-“I’m late!”- The teenager with messy hair and a sleeveless blue jacket thought as he ran through the streets of Karinome City, his backpack slung over his shoulder and ajar, his water bottle tumbling off and rolling into a sewer.

  Kenji Arata

  -15 years old. A third-year student at South Sea High school.

  - He lives with his younger sister, Yui Arata, and his mother, Nanami (despite her always working for the Karinome Federal Police).

  - He's part of the "Spirit Chasers," a group of friends he formed with his four childhood friends.

  Back to Kenji, he managed to get to school on time, but he couldn't avoid bumping into some of the fifth-year students (something that would surely cause him problems later). He made it to his classroom, almost breaking the door by kicking it, which caused him to fall backward in a desperate attempt to make his entrance.

  "Oh, you're here, Kenji. Only 2 minutes and 14 seconds late," said Mr. Sunako, an expert at keeping track of time (especially when it came to absences or highlighting students' lack of responsibility), as he wrote Kenji's name on the roll.

  "Sorry, sorry..." Kenji apologized, rubbing his back. After the fall, he immediately went to his seat in the middle of the room.

  A soft hand gently touched his shoulder.

  "Are you alright? This is the second time you've been late." A female voice almost made him jump, though he was glad to hear it. Kenji looked over his shoulder to see a beautiful 15-year-old girl with long blonde hair and a white dress standing behind him, her seat to his right.

  Airi Hoshikawa

  - 15 years old. Third-year student at South Sea High school.

  - Lives with her parents (Her mother is an office worker, and her father works at the state repair shop).

  - The 'Heart' of the "Spirit Chasers." Calm, gentle, and kind.

  - She is in love with Kenji, and he with Airi. (Both are too shy to confess, even though it's obvious to everyone else).

  “Yeah…it’s just that I got into another fight with Yuna yesterday, and she turned off my alarm again as punishment,” Kenji explained with a nervous smile, scratching the back of his neck, his face flushed.

  “Even so, I see you’ve been having trouble staying awake in class lately. You’re not staying up late playing video games, are you?” Airi asked, clearly worried about the boy’s noticeable lack of energy these past few days.

  “Not really. I just haven’t been falling asleep as easily as I have been a few days ago,” Kenji reassured her, though he himself didn’t fully understand the reason for his recent difficulty sleeping.

  “In any case, you’d better not try to steal my title as king of laziness,” a male voice said, followed by a sigh. It came from a boy in a green jacket with headphones around his neck, who clearly seemed to have just woken up from one of his daily naps.

  Daichi Okabe

  -15 years old. Third-year student at South Sea High school.

  -Lives with his adoptive mother, Yumiko Okabe, a freelance scientist.

  -Lazy and kind-hearted. He hides a decent intellect and a great analytical mind.

  "I don't think anyone can beat you at that, Daichi." Airi laughed at the lazy boy's 'threat,' earning an approving nod from Kenji.

  "Well, that's better, because that title is a great honor for me." Daichi puffed out his chest confidently, disconcerting his friends.

  "Who on earth would find that title honorable?" A new female voice spoke, this time sarcastically. The voice belonged to a girl with brown hair and a white jacket that concealed prominent breasts, her hair tied back in a ponytail. Behind her approached a boy who seemed to be the tallest in the group, wearing a white shirt and black pants, with dark brown hair. She had a bored expression, but no trace of disdain for the rowdy group.

  Hanae Yukara

  -15 years old. Third-year student at South Sea High school.

  -She moves frequently because her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Yukara, are divorced.

  -Analytical and logical. She's kind-hearted, though she often finds it hard to believe anything out of the ordinary. She's in love with Tsubasa.

  If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  Tsubasa Ayami

  - 15 years old. Third-year student at South Sea High School.

  - Lives with his parents in the Ayami mansion, thanks to the fortune they amassed with the Ayami technology company.

  - Arrogant and proud, yet well-intentioned. Although he won't admit it, he harbors feelings for Hanae. He's the wealthiest member of the group (and possibly the entire school).

  "Well, let it stay that way," Daichi dismissed Hanae's words, causing a bead of sweat to trickle down her neck.

  "Did you bring everything for today's picnic?" Tsubasa asked, earning a collective silence from the remaining four members of the group.

  "Well, we thought the tycoon here would bring everything for everyone today..." Kenji said with a laugh that clearly indicated it was a joke.

  “Very funny, Arata…” The wealthy boy glanced first at the boy with the unruly hair in annoyance, before looking at the rest, who were trying to stifle their laughter.

  “Okay, okay… we each brought what we agreed on,” Airi finished the joke, not wanting to upset Tsubasa.

  Joking aside, the group of five had to suspend their conversation due to the teacher's insistence on starting class. Math, literature, biology…

  It wasn't long before the vast majority of the class fell asleep. It didn't help that the teacher himself yawned every two minutes while reciting from the sheet of paper in his hand (something that, by this point, was more common than anyone cared to admit).

