March 6th,
3:57 PM.
After settling everyone down, Chloe spoke up to them.
"Guys, calm down, stop bombarding him with questions... He hasn't been here for even five minutes."
A familiar face spoke up to her, in disagreement.
"Why are you the one to speak, Chloe? You've probably seen him thousands of times since he left..."
Some people started agreeing with the chubby boy with dark hair.
Despite his size on the X axis, he was pretty big on the Y axis as well. What kind of genes did this dude inherit...?
"Hey, hey, chill out dude... I haven't seen anyone since I've left. Not even Chloe. I mean it."
"Hmph... Do you really?"
"Why would I lie, Ed?"
Yes, indeed. He was that kid from years ago, Ampul Ed.
"Alright... I trust you. You wouldn't lie to us. No matter what."
The whole class agreed. This was a emotional and touching momen-
"Oh, my bad. I lied. I saw Sam a while back. Oops."
"Touching moment my ass!"
...Stole the words right out of my mouth.
"Don't get so fired up, 'kay? It was recently. Not even a month ago."
"What did y'all even talk about?"
"He pretended to be some sketchy guy and set me on fake fire."
The whole class sighed as a whole. This must've been a common occurrence around here. Poor them.
"Is, uhm... Something up?"
"Yeah, don't worry too much. That was just {Mirage Flame}."
"Mira... What? Sounds stupid."
As soon as Jinn finished the sentence, he felt a book hit the back of his head. After letting out an audible "Ouch, dude...", he turned around and saw his teacher. Just as Jinn figured, he did not get any younger.
"...Ah, Mr. Drum. Hello."
"Kinko. You're as lively as I remember."
"Is... That supposed to be a compliment? Or..."
Mr. Drum chuckled a bit, then responded, "Maybe so. Everyone, get to your seats please. Jinn's not going anywhere, you can talk to him next break."
The whole class went to their seats, except for Jinn. Why? That's simple.
"Uh, sir... Where do I go?"
"There should be some free seats. Sit wherever you prefer. I'll give you a few minutes."
And so he started searching. He looked around for a bit, then saw a seat he was familiar with, next to two familiar faces. One full of energy, one full of... I donno, suicidal thoughts? Anyway, you already guessed it. Patt and Matt.
Jinn then approached the two. Of course, he would've sat down next to Chloe if he had the chance, but no seat was available next to her.
"Yo. You two haven't changed at all, huh?"
"'Sup Jinn."
"Hello!"
Woah, this dude wasn't talking with extended words now. I count this as monumental progress. Way to go, Patt. I'm honestly a bit proud.
"Surely y'all don't mind if I sit here once again, ey?"
"All yours."
"Thanks, appreciate it."
Now that Jinn settled in, it was time to begin the "lesson". No, we weren't studying chemistry, math, history, or anything of the kind. This was all purely theoretic.
"Alright guys... Now, last time, we discussed what do to in case you run into a hostile hybrid."
...What? This was new. Jinn didn't remember anything of the kind. Was it because of the news from that time...?
"Well, today, I'd like to revisit that subject, because of the new face here."
Technically speaking, it wasn't entirely new, but whatever.
"Andrew. Tell me. What do you do if you run into a hybrid? No need to explain in detail."
"Try to hold out until proper help arrives."
"Hmm, good. Now, about those details... Matt."
The boy answered, in the most monotone voice known to man.
"You just try to defend yourself until police arrives or whatever."
"Well, erm... Yes, I guess."
Then the teacher locked eyes with Jinn. Ah, shi-
"Mr. Kinko!"
Knew it.
"Please tell me, how would you deal with a hybrid, having no combat experience, training, or a developed Agily?"
This question was easier than Jinn expected it to be. I'll just remind everyone once again. Jinn was not stupid.
"If their own Agily is something that requires him to make contact with me, I back away. Eventually, by my own provocation, or by his own anger, he'll attack me. I'll hopefully dodge, then either grab his arm and throw him on his back, or I'll leg sweep him and pin him to the ground, with his hands behind his back if possible."
...As you all would've guessed, silence ensued.
"Did I... Give a wrong answer?"
Mr. Drum, finally getting ahold of himself, answers him.
"No, no, uh... That was pretty good. Good job. Did you take some kind of special training or...?"
