PART ONE, CHAPTER NINE: "GOLD STANDARD"

-THE GOLDEN BOY & THE INNER CITY-

To the uninitiated, Niflheim might come across in description as a frozen hellscape. It almost always snowed, and the dangers of its occasionally frozen sidewalks were abnormally high. The average Niflheim resident tripped at least four times a week, and 1 in 300 falls lead to injury. Black eye, broken nose, so on and so forth.

Now that I think about it, I'm not doing the place any favours. The cold lead to frequent absentmindedness, a mental state I often fell victim to. I lost track of time with alarming frequency on Niflheim, often times stumbling into the streets by accident. You'd think the common man would hate the island.

No, maybe they did?

That didn't matter. For every curse spewed at Mother Nature, ten people were out there experiencing youth. When I was younger, Keiko and I went to the park. We laughed and played for hours on end, throwing snowballs and ruining the snowmen of other children. Right bullies we were, but I still look back on it fondly. Keiko too.

Right, thinking back...

Niflheim was a warm place, wasn't it.

-UNKNOWN-

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. Sky blue peeked in through patches of gray, but that wouldn't last. Above, clouds in the sky already started to gather. Afterwards, snow followed and we'd later settle into Niflheim's perpetual Winter. Muck and moist concrete made their mark until then, no problem.

"Show your work here. Here too, Satoto."

Genjou Gekkouhara stood dressed in Kawagusa General Academy's black-gold blazer, buttoned all the way up. Short seaweed green hair, neat and maintained, covered his forehead. A checkered scarf wrapped around his neck. I wore a sunflower-print scarf, one of Shizuka's own.

I frowned. "Why bother if the answer is right?"

"You'll get more points," said Genjou. He leaned in. "Look, here should be—"

"You're too close, snake."

We walked to school on a cool Friday morning. Shizuka left early, stating she had business to attend to. I needed to finish some homework, so I left after her. Perhaps an act divine intervention, I bumped into Genjou on the way. He started to, as he put it, "debug" my homework. A rude quip, but I let it slide in favour of the service provided. Still...

Why would he go so far? To seek praise is common sense, but to this extent? What a fool. An irredeemable, unsalvageable fool. I can't fathom Genjou Gekkouhara's way of thinking.

Overall, the day felt warmer than usual. Snow melted into dirt and the mud beneath released a scent most foul. Days like this always marked the aftermath of Satou Shibuya's battles. I failed to mention the raging tides that subsided two days prior. Shizuka chastised me for a callous disregard of nature, which I didn't refute.

My gaze narrowed. She wasn't wrong, I don't think. Still, is nature truly that big a deal? With nobody to enjoy it, what purpose does it serve... hm?

In the muddled distance, a familiar figure emerged from a building. Her chime of "I'm off" reached my ears, then she turned down the road- the same direction that Genjou and I walked in. Her long golden hair bobbed back and forth as if carried on the wind. She walked alone, a fact made more apparent by the brisk pace at which she moved.

She- Yoshida Yamashina- wore a familiar beige windbreaker, one I'd seen on our first meeting... no, not beige. A different one. Closer to white, I think. Black splotches clad the jacket, as if mimicking the pelt of a cow. I couldn't help but appreciate Yamashina's terrible fashion sense.

"Yoshida Yamashina, huh?" Genjou snickered. "Didn't know you two lived so close to each other, what a fun development!"

"We don't live close." I pointed at the building she'd exited. "Look, it's a patisserie."

"Yeah, the Yamashina Patisserie."

As we passed the building, I did indeed see "Yamashina Patisserie" on the front window. An unexpected development for sure, but I didn't pay it any mind. I turned forward once more and continued past the tree where Yamashina and I first met.

Genjou grinned. "You wanna grab a bite?"

"How foolish," I whispered. "I've got standards, you see."

"You're whispering."

"Raiju have good hearing, don't they?"

"Do they?" Genjou snickered. "Also, you're being creepy."

I shrugged. My gaze focused on Yamashina's long legs, on which she wore black knee-high socks. Right, left, step, step, she seemed to be in a rush. Every tenth step, she'd pull out some sort of device (her cell phone, I think) and nod. The fact that I noticed this drove home what Genjou said about being creepy, so I glanced elsewhere.

