N.T. Tsumetaku Shinaide (don't be cold to me)
The girls stared at the creatures moving across the water's surface, trying to understand what they were. Even for those who had lived their whole lives in Utopia, used to Potentia, this was something completely new. Their eyes fixed on them, bodies frozen, trying to make sense of it.
Miyu raised her hands and formed vines, guiding them toward the strange animals to see how they would react. The plants climbed and passed straight through them, just as they would through water.
"It's really made of water. The vines pass through without even affecting them," she concluded.
"Well… that means I can deal with them," Yukino said, watching the creatures. "But what are they, really?"
In the middle of that quiet observation, suddenly, one of the small dragons lunged at Miyu. The sudden movement startled her.
Yukino stepped forward and quickly launched a strike of ice that froze the dragon midair. Miyu froze in shock. The creature, now like stone, hit the rocky ground and shattered into pieces.
The bubbling of the river grew more frequent. One by one, dozens of fish-dragons appeared. The river filled with them, all staring at the girls. Now, they knew an attack could come at any moment.
"OH NO, THERE'S MORE OF THEM!" Akiko said, startled.
"WE CAN'T HANDLE THIS MANY!" Minami shouted.
Yukino didn't say a word. She simply gathered more of her Potentia in her hands. Aiming at the dense mass of creatures, she released a strong wave of freezing air, instantly freezing all of them, along with a large part of the river.
The girls stared at the frozen water, alert, waiting to see if anything else would happen.
But… Yukino… is she really this strong? Aino thought. Until then, she had avoided anything involving Potentia. At that moment, she realized there was no running away. Fate had placed her among them.
"Is that it? They won't move anymore, right?" Minami asked.
From within the plants, there was a sudden movement. In front of Minami, a tall man appeared, with long black hair, some parts braided. A huge dragon tattoo wrapped around his body, though it was impossible to tell where it ended.
As if things weren't already frightening enough, now there was a suspicious man staring at her. Startled, Minami unleashed her Potentia of Light, which flared across the area.
"Hmm… that one's not very strong." The man raised a hand to shield his eyes, but didn't seem too bothered.
He snapped his fingers, and several small water dragons formed and quickly lunged toward the girl. She froze in fear at how easily he created them, one after another.
"MINAMI! I'LL HELP YOU!" Aino rushed in front of her friend. She extended her hand toward the creatures and launched flames at them.
The fire struck directly, making part of the dragon evaporate. But Aino's flames weren't strong enough. The evaporated part was minimal, and the creature quickly returned to its original form.
My Potentia… did nothing… she thought.
At the same time, vines wrapped around the tall man, binding him quickly. He turned his head toward Miyu and commented:
"You're a little stronger than the others!"
Is he just… testing us? Miyu thought.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Aino's scream echoed, drawing everyone's attention. "HELP! I'M GONNA… DROWN!"
The girls turned to see Aino being dragged by a large mass of water pulling her leg into the river. Thinking it was another water creature, Yukino stepped forward and unleashed a large wave of ice Potentia that rapidly reached the target.
The liquid mass began to solidify, until it froze completely. At first shapeless, it slowly took the form of a tall woman.
The shift from liquid to solid caused Aino's leg to slip free, releasing her from the trap.
But… that was… Yukino? she thought, staring at the ice statue. Her cousin had developed quickly. She was already capable of freezing large areas.
Yukino quickly understood that this was another enemy. She positioned herself and ran toward the woman, ready to deliver a fatal strike. The man, still bound by vines, noticed and broke free, tearing the plants apart with his hands.
He reached the spot before Yukino. With a friendly smile, he snapped his fingers, releasing an even larger number of creatures that rushed toward Yukino, blocking her view. She froze them again. They fell and vanished.
When she looked ahead, her opponent was gone. The statue was gone too. He had shown not only strength, but agility and precision.
"But… why does this bunch just run away?" Yukino said, irritated, looking around, restless, trying to find any trace of them.