"Not really, sir. Just some karate, judo, kendo... Stuff like this. I wasn't that great either."
Then are you some kind of war tactician? Like, for real, are you?
"Ah, I see..."
But now, this only piqued Mr. Drum's interest. He was curious as to how much he actually knew, and how far he would go.
"Kinko. Rapid fire, similar questions. You up for it?"
"Sir, yessir."
"Good. Then I'll start... Hybrid, water related Agily, hostile. You're empty-handed."
"Dodge his attacks and close the distance. If it's water, he's useless at close-range."
"Normal human, armed with a knife, hostile. You're empty-handed."
"Well... Keep my distance, disarm and take the knife when he tries to go for a stab attack by grabbing his wrist and twisting."
"Hybrid, earth related Agily, hostile. Your Agily is wind."
"I either use it to dash towards his non-dominant hand or above him, he's not that powerful at close-range."
Shock, awe and amazement. Those were the emotions that filled the classroom, aside from Matt's indifference and Jinn's confusion.
"Kinko, just one question."
"Ah, yes?"
"How exactly do you know the weaknesses of earth and water type Agily? Or how to use a wind type one?"
Yet another easy to answer question. For Jinn, at least.
"When you just stand aside and watch others for half a year, you pick up a little something for yourself too."
"Well, if I'm being honest, that was quite impressive, Mr. Kinko. And while I'm sure most of this class would agree, you still lack proper training and combat experience, even if your knowledge on paper is amazing."
Those words were nothing but true. Even if Jinn knew what to do in those type of situations, could he actually pull it off? This thought lingered in Jinn's head.
"But, worry not, Jinn. You'll receive the training you hoped for soon enough."
"Alright. Thank you, sir."
But, yet another thought popped up in Jinn's head.
"But, please wait a second... Why would we need combat training?"
"That is something you'll have to discuss with Mr. White, not me."
With that, he went back to whatever he was doing before. As in, revisiting the lesson from last time.
As Jinn's interest slowly grew smaller and smaller, the class went by fast. As soon as break was announced, and Mr. Drum left, Jinn got up from his chair. He wanted to have that talk with Mr. White.
Not one step later, and someone appeared in front of him. Like, literally, just appeared.
"Hey, hey. Where're you going?"
Yeah, you already guessed.
"I'm gonna go see Alfred. Why're you asking, Chloe?"
"Just curious. By the way, next class we're supposed to meet up at gymnasium number one. Get there, okay?"
Jinn didn't even bother asking how big this whole place is.
"I'll be there. Don't worry."
"Aight. See you there."
With that, Chloe left and Jinn started making his way to Mr. White's office.
***
Three knocks on the door, in a quick succession, followed by a "Come in."
And that he did. Jinn opened the door and went in.
"Ah, Jinn. How can I help you today? Having trouble fitting in?"
"Not at all. It's about the combat training, actually."
"Hmm. I see. What about it?"
Jinn hesitated for a bit, then spoke up.
"Why does it exist, Alfred?"
Silence fell upon them. The mood got serious. Then, it was Mr. White's turn to speak up.
"You know, Jinn... This was actually a last resort."
"Bull... Shit!"
Jinn slammed his hands onto Alfred's desk, and everything went up in the air, maintained their airborne state for a few seconds, then dropped onto the ground, hard.
But Jinn didn't have time to care.
"That's bullshit, Alfred. Everything's nice and peaceful for years and years, and suddenly you start teaching kids how to fight?!"
"Jinn... The objects... How did y-"
"Don't you dodge my fucking questions Alfred!!"
Jinn yelled out, slammed his hands onto the desk again, and everything started floating again. Except this time, they weren't dropping down.
"...Don't dodge my questions. You're training them into soldiers. I've been here for one hour and I've already figured it the fuck out."
"..."
"I don't know what TGG was or is doing. But I know for fucking sure that those lost Gates weren't just that, lost. No way you missed over half. No way..."
Mr. White couldn't muster out not even one word. Why?
Fear.
The objects in the air weren't just that, in the air, floating around without purpose.
Every single object with a relatively sharp point... Were directed right at Alfred. And the chances of that being just a coincidence were low. Too low.
"...I'm done here. See you later, principal."
Jinn turned around, went out the door, and slammed it. The second it shut, everything dropped to the ground.
Fear. Discomfort. Uneasiness.
