[12th March 2364]
They block and throw blows at each other repeatedly; Kasumi swings to kick Yuuta and as he parries it she conjures a three-sectioned staff and swings it full speed. Yuuta brings out a black wooden bō staff to block her 'nunchaku', but Kasumi entangles his staff with the chains and wrenches it out of his grip. She then throws her leg upwards, jumps up and throws her foot down aiming for his head; the heel covered in a dark brown magical aura.
His instincts screaming at him, Yuuta dodges this near hit. His headband melted at the brush of the aura and as his eyes followed the arc of her drop kick, he watched the strike form a hole in the floor, alongside the smelly rotten egg scent from the vapours coming out off the hole.
"Eew!"
"What. Do I smell like a dirty toilet?", Kasumi frowns as she realises Yuuta, now surrounded with a dark blue aura, is reaching out to his staff, untangling the sectioned staff off itself.
"Pfft! That's worse. Not even your existence is as crappy as your attitude."
"So what? I am myself, you know that?"
"Now you're just bluffing! Hyaaaahh!!", Yuuta then swings his staff as he jumps to strike towards Kasumi, while her foot is still stuck in the wooden floor.
CRACK!!
The staff breaks as it hits Kasumi's short but muscular arms blocking the attack.
Yuuta realises this and mutters, "Oh, crap. I forgot how strong you are nowadays."
"Hmmph... I guess that's the end of our daily fighting session," Kasumi finally gets her foot out of the corroded floor, and raises her hand for a handshake, "Good job on making this far, dude."
Yuuta blows his hair out of his vision, "'Dude'? Just call me Yuuta, girl. Plus, you too," he dusts himself before shaking hands with his wrapped hand.
"Yo, Ion! Come and join us!", Kasumi calls upon the boy watching from the distance.
'This is me, Ion Haneda. I am just the guy who watches fights like these. Nice to meet you.'
"Are you guys finished with the Chemical Power usage? I don't think I can make a Chemical Power attack, now that I am a Powerless Harpy," Ion adjusts his glasses as he moves his eyes to Yuuta and Kasumi.
"Don't worry, bro. We'll make it fair and won't use any of the Chemical Powers. I'm sure you will be okay."
"Haha...," Ion only looks away and focuses onto his pale and slender hands, "Well...", he sighs in a sad tone.
"You wanna have some massage on your back?"
"Huh?!", Ion blushes as he sees the half-closed eyes and smile from Yuuta.
"Heh. How arousing," Kasumi smirks as she continues to speak, "You know you can't resist the hard but gentle massage from this tough-looking dude!"
RRRIING!!!
"Crap! Time for some class!!", Kasumi yells and brings Yuuta and Ion together to leave the building.
....
'This is our main university, known as Haoh Science Academy, founded by the Mizuno clan, now currently lead by Dean Rika Mizuno. But that's all I know about her and this school of the Chemical Users, living in their luxury of knowledge and skill,' Ion's voice speaks while the screen pans to the trio, including Ion himself, talking about their classes as they themselves have a history class.
"Yo... History class about our Atomic Earth? That might be boring for us Chemical Users, but this might have some advantages for the Powerless to know the origins of this damn power system upon this universe we're living in. This might excite you, dear nerdy~!", Kasumi states when Yuuta massages Ion's shoulders.
"Alright... But anyways, Kasumi?", Ion asks while Yuuta pats and strokes his light blue hair into a bird's nest.
"What is it?"
"There must be something about this university-"
BUMP!!
"Aaaah!!"
"Ouf!", Ion felt a girl bumping onto him with her bag on the floor and her semi-braided periwinkle blue hair.
He expected a pile of papers to slip from the bag, but fortunately her bag is already sealed with the zippers.
"Sorry!"
"No! It's okay," she then gets up and leave by running towards the classroom area, passing through Ion and his two best friends.
"Yo... She might be your soulmate, eh?", Kasumi smirks while seeing Ion adjusting his glasses and combing his hair with his fingers.
"No... Anyway, let's get to class right now."
....
"Chemical Powers. They exist from a planet called Astronomia, where the Power System began to spread through the whole Universe, naming it the Atomic Universe. The Power System comes from this famously known planet, known for their creation of physics laws, leading to the creation of the Chemical Powers we know today, but as humans ourselves, until now, we still don't know why that happened! But! For now! We only have to focus onto the origins of this worldwide law system called the Atomic Law!"
Seeing the lecturer walk around the classroom whiteboard with the projection showing the diagrams of the planets represented as the planets and galaxies in the Atomic Universe, Ion listens to the lecturer's sweet and confident wordings while Yuuta and Kasumi draw the diagrams in their notebooks.
