Chapter 7: Anomalous

After I finished changing my clothes, because I was sweaty from training, I stood next to Riochiro, who was sitting on one of the chairs at the table we had pulled out a while ago.

He looked at me, while I dragged a second chair to sit next to him.

-So, what do you think about my new fighting style?

-It's effective, no doubt," I said as I slowly sat down in the chair, "Although it lacks edges to be polished, I see a lot of potential in it."

Riochiro let out a chuckle as he scratched the back of his neck, blushing.

-I'm glad you praise me, I was practicing at night before I went to sleep. It was hours and hours of training and going over the fundamentals you gave me.

He looked me straight in the eye, naturally making my gaze fall into his in the same way.

-It was all thanks to you, Master Rikka, thank you very much," he said as he gave me a charming smile.

At this point I was used to Riochiro's little smiles and his hypnotizing gaze, but when he created such an intimate and sincere moment between the two of us, it was hard for me not to blush even a little bit.

I quickly looked away and then Riochiro fell silent, the conversation died down for a few moments until Riochiro continued it with a bombshell.

-Teacher... Can I ask you a favor," he asked in a hoarse voice.

-Depends, what do you want?" I said while keeping my gaze elsewhere.

-Tomorrow is Sunday, isn't it?

An unusual question for someone who had carved on a slab the days he had spent training, it was clear that it was just to confirm, anyway.

-Yes, it's Sunday, what's the question?

-I need you to tell Mr. Yamagushi to give me a SEH evaluation.

At that moment I was paralyzed by the albino boy's request. I mean, a SEH evaluation. I repeat: A SEH EVALUATION.

This is more or less like a DNA test, but instead of detecting any disease, what it measures is the amount of genes that you have evolved in your blood, to see when it will begin to manifest an "Awakening".

I knew that sooner or later we had to do a Riochiro, but I was hoping to get the results when he finished his training, but what should I do if he asked me in such a direct way?

Clearly I couldn't refuse, so yes, I agreed to consult Dr. Yamagushi about coming in the next day with an SEH test.

November 2nd (3rd year)

 The next day, at about 6:00 a.m. Dr. Yamagushi was already in front of the mansion's doors, with his characteristic formal suit, his top hat and his iconic suitcase where he carried all his medical utelincils.

Grandfather's note: And look how "iconic" it is, I have never seen him get rid of that suitcase even for a second in all the years we have been friends.

 I guided Dr. Yamagushi through the labyrinth, as I always do, until we reached the center, in the middle of all that stone quadrant was Riochiro, meditating.

 The day before I told him that he had to fast, apparently he was looking for some effective methods to entertain his mind from the needs of his body.

 Although he had a lot to learn because the next moment his stomach growled loudly and he writhed on the floor while clutching his upper abdomen.

 -Ay ay ay ay ay," he moaned.

 -Well young man," said Dr. Yamagushi, "Let's do this quickly so you can resume your feeding.

 Dr. Yamagushi approached Riochiro while he opened his suitcase, once next to the albino boy, the doctor put his suitcase on the floor and from there he took out a kind of white capsule, with a screen on the sides and a needle in one of its tips.

 He inserted the tip with the needle quickly into one of Riochiro's arms, taking it unnoticed, which made the vampire-eyed boy jump from the surprise of the small prick he felt in his right arm.

 Before Riochiro could finish reacting, the doctor quickly removed the needle from his arm and took between his two hands the white capsule he had removed from Riochiro's arm.

 Numbers began to appear on the screen of the capsule, Dr. Yamagushi looked at them attentively with an arduous frown.

 Once the numbers stopped coming out, the capsule beeped and with a red hue, the screen began to flicker.

 The doctor rubbed his temples and was silent for a while. That was bad. If the family doctor seemed tormented by something, the result of that test must not be good.

 He turned his gaze to me with a somewhat nervous, yet serious and firm expression.

 -Do you want the boy to hear the results or shall I tell you in private?

 Concerned, I looked at Riochiro, who was now also looking at me. Normally I would tell him to tell me the results of the test, but the look on Riochiro's face was one of being determined to hear the result, whatever it was.

 I could not betray his confidence in me.

 -You can say the results in front of both of us.

 Yamagushi stared at me in a cold sweat, it was as if Riochiro's situation was that serious, as bad as cancer, if not worse.

 -Are you sure?" he said in a hoarse voice.

 -Of course," I said without hesitation, although deep down I was too tense because of the reaction of that man.

 Then he began to explain.

 It turns out that Riochiro's situation is more serious than I could have imagined, although I was already guessing that it was something like that.

 It turns out that Riochiro has a "Recessive Gene" which blocks the activation of powers in his DNA. Although this gene has no visible symptoms, it prevents any kind of Skill from manifesting. In ancient times, this gene was considered a natural protection against the adverse effects of having powers, something like the intense pains and spasms your body suffers at the time of "Awakening".