Those were the emotions showing on Alfred's face. He was also sweating bullets. Ah, no, wait, one more.
Guilt.
Jinn had hit bullseye.
***
Gymnasium number one. Jinn was five minutes late, but he doubted it was that big of a deal. When he opened the door, he was greeted by a familiar face.
"...Kinko. You're late. Why?"
"My bad, Mr. Drum. I talked to the principal for a little too long. Won't happen again."
"Is that so... Alright, I'll let you go, this one time. Everyone's been waiting for you, so here. You go first."
Mr. Drum handed Jinn four pieces of paper, all folded, as to be hiding the contents.
"Choose your group. A to D. Order's random."
Jinn reached out, and...
Group C. Composed of Jinn, Matt and Chloe. Not a bad matchup.
The other groups consisted of...
A. Loth Emily, Ampul Ed, and Anderson Patt.
B. Smith Andrew, Wander Oliver, and Feblo Bund.
C. Kinko Jinn, Anderson Matt, and Adams Chloe.
D. Ilians Walter, Stride Jennifer, and Chilly Nicole.
Some of those names may or may not seem familiar, while some may not. Well, while they weren't presented along with the others, the unfamiliar names are also kids of class 1E, and friends of Jinn.
Well, the groups are all formed, but what now?
"Alright. Everyone in a group? ...Okay, I'll take that as a yes."
Mr. Drum cleared his throat then continued.
"Look here, kids. There's four groups in total. So, we'll go with the following rules..."
Team Showdown.
Two teams are chosen at random, then they "fight". The winning team fights the other winners, and losers fight the other losers. |
By "fight", we're talking about simple fights. No blood spill, no leaving enemy's uncouncious, or anything of the kind. If you fall down or if your fake weapon of choice slips your hand, you're out. If your weapon slips out of your hand but you catch it in time, before it hits the ground, then you're considered safe.
The fake weapons are made of special tubes, foam and plastic. They feel pretty heavy in your hand like a real weapon, but are pretty harmless. There's a lot to choose from.
"Also, for this, we're using this hour, and the next as well. So two hours total. Hmm... Alright everyone, that's about it. Ah, one more thing, actually."
Mr. Drum's face then suddenly turned serious.
"We're allowing you to use your Agily this time around. But keep it under control."
The whole class cheered, but Jinn didn't quite understand why. So he turned to Chloe and Matt.
"Uh... Why's everyone so lively?"
Chloe, still pretty excited herself, turned to Jinn and answered.
"We're usually never allowed to use our Agily during training! This is new!"
Even the seemingly depressed Matt seemed pretty excited. This must be a pretty big deal then...
But still, Jinn didn't understand all the hype around... Agilies...
Jinn's face turned pale. He remembered. Then, he thought to himself.
"Jeez..."
"What did I do in Alfred's office...?"
"No, wait, more like, how did I do that in Alfred's office?"
"Did my Agily finally awaken? And at that exact moment of all times?"
While Jinn was caught in his thoughts, he got tapped on his shoulder by Chloe.
"Hey, you good? You look pale, like a ghost."
...It was better to keep this hidden, for now, at least.
"Maybe I am one. You better check your closet tonight."
"And if you're not in there, then what?"
"Try not to get too disappointed."
Matt went back to his depressed look.
"Flirt later... Let's go pick."
"Right, my bad...", apologized Jinn.
Chloe slightly blushed.
"Wait, that was flirting?! Jinn?! Matt?! Where are you going?! Don't ignore me! Hey!"
The two boys were laughing as they were heading towards the weapon-filled table. Seeing Matt laugh was pretty rare, so Jinn wasn't really focused on anything else except for him.
When the two finally stopped, then Matt looked down at Jinn's waist.
"Dude, if you were done already, you should have said so... I wouldn't have dragged you here."
"Eh? What do you..."
Jinn put his hands on his sides, only for his left hand to grab onto something long and sturdy instead.
"...Mean?"
He looked down. It was a katana. A fake one, obviously. But it was exactly what Jinn was hoping to pick. Jinn unsheathed it, then exclaimed.
"...When did I pick this up?"
"Uh, that's what I was about to ask..."
Jinn turned to Chloe. She shared the same confusion as him.
"Chloe. Did I have this when we were talking?"
