Chapter 1: The Beginning of Fate
The morning breeze carried a crisp, gentle scent as the sun climbed, turning the dark sky a soft, bright blue. The wind brought a refreshing touch into the room just as Kazuki woke.
It was just another day in the local town. People passed by, the locals as lively as ever. Except, right in front of the Argento Hero Academy gate, stood a teenage boy, brimming with life energy—a potential hero in the making.
Kazuki Ryoushiru was light-hearted and caring. His mom and dad had died in an incident no one in town knew the reason for. Even so, he tried to stay cheerful by applying to Argento Hero Academy... as a junior. Most kids got scouted early, but here he was, walking in midstream with nothing but a heartfelt smile and a half-filled application form.
No recommendations. No records.
Just his name. And the weight behind it.
"Hey, kiddo, you trying to apply?" said a janitor passing by.
Kazuki sighed. "Yeah. The application's really confusing. They seriously need to install a tutorial."
The janitor chuckled. "Lost, huh?" He leaned on his mop, a nostalgic glint in his eyes. "I was a student here once too. I've got some experience with these forms. Want a hand?"
"Really? Thanks, sir!" Kazuki replied happily.
They sat down at a nearby table and began filling out the form together.
"Name?" the janitor asked, curious.
"It's Kazuki Ryoushiru, sir."
The janitor paused, testing the name on his tongue. After a moment, he said, "Ryoushiru, huh? I swear I've heard that somewhere... but I can't quite place it. Anyway, why do you want to be a hero?"
Kazuki became silent for a moment, clearly hesitant to reveal the truth.
"It's actually required in the application," the janitor prompted.
Kazuki let out a sound of realization before replying, his voice drooping.
"...My parents... my dad and my mom... they were once heroes. I wanted to continue their legacy, or at least... try to."
The janitor smiled, then asked out of curiosity, "What are your parents' names?"
Kazuki squinted, trying to remember, then sighed. "I... can't remember."
The janitor shrugged and continued tracing the application with his finger. He looked at the Track Record section and began explaining.
"This part's about past heroic acts you might have done for the public. Like saving a cat, stopping a robbery, or helping old folks."
Kazuki chuckled as he filled in the section.
"I don't have anything official. I usually help the old granny cross the street, feed stray cats... sometimes I give bread to the homeless, donate when I can. But I think the best one is..."
The janitor leaned in, curious. "Is?"
"Probably calling the police on a thug who was harassing a girl."
The janitor nodded in approval. "No physical strength, but you act like a hero. That's what matters."
Piece by piece, section by section, the form was filled out. After a while, the application was finally complete.
"Done at last. Now I don't have to stress about it anymore," Kazuki said with relief.
The janitor chuckled. "See? Not as bad as you thought, huh?"
Kazuki nodded eagerly.
"Well, kid, I gotta get back to cleaning. See you around!" the janitor called as he walked away.
"Bye, mister! See you tomorrow!" Kazuki waved, then walked over to the submission post and turned in his application.
The inspector glanced over the Track Record and let out a low whistle.
"You've got guts, kiddo. Pretty impressive for a beginner. Your results will be mailed to you. Go on home."
Kazuki nodded and headed for the bus station. By the time he boarded, it was 7 p.m. The bus was quiet and empty, except for the driver. The stillness wrapped around him like a blanket, leaving him both tranquil and restless, excited for what the future would bring.
The next morning, Kazuki woke up in his room. Normally, he'd feel bored and alone. But this time, his eyes burned with excitement and hope. He rushed to check the mail—and sure enough, there it was.
A message.
He had passed.
He would attend the academy anytime within the next two days.
Today would be the first day of the school year, and possibly... an opportunity for friendship and growth.
He got out of bed and prepared for the day with a sandwich and a cup of milk. For a while, he felt happy.
Until doubts began to creep in.
"What if they hate me for my hair?"
"What if I accidentally offend them?"
"What if I make a bad impression?"
