The Power Seekers
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“I’m not sure I like the way this is going,” said Maddy. “We’re just supposed to sit here and wait for them?” She looked at me, her eyes wide with disbelief.
She was right; it wasn’t how we’d planned things out when she first arrived in my office a few days ago. We were supposed to be on our own by now: sneaking around behind enemy lines, gathering intel about what they knew of us so that we could come up with an effective plan once we got inside their base.
But then there had been all those complications—the attack from the other side, the sudden appearance of these strange creatures who seemed intent upon killing everyone within reach…and now this! The idea of sitting back while waiting for someone else to do something didn’t seem very appealing anymore. Especially since no one would tell us anything useful anyway.
Maddy’s face turned red as she clenched her fists together tightly enough that her nails dug into her palms. It made sense though; after everything we’d gone through already today, I couldn’t blame her if she wanted nothing more than to punch somebody or break something until they told her exactly where they expected us to go next.
And yet even knowing that part of me still felt bad for her because I understood why she was upset too. If I hadn’t spent most of my life training myself to keep calm under pressure, I probably wouldn’t have handled things any better either.
But before anyone could say another word, the door opened again and two men walked in carrying large wooden boxes between them. They set down both containers on top of the table without saying a single thing and left immediately afterward without looking at us directly.
There was only silence in the room except for the sound of the wind outside blowing against the windowsill. For several seconds nobody moved, but eventually, Maddy let out a deep breath and sat down across from me. Her hands remained firmly clasped together beneath the table, making small circles over each other repeatedly.
“What are you doing?” asked Nia curiously. She leaned forward slightly toward Maddy, peering closely at her face. “You look angry.”
“It doesn’t matter,” replied Maddy shortly. “They won’t talk to us unless we ask the right questions.”
Nia nodded slowly, apparently satisfied with that explanation. Then she glanced at me briefly before turning back to Maddy. “Are you okay? You don’t usually get mad easily…”
Maddy snorted quietly. “That’s true. Usually, I can control my emotions much better than this. Something must really be bothering me!”
Her words reminded me of what had happened earlier during lunchtime. After hearing about what had transpired in the cafeteria, I decided to try asking some direct questions about what was happening. Unfortunately, none of my attempts worked.
Even when I tried using the same kind of language that I used whenever talking to people who weren’t familiar with magic, I found that no matter how hard I pushed, I never managed to make them give me any information. In fact, every time I brought up the subject of magic itself, they always reacted strangely.
At first, I thought it might be because they didn’t understand what I meant by ‘magic,’ but later I realized that they actually did know quite well. As far as I could tell, however, they simply refused to acknowledge its existence.
That made no sense whatsoever, especially considering that I’d seen plenty of evidence suggesting otherwise. So instead I started trying to explain the concept to them, hoping that maybe they’d finally start to see things my way.
But somehow, despite having heard the exact same story dozens of times before, they still insisted that I was wrong. Every attempt ended in failure. Eventually, I gave up and went back to eating my food in peace, which is why I’d completely forgotten about the whole ordeal until now.
“Well, whatever the reason, I think we should stop wasting our time here and find somewhere else to stay tonight,” suggested Nia. “If they want us to leave, then we’ll just have to take care of ourselves.”
“Yeah, good point,” agreed Maddy. She sighed heavily and stood up quickly. “Let’s go then. Maybe we can figure out where we need to go tomorrow.”
With that, she grabbed hold of her backpack and headed for the exit. Before leaving, she paused momentarily and turned around to address me. “Thanks, Alex. I appreciate your help.”
For a moment I hesitated, unsure whether I ought to reply. Finally, I shook my head silently.
“Don’t worry about it,” I assured her. “Just focus on getting yourself ready for the mission.”
Then she disappeared out into the hallway, followed closely by Nia. I watched them go until they reached the end of the corridor and stepped off onto the landing beyond. From there, they continued walking along the stairs leading away from the building, disappearing behind one of the nearby buildings.
The second they were out of sight, I hurriedly got up and rushed out after them, following their footsteps all the way down the street. By the time I caught up to them, they’d already stopped and waited patiently while standing beside an old-fashioned telephone booth. Both girls looked exhausted, so I figured it would be best not to disturb them right now.
