Fighting (1)

The next day came way too fast for Haruto's liking. He'd spent most of the night staring at his ceiling, thinking about Kazuma's "offer" and what it really meant. Join the guy's gang and become another thug, or refuse and probably get his ass kicked by half the school. Not exactly what you'd call great options.

But when morning rolled around, his decision was already made. He wasn't about to become someone's lapdog just because they had a reputation for being tough. He'd dealt with bullies before, and this Kazuma guy didn't seem all that different from the rest of them when you got right down to it.

The school day dragged by at a snail's pace. Jun kept shooting him worried looks during class, and Miki seemed jumpy every time the door opened. They both knew what was coming – it was just a matter of when.

Sure enough, right after lunch, the same lackey from yesterday showed up at their classroom door. Kenji, that was his name. The guy looked even more nervous than before, if that was possible.

"Haruto," he called out, his voice cracking slightly. "Boss wants to see you again. Same place."

The whole class went dead silent again, just like yesterday. But this time, there was a different kind of tension in the air. Everyone knew this was it – decision time. Either Haruto was about to join Kazuma's crew, or things were about to get very ugly.

Haruto stood up slowly, grabbing his bag. Jun started to say something, but Haruto just shook his head.

"Don't worry about it," he said quietly. "I'll handle this."

The walk to the roof felt like a death march. Kenji didn't say a word the whole way up, just kept glancing back at him like he was escorting a condemned man to his execution. Which, considering what Haruto was about to do, maybe wasn't that far off.

The roof was packed when they got there. Kazuma had brought what looked like his entire crew – maybe thirty or forty guys, all standing around in a loose circle. They were trying to look intimidating, but mostly they just looked like a bunch of teenagers playing dress-up. Still, thirty against one weren't great odds, even for someone with Haruto's skills.

Kazuma was standing in the center of it all, arms crossed, wearing that same fake smile from yesterday. But Haruto could see the coldness in his eyes now, the calculation. This wasn't going to be a friendly chat.

"So," Kazuma said as Haruto approached. "Have you thought about my offer?"

"Yeah," Haruto replied simply. "I'm not interested."

The smile on Kazuma's face didn't waver, but something shifted in his expression. The temperature on the roof seemed to drop a few degrees, and several of his guys started muttering among themselves.

"Not interested," Kazuma repeated slowly, like he was tasting the words. "That's... disappointing."

He gestured to his crew, and they all started moving toward the stairwell. For a second, Haruto thought maybe this was it – maybe Kazuma was just going to let it slide and they could all go back to their normal lives.

But then Kazuma held up a hand, and everyone stopped.

"Actually, you know what? Everyone else can go. I want to have a private conversation with our friend here."

The guys looked confused, but they weren't about to argue with their boss. One by one, they filed toward the exit, shooting curious glances back at Haruto and Kazuma. Within a few minutes, the roof was empty except for the two of them.

The silence stretched out for a long moment. Kazuma walked over to the fence and leaned against it, still wearing that unsettling smile.

"You know," he said conversationally, "I've been thinking about our little chat yesterday. About how you handled my guys. That wasn't just good fighting technique – that was something else entirely."

Haruto didn't respond, but he could feel his muscles tensing up. Something was about to happen, and it wasn't going to be good.

"So I have to ask," Kazuma continued, turning to face him directly. "What exactly is your ability?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Haruto said, trying to keep his voice steady.

Kazuma threw back his head and laughed – a loud, harsh sound that echoed off the concrete walls around them.

"Don't play dumb with me, kid," he said, his smile finally dropping away completely. "You think I don't know an Awakened when I see one? The way you moved, the precision, the power – that's not something a normal human can do."

"I don't know what game you're playing," Kazuma continued, "but if you won't tell me willingly, then I guess I'll have to make you talk!"

Suddenly, the air around Kazuma seemed to shimmer with heat. His eyes took on an almost predatory gleam, and Haruto could swear he saw steam rising from the guy's skin.

But before he could process what he was seeing, something impossible happened. A translucent blue screen materialized in front of his face, like something straight out of a video game.

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

• NEW QUEST: DEFEAT KAZUMA

• REWARD: 500 EXP

• TIME LIMIT: 15 MINUTES

• ACCEPT? Y/N

Haruto stared at the floating interface. But he didn't have time to think about it, though, because Kazuma was already moving.

The punch came at him like a freight train – faster and harder than anything Haruto had ever seen. It wasn't just the speed that shocked him, though it was incredible. It was the sheer power behind it. The air itself seemed to compress around Kazuma's fist, and Haruto could feel the heat radiating from it even from several feet away.

This definitely wasn't a normal punch. Hell, this definitely wasn't a normal person.

Haruto threw himself to the side, barely avoiding the strike. Kazuma's fist slammed into the concrete wall behind him, and the entire section exploded in a shower of dust and debris. The hole left behind was easily the size of a basketball.

"Holy shit," Haruto breathed, staring at the destruction. No way a regular human could do that. No way in hell.

Kazuma turned toward him, and now there was no mistaking the heat distortion around his body.

"Surprised?" Kazuma asked, flexing his fingers. "I guess you really didn't know. There are people in this world with special abilities – people like us. We call ourselves the Awakened."

Now Haruto could make sure Kazuma was also one of them.

He took a step forward, and Haruto could feel the temperature on the roof rising.

"My power is heat manipulation," Kazuma continued casually, like he was discussing the weather. "I can raise the temperature of anything I touch to several thousand degrees. Pretty useful in a fight, wouldn't you say?"

Another step forward. The concrete under Kazuma's feet was actually starting to smoke.

"So what's your ability, Haruto? Super strength? Enhanced reflexes? Come on, don't be shy. We're all friends here."

Without thinking, he reached out with his mind, grasping for something...

Three points of brilliant light materialized in the air around him – pure, blazing white energy that hurt to look at directly. They hung there for a moment, humming with power, before solidifying into long, gleaming blades made of what looked like concentrated starlight.

The swords floated around Haruto like loyal pets, their edges sharp enough to cut through reality itself. 

Kazuma's eyes widened, and for the first time since this whole thing started, his confident smile faltered.

"Light swords," he whispered, almost reverently. "I'll be damned. That's a rare one."