10th of July, 2101. Tokyo, Japan
The sound of cheers echoed around the school premises as the middle school graduates took time to enjoy this moment of their lives. Some jubilated with friends, while others celebrated with their families.
They took pictures, dancing around in their thick black gowns that swallowed them whole from neck to foot. It was a day they would definitely not forget for years to come—well, for some.
Yuuta, a young boy in his mid-teens with short dark hair, blue eyes, and furrowed bushy eyebrows, leaned against a fairly large artificial tree. The tree's long branches and leaves shaded him from the scorching sun. He gazed at his classmates, fully enjoying their last day in middle school with smiles on their faces, while he pondered his next move, deciding where his future lay.
In his hands were two documents: one, his middle school certificate, and the other, a medical result that would forever determine his social status until the day he died.
That's how things worked in the current world.
Ever since the DNA mutation began in humans, those who tested positive for the mutation were deemed outcasts and disregarded in society, while those who retained their human DNA lived as first-class citizens. It was a cruel system, but it was necessary to maintain order for those in power.
Yuuta sighed and flipped open his medical result, skimming through the long text until he stopped at the final phrase:
DNA Mutation: Positive.
Every time he opened the result, he wished the wording would miraculously change somehow. But deep down, he knew it was impossible. Still, what was wrong with giving oneself false hope?
He got up from the tree, folded the medical result sheet, and tucked it into his trousers, stepping out from the shade of the tree. The heavy sun rays struck him, blinding his eyes for a moment before they adjusted. He bent his head and curled his back in an unusual manner as he made his way out of the school. While walking, he could feel the piercing gazes of his fellow students burning through his skin.
Raising his head, he locked eyes with one of them. His eyes bulged open, and his eyebrows curled downward.
"What the hell are you looking at, bastard? Scram before I kick your ass!" He clenched his fists.
The student, a boy from a class below him, tightened his grip on his backpack and ran for his dear life.
Yuuta was notorious—a fact everyone was familiar with. Bad grades, bad behavior, bad at relationships with most people—and finally, bad at fighting too. Even though he had a good resume for being a delinquent, he couldn't fight back. Technically, he was bad at almost everything he did, but exceptionally good at nothing.
While lost in endless thoughts about what to do next with his life, he bumped into a towering figure. He took a few steps back, holding his forehead.
"And who the hell are you—"
He froze midway and clicked his tongue in annoyance. Standing before him were two individuals—fellow delinquents who had made his middle school life a living hell.
Kenji and Kinta, popularly known as the Demon Twins.
If Yuuta was a normal middle school delinquent, then these boys, although just graduated from middle school, were the real deal. Rumors in the school had it that they were part of one of the most notorious gangs in Japan.
As for their relationship with Yuuta, well, it was natural. They made fun of him in any way possible, bullied him to the point where they almost took his life on several occasions. Thanks to the intervention of a single classmate, he had managed to escape death's call a number of times.
"What's up, little man? Isn't it too early to run home?" Kinta jested. He was chubby and had a huge build. His lackey, Kenji, was thin but derived his ego from his towering height.
"Get the fuck out of my way, balls," Yuuta grunted, looking up, his eyes filled with hate.
[Kinta = popularly translated as "scrotum."]
"Oh, calm down now, my man. You see, we got the info. You've gotten your medical result—"
"Today is the last day of school. Don't make me cause any trouble—"
"No, no, see, that's where you're wrong, little man. WE are the trouble, and we want you to bring it. The result—we wanna see it."
Yuuta hesitated, beads of sweat forming on his forehead as he thought of ways to make a run for it. Even if he did, he would never outrun Kenji.
"Hey! You deaf or what? Bring the medical result!"
Kenji walked up to Yuuta and grabbed his certificate, dragging it. Yuuta tightened his grip on the certificate, but the two tugged at the thick paper until it ripped down the middle.
"Shoot, I'm so sorry. That was your certificate…just kidding! Like you're ever going to use it, mutant."
Kenji and Kinta burst into laughter as Yuuta stared at his certificate, now torn in half.
"Look what you've done, you tall-for-nothing fool!"
"Uhh…? Watch your tongue, boy…" Kenji grabbed Yuuta's collar, lifting him off the ground. "...or I might just rip it out for you."
"Aaarrh!"
Yuuta flung his hand at Kenji, trying to punch him, but his arms weren't long enough to reach his face.
Parents of the graduating students watched in awe. Some who couldn't stand what was happening tried to intervene, but their children, aware of the Demon Twins, Kinta and Kenji, warned them against meddling.
"That's enough, you two!"
A voice broke in. To most, it was a loud noise that scolded everyone doing wrong—their usual disciplinarian. But to Yuuta, it was the angelic voice of his savior. Too bad this would be the last day the voice ever came to his aid.
"Fuck off, Hanako. The little man is a fucking mutant," Kenji barked.
"That's enough, Kenji. Drop Yuuta down," Hanako, the gorgeous young maiden with long dark blue hair, ordered, pointing to the ground.