"Now this uni got some cool sh*t here, unlike the boring old Goldfield Institute...", mumbled Kasumi.
"Hush, girl. Focus."
Yuuta silences Kasumi while the lecturer continues to explain.
"All of this became a thing to the previously known and ordinary 'Earth' when this one long-lasting bloodline, so called the Atom bloodline. They started as a family of astronauts who actually crossed into the boundaries of Planet Astronomia, where the 'aliens' of various species had a mysterious power, as they called it the 'Chemical Power', thus they brought it back to their home planet for research purposes. But this is where it started to get weird."
Before finishing the drawings, Yuuta and Kasumi witness the change of the slides and reveals pictures of the young man with blonde hair and slanted eyes, and a girl with short, wavy and green hair, smiling with her wide grey almond eyes.
"Emily?", Ion whispers, giving Yuuta and Kasumi a shock from the mentioning of the girl's name.
"These pictures has shown few of the famous historical figures among the Atom clan, the people whom started it all. The man is Reiko Atom, and the girl, Emily Atom. Multiculturalism seemed to exist in the old times, journalist Bradley Warner said."
"Bradley? That pimp?", Kasumi smirks silently, but she remembered.
Bradley died from the ongoing murder of the Akagawa manslaughter.
"Oof. Should have respected him. But I don't know what to think about that."
"To think that these people were the cause of the spread of this 'Chemical Powers' to our world! They began with an 'infection', but it was harmless at the start. But later on, as evidenced by Emily, she began to breathe fire and spawn water from her hands, as if she were a prophet of a god. But this time, she was rather not a 'prophet' at all, but she was only an ordinary human! She was the first individual of Earth to ever wield a Chemical Power by surprise!"
"Do you see it, Ion? Emily was just an ordinary human when she got the Chemical Powers!", Yuuta pats Ion's shoulder, noticing Ion raising his hand.
"Why was Emily the only one with the Chemical Powers while some of her family members were the one to be exposed to Astronomia's powers?"
"Ion. They don't spread straight away. They are like 'vectors', it's the best explanation I can ever give," the lecturer with short red hair speaks, applying lip balm on her crusty but peachy lips, and continues, "Anyways, continuing to the Chemical Powers. As time goes on, there were the times where the Chemical Powers spreaded from England to the whole world, and even reaching to Asia, the continent we Japanese, or some foreigners here, currently live right now. There comes the education and regulations related to the Atomic Law, all thanks to Emily, who were a stranger if she weren't a Chemical User in the first place."
Ion raises his hand again, "May I be excused? Miss Nekomi wants to see me."
"Oh? Sure. She does care about you a lot... Oh well, just remind your friends to give some missed information, kay?"
Going into the Student Council office, all he sees is a woman with silver twin braids and green ends, with her face in the reflection of the sunny but cold winter outside scenery.
"How's life with Yuuta and Kasumi, now that you are now living with them at the same apartment?", she speaks with a hidden smile.
"It's good. Why do you ask?", Ion adjusts his glasses.
"You're still aware that your parents did everything to bless you with close relationships like with those guys, are you?", she turns towards Ion, face to face, with her purple eyes looking behind her glasses, "You know you can't expect much if you keep on thinking that 'they' will come back."
"I know."
'That was when I realised that I am a complete orphan from the beginning. From the beginning? No. They died while I was 10, to be precise. By then, I was saved by this peerage, in which Nekomi was, and is, a member of. That brings me to a question, was that peerage master Dean Rika? I could even remember the smell of her perfume, so that must be...'
"I just wanted to tell you, so far you're the only one student in this Chemical-User-dominated school without a Chemical Power, since that your family leader was part of our peerage, we had to take you into this academy, specifically for theory. Heck, we even invited you to the Grimoire family, where Lèas and her peerage had awaited you! Why don't you want to be part of the Grimoire peerage? Did they scare you?"
"Well... Not that. Their parents... They were scary...", Ion puts his finger on his chin, and gasps, "Hey! Why do you want me to be here in the first place? You need something?"
"Hm... Oh! Our dearest Richard Goldfield is going to inspect this university of ours! Well... This doesn't usually happens..."
"So..."
"Ion. As much as I adore you as a 'foster parent' here, will you take a sick day by tomorrow? The reason is that you, as the Powerless, might not be a good look on the records."
"Why?", Ion slightly frowns, "Just because..."
"Yes. I'm very sorry."
He sighs as tucks his hair off his face, "Okay. I'll do."
