Chapter 35: "Surprise! I'm a Ninja With Superpowers (Also, Hi, I'm Not Kaito)"
In which secrets are spilled, illusions are dropped, and the group discovers their lives have been much stranger than they thought.
There are a lot of good ways to start a group meeting. You can bring snacks, start with a dramatic slideshow, or just ease everyone in with the classic, "Hey guys, I have something important to tell you."
Ren?
He went with:
"My name is Ren Kisaragi. I'm not actually Kaito Hoshino. Our souls were swapped between worlds, Kaito is currently inside my body, and magic and superpowers are real."
Let's just say—everyone choked on the metaphorical popcorn.
The gang had gathered inside the old construction-site-turned-teenage-dream-hideout. They were sitting on beat-up beanbags, old tires turned into chairs, and one suspiciously comfortable couch that probably had a criminal history. Ren stood in the center like a campfire storyteller, except campfire storytellers generally didn't begin their stories by admitting they were visitors from another universe.
Haruki and Hana were seated side by side, both staring at him with the nervous curiosity of people who had just realized their weird friend was significantly weirder than previously estimated.
Shōgo leaned against a pillar with his arms crossed. He wasn't smiling yet, but his eyes had immediately sharpened at the words another world and superpowers, which was basically the Shōgo equivalent of someone jumping onto a table and demanding details.
Reina was stretching one leg while watching Ren with a raised eyebrow, looking equally prepared to listen to the explanation and kick him if this turned out to be an elaborate prank.
Ryōhei, Tōma, and Kenta Minazuki had gathered together, each processing the revelation in his own particular way.
And Hermes?
Hermes was sitting in the corner with his phone actually turned off, which for Kazuki Saejima was basically a national emergency. The guy hated not knowing things, and Ren had just casually shattered his entire I know everything interesting happening in this city worldview.
Ren took a breath and let the illusion covering Kaito's body change.
The familiar appearance everyone knew faded beneath carefully shaped light until another boy seemed to stand in Kaito's place: younger-looking, lean and athletic, dressed in the dark style of the Veiled Moon Sect, with sharp features and unmistakable red hair.
Haruki dropped his water bottle.
Kenta gasped.
Shōgo's mouth slowly curved into a grin.
"Yeah," Ren said, rubbing the back of his head. "That's what I actually look like. I'm thirteen, my name is Ren Kisaragi, and I'm a Ninja from another universe."
Nobody spoke.
Ren continued before courage deserted him.
"A while ago, somebody used an extremely powerful technique and swapped my soul with Kaito's. I woke up here inside his body, and he woke up in my world inside mine. We're both alive, we can sometimes meet when we dream, and some extremely powerful people are trying to figure out how to reverse it."
That silence afterward was weirdly respectful. Ren had expected screaming, accusations, possibly somebody throwing something at his head, but instead everyone simply stared as though their brains had temporarily put up little signs saying:
PLEASE WAIT. REALITY IS REBOOTING.
Then came the reactions.
Hermes was first.
Of course he was.
He slowly removed his sunglasses, which was how everyone knew the situation had become genuinely serious.
"You're telling me," he said carefully, "that there are other universes."
"Yes."
"Civilizations with supernatural powers."
"Yes."
"Magic."
"Yes."
"Nonhuman species."
"Apparently quite a few."
"Secret organizations operating on Earth."
"Also yes."
Hermes stared at Ren.
"You know how many business opportunities I have somehow missed?"
Ren gave him a look. "Kazuki, I just told you that my soul was ripped across universes and put inside somebody else's body."
"I heard that part."
"And your first thought is investment opportunities?"
"Yes." Hermes paused. "My second thought is that you need to teach me."
Ren sighed.
Honestly, he should have expected that.
Shōgo cracked his knuckles.
"So…"
Ren looked over.
"There's really another world where people fight with supernatural abilities?"
"Yes."
"People who can destroy buildings?"
"Easily."
"Mountains?"
"Absolutely."
"People stronger than that?"
"Much stronger."
Shōgo became very still.
Ren immediately recognized the look.
"Oh no."
A grin spread across Shōgo's face like sunlight breaking over a battlefield.
"YES!"
He punched one fist into his palm.
"Finally! I knew there had to be something above this!"
"Shōgo—"
"There are people I can fight who won't break after three punches!"
