Awkward meeting

The city was a disaster waiting to happen. Too many people, too much noise, and way too much eye contact.

He want to curse someone so bad.

He tugged his hood tighter over his messy black hair, blending into the crowd as best he could. His skinny frame and tired slouch made him look like a stick figure trying to survive an apocalypse.

He hated it here. The city felt like one big joke at his expense. But what choice did he have? Back home, his ability to manipulate earth—rocks, dirt, minerals, all of it—had made him a walking freak show.

People avoided him, whispered behind his back, and eventually treated him like he wasn't human. He'd come here hoping to find others like him, people who wouldn't look at him like he was cursed.

So far, though, the only thing he'd found was sore feet and mounting frustration. He'd been wandering for hours, too socially inept to ask for help and too proud to admit he was lost.

"This is stupid," he muttered, kicking a rock on the sidewalk.

It didn't even move the way he wanted it to, which somehow made him feel worse.

And then, out of nowhere,

PAKKK

"!?!"

A piece of paper smacked him square in the face. He froze, arms flailing like a malfunctioning robot, before yanking it off with a growl. "Are you serious right now?!" he hissed at the paper, as if it had done this on purpose.

He squinted at the bold text printed across it.

"If you have the 'ability,' you know what I mean. Please go to this place: #####."

He blinked. Then blinked again. "What kind of scam is this?" he muttered,imagining an middle age man who look like a tuck wearing a black glasses and black suit with a shiny bald.

"..."

He then shaking his head.

"Do they think people with powers are just wandering around waiting for flyers to attack them?!" He crumpled the paper in his fist, ready to toss it away.

But then...he felt it.

A faint warmth spread through his hand, soft and strange, like the ground itself was waking up in his palm. His fingers tingled, and the crumpled paper seemed to hum, like it wasn't just paper at all. He froze, staring at it.

"Okay...that's weird," he mumbled, uncrumpling it cautiously. The hum faded, but the warmth lingered.

"Great, now I'm being haunted by a flyer."

He stared at the address printed on it, torn between skepticism and a growing sense of curiosity.

"This better not be some cult," he muttered, shoving the paper into his pocket.

"If they try to make me chant or wear a robe, I'm out."

As he turned to leave, he caught sight of a pigeon perched on a lamppost, watching him like it had witnessed everything.

"What are you looking at?" he snapped, before realizing he'd just yelled at a bird.

the bird : ....(looking at your mom!)

Shaking his head again, he walked away, muttering, "One last try. But if this turns out to be a scam, I swear I'm never trusting flying objects again."

...

After hours of wandering and being assaulted by a rogue flyer, he finally arrived at the address. His heart raced as he stared at the supposed entrance to a haven for people like him.

Instead, it was...a cheerful takoyaki shop. A cartoon octopus on the signboard waved at him with a smug smile, as if it knew how ridiculous this situation was.

"This can't be it," he muttered, glaring at the flyer.

"Unless their big secret is...octopus balls."

The sign "L'S TAKOYAKI"

His stomach growled loudly, and he sighed. "I swear, if this place doesn't have answers, I'm eating a week's worth of takoyaki out of spite."

With a deep breath, he pushed open the door.

Inside, the shop smelled incredible—fried batter, savory sauces, and smoky goodness. Behind the counter stood a man so attractive he looked like he was moonlighting from a modeling gig. '7:3 side cut' dirty blonde hair, a confident smirk, and the kind of aura that said I know I'm cool.

"Welcome! What can I get you?" the man asked, his smooth voice making the situation feel even weirder.

"Uh…" He scratched his neck. "I think I'm in the wrong place."

The man leaned on the counter, unimpressed. "You came in, didn't you? So...what's your ability?"

"My ability?Uh, to make bad life decisions?" he muttered.

The man blinked. "Really? We've already got a one for that. Her ability involve setting fire to her own hair."

He frowned. "Wait—no, I was joking. I mean, uh…" He gestured vaguely at the shop. "This doesn't look like a secret base. This looks like...a snack shop."

