Chapter 04 The Gate of Tokyo Magic Academy

To Shota, the city was a monochrome filmstrip, its colors bleached into shades of grey. The faces of the other students blurred by a persistent, buzzing static. The only thing in focus was the memory of blood that seemed to stain his hands.

Mirai was the only face he saw. She circled him like a bee around honey, her every move designed to provoke a reaction he could no longer give.

“We’re almost there, Sho-kun! Aren’t you excited?” she asked, poking him playfully in the side.

A moment later, she reached up, her fingers brushing his cheek with a feather-light touch.

 “Ara, you had a little cherry blossom petal on your cheek. So pretty this time of the year, don’t you think?”

Shota’s gaze remained fixed on some distant, internal point of suffering. He gave a shake of his head.

They rounded the corner, and the main avenue leading to the Tokyo Magic Academy opened up before them, famously lined with Sakura trees in full, breathtaking bloom. To Mirai, it was a scene from a fairy tale. To Shota, it was just more grey.

“Look, Sho-kun!” 

 She gestured to the cascade of flowers. 

“Aren’t they beautiful? It’s a perfect welcome! Let me get a selfie! Go ahead but don’t you dare disappear on me. Unless you want to be in the picture with me~?”

She held up her phone, angling it to capture both her beaming smile and his empty expression. She waited, hoping to trap this depressed look.

Shota didn’t even turn. His voice was flat, a stone dropped into a deep, dry well.

 “Don't mind me. I’ll wait by the gates.”

A thrill, sharp and electric, shot through Mirai.

"Yes. Yes. Look at you. So detached. So beautifully broken."

 She snapped the picture—a photo of just herself, with his profile of misery in the background. It was perfect.

“Suit yourself, my dear Sho-kun, I will get a few more."

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The stone pillar of the academy gate was cold against Shota's back. He kept his hands shoved deep in his pockets, hiding them even from himself.

 A loud laugh cut through the muted sounds of the crowd as a group of three students swaggered up. The one in front, a boy with spiky, aggressive hair and a confident swagger broke from his friends and zeroed in on Shota.

"Hey! Buddy!" 

He planted himself in front of Shota with a sharp-toothed grin on his face. 

"The entrance ceremony’s in ten! You planning to nap through your first day or what? Yo! You alive, or just part of the decoration?" 

“…Just waiting for someone.”

"Ha! Cool, cool. Name’s Enji Kagari! But everyone calls me Heatburst — future Number One, got it? Good to meet you!"

He thrust his hand out.

 "Hey, how about it? Wanna be friends? Could use a guy who knows how to stand still in my crew."

 On autopilot, Shota began to pull his right hand from his pocket. It was a simple, mechanical action.

And then he saw it.

His hand was drenched, slick and shining with fresh blood. It welled up between his fingers, dripped from his fingertips, and began to pool at his feet on the clean stone pavement—a spreading, bloody stain.

His eyes snapped up to Enji's face, his heart hammering against his chest. But it wasn't Enji's face anymore. It was the young cashier from the toy store, her skin pale and cracked, that same, kind smile frozen in place. He saw cracks spiderweb across her cheeks, saw her eyes lose their light.

 Her smile crumbled before him, dissolving into a cloud of white ash that scattered on a non-existent wind.

The vision vanished as quickly as it came. Enji's impatient, grinning face was back, his hand still extended. The blood was gone from his hands, from the ground. 

Shota's outstretched hand twitched and fell back to his side.

"I'll pass. I already have a friend."

He turned his back, leaning against the pillar once more, retreating into the suffocating silence of his own mind, leaving insulted Enji with his hand still hanging in the empty air.

For a second, Enji just stood there, hand still outstretched, his brain struggling to process the rejection. His smile twitched, then vanished. The air around him began to heat up.

"Haah?"

 His hand slowly clenched into a fist, a small wisp of smoke curling from his knuckles.

 "What did you just say to me, you gloomy bastard? You... you look me in the eye and leave me hanging?! You got some nerve! I offer you a spot in my circle, and you spit on it?"

A small flame burst to life in Enji's palm, dancing with his rage. 

"Who the hell do you think you are?! You think you're better than me?! Do you even know who I am?!"

He slammed a fist into his own chest.

 "My dad is the current Number 5 top pro wizard! I've got power running through my veins that you can't even dream of! I'm going to be a pro wizard too, a top ten ranker, and you—some nobody who looks like he hasn't seen the sun in a decade, you dare to insult ME?!"

Shota didn't respond. He didn't even look. 

"LOOK AT ME WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU, YOU DAMN EXTRA!"

"My, my. Is there a problem here?"

Mirai glided into the space between them, having appeared as if from nowhere. She placed a hand on her hip, her smile polite, but her eyes were locked on Enji with killing intent.

"This is my Sho-kun. And he said he already has a friend. That would be me. So, unless you'd like to find out my earth drills rating for penetrative power, I suggest you and your little campfire find another gate to loiter by."

Enji stopped mid-step, flames flickering out around his fists.

"Wait. No way. Hold up… golden drill hairstyle, the princess-like poise, the infamous earth magic! You’re Mirai Osanai—the Witch King’s daughter?! The Hellhound’s kid? What—what is someone like you doing with him?”

“Mm? Oh, you know my father? That’s cute.”

“Don’t play dumb. Everyone knows Kenji Osanai—the Grand Archmage, the current strongest mage! The number one pro wizard! People call him the Hellhound because when he fights, nothing’s left but ash!”

He jabbed a finger toward Shota.

 “And you’re telling me his daughter hangs out with this guy? You gotta be kidding me. You're the friend? What the hell is Hellhound's daughter doing with a worthless, gloomy loser like him?"

"If you value your fingers, I’d suggest you stop pointing them at him. And it's none of your business, Enji-kun. Or what, do you want to start a fight?”

“Tch! Whatever. I'm not getting in trouble on my first day in academy. Not worth my time.”

He turned motioning to his group. 

“Let’s go. The air's starting to stink of failure and crazy.”

As Enji and his friends disappeared, Mirai’s spun back to Sho, clasping her hands under her chin.

“Kyaa! So scary! Our very first day at the academy and we’re already being bullied by mean boys.”

She reached out and gently poked his chest.

 “Sho-kun. You’ll protect me, won’t you? Hmmm?”

"Sure."

Linking her arm through his, she gave a gentle tug, pulling him away from the pillar and towards the academy’s grand entrance.

 “Come on, my brave protector. Our future awaits.”

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Mirai and Shota sat with the other new students in the academy's big hall. Mirai was excited, pointing out all the important people and their families. She tried to show Shota, but he wasn't listening.

To Shota, the world had gone quiet and grey. The colors were dull, and all the sounds—the speeches, the whispers, even Mirai's voice—faded into a static noise in his head. He stared straight ahead, not seeing or hearing anything. He didn't even notice when the principal, once a famous pro wizard named Kaito the Gale-Strider, gave his speech.

For the whole hour, Shota was lost inside his own mind, trapped with only the ringing in his ears.

He only snapped out of it when Mirai elbowed him. He blinked and looked around. The ceremony was over. Everyone else had left. They were the only two left in the huge, empty hall.

Mirai leaned in close to Sho and whisper right by his ear.

"The ceremony's all finished, Sho-kun. Now, you know I love watching that lovely, distant look on your face when your mind goes wandering... it's my favorite little show."

She gently poked his cheek.

"But even I think we should probably find our classroom now. Can't have my favorite person getting lost on the very first day. Come on."

"I'm sorry, Mirai-chan. It's just..."

"Oh, you don't need to worry about it, Sho-kun. It's alright, that's what I like about you the most."