"Oh, is that a cat?" I murmured. Couldn't tell from where I stood.

Genjou frowned- I snuck a cursory glance at him. He noticed, I think, because he glanced in my direction. "Hey," Genjou narrowed his gaze, "I'm late in asking this, but did something happen? You're squinting a lot lately, are your eyes okay?"

"You're curious, you're curious?" I asked.

"Bzzzt, wrong. I'm worried. There was a sort of bestial sounding explosion three nights ago. Like a lion, actually. You've been wearing a scarf since then. It's backlash, huh?"

I bit my lip.

"Was it Fran Fairchild?" he asked.

"Backlash or not, I'm always in top form." I turned my gaze ahead, towards the distant but blurry train station. "This scarf is for fashion. Stylish, hm? Sister dearest's tastes have no match. Granted, I'd have preferred something a little less yellow—"

"Satou." Genjou's tone turned harsh.

My brow twitched. "Remember your place, snake. It was like this last time, the time before, and the time before that. This is nothing new, so mind your own business."

"This is my business, Satou. Shizuka would roast me if someone harmed you. The Round Table too. They won't admit it, but nobody likes seeing you hurt. Midas is... he's a regular battle junkie, but Gagetsu would stomp me into the concrete if I let you cry. Friendship and all that sappy stuff."

"I wouldn't cry, fool. Also, you give Gagetsu too much credit- she would stomp me into the concrete given the chance. This goes without saying but you're the only member who doesn't loathe my oh-so-perfect existence. 'Friendship' is the wrong word."

Genjou frowned but didn't respond.

In any case, it didn't take long to reach Ryugujo Station. Nothing eventful happened on the train, as Genjou kept vigilant watch over... something. I couldn't tell what, but he murmured a line about guarding someone from gropers. On the other hand, I kept my eyes on Yamashina.

Eventually we arrived at Kawagusa General Academy.

A technicolour stream of students swept through the front gates. A rainbow of hair, one that the golden girl disappeared into. Chatter about the weather came in from all around. People noticed my show of power. As a result, an old name found frequent use among my fellow students.

Golden King.

How amusing that I walk among them right now. I wonder, would they bow if they knew I commuted to school like any other student?

"By the way, Satou."

I glanced towards the green-haired youth at my side. He wore a more serious expression, one that worried for my safety. I clicked my tongue. "Yes?"

"That vampire... the Vermilion Shinso is on the move," said Genjou. "He and Fran Fairchild fought at Nakagawa Junction yesterday- they had to close part of the area off. I don't know who won, but I'm told it was a bizarre fight. That redhead, he's getting stronger."

A quiet laughing fit assailed me. "Fran Fairchild is a stepping stone. If the boy couldn't defeat her, he'd have no chance of beating anyone on the Round Table. Honestly, what a fool."

Genjou smiled. "Be careful, that's all I'm saying. After all, he wants your seat."

We entered the school and walked to the shoe lockers. Mine sat at the end of the third row, farthest from the school's entrance. Genjou's sat on the fourth row, directly behind mine. I hadn't noticed on the second day because I'd arrived early. A rookie mistake. As a result, Genjou once again became part of my everyday life.

A yawn seeped out as we walked down the row.

"My, not sleeping well?" asked Genjou.

With a shrug, I removed my outdoor shoes. Despite my attempts to keep them clean, bits and pieces of mud caked their surface. Shizuka gave them to me, hence why. I couldn't clean them with my ability, not in public. I retrieved my indoor shoes from my shoe locker—

"G-Genjou."

"Sachacha, what's wrong—" Genjou paused.

Our eyes fell on the insides of my shoe locker. The obvious contents presented themselves: a pair of clean shoes meant for indoor use. Nothing about them struck me as odd, but why would they? Shoes didn't catch our focus. Another matter sparked our unrest.

A single envelope lay atop my indoor shoes. White paper with a frilly design. A single sticker, the image of a shiny gold star, sealed the envelope shut. Genjou and I exchanged glances, as if expecting something to happen. Then, after our brief silence, Genjou spoke.

