A Dream?⁹

"Uhh... I can still move... I can still move..."

After my cadet training, I finally left the place. Now, today's Wednesday, even though my whole body is not injured as the medical service in Gofma is more sophisticated than the modern time, so no one ended up with a lost arm or anything like that. But they left our mental state still the same as yesterday.

"Um... Are you okay Nehime?" I turned to look for the source of the voice. It was Yuri who spoke, while Tsukasa was beside her.

"Yeah, yeah... I'm fine, I think..." I replied, evidently tired.

I thought if they can heal the body, why not the mind as well? Perhaps the complexity of our minds is more complicated than the body, so let's not dig further into the problem.

. . .

"Hm..."

I floated on the water, wearing a swimming suit in the pool as I rested there on the edge since this was our reward for finishing our task in swimming class. So, I was allowed.

"Hey, Nehime-san."

"Hm?" I turned to look to see who spoke, it was Yuna, the tsundere that I left at lunch yesterday.

"You still haven't answered me properly," She said, bringing me back to what she said.

"Oh, okay. Yeah, we know each other," As I don't feel like annoying her, I just told her.

"Are you guys dating?" She spoke.

"No, not really. So you came here just to say that?" I asked.

"Yes, also I'm bored."

"Me too."

Yuna then went to my side as we both relaxed there doing absolutely nothing. The place wasn't loud nor quiet, it was perfect. While we lay on the edge, Yomu was too. Wait, Yomu?

"Hii—," When Yuna noticed, she instantly blushed and squealed as she wraps her arms around me.

"Hello~," Yomu said, ignoring Yuna's cute squeak, he still laid on the edge wearing nothing but diving pants. This is the only time I get to see his body as his body also doesn't lose to his face. I thought his face was the only part that looks unrealistic, but I was wrong, his body looks like it was sculpted.

Lean, but muscular. Buff, but not large. Define and sophisticated. Everything is in a perfect ratio with all the muscles shown, not hidden by others.

"Sup, Yomu," I said, trying my best to not look at his body.

"H-Hello, S-Seijin-sensei," Yuna stuttered with eyes shifting to his face and torso as she doesn't know where to look at.

As the three of us relaxed on the rims of the pool. The whole class already had eyes on us.

. . .

"Listen up!"

In a massive building, cadets of Gofma stood in front of the instructor. In at ease while the instructor eyed them. He walked side to side, watching them, he kept watching till he felt satisfied.

"Today, we are going to awaken your powers," As Instructor Koha spoke, Nehime had a rush of excitement.

"But..." Yet after this word, Nehime felt a little concerned, therefore she continued to listen, "There is a probability of not getting it, as chances are 12 per cent."

The whole moral went down as some lost confidence when the Instructor said this.

"Don't be down, that's only one of the two ways of getting Power."

When I thought I would not get the chuuni powers that I always wanted since 8th grade, the instructor lifted me back up.

The Instructor smiled, "First, we will try the first option, awakening!"

After the said words, the floor between us and the instructor began moving, 'So, another elevator?'

Of course not an elevator, but a pedestal.

"Since we like to keep our awakening short, and after centuries of research, we have created a pill."

On the pedestal was a quantity of red pill, the aura that the pill emitted had the same feeling as the Hysteric Rift. I assume we will take it and we get our awakening.

"I warn all of you, that it will be painful, the first tester died, but you guys won't die since that was centuries ago."

On second thought, I don't feel like becoming a chuunibyou, I don't want my reputation to be ruined.

"So... who's—," Before Instructor Koha could finish his sentence, Richard spoke first.

"—Me!" Richard who I thought was just narcissistic just to put up tough a front went forward.

Instructor Koha looked at him, "Good! That's the spirit! But be careful, you would feel like you want to die after this!"

Then Richards body shivered and stopped for a moment, "O-Oh, w-wait I thought I heard someone said they want to go first so I should be nice and—"

Then Richard was grabbed my the shoulder, "What do you mean? C'mon and take this!"

I later watch Richard slowly befalling to his doom as I laugh in the inside for stupidity, 'Good luck!'

"Don't look at me like that, Nehime!"

As both of them arrived at the pedestal, Instructor Koha took the pill by his hand then gave it to Richard, "Here's the pill, your water is right there."

"T-Thanks, sir," Richard, who still didn't change his etiquette took the pill and held his glass of water.

He then puts it on his tongue, following a sip of water. Nothing happened in the next following minutes, then Richard started to regain his lost confidence.

"Oh, that wasn't that— *Huh*—," After of what we thought nothing took effect on Richard, he started gasping for breath. He fell to his knees with his hands attempting to grip the floor.

"—H-Hah," He looks up to the ceiling, pupils began dilating as mouth wide open. His saliva began dripping from the side of his mouth.

