"Are you dumb? You can’t even handle the counter properly!" "They said you hit the customers? The young these days, tch." "Why are you late? Do you think the customers will wait for you?"
Shiro heard the complaints again and again from different people.
"Sorry, boss." "Sorry, old man." "Sorry, manager."
Shiro kept bowing and apologizing, again and again.
"Shiro!"
A familiar female voice echoed.
"Shirooo!"
It called again, louder this time.
"Shiroo!"
Shiro’s eyes snapped open. He blinked, disoriented.
"A dream?" he murmured, confused as he sat up.
"Dream? What are you talking about? Anyway, wake up, we’re here!!"
The voice came from a woman beside him, pointing toward a line of small, cute robots that were guiding them toward a massive metal door. As the doors slowly opened, the robots began to move forward, leading the way.
Artifact Hero Academy.
A place where Possessors from around the world gathered—those who had inherited Phantasm Things, abilities that could either save or destroy the world. This was the place where they were trained, to prevent them from abusing their powers outside and to teach them control.
They walked through a long, unfamiliar hallway.
"So... I’m really going there? Even though I never planned for any of this?"
Shiro asked
"World Union Heroes (WUH), Hero Code Article 167," the woman recited casually. "You can’t refuse admission to the Academy, if you possess Phantasm Things. No exceptions."
“I thought everyone knew that?”
"I never imagined I’d become one, so I never bothered to pay attention to the academy."
As they continued walking, the woman suddenly spoke again.
"I know this is a bit late, but my name is Kim Yun Hee. And that guy," she gestured ahead toward a tall, serious-looking and scary man, "is Jeffrey Epstein, my captain. We’re fifth-years at the academy."
"Fifth-years? You’re still a student? I thought you were already official."
"We’re still in training. In the final year—our fifth—you get assigned real missions based on your performance. After that, you will graduate."
Shiro fell silent, his mind clearly elsewhere. Yun Hee noticed.
"Are you nervous or something?" she asked gently.
"No..."
"Come on, you can tell me. As your senior, I’ll help you."
"You’re talking too much again, Kim," Jeffrey finally spoke, his tone firm.
"Ah, sorry, Shiro,”
she said, scratching her head with a sheepish smile.
"No, it’s okay..." Shiro’s voice trailed off, and after a moment, he finally spoke about what was weighing on his mind.
"It’s just... too much is happening. I don’t know what I should do. And I’m worried about my parents. Without me, life will be even harder for them. I dropped out of school just to work and support them, and now..."
"So that’s what’s been bothering you,” Yun Hee murmured softly.
"If you’re worried about money, don’t be,"
Shiro glanced at her, confused. "What do you mean?"
"I said, you can’t refuse the academy’s invitation, right?"
"Yeah..."
"There are benefits to being a student here. If you get admitted, you’ll receive a monthly salary. Even for a normal student, it’s $600 a month, free dorm, free uniform and the most important is the monthly ALLOWANCE!!!. These benefits is the reason why that absurd law of WUH forcing the Possesor staying in this Academy still exist, even though there’s so many people complaining, there's a lot more person protecting that law"
"Six hundred dollars?!" Shiro’s eyes widened in shock. Too all Kim said, the money is the only thing he pays attention.
"Yup. And if you manage to rank among the top students, your salary can go up to $10,000... even $100,000."
Shiro’s brain froze. He tried to mentally convert the amount to yen, and his thoughts spiraled like an overheated robot.
"Haha, you’re hilarious," Yun Hee laughed. "I think my little sister would love hanging out with you."
Shiro, still reeling, barely heard her. But something inside him shifted.
"So... you don’t have to worry about your family anymore."
Shiro’s mind cleared. The weight that had been crushing him slowly lifted.
They finally reached the end of the hallway, and the massive doors opened with a hiss.
"Welcome to the Artifact Hero Academy, Shiro!" Yun Hee announced with a bright smile.
Yung hee said and Shiro saw the view full of different kinds of buildings. House and more, the place is the same size as Tokyo, and in the center of it, there's a big tower that Shiro can't see the top of, and at the back of the tower, there's a big structure that resembles a school that looks like it was from the medieval era.
‘This is my new life. From now on, there’s no reason to doubt anymore. I’ll just move forward,’
Shiro said in his mind.