Chloe hesitated for a bit. But nevertheless, she answered.
"N-No... You didn't..."
After hearing that, Jinn sheathed it again, then looked up at the ceiling and sighed. Maybe it was time to finally face it.
"You're joking... Did I get the most convenient Agily ever, or what?"
After Jinn's long sigh and complaint, he heard a voice behind him. It was familiar, but unpleasant and mostly unwelcome.
"My oh my, how interesting. Remind me again, Jinn, why that is such a bad thing?"
It was Wander Oliver. As you might have guessed, these two never really got along.
"...Hmm? What do you mean, I "wander"?"
Oliver's face lit up in anger and a vein on his head popped up.
"You little sh..."
He then unclenched his fist, and asked again.
"Your Agily. What about it is so convenient?"
"Hmm? Agily? No cluee~ Don't got one."
Oliver's clenched his fist again, even though he literally just unclenched it.
"You're lying! I heard you!"
"Look shorty, get lost. Even if I had one, why would I tell you about it?"
"Motherfu... I'm not short! I'm 165cm!"
Jinn looked him up and down, then looked him dead in the eye, and whispered.
"Stop lying, fucker."
Shivers ran down Oliver's spine. He quickly stepped back then left, while muttering "What a fucking monster..." under his breath.
Matt then tapped Jinn on the shoulder.
"Hey. Were you telling the truth? You really don't have one?"
"Hmm? Ah, that? Absolutely not. I think I literally just got one."
...Just how...
How...
How does he give zero fucks?!
He quite literally does not care about his Agily. That's... Wow. Ugh, my head hurts just from thinking about it...
Chloe then asked a question as well.
"Wait, uh... So, you literally just got it?"
"Like... 10 minutes ago?"
And now Matt.
"Wait, wait. 10 minutes ago? And you're already cool with it?"
"...Yeah, pretty much."
Chloe and Matt then shared a thought for the first time ever.
"Is this guy insane...?"
"W-Wait, guys... Why are you looking at me with those faces?"
"Jinn... How often do you see a therapist?"
"W-What?! Matt?!"
"Do you need someone to talk to? We're here for you... I'm here for you..."
"Chloe?! What do you mean?! I'm fine!?"
"Then how come you're so... Unfazed? Or that you don't care?"
Jinn paused, then started thinking for a second.
Boredom.
This was something that Jinn had faced hundreds of times. Everything was boring to him, since when he was little.
While other kids were out playing football or playing with toys, Jinn, age seven, was studying. Didn't matter what, just whatever he could get his hands on.
His parents just thought that he was maybe a prodigy or something. But that wasn't the case. He was just bored. Bored out of his mind. So, to cure the boredom, he wanted to know more.
"Maybe I'll find something interesting to pursue...", is what he was thinking. But he never did.
Chemistry? Boring. You just smash and mix stuff together to create something new. But it wasn't actually new, it was already long since discovered.
Math? Again, still boring. Everything interesting to be discovered was already discovered.
English? Hard pass. He already spoke it. What else was there to be discovered?
Eventually, he landed on foreign languages. Yeah, this could be it. So he gave it a try. So, he started learning. Japanese, Spanish, Italian... Boring, boring, boring. Only after learning about five other languages did he give up.
Everything was boring. Jinn gave up.
But then... One day... He learnt that he would receive a gift. Obviously, the gift I'm talking about is his Agily. But to him, it was a gift, from the gods up above.
When the day to finally receive the gift came, he never did. He tried again and again, for nothing. But, from here on, you already know the rest. No need to talk any longer.
Jinn got woken up to reality by Chloe.
"Hello? So? Your answer?"
"...I've been waiting a long time."
He was technically not lying. It was hard to lie to Chloe, but he had to. Otherwise, she would've learned something dark.
Now... I have to apologize. But I kept something hidden from you all.
I made Jinn out to be a nice, caring guy, with a normal highschool life.
But that was bullshit.
Jinn was a "bit" of an sadist, who enjoyed whatever thrills he could. No matter how small. He'd get happy when seeing a dead cat by the side of the road. Or chuckle when seeing a little kid cry.
Oliver didn't hate Jinn for nothing. He hated him because he was the only one who realized, and the only one who knew.
Oliver was right. So, so right...
Kinko Jinn was a wolf in sheep's clothing. And he was getting hungry.