"Or what?" Kinta asked, walking toward her. "...you gonna report us to your daddy, the principal? Is he gonna get us expelled? Look, pretty face, we just graduated, in case you've forgotten. So you and your daddy ain't shit no more. So fuck off before I punch your pretty face—"
Hanako pulled her hand back and swept it forward, landing a resounding slap on Kinta's chubby cheek. The sound echoed loudly, followed by graveyard silence. Kinta was stunned, and so was Kenji. This was the first time Hanako had ever made such a bold move.
While everyone was still in a daze, Yuuta seized the opportunity and punched Kenji in the eye, hard, releasing himself from his grasp. He fell to the floor on his butt, staring at his hand and whispering to himself, "I hit him. I hit him. I punched his face." he jubilated at a feat he never knew he could achieve
"Come on, let's run!"
Hanako grabbed Yuuta's hand, and both took off, running for their lives.
***
The road was busy with traffic—working-class people returning from work, students returning from school, and other pedestrians. The city was crowded, with people moving haphazardly and litter flying around. This was a testament, lived up to the reputation the city had built as the capital of Japan, Tokyo.
Yuuta sat on the ground, catching his breath, as Hanako worked the vending machine beside him. She removed two blue cards and slipped them into the machine, clicking on the cans she wanted.
She picked them up and offered one to Yuuta.
"Here, drink up. Cool your mind. A cool brain makes cool decisions—so my father told me," she said.
Yuuta took the can while looking at her. It was chilled. He opened it and gulped it down. The cold soft drink iced up his mouth, down to his stomach, giving him a sudden rush of energy.
"Was it a cool decision to slap Kinta in the face?" Yuuta asked.
"Well…that…" She sat down beside Yuuta. "...that wasn't okay. Yes, I acted in the heat of the moment. But you're one to talk—you punched Kenji, for the first time in your entire life."
"That…that was different," Yuuta mumbled, looking down at the cap of his drink.
"Hmm? Different how?"
"I don't know. It's just…they're dangerous, you know? Now that we've graduated, only God knows what they'll do next. You've gotta watch your back from now on…" Yuuta barked.
Since the mutation began, crime rates had also increased. Being scorned by normal humans, some mutants began to reset the food chain, forming crime organizations with the purpose of causing havoc to the world system created and organized by normal humans.
"I don't want you to get involved in my mess. So I think it's best for us to go our separate ways. Thank you for everything you've done for me. I really appreciate it." Yuuta stood up from the bench, about to leave.
"Wait a minute…" Hanako stopped him. "That's what friends…friends are for, right?" she said, looking him in the eye.
"Friend?" Yuuta whispered. He had never once thought of her as a friend. The image he had of her was just someone who always stood up against evil—a hero who stood up for the oppressed, a hero he looked up to.
"Yeah, I thought we were friends, you know. We help each other out," she added with a dry chuckle.
"I've never done shit for you," he whispered to himself. He turned his back to her. "Sorry, but you've got it all wrong."
"What do you mean?" Hanako asked.
"I said you've got it all wrong, damn it!"
"And I heard you the first time. I'm asking what you mean by that?" she said, looking at Yuuta desperately.
Yuuta turned, placing his hand on her shoulder. "See, I know all this is crazy to you. Same for me too. But I don't see you as a friend, and I want you to move far away from me—and from town—for your own safety and for the safety of your family. I wish I could help you, but I'm poor. I stay at an orphanage, and I'm very sure I'll be kicked out the moment godmother hears about my condition. So…I'm so fucked right now, and I don't want you to suffer the same fate as me, okay?"
Yuuta was so caught up in his own world that he hadn't noticed the tears rolling down Hanako's cheeks.
She looked up at him, her eyes red from crying. "You are the worst," she barked, and disappeared into the crowd, leaving Yuuta alone and speechless.
***
Yuuta arrived home—an orphanage he had been staying at for as long as he could remember. He walked inside, moving along the corridor, doors leading to different rooms facing each other. He walked up to one that was always open—it was the living room and dining area. Yuuta peered into the room. A woman in her late 40s was inside, along with some other children. The woman was the godmother, as they called her.
She turned and noticed Yuuta standing by the door.
"Oh, welcome back, Yuuta. How was school today?" she asked with a forced smile.
Yuuta had a gut feeling she had already heard the news about his DNA mutation, so he knew it was time to prepare to leave.
"School was boring as usual. I'll be in my room. Nobody should come near it," he said and left the living room for his room.
Yuuta's room was fairly tidy, with some comic books scattered on the ground. His gaming set was on one side of the room, and his bed was opposite it. He flung his school bag to the edge of the room and jumped onto his bed.
Lying on his bed, his mind raced, replaying all the events that had occurred today and the better choices he could have made.
Suddenly, his phone buzzed in his pocket, startling him. He pulled out his phone and opened it. It was just a message from a private chat site. He dropped the phone on the bed, turning sideways. There, beneath a table he rarely looked at, was a blue box. It wasn't new or strange—he had seen it on rare occasions—but just now, something about the box bugged him.
