Chapter 1

It all begins that one late afternoon as Shuu does his training routine while fully ignoring the musky smell he must be exuding after a long day of training in his family's gym. He's not alone in that last matter - being sweaty is simply the norm when you're at a gym, especially as the open recruitment date for the Government's Esper Agency is closing in. It is training season for all aspiring espers from around Neo Japan and a lot of them pick gyms owned by famous names in the history of Neo Japan's espers.

Shuu's family happens to be related to one of those household names. That person is his grandfather, to be specific - which is why he gets to train in the gym despite being the only 16-year-old in the vicinity. Gyms and esper Agencies normally only accept someone as young as 19 to train as a prospective esper, and they don't get to finish their training until they're 23. Very few lucky ones get to debut straight away, but most only managed to become an esper at the age of 25.

Unless you are Takenouchi Sora, that is. He is the youngest esper to ever grace the history of Neo Japan, and is still the youngest member of the nation's board of top-ranking espers, the High League, at the age of 20.

That feat is hard to beat. Many youths across the country wish they could be the next Takenouchi Sora - but only one has managed to be nicknamed the next Takenouchi Sora. And that person is Narukami Shuu.

There are a lot of parallels between the two. Sora is an elemental esper skilled in controlling multiple elements, just like Shuu. Both come from highly respected families, with the Takenouchi bloodline traced as far as prior to the country's reformative years, accommodating many notable warriors and political figures. The Narukami's have the same reputation among the people. Yet most compare them because of their Class S status and their fast track to becoming professional espers.

Shuu likes to think he could be like Sora, ... if not better.

Ten minutes into his solo training, Shuu has already attracted the attention of those who are training in the same studio. They are forming circles around their respective gym trainers, doing warms up and listening to instructions. Their regulars are quite used to the sight of Shuu practicing, but there have been more people coming to the gym to prepare for the national esper recruitment examination. A lot of them are floored by his routine; a set of moves that a lot of them have not mastered and yet here is some kid executing it flawlessly.

"That's him, isn't it?" Some of them whisper, "The one they say can match Sora".

They somehow ignore the fact that Shuu can still hear them.

Making a point, Shuu spins a weave of fire to burn the arrows sent his way by their built-in training system to crisp. Shuu has nothing against Sora. To have his name put in the same sentence with that young man is, in a way, a compliment. However, he has been compared for far too long.

The message should be clear. With a swoop of motions, the blaze fans through the walls before diminishing to smoke. His spectators are now stunned to complete silence, with their trainers clapping their hands to get their focus back to the briefing.

Shuu wipes the light layer of perspiration on his forehead. He hasn't even started with the more difficult part of his training and he feels so tense already. There are just too many new faces, too much unwanted attention.

"Shuu!" One of the trainers calls with a clap, "You should take your training to the private studio downstairs!"

Shuu sighs. So even the trainers consider him a distraction at that point. Shuu nods before taking his equipment and bowing in respect. On the way downstairs, he has to bow and greet multiple people he doesn't know just for being younger. Still, Narukami Shuu has a reputation for being polite and nice to uphold, something that must've been the direct result of his sheltered childhood. He can only unleash a lot of his pent-up frustration once he is in the private studio, subduing dummy after dummy with little use of his super abilities. Once done with the dummies, Shuu is disappointed by the news that the capoeira coach is also fully booked for the day thanks to the sudden influx of people in the gym that week.

Shuu checks his smartwatch. If there's nothing else to do, he supposes he should just conclude the day. His family chauffeur should already be outside to drive him home. Dinner should be ready in two hours, so maybe he could do his school assignments before then.

Settled with this decision, Shuu makes his way to the male locker room, only to be welcomed by the sight of more men there than usual. "Yo, it's a kid!" Says one man with a pointed finger to Shuu's direction. Another guy next to that man quickly elbows him on the side with a hiss, "Dude, he's that Narukami kid! Don't point at him like that!"

Shuu forces a smile and a nod. He then goes to his locker to change out of his sweaty shirt and put all of his stuff into a duffle bag. He decides that he should just shower back home. He puts on a clean shirt, his white track jacket, and switches to a pair of white shorts. Lastly, he puts on his favorite white cap and, with his duffle bag slung to one shoulder, excuses himself to leave before everyone in the locker room as is courtesy.

Shuu only feels better once he leaves the gym building. He has never liked too much attention, especially from strangers. 'Shy' is how his sisters describe him whenever they decide to tease him. And they tease him a lot considering he's the youngest and the only boy of four.

Thankfully, he'll soon be in the safe haven of his home. He could see his family's white car on the driveway, wheeling in his direction. Shuu doesn't realize how tense he has been until he feels the release of his muscles the moment he sees the familiar vehicle. He makes a couple of steps closer to the driveway when he notices some noise a distance away to his left. His head automatically takes to that direction, just to see the gym's manager standing by the fountain with a tall figure.