....
"You sure you can walk alone? Maybe we can accompany you, if you want?", Kasumi asks while holding Yuuta's gloved hand.
"No, thanks, Kasumi and Yuuta. I might want to have some privacy right now."
"Okay then. See ya."
As he watches the two walk away from him, he sighs, having the cold air to surround the city of Tokyo, now with some buildings with signs of greens around the windows and the walls.
Surprisingly, the plants never wilted, even for a snowless winter like this.
His black phone rings and vibrates as he is about to take a walk, and he picks up the phone and answers it, and it was a video call.
"Seriously, Yuuta! Kasumi!"
"Never mind us! Just enjoy your stroll! We're just calling for some surprise groceries!", Yuuta explains while waving his hand.
"Huh. Alright then. I'll show you guys how I discover something new here in Tokyo City!"
'This city... No matter how many times I mention about, it never bores me even the slightest. Even if I had a bad day, this still soothes my mind. I think it's all thanks to these plant buildings-'
"Oof!"
A girl with greenish white hair rams and fell onto Ion, with his phone still in his hand.
"Ouch!", Ion lands on his shoulder.
"Ion? Are you okay-"
"Sorry! Gotta go!", he hangs up while the girl steps onto Ion's butt, "Ack! Hey!"
"What a degenerate. Are you trying to make trouble here, dear nerd?"
"Huh?! I have nothing to do with this! You're the one who should be careful-Argh!"
Stomping on her heels, she pushes Ion deep into the pavement filled with frosted weeds in the corner, "Enough of that crap! You better stay out of my way or-!"
"Hey! Stop hurting him!"
The girl he stumbled across before entering the classroom has appeared in this situation.
[Is that the one trying to save me now?]
The greenish-white haired girl lands off his butt and focuses onto the periwinkle blue haired girl with her arms crossed.
Ion, getting up from the ground and spitting out the dirt in his mouth, watches the girls argue over him.
"You better stop now or I will have to call the police!", the girl with blue hair, known as Yurika Ohka, scolds the white haired girl.
"Hmph! So much for a girlfriend like you to protect her degenerate boyfriend! Plus, you wouldn't like it if I talk about your genetic source, Miss Clone!"
"I don't care. Just cut it out!"
"UGH! Whatever, you're irritating, b*tch! You never be as good as this Renee Gamma lady!"
Watching Renee stomp her foot pass Yurika, Ion then asks, "Yurika? Why are you here?"
"I'm just walking here for a premium Matcha latte, though right now I totally forgot how expensive it was...", Yurika brings our her wallet and reveals her black credit card, "Don't mind if we're just walking and talking?"
"Uh, sure! Why not?"
....
"So you were strolling into this market with your best friends? How lucky... I, even until now, still have no friends at this point, until that woman who stomped you began to befriend me from middle school."
Ion gasps, "That woman?!"
"Yeah... Sorry for not telling you... She is still a hot-headed idiot who like to bully people around her."
"Then why are you friends with her?", he scratches his head under his olive beanie hat.
"She is the only friend I can ever trust for classes and campus activities, though she already dropped college."
[That still doesn't answer the question!]
Yurika then holds Ion's cold hands, "You're not even wearing your gloves?"
"What about you?", Ion asks with his face flushed, "You're even holding my hand!"
"I mean, my mother used to hold people's hands just to check their temperature. But still, this has already become a habit for my bloodline to check people's temperatures by touch, and I myself don't know why..."
"Uh... Can you not blame your family tree for that weird habit?", Ion asks while adjusting his glasses.
"No! I'm not blaming anyone! I just... Do you have a girlfriend?"
"What? No? But I don't want to date anyone right now, and I'm sorry."
"It's okay. I'm just asking," Yurika then lets go of his hand and grabs his arm to hug around.
"Excuse me?!"
"Sometime, even without any insecurities, I still cling onto a stranger's arm for self-defense-Oh!", Yurika then faces Ion, "Did Miss Nekomi tell you that Mister Goldfield is coming into our campus for retrieving the Uranium sample they recovered?"
"Huh? No? Is this why you're clinging onto me right now?"
"It's not about that, but I still have Mister Goldfield's number, though only my mother is the only one contacting him."
"So you didn't contact him?", Ion speaks as he notices her hand letting go of him and he asks, "Anyways why does that happen recently?"
"Uhm... About that-"
"Yo! Wanna have a ride?"
"Renee! After the argument we had, you still want to take me somewhere?!"
"Shut up! Just come in with me!"
Ion already notices that Renee is driving a black MPV car.