 It turns out that we all have this "Recessive Gene" in our blood, in small amounts, if we didn't have it, then when it's time to wake up, we would die from the pain. But it turns out that Riochiro has it in excess in his blood, so his body mistakes this gene as the main compound of his DNA.

 He is an "Anomalous".

 Which means, in other words, that he will never have any Skill....

 When I heard this information, I couldn't stop some tears coming out of my eyes, while Dr. Yamagushi just looked despondently to the ground.

 In our society, people who do not have powers are marginalized and deprived of most of the opportunities that we Skillers have. Despite this, the majority of the population treats them as scum or nuisances and they are discriminated against.

 Several morality laws have been created to preserve the equality between Skillers and non Skillers, but it is nothing more than formal laws, currently, any case of harassment towards non Skillers is not as harshly punished, not as it should be.

 Dr. Yamagushi left the place, crestfallen after giving us the bad news and simply walked towards the exit of the labyrinth by himself, meanwhile I stayed with Riochiro. Although I was not able to look him in the face, I didn't want to.

 He was finally improving his mood, he was finally making progress in getting stronger and now he gets this news. It must be minimally devastating for him.

 -Teacher Rikka," Riochiro called me while touching my left shoulder, his voice sounded strangely.... Unconcerned?

Surprised, I looked at the albino boy and when I saw his expression my pupils dilated with surprise. Riochiro was as if nothing had happened here, he simply kept a neutral expression, almost impeccable and bright.

 -Can I go to breakfast now? The hunger is killing me.

 Riochiro turned his back to me and opened the door to his room, pulling out the tables and chairs by himself, positioning them more or less in the center of the stone quadrant.

 -I'll be waiting for my food here, I don't want to start today's training on an empty stomach," he said calmly and then gave me a bright smile.

 I turned my back and with some dissimulation in my voice I mentioned to him:

 -I'll be right back.

 I started to walk out of the labyrinth and look for his food, although his reaction leaves me thoughtful.

 Does Riochiro know what awaits him for not having powers? Of course he does, in ethics and morals classes I taught him several things, among those, how society treated Abnormals.

 So why is he not affected by it?

 After a while I brought him breakfast and I started to drink tea sitting with him at the table, the albino boy swallowed like a hungry animal, he didn't seem to have lost his appetite.

 -Riochiro, aren't you sad about what Dr. Yamagushi told you?

 Riochiro stopped swallowing like a madman and swallowed what he was chewing and then took some breath.

 -The truth... I'm a little hopeless about the revelation....

 -So-

 -But, I finally know what's wrong with me, I don't have to be in the silence of doubt anymore. Not knowing if I could awaken a Skill or wait for an "Awakening" to come every night just like that, as it happened to my sister, made me gnaw my head with false hopes -I took a meditative pause and continued with his monologue- "Now that I know the reality, I just have to face it, it's as easy as that. The same thing happened when you were just capturing my mother and you locked me up here in this place."

 "The events happened so fast that I never had time to digest them, so the first few months, until recently, were spent in bitterness, but it was thanks to Old Ryugamine's advice and talks with Mr. Kawashima that I was able to pick myself up and take things more lightly. Now I know how strong I can make myself."

 He turned an intense gaze toward me, his eyes burning with a determination I had never seen in anyone, the scarlet glow emanating from deep within his gaze began to sparkle in my eyes.

 -In a couple of years I will become a "super human" and you will help me, won't you," he said as he gave me a confident smile.

 A strange mixture of my feelings began to well up in my head, I didn't know what to identify with. My heart was beating fast and my eyes refused to stop looking at his magnificent figure, but at the same time I wanted to look away, I also wanted to laugh at the joy I felt, but I also felt pride, a deep pride.

 Somehow, his way of acting, his smile and his confident and determined look, reminded me as much of you, grandfather, as of my father.

 In all these years, maybe it was because I had been by Riochiro's side day by day, but I hadn't noticed his changes so much until now.

 His figure that he had trained and exercised with so much effort, his face changed and although with feminine features, some features of a real man were showing on his face. Had I also not noticed that he was taller than me?

 I didn't know what to say, I was just stunned at such a scene. I had never seen someone with such a high level of optimism in my life, much less did I expect it from Riochiro.

 -Teacher Rikka, I have a favor to ask.

 Quickly Riochiro's voice brought me down from the clouds and brought me back to earth. With some level of bewilderment and confusion I looked at him and said.

 -Yes, of course. Tell me.

 He crouched down to my face and then looked me straight in the eyes, although he was too close to me for my liking, so I stepped back a little.

 -For today's combat training I need you to..." Riochiro hesitated a bit before telling me what he was going to say.

 - "Toooooooo..."? -I followed his sentence to see if he would hurry to recap, having him close to me made me very nervous.

 -I want you to attack me using your Skill.

 -I'm sorry?

 Oh, no. Here we go again