"I-It might not be a love letter. Let's think about this for a second, when was the last time you got a real love letter? Middle school, I think... hey, are you listening?" Genjou waved a hand in front of me. "Satototou? Satou Shibuya?"

"It was only a matter of time. The exalted Satou Shibuwa... S-Shibuya obviously turned heads with his magnificent gait and perfect face. I'd prepared for this day, but to see another love letter in person..." Dry laughter echoed from within.

"El Satou? Sasatou?"

"Woe, my standards are too high. S-Satou Shibuya can't date someone of lower status! Right?! B-Besides, why me... no, of course it would be me! It's obvious... yes, it's completely obvious! Who wouldn't seek to stand at Satou Shibuya's side? Foolish. B-Boorish? Nonsense! Poppycock!"

"A meltdown?! Yo, snap out of it!"

"That's right, that's right! G-Give me a moment."

"You're reading it here?!"

I rushed to peel the sticker off the envelope. Two of the star's five prongs tore, but that always happened with more complex stickers. My fingers swept across the envelope's flap, checking if it'd been sealed. It hadn't, so I opened it. A white slip of paper rested inside. Curiosity overwhelmed me.

Slowly, steadily, I pulled the slip out of the envelope. My gaze wandered to Genjou, and the two of us locked eyes. He nodded, and I turned back to the envelope. I nodded as well, then pulled the slip free. Folded, like I'd suspected, so I carefully opened the paper...

"G-G-Genjou!" I couldn't hide my bewilderment.

A bead of sweat rolled down my brow, a testament to my shock. My eyes slid down the page. In neat writing, red ink, a message ran along the paper's surface.

"Satou Shibuya, lunch time, on the roof."

-S0020-

A digital chime started off first period: Home Economics. At least, that's what it should've been.

We stood lined up on the muddy field, we being myself and my classmates.

I wore my indoor shoes for all of five minutes!

After entering the classroom, an announcement over the com system ushered the contents of two classrooms out into the gym: 3-A and another class. Upon arrival, suspicious-looking men handed us our gym-wear and told us to change. In this case, gym-wear equated to an uncomfortable skin-tight bodysuit. Black and gold, in true Kawagusa fashion.

In the end, the suspicious-looking men moved both classes to opposite sides of the field. We were lined up, made to stand, and left there. As expected, silence did not reign.

The student to my left, a youth with a refreshing face, played with the rubbery collar of his bodysuit. Kozue Kotobuki, if I remembered correctly. He tied his light blue hair up in a bun. "Top scorer, are these anti-contamination suits?" He paused. "...Actually, are you nervous or something?"

"No, um..." I traced the contours of my frame by eye. Perfection, as per usual. I gathered my hair into a tail at my nape. "T-These are mock-ups, there's no black salt baked into the rubber. How unexpected, you can't differentiate between training wheels and the genuine article?"

"Yeah, my bad."

"Fool, why are you apologizing?"

"There's no pleasing you, huh?"

Before I responded a new face appeared on the scene.

"You lot have guts," said the teacher. A tall, well-built man with an x-shaped scar beneath his left eye. Long red hair took the form of a spiky ponytail, reaching nearly to his feet. His red eyes glinted. "Wouldn't be chatting otherwise, eh?"

Our class fell silent.

"That's better," said the teacher. "Now then, I'll get down to business. My name is Kengo Kusanagi, and I'll be watching you guys for the duration of our exercise. Any complaints?"

My brow tensed. One of Keiko's cousins? I've never seen this one before, but he's the spitting image of her father. How amusing.

"Most of you are here to boost your odds of passing the Demonslayer Examination," continued Mr. Kusanagi. "For those who aren't, well, put up with it. What is it, the fifth of April? We're starting a day early, but whatever. Who wants to guess what we're doing?" He glanced over the row of students, then settled on someone. "You, golden hair."

I glanced towards the person in question, who stood one student to my right: Yoshida Yamashina. She wore her hair in a low ponytail. Refreshing, to say the least.

Yamashina cleared her throat. "Given these suits," she motioned downwards, "and the fact that another class was called, I believe we are doing field training."