  Finally, the bell rang, signaling the first recess of the morning. Sunako had to hide under her desk to avoid the stampede of students from the sports club who were already running toward the field. He quickly grabbed his coffee and headed off to spend his break with the other teacher in his grade, Ms. Hunigaki.

  "Finally, that old man's gone..." Kenji sighed as he pulled out a bag of fruit. "Whose turn was it to bring the bread?" he asked, looking at his friends.

  "Me, but I still remember we agreed everyone would bring drinks," Hanae replied, pulling out a bottle of juice and another bag full of bread.

  "I brought this. Take it or leave it," Daichi yawned as he pulled out a small bottle of Keza-Cola, so small it looked like it held 250 ml... and was actually full of water.

  “Who the heck brings something like this to share?!” Kenji, Airi, Tsubasa, and Hanae yelled at Daichi, who, used to these reactions, simply shrugged.

  Despite Okabe's usual lazy behavior, the group divided up what they had brought and enjoyed their impromptu picnic.

  “Did anyone see yesterday's episode of ‘Captain Nero’?” Tsubasa asked the group, unwrapping a Maxi-on candy.

  “I cried when Commander Tsukinabi died!” Airi shouted, earning stares from the rest of the class. She quickly apologized, her face flushed with embarrassment.

  Just another typical day at South Sea High… right?

  After a while, Kenji asked permission to go to the bathroom, receiving a vague greeting from Sunako, who was clearly smitten by the beauty of Ms. Hunigaki. The boy had barely left the classroom when he heard it…

  A faint buzzing sound reached hisears. Low, almost imperceptible, but annoying nonetheless. Turning his head, he caught sight of something: A strange figure, almost transparent, but completely white (like a hooded robe), flew swiftly across the hallway.

  Curiosity getting the better of him, Kenji slipped away and followed the figure (though not entirely convinced it existed). However, what he saw alarmed him: The same figure, now a little more visible, had one arm raised, ready to strike the janitor, Boneniro, who was mopping, oblivious to the imminent attack, with his headphones on, listening to LUNA STAGE.

  “Watch out, sir!” Kenji shouted before he could think straight. Even though the janitor seemed confused by the sudden shout, it was the mysterious figure who was truly surprised by the boy's interference. The young man quickly realized what he had done…

  “Hehe…sorry…” Kenji apologized awkwardly, taking a clumsy step backward, only to take off running as soon as he turned the corner of the hallway. Even so, glancing over his shoulder as he ran back to the classroom, he saw the figure moving swiftly behind him, filling him with even more adrenaline. “Sorry, sorry, sorry!”

  Kenji was quick, navigating the curves connecting the hallways with minimal skidding. His heart pounded, and his main desire was to reach the classroom door again. Even so, the creature was relentless, leaping with an abstract elegance and disconcerting, wobbly movements.

  Finally, the boy spotted his classroom door at the end of the hallway, which gave him a moment of confidence, and he slowed down to catch his breath. However, this backfired on him, as he felt a strong grip on his left arm before a powerful force swung him against the metal railing of the hallway, causing a loud crash. The humanoid figure stood before the boy, revealing a zipper on its head that, when opened, resembled a mouth with small teeth.

  "S-Stay away!" Kenji tried to scare the figure by swinging his arm, only to elicit a violent reaction. The figure launched an attack that left a small cut on his forearm. Despite grumbling about the pain, Kenji watched as the creature prepared for another attack... until he quickly turned to see a shadow about to emerge from the classroom door. It swiftly closed its zipper-mouth and floated away erratically toward an open window, through which it escaped.

  “Kenji!” Airi’s voice echoed in the hallway as she ran worriedly toward him. “Are you okay?!”

  “Y-Yes. Don’t worry. One of the fifth-grade boys I bumped into this morning had been kicked out of his classroom, and I ran into him in the hallway. The guy was still mad because I spilled his homework all over the floor earlier today.” Kenji laughed nervously, unsure whether to tell his friend the truth for fear she’d think he was crazy. Unfortunately, his habit of nervously scratching the back of his neck only made things worse.

  “Your arm!” The girl noticed, with growing unease as she almost completely believed his story, the wound on Kenji’s arm, which had already started to bleed a little…

  “Oh! This…? While I was running away from that bully, I tripped over my shoelaces and fell on a broken tile…my arm broke my fall.” The young man quickly concocted a story, managing to make it sound convincing thanks to the fact that his own shoelaces were untied after fleeing the humanoid figure.

  Airi was skeptical of the apparent constant bad luck that seemed to plague her friend. However, she decided that now was not the time for questions, but for action.

  "Anyway, you have to go to the infirmary," the girl said as she helped Kenji to his feet, while running back to the classroom to give Professor Sunako a quick summary of what the young man had said. Once she had permission, the girl took the spiky-haired teenager to the infirmary.

  While Kenji mentally berated himself for lying to Airi, unbeknownst to either of them, a strange trail began to emanate from the wound inflicted by the humanoid being.