The city of Hasu, the second largest city in the Empire and the capital of commerce and entertainment. Its name comes from the lotus flower, a plant typical of the region. According to a legend that has been circulating for centuries, a girl from a good family, Hasu, decided to run away despite her debilitating illness with her lover of humbler origins.
They moved to a small rural village and lived happily for a few years. Then one day, the young woman succumbed to her illness. Her husband, in despair, prayed that his wife's beauty and purity would remain untouched by time, and so where the woman had fallen to the ground lifeless, the first lotus flower blossomed. That village would later expand and become a great city pulsating with life.
On the streets of Hasu, amidst the stalls emanating all sorts of appetising smells and the florists' shops glowing with colour, a spectre wanders about, a figure who is by no means imposing, but who leads anyone who glimpses it to be silent and make way for its passage. No one dares breathe a word in his presence, everyone watches him with reverential awe, surrounded by four people also armed with katanas, but somehow more... human.
His armour is bright red, as if it were the child of blood spilled by downed adversaries, and decorations resembling puffs of air weave across the vermilion web like a spider's trap, except on the backs, where a lightning bolt dominates, cutting through the air around it with its yellow so bright as to be dazzling.
The mask, as red as the armour, clutched in a perpetual feeling of frustration, of suppressed rage on the verge of exploding, bears above its forehead the emblem of the Empire: a cherry branch entwined with a katana and the rising sun in the background. Its precious material, the purest gold of all, testifies to the high regard the Council and the Commander have for him, equal to none other.
From time to time, the ghost turns somewhere, as if to inspect the area. He has been given a very delicate task that cannot fail in any way: eliminate the traitor. Here is the path pointed out to him by the Control Panel. He passes a man intent on drinking and breathing fire out of his nostrils and ears, stealing his customers.
Everyone peers in the direction of the belt: protected by its scabbard, which begins and ends with four wavy white lines on which are depicted blades of grass and flames bent by a sharp wind, watched by clouds from which radiant rays of light come forth, the legendary Tsurugi, reforged a hundred years earlier by the most skilled blacksmiths into a more modern katana, proceeds with its current master.
Embedded in its handle, shines the 'Yasakani jade', a comma-shaped jewel with a reputation equal to that of the sword itself.
The samurai, having reached the middle of the street, turns right and, after a dozen steps, stops and turns left. A four-story house, he probably heard them coming. They had to hurry. Either now, or never.
"SLLLLUUUURRRRPPPP"
"..."
"SLUUUUUURRRRRP"
"..."
"SLUUUUUUURRRRRPPP"
"Are you almost done eating? Auuuggggghh, so sleepy!"
"You're always so tired, don't you think it would be better if you rested a bit more?" said Eichiro Shika with his mouth still overflowing with udon.
"Because staying awake is great, you can have a cup of coffee, watch the best shows on television, take night walks, pick out your outfit for the next day, and then-"
"SLUUUURRRRP"
"..."
"..."
"Are you done now?"
"Yes. However, these new uniforms are too constricting, don't you think?"
"They're great for formal occasions, auuuuggggh, although they are a bit uncomfortable. I certainly wouldn't sleep in them."
"You wouldn't sleep in anything, Fumimaro Akubi!" replied Eichiro with a big deep laugh.
The two policemen stood up and, after Eichiro had greeted his cousin Amane, resumed patrolling the streets of the district.
"Don't you think the council is getting tougher and tougher?"
"Are you sure you can talk like that about your employer... auuuggghh..."
"We have to scrupulously report about our activities every day. Then the day before yesterday, I heard about a thief being sentenced to death. I thought when they reinstituted capital punishment, the Commander said it would be reserved for 'inadmissible and terrible crimes'. I don't know how terrible stealing is..."
"It must have been a particularly bad theft, maybe he robbed a museum or a ministry."
"And then there's the Special Squad-"
"Auuuggghh, this again?"
"Of course! In a while more captures are assigned to the Special Squad than to the Police! Besides, as far as I know, all special wanted persons have all committed minor crimes: fake news, defaming the state, dangerous opinions, and inciting hatred. It shouldn't be the other way around."
"Auuugggghh, I don't know. Maybe we should focus on what we can understand."
"It can be, it's just that-"
"AHHHH! THIEF! THIEF!" a voice not far away caught their attention. The two men took off running, arriving at the scene of the shouting just in time to see two men coming out with a bag full of money.
"Freeze! Police!" Eichiro threatened them. The two thieves turned around, a little frightened by that sudden scolding voice. One of them raised his arm, giving off a brown, geometric magic aura, and immediately a brick wall rose in front of the policemen.
"Akubi, block the other one, I'll take care of this!"
"Auuugggghhh, always me who has to run? Alright."
And with a quick and powerful leap, Fumimaro was on a nearby rooftop. The second thief, who had resumed running, stood in front of the agent with bags almost completely covering his violet eyes and long sapphire hair all dishevelled.
