7.) A Birthday Surprise

 Hey, those chips look pretty good! Hey, that drink looks like the one I endorse! Hey, that's the new drink I saw- Oh my god, who am I kidding? This is like the what, 7th time I've said that as I walked around the convenience store? Nezuko said he had to take an incoming call outside. He told me to stay inside the store and wait for him. That call must be something serious for him to take this long. I checked the time on my phone. It had already been 10 minutes since he went outside.

 "Excuse me, miss? If you're not here to buy anything, could you to please exit my shop." The cashier told me, eyes staring daggers at me. Geez, did he think I was going to steal something? Bowing my head apologetically, I exited the shop in embarrassment.

 Right when I was about to exit, the automatic doors opened to reveal Nezuko himself about to enter the shop.

 "Zuko, there you are! What took you so long?"

 "Kuroi, sorry my manager called me about my upcoming schedule. I have to head back now. Sorry to cut our outing short. Let's go out again another time!" Nezuko explained.

 "Oh, you have to go now? That's fine. You probably took time out of your usual busy schedule to go out with me. Don't worry about it. I'll see you in school tomorrow then!" I said.

 "Bye!" He shouted and gave me a small wave before running off.

 I don't know what Nezuko talked about on the phone with his manager, but I don't think that would have caused his hands to look swollen and red.

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 My week continued as per usual. I spent time with the other 4 like how I normally do. I did get invited to be the main emcee for the 36th Japan Music Awards. It was a music award ceremony where many popular music artists perform and receive awards. When Haruka told me, I may have had a slight panic attack. I really hoped that my Enochlophobia wouldn't spike at the wrong moment during the show. However, I was excited to see some of my favourite musical artists perform. I was especially looking forward to Nezuko's performance. Hopefully, he would be able to win an award too! This was also my first emcee job for an event! To conclude, I was really looking forward to attending that award show.

 It was currently just past 11pm and I had just finished up my homework. I returned home later than usual today because of a photoshoot. After a quick shower, I was exhausted and ready to pass out. Making myself comfortable under the soft blanket, I gradually drifted off to sleep. Tomorrow was a busy day.

 What I failed to notice were the continuous notifications popping up on my phone as the clock struck midnight.

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 It was a bad habit to check your phone first thing in the morning, right after you wake up. But, geez! What was going on last night that my notifications were blowing up with posts mentioning me? Slightly rushing for time, I chose to blatantly ignore the notifications and assume it was about the information about me being an emcee being released.

 I had another photoshoot in the morning right before school. I would only be able to start school after break. As I passed through the hallways of the building, many staff members greeted me with unusually bright smiles. I could only awkwardly smile back in return, wondering what the hell was going on today.

 After my photoshoot ended, I rushed to change into my school uniform. On the way, I even sent a text to Sayo, letting her know that I would be reaching school by break time. She replied almost immediately saying that she and the other 3 would be in Yuta's office. 

 As I walked into the main hallway, the first thing that I noticed was the whole hallway was empty. Not a single soul was present. Distant chatter could be heard further away down the hallway. The rest of the school must be in the cafeteria, meaning that I must have arrived when break already started. Navigating my way through the empty hallway was almost alien to me. As I stopped right outside a certain council president's office, I was taken aback to hear close to no sound coming from inside. That took me off guard as every time I came to the office, there would be at least 2 certain 2nd graders who were bickering as usual. However, today there was none. Entering the dark office cautiously, I was surprised by the scene in front of me. The flash of the bright lights illuminating the room, sound of party crackers and kazoos invading my ears, and the sight of a cake sitting on the table made me gasp in surprise.

 "Happy birthday!" They all cheered in unison.

 "H-huh?" That was all I could respond with to their enthusiastic cheering.

 Then it hit me. The party kazoos, cake, surprise, today's date, it was my birthday!

Upon realisation, I wanted to slap myself for my stupidity. How could I even forget my birthday, the day I was born? I felt really stupid and retarded at that very moment.

 "What's wrong?" Sayo asked, concern evident in her voice.

 "I-I, u-uh…" I stuttered. Thinking about my embarrassing mistake made me face palm myself. "Don't worry about me, I'm good."

 "Did you, perhaps forget that today is your birthday?" Yuta asked with a teasing smirk.

 "I-I don't want to talk about it." I replied. "Thank you, though! For the surprise! I really appreciate it." I told them wholeheartedly.

 I had always seen shows where people have a surprise birthday celebration. I would always watch in wonder, never actually experiencing it myself. So to experience it now was something new but pleasant for me.