"Yukino! You're really strong!" Akiko said.
"So… this is what a Potentia fight is like?" Minami asked.
Miyu went to Aino and helped her up. She knelt and extended her hand, letting her friend lean on her arm and shoulder.
"You okay, Aino?"
"I am!" she answered, a bit dazed.
Despite the scare, she was just soaked. No injuries. At least that was one less thing to worry about. They were all safe.
Miyu looked at Yukino, returning to what she had said before.
"I think it's better this way. That man didn't seem to be showing everything he could do. I think he was really strong."
"Alright… that makes sense… but now I have another question," Yukino said.
She turned and looked directly at her cousin, Aino. She looked bothered. Her brows slightly furrowed, her eyes burning with irritation.
"Aino, since when do you have Potentia?" Her tone left no doubt she didn't like finding out this way.
Aino felt a chill run down her spine. She knew her cousin well enough to understand that once Yukino asked something, she wouldn't let it go. Akiko noticed she couldn't answer and stepped in:
"Ah, Yuki! Aino didn't say anything because she just wanted to be a normal person—"
"She has a mouth. She can answer for herself."
Like a sharp blade, Yukino cut Akiko off. Akiko froze, startled.
Akiko, who had been cheerful moments before, went silent. She had never seen Yukino speak that way, so serious, so direct.
Trying to shift the conversation, Aino decided to turn things around.
"This isn't the time for that, Yukino! Didn't you see I just got attacked?" she said, trying to put herself in the position of the victim.
"Don't change the subject. You know about the attacks, right? Are you going to just stand there? You don't take action in everyday things… and what's happening now could get everyone killed. There won't be any normal life!" Yukino replied firmly. Her tone was harsh. She hated emotional deflection in arguments, and became more cutting, more blunt than usual.
"IT'S MY LIFE AND I'LL DO WHAT I WANT!" Aino shot back.
"Of course it is. But you can't just think about yourself. And then complain that life is unfair," Yukino answered.
"Oh, go bother someone else. Leave me alone," Aino snapped.
"Hey, that's enough, you two. Calm down. This won't lead anywhere," Miyu stepped in, placing herself between them, bothered by the pointless argument.
Silence fell. The two stared at each other. Neither would back down. The warmth of the day seemed to disappear with the cold wind that passed through, making everything more tense.
Then Yukino chose to yield. Not because she thought she was wrong. She just didn't think it was worth staying there.
"Let's go back to the lodge," she said coldly, turning her back on the group.
Lodge
At the group of cabins, the teacher was at the reception, worried about the girls and preparing to head back to the trail, when suddenly Akiko, Aino, Minami, Miyu, and Yukino appeared at the entrance.
"Oh!" she said, surprised, immediate relief washing over her. "Girls! Where were you?"
"We stayed at the waterfall! It was really nice there!" Miyu explained.
"But… those things? The owners said they were fish, but…" the teacher asked, her voice still slightly shaky.
"They were fish! They just jumped a lot!" Minami answered quickly.
"I see… I must be imagining things. Just work fatigue," Professor Mira said, a bit embarrassed. "Well then, let's get settled and rest. Tomorrow we have more activities."
The girls headed to their cabins, just like the other students had already done. Akiko and Yukino shared a double room. It had a large bed, a wardrobe, and a bathroom where they could take a warm, relaxing shower.
As soon as they entered, Yukino grabbed her pajamas and towel and went to shower. When she finished, it was Akiko's turn. She used the time to relax, letting go of the tension from that afternoon.
Warm and finally calm, she stepped out of the bathroom and found the room dark. The lights were off.
Yukino already went to sleep… Akiko thought. That's weird… she got upset…
She sat on the bed, trying not to feel down, but couldn't help it. She didn't want to see the group falling apart.
Not long after, she lay down and tried to sleep.
Yukino, beside her, hadn't actually fallen asleep. She stayed still, thinking about everything that had happened.