Yuki stood in the polished chrome locker room, staring at his reflection. The charcoal-and-gold uniform changed him instantly. The high collar and gold piping made his 5'10" frame look broader, more disciplined.
"I look like a real student... Like someone who belongs here." Yuki said to himself.
"Don't get ahead of yourself, you look like a golden retriever in a tuxedo.... You're still an Acolyte Yuki. That uniform is just a fancy wrapping for a small ice cube." The voice of Kira who was situated on the bench echod throughout the empty locker room.
Yuki smiled and adjusted his glasses. "Even a small ice cube can start an avalanche if it's in the right place."
"That's poetic..... I hate it. Now put me in the bag." Kira commanded.
Yuki stepped out into the hallway, feeling a bit stiff in the new uniform. He turned the corner with his usual energetic stride, not realizing he was moving much faster than a normal human.
CRACK
This wasn't the sound of two bodies colliding; it sounded like two brick walls had crashed into each other.
Renjiro, who was walking with his ki flared out to make people move out of his way, was caught completely off guard. Yuki's shoulder hit Renjiro's chest with the force of a runaway truck.
Renjiro gasped as the air was forced out of his lungs, he clutched his chest tightly.
His face was turning red. "What the....!? Did you just.....!?" He couldn't even complete his sentences.
Yuki waved his hands, looking genuinely concerned. "I'm sorry, I tripped. The floors are really slippery, maybe they were just mopped. I'm really sorry." Today was Yuki's first day and he didn't want to make trouble with anyone other than Renjiro, he also looked forward to making friends. But Yuki had no idea it was Renjiro that he had bumped into.
Slippery? He didn't use Ki. I didn't feel a single spark of energy... but it felt like being hit by a steel beam. How does a Gamma Level 6 have that much raw mass?
Renjiro's mind was thrown into chaos.
"You clumsy idiot. Keep your hands off me, or else I'll burn them off." Renjiro growled.
He brushed past Yuki, but he was walking slightly slower now, his ribs aching from an impact that shouldn't have been possible.
Yuki followed Renjiro into the classroom. As Yuki walked toward his seat in front of Seri, the rest of the class watched in dead silence. The whole class wondered who this new kid was, he didn't even introduce himself. He just walked straight to an empty seat behind Seri.
Seri watched Yuki sit, her eyes traveled from his handsome face down to his broad shoulders. "You look good in charcoal and gold, Yuki-kun but you look a bit..... ruffled. Was it hard to find the classroom?"
"No. I just bumped into that guy, I think he's sick or something. He looked really out of breath." Yuki pointed at a boy who was was the same height as Yuki, crimson hair, ember eyes and a presence that roared.
The whole class had been silent since Yuki and Renjiro walked in, so everyone could clearly hear Yuki talk.
"I'm not sick. I was simply disgusted by your lack of spatial awareness." Renjiro gripped his pencil so tightly it snapped in two.
Kira suddenly spoke in a low volume that only Yuki and Seri could hear. "He's not sick, Yuki. He's just experiencing 'The Law of Physics' for the first time. It's a common side effect of being hit by a human wrecking ball."
Seri leaned backwards, her green hair brushed his desk. "A human wrecking ball, how interesting. Yuki, most Acolytes have soft bodies because they rely on ki they don't even have.... But you're quite solid, aren't you?"
She reached back and tapped Yuki's forearm with her finger. Her eyes widened slightly as she felt the density of his muscles, it wasn't the soft muscle of a student, but dense functional strength of a high tier athlete.
"Maybe having an Acolyte in Class 2-A won't be as boring as I thought." She whispered.
Before Yuki could respond, the door slid open with a loud clack. Sato-sensei walked in, dragging his bamboo sword behind him. He was their teacher, he had a lazy expression on his face, blonde messy hair, dark circles around his eyes and looked to be in his early forties.
Sato-sensei walked to the center of the podium, leaning his bamboo sword against the chalkboard. He scanned the room with a look of profound boredom before his eyes settled on the new face behind Seri.
"Right. Before we get into the theory of ki compression, we have a stray who's joined our pack," Sato-sensei droned, gesturing lazily toward Yuki. "Kinatarou. Get up here and tell them who you are so they don't mistake you for a delivery boy."
Yuki got up so fast his chair screeched against the floor. He marched forward, his posture straight and his face beaming with energy that left the entire class confused.
"Good morning everyone, my name is Yuki Kinatarou, I'm sixteen years old. I'll be very honest here, I've never stepped foot in school before today. My hobbies are training, eating and also listening to my best friend Kira tell me how much of an idiot I am."
Some students snickered loudly while Renjiro leaned back and looked at the ceiling in mock irritation.
"I know I'm only an Acolyte and you are all far ahead of me, but I'm going to work hard just to catch up to you guys. I hope we can be friends.... Or at least I hope you teach me how to use a vending machine!" Yuki bowed so deeply his head almost struck the podium.
"Great. Eloquent. Now, since you're so 'energetic,' let's see if that enthusiasm translates to actual capability. Everyone, clear the desks to the walls. We're starting with a Basics Assessment." Sato-sensei sighed.
He looked at Yuki, a tiny, sharp glint appeared in his tired eyes.
"Kinatarou, since you're the new blood, you'll go first. We'll start with the Power-Output Pillar. It's a simple test: hit the sensor block with everything you've got. No weapons, just your raw Kizo."
The whole class moved all their desks to the back of the class and formed a circle.
Do you people always move your desks like this when you want to have a basic assessment?
Yuki asked inwardly.
At the center of the classroom a heavy black cube rose from a hidden hatch in the floor. It was a power output pillar, designed to measure the impact of ki and give a specific score.
"Watch this, he'll probably break a finger nail. This is going to be embarrassing." Renjiro stood straight and watched attentively.
"I wouldn't be so sure Renjiro, look at his stance." Seri spoke while pointing at Yuki.