Instead, I took a few steps backward and pulled out my phone to check the map app again. It showed that the nearest train station was located approximately three kilometers east of the school grounds. If I wanted to catch a ride home today, I needed to hurry.
I checked the clock next: 3 PM. With any luck, I wouldn’t run into any more trouble on the way.
***
The journey back to town wasn’t nearly as bad as I expected. Sure, I ran into a couple of patrolling soldiers on the road, but fortunately, neither of them seemed interested in stopping me or even paying attention to me in general.
They walked past without saying anything, continuing straight ahead like nothing unusual had ever occurred. Once I arrived at the train station, I immediately began looking through the various ticket machines in search of something cheap enough to afford. Fortunately, the trains running between the city center and the outskirts of the suburbs only cost two dollars each.
Not exactly dirt cheap, but definitely affordable given the circumstances. And since I couldn’t use magic anyway, I felt confident that I could manage to avoid being spotted if necessary.
After purchasing my tickets, I exited the station and set off toward the bus terminal. There I bought myself a single-ride pass for ten dollars, figuring that I probably shouldn’t risk losing track of time too badly. Besides, I knew that I’d be able to buy another one once I returned to the academy.
All told, the entire trip would likely amount to less than twenty bucks. Considering how expensive everything else had been lately, I considered that a pretty reasonable price to pay for avoiding the wrath of the government officials responsible for keeping order within the city limits.
Once I boarded the bus, however, things suddenly became much worse. For some reason, the driver decided to drive slowly over almost every bump in the road, making it impossible for anyone sitting near the front to sleep comfortably. After half an hour of this torture, I finally lost my temper and shouted angrily at him.
He responded by slamming his foot on the accelerator pedal and speeding up, forcing everyone seated toward the rear to grab hold of the seats in front of them. Needless to say, nobody appreciated the gesture very much; most of us spent the rest of the journey gripping our seat belts tightly and glaring resentfully at the man driving.
When he eventually pulled into the parking lot outside the academy, I let loose with a string of curses that made the whole vehicle shake violently.
When I disembarked from the bus, I found that I still hadn’t managed to get rid of the headache caused by the constant jostling during the last part of the trip. My body ached all over, and my eyes burned fiercely due to the lack of sleep. But worst of all, I realized that I didn’t feel safe anywhere anymore.
Even though I’d successfully avoided detection thus far, I doubted that I could keep doing so indefinitely. Eventually, someone might notice what I was trying to do, and when that happened, I suspected I would no longer be allowed to live freely. In fact, I strongly believed that it was inevitable.
Sooner or later, I would either have to give up and accept my fate or fight against the system. Either way, I knew that sooner or later, my life as a free person would come to an abrupt end.
And yet…
Despite knowing full well just how dangerous my situation truly was, I somehow remained calm. Why? Because I simply refused to believe that I deserved such treatment. No matter who I was, where I came from, or what I did, I firmly believed that I should never be treated like a criminal.
That’s why I kept fighting, even when it meant putting myself directly in harm’s way. To me, freedom was worth dying for—and that belief alone gave me the strength to continue moving forward despite the odds stacked against me.
“Hey,” said a voice from behind me. “You’re late.”
Turning around, I saw a familiar face staring back at me. It belonged to a girl wearing glasses whose name I couldn’t recall. She stood several meters away, waiting for me impatiently. Her expression clearly indicated her displeasure at having to wait for me.
“…Sorry about that. I’m really sorry…”
She sighed heavily before responding, “…It doesn’t look like you’ve changed your mind anytime recently, huh?”
For a moment, I thought she might hit me. Then again, maybe not. Maybe she understood that there were times when I needed help and other times when I couldn’t ask for assistance. Still, I couldn’t bring myself to tell her that I wanted to go home because I feared that she would take offense. Instead, I merely nodded silently while walking over to join her.
We continued down the path leading out of the academy grounds together. The sun had already begun setting, casting long shadows across the ground. As we walked along, the two of us exchanged small talk until we reached the entrance to the residential district.
Once inside, I turned left and headed straight toward the apartment building where I lived. At least, I tried to head in that direction. Unfortunately, the route I chose led right past the main gate of the academy. And since I wasn’t supposed to leave campus without permission, I quickly ended up being stopped by security guards.
They asked me if I was going somewhere, but I replied honestly: “I don’t know.”
