POV: Rai Shinsei
With a satisfying, much-needed stretch, I yawned while heading towards the academy as along the way, I observed the academy grounds around me as the bustling environment produced by passionate adolescent students of the academy was somewhat nauseating due to the fact that I was isolated in a mountainous area for over two years, but besides that, nostalgia eased my mind eventually along with the scenery as the cherry blossom petals brushing across my face was very calming.
It's surreal to believe that I'm in school again, let alone attending a hero academy.
I don't have many fond memories of my time in junior high, but I suppose going forward, I should make the best of my time here as when I graduate…
Disrupting my thoughts was a commotion between four students, which soon broke out into a fight as three of the students began bullying a student under one of the few white cherry blossom trees that were scattered scarcely among the academy grounds.
The three bullies all wore the standard school uniform provided by the academy as they wore their uniform loosely, ignoring the dress code policy as they couldn't be bothered to wear a tie.
As for the student they were bullying, it was no surprise that he was being bullied as he looked like your average scrawny wimp—a prime target for those who are tormenting him now.
He wore the standard school uniform, following the dress code strictly as he had a warm complexion with messy gunmetal hair and black rimmed glasses that were framed around his dull gray eyes, which lacked vitality.
With his sullied appearance and his reluctance to fight back against the bullies who were pummeling him into the ground, I felt a sense of annoyance, but not because he was being bullied, but because he refused to do anything about his current situation and as when the aggression from the bullies intensified, he chose to remain passive, succumbing to fear without even putting up a fight as he had already accepted his fate long ago.
Out of curiosity, I glanced around to see if there were any bystanders and to my expectation, there were at least a dozen of them as a few of them had already decided to record the pitiful sight before them with their phones while the others chose to laugh among their friends and sneer at the helpless boy whose appearance only worsened.
Instead of helping or calling for a teacher, they would rather sit here and watch their fellow classmate be beaten into oblivion.
Even at one of the four prestigious hero academies, the environment is still the same.
I decided to watch from afar for one more minute as within that time, a part of me had wished that the boy would stand up for himself, but of course that wish would never come true as someone such as that boy would never be able to change with his current mindset.
It's a shame.
I don't know what that boy has done to the three of them, but I'm certain it's nothing that deserves the punishment he's receiving at the moment.
Turning my attention away from the unpleasant sight, I began heading towards the academy as more students began to flock mindlessly towards the scene.
There's no need for me to help someone who refuses to change for the better.
Helping that boy would only lead to me gaining unnecessary attention and in order for that boy to change, he needs to experience the harsh reality of this world.
Although…
Amidst my walk, a sense of guilt rose within me as I turned around and looked at the boy, who remained helpless on the ground as the light within his eyes gradually faded away.
Ignoring his obvious plea for help would make me like the rest of these scum.
With a vexful sigh, I loosened my tie and began heading towards the boy, who was on the verge of losing consciousness from the relentless beating he was receiving from the three bullies.
POV: Everett Laventh
My school life has always been miserable for the most part.
Everyday, I'm forced to accept the reality that I'm the weakest.
"What's wrong, Everett!? Did you finally regain your sanity after talking back to me!?" Jordan, an arrogant noble questioned as he and his lackeys unleashed their wrath upon me while I remained silent, holding back the urge of crying as I tried to find a purpose for my own existence.
What did I do to deserve this?
Was it wrong for me to ask for forgiveness?
All I ever wanted to do was become a hero and yet, I'm criticized for my actions and reminded everyday how much of a failure I am.
Fighting back is hopeless since I'm barely stronger than your average athlete and even if I asked for help…
As I was being attacked, I scoured the area in hopes of finding anyone who was willing to help me and yet, there wasn't a single soul among the crowd of students who was willing to lend a hand to me as I was forced to listen to the jeering crowd while being unable to do anything.
Yeah, I figured.
Everett, how stupid can you be?
You really thought somebody like yourself is worth saving?
Yeah right.
"I'm sorry." I mumbled hopelessly as my utterance only seemed to fuel Jordan's rage.