Mr. Kusanagi nodded. "Yeah, sounds about right. We're early, like I said, and our mock-demon isn't here yet. She'll arrive later. Until then, we'll be doing a little anti-personnel training... no, an anti-personnel game."

A game? How curious, how curious.

The teacher glanced towards the other end of the field, where another faculty member no-doubt gave the same spiel. Mr. Kusanagi turned back to us with a small frown. "Change of plans. Was gonna make you guys play 'Capture the Flag', but let's make it more interesting. I'm gonna see if we can do class versus class."

With a nod, Mr. Kusanagi jogged off towards the other end of the field. In response, chatting once more commenced.

"Why anti-personnel?" Kotobuki murmured. "Seems kinda weird, don't you think? Signed on to fight demons, not people. They're different. Like, super different."

I sighed. "Foolish, isn't it?"

"Experience is experience," spoke a familiar voice. I glanced towards its source and found the golden girl directly to my right. "Though I'll admit, I don't like the idea."

Kotobuki snickered. "Right?"

"More importantly," I frowned, "You swapped spots."

Yamashina nodded. "In case Mr. Kusanagi can't convince the other teacher. Most teachers determine teams on a one-two basis. Being next to you might place me on the other team, provided I'm right."

"How foolish," I murmured.

Perhaps the rest of the class disagreed because a great shuffling occurred. The line shifted as people changed positions, no doubt hoping to adjust their team composition. This reaped the expected outcome, and soon everyone settled down.

Twenty seconds later, I stood at the left end of the line and next to a person I didn't know: a hunched girl with pale green eyes. She sported dark green hair down to her upper back, in a tail at her nape. A shark-toothed grin served as her most defining trait.

How uncouth. Is she picking a fight?

The girl didn't look in my direction. "Yo."

I clicked my tongue. "Know your place."

"...Right."

Mr. Kusanagi returned soon after, a wide smile sprawled across his gruff and oh-so grimy countenance. The man clapped his hands, catching the attention of those in my surroundings. Every student in view straightened their backs, and I followed suit.

"Good news, we're on for a game of class-versus-class CTF," said Mr. Kusanagi. He smirked. "Bad news, the losing class will be scrubbing the gym on their lunch break. Not my plan, but the opposition is looking for an excuse to ditch cleaning duty."

Wait, lunch break?

Confidence welled up in the face of music I couldn't afford to face. The exalted Satou Shibuya's very special lunch plans didn't involve cleaning up someone else's mess. The idea of leaving a girl on the cold roof because of cleaning duty lit my heart ablaze.

I'd simulated the experience in my head. Climb up to the roof and flash a winning smile, a reminder of my untouchable status. "Little kitten," I'd say, "The world and all its pleasures separate us. I can't waste my time on a lesser existence like yourself. I'm sorry."

"No matter what, master?"

"No matter... hm?" My eyes shifted to the shark-toothed girl on my left, who fought off laughter by the skin of her oh-so-pointy teeth. Her eyes seemed to bulge out of their sockets with unprecedented comedic force. Sweat condensed on my brow.

"Little kitten?" The girl's raspy voice shook, and the sounds of suppressed laughter escaped the gaps in her fingers. "Lord forgive me, I'll be meeting you soon!"

"What's going on over there?" Mr. Kusanagi's voice made me tense up. "You find something funny about CTF?" A pause. "Me neither, so tell me what you're really laughing about."

Yes, I'm very curious.

"Oh, er... hiii?!" Murderous intent blacker than the night sky killed her laughter. She snuck a glance in my direction, then turned towards Mr. Kusanagi once more. "Was just uh... you know, I kind of forgot. S-Sorry teach, I'll shut up."

"Yeah, do that... is what I'd say, but we start in twenty minutes. There are twenty-six people in this class, though it seems we're one person short." Mr. Kusanagi counted something with his fingers. "Should be enough for five squads, so that's perfect. Before I tell you lot to form up, I've gotta figure something out. How many of you know the basic five positions in an Anti-Demon Squad?"

I expected the first hand up- Yoshida Yamashina.

"Go for it," said the teacher.