Even though he wasn't shouting or screaming in agony, we somehow felt his pain.

'Ah, crap... I guess I'll go second, if I go last, the pressure will just accumulate...' Deciding what first, I settled my thought with that as I watched Richard still screaming in the inside.

It happened in a few more minutes, as in those few minutes, Richard already sweated buckets.

"Good job! I haven't told you guys yet on how to feel your power, so I'm going to show you how," He then grasped Richards head, "I'm going to send my own pulse of Power!"

"That wasn't bad— wait, w-what are you doing, I-Instructor— Aahh!" When I thought Richard was unconscious, to which he was conscious all this time, he felt another pain — electrocution.

'... Well, good to know that I get electrocuted..."

But there is no changing my promise, I settled to go second, "Instructor Koha!"

"Hm, yes?" He looks at me as he stopped frying Richard, causing him to fall face first.

"I want to go next," I said with no hesitation as I had a motivator, 'If you die, you die' since I know the deep meaning behind, it motivates me.

"Sure! Do you see boys?! She is the only girl, but you guys seem to have no balls at all!" This made the boys feel like shit, but this lit a fire in them, making them braver or dumber, to your reasoning perspective.

I walked forward, ready for my inevitable anguish.

. . .

"... Where am I?"

The place where I was before disappeared, and to what I see now, was a bedroom. The place light in shade, styled in a luxury British bedroom. A single bed, and a single colour, pink. As I also noticed I wore some fancy foreign white dress, comparable to the royalties of the past.

"Oh~ you're awake, princess~"

Hearing a familiar voice that seems too pleasant to any ear, I looked up.

"... E-Eh, Y-Yomu," When I looked up, It was Yomu. He wore similar clothing to mine, but his was shaded black as it appeared like a tuxedo. I eventually noticed my position, I was lying down with my head resting on Yomu's lap. I began blushing as I tried to mask my face.

"... Who's Yomu?" When I thought he'd respond with a 'yes', he asked a question instead.

"Are you trying to trick me? You're Yomu," I uttered indifferently, thinking it is one of his pranks.

"Sure~ I'm Yomu. You know your Father waiting for you, outside~," He then spoked, altering the topic.

"Wait, is he?" After what I said, I then again was banished to another place.

The place wasn't as pleasant as the previous one, it was all black, a world of darkness, similar to the abyssal world of the Hysteric Rifts. I floated there, not being able to speak nor move.

It was cold. No... I felt cold. The place gave me a feeling of death or a dream. Huh, I always thought death and dreaming were similar, dreaming is like a trial of non-living, while death is permanent.

... "Hey, Nehime!" ...

'Is that Richard's voice?'

... "I think this should do the trick!" ...

What to do you mean do the—

Zzzzz-!

"— *Hah*-!" With a sudden inhale of breath, I started looking around the place.

"It worked, hey Nehime— wait, why does my hand feel cold?"

I was back. But what greeted me was Richard holding my hand. I was about to remove my hand from his hold, but I kept it there because it began freezing his hand.

"Hey, Nehime! Even though I'd love to hold hands, but please let go!"

"No~ I don't feel like it."

This time Instructor Koha stopped my antics since Richards's hands were already an ice block.

After that, Richard told me he had awakened his own power. Which was supervision, it sounded lame. But Instructor Koha told us it still hasn't grown to its full potential as well as my power.

Well, at least it's not boring.

While I was back to the present time, I thought back to what happened, 'Was it a dream?'

. . .

After we finished awakening the whole group. Only five of us were left while rest tried the second option of using power, like magic, going to some magic academy or something like that, to what Instructor said. And now, there was I and Richard and the other three.

The first one's name, Eika Ruri, Ruri as her first name. She had bangs with black hair tied up to a bun. She has the Power of Fire. She had a serious expression, as Yomu would probably say she looks cute.

The second one's name, Lin Feng, Feng as his first name. He is Chinese. He wore a ponytail black hair with sharp eyes. He has the Power of Mind Reading.

The third one's name, Rei Simon, Rei as his first name. He is a foreigner with a Japanese mother, he has red hair with a messy style. He has the Power of Electromagnetism.

"Since you, five, have awakened your powers, you will be assigned to an Exterminator Squad that has yet to get a fifth member."

He continues speaking, "If you think your power isn't unique, think again. Each Power is unique, your Power right now can change in future. Think of an evolution tree in those games kids play."

After what he said, I thought and ask, "So, you're saying that it can evolve to anything, but it has to correlate to our Power?"

"Correct!" Instructor replied.

He resumes, "Now. You five are permitted to leave. We will assign you tomorrow. Attention!"

Going in attention, we waited till we were ready to leave.