This figure is not a face Shuu has seen before. The young man looks not older than Shuu's third sister, who is in college, but he is so tall that Shuu starts questioning his assumption. Then again, perhaps it is a gym member Shuu hasn't met - and their gym is known to attract people of various fitness levels and sizes, from athletes to amateurs. Despite that, the man doesn't dress like a typical gym-goer. He has messy curly hair and a pair of glasses. His skinny jeans are ripped on the knees, and, while Shuu can't really see the design on the guy's black t-shirt, he is sure it's one of those metal band t-shirts. From this distance, Shuu can see tattoos littering the man's arms and he is even vaping on the gym's ground.

The two seem to be in such a serious discussion until the manager notices Shuu's gaze and turns to Shuu's direction. Shuu can't hear them clearly from this distance, but the manager says something to his company before calling Shuu's name. "Shuu!" Shuu can barely hear it but assumes the man is trying to make a friendly greeting. So, Shuu bows in acknowledgment before opening the door to the back seat of his family's car.

"Exhausting day, Young Master?" The chauffeur asks once Shuu is seated in the car.

"Very," Shuu lands his bag onto the car's carpeted floor.

"Any stops you'd like to make on the way home?"

"No. Just take me home, please, Tanaka-san," Shuu leans to the backrest and sees the manager and his mysterious company watching his car leaving the gym's grounds. 'That's weird,' he thinks as a yawn makes itself out of him. Shuu pulled his cap closer to his face, "Could you please wake me up when we've reached home, Tanaka-san? I think I'll take a short nap".

"I will, Sir. Have a good rest".

**

Shuu is still drowsy when he enters his house in one of Shintokyo's upper-class suburbs. He takes off his shoes with a yawn and walks further inside with his shoes in hand while rubbing his eyes with the other. "I'm home," he announces with a drawl.

"Welcome home!" That's her mother. Shuu normally enters through the entrance in the west wing of his house, which leads to the kitchen. It's where he would normally find his mom at this hour. It's just nice to see her after a long day of school and training.

"Look at this kid. 'I'm home~,' he says. What kind of un-prince-ly greeting is that?"

Shuu stops in his tracks and blinks off the sleepiness in his eyes. Then he finally sees her; his sister; the third oldest daughter in the family - leaning on the kitchen island while snacking on the fruits their mom ordered yesterday from the premium fruit market. "Kiko-neechan?" Shuu murmurs dumbly, "What are you doing here?"

"What? Is this not my house too?" The pretty fashion design student frowns. Shuu notes that she has her hair colored pink this time, and not a month ago her hair was blue.

"Uh, shouldn't you be in college?"

Kiko is about to answer, but their mother, who is preparing dinner alongside their cook, answers for them instead. "She's here for dinner. Your two other sisters are also doing their hardest to make it in time - and Kiko, dear, could you please cut this for me please?"

Shuu is a little dumbstruck. Did he miss an important family agenda or something? Because his three sisters should be busy with something else? Of course, Kiko should be able to attend the family dinner now that she's interning at a luxury fashion brand in Japan after three years of studying abroad; but Meisa and Aki should both be out of the country. Meisa is a doctor and a guide working with the International Legion of Espers and should be in Singapore at the moment, and Aki works with the intelligence service and is currently stationed somewhere else in Asia.

"Ara, this boy continues to be useless. Can't you smell yourself? Your fangirls would be disappointed at this peasant behavior. What will you do the day they find out you're nothing like the prince they thought you were and are actually a sticky brat?"

"Kiko, stop bothering your little brother and continue cutting those fruits! And, Shuu?" His mom turns to him. Even in nearing her 50's she is still one of the most beautiful women he has ever seen. "Go and take a shower, please?"

A little confused, he falters in his response but ends up scurrying to his room upstairs to wash up, change, and take some time on his school assignments as planned. The smell of food wafting from downstairs tugs on his senses but Shuu is a person of discipline and refuses to be distracted just because he's hungry.

He is, however, a little more than glad when Kiko pops into his room right after he finishes the last of his homework. "Heya, Bocchan," she winks, "I'm here to pick you up to the grand dinner". In typical Kiko behavior, she drags him downstairs to their outdoor dining space by the pool. Everyone is already seated around the round-shaped table; and by everyone, Shuu sees his father, mother, and his second oldest sister. Just as Shuu sits down at the table, he hears Aki explaining the oldest's whereabouts. "Meisa will be a little late. Her wife can't come with her to deal with a mutant attack in Korea".

"Hush it, everyone, here's the main character coming through!" Kiko exclaims as she too sits down. Shuu's eyebrows meet. Is this about him? His birthday is still months away.

"Congratulations, little brother!" Aki pats him on the shoulder, "I've known this day will come though I didn't expect it to come so soon. I'm going to tell everyone at work we're related now that you will be one of the stars".

"I am?" Shuu asks dumbly as he accepts the bowl of rice handed to him by his mother. Now Aki is the one frowning, "Wait, don't tell me, you don't know yet?"