"That should not be your first conclusion."
"It is absolutely my first conclusion."
Ren rubbed his forehead.
Some things remained predictable even when the universe changed.
Reina was quieter.
"So if all of this is real…" she said, uncrossing her arms, "then normal human ability isn't actually the limit."
"No."
Her expression sharpened. "I could train beyond what biology normally allows?"
"Yes."
"Become stronger than I could ever become through ordinary martial arts?"
"Yes."
A slow smile appeared.
Ren suddenly remembered why she and Shōgo got along.
"Interesting."
Then her expression changed.
"Wait."
"What?"
"That talking cat you mentioned before."
"Kuroha?"
"Yes."
"She's real."
Reina leaned forward.
"And the Magical Girl?"
"Also real."
"Can I meet them?"
Ren blinked. "You're more interested in the cat, aren't you?"
"Yes."
"Kuroha will probably judge you."
"I like her already."
"Of course you do."
Hana threw both hands into the air. "This is officially the coolest thing that has ever happened!"
Haruki stared at his sister. "Our friend just told us he was magically body-swapped across universes."
"Yes!"
"And that monsters and Demons and magic are real."
"Yes!"
"And your reaction is excitement?"
Hana pointed dramatically toward Ren. "He has superpowers!"
"That doesn't make the dangerous parts disappear!"
"It makes them cooler!"
Haruki looked toward Ren for support.
Ren hesitated.
"…She's not completely wrong."
"Ren!"
"Sorry."
Hana bounced in her seat. "Do we get glowing transformations?"
"I genuinely have no idea."
"I'll take that as a maybe."
Haruki sighed. "I'm surrounded by lunatics."
"You chose us," Ren reminded him.
"That was before I knew one of you came from another universe!"
"Technicality."
Ryōhei, who had remained unusually quiet throughout the conversation, looked down at one of his arms.
"My injury…"
Ren noticed the change immediately.
Ryōhei had been a talented boxer before a severe arm injury had damaged his prospects and forced him to rebuild much of his style around what remained.
"If magic exists," Ryōhei continued, "and your world has healing techniques…"
Ren gave him a firm nod.
"There's hope."
Ryōhei looked up.
"Actually?"
"Definitely. My world has medical Arts capable of treating injuries Earth doctors would probably consider permanent. There are also magical healers here. I can't promise exactly what can be fixed until someone qualified examines you, but this isn't the end of the road."
Ryōhei slowly clenched his fist.
Ren smiled.
"You follow me, and I'll help you find a path forward. Not just back to what you were. Stronger than that."
Ryōhei nodded.
"Then I'm in."
Tōma sighed beside him.
"I was already in, but apparently now I also have to stop all of you from getting yourselves killed while chasing supernatural enlightenment."
"That's why we keep you around," Kenta said.
Tōma glared.
Kenta immediately thrust one fist into the air.
"MAGIC FIRE PUNCH!"
Everyone looked at him.
"What?"
Reina closed her eyes.
"We've made a mistake."
"So," Reina asked after everyone had settled into a rough circle around Ren, "how do we get powers like yours?"
The room immediately became attentive again. Hana was practically bouncing where she sat, while Shōgo had the expression of someone who had just been handed a map leading directly to the greatest training ground on Earth.
Ren scratched the back of his head.
"Well, the energy I'm using right now is spiritual energy. I only awakened conscious control over it recently, and magic depends heavily on whether somebody has the talent for it."
He looked around the group.
"So there's a decent chance most of you won't be able to use magic naturally."
Collective disappointment.
Hana raised her hand hopefully.
Ren looked at her.
"I said most. We don't actually know who has talent yet."
Hana fist-pumped. "I'm claiming support mage until proven otherwise."
Reina muttered, "If she gets magic before me, I'm filing a complaint with reality."
Kenta Minazuki had started whispering "fire magic" to himself again.
Ren ignored him.
"But don't panic. Magic isn't the only path. There's also Ki."
Haruki tilted his head. "Like tea?"
Everyone stared at him.
"What?"
Ren nodded solemnly. "Exactly like tea, except instead of calming you down, eventually it lets you punch things much harder."
Haruki stared.
"That explanation somehow made me understand less."
"The important part is that Ki can be developed through physical training. If we find people who actually know Earth's methods, they can teach us properly."