 We proceeded to have a small celebration of my birthday, enjoying cake and chatting away carelessly.

 "So you're finally 16. How does it feel to finally be the age of a highschooler?" Masato asked.

 "Nothing much. However, I am looking forward to what lies ahead of me in the future." I replied.

 "Hmm, it's good to hear that." Masato smiled fondly and gave me a light head pat. 

 "Hey, Kuroi? Could I talk t-" Nezuko asked before getting cut off by an abrupt noise coming from the school announcement speaker.

 "Kuroi Tenshi from class 1C, please report to the doctor's office immediately. I repeat, Kuroi Tenshi from class 1C, please report to the doctor's office immediately. Thank you." A voice on the PA system blasted through the speaker.

 "Did you do anything wrong?" Yuta asked in confusion.

 "Of course, I didn't! But, even if I did something wrong, why would I need to report to the doctor's office of all places?" I responded, as equally confused, if not more than Yuta was.

 "I guess I'll be going now." I spoke, breaking the momentary silence. "See you guys later!"

 ╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮

 Stopping right outside the door of the doctor's office, I peeked inside. It seemed normal, like your usual doctor's office seen in schools. However, neither could I not see anyone inside, nor hear a single sound. Feeling suspicious, I gingerly knocked on the door and stepped inside the room. 

 Looking around, the person who inhabited that space must have been quite the organised and efficient individual. All the files seen on the shelves were organised and neatly stored away. Many books lined the bookshelves, separated by metal dividers. The floor was also spotless, not a single speck of dirt could be seen. Even the main desk in the center of the room was clean and tidy. Documents were stacked at the side of the table, giving a free and empty space on the desk for someone to work.

 "Please sit down." A voice resounded throughout the room. It was gentle and warm, but had an air of mystery to it.

 Turning my head to the sound of approaching footsteps, a lady who looked like she was in her late fifties walked in my direction. She had sleek black hair accompanied by slightly white roots, a sign of old age. The round rim glasses she wore fitted her face perfectly, like a wise knowledgeable professor. Everything about her screamed elegant and mature. Even the way she walked towards me in her heels was poised and calm. Her tall figure also gave her an intimidating look mixed with an air of mystery.

 My eyes followed her figure as she walked to her side of the desk. Feeling suspicious, I gingerly took a seat on the opposite of her. I felt this uncanny feeling about her. Because of that, I kept my guard up.

 "Let's get straight to the point. You're not here for a medical consultation. I'm sure you can tell that by now." The lady spoke to me.

 I wasn't surprised that she could tell. I expected that much already.

 "I'm Yui Hirata, head doctor of this school. Pleased to officially meet you." She said.

 "Why did you call me here?"

 "First and foremost, I want to wish you a happy 16th birthday. I'm very sorry for interrupting your birthday celebration. Unfortunately, I've come with bad news." Yui apologised.

 "I don't need you're apology. Just tell me why I'm really h-"

 "Does SQP Organisation ring a bell?" Yui interrupted me.

 At that moment, I felt like my heart stopped beating for a second as I realised what Yui said. I let her words sink in, feeling a mixture of shock and worry. How, just how did she know? Then, it dawned on me. Was she a member of the SQP Organisation?

 "I'm not a member, if that's what you're thinking." She quickly turned down that possibility. It was as if she had read my mind.

 "Then, how do you know about the organisation?" I asked.

 "Let me tell you a story of failed love and madness." Yui told me.

 "A long time ago, I fell in love with this man. He was handsome, humorous and crazily smart. His intelligence was what made me fall for him. So, we married and even had a kid. However, things ended badly between us. I even lost my son to him."

 "What happened?" I asked.

 "Although his intelligence made me fall for him, it also made me leave him. It was a double edged sword. The man who I married, you see, had hidden a mad and absolutely crazy side of himself in me. That goes to show how little trust he had in our relationship. He had a breakthrough discovery and even managed to start his own company and became rich in the process."

 "What did he discover?"

 "How to produce humans with supernatural powers." Yui told me grimly.

 I felt my eyes widen in shock. That was impossible. Humans with powers are a thing of fictional stories, never to be mixed with the actual world. If the chance to be born with supernatural abilities fell into the wrong hands, who knows what would happen to the world.

 "I can see that you seem to have realised the consequences of his discovery. Of course powers falling into the wrong hands is highly concerning. He was not reckless, he had thought of this possibility while thinking how to put his discovery to use." Yui explained before continuing.