He rolled out of bed and crawled under the table, pulling out the box. He ran his fingers over the hard wooden texture of the box before lifting the cover.
The box was dusty, with some cobwebs at the edges. Inside was a vase—white with black stripes—and beside it was an envelope.
Yuuta grabbed the envelope and flipped it over. On the front was a text:
**'Apology Letter to Saiya.'**
Yuuta took in a light gasp, looking at the name. In a soft tone, he whispered, "Mom."
He opened the envelope but found nothing inside. Filled with temporary anger, he crumpled the paper and threw it at the door. Just when he thought he had found a lead to his mother.
Yuuta picked up the dusty vase and cleaned it with his bedsheet. He climbed onto his bed and began scrutinizing the vase. It had no opening—both ends were sealed.
"What's wrong with this weird thing?"
Yuuta pulled and twisted the vase, but it didn't budge. He proceeded to grab a kitchen knife from under his pillow—which he kept for "protection"—and began hitting the vase. A small crack appeared in the body.
Excitement clouded his mind. He continued to hit the vase until it split in half. Again, all the excitement on his face vanished the moment he opened it. It was pitch black, as if nothing was inside—or so he thought.
Yuuta let out a sigh as exhaustion hit him. He laid on his bed, looking at the ceiling, his eyes gradually closing until he drifted far away.
While he slept, a black, slime-like substance made its way to his torso. Its movement was slow and sluggish, but eventually, it reached Yuuta's head without being noticed. It reduced in size and found its way into his ear.
***
The sun's rays from his window and the busy noise from outside traffic woke him up. Unlike other mornings, today he felt extremely tired—his eyes heavy, his muscles throbbing, and his joints stiff. He hadn't stayed up all night playing video games like he used to, so what could be the cause?
Yuuta got up from his bed, twisted his neck until it cracked, and let out a sigh, followed by a big yawn. He finally opened his eyes fully, only to find his room in disarray.
"What the hell happened here?" he muttered tiredly, picking up his comics and clothes from his bed and the floor.
After roughly arranging his room, he made his way out to the corridor and then to the living room. All the small kids turned eerily, looking at him as soon as they noticed his presence.
Yuuta, being the only teen in the orphanage, was no surprise. Almost all the kids he grew up with had been adopted. At first, it wasn't his delinquent behavior that kept him there—families had come to adopt him when he was very little. But Yuuta refused all of them, believing that his reason for staying at the orphanage was to wait for his missing mother. He held onto that ideology until his teenage rebellious stage began.
"What are you kids still doing here? Don't you have schools to be at—" He stopped, remembering the academic year was over. He shrugged and walked toward the fridge, pulling out a carton of milk and a glass cup.
As Yuuta began gulping down the milk, he noticed the children still looking at him, their faces contorted with fear. It was natural for them to be afraid, but this was on another level. They were so terrified they couldn't even move, as if they had just witnessed a robber walking into their house.
"What's wrong with you guys—" Just then, Yuuta found the source of their fear. On the television screen was a news broadcast, and beside the female broadcaster was a neat photo of a boy in a school uniform—short dark hair, pale skin, and crystal blue eyes. The description wasn't a perfect match, but the facial resemblance and the school uniform were striking features one couldn't help but notice.
The news headline:Rogue Mutant Strikes Again at Local Comic Store.
//A young boy—a mutant, as eyewitnesses described him—is on the loose in Tokyo's downtown. Families residing in this area are advised to stay indoors until the individual has been apprehended. If by chance you know of this individual, please assist the local police in the search.//
The female broadcaster announced.
Yuuta unknowingly took a few steps back, shaking his head. "That's not me," he whispered to himself several times before looking at the kids. They weren't convinced.
"Look, guys, I don't know who or whatever is on that screen, but that's not me. That's right—I took off my school uniform the moment I got back from school—" He looked down, only to find himself still in his school uniform, stained with different colors.
"Okay, see, this is all just a coincidence. That person on the screen isn't me."
Yuuta went on and on, forgetting he was talking to little kids—kids he had treated harshly on some occasions. The image he had already painted in their minds was that of a delinquent, so without a doubt, they would believe he was capable of such crimes.
"Shit!" Yuuta exclaimed. "Where's godmother?" He had just noticed she was missing, which was odd because, at this time, she was usually preparing breakfast or getting the kids ready for school.
Yuuta threw the milk and glass cup on the table and dashed into his room. He quickly removed his school uniform and put on a new set of clothes—a thick ash hoodie and black joggers.
He picked up his phone from the bed, slipped it into his pocket, and walked up to his table drawer. There, five blue cards were stacked together. He grabbed them and tucked them into his pocket. After making the necessary arrangements, he was ready to go.
Yuuta came out of his room only to see the door open. Standing there was the godmother and two policemen in blue and black uniforms. They noticed Yuuta and turned to him. One immediately pulled out a pair of handcuffs.
"I believe you must be Benchiro Yuuta…?" the man with the handcuffs asked.
"You are under arrest for charges of vandalism, robbery, and murder."