Then Ren pointed toward Hermes.
"Which brings me to you."
Kazuki looked suspicious.
"I need you to find a dojo called Ryūseikan."
Hermes blinked.
"Ryūseikan?"
"You know it?"
"The old martial-arts compound on the edge of the city?"
Ren paused.
"…Maybe?"
Kazuki leaned back. "I've passed it before. It looks like somebody built an ancient dojo and then populated it exclusively with people who consider normal exercise a personal insult."
Shōgo immediately stood.
"Take me there."
"Sit down," Reina said.
He sat.
Hermes continued. "The instructors there are ridiculous. One of them carries training equipment that looks like it belongs on construction machinery."
Ren's eyes lit up.
"Sounds promising."
Reina leaned closer. "Do they know about supernatural powers?"
Hermes shrugged. "If they don't, I'm terrified to discover what the people who do look like."
Fair point.
Okay, so maybe what Ren suggested next wasn't the most medically approved idea in history.
But hey, when you suddenly have enough spiritual energy to give somebody a temporary taste of enhanced physical ability, you have to share the experience at least once, right?
That's what responsible leaders do.
Or slightly irresponsible thirteen-year-old interdimensional Ninja occupying fifteen-year-old bodies.
Same difference.
-----------------------
So there we were—me, Ren Kisaragi, Red Dawn leader and apparently now unofficial supernatural training coach—standing in our gloriously questionable headquarters, preparing to let my collection of future maniacs experience what controlled spiritual enhancement felt like.
"Alright," I said, cracking my knuckles. "Here's the deal. I'm going to send a very small amount of my spiritual energy into each of you and use it to reinforce your body temporarily. You won't keep the power afterward. This is just so you understand what supernatural enhancement feels like."
Kenta fist-pumped. "YES. I'm going full Battle Crown mode."
"Focus on the sensation," I warned, raising one glowing hand. "Pay attention to how the energy moves, remember the feeling, and try not to explode."
Haruki immediately looked alarmed.
"Wait, what?"
"Figuratively."
Probably.
Test Subject #1: Haruki
Haruki looked like somebody had just asked him to volunteer for experimental surgery, but I respected him for stepping forward first anyway.
I placed my palm against his chest and carefully let a small amount of spiritual energy flow through him.
His eyes widened.
His hair rose slightly.
He gasped.
"I feel like I could fight a bear!"
"Excellent. Run."
"What?"
"Go!"
Haruki ran.
Fast.
Very fast.
He reached the far wall, apparently forgot that stopping was a necessary component of running, planted one foot against it, went halfway upward—
and fell backward.
"Not bad," I said.
Haruki lay on the floor staring at the ceiling.
"I CAN HEAR THE LIGHTS."
I frowned.
"…Maybe slightly less next time."
Test Subject #2: Hana
Honestly?
She loved it.
The moment the energy passed through her, Hana practically lit up with excitement.
"I feel amazing!"
"Remember, temporary."
"I could do five backflips right now!"
"Do one."
She did six.
I stared.
Hana landed with both arms raised.
"TA-DA!"
"Cool."
I nodded slowly.
"You're terrifying."
She bowed.
Test Subject #3: Shōgo
This was a mistake.
I knew it before I touched him.
Reina knew it.
Haruki knew it.
Possibly every cat inside the building knew it.
Shōgo grinned as the energy entered his body.
Then his eyes widened.
The floor beneath one foot cracked.
"This…"
I backed away.
"…is…"
"Shōgo."
"…AWESOME!"
He punched the heavy bag.
BOOM.
The chain snapped.
The bag flew across the gym.
"Try not to destroy anything!"
Shōgo turned toward me with tears of joy practically forming in his eyes.
Then he hugged me.
"Kaito—!"
CRACK.
"TOO STRONG! TOO STRONG!"
He released me.
"Sorry."
Totally worth it.
Probably.
Test Subject #4: Reina
Her expression remained cool and calculating.
Typical Reina.
"If I wake up with something weird growing from my forehead, I'm kicking you."
"That is extremely unlikely."
"Not reassuring."
"Just breathe and focus."
I transferred the energy.
One second later, Reina jumped more than three meters into the air, twisted, and unleashed a spinning kick inspired by Mira Vale's Cyclone Heel from Battle Crown.
Her heel hit the wall.