 "That was why he decided to do something both genius, but equally psychopathic. He decided to experiment with unborn children in pregnant women. Because grown adults were hard to control, he used young children. Trained from their birth, young children are not only easier to train, but will also have absolute trust and faith in you."

 "Did he actually do that?"

 "It was like he was a different person then the one I married. His first experimentation was on me. At the time, I was conceiving our son. He told me that he found a supplement to take. He told me it would help to build our child's immunity. I should've trusted my gut feeling not to take those pills. The trust I had in him was not returned by him, not once at all now that I think back. Those pills were the start of what horrible things were to come. My son was eventually born with supernatural powers. Immediately after he was born, we discovered his powers."

 Hearing Yui's story, I was slowly beginning to understand the relationship between her and her husband. Although still suspicious, I felt bad for her that she had to endure all of that. What a screwed up husband that man was. And choosing his wife as the first experiment subject was just so mortifying and horrible.

 "I only found out about his business after accidentally looking through his documents. That horrid bastard blatantly lied to me through the skin of his teeth, saying it was some kind of miracle and coincidence. Because of experiencing the troubles of having to take care of a child with supernatural powers, he managed to find a way to dilute the solution to ensure that the child would only acquire their abilities at the age of 16. He made a lot of money through this excuse of a business. In the end, I divorced him. Unfortunately, I couldn't claim legal rights over my son." Yui complained, fury evident in her voice.

 "Doctor Hirata, you still haven't told me the identity of your ex husband." I told her.

 "My ex husband," She said before pausing, "is the CEO of the SQP Corporation."

 I sucked in a sharp breath, unable to mutter a single coherent word. My heart was hammering loudly against my chest as my eyes widened in shock. Her husband, the one who did all those horrible experiments and took advantage of his own wife's trust, was the one orchestrating the SQP project where 5 teenagers were to be experimented on.

 "Though I'm not associated with the company, I still want to help to prevent the SQP project from getting worse. I'm sure you know what it is. And I'm sure that hearing this next piece of information will probably affect you negatively." Yui told me with a serious expression on her face.

 "What is it?" I held my breath, having no clue on what Yui was going to say.

 "There are 5 people being experimented on in this project. The project will only proceed at full speed when the very subject reaches the appropriate age of 16." Yui said before continuing.

 "Congratulations, Kuroi Tenshi. You are now the final subject to be involved in the SQP project as subject 5."

 If my expression just now showed how shocked I was, my expression now would be 10 times of that. So the document I had been reading, was about me? So Haruka knew! And she didn't do anything. She was trying to rope me into the organisation! But, that meant I was one of those babies, who unfortunately fell prey to the CEO's experiment. My mother, was taken advantage of. I had supernatural powers. Hundreds, if not thousands of questions and thoughts ran through my brain. It was like an endless river of queries and doubts, one by one appearing in my mind, plaguing my very thoughts. What am I? Never in my life have I ever questioned myself about that. The answer was always clear. Kuroi Tenshi, the famous model who was now 16 years old and was human. However, now, I'm not so sure. It didn't feel human that I had the very powers to potentially kill someone. And the fact I wouldn't be able to control them horrified me even more. What if someone sees? Will they start calling me a freak. Will they avoid me? Will my career be ruined? Would mother and father be disappointed in me from up there? Would I be ostracised? Will my friends leave me? Will I be locked somewhere and be experimented on? Will I di-

 "It's alright."

 Those words resounded through the quiet room, breaking the silence. My mind, filled with endless worries, was suddenly silenced by those very words. 'It's alright.' It calmed me down. I took in a deep breath and faced Yui who looked at me in a concerned manner.

 "It's normal to think like that. When I found out that my son had those powers, I thought the same thing as well. So, please don't worry. Everything will be alright. I will teach you how to control them." She told me sincerely.

 "Thank you. I really appreciate it." I told her. I felt like she was someone I could fully trust. My suspicions were gone after she had told me her story.

 "I think that wraps up what I wanted to inform you about today. Thank you for coming here and listening. Oh and, before you go, I will leave you with one important statement."

 I turned around, just about to exit the room, when I faced her.

 "Don't easily place your trust in others. You should probably keep a close eye on others, especially those close to you. You never know, sometimes, your closest friends could be your closest enemies."

A/n: I know I haven't been posting for a long time. I took a break to focus on my studies. However, I never forgot about this. It was always at the back of my mind. I had multiple ideas but never the time and motivation to write them. Thanks for choosing and reading this book. I'll try to be consistent with publishing each chapter. Thank you!