"Uh... no?"

Their father, a member of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, disrupts the conversation right after he finishes his phone call. "Your grandfather just called. He said to tell you he was proud of you and that you'll be receiving your gift in a couple of weeks".

"What gift?" Kiko is quick to enquire.

"A car".

"Whaaaat!? He can't even drive yet!"

Shuu can, but is not allowed to for being too young.

As his sisters and father bicker, his mom turns to hand him more food. "How do you like the food, dear?" She asks Shuu.

"It's good," he answers. He's glad it's a Japanese dinner.

"We make all of your favorites!" His mother says while pouring him a drink of iced tea, another of his favorite, in the meantime the maid keeps on returning to bring in more dishes to their table.

"What's the occasion?" He asks his mother silently - because, really, if this has something to do with him, he would rather know what it's about.

"Oh, dear, you really have no idea? I thought they said they were sending someone to the gym, did you really see no one there?"

"Well, there are more people in the gym than usual," but that's to be expected when it's nearing the recruitment exam. No one stands out amongst the crowd in the gym and none of them approached him personally.

"My, that's weird," his mom puts one hand on her cheek in worry. She speaks in a hushed tone to the maid, who then rushes inside the house. "Well, your dad has been doing the paperwork for a while, and it hasn't been finalized yet but with the letter of invitation things are bound to get done faster".

"Paperwork?" His eyes go to his father, who has started devouring the meal presented to him. "What paperwork?" he repeats, just so that someone can explain to him as soon as possible.

The maid comes back at that moment with a piece of document in hand and gives it to his mother. Soon, that document is chucked into Shuu's hold, distracting him from enjoying his grilled unagi. Wordlessly, he opened the large envelope to find a smaller yet sturdier envelope. The smaller envelope has an insignia embossed onto it, and any aspiring Esper in the country knows what it is.

It's the insignia of YES, an abbreviation for Young Esper Society, the newly formed esper organization in Neo Japan. Shuu is already somewhat a part of YES for he was accepted to their gym just a month ago. Only those selected by YES' scouts could join their gym, where very young aspiring espers, a lot of them as young as Shuu, are trained by the best instructors the country can offer.

Shuu has to say it has way better facilities than his family's gym, with it being part of the government's training facilities that is; but being scouted does not entail this kind of letter.

Shuu opened that envelope and took the piece of document inside. The letter is printed on a piece of thick paper with the YES insignia watermark in the background. The letter has Shuu's name, down to the exact address. It says:

"We are pleased to inform you that we deem your qualifications to meet our organization's team, Team Phoenix. With this letter, Team Phoenix extends their invitation to Narukami Shuu to join the team as the seventh member ..."

The rest is a blur to Shuu - something about future meetings and discussions of contracts. But this - this is what every teen his age dreams of. Team Phoenix of YES is the youngest team of Espers in the country, led by the infamous Takenouchi Sora. Every kid knows all of their members by name, or codename, and has merch of each individual espers somewhere in their school paraphernalia.

Shuu is going to be one of them - alongside Takenouchi Sora!

"I knew you were going to make it to the team!" Kiko squeals. Of course. Everyone in his family has been commenting on him debuting young as an esper ever since the doctor informs them of his Class S status. Meanwhile, his family is not half bad with most of them being Class A. The only other Class S alive in their family is their Grandfather, who was a notable esper himself. Being Class S, the top of the super abilities hierarchy, is an honorable status.

It's also interesting to point out that Team Phoenix is the only all-Class-S Esper team in Neo Japan at the moment. Most espers are Class A with the occasional Class B.

And Shuu? He has always known he belongs in Team Phoenix. Young, skilled, and a Class S; he also comes from an influential background. He grows up sheltered and affluent - just like the rest of the Team Phoenix. But he didn't know he would be welcomed among them this early. He thought it would happen a year after he joined their gym.

"The Minister of National Security and Esper Conduct asks to send you his congratulations," His Father tilted his cup of sake towards Shuu before downing it in a couple of gulps. Aki took the letter from Shuu, "Wow. This is so cool. The letter feels so legit too, the paper and everything - oh, they made one mistake right here".

"Where?" Kiko leaned towards Aki to see the error.

"Here, see? They said seventh instead of sixth. They should've said 'Narukami Shuu to join the team as the sixth member', right?" Aki turns to Shuu, who is still too stunned to give her a proper response. His two sisters explode into laughter once they recognize his expression.

"Ara!? Is this boy still dreaming!? I think he believes he's still asleep and this is all a dream!" Kiko teases loudly to the point of being pinched on the arm by their mother.

But, yes, no matter how convinced he has been about getting invited to Team Phoenix, the invitation still feels like a shocker. He imagines how to show off his skills to the members, fight mutants with them, or make his name widely known among the public. He is so happy he barely fights Meisa when she arrives and kisses him on the cheek, or when Aki wrestles him into a bearhug, or when Kiko takes a silly picture of him.

**

To be Continued.