He tried his best to shrug it off and walked to the bus station. The bus was crowded with students, ranging from young primary school kids to high schoolers, making him feel like at least he wasn't the only one going through these feelings.
As he got off the bus and walked through the grand gate of the school, his doubts sharpened, making him even more anxious.
Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed behind him:
"Lost in thought, kiddo?" said the same janitor who helped him yesterday.
Kazuki flinched in surprise and turned back to see the janitor. He sighed and chuckled awkwardly.
"Yeah... I just feel very doubtful and anxious. The feeling won't ever fade, even if I try to shrug it off," Kazuki admitted.
The janitor let out a small laugh. "Hey, no need to stress out. Your mind is just tricking you. It's called doubtful thoughts—when your mind begins to doubt possibilities, possibly from stress, a sense of responsibility, or just idle thinking. I know a few ways to help you feel less anxious."
Kazuki looked at him in astonishment.
"Woah, you know so much! Were you once a professional hero too?"
The janitor chuckled, looking at him with a mixture of playfulness and nostalgia.
"Yes... a really good one too..." he said with a smirk.
"Back in my days, I was just some random guy with good potential in healing property magic, until a mysterious lady in a black vest asked me to join an organization called The Soul Army—an unofficial group hosted by her and her partners. It's an army that supports humanity behind the scenes, with technology that can even manipulate nature itself."
Kazuki listened in awe. Suddenly, a question popped into his head.
"Do you know who the technologist of the organization is?" he asked, confused.
The janitor paused, clearing his throat.
"The technologist? As in the one who makes technology for the army? Hm... I remember his name is Mr. Clockwise. He never revealed his real name to anyone. We met him directly once, and apparently, he's as old as you."
Kazuki gasped, clearly surprised that Clockwise, the head of the army's technology, is also a high school student like him.
"He's just as old as me?! That means he could be in this school... or even in my class!" Kazuki exclaimed.
The janitor thought for a moment. "Perhaps. Anyway, I was—"
But Kazuki cut him off.
"Please, mister, can you tell me how to be good at making friends? I really want to be Clockwise's friend so he can teach me to be a great hero," he pleaded, puppy eyes wide.
The janitor paused, then let out a bark of laughter.
"Befriending Clockwise? Hahaha! Now that's a hard feat," he said, still grinning.
Kazuki looked at him, confused. "Why so? Is he an introvert?"
The janitor looked up at the sky, a hint of sorrow in his eyes. "He's not even supposed to be in this era..."
Kazuki, still confused, asked again, "What do you mean by not from this era?"
The janitor looked back. "If you befriend him, you'll understand why eventually. For now, I'll teach you how to make friends."
He adjusted his clothes, cleared his throat, and continued professionally:
"To befriend someone, do not show doubt. It would be ironic to approach someone you're interested in while being doubtful. Be confident, friendly, and avoid topics that might offend them. If you want, you can set up a friendly alias for yourself, just to make yourself feel closer to them over time. They'll use it a lot once they get used to you."
Kazuki whispered to himself, "An alias... what could it be..."
The janitor looked at him for a moment. "How about Rexy? That name suits you! Your hair's a bit spiky—not exactly dinosaur-like, but hey, close enough."
Kazuki chuckled. "Guess that works," he said.
Suddenly, the bell rang. The janitor checked his watch and sighed.
"Five more minutes until class. Get moving, kiddo. See you around!"
Rexy nodded, gave a quick goodbye, and headed toward the school building.
The hallway was packed. Students rushed around, grabbing books, chatting, and heading toward their classrooms. A few teachers were already stepping into theirs.
Rexy weaved through the crowd, scanning classroom signs until he finally found his: 11A9.
He pushed the door open, breathing heavily.
"Am I late?" he asked, still panting.
