Sixteen years old, Haruto considered himself the last bastion of normalcy in a world that had apparently lost its collective mind. Ever since those weird rumors started spreading about "Awakened Ones" - people supposedly developing supernatural powers overnight like they were living in some cheap light novel - everyone at school had been acting like idiots, constantly checking their phones for the latest "sighting" videos that were obviously fake as hell.
"Haruto, breakfast is ready!"
The voice that drifted up from downstairs was soft, melodic, and belonged to his sister Satsuki. She was twenty-two, worked as a nurse at the local hospital, and had been his guardian for the past three years since their parents decided to have an unfortunate encounter with a drunk driver. Most people would call her beautiful. Hell, most people did call her beautiful, which was why half the guys in the neighborhood found excuses to walk past their house. Her long black hair always seemed to catch the light just right, and her eyes had this warm, caring quality that made patients trust her instantly.
But sometimes, when she thought he wasn’t looking, those same eyes would get this... intensity to them. Like she was memorizing every detail of his face, cataloging his expressions, filing away information for some purpose he couldn’t quite grasp. It was probably just normal sibling worry... She’d been taking care of him since he was thirteen, making sure he ate properly, walking him to school whenever her schedule allowed, somehow knowing his daily routine better than he did.
"Just normal sibling care," Haruto muttered to himself as he dragged his sorry ass out of bed. Though lately, he’d started noticing how she always seemed to know exactly when he’d be home, how his favorite foods appeared in the fridge before he even realized he was craving them, how she’d gotten really good at steering conversations away from any girls at school he might mention.
Probably nothing. Definitely nothing. Sisters were supposed to be protective.
He stumbled downstairs to find breakfast laid out with military precision: perfectly cooked eggs, toast cut into exact triangles, orange juice poured to the optimal level. Satsuki stood by the counter in her nurse uniform, looking like she’d stepped out of a medical drama, except for the way her eyes tracked his every movement.
"You look tired," she said, reaching up to brush an imaginary piece of lint from his school uniform. Her fingers lingered a moment too long on his shoulder. "Are you sleeping okay? Maybe I should check your room temperature tonight, make sure it’s not too hot or too cold..."
"I’m fine, Satsuki. Really." Haruto wolfed down his breakfast, trying to ignore the way she watched him eat with the focus of a scientist observing a rare specimen. "Thanks for this. I gotta get to school."
"Have a good day!" she called after him, her voice sweet as honey. "Be careful! And remember, if any girls give you trouble, you can always talk to your big sister about it!"
Yeah. Definitely normal.
Sakura High School looked like every other Japanese high school: bland, institutional, and filled with teenagers who thought they knew everything about the world. Haruto made his way to his usual spot in the cafeteria where his best friend Jun was already stationed, thick glasses reflecting the glow of his smartphone screen as he scrolled through what looked like the digital equivalent of a conspiracy theory fever dream.
Jun was the kind of otaku who took his hobbies seriously, and by seriously, Haruto meant obsessively. The guy could recite anime episode numbers like multiplication tables, owned enough manga to stock a small library, and possessed an encyclopedic knowledge of every urban legend, conspiracy theory, and supernatural rumor that had ever graced the internet.
"Haruto!" Jun whispered excitedly, his voice cracking with the enthusiasm of someone who’d just discovered the meaning of life. "You gotta see this! Another Awakened sighting in Shibuya last night!"
He shoved his phone under Haruto’s nose, displaying a grainy video that looked like it had been filmed during an earthquake by someone having a seizure. In the blurry footage, a figure seemed to be surrounded by what might have been electricity, or might have been video artifacts, or might have been someone playing with sparklers.
"This guy could manipulate electricity!" Jun continued, his eyes wide behind his glasses. "The witnesses say he was fighting off some yakuza thugs when suddenly - BAM! Lightning bolts everywhere! Just like in ’Thunder God’s Awakening’ episode forty-seven!"
Haruto stole a piece of Jun’s lunch - a perfectly normal bento that probably cost more than most people’s dinner - and shook his head. "You seriously believe this crap? Come on, Jun. Next you’ll be telling me our math teacher is secretly a ninja."
Jun pushed his glasses up his nose, a nervous habit that had worn a permanent indent on the bridge. "Well, actually... have you ever noticed how Yamamoto-sensei always seems to know when students are about to cheat? And that one time Kenji threw a paper airplane, and somehow Yamamoto caught it without even looking? And..."
"Okay, okay, maybe not the math teacher. But this stuff is real, man! The government’s trying to cover it up, but more and more people are awakening to their true potential every day! It’s like we’re living in the beginning of some epic saga."
After school, the two continued talking about the supernatural events that had happened recently.
A commotion outside cut through Jun’s passionate dissertation on the supernatural. They could see a crowd gathering in the park. Someone was shouting, voices raised in anger, and there was definitely some kind of confrontation happening.
"Probably just some delinquents picking fights again," Jun said, but something in his gut twisted uncomfortably. " Near school’s been getting more of those lately."
Jun squinted through his glasses, trying to get a better view. "Is that... is someone getting cornered over there?"
Under the street light, they could make out a girl backed against the brick wall. She looked young, maybe their age, with short brown hair and a uniform that definitely didn’t belong to Sakura High. Three guys surrounded her, and even from a distance, it was obvious they weren’t students. Too old, too rough around the edges, moving with the casual confidence of people who were used to getting their way through intimidation.
"That’s not good." Haruto muttered, his normal apathy evaporating like steam.
"Maybe we should get a police?" Jun suggested, but his voice lacked conviction. They both knew how long that would take, how much could happen in the time it took to find an adult who would actually do something about it.
The girl was clearly trying to back away, but there was nowhere to go. One of the men reached out toward her, and she flinched away from his hand.
Fine, he had to do something again.
"Jun, go get help," Haruto said, already moving toward the exit. "Call the cops, whatever."
"Haruto, wait! You can’t just-"