"This is the Artifact Hero Academy... I’ve decided. I’ll become one of the top students here and give my family a better life."
Shiro said with a determination.
A hour later.
"What is this...?"
Shiro muttered, sitting at his desk, staring at a mountain of paperwork.
"Kim said this is necessary to become a student and avoid the WUH law..."
The papers in front of him were overwhelming—forms asking for personal information, agreements about becoming a student, and countless other documents that all seemed equally tedious.
"Ugh… it's not the time to complain. I need to finish this today," he groaned, picking up his pen.
Shiro hated reading, especially paperwork. But there was no way around it. Hours passed, and by the time he was finally done, it was already night time.
*Knock* *Knock* .
"It's already late... who could that be?"
He opened the door and was met by two unfamiliar men, both dressed in uniforms he hadn’t seen before.
"Nekoya Shiro, correct?" one of them asked.
"Ah... y-yeah, that’s me,"
Without another word, the man handed him a case. It had the same color scheme as their uniforms.
"Take this."
Shiro took the case, confused.
"What’s this?"
"It’s everything you’ll need for the academy."
And with that, the two men left, leaving Shiro standing in the doorway, staring after them.
"Just... what is this?"
He brought the case inside of the room and opened it. Inside, he found a neatly arranged set of supplies—a notebook, pen, books—and beneath them, something that caught his eye.
"My uniform?"
Shiro lifted the uniform carefully. It was impressive—a dark blue jacket with intricate yellow patterns along the edges, gold buttons, and a matching tie. The pants were plain, dark blue, giving the entire outfit a formal yet sleek look.
"This is... so cool," he murmured, admiring the uniform.
As he lifted the uniform to try it on, a small note slipped out and floated to the floor.
"Huh? What’s this?"
Shiro picked it up and unfolded it.
"Shiro, it’s me! Kim Yun Hee!!!! You’re probably wondering why there’s a note in your uniform, but don’t worry about that. Anyway! You don’t know anything about the academy yet, right? Well, leave it to me! I’ve listed everything you need to do on your first day!! Good luck tomorrow! – From Kim Yun Hee."
"Impressive. She’s talkative... even in a note."
The next day...
Shiro stood at the entrance of the Artifact Hero Academy, eyes wide with awe.
"I knew it was big... but I never imagined it would be this big,"
he murmured, taking in the view.
The academy was massive, larger than anything he had ever seen. Towering buildings stretched. with students spreading around him. But something else caught his attention.
"Why is everyone... looking at me?"
Almost every student who passed by glanced at him.
"No, no... focus. This isn’t the time to be distracted," he muttered, shaking off the unease.
Back to himself, he walked toward the gates—only to spot a familiar person waiting for him.
"Mister Alfred? What are you doing here?"
"Call me senior here," Alfred corrected, his tone firm. "Kim said someone would guide you. That’s me. Any problem with that???"
"Haha, no, no problem at all," Shiro replied, though he couldn’t help but think to himself—
‘As usual... he’s so hot-headed.’
"Follow me," Alfred said, turning on his heel without another word. "There’s somewhere you need to go before class."
"O-okay..."
Shiro followed without question as they made their way inside into the academy. After walking for several minutes, Shiro’s curiosity got the better of him.
"So... this is the inside of the academy," he murmured, glancing around.
The interior was unlike any school he had ever seen—high ceilings, polished floors, and hallways filled with students, many of whom had strange and unique features that were anything but normal.
‘Almost everyone here looks... different.’
Shiro glanced at Alfred, who had been unusually quiet since they entered.
‘Unlike Kim, Alfred barely talks… I wonder why,’
"What? Do you have something to say?" Alfred snapped, noticing Shiro’s gaze.
"No... nothing," Shiro mumbled, looking away.
Alfred sighed and suddenly came to a stop.
"We’re here."
Shiro looked up and saw the words engraved above the door—
“Principal’s Office."
"Wait... the principal?"
"Yeah. He wants to meet you before you go to class," Alfred said, his tone suddenly serious. "Be careful with that guy. And... don’t let him get to you."
Shiro’s heart skipped a beat.
‘What kind of person am I about to meet?’
Alfred knocked twice on the door.
"Principal Aether, Alfred Epstein has arrived with Nekoya Shiro, the new first-year student."