Inside, there were only three tables and just two students sitting quietly. One was a muscular yet cheeky-looking guy in the middle. He wore a white, feroda-style black-tie hat to hide his baldness, paired with a purple t-shirt and long trousers. A basic katana leaned casually against his table despite being twice the length of a normal one. His distinctly yellow-toned skin hinted at his Asian background.
Beside him sat a strange robot with a clock for a head, wearing a top hat, a long-tailed vest, and elegant trousers that concealed the rest of his mechanical body.
"Yo dude, you're the new student?" the muscular student said, with poor pronunciation.
Rexy looked at him awkwardly before nodding slowly. "Yeah, I am. Oh, and why are there only three of us? I thought each class had twenty-one students."
The muscular student thought for a moment. "Well, it's either because our form is excellent... or too bad. Seems like our case is bad," he said timidly.
"I'm Kazuki Ryoushiru. You can call me Rexy. What's your name?" Rexy asked kindly.
The muscular student spelled it out. "Ryoushiru... that's a weird surname. You Japanese?"
Rexy nodded eagerly, staying silent, waiting for a reply.
"The name's Cassirino. Nice to meet you," he said eagerly.
Rexy grinned and offered a handshake. As they shook hands, Rexy couldn't help but glance at the clock robot with a hint of confusion.
"Who is... that?" Rexy asked cautiously.
Cassirino laughed. "Him? He's Clockwise. We don't know his full name, and we don't know his face."
Rexy whispered to Cassirino, surprised, "He... he is Clockwise??? As in the head technologist of the Soul Army Organization???"
Cassirino shrugged. "I dunno. There are rumors he's in an organization. Might be the case—"
Suddenly, a small clicking noise interrupted him.
"You know about the Soul Army?" Clockwise asked, curious.
They stared at each other before Rexy replied, "Yes. The janitor told me about you. I am really looking forward to studying with you this school year."
But instead of reacting, Clockwise remained silent—just the soft clicking of his clock and Rexy's breathing.
Suddenly, the door opened, and a teacher entered, wearing a professional snowboard hat, a hovering skateboard, a heavy Russian coat, and goggles. He took off his coat and goggles, revealing a bearded, reddish face, panting:
"Sorry for being late! I live in Greenland, so it takes a long time to get here. Jeez, the snow makes my face so red, haha."
The three looked at him in confusion and awe, especially Clockwise, who studied his Flyboard. Clockwise asked, still eyeing the board,
"Did you make it hover with a quantum-related engine?"
The teacher, shocked by Clockwise's understanding, paused before chuckling.
"You're really smart! The hoverboard uses Quantum Anchoring—a tech that manipulates quantum states to 'ignore' gravity. Instead of fighting gravity with force, it rewrites the board's positional certainty using controlled superposition, allowing it to hover without energy loss. It locks its position midair by constantly measuring and collapsing probabilities, creating stable levitation even on unstable terrain. It doesn't float by force—it floats by certainty. Quantum Anchoring secures and shifts its position in space so gravity can't affect it."
"Uhm, this might be rude, but what are your names? I dropped my student list while flying here, ehehe..."
They looked at each other before answering.
"I'm Kazuki Ryoushiru! You can call me Rexy! This name was given by the friendly janitor. Apparently, he likes my spiky hair!"
"I'm Cassirino Esquite! I am fully Italian, but I prefer Cazzy or Cass-boy. That's what my dad called me," he said cheekily.
"I'm Clockwise..." Clockwise answered coldly.
The teacher looked at him suggestively. "Come on, let us know your real name?"
For the first time, Clockwise sighed. "...My name is Toshinori, but call me Clockwise. That's what Kuyo called me."
The teacher paused at the mention of Kuyo but shrugged and continued.
"Alrighty! I assume most of you have powers or at least talents, right?"
Rexy raised his hand. "Uhm... Teacher, I'm actually talentless. I just want to be like my dad. He was a hero too."
The teacher paused, then said, "...Now that I notice, you look oddly similar to Reimu."
Rexy, confused, asked, "Who's Reimu?"