The guard frowned slightly upon hearing my response. His partner then stepped closer and whispered something in his ear. Apparently, they weren’t satisfied with my answer, which is why the first guy called me aside and began questioning me more closely.
“Where are you heading tonight? Are you planning to meet somebody?”
He looked suspicious enough to make me wonder whether he actually intended to arrest me. However, after asking me these questions repeatedly, he seemed to grow tired of talking to me. Finally, he took a step backward and shook his head sadly before saying, “Well… Sorry, kid. Looks like you can’t go wherever you want today.”
With those words, he motioned for one of his colleagues to escort me back to the dormitory. I felt relieved to see that I wouldn’t be arrested, although I also wondered why he bothered interrogating me in the first place. Wasn’t it obvious that I didn’t belong here? If anything, I should have been grateful that he didn’t try to force me into staying.
As soon as we arrived back at the dorms, I went straight to my room. After locking the door behind me, I sat on my bed and stared blankly at nothing in particular. For some reason, I suddenly started feeling very lonely. Perhaps it was because I’d spent most of my time interacting only with people who hated me lately.
Or perhaps it was because I’d finally returned to my own home, albeit briefly. Whatever the case may have been, I found myself wishing desperately that I could spend this night alone.
But unfortunately, that wish was impossible to fulfill. A few minutes later, I heard footsteps approaching my bedroom. When I glanced toward the doorway, I noticed a tall figure standing outside. He wore a black robe, making him appear somewhat mysterious. But despite all appearances, I knew exactly who he must be.
This man had once saved my life during an attack orchestrated by the Academy City government. Although I still hadn’t figured out everything about what happened that day, I remembered vividly how he rescued me from certain death.
That’s why I immediately got off my bed and approached him. My heart raced wildly in anticipation of seeing him again. Yet instead of greeting me warmly, he simply glared at me coldly.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
His tone made it clear that he considered me a nuisance. I swallowed hard before replying, “I-I’m sorry! Please forgive me!”
“Why should I care?”
My reply caused him to frown deeply. In fact, he appeared so angry that I worried he might strike me. Nevertheless, I pressed onward regardless: “Please listen to me for a second! You came to save me, remember?! So please let me repay you somehow!!”
In truth, I had no idea how I planned to pay him back. All I did know was that I wanted to thank him properly someday. That much I could say with certainty.
However, the man named Kihara Yuiitsu remained silent for several seconds before speaking. “Do you even understand what gratitude means?”
“No, sir. Not really.”
At last, he spoke. “Then stop acting like such a fool. It makes me sick just looking at you.”
“…Huh?!”
I was shocked by his sudden outburst. What had I done wrong now? Had I said or done something stupid? Before I could find out, however, another person entered the room. She was wearing a white dress, and she carried a large basket filled with fruits. Her hair was tied up in pigtails, and her eyes were hidden beneath sunglasses.
“Oh dear,” she muttered softly as she saw me sitting on the floor. “You’ve gotten yourself into trouble yet again, haven’t you?”
She placed the fruit basket beside me and then stood there silently. Then, after waiting a moment longer, she sighed quietly and added, “It seems like you need someone to look after you. Do you mind if I take over?”
Her voice sounded gentle, almost motherly. Still confused by the situation, I nodded dumbly and watched as she picked up the basket full of apples and pears. With a smile, she set them down next to me. The sight reminded me of when my mom would bring me food every morning while I stayed home from school due to illness. As I thought back fondly to those days, I realized that I wasn’t quite sure where I belonged anymore.
***
After returning to the dorms, I decided to eat dinner early since I couldn’t stay awake any longer. Unfortunately, I ended up eating alone. No matter how many times I tried inviting other students to join me, nobody ever accepted my invitation. Even though I offered to buy their meals too, none of them agreed to come along. Eventually, I gave up trying to make friends altogether. Instead, I focused on studying and training until late at night.
The following week passed without incident. However, things changed dramatically two weeks later. On Monday afternoon, I received a call from the headmaster himself. Apparently, he’d learned that I’d gone missing during the weekend. And apparently, he’d already called the police.
When I asked him whether they’d actually taken action against me, he replied that he doubted it. According to him, the police probably sent a squad car to investigate but never followed through with arresting anyone. They didn’t want to waste manpower on a minor issue like mine.