Yamashina cleared her throat. "Not withstanding the supplementary role of ESPer, there are five basic positions that every Anti-Demon Squad must fill. They are Vanguard, Meister, Chaser, Support, and Burner."

Mr. Kusanagi grinned. "Very good. Now then, allow me to explain in detail."

First, the warrior at the forefront- the Vanguard- kept the enemy Demons' focus. Mother filled this role on her squad. Second, the Meister damaged and temporarily immobilized Demons. To my knowledge, Fran Fairchild alternated between Meister and Chaser.

Chasers tracked nearby Demons in the absence of an ESPer, whilst Supports tended to equipment and the wounded. These were regarded as the least important (but still vital) roles. On the other hand, none could compete with Burner as the most important role.

Demons sported unparalleled healing abilities. Nothing short of annihilating their physical form could kill a Demon. The next best method involved cauterization of their wounds. Because of this, Burners filled very specific criteria: they required a way to create immense heat.

Many people aspired to fill the Burner boots, including some I knew: Akane Akasaka, sister dearest, so on and so forth. More than I'd like to admit chased the shadow of our father, the so-called "Greatest Burner" with the title of Sol Dios.

"Now then," said Mr. Kusanagi, "Squad up. Since there's no way to form a proper squad, I'll give you guys a pass on that. Just do five groups of five, line up afterwards. Five minutes, go!"

My surroundings began to shift as fellow students filled in gaps. The world became a swirling vortex of form-fitting black rubber, leaving me with nowhere to look. My gaze rose towards oppressing gray skies, and there the sun greeted me.

You don't scare me.

"Apologies, Shibuya, but what are you doing?"

"Nothing, what's wrong?"

My eyes fell on a familiar golden-haired girl, arms crossed over her (larger than expected) bust. One brow raised, perhaps in unabashed confusion at my own perfection, she cleared her throat. Yamashina placed her hands on her hips. "It seems we're among the remainders."

I snickered. "Remainders? That's nonsense, I'm... wait, everyone is already grouped up?!"

I got sidetracked? Me?!

My gaze swept across the area, scanning for a group to join. Too late, it seemed. Two mixed groups, one group of all boys, one group of all girls. In a mere three days, circles had already been established. I'd waited too long to join one! My only hope became the leftovers, the remnants who hadn't joined a group!

Who? Who will I be stuck with?!

All outliers soon gathered at Yamashina's back. The first, a familiar face. Short, sky blue hair and an athletic build like my own. His cool blue eyes focused on me as he gave a wide smile.

"Yo, top scorer," said Kozue Kotobuki.

I frowned. "Hello."

The second, a gloomy beanstalk of a youth, shrugged. Black hair, black-framed glasses, dark eyes. Arms dangling at his sides, he- Iori Ikuzawa- seemed overcome with lethargy. The youth shrugged in acknowledgement of our predicament and went to line up.

The third, a hunched girl with pale green eyes. She sported dark green hair down to her upper back, in a tail at her nape. This shark-toothed person-

"Wait, it's you." My brow twitched.

She retreated a step. "R-Reika Rurisaki, pleased to meet you."

"As you can see," Yamashina shrugged her shoulders, "This is our situation. I can fill Burner, Kotobuki can be Meister. Rurisaki might work as Vanguard or Chaser. Shibuya, you... apologies, but I'm not sure what your ability is."

I pressed a hand to my waist. "What about Ikuzawa?"

"I'm not sure, but he wants to be Support."

A troublesome predicament indeed; I'd planned on filling Support. I loathed to admit it, but Genjou hit the nail on the had. Top form eluded me, a fact I endeavored to hide. Even barring this, it felt like a poor idea to use my ability here, where someone might recognize it as the King's Regalia.

"Do you know which class we're facing?" I asked.

Yamashina nodded. "Unfortunately, 3-C."

She explained who to look out for. Kohei Kitamura, super strength, recent addition to the boxing club. Satsuki Sanae, air manipulation, heir to the Sanae school of archery. A long list of names, but the last one caught my attention.

"Genjou Gekkouhara," Yamashina said. "Heir to the Gekkouhara clan, skilled practitioner of the Gekkouhara's demon assassination techniques. Gekkouhara is the current Beta."

