Track 05. Turning PointBeach — Earth
Wrapped inside a translucent shell of air, Itzel had no way out. He looked around, searching for whoever had captured him.
It didn't take long. He spotted Sayuri staring at him—steady, unblinking. Their eyes met, and they spoke at the same time.
"Who are you? What do you want?"
"Who are you?"
"I asked first," the woman said, frowning.
Realizing this would go nowhere—and he needed information—Itzel thought fast and made an offer.
"Then let's make a deal."
"I'm not open to negotiations."
"One question each, taking turns?" he suggested, putting on a friendly smile.
Sayuri crossed her arms and turned her face away, not exactly trying to look welcoming.
"Fine. But I'm not letting you out. And since I asked first, answer."
"Alright. My name is Itzel."
"Where did you come from?"
"One question each, remember?"
"…Fine. My name is Sayuri."
"I think I'm being too strict about the rules. We won't get anywhere like this. I'll let you ask the next one—out of courtesy."
Sayuri's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Then tell me… what are you?"
"I'm a human with Potentia, just like you," he answered honestly. "You came from another planet?"
"Yes. Looks like you did too," Sayuri said.
"I did. How many of you are there?"
"You seriously expect me to answer that?" Sayuri said flatly. "Be satisfied with what you can see. My turn: why did you attack us?"
"Fair." Itzel looked away. "My planet is dying. And we were promised a new one… if we took this one."
"But that makes no sense at all." Sayuri felt a mix of confusion and sadness.
"That's all I have to say." Itzel avoided her gaze. "Where did you come from?"
"From a planet that was destroyed."
It hit like a shock.
For a moment, silence swallowed the space between them. The only sound was the sea breeze. Itzel had already heard rumors about Ayami—his handler—destroying a planet. Putting the pieces together, it looked like he'd found the former inhabitants. What used to be "just talk" was suddenly real.
In a final move, Itzel used the last of the water he'd absorbed to strike the group. Sayuri startled and defended herself, but the cold water slammed into her full force.
When she opened her eyes again, he was gone.
"Girls—are you okay?"
They were drenched, but unharmed.
"We're alive," Naoko replied, holding Matsui in her arms. The kid looked shaken.
Planet Finalia
On Finalia, a blue portal of light opened, and Itzel stepped out directly into a bedroom drenched in pink—perfumed with flowers, decorated with glittering objects, lace, and feathers.
Rosália sat on the bed, lost in bored thoughts. The moment she saw him, her energy came back. She jumped up and ran to him.
"Itzel!"
She kissed him first—then finally looked him over properly, noticing the scratches and the strange state of his clothes.
"Why are you basically naked? What are these scratches? You found them, right? They attacked you for no reason. They're horrible. That planet should disappear from the universe."
"It's really fine, Rosália." Itzel looked at her tenderly and brushed her cheek with his hand. "I came back through the sea and got a few scrapes. Nothing serious. I'm going to speak with Lady Ayami about the mission. Tonight I'll stay here. I'll be right back."
Rosália's heart eased a little at his words—and the thought of having him for the night made her happy. Because of missions, they hadn't seen each other in a while. The longing only grew.
"I'll be waiting."
Planet Earth — Sayuri's House
The house was restless. The girls were shaken, confused, firing off questions nonstop.
"AND NOW?! WHO WAS THAT GUY WHO JUST STARTED ATTACKING US OUT OF NOWHERE?! IS THIS OUR LIFE NOW?! ARE WE GONNA GET HUNTED?!" Naoko couldn't contain herself—she was yelling at the air.
"He said his name was Itzel… but how do we even know that's true?" Sayuri muttered, trying to make sense of it.
"But they attacked Yukino again. Do you think they can sense her Potentia?" Miyu asked.
Yukino listened, tense. Then she realized she probably had to speak up.
"Actually… maybe he saw me freezing the sea droplets…" she confessed quietly, hands clenched and trembling.
Naoko heard that and slammed her hand down on the sofa arm next to where Akiko sat.
"What? Even Akiko wouldn't do something like that!" Naoko snapped.
What did I do? Akiko stared, confused.
"Let's breathe. It's all very new for her," Megumi said.
"Yukino, you need to be more careful. That's two attacks already. Imagine having to explain to your parents that you keep getting hurt. How do you think they'll take that?" Sayuri asked.
"I'm sorry. I was really thoughtless." Yukino lowered her head.
"I think that's enough lessons for today. It's getting late—we should take Yukino home. Use what's left of Sunday to rest and breathe," Guang said.
"Okay. Thank you, Guang," Yukino said.
Guang drove Yukino back home. The weekend ended in silence in both houses, each family digesting what had happened in their own way.
But the new week was already starting—and whatever "normal" meant now, it might still hold surprises.
March 8th — Sayuri's House, 12:00 p.m.
It was a sunny Monday. The sky held only a few clouds, and a breeze moved through the city. The temperature was pleasant—classic late-summer weather.
None of it helped the mood of a certain fifteen-year-old girl who came home looking like she was suffering from the bottom of her soul.
"OH MY GOD! HELP! WHY DOES THIS EXIST?! WHOEVER INVENTED ALGEBRA HAS NO LOVE IN THEIR LIFE!" Akiko screamed, throwing herself onto the living room floor.
"Akiko, stop being dramatic. Math is gonna matter a lot if you want to work with games," Miyu explained.
Miyu was used to Akiko's meltdowns by now—but she still hoped Akiko would someday accept the value of studying.
Matsui watched with indignation, completely unimpressed by her sister's daily chaos.
"I don't get Mana… school is so fun," she thought, getting ready to ride to her own class.
