Undetermined

The woman doesn’t move.

Neither do I.

“...Is this normal?”

“No.”

She says it so quickly that I almost laugh.

She reaches for the terminal again.

“I’m going to contact a technician.”

“Is there something wrong with the scanner?”

“I am not sure. This has never happened before. Having a few errors is well within the norm, but to have all of them come back as an error is something I have never heard of before.”

Not exactly something I want to hear.

“There’s also something that is quite strange.”

She pulls up another screen.

I watch as lines of information begin appearing across the terminal. Most of it means nothing to me. Diagnostic codes. System checks. Calibration results.

“I’m not sure what any of this means.”

“This just means that everything is working as intended. But despite this, none of your results seems to be coming back properly.”

I wonder if this has to do with the nature of my power.

Can the scanner not pick up the Princess’s power?

I want to talk to her about this, but I can’t exactly call for her right now. It’s not like I can telepathically talk to her or something.

< You called? >

I almost jump from my seat.

I didn’t.

< You were thinking about me. >

That’s not the same thing.

< Is it not? >

I sigh.

Could you always do this?

< I’m not sure. But it seems I can now. >

The woman looks at me.

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah. Um… thought I saw a fly.”

“I see…”

I glance back at the terminal.

Do you know what’s happening?

< Of course. >

Her answer comes without hesitation.

Of course?

< The machine cannot detect my power. >

< It is too weak. >

< A mere machine cannot possibly measure my power. >

How do you know that?

< Because I know my own power. >

I stare at the screen.

I suppose that makes sense.

For her, at least.

The woman taps a few more keys.

“I’m going to run a diagnostic on the scanner.”

“Okay.”

The terminal fills with more lines of information.

I have no idea what any of them mean.

The Princess doesn’t say anything either.

A few seconds later, the woman shakes her head.

“Let us try something else. I have an idea that might work.”

An idea?

“I’m going to need you to follow me.”

“Where?”

“To another examination room.”

I get out of the chair.

“Is there something different about that one?”

“Yes.”

She looks back at the scanner.

“It’s designed for powers that exceed the normal examination range.”

I stop.

“Exceed the normal range?”

“Modern technology is usually more than enough for most powers, so it’s not something we use very often.”

That sounds reassuring. Or maybe the opposite.

I follow her down the hallway.

< Yusuke. >

The Princess’s voice is quieter than before.

What?

< This may prove interesting. >

I have a feeling this isn’t a good thing.

The woman leads me into another room.

It’s noticeably larger than the previous one.

The structure of the room is almost exactly the same as the other one.

But the scanner mounted above the center of the room is different.

It’s much larger.

I stare up at it.

“Is this still an examination machine?”

“Yes.”

She walks over to the terminal .

“This model is used for high-output abilities. It has a much greater measurement range than the standard equipment.”

I swallow.

Princess.

< Yes? >

You said the other machine was too weak.

< It was. >

What about this one?

She pauses.

< We shall see. >

I’m a little worried for some reason.

The woman gestures toward the center of the room.

“Please stand there.”

I nod and move to the center of the room.

The machine starts.

A deep whirring fills the room.

The markings grow significantly brighter than before.

Numbers begin appearing across the terminal.

For a moment, everything seems normal.

Then the numbers start climbing.

The woman’s eyes widen.

“That’s…”

She quickly types something.

The numbers continue rising.

The machine begins making a loud humming sound.

Is that supposed to happen?

< Seems like this attempt is not faring well either. >

The woman looks increasingly concerned.

“I’m going to stop the examination.”

Before she can reach the controls—

< Allow me. >

What?

< They wish to measure my power, no? >

Her voice carries a hint of amusement.

< Let them. >

I don’t even have time to ask what she means.

The markings beneath my feet suddenly flare.

The room shakes.

The scanner above me suddenly starts emitting a sharp metallic sound.

The terminal flashes a bright red.

[WARNING]

[OUTPUT EXCEEDS PARAMETERS]

The woman freezes.

“What’s happening?”

I don’t know.

I look upward.

The scanner begins to tremble.

Princess?

< It is trying to contain what it cannot comprehend. >

The machine lets out one final, deafening shriek.

CRACK

The lights above me go dark.

Smoke rises from the scanner.

The terminal flickers once.

Then dies.

Silence.

I stare at the machine.

The woman stares at the machine with her mouth gaped open.

I slowly look down at my feet.

…What did you do?

< Nothing in particular. >

“You sound a little smug for it to be nothing.”

< I merely showed it my power. >

I close my eyes.

Of course she did.

The woman is still staring at the broken machine.

I glance between her and the scanner.

“Is it… supposed to do that?”

She doesn’t answer.

“Ma’am?”

She finally looks at me.

“I…”

She stops.

Her eyes shift back toward the machine.

“I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

“No, it isn’t.”

She shakes her head.

“I sincerely apologize. I didn’t expect this to happen.”

I don’t know what to say.

She takes a slow breath.