The teacher shrugged. "Meh, not related to the lesson. As for you, Rexy! You're talentless, but that doesn't mean we can kick you out. That'd be inhumane! I'll give you a superhuman serum and a hand glove that can release shockwaves."
Rexy was about to respond when Clockwise chimed in, "Isn't that too undeserved?"
The teacher pondered, then chuckled. "It's not like the glove is free to use. You'll have to get used to its destructive nature. Good luck, Little Rexy."
Rexy processed this, then asked nervously, "H-How destructive is the glove???"
The teacher led him outside and handed him a pair of gloves.
"Try swinging your palm as fast as you can," he requested.
Rexy put on the gloves and tried. Suddenly, a huge burst of fire exploded from the orb in the center of the glove, sending him flying back a meter. The wall in front collapsed from the shockwave.
Rexy looked at the teacher in horror. "W-What happens if I swing it... after I get the superhuman serum???"
The teacher smiled. "Oh, it'll be a lot more destructive, pal."
Rexy panicked further. Cassirino whistled, entranced by the glove's destructive property, and Clockwise recorded everything for research.
"About the superhuman serum... I'll have to ask the school itself. It takes time for them to reply, probably a month or two," the teacher chuckled.
"TWO MONTHS??? I WILL TOTALLY DIE ON A MISSION BEFORE THAT! Can you find another solution besides the serum?" Rexy requested.
"There are other ways to get stronger, but it's too risky—I won't do it," the teacher insisted.
"Pretty pleaseee?" Rexy said with puppy eyes.
"No is no," the teacher refused, though it was getting harder each time.
"I'll give you my beverage can collection, alright? I have the first version of—"
"YOUR WHAT???" the teacher exclaimed.
"First version of cherry-flavored sparkling water cans, yep, I have one," Rexy claimed confidently.
"Deal! Tomorrow, give me the can collection, and I'll tell you how to be strong in an alternative way," the teacher bargained.
Rexy smiled and shook his hand. "You have my word! Tomorrow, don't even think of dropping the deal!"
While walking home, two hand suddenly landed on Rexy's shoulder, he jolted and turned around, it's Clockwise and Cassirino, Rexy grunts and pouts in fake anger, acting like a crybaby
"You guys are so mean~!"
Cassirino tired his best to not laugh at the impression, and fails miserably, while Clockwise froze in place before letting out a sigh
"That was point-on accurate to a crybaby..." Clockwise said, both amused and mildly annoyed,
Rexy was about to reply but suddenly, he noticed that the ground is red. He looked up the find the source of the light. The sky above glowed an unsettling crimson, unusual for midday. Rexy squinted at the blood moon, then threw his arms out dramatically.
"Behold! A harbinger of doom!"
he announced, voice echoing like he was narrating a tragedy.
"Or... maybe it's just fancy lighting. Hard to tell."
Cazerdus groaned, rubbing his temples.
"Rexy... do you always have to make everything sound like an apocalypse?"
Clockwise adjusted his glasses, staring at the sky flatly.
"It's natural facts. The moon looks red because of... physics, not doom. Calm down."
Rexy gasped, clutching his chest with mock horror. "Physics, you say?! Even worse! Now it's an ominous omen with credentials! The day just leveled up."
Cazerdus threw himself back on the railing. "I quit. Both of you are ridiculous. I refuse to take part in this circus."
Rexy pointed at the sky and grinned.
"Who knows? Maybe it is an actual hint, Am i right~?"
Clockwise lets out a fake heavy sigh before walking away, Cassirino patted Rexy's back
"See ya tomorrow!"
He said as he bicycled away. watching as Rexy entered the bus. Today was a tiring yet amusing day, Rexy thought to himself and smiled as he prepared his bed. Today he is sleeping early, he doesn't want to waste any time being around them. He slowly dozed off as the crimson red light of the blood moon gloomed over the window
Perhaps, Rexy was right, it might be a sign of something, but no one knows if its a good or a bad sign