While Matsui headed off to school, Megumi arrived home wearing a huge smile. She went straight to Sayuri and Naoko, bursting with news.
"Girls! I have something really important to tell you! Not long after we got to this planet, I started looking for a way to help Sayuri and Guang with expenses. That's when I discovered—and fell in love with—the modeling career!"
Megumi paused for dramatic effect, then continued.
"And everything's been going so well! We're going to receive an internationally famous model at the agency—she's coming to select the best girls to train! If I pass, I can take a huge leap in my career! I'm nervous, but I'm so happy!"
"Someone's excited," Sayuri said, smiling.
"That's amazing, Megumi! It fits you perfectly!" Naoko cheered, giving her a "you got this" gesture.
Megumi was genuinely grateful. She went in for a hug. Naoko wasn't a hugger and went stiff, embarrassed.
"Thank you so much, dear Naoko! I'm leaving now for the selection!"
"Oh! Good luck, Megumi!" Naoko said, cheeks flushing as she waved her off.
School — Afternoon Shift
While the morning was for fifth grade through the last year of high school, the afternoon was reserved for early childhood and the first years of primary school. The uniforms followed the same pattern for every age group.
First grade, being a big shift from preschool, had more serious and responsible activities—while still keeping things playful.
Matsui, starting first grade on a new planet, was doing really well. She adapted easily. Her assignments were always careful, neat, attentive.
That day there was math class. They were learning numbers and basic operations. The assignment was to do sums and show the answers not only with numbers, but also with pretty, colorful drawings representing the quantities.
"Done! It's pretty!" Matsui said, finishing her work.
"Ah… no. Mine looks ugly," a classmate lamented—a girl with short, wavy pink hair and purple bow clips pinned into it.
Matsui noticed the new student looked discouraged about her work. She also noticed she didn't have colored pencils.
"Do you want my colored pencils, new girl?" Matsui offered.
"I do! Thank you so much! I'll try!" the girl said, relieved.
The new girl colored and redid some drawings. When she finished, she lit up.
"Oh, it's so pretty—way better! Thank you! My name is Hana! My moms moved here, and I came too! What's your name?" she asked.
"Welcome! I'm Matsui!"
The bell rang for recess. Hana took initiative and invited Matsui to spend snack time together. Matsui agreed. The two walked around the courtyard, talking, eating, playing—having fun.
"Matsui! I'm so happy I met you! You're really nice! Let me give you a present!"
Hana held her hand out in front of Matsui. Tiny lights appeared, then took shape as small cherry blossoms.
"I hope you like them! I think they're beautiful—they're my favorites!" Hana said, offering the flowers.
"They're really, really pretty! I love them! Let me make some for you too!"
Matsui held out her hand. In the same way, lights formed flowers—this time pink tulips. Hana looked thrilled. She'd found a friend with the same ability.
"WOOOOW! We both make flowers! We're gonna be best friends!"
"We are! We're gonna be friends!"
And the rest of the school afternoon continued like that—talking when they could, sharing supplies. By the end of class, they kept chatting while waiting for their rides.
Sayuri's House — Late Afternoon
When Matsui got home, she jumped out of the car and ran inside. She was dying to talk about her day.
"AUNT SAYURI! AUNT SAYURI!"
"Well, look at that—someone came home super excited from school."
"Yes! I'm so happy! Today was really good! I made a friend! She's the new student—her name is Hana! She's really nice! And she makes flowers! Just like me!" Matsui rambled, more talkative than usual.
"JUST LIKE YOU?"
The words startled Sayuri.
Had Matsui seen right? Was this another Potentia? And how would she talk to the child's guardians?
Questions flooded her mind—but none of them had answers yet.
Downtown
The city's modeling agency sat downtown, near the high-class neighborhood. Normally it was nonstop chaos: clients looking for models for catalogs, trainees being drilled for photos and runways.
Today, the air was tense. You could almost see a cloud of desperation, indecision, and worry. The models had to prove themselves—photo skills, runway skills.
The great model Hitomi was there, watching the candidates one by one alongside the photographers, evaluating how each girl behaved in front of the camera.
Hitomi was famous for rising quickly, crashing hard, then rebuilding herself into a top favorite for major brands. Her résumé was the kind any model would envy.
The offer was high-level: direct training under Hitomi, plus recommendations to become "new faces" on international runways. The expected standard was brutal.
Megumi was getting her makeup and finishing touches for her mini shoot. Sitting in the styling chair, she knew her turn was coming—and the nerves felt like they'd taken over her whole body.
"I'm so tense… I never imagined it would be this hard to take photos in front of a famous model," Megumi thought, almost shaking.
She wore a long, satin off-white dress that contrasted against her skin. Gold star-shaped earrings. Eye makeup that made her look more serious, paired with wine-colored lips. Everything matched—except her furrowed brows and her clearly tense posture.
She was about to step into position when a firm female voice stopped her.
"Hey—you. Stop right there," Hitomi said, looking at Megumi with open distaste. "If you're going out like that, don't. Who's going to dare buy the pieces if the model is obviously uncomfortable?"
That voice belonged to Hitomi—an influential model known for her naturally darker, sun-kissed skin tone, as if she was always tanned. Straight hair in a deep dark red. Brown, piercing eyes that made her look enigmatic. Her makeup kept the focus on her reddish lips.
Tall and slender, her body was unmistakably runway. She wore a black top with a blazer and tailored trousers—designer, obviously.
"Hitomi… she's strict. But what can I even do?" Megumi thought, head lowered, already believing she was about to be cut from the selection.