Kagetsu and I had just arrived at our classroom door. A sign on the side read: "2th Division."
Kagetsu turned to me. "Wanna do the honors of opening the door?" he asked.
I placed my hand on the knob and looked back at him. "I sure do," I said, flinging the door open.
As we stepped in, all eyes turned toward us. Immediately, I spotted Enjin, Aeloria, and Kaguro, sitting in the back near the windows.
Kagetsu's usual smile vanished the moment he saw them, replaced with the same mix of anger and determination I had seen that day he was training in the field.
Another girl caught my eye: short pink hair, bangs covering her forehead, long cat ears, and a tail. I gave a quiet nod of approval. "Could that be her ability? or just a cosplay?," I thought.
Near the second door at the back sat Yuuma, quietly scrolling on his phone.
A mischievous grin spread across Kagetsu's face. "I know where we can sit!" he whispered.
As we approached Yuuma, he looked up. His peaceful expression instantly soured into annoyance.
"What do you want?" Yuuma snapped.
Kagetsu let out a soft giggle. "What a nice guy, leaving a couple of seats for your friends," he teased.
"There are other seats," Yuuma said, rolling his eyes. "You don't have to sit here."
"We don't want you to be lonely, do we?" Kagetsu mocked.
"Honestly, do whatever you want. I don't care," Yuuma replied, returning to his doom scrolling.
Kagetsu's victorious smile widened. "If you say so," he said, plopping into the seat next to the second entrance. I took the seat right in front of him.
Over the next few minutes, the classroom filled with students until there were seventeen of us, including me.
Then, the main door flung open, and in came a massive man who looked like he punched metal for fun. His teacher uniform strained against bulging muscles.
"Silence!" he bellowed.
I internally groaned. "Come on… this is our teacher?"
The buff man glared at us all. "You will address me as Mr. Bront or Professor Bront," he commanded, writing his name on the board.
He added "Introduction" and instructed, "Each of you will now introduce yourselves."
I immediately began daydreaming. Step one of my new school life—get a girlfriend. My type… beautiful, kind, caring, curvy… shorter than me… knows how to cook and clean… I wouldn't mind a little crazy…"
"Next!" Mr. Bront barked.
I ignored him. "She'd need a good sense of humor… ouh, and a killer smile…"
"Next!" Mr. Bront yelled again, louder this time.
I felt a sharp pang of guilt as the vein on his forehead throbbed. Then, with a single punch, he slammed the desk in front of him, nearly destroying it. "Hey! You!" he shouted.
"Huh… me?" I stammered, snapping out of my thoughts.
"I said, next!" he repeated, tapping his foot impatiently.
I slowly stood. "I'm Kabuchi Zane. Thank you," I said, before plopping back into my seat.
"Next!" he bellowed again.
Kagetsu, supposed to be next, was fast asleep. I bit my hand to stifle a laugh.
Mr. Bront marched to the back and, with a single punch, destroyed Kagetsu's desk.
Kagetsu jumped up. "Present!" he shouted, half asleep.
"Uhhh, can I get a new desk? This one's broken," he asked calmly.
Mr. Bront ignored him and turned to the board, writing "Point System."
"Each month, you'll earn points based on your performance in training and other activities," he explained. "Points can be spent on a variety of items. Every month, your rank may go up or down depending on performance. After three weeks, once you've learned the basics of heroism, you may apply for missions. Completing missions earns points and allows rank advancement."
A guy with long white hair tied in a man bun raised his hand. Name tag: Toya Ness.
"Yes?" Mr. Bront asked.
"What are the advantages of a higher rank?" Ness inquired.
Mr. Bront crossed his arms. "Higher ranks grant harder missions worth more points, improved housing, better meals, and more."
He clapped his hands to gather the class's attention. "I will now hand out school-issued phones, which show available missions."
He walked behind his desk and retrieved a bucket of phones. "Two-quarters of the month will be spent in class; the rest on missions."
When he got to me, only two phones remained: a black and a gray one. I grabbed the gray phone, leaving Kagetsu with the last one.
"All of you, change into your training clothes and be at Field B in fifteen minutes for a physical test," Mr. Bront ordered.
I let out an irritated sigh. First day of school… and we already have a physical test.