The door creaked open, but Alfred didn’t step inside.
"Go in, boy," he said, staying outside.
Shiro swallowed hard, his nerves kicking in again. Taking a deep breath, he stepped through the door.
"Nekoya Shiro, I’ve been waiting for you."
A smooth, almost unsettling voice heard through the room as Shiro stepped inside. His eyes follow where the voice came from, finally seeing a man sitting behind a large desk, smiling at him.
‘Why do I feel... uneasy because of that smile?’
Shiro’s instincts screamed that something wasn’t right. The man’s expression reminded him of the slick salesmen who pushed fake products with forced charm.
"Um... hello, Mister Prin—"
"Just call me Aether," the man interrupted, his smile never wavering.
‘His smile is so fishy...’
Shiro had seen plenty of faces like this before.
"Understood... May I ask why you’ve called me here, Mister Aether?”
Aether stood up.
‘He’s tall... and why is he walking toward me?’
Shiro tensed as Aether approached. Within seconds, the man was right in front of him, leaning down until their faces were uncomfortably close.
"Umm... Mister Aether?"
Shiro leaned back, confused and uneasy.
Aether finally pulled away, standing straight while maintaining eye contact.
"Well, I called you here because... I wanted to meet you."
"Meet... me?"
"Yes."
That same unsettling smile lingered on Aether’s face.
"W-why?"
Shiro asked, feeling an odd chill run down his spine.
"Not only did you save my students... and for that, I’m truly grateful—thank you, Nekoya Shiro."
For the first time, Aether’s voice sounded sincere. He bowed slightly, and for a moment, the unsettling aura shiro feeling since they met faded.
"Y-you don’t need to thank me, Mister Aether!"
"I’m not even sure if... I was the one who really saved Kim and Alfred. Or the who exactly defeated that Animortis..."
"But you remember helping them, right?"
"Well... yes."
"Then we’re all good," Aether said with a laugh, though something about that laugh made Shiro's goosebumps again.
Aether circled behind Shiro, placing both hands gently on his shoulders.
"And... the other reason why I called you is because you are a rare one,"
he whispered softly into Shiro’s ear.
"R-rare one?"
Shiro’s body stiffened. For some reason, he couldn’t move.
Aether pulled back, returning to his desk with a fishy smile.
"Have you ever heard of the Chinese Zodiac Sign?"
"Y-yes.. Emperor Jade wanted a calendar so held a race with 12 animals and whoever wins first will be their order in the calendar?”
"Correct... and wrong."
"Wrong?"
"Centuries ago, the world believed there were only twelve animals in the zodiac chosen and created by the Jade Emperor, which is true. But everyone didn't know that.... There was a thirteenth animal that participated in the race," he said, his tone laced with intrigue.
Shiro’s mind gets it immediately, what Aether was trying to say.
"Yes. Just as you’re thinking... the cat. The one who was tricked by the rat and missed its chance to be part of the zodiac."
Aether leaned in slightly, his eyes glinting with something unreadable.
"Aren’t you curious," Ather said, his voice dropping to a near whisper, "why there’s a thirteenth... even though the cat never crossed the finish line?"
"Why... are you telling me this?"
Shiro confused to aether words and action.
"Hahaha. Don’t worry about that. I’m just giving you some information... about your artifact," Aether said casually. "The more you know about your own Artifact, the stronger you’ll become."
Shiro felt even more confused but nodded politely.
"Y-yes... thank you, Mister Aether."
Aether’s smile widened.
"Now that I’ve said what I needed to say, you’re free to go."
Aether said with a smile, that creeped shiro once again.
"Yes... thank you again," Shiro said, his feet almost stumbling as he turned to leave. As Shiro exited the room.
"Eight."
Aether Command.
"Yes. Eight is ready to serve you," a voice answered.
A man appeared beside Aether, materializing from thin air.
"Watch that boy from now on," Aether said, his voice devoid of warmth. "Report everything he does inside and outside of the academy. I didn’t sense anything related to THEM.... But we can’t be too sure."
"Understood!."
With that, Eight vanished just as quickly as he had appeared.
Aether stood and walked to the window, gazing out at the academy grounds.
"Nekoya Shiro..."
His smile faded, replaced by something darker.
"Are you an ally... or an enemy?”
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