I hate myself.
"What did you say?!" Jordan demanded as he picked me up by the collar of my shirt and activated his Aspect, releasing his Aspectual Force towards me as I felt a wave of nausea overcome me from the sheer pressure, which led to me struggling persistently in order to free myself from his firm grasp.
I truly hate myself.
Speak up, Everett! I would love to hear what you just said!" Jordan urged with a malicious grin as clenched his fist and smashed it into my face, breaking my nose as my body was sent tumbling backwards across the ground until I crashed into a tree with blood gushing from my nose.
Please… someone help me.
As Jordan approached me, I closed my eyes instinctively, raising my guard out of fear as I braced myself for Jordan's next attack, but as several seconds passed, I realized his attack never connected as I opened my eyes to find a boy, who was a student like myself, holding back Jordan's wrist in a calm and collected manner.
There was an enigmatic air surrounding the boy as he stood a few inches taller than me with an ivory complexion, tousled, yet somewhat curly black hair with bangs that ended just below his ears and unique blue eyes that seemed to resemble a reflection of the sky itself.
"Who the hell are you supposed to be?!" Jordan asked, exasperated from the boy's sudden intervention as he tried to intimidate the boy with a glare, which was a rather useless attempt of a scare tactic as the boy remained unfazed.
"A student just like yourself." The boy replied, releasing Jordan's grasp as Jordan stepped towards the boy and tried to slug him with a single punch, but the boy swiftly swept Jordan from off of his feet and gently pushed Jordan's back, sending him falling face-first into the grass as I overheard a few of the bystanding students snickering at Jordan's careless actions.
Is this boy…
"Andy, Seth. Make sure this bastard regrets his actions for the rest of his life!" Jordan ordered furiously, flustered from the boy humiliating him in front of a large crowd as Seth and Andy activated their Aspects and released their Aspectual Force towards the boy, who was unaffected as he placed his hands into his pockets and yawned while the two of them rushed towards him.
Saving me?
Andy approached the boy first with an aggressive right swing towards the boy's head, but the boy weaved past his attack effortlessly as Seth approached him next with a one-two towards his face.
"You're finished!" Seth exclaimed with confidence, but to his surprise, the boy weaved through both of his punches as he stepped forward and angled himself into an awkward position, leaving Seth perplexed as the boy clenched his fist.
"Not quite." The boy countered as he smashed his fist into Seth's liver with unexpected force, causing Seth to vomit saliva as he collapsed onto his knees while Andy rushed towards the boy from behind, attempting to blindside the boy.
"You're a coward." The boy asserted as he planted his hand onto the ground and twisted his body upwards in a rapid motion, landing an angled spinning high kick into Andy's chin as the impact knocked him unconscious immediately, causing him to collapse forward onto the grass as the boy landed upright and flexed his hand.
Did he just overpower him without even using an Aspect?!
The crowd of students which was once filled with jeering was soon silenced by the boy's impressive feat as Jordan, who had the patience of a toddler was now watching the boy cautiously with his utmost focus as Seth was beginning to panic, clenching his abdomen tightly to ease the pain that antagonized him while cold sweat beaded across his forehead from fear.
I have never seen them like this before.
The boy then shifted his gaze towards Seth, who was on full alert after witnessing his best friend be ultimately defeated right before him.
One step.
The boy took a single step towards Seth and in that moment, Seth retreated backwards with a back step and despite having the advantage of an Aspect, Seth matched every step the boy took towards him with a step backwards and as fear gradually tainted his expression, his cowardice roused a contemptuous grin from the boy.
"What's wrong? You look like you're about to piss yourself." The boy asked mockingly, provoking Seth as he clenched his jaw while his exasperation was shown clearly from the many veins forming across his forehead.
"SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" Seth bellowed, rushing towards the boy in an awkward manner due to the injury he sustained earlier as he approached the boy with a punch filled with rage, but Seth's rage made it far too easy for the boy to anticipate his next move as amidst weaving through the punch, the boy stepped forward and smashed his fist into Seth's face, breaking his nose on impact as Seth collapsed unconsciously onto his knees before falling face-first onto the cold stone pathway, leaving the crowd of bystanders astonished as the boy flung off the excess blood from his hand.
Although he's outnumbered against three empowered students, he defeated two of them relatively easily without even using an Aspect.
Who is this boy?
POV: Aria Akari
"Aria~"
"Aria."
"Aria!" a voice shouted my name, disrupting my peaceful dream as I jolted awake with drool trickling down my mouth.
Several seconds passed until my brain processed my environment as I rubbed my eyes, breaking out of my daze as I shifted my attention towards Sarah, my roommate who was currently staring at me with a deadpan expression.
"What's wrong Sarah?" I asked, mumbling on my words as I was still groggy from being awoken abruptly.
"We have thirty minutes until class starts and you're not even awake yet." Sarah replied as I squinted my eyes in confusion, prompting me to grab my phone for the time as I turned my head and noticed the sunlight beaming through the blinds of our window.
Oh.
~
Rushing my morning routine within a few minutes, Sarah and I left the dormitory as I was in a joyous mood, humming to myself as we headed towards the academy.
"What will you ever do without me?" Sarah asked with a sigh as she began scrolling on her phone.
"I don't know, but I want you to know how much I appreciate you!" I remarked ecstatically as I hugged Sarah from the side tightly, startling her as she began tapping my arm rapidly.
"A-Aria, I can't breathe…"
"Ah sorry!" I apologized with a giggle as Sarah focused solely on regaining her breath.
"You're fine, but thank you though." Sarah said in a flustered manner after clearing her throat, but as we approached the academy, we noticed there was a large crowd of students surrounding an area nearby, sparking our curiosities as it led us towards the attraction.
"What's going on?" I asked rhetorically as we arrived at the scene to find Everett, whose appearance was sullied as he had various injuries across his body from Jordan and his friends I assumed, which soured my mood as I was prepared to step in and help Everett, but to my surprise, a boy who I had never seen at this academy before displayed an incredible acrobatic kick, knocking Andy out unconscious as the enthusiastic crowd surrounding me soon fell silent to the boy's feat.
Who is that?
"What a kick." Sarah remarked in a monotone, but despite the pitch of her voice, I was still surprised as she usually never compliments anyone.
"Sarah, do you know who that boy is?" I asked curiously as Sarah shook her head.
"I've never seen him before." Sarah answered as within the next minute, the boy knocked out Seth with a brutal punch as the impact left several students among the crowd unsettled.
"He just defeated both of them without even using his Aspect." I mentioned as I observed the injuries of Seth and Andy's bodies, which left me mildly perturbed as each of them was knocked out by a single attack and yet, Andy had a broken jaw while Seth received a broken nose.
"I wouldn't give him too much credit as the ones he knocked out were Seth and Andy, who are notoriously known for being weak as they only target those who are weaker than themselves." Sarah replied nonchalantly as she began scrolling on her phone once more while my curiosity of the boy only grew.
This boy doesn't even have his Aspect active and yet, he was able to inflict severe damage to both of them, let alone knock them out.
The difference in an Aspector's power can be like night and day as any high-ranking hero can defeat a low-ranking villain without ever needing to use their Aspect, but this is one of the four prestigious hero academies among Jiyu, boasting the strongest of students on this continent who sole focus is to become a hero.
Regardless of anyone's rank within this academy, they were accepted into this academy because of their power as among the tens of thousands of rejected applicants, they were the ones that were chosen.
Even Everett, who is currently the weakest in this academy, has the strength to overwhelm a normal group of the strongest humans in this world if he were to truly put in the effort.
If this boy is able to defeat two Aspectors, who are students of a prestigious hero academy without the use of his Aspect, that means…
The boy then shifted his focus towards Jordan, who swallowed dryly as he raised his guard, preparing himself as the boy's eyes remained firm, void of any fear and filled with absolute confidence of his ability.
He's not weak.