The man looked at him like he was seeing a stupidest human in the earth. "This place is indeed snack shop tho, it's hugely wrote TAKOYAKI."

".....my bad."

"For people without abilities, that's all it is. For us, it's something more." He motioned toward a plain-looking door at the back.

Curiosity got the better of him. "What happens if someone without abilities tries to go through the door?"

"They find..a simple storage."

"Storage?"

"Yep. Very boring storage!Mops, boxes, a particularly angry broom like every shop have."

He raised an eyebrow. "Angry broom?"

The man shrugged. "It squeaks a lot. I named it Jeff."

Before he could respond, the man extended his hand. "I'm Leonard, by the way. And you?"

He hesitated. "I...don't usually give my name to strangers."

"..."

"Ah,you parent must be proud of you at home." Leonard walked around the counter and gestured toward the door.

"My parent already passed away."

"...."

"...."

"Cough cough...follow me."

Still suspicious, he followed Leo to the back of the shop. The plain door looked completely unremarkable. Leo pressed his thumb against a glowing fingerprint scanner beside it.

A soft beep sounded, and with a faint whoosh, the door slid open, revealing a sleek elevator bathed in blue light.

Leonard stepped inside casually. "Well? You coming?"

He hesitated,then stepped in. "So...what if someone else presses the scanner?"

Leonard smirked. "If it's not a member, they just end up back in Jeff's domain. And trust me, Jeff doesn't like visitors."

As the elevator descended, he tried to process what he'd gotten himself into. The doors slid open to reveal a massive underground space, glowing faintly with an otherworldly energy.

Before he could marvel at the room, chaos erupted.

....

In the center of the room, a girl with black wavy hair was chasing two others like a human tornado. Papers, chairs, and anything not nailed down were flying everywhere in her wake.

One of her targets, a blonde girl with a high ponytail, was zigzagging desperately across the floor, shrieking,

"I'M TOO HOT TO BE ROASTED!"

Her partner in crime, a pale girl with white pigtails, clung to the blonde's arm with a grin that screamed I'm here for the chaos.

"Lucy, faster! She's gaining on us!"

"STOP ENCOURAGING HER, NAY!" the blonde screamed, dodging a flying book.

"NOOOO MY BABIESS(manga)!!"

"But it's fun!" Nayla giggled, summoning a blob of water from thin air to splash the black-haired girl.

"...nay...."

"Come on, Lia! Bigger wind gusts! Let's go full tornado!"

"FULL TORNADO?!"Lucy cried, sparks of fire sputtering from her hands in pure panic.

"YOU ASKED FOR IT!" Magnolia roared, whipping up a gale so strong it sent a table skidding across the room.

Lucy yelped and accidentally lit a curtain on fire. Nayla nonchalantly doused it with another wave of water.

"Wiiiiii~"

Magnolia finally tackled them both in a heap, grinning triumphantly. "HA! Gotcha!"

Nayla popped her head out of the pile, still smiling. "That was AWESOME! Let's do it again!"

Lucy groaned, soaked and exhausted."No one's doing anything again!"

Meanwhile, Leonard watched from the side, completely unfazed. He turned to the newcomer,smirking like he already used to this.Actually you can notice the dark circle under his eyes.

"That's Magnolia,"He pointed at the black-haired girl.

"Wind powers. Intense. That's Lucy. Fire powers. panics a lot and Nayla —water ability and, uh...I don't have anything to say.you can see it by yourself."

Nayla waved enthusiastically at him.

"Hi! What's your power? Do you make stuff float? Move rocks? Oh! Can you make takoyaki out of nowhere?!"

He blinked, still processing.

".....I..."

Leo clapped him on the back. "Welcome to the family, kid."

The newbie sighed, staring at the chaotic trio. He'd come all this way looking for a place to belong, and this was what he found?

There was a lot of thoughts like how the fuck that the simple takoyaki shop have a huge place inside it?and the people is insane!They could kill someone!!The lift??!!how rich they are?

He wants to go back home but he remembered that the ticket is actually expensive and he's broke.

A part of him wanted to laugh. The other part just wanted takoyaki.

Can he survive?