"Hey, you!"
"No need to be angry right now, kay? I'm sorry. I just thought you were just a stranger dating her. Come, Yuri! I will send you home."
Yurika sighs, "I'm sorry, dear Ion. I have to go home right now. See ya!", she parts from the boy and gets into the middle seat and shuts the door.
"Oh! Bye!", Ion waves her goodbye. But he knew that Renee lady was up to something, but he will never doubt his friend, Yurika, right?
In the said car, Renee wears her sunglasses while seeing Yurika eating mints, "Ya not feeling sick after your early cake dinner? By the way, how's the plan? Do you agree to do this?"
"I'm still okay. About the plan... Yes. My mother would be satisfied of this."
"You know your mama is a crazy mama," Renee burns her cigar and puffs onto it, "If anything, I want to send you back to your mama. I hope she never misses anything."
Yurika pouts, "You're not letting me be touched by mom, huh?"
"Just contact her and tell what happened today after your classes, kay? I hope she can keep that old man away from her. I mean... She can kill any men, literally and anyways possible."
"You're telling me she's a literal murderer for boys."
"Yet she doesn't even have a husband. That makes me wonder, who are you to be exact?"
Yurika gasps, "You... Well... You don't really need to know, do you?"
"Keep that answer to yourself first. We will find out for only ourselves, kay?"
....
As Ion arrives at his apartment room, he enters and takes off his boots, alongsides his white shirt, revealing his violet singlet, and lays down on his tatami bed. But he remembers about his friends' concern of him while Renee tried to kick him down, so he checks his blue smartphone, revealing the message from Kasumi, saying, 'Are you okay, dear?! You sounded like you were hurt or something!'
[This apartment Miss Nekomi rents for me... That reminds me, I do miss my parents...], he only feels a trace of sadness and loneliness within the back of his head.
Then Ion types, 'Don't worry, guys! I'm fine! I was just bullied by a random girl I met at the market...', and gets up from bed to open the balcony door to feel the cold air running onto his smooth and pale skin.
Closing his eyes, then opening them back, he sees a blissful landscape of sunset in Tokyo city. The buildings with greens on them and the plantless ones has given such bizzare atmosphere only normal for the Chemical Users, considering that he is a strategist for analysing how Chemical Powers work for the wielder who don't use their powers for combat.
"Oh, hey, Ion. How are you doing?"
Ion startles as he remembers that voice from the news of the 'Youngest Scientist of Atomic Japan.'
He turns to see her long red and blue hair, shielding her sharp sky blue eyes piercing into his memory.
"I just rented into this place due to the change of location of the AxA. Since I only know little of this city, what about you show me about the location?"
As she puts her arms onto the balcony rail, she moves her lips, "But I do have a concern for you to be my tour guide, so if you're also new to this city, then it's okay..."
"Ah! No, no! I'm familiar with this city, though... I'm just living with Yuuta and Kasumi, though they live in a different building-"
She only stares with her serious eyes, "Just tell me already."
"Eh...? Okay...", Ion clears his throat and explains, "This city of Tokyo is actually famous for their position in the Atomic Law Government, and I find that they handle their places very well, but over here? They have a way better technology development here than even Osaka! This place has lots of these plant buildings, diverse species of humanoids here and how they live their lives as if they were normal humans!"
She only looks towards her blue phone, looking exactly the same as Ion's, "I remember that we met each other that day. Do you remember?"
"I'm always asked if I remembered this and that... Huh... Who are you, to be exact?"
"Remember Yuuta and Kasumi?"
"Ah! Yes. Well... I even heard that they are working with Lèas..."
"Lèas is me, Ion. Nice to meet you."
"Erm- Eh?! You?!"
"Yes."
Ion, now frozen due to shock, then asks, "How did I not know you?! You're that 'Youngest Scientist' from the other day!"
"For now, we can only enjoy the dusk view of this precious city. So.. Tell me more of this place, please?", Lèas focuses onto the buildings while Ion looks at the same direction, with them communicating with each other.
....
[20th March, 7:00 a.m.]
'And as a few days come, I'm only watching a big event happening in the streets towards Haoh Academy.'
"Mister Goldfield! Why are you here at Haoh Academy?"
"Merilda! Please explain the situation!"
Having taken a sick day as requested by Nekomi, Ion watches the man with orange hair and mustache, with his curly-haired daughter, getting out of the limo to his university, along with the reporters and crowds outside. With Ion himself wearing a black hooded jacket and riding his bicycle, he then whispers to himself, 'Here we go right now, in this big event…'