Still, he warned me not to go anywhere near the academy grounds for the rest of the year. If I did, he told me, the police would arrest me right away. He also promised to inform the city council that I wouldn’t return to class unless I apologized publicly.
So basically, he threatened me…but that was fine with me. At least now I understood why everyone avoided me.
On Tuesday evening, I attended the student council meeting as usual. Afterward, I headed straight to the library. There, I met up with one of the girls who lived nearby. We chatted for a bit before parting ways. Since we both needed to study anyway, neither of us felt like going out together afterward.
As soon as I left the building, however, I spotted three men walking toward me. One of them was carrying a briefcase; the others held guns pointed directly at my chest.
“Halt!”
They shouted loudly enough that people passing by stopped to stare. My heart started racing, and I instinctively reached for my bag. But before I could grab anything, the leader stepped forward and grabbed hold of my arm.
“Don’t move.”
He pulled me closer to him, forcing me to walk alongside him. His grip was surprisingly strong, and I struggled to break free.
“Who are you guys?!”
“We’re the security team hired by the Academy City Council.”
That’s when I finally noticed the badge pinned to his uniform. It read “Academy City Police Department.”
My body went limp immediately. This must be some kind of prank! Surely this is all part of an elaborate plan to get revenge on me for being so mean to Mr. Kihara earlier. Right?!
But the man holding the gun still hadn’t lowered it. In fact, he tightened his grip around my neck.
“What do you think you’re doing?!”
“Shut your mouth, kid.”
His tone made clear that he meant business. When I looked up, I found myself staring into the barrel of a pistol. I swallowed hard, unable to believe what I was seeing.
Then, just as suddenly, the man released my throat. I stumbled backward, gasping for breath.
“Let’s start over. Why don’t you tell me everything about yourself?”
I blinked several times, unsure of how to respond. Finally, I managed to mutter, “…Why?”
“Because I’m curious. You see, I heard that you skipped classes yesterday. So naturally, I wanted to know more about you.”
“…You were watching me? How long have you been following me?”
“Not very long. Just today. That said, I’ve got eyes everywhere in this town. Not only can I keep track of you wherever you go, but I’ll even notice if you try to sneak off somewhere else. Now, let’s talk. What’s your name, boy?”
“…”
This guy really does seem to be keeping tabs on me. Maybe I should cooperate with him instead of resisting…?
Before I had time to consider the idea further, another voice interrupted our conversation.
“Hey, hey, wait a minute. Who are these guys?”
It belonged to a young girl wearing glasses and a white lab coat. She stood between the two armed guards and glared at them angrily. Her expression seemed familiar somehow. Then again, she might simply look similar to someone I knew. Still, her presence here struck me as odd.
She continued speaking once the men turned back to face her.
“Listen, I understand that you’re trying to protect the student’s safety. But there has to be a better way than threatening random strangers with guns. Isn’t that right, boys?”
One of the men responded with a curt nod. The other remained silent, though.
The woman sighed. “Well then, shall we continue this discussion elsewhere?”
After a momentary pause, the first guard nodded.
“All right. Let’s take ’em down to the station.”
“Wait, no need to rush things,” the second man interjected. “If we hurry, we can catch them before they leave campus.”
“Yeah, yeah. Don’t worry about that. We’ll make sure nothing happens to them while we’re escorting them outside.”
With that, the pair took hold of my arms. As expected, their strength far exceeded that of any normal person. And yet, despite the obvious threat posed by those guns, none of the bystanders moved to stop them from taking me away.
Eventually, the group arrived at a police car parked near the entrance gate. Once inside, the driver closed the door behind us. He didn’t bother locking it either, which surprised me. If anyone tried to escape during the ride, would they actually succeed?
Once we’d driven through the gates and onto the main road, the officer driving spoke up.
“Now then, where exactly did you hear that the boy skipped class yesterday?”
“Oh, well…that’s not important. All that matters is that he’s skipping school now too.”
“Huh? Wait, who are you talking about?”
“Just answer the question already.”
“Right. Sorry. Well, the truth is, I saw him running out of the dorms this morning. After that, I followed him until he came across one of your officers.”
“And what happened next?”
“Nothing much. They talked for a bit, and then the boy ran off again.”
The man sitting beside me leaned forward slightly.
“So why are you telling me all this?”