"Damn you!" and backing away a step, the turquoise-and-white-checkered thief created a dozen nails around himself, which he hurled at Fumimaro.
Meanwhile, Haruki's father prepared himself and made a fierce dash forward towards the newborn barrier, ready to show those rogues the power of joodle.
***
"I hope I didn't turn out to be too yielding in the match..." Akira commented once he had sat down next to his friend, with all the eyes of the class still on him.
"No, not at all." Haruki tried to cheer him up a little embarrassed. It would have been like telling someone that their perfect test was more than enough.
"There, even Akira has honed his magic skills. It can't be easy. Mad and Skis in general find it hard not to make use of aiding tools. They are like the Literates, the concepts on which their Centres are based are so abstract that they need a concrete medium. Yet he did it in a few months!" Haruki reflected.
"What about me? What have I done? What have I managed to accomplish in the last six months? What have I managed to do in my whole life that is special? Nothing! Absolutely nothing! I have never managed to mature, I am still afraid to laugh or disagree with someone because I am always afraid of hurting them! And I can't even manifest it! I have to keep it all inside.
When I was a child I didn't care about having goals or ambitions for my future, but I've grown up now, and I don't complain about it. It can only be right, as well as exciting, to turn over a new leaf, to start a new chapter in my life, to discover a new me!
But I can't do it, no matter how much I want to. I have no great determination, no great imagination, no genius, no great physique, no sunny personality. I have nothing, nothing! And it's my fault!"
Overwhelmed by those thoughts, Haruki struggled to hold back his tears. He was released from this struggle, or rather inner defeat by Akira, who with a light touch on his shoulder said:
"You know you could be next? Are you ready?"
After a long sigh of recollection, Haruki replied:
"Well, I hope it won't be me, after your performance, it would be a disgrace."
"If you think like that you'll lose for sure."
"I wouldn't be the first to be defeated today."
"It's one thing to be realistic, it's another to be a quitter at the start. Besides, I didn't want to face him in a hand-to-hand fight, I just ironed this shirt"
"So if he had more comfortable clothes he would have punched him? Did too much air go to his brain? Now that I think about it, his move is called "Triangular Universe", his successes are changing him!" thought Haruki in dismay, emitting a faint ash-coloured aura that fluttered vividly in a series of small tentacle-like appendages. He didn't want to lose his only friend, and his worry was spilling out!
"OK, OK everyone, that last round was pretty... spectacular! Now let's move on to round two!" exclaimed Kaneda suddenly.
Rezu fished out a name and said in a monotone, barely audible voice:
"Next up for 5B: Raiden Kinniku!"
"Tough luck! Best wishes for whoever has to face him! That guy is all about muscles, he's a crazy bodybuilder! If there's anyone in the world who worships muscles as gods, it's him! Look at those calves and biceps! A punch or a kick and the hospital is assured! So much for weak blows!"
At that point Kaneda took the other box with the notes and after the usual draught announced:
"And to challenge Raiden in the ring will be... Aha! Haruki Shika!"
"What? What? I must have gone deaf. No! I'm probably hallucinating. Maybe it's a dream. Maybe I accidentally walked into the Illusory Magic Laboratory. The next time I blink, it'll all be over. No, I'm still here. Everyone is watching me. Akira, Sakura, Prof. Kaneda, Prof. Rezu, Taru, Raiden, everyone!
What do I do? Do I pretend to be sick? Who would believe me? Do I refuse to fight? I'd be hated until the end of my days! Should I go to the bathroom? Can't you find a more pathetic excuse, you stupid brain?!
I'm trapped, I'll be slaughtered, thrown here and there like a yo-yo and if I'm lucky I'll be able to get up again at the end of the match. I'll just have to go, at least my torture will end sooner..."
Haruki stood up, his aura of worry now very visible and mixed with the dark purple of fear. He kept shifting his gaze from side to side, looking for any form of comfort. "Haru!"
"Yes?"
"Good luck!" Aki gave him a thumbs up. Haruki hesitantly replied in the same manner, before proceeding to the ring.
Finding himself face to face with Raiden, his fingers began to tremble slightly. He towered over him by about ten centimetres, but to him it seemed a metre. Raiden, with his hair shaved at the sides and his lacquered blond forelock, eyes like cursed emeralds, squared him from head to toe with a stern look. Then he laughed loudly.
"AHAHAHA, this is going to be so fun!"
"Come on, I can do it. As desperate as the situation is, there is no obstacle I cannot overcome with goodwill. This is my chance, the opportunity I have been waiting for to wake up from my torpor. This is the long-awaited moment, it's time to wake up, Haru! Come on! The new Haruki Shika will be born now!"
And with that Haruki clasped his right hand, and as soon as Kaneda shouted his usual "Ready? Go!" He launched himself at his opponent, concentrating some of his determination in his newly formed fist.
"Ignite your flame" the air sighed.