not what the records say. You've been assigned for a week." She clicked her tongue, setting the ID back down with a little clack. "Skipping the opening days leaves a very poor impression."
Her words stung sharper than I wanted to admit. Not just because of the scolding tone, but because I had no idea what she meant. If I had only just arrived… What had the original Haru been doing those missing days?
Deciding I would investigate another time I gathered my things quickly, muttering a half-hearted apology,
Somehow, I'd already managed to get a black mark against me before school had even properly begun. Great start.
"Since you've missed the first half of orientation week," she started shuffling papers on her desk, "you'll need to attend today's catch-up program. I'll show you around. Follow me."
Her tone carried that same faint disdain, like every word tasted sour in her mouth. I trailed after her, trying not to look as uneasy as I felt.
The school's facilities stretched out like a small city training fields with strange equipment, glass-walled classrooms buzzing with activity, dorm buildings tall as towers. The whole place seemed alive with energy. It should have been awe inspiring, but instead, I couldn't shake the weight of the eyes around me.
It started subtly. A glance that lingered a moment too long. A sideways look when I passed. Then, as the group of students gathered for orientation, it became unmistakable. Glares. Annoyed expressions. Mutters just loud enough to tickle at the edge of my hearing.
I stiffened. What's with them?
One girl turned to whisper behind her hand. Another student gave a pointed snort and rolled her eyes. The words didn't quite reach me, but the intent was obvious: irritation, disdain, even… disappointment?
Annoyed, I just decided to ignore them, and keep walking as the guide droned on about the library, the laboratories, and the gym. My head felt tight, hot, the weight of the stares pressing down harder with each step.
Why? What did I even do?
It didn't make sense. I hadn't talked to anyone here, hadn't even shown up for most of the week. Still, somehow, I was already branded.
Much later, I'd learn the truth that whispers had already spread about "the girl who didn't bother to attend." That people started speculating maybe I was some super powerful Esper, confident enough to slack off. And when they discovered I was only a Level Two… The disappointment turned to scorn.
But for now, all I could do was grit my teeth as the tour continued, trying to ignore the sharp, deliberate looks being thrown my way.