“Heh-heh. Because I want to help him.”
“Help him?”
“Yes. I told you, didn’t I? I’m a doctor!”
“A doctor?”
“Yep. A psychiatrist. My specialty is treating children like him.”
“Children?”
“Mm-hm. Children suffering from mental disorders.”
“Like what?”
“Depression, anxiety disorder—you name it. Anything goes, so long as it’s related to psychological issues.”
“Psychological problems?”
“That’s correct. It seems that the boy suffers from depression.”
“Are you serious?”
“Of course! His behavior suggests severe emotional trauma. This isn’t something you can fix overnight, but I’m confident I could treat him properly.”
As soon as I heard the word “depression,” my heart began racing. Was that really true? Could this stranger possibly know what was wrong with me after such a brief encounter?!
But just as I started thinking about asking her more questions, the woman cut in.
“Hmph. I suppose that explains his actions. In fact, I think I may have seen him around before. Do you mind if I ask your name, Doctor?”
“My name’s Dr. Akane Kannazuki. Nice to meet you.”
Dr. Kannazuki gave me an awkward smile.
“By the way, do you happen to remember anything unusual happening last night or early this morning?”
“…Umm…”
I racked my brain, trying to recall everything that had transpired since I woke up. At some point, I remembered hearing gunshots. That must’ve been when I passed out. Next, I recalled seeing the same woman I met earlier standing over me. There were also several people dressed in black suits surrounding the area. Finally, I thought back to how I felt when I awoke.
Wasn’t I feeling depressed? Or maybe anxious? No, wasn’t I having trouble sleeping lately?
Then it hit me: Those feelings weren’t unique to me alone. Everyone else seemed to be going through similar difficulties. Even the teachers and staff members at our school looked tired these days.
In short, everyone here was dealing with stress.
This realization made me feel even worse. How many others suffered from the exact same problem? Hundreds? Thousands? Maybe tens of thousands?
It almost sounded impossible. But given the sheer number of students enrolled at our school, it wouldn’t surprise me if the real figure was somewhere between two hundred thousand and three million.
Even though there might only be a few dozen kids like me among that massive crowd, it still meant that each individual child represented a huge burden on society.
Which begged the question: What should we do about it? Should we try to find a cure? Or perhaps we ought to simply accept the situation and move past it?
Either option carried its own set of risks and benefits. The former risked exposing the existence of the condition; the latter would mean accepting that we couldn’t change things.
Personally, I preferred the first choice. However, I knew full well that it would never work. For starters, no matter how hard we worked, we probably wouldn’t ever discover a solution within my lifetime. Which left us with the second option.
After mulling over the issue for a while, I finally decided to speak up.
“Um, excuse me.”
When I raised my voice, the other passengers turned toward me curiously.
“What is it?” asked the officer seated beside me.
“Do you know anyone named ‘Kuroe’?”
“Who’s Kuroe?”
“She’s one of my classmates. She has brown hair, wears glasses, and always keeps to herself. Her favorite food is rice balls, and she loves cats.”
“Hmm… So you’re saying this girl is missing?”
“Yeah. We haven’t found any trace of her yet, but I figured someone here might recognize her.”
“Well, let’s see. You said she likes cats right? Does that include dogs too?”
“No, not exactly. Cats are fine, but I don’t think she’d care much for dogs. If anything, they make her nervous.”
“Okay, gotcha. Well, I’ll tell you what. Let me take a look at those photos you showed me.”
With that, he pulled out a small notebook computer and opened a file containing pictures of various girls. He scrolled through them until he reached the picture of Kuroe, which prompted him to say, “Oh yeah! I saw this girl yesterday!”
“Really?!”
The officer nodded enthusiastically.
“Yep, I did. I spotted her walking down the street near the station. I guess I didn’t realize who she was at the time, because I just kept staring blankly ahead without making eye contact.”
He then pointed to the photo of Kuroe next to another image.
“See? Here’s the girl I spoke with today. Looks pretty different, huh?”
“You’re telling me.”
That was definitely not the same person. It could’ve been due to the angle of the camera lens or something, but I doubted it.
Still, I couldn’t help wondering why the police hadn’t noticed the difference themselves. After all, their job involved keeping track of criminals and solving crimes. They should’ve known better than to mistake the same face twice.
The End