"He is rather beta, I suppose."

Yamashina scowled. "The Beta, Shibuya."

"I know, I'm aware."

Genjou Gekkouhara filled the seat of Beta, one of twenty-four superhumans and non-humans known as Letters. Each had fantastic, awe-inspiring abilities that put them at the top of Karatsuba's recruitment list. Eisenritter's too, a fact that left both groups butting heads.

If Genjou is in opposition, he might single me out for his own amusement. What a troubled little person, the snake. I'd rather not deal with him, but I can't afford to waste my lunch cleaning out the gym. What a terrible day!

"I wonder why they selected us to face Gekkouhara's class," said Yamashina. I saw a strange bitterness on her face, but not towards the opposition. She took a deep breath and gave me her focus. "Shibuya, would you be our Vanguard?"

I stepped forward with a frown. "On what grounds do you ask this? If you know who we're facing, why ask me? Choose your answer carefully. Four of them should've popped up, Ms. Yamashina. My route is open, you need only pick the right choice."

Yamashina closed her eyes. For the first time, she seemed to be considering my bizarre rambling with the utmost seriousness. So serious, in fact, that I felt my face redden. I had to clarify my meaning.

"W-Wait, my route isn't actually on the table."

"Route?" Yamashina tilted her head. "In any case... it pains me to say this, but you are strong. Strong enough to contend with me and, by extension, strong enough to contend with Gekkouhara. I can face him, but I cannot say with absolute certainty that I'll win."

"Your faith in my perfection is normal, but-"

A small thump resounded throughout my chest. The eyes of my classmates turned to focus on the scene behind them. My gaze shifted from one squad to the next, and then down to my chest. A sturdy fist pressed against the very center of my torso.

I followed that fist to its source, the golden girl. Her eyes burned with a dignified tenacity, a determination that surpassed pride and passion. That steadfast, unwavering expression induced within me with a bizarre nausea that I struggled to place.

My hand fell to her outstretched arm and I gripped her wrist. Disgust welled up, but I fought off the all too powerful urge to spew profanities. I took a deep breath and once more focused on the dazzling existence at my doorstep. The voice that left my mouth oozed with unconditional distaste.

"What are you doing?" My grip tightened.

"Satou Shibuya, I cannot afford to lose here. Understand that I do not ask for your cooperation lightly. You are everything I loathe in a person, but also something- no, someone to overcome. An awe-inspiring entity that nobody, not even I, can ignore. I put my faith not in your so-called perfection, but in that which you have shown me. After all, you..."

I snickered. "Me?"

"You are not the malicious person you aspire to be."

My body moved on its own. A loud slap rang through air, which prompted loud yelps from the surrounding students. My vision blurred, unfocused on the stinging in my palm. The golden girl stepped backwards, the side of her wrist red. She didn't falter though.

The two of us stepped forward until less than half a foot separated us. Yamashina looking up, me looking down, the two of us locked eyes. Her expression felt stern, almost unquestionable. I knew better, and she recognized that.

I glanced down at her right hand, which crackled with electricity. Perhaps she noticed mine, which burned with an aurum reiki. We stared at each other for five, maybe ten seconds, without either of us so much as uttering a word.

Very well!

With a flash, gold smashed against gold. Reiki and electricity danced, parted, and dissipated. When the light faded, my gaze fell on our joined hands. I sneered.

"I absolutely hate losing," I said. "I don't like physical contact either- frankly, your touch disgusts me. I don't like looking at you, your face is too pretty. More than anything else, I reject failure in any way, shape, or form. Whenever I see you, I always remind myself that I scored higher. You're a fool, one I can't be bothered to reason with."

Yamashina scowled. "You're a megalomaniac, and the fact that you know this speaks volumes about your character. Fortunately, your good looks are a wonderful counterbalance. You reek of vanilla and citrus- I often find myself cursing you from across the room. When you defeated me at arm-wrestling, I wanted to lunge across the table and continue with our fists."

I leaned in closer. "I'm the Alpha. "

She as well- our foreheads almost touched. "I'm the next Zeta."

