— What's that you've got there? — Raidon looked at the player lying in my palm. — How did you manage to break it like that?
— There's this certain someone who likes to throw punches around, — I said sadly. — She's been beating me up for six years, but this is the first time she's actually broken something.
— Well, everything happens for the first time eventually, — he patted me on the shoulder. — So who is she?
— Koyama Shina. Anyway, let's go, there's not much time left before the ceremony. — After the second lesson, we were standing outside the classroom, about to head to the assembly hall for the opening ceremony. — And I was really counting on having my player during it.
— Koyama Shina? You know Koyama Shina?!
— Is she that famous? Why are you so surprised?
— Damn, she's considered the strongest teenager in Japan, the youngest Master in the last thirty years or so! And you're just casually saying that you've been getting beaten up for six years by the Koyama clan's Genius?!
What? Damn. Damn, damn, damn…
— The Koyama clan's genius? — I repeated cautiously.
— Of course! That clan is full of geniuses. They say its head — Koyama Kenta — also became a Master at around sixteen. So people believe that Koyama Shina, just like her grandfather, will reach Virtuoso by the time she's thirty.
Just for context: Virtuoso is the highest rank in martial arts. There are at most five hundred such people among the billions living in this world. And believe me — they are real monsters.
But right now, I wasn't thinking about Shina or her ranks and abilities at all. That was something to consider later, in a calmer place. Like at home.
— Mm, nice. Virtuoso sounds impressive, — I said thoughtfully.
— Wait, so you've known Koyama Shina for six years?!
Oh. Did that just click for him now?
— Actually, I've known her my whole life — well, this one at least. — She's my neighbor.
— You… her neighbor… you… — the guy froze. — Man, you're lucky, — he finally exhaled.
Lucky? Did he seriously just say "lucky"? I shook my head. What an idiot.
— What's with the head shaking?
— Nothing. Let's go, or we really will be late.
After asking some random second-year for directions to the assembly hall, we headed off to the opening ceremony.
The ceremony itself was a standard event held in every school. At least, that's how every school year had started back in middle school.
All the students were lined up by class in the assembly hall — or in less well-funded schools, in the gym — and made to listen, sometimes for hours, to the dull speeches of the principal and teachers. Around halfway through, they'd start giving more useful information about the school. That's when I learned about some annual tournament that would start not at the beginning of the second term, but at the end of the first.
Then the student council president spoke, followed by one of the new students. The president tried to scare everyone straight, while the newcomer encouraged everyone to study hard. After reminding us that joining a school club was mandatory, the president added that there would be club presentations after the ceremony and strongly recommended attending them.
Finally, the principal wrapped up all that talk, wished everyone good luck for the new school year, and dismissed us.
But apparently, this day had decided to completely melt my brain, and this ceremony was part of its grand plan. Because I have no other way to explain the fact that the school principal turned out to be… old man Kenta.
The head of the Koyama clan.
And my neighbor.