Chapter 9

Once Yuuki and Mr. Alessi disappeared, my next-door-Uni turned his full attention to me, blue eyes barely visible beneath those sunglasses he still wore. He regarded me casually, fingers still curled around the handle of his coffee mug, but I tensed regardless.

I was less afraid of him than I had been that morning, but I couldn’t forget what I had seen, the way he shifted from blasé barista to intense Uni even without displaying much ability; he didn’t need flashy abilities with that aura of his. I wasn’t regretting my decision to stay here and hear him out—and not go back to my dilapidated apartment so the Conscious could find me, and my story could have a tragic ending—but to say I felt completely comfortable would be a lie.

This man had saved me earlier, which probably meant I owed him, but it was (at least partially) his fault that I had been in danger in the first place. And, concerned for me or not, there was still the fact that I knew next to nothing about him.

Nothing—except the one very important fact he kept hidden.

There were a million things I wanted to know, however, my writer’s brain fully active now that I’d had a few moments to calm down (read: bury my panic beneath caffeine). But the first thing I blurted was, “So, why do you wear sunglasses all of the time?”

Even I knew that was rude to ask, but the words came out before I gave them permission. It was a nervous habit of mine—or maybe just a habit...or maybe something involuntary; I really didn’t know. I often said what my mind was thinking when I really shouldn’t have.

I secretly didn’t mind speaking my mind, but it had always annoyed my friends, and my parents’ strict rules meant they would prefer I didn’t say anything because of this quirk of mine.

Satsuya merely frowned, however, head tilting to the side as he considered my question. “I guess you would be curious about that.” He shrugged. “I get that question a lot, actually. People initially assume I can’t see, but that isn’t it at all. Actually,” his frown deepened, “it’s more the opposite.”

“The opposite?” It was my lip’s turn to pull downwards. I gripped my mug a little tighter before I took a drink. I was getting a bit low on coffee, but I hated to ask him to make more.

Coffee heaven, I internally sighed at the taste.

If nothing else, Satsuya was good at making drinks. Obviously his sunglasses didn’t impede his ability to see properly, as one might have thought dark lenses would do indoors. But that didn’t explain why he wore them, aside from maybe wanting to look cool.

Satsuya sat back, looking down at the table as if it held a script. “My vision is too good. It’s one drawback of having one of my abilities.” He paused, fingers uncurling from his mug one after the other. “It’s not just my eyes, though. The simplest way to explain it is to say my body is enhanced—senses, bone, muscle, everything. You wouldn’t know it at first glance, but I’m far more durable than even Silver Bullet.”

“The hero?” I couldn’t hold back a squeal, leaning forward over my coffee with all the eager giddiness of a fan. “He’s still the most popular Uni out there. He seems so reliable, a paragon of justice! But—wait, but how are you more powerful than him?” I smacked my cheek as soon as the words were out, shrinking back in my seat. “Oh, sorry, that was rude. I didn’t mean it that way.”

A small smile—maybe the beginnings of an amused smirk—curved Satsuya’s lips. “No, no, I get it. It seems impossible. But it’s true. Even if I wish it wasn’t. It would probably be better if it was Silver Bullet who had my powers instead...” He ran a hand through his dark hair, tugging at the ends. “But anyway, the point is, that’s why I wear these sunglasses. My vision’s too sensitive for outdoors, let alone the artificial lights indoors. I have a migraine most of the time, but I do my best to push through it. It’s frustrating, but I’ve also gotten used to all of the dirty looks I get.” The way he said it, I could tell he still fought with anger over these looks, but had tried to give up caring about them.

People who give you dirty looks just for wearing sunglasses are jerks.

I was about to say this aloud—but then remembered how annoyed I had been when I’d first seen him wearing sunglasses indoors, as if he thought he was a celebrity or something. It was funny how your perception changed once you learned a little bit more about a person and their circumstances.

Not too long ago, I was one of those jerks—and now I feel like I’d berate someone if I saw them glaring.

Talk about shallow, Ivy.

But maybe that meant I was learning.

I had mind to apologize, though I was a bit embarrassed to do so. Somehow I felt like Satsuya knew that, even though he hadn’t said anything aloud.

“I’m sorry you have to deal with that,” I said instead, hedging around what a jerk I had been. “But...is there any way to turn it off?” I smacked my cheek again, internally rolling my eyes at my big mouth. “Ugh, sorry. I don’t mean to make you sound like a light switch. I don’t know if you noticed, but I have practically no filter.”

“I noticed.” Satsuya chuckled, and it was a pleasant sound. “But it’s alright. We all have our quirks.”

A flash of memory echoed through my mind—my parents’ angry expressions, my friends’ haughty superiority—but my heart melted at the acceptance of a near-stranger.

“Thank you...” I told myself I wouldn’t cry, but sudden tears pricked at my eyes. “No one’s ever said it was alright before.”

