Prologue

My name is Renji Yukinaga. I just transferred to Raijin Academy as a second-year student. The school is located on an artificial port island called Nakanohara Steelport City, a place built by Nakanohara Industries fourteen years ago. The current CEO, Rualina Nakanohara, is the fourth generation to run the company. This island is packed with educational institutions, most notably Raijin Academy and its university, both of which are owned by Nakanohara Industries.

The island looks like a dream location for any student. If only I had known the truth back then. Now, it's too late for regrets.

I was on my way to the academy, where a volunteer was supposed to show me to my dorm. My train was delayed by four hours, so it was already evening. I figured I wouldn't get much of a tour. I arrived at the bus stop just outside the main gate and saw two girls standing in the distance. One was tall, around 5'8", with curly black hair left open. The other was about 5'5", with short black hair. The tall one exuded a mature aura, while the shorter one had a friendly, cheerful vibe.

I approached them and asked, "Are you here to take me to my dorms?"

It was already dark, so I didn't even bother asking for a full tour.

The tall girl stepped forward. "Yes. We were meant to give you a full tour, but that will have to wait until tomorrow. Oh, where are my manners? I'm Emihime Hoshino, the Student Council Vice President, and this is Sayaka Narukami, the Disciplinary Committee Head."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Sayaka said with a friendly smile.

I gave a polite nod. "Nice to meet you both, Narukami-san and Hoshino-san."

Emihime looked down at a notepad in her hand. "Let's see here... Renji Yukinaga, transferred after qualifying for the TDATs exams. Wow, you must be pretty good to get in. It's been seven years since anyone was accepted through the TDATs."

"I'm still confused about how I managed to pass," I admitted.

The TDATs, or Transfer Determining Aptitude Tests, are notoriously difficult exams for students who want to transfer mid-term to schools in Steelport City. There are very few spots, so the competition is brutal. Raijin Academy is especially known for being selective, citing a thorough background check and "secret criteria" for their choices. I had no idea what they saw in me, but the moment my sister saw the acceptance letter, she rushed my enrollment.

"Let's go now," Sayaka said, eager to get moving.

We walked through the enormous academy gates. The path was made of gray and black bricks, well-lit by modern streetlights. Bushes lined the road, and beyond them lay vast, open grounds. I was starting to realize just how enormous this school really was.

After a few minutes, both girls suddenly stopped. They turned to me, and Emihime said, "You can see the boys' dorm now."

I looked over and saw a tall, black gate. Behind it stood a towering building of at least ten stories.

"If it were daytime, we would've dropped you off at the reception, but girls aren't allowed in after 7 p.m.," Sayaka explained cheerfully, a hint of apology in her voice.

"It's no problem at all. What's my room number?" I asked.

"You can ask the guy at the reception desk," Emihime replied. "He'll also have your uniform and other necessities."

"Okay, thanks. Bye, then. I can walk you two to your dorms if you'd like," I offered, a little too confidently, without a second thought.

Emihime chuckled softly. "That's very gentlemanly of you, but this is the Raijin Academy campus. It might be the safest place in the whole city."

"And I'm the Disciplinary Committee Head, you know," Sayaka added with a friendly smile. "There aren't many things I can't handle on my own."

"Yeah, bye then," I said, a bit deflated.

"'Bye!" they both said in unison.

I started walking toward the dorm gate. A watchman was sleeping soundly in his booth. I decided to ignore him and go straight inside. But as I took another step, I saw something bright floating in the air to my right, moving toward the side of the building. I dismissed it as some kind of firefly, but as I moved to take another step, I suddenly heard a voice whisper in my ear, "How long are you going to ignore it?"

I jumped and turned around, touching my right ear, a shiver running down my spine. But the feeling was gone as quickly as it came. The watchman in the booth woke up, rubbing his eyes. He saw me and instantly jumped to his feet. "Wait a minute! Who are you? Why are you here?" he asked with a sense of urgency.

"I'm the new transfer student," I answered, non-chalantly.

He pulled out a register and flipped through the pages. "Sign here," he said, handing me a pen. After signing, I went inside the dorm. The guy at the reception desk was reading a magazine.

"Hello, I'm Renji Yukinaga, the new transfer student," I said.

"Oh, yeah. Here's your room key—402. And here are your uniforms and PT clothes," he said, handing me a package without looking up from his magazine. I took the keys and the uniform and headed for room 402 on the fourth floor.

I opened the door and found a surprisingly huge room with two separate bedrooms, a bathroom, and a small kitchen with an electric stove. Wait a second... do I have a roommate?

