Chapter 1

Ishiki Kōrihi woke up in a state of shock. The sharp noise of his alarm clock was the first thing he heard. Irritated, he turned it off with his fist. A brief glint, followed by a blasting noise, occurred at the moment his hand impacted against the device. A small heatwave was emitted by the remains of the appliance, emanating a thin smoke scroll, almost invisible.

His humor was dreadful. Not only he was incapable of finishing his questioning, but also the one who forced him to retreat like a dog with its tail between their legs was just a loli, a girl that looked like an elementary schooler.

Even though it would be more appropriate to say that the girl brought reinforcements, and the presence of these (the Anti-Skill, an organization in charge of containing rampage Ability Users) was what made him run away from the scene. Nonetheless, it wasn't exactly that way.

It was well known by the 2.3 million inhabitants of Academy City that that small girl, one head lower than Ishiki, was a really strong Level 4.

Even so, how the hell I allowed that midget to make me run away like a coward? he thought.

"Damn you, Kuroko Shirai...", he muttered between his teeth, grinding them with anger. His rage gurgled in a way that he really considered skipping classes just to go and beat up that girl.

No. I shouldn't, he thought. We have the same level, so a confrontation would be matched.

But she is from Judgment. Attacking her would turn me into an even worse criminal. I won't be different from those vulgar Ability Users-murderers.

Cursing between his teeth, he got up from the bed. He needed to calm down, or his classmates would suspect that something had occurred. He went to the bathroom and, after looking at the mirror, he couldn't avoid contorting his face in an expression of displeasure.

He had two big hematomas, at both sides of his face, right where Shirai kicked him. His cheekbones were swollen and had a purple coloration, and he might have had bone fissures due to the fight.

Nevertheless, his fractures were what worried him the less.

His biggest worry was finding an excuse by the moment she asked.

For a moment, the image of a girl with dark hazel hair appeared in his mind. Without being able to avoid it, a light blush appeared in his cheeks.

He knew how much she hated him picking up fights unnecessarily, and if she found about what he was doing during the latest week she'll probably end up crying.

But this is something I must do. If Judgment nor Anti-Skill are giving the importance needed to what's happening, then I'll do it personally.

However, what troubled him the most was exactly that. The fact that the most important unities of justice in Academy City were overlooking those events was something abnormal, even speaking about a place like that, where 2.3 million people passed through tests to stimulate and develop abilities beyond normal. That city, in the central area of Tokyo, where science and medicine have advanced so much that they were envied by governments all around the world was simply ignoring the murders of Ability Users that occurred in recent days.

Even though, it was more like the directors of Academy City was deliberately slowing down the investigation.

In an intent to calm down his concerns, he washed his face. The cold water accomplished cleansing his thoughts, like purifying and lighten up his emotional charge. Now that he was more relaxed, he returned to his room. While dressing up in his uniform, he ignored the growing smoke scroll that ascended dangerously from the place where his alarm clock was before.

And then, without previous warning, a deafening alarm started ringing.

"What the hell is happening now?!", yelled Ishiki, returning to his previous mood.

Suddenly, like responding to his reclaim, the automatic sprinklers in the roof activated, spraying water all over the apartment.

"No, no, no, no! Dammit, not again!"

This time wrathful, he gave a strong kick to the nightstand, lighting it up in a fire that was immediately appeased by the artificial rain caused by the fire system.

"DAMN IT!", he yelled, at the same time the sprinklers turned off after finishing with the heat sources in the room.