Even if I was in danger, and I knew next to nothing about these people or what my future might look like—if I would even have one—I was grateful to be there in that moment, to hear those words. It was like a balm to my soul, as if an invisible hand had reached out and gently put a broken piece of Ivy back into place.

The tension left, and I felt comfortable for the first time since I’d realized who Satsuya was.

My next-door-Uni pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, his smile brightening. “I don’t see why people bother harassing others about their quirks. We’re all human here.” He paused again, jaw tightening at something in those words, before he changed the subject once more. “But, to finally answer your question, no, I can’t ‘turn off’ my power-related ability. At least...not the base of it. My structure, as it were, remains at a certain level.

“Physically, I’m an overpowered version of a normal human—what they call a ‘strength type’. But unlike other Uni, I don’t wear down past that strength base.” He lifted his coffee mug, balancing it on one finger. “Physically, I can adjust all of my senses, the amount of force I can endure and produce, etc. All I have to do is concentrate, and the power appears. It’s like a well—but the well never runs dry, and the only downsides are those like having too good vision and needing to wear sunglasses. Or growing tired suddenly because my mind’s reached its capacity. Those are the limits I have, instead of power limits. Mental limits. But even those are pretty adaptable.”

“I see.” I tapped at my own mug in thought, glad this was familiar; I had been expecting some outlandish Uni ability I had never heard of that was overly complicated, but strength-related powers was something fairly common and easy to understand. Still, Satsuya’s ability was awe inspiring. I had never heard of a Uni with no physical limits. “So, when you gain power, is that when that halo of white appears around you, and your eyes turn sort of icy?”

Satsuya nodded, the mug he held aloft not losing balance even when he took his eyes off of it. “That’s an after-effect. Don’t ask why it happens, because I don’t know.”

I wanted to tell him that I found the sight sort of alluring, but I was much too embarrassed to utter those words.

A prick at the back of my neck warned me that Yuuki would probably kill me if she heard me thinking that, and I quickly dashed the thought away, hoping she was too concentrated on her homework.

I bit my lip, a wrinkle appearing in my brow as I saw a hole in Satsuya’s explanation. “But Uni who have power related abilities also have other abilities, right? You did say it was ‘one of’ your abilities.”

Every Typpe went through a course called ‘Uni Explanation’—a course that, funnily enough, didn’t exactly explain the Uni, or where they had come from...if anyone even knew. All the information we were given regarding the birth of the Uni could be summed up thus: the word ‘Uni’ came from ‘unique’, which had originally been used to refer to the super-powered humans, and, years after the Uni had appeared, a war broke out between them and the Typpe. The war lasted for years, prompting The One to step in, bringing about the World Law and erasing the history that may lead to another battle. This was all common knowledge from the time a Typpe or Uni was small, taught by parents and teachers and life as we knew it; you really didn’t need a course to discover this.

The ‘Uni Explanation’ course, however, was a part of every Typpe’s basic education, repeated year after year, with more information added as the Typpe grew older. (I imagined the Uni had a ‘Typpe Explanation’ course, too, but I didn’t know.) The basic Uni abilities were explained in the course, grouped into categories so the Typpe would be familiar with the kinds of Uni they would see on the Uni Update; information about the Uni was given during the Update, too, but it helped to know the basics.

Every Uni I had seen with a power ability had other abilities besides, as if nature decided the ability to grow stronger in varying ways simply wasn’t enough. It seemed odd that Satsuya, who somehow had no limit on strength, could have another ability too, but based on what I knew to be fact (and his own words), it was almost a guarantee.

I was beginning to see why the Conscious wanted Satsuya’s help. The One was the most formidable person on the planet, but a Uni who had an infinite physical ability was nothing to be trifled with, even if his ability had drawbacks.

A cold shiver ran down my spine as I wondered what other abilities Satsuya may have—and what other downsides to his power.

My mind whispered something unthinkable, but I quickly blotted it out as I watched Satsuya rise from his chair, the movement rigid. He took his mug over to a small coffee station and began preparing another cup, his back to me.

I wondered if I had offended him by asking what other powers he had, and was about to open my mouth to apologize when he asked, “Ivy...how much do you know about the Uni?”

“A-About as much as anybody else, I guess.” I stumbled at the sudden question before amending it, “I mean, as much as any normal Typpe. I took the required course. I’ve even skirted a couple of Updates as they were being recorded, though I didn’t get involved in any skirmishes, um, before now. There’s not much Uni activity in the Second Sector, unless you count the ongoing battles between Sonic Ray and Silver Bullet, so I’ve never been lucky enough to—”

My words were cut off by a crash, and I flinched as pieces of Satsuya’s coffee mug went flying. But it was the faint hint of a glow around Satsuya’s that made my breath catch as he turned back towards me.

“Wait,” his voice was low, “you’re from the Second Sector?”