Akira barely remembered the journey back to his apartment. His body moved on autopilot, keeping to shadows and back alleys while his mind replayed the fight over and over.

The dual-guardian gate. The artificially placed anchors. Someone had made him go through all this, but who and why?.

When he finally stumbled through his bedroom window—climbing was easier than risking Mia hearing the front door—he collapsed onto his bed and immediately pulled up his inventory.

[MINOR HEALTH POTION x3 AVAILABLE]

[CONSUME?]

"Yes," he whispered, downing all three in quick succession.

The liquid tasted like burnt sugar and medicine, but the effect was immediate. The burns on his arms began to fade, the ache in his muscles dulled to a manageable throb, and the cut on his cheek sealed itself.

[HEALTH RESTORED: 65%]

[ESSENCE RESERVES: 28%]

"Not perfect, darling, but enough to avoid questions," Ai said. "Make sure the Essence Cloak is at maximum."

Akira activated the cloak, feeling the familiar dampening effect settle over his supernatural signature like a weighted blanket.

[ESSENCE CLOAK: ACTIVE - LEVEL 2]

[DETECTION RADIUS: REDUCED BY 80%]

He checked his phone… 4:47 AM. Less than two hours until he needed to be up for school. His body screamed for sleep, but his mind wouldn't stop racing.

Who had planted those anchors? Why target the school specifically? And what would the SPIU find when they inevitably showed up, because they will?

He must have drifted off eventually because the next thing he knew, his alarm was blaring and pale morning light filtered through his curtains.

—

The school grounds had been transformed by the time Akira arrived that morning. What should have been a normal Friday was anything but.

The athletics field was completely blocked off with yellow tape, the kind you see at crime scenes. Two dark SUVs with tinted windows were parked near the gym, looking ominous and official. Students gathered at the tape, holding up their phones to take photos and videos.

Akira didn't need to go check it out to know what awaited—he had contributed to the destruction, after all.

But to avoid raising suspicion, he joined the crowd, keeping his expression appropriately curious.

Men in grey tactical suits moved across the scorched field, wielding handheld devices that beeped and chirped as they swept the area.

The devices looked like metal detectors, but Akira recognised them for what they really were: Spectral Scanners, designed to detect residual supernatural energy.

"What do you think happened?" a girl beside him whispered to her friend.

"I heard it was a gas explosion."

"At two in the morning? On an empty field?"

"Maybe it was a prank that went wrong?"

Akira said nothing, just watched the agents work. One of them, a tall man with sharp features and calculating eyes… the same one he had seen the day before… seemed to be in charge. He gestured to different sections of the field, directing his team.

"That's Agent Sato," someone muttered. "My dad works for the city. He said these guys are from some special government division."

"Akira-kun!" Mia's voice cut through the crowd. She appeared at his side, immediately linking her arm through his. "There you are! I was worried when you left so early this morning."

"Had to get here early," he lied smoothly, the Silver Tongue skill making the words sound natural. "Coach wanted to talk about the team."

"At seven in the morning?" Her eyes narrowed slightly. "That's unusual."

"He's very dedicated."

She studied his face for a long moment, then seemed to accept it. "Well, as long as you're okay. This whole thing is crazy, right? What do you think happened?"

"No idea. Probably some kind of accident."

"At two AM?" Mia echoed the earlier sentiment. "That's the same time you got up to use the bathroom. I heard you moving around."

Akira's blood ran cold, but he kept his expression neutral. "Must have been around then, yeah. Couldn't sleep well."

"Mmm." Mia's grip on his arm tightened possessively. "Next time you can't sleep, wake me up. I'll help tire you out."

Before he could respond, another voice called out. "Akira! There you are!"

Rina pushed through the crowd and stood on his other side, ignoring Mia's immediate glare. "We need to talk. Now."

"We're in the middle of…" Mia started.

"It's important," Rina insisted, already pulling him away. "School stuff. You know, that thing with the cultural festival backdrop?"

"That can wait," Mia said coldly.

"No, it really can't." Rina's tone left no room for argument.

The two girls stared each other down for a tense moment before Akira extracted himself from both their grips. "I'll talk to Rina about the festival thing, then meet you in class, Mia. Okay?"

Mia's expression was thunderous, but she nodded stiffly. "Fine. But don't take too long."

Rina dragged Akira around the corner of the building, away from the crowd. Once they were alone, her playful demeanour vanished.

"There's an agent," she said quickly. "One of those SPIU guys. He was talking to the Vice Principal this morning, and I overheard them mention your name."

"My name? Why?"

"Something about your drug test today. And your recent... changes." She gestured at him, indicating his transformed physique. "Apparently, Kenji's been running his mouth, telling anyone who'll listen to his theory about you being on steroids. The agent heard about it and has been asking questions."

"Shit," Akira muttered. "What kind of questions?"

"About your background, your grades, your athletic history, or lack thereof. He seemed very interested in how someone with no sports experience suddenly became good enough to destroy the team captain."

"That's not illegal."

"No, but..." Rina bit her lip. "Akira, I don't know what's going on with you. The sudden change, the way you've been sneaking around, the weird things I sometimes feel when you're near me. I'm not stupid. Something's different about you now."

"Rina…"

"I'm not asking you to explain," she interrupted. "I'm just warning you. That agent? He's not just here about the field. He's suspicious of you specifically."

Before Akira could respond, the school's intercom crackled to life, the principal's voice echoing across the grounds.

"Attention, students. Due to an ongoing investigation, the athletics field is off-limits until further notice. Additionally, representatives from a special government task force will be present on campus today, conducting routine enquiries. Please cooperate fully with any requests they may make. Classes will proceed as normal, but any outdoor activities are cancelled. Thank you."

The announcement ended with a click.

"See?" Rina said quietly. "They're not leaving anytime soon."

"I know. Thanks for the warning."

She hesitated, then stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek quickly. "Be careful, okay? Whatever you're mixed up in... just be careful."

She left before he could respond, disappearing back toward the main building.

Akira stood there for a moment, processing everything. The SPIU was here. They were asking about him. And his drug test… the one thing he'd been dreading, was today.

"This is bad, darling," Ai said quietly. "Very bad."

"I know. But I can handle it. The health potions healed the obvious injuries, and the Essence Cloak is masking my signature. As long as I stay calm…"

"Akira Kanzaki," the intercom crackled again. "Please report to the principal's office immediately."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.