Bewildered chatter came from all around as Yamashina and I separated. About I, the Alpha, her, the (then) Zeta candidate, about both of us. I didn't pay it any mind and I don't think she did either. Our backs to each other, the conversation continued.

"Genjou Gekkouhara's ability is Orochi. Gen... Gekkouhara's blinding speed comes partly from his training, but mostly from Orochi's ability to bend space to his will. The snake thinks he hard-counters my ability, but that's nonsense. I'm the strongest, after all."

"So you're familiar with him. I saw you walking together, but-"

"You saw that?!"

Mr. Kusanagi cut in. "Yeah, listen, you guys should have this talk later." He made a swiping motion with his finger. "That goes for all of you, stop gawking and get back in line! Kids these days, I swear. Shows over, I've still got some rules to talk about!"

The rules were simple: Capture the enemy flag to win. Get an enemy on the ground and they're out. Scrapes and bruises were expected, but we were advised with the utmost seriousness not to go overboard. The game would run for thirty minutes. Afterwards, we'd move on to basic training with the 'mock-demon' that Mr. Kusanagi mentioned earlier.

We were dismissed shortly after, and our team gathered elsewhere to strategize. I, the exalted Satou Shibuya, received the task of carrying the flag. Another matter caught my attention, one I brought up when we arrived at our destination.

"Why are we using the entire school?" I asked, backside firmly planted on my desk.

Our group chose our classroom as our base of operations. Muffled sounds of class came from the adjacent Class 3-B; they took classes like normal today. Their exercise ran tomorrow on Saturday against 2-B, which I recognized as Keiko's class. It seemed that 3-B had no chance of victory.

Keiko could take on Genjou's entire class by herself. Or at least, she could've done it when we were children. I wonder, how much stronger has she gotten?

"Well," Yamashina brought me back to reality, "It seems they expect us to avoid damaging the school. Perhaps anti-collateral training for Demon-infested areas? At least, this would make the most sense. In any case-"

"Yamashina, is this good?" Kozue Kotobuki planted our flag in the dead center of our classroom- far enough from the window, but also far enough from the hallway. The flag itself wore the crest of Kawagusa General Academy: a white peony on a black shield.

"Move it closer to Class 3-B," I said. "They won't punch through 3-B's wall to get at our flag, so it'll be safer on that side of the room."

Kotobuki nodded. He picked up the flag and walked past the fast approaching Reika Rurisaki. The shark-toothed girl took a seat on the desk next to mine, where the lethargic Iori Ikuzawa sat. The boy groaned but didn't say a word.

Rurisaki squinted. "So, like... you're the Alpha?"

"Oh, er..." I forgot my open announcement of my rank. "Y-Yes, so choose your words carefully. You see, I'm still rather sour about our previous engagement. Not really lime sour, not lemon sour either. More a mild tartness. Tangerine sour, I think-"

"What's your power?"

Rurisaki spoke with a bizarre sort of expression. Half intimidated, half cautious, but one-hundred percent curious. She struggled to hide her almost childish interest in not me, but the nature of my abilities. I doubted she was the only one.

Curious eyes focused on the exalted I, who took center stage. It made sense to be interested. A Letter's powers were said to be mind-bending, almost vindictive towards the laws of reality. As a result, most Letters opted to keep the extent of their full power in darkness.

Thus, I told them the bare minimum.

"Alteration of preexisting matter plus synthesis of material with a sufficient catalyst. Air is the common ingredient, but it's easier if I use a tangible material. The name is a secret. How is it, are you in awe at the oh-so-mighty Satou Shibuya's abilities?"

"Um..." Rurisaki squinted.

Yamashina cut in from across the room. "My domain is electromagnetism. Electrical currents, magnetic fields, things like that fall under our control. It's fortunately simpler than what Shibuya described. For now though, we have five minutes to prepare. There are more important matters to deal with."

The whine of chalk against a blackboard brought my attention to the front of the room. Yamashina scribbled (rather hastily) a small map of the school and its field. She circled in red on the field where she expected the enemy to put their flag, and in blue the room where we sat.

"Shibuya," said Yamashina, "let's discuss tactics."