“I’m going to have to report this.”

“Right.”

“I’ve worked here for eight years.”

She glances toward the smoking machine.

“I’ve never seen anything like that.”

I shift around awkwardly.

Princess.

< Yes? >

Are you happy?

< Perhaps a little. >

I sigh.

I knew she viewed herself highly, but I didn’t think she would go this far just to demonstrate her power.

Maybe she just doesn’t like being measured.

Or perhaps she simply doesn’t like the idea of someone else deciding what she is.

The woman begins gathering all of the papers.

“I’ll make a note of everything that happened today.”

“Okay.”

“And I’ll submit a request for a more thorough examination.”

“Thank you.”

She gives me an apologetic smile.

“I’m sorry we couldn’t complete the process.”

“It’s fine. You tried your best.”

I try to cheer her up, but making eye contact is a bit awkward knowing that it’s mainly my fault.

“Although…”

I hesitate.

“Is that going to be expensive?”

“I certainly hope not.”

I wince.

Princess.

< What is it? >

Maybe let’s hold back a bit from now on.

< I see no reason to. >

She’s impossible.

The woman hands me a small card.

“For now, this is your temporary registration.”

I take it.

It’s thinner than I expected.

My name is printed across the front, along with a photograph I don’t remember taking.

Beneath it is a small star symbol I’ve seen on some of the documents at work.

“Does a temporary registration card do anything?”

“For the most part, it’s identification.”

“For the most part?”

She points towards the card.

“It also gives you access to certain facilities and services that are restricted to registered power users.”

I look at it again.

“Such as?”

“Manifestation-related areas, designated power-use areas, and some government facilities.”

I raise an eyebrow.

“That’s a lot more useful than I expected.”

She smiles.

“There are a few other benefits, but those depend on your classification.”

I glance down at the empty classification field.

Guess I won’t be seeing those benefits any time soon.

The woman looks toward the ruined examination room.

“Once we can properly assess your ability, we’ll be able to update your registration.”

I put the card into my wallet.

For the first time, I have something that proves I actually possess a power.

Even if the only thing written under it is:

UNDETERMINED

< A rather inadequate title. >

It should be only temporary, hopefully.

“Thank you for everything.”

“I apologize for the inconvenience again. We will keep in contact.”

I nod and we exchange bows before leaving the room together.

After what just happened, the hallway feels even more quiet than before.

I walk toward the entrance, my new registration card sitting safely inside my wallet.

For some reason, I keep touching it.

Just to make sure it’s still there.

A person with a power.

That’s what I am now.

I spent most of my life knowing that I would never be one. It was simply a fact. Something I had accepted because there was no point wishing for something I couldn’t have.

Now I have a card proving otherwise.

Although the card itself seems to disagree.

UNDETERMINED

I almost laugh.

“Something funny?”

I look up.

The woman is looking at me.

“Nothing.”

She gives me a small smile.

“I suppose today has been rather unusual.”

“That’s one way of putting it.”

She lets out a quiet laugh.

“I’ll make sure the report is submitted as soon as possible. Someone from the examination department should contact you once they’ve reviewed everything.”

“Alright.”

“And also…”

“Yeah?”

She hesitates for a moment.

“Please refrain from using your ability on any examination equipment until further notice.”

“I understand.”

Even though I wasn’t exactly the one who did that.

We reach the entrance.

The doors slide open, and the noise of the city immediately hits me.

Was the city always this busy?

Maybe it’s always been like this.

It just feels different now.

The afternoon air feels cooler than I expected.

I reach into my pocket and pull out my wallet.

YUSUKE

POWER: UNDETERMINED

I stare at it for a moment before putting it away.

Finding Mina is still what I want.

That hasn’t changed.

And now that I actually have a power, part of me wants to believe I can just start looking for her.

That somehow having this ability means I should be able to do something.

But it just isn’t the case.

I don’t even know where to begin.

I don’t know what happened to her.

And I don’t even fully understand my own power yet.

Rushing ahead without knowing what I’m doing won’t bring her back any faster. It’s just reckless.

My boss told me to take some time off.

For once, I think I’ll listen.

After everything that has happened, taking a proper break is probably for the best. I don’t need to spend every waking moment trying to solve something.

Besides, there’s something else I’ve been putting off.

“Princess.”

< Yes? >

“Can I ask you something?”

< You may. >

I hesitate.

“I’d like to get to know you better.”

There is a pause.

Long enough that I start wondering if she heard me.

< Is that so? >

She sounds almost amused.

We’ve been through all of that together, and I still barely know anything about her.

I know she’s powerful.

I know she has a strong personality.

I know she thinks the world should probably be listening whenever she speaks.

But that’s about it.

For someone who’s apparently going to be sharing my life from now on, that’s not exactly much.

< Then ask. >

I blink.

“Just like that?”

< You said you wished to know me better. >

There’s a pause.

< So ask. >

I smile.

Maybe this won’t be as difficult as I thought.