CRACK.
Everyone cheered.
Reina landed perfectly.
She stared at the damage.
Then at her own leg.
"Huh."
Pause.
"I like it."
Of course she did.
After a full day of punching, kicking, jumping from walls, yelling about temporary power boosts, and breaking a perfectly good punching bag—again—the group finally collapsed onto the battered beanbags, scattered crates, and one suspiciously sticky couch inside Red Dawn headquarters.
It was time for the most important part of becoming a serious street-level organization filled with future superhumans.
Branding.
"So," I said, brushing dust off my hoodie and standing in front of my exhausted but thoroughly excited crew, "if we're actually doing this, Red Dawn needs an identity. Not just a name. A symbol."
Kenta raised his hand.
"Flaming skull."
"No."
Haruki considered it. "A lightning fist?"
"Actually pretty cool, but no."
"I want a cat," Hana said.
Reina nodded.
"Seconded."
I pointed at both of them. "Noted. Still no."
I snapped my fingers and projected a glowing illusion above my hand.
The image showed a deep red sun rising behind a stylized dark city skyline, its first rays cutting upward through the design.
"That," I said, "is our logo."
Everyone stared.
I let the image rotate slowly.
"Red Dawn. We're not just another gang fighting over streets. The whole point is giving people a new beginning before they end up somewhere they can't come back from."
There was a long pause.
Then Reina clapped slowly.
"Okay, drama boy."
She nodded toward the symbol.
"That was actually cool."
"Right?"
I grinned.
Then I turned toward Hermes, who had somehow managed to put his sunglasses back on despite being indoors.
"Kazuki. You've got money, connections, and an online shopping history that probably has government analysts taking notes. You're handling equipment."
His smile appeared immediately.
"I thought you'd never ask."
I handed him a list.
Custom jackets—black with red trim, Red Dawn symbol across the back.
Caps.
Training daggers.
Expandable batons.
Stun devices.
Smoke capsules.
Throwing blades.
Protective mesh shirts.
Ballistic vests.
Filtering masks for smoke and dust.
Haruki sat upright.
"Wait, wait, wait. Why do we need ballistic vests?"
"Because bullets exist," I replied calmly.
"But isn't this supposed to be martial-arts gang rivalry and supernatural training?" Ryōhei asked.
"It was."
I folded my arms.
"Until we decided to involve ourselves with a hidden world containing magic, Demons, superhuman martial artists, and whatever else nobody has bothered telling me about yet. If we're doing this, we prepare properly."
The group went quiet.
Shōgo, naturally, looked like somebody had just promised him a cage match against a prehistoric monster.
Hermes had already started searching suppliers.
The others?
They looked nervous.
And that made sense.
Temporary power boosts were exciting. Training montages were exciting. Learning that magic existed was exciting.
Protective armor made the danger feel real.
Very real.
I saw it in their faces.
So I told them the truth.
"You can leave."
Everyone looked toward me.
"Right now. Nobody here is forced to do this, and nobody will think less of you if you decide this is too dangerous. Once you start stepping into the supernatural world, there may eventually be things out there that can genuinely hurt you."
Haruki's hands tightened.
Hana stopped smiling.
Even Kenta looked serious.
"This path can be dangerous. Bloody. Sometimes lonely. Getting stronger doesn't mean nothing will ever scare you again."
I looked around at all of them.
"But if you choose to walk it with me, I'll train with you. I'll find people who can teach us what I don't know. I'll help you become strong enough to protect yourselves and the people around you."
There was a long silence.
Then Haruki stood.
"I'm in."
He swallowed.
"Just… I reserve the right to panic sometimes."
"Granted."
Hana immediately raised her hand.
"Same. Except I might panic loudly."
"Also granted."
Kenta stood and clenched both fists.
"If I can eventually throw fire from my hands, I'm definitely in."
Ryōhei looked at his injured arm.
"If there's really a path forward for this…"
He nodded.
"I'm staying."
Tōma sighed.
"Somebody has to keep all of you alive."
Reina cracked her knuckles.
"I want to know how far I can really go."
Shōgo didn't bother answering.
He was practically vibrating.
Hermes simply smiled.
I looked around at them.
Then smiled too.
Red Dawn wasn't just a name anymore.
It was a team.
And soon?
It would be a force to be reckoned with.