Just then, a guy walked out of the bathroom, a big, friendly smile on his face. "Oh, you must be my new roomie!" he exclaimed.

The moment he said "roomie," I knew I wasn't going to like this guy. He was definitely the overly friendly, emotions-over-everything type. I forced an awkward smile and said, "Yeah, I guess that's my fate."

I walked over to one of the bedrooms and put my bag down. The guy followed me in. "I'm Souta Tenma, and I heard you cleared the TDATs. Everybody's talking about you! But, anyway, Hoshino-san and Narukami-san must have dropped you off. What do you think of them?"

Oh my god. I'd met this guy three seconds ago, and he was already trying to have a "boys' talk" with me. I was certain at this point that he wasn't just talkative; he had a one-track mind for girls. I was sure there was only air inside that skull. I decided to mess with him.

"Yeah, they're totally gorgeous. Are they single?"

"Whoa, dude! Already gunning for the top girls? You seem pretty experienced. Do you have a girlfriend?"

"I have one right now," I lied smoothly.

"Whoa, man. You're quite the playboy. Didn't expect that from you. What's her name?"

"Yeah, her name is 'I'm obviously joking, can you please leave my room? I'm not in the mood for such talk right now.'"

He was stunned into silence for a moment before he finally spoke. "Oh, sarcasm. Didn't expect that either. Don't worry, we'll talk tons tomorrow."

I rolled my eyes. "Okay, listen, Tenga—"

"It's Tenma," he corrected.

"Don't care. You're not going to like me if you talk too much, unless it's the right kind of environment. So please try to avoid me."

"Okay, sure, man. Don't worry, you'll get familiar with me in 'know' time, and my comedic sense will rub off on you."

I can't believe this guy used "know" instead of "no" and expected me to get the joke. This is going to be hell.

"Can I just sleep now? I'm pretty tired."

"Yeah, sure, man. See you at school tomorrow!"

The moment he left my room, I slammed the door shut and collapsed onto the bed. This is going to be hectic, I thought to myself as my eyes closed and I fell asleep.

A low, ticking sound echoed in my ears. I opened my eyes and found myself in a room filled with giant gears. Behind me, a huge clock face loomed, and it looked like I was standing in a clock tower.

"No matter how close the time appears to be, it is never within your grasp," a mysterious voice said. It felt like the same voice I had heard when I was walking to the dorm. I looked to my left and saw a girl sitting on a table with her knees drawn up. She had long purple hair that reached her knees, bright emerald eyes, and skin so white it looked ethereal. Yet, she was incredibly beautiful. She was wearing a frilled orange top and blue jeans, which suited her perfectly.

"Hello there," she greeted me with a soft smile.

"How did I get here?" I asked, a troubled expression on my face.

"Technically, you're not here," she said, and then she disappeared, only to reappear behind me, leaning against a different table. "Your consciousness has entered this place through your dreams."

"What is this place?" I asked.

"This is The Clock Tower, the one where you observe time of all," she said, teleporting again, this time to a platform above the clock's glass face. Before I could say anything, she appeared right in front of me and gently took my chin in her hand.

"You're a cut above average," she said with a knowing smile.

I jumped back. "Who are you? No, maybe, what are you?"

"My name is Riwa. Can't you tell? I'm your lover."

"Riwa?! Lover? What are you talking about?"

"What's the problem? Don't you like my dress or something?" she asked, pouting slightly as she gestured to her outfit with both hands.

"What the—? That's not what I—wait. Now that I look at the dress closely, it's surprisingly appealing to me. It feels like I was a fan of actresses with this kind of fashion when I was younger."

"Oh, so sweet," she said, her mood brightening instantly. She quickly changed her tone to a more mysterious one. "That aside, you know you have a job to do, right?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"What?!" I asked, bewildered.

"I guess you still don't know, but the gears of time are moving, and you will face your trial sooner or later. I suppose the next time we meet, you'll come by your own free will. Bye then."

She approached me, and before I could say anything else, she touched my chest.

"Wait a minute! What trials? What job? What the hell?!"

She simply smiled and said, "Bye."

I suddenly felt like I was flipping over and falling. Images flashed through my mind: someone's palm, an open field, a younger version of myself, and then a voice saying, "I'm counting on you." Finally, a monstrous demonic jaw appeared before I woke up with a jerk.

I looked at my phone. It was 6:30 in the morning.

"Was that really just a dream?"

To be continued...