"Kisaragi Akira."
A sharp woman's voice rang out. When Akira turned toward it, he found a black-haired woman standing by the courtyard wall, watching him with an unreadable expression.
"That's your name, isn't it?" she asked.
Her voice was low, but composed—like someone used to giving orders. And though she didn't look much older than twenty, everything about her radiated a calm, dangerous poise.
Akira nodded cautiously. "Yeah. And you are…?"
"Shiinomiya Yoruka," she replied. "Instructor assigned by the Gokukan Institute."
Her gaze flicked over him—calm, assessing, and somehow sharp enough to make him feel as if she were stripping away every layer of his thoughts. Akira couldn't help but tense.
"Don't be nervous," she said softly. "I'm not here to harm you."
Without warning, her right hand glowed with a faint golden light. A smooth, flowing pattern rippled across her fingertips—strange geometric shapes swirling within her palm.
Akira's breath hitched. "Wait—what are you—"
Before he could finish, the golden light washed over his entire body.
A wave of warmth surged through him—followed immediately by a deep, bone-aching pain.
"Hng—!!"
His legs nearly buckled. His forehead slammed against the tree trunk beside him, and he gritted his teeth hard enough to make his jaw tremble.
"Don't resist it," Yoruka said quietly. "I'm releasing the seal the Institute placed on you. This will hurt, but only for a moment."
"Se—seal…?"
A burning pain raced from his fingertips up into his shoulder, then burst through his chest like an exploding sun. Akira gasped, digging his nails into the rough bark behind him.
He felt something—something heavy, long dormant—stirring deep inside him.
"What… what is this…?"
Yoruka's eyes softened for the first time. "Your true spiritual circuits."
Akira's pulse hammered in his ears.
But the pain—like needles piercing every nerve—kept rising. His entire body trembled uncontrollably.
"Hold on," Yoruka murmured. "It's already past the halfway point."
"Half…? That wasn't even half?"
A second blast of pain shot through him. His vision blurred, his heartbeat pounded like a drum, and a metallic taste filled his mouth.
He wanted to scream—but the moment he opened his mouth, a fierce spiritual pressure burst outward from his chest, scattering the fallen leaves at his feet.
Yoruka watched without surprise. "Yes… just as the Director predicted. Your spiritual pressure is exceptionally dense."
Akira could barely hear her. His mind was drowning in a mixture of agony and confusion.
Finally—after what felt like ten minutes but was probably only a few seconds—the pain receded.
His muscles loosened. His breath steadied.
And something inside him—something unseen but undeniably real—began to flow.
It was like… heat, mixed with electricity. A strange power pulsed through his arms and legs, spreading steadily throughout his body.
Yoruka slowly lowered her glowing hand.
"It's done."
Akira slumped against the tree, panting heavily. Sweat streamed down his forehead.
"What… did you just do to me…?"
"I unlocked the first of your sealed circuits," she replied calmly. "From now on, you can generate spiritual energy freely. And starting tomorrow, you'll begin your training at the Gokukan Academy."
Akira stared at her, speechless.
Gokukan… Academy?
"Wait—hold on. Training? Academy? Why me? I'm just a normal—"
"No," she cut in. "You've never been normal."
Her tone was matter-of-fact, almost cold—but not unkind.
"You were born with spiritual power far beyond the human average. So much so that your presence destabilized the boundary fields around your home. That is why the Institute sealed your power when you were a child."
Akira blinked several times.
He couldn't tell if she was joking. Or insane.
But nothing about her expression suggested she was anything but deadly serious.
"Then why unseal it now?" he demanded.
"Because," Yoruka said, folding her arms, "the Director has reason to believe your abilities are awakening. If left unchecked, the surge could injure you—or others."
"...Awakening?"
"Yes. And once it fully awakens, even we won't be able to suppress it."
Akira's heart thumped hard.
He didn't know what to believe—but the pain he'd just felt… the surge of energy now flowing through him… none of it felt like something created by a simple prank or delusion.
Yoruka stepped closer, her eyes steady.
"Kisaragi Akira. From today forward, you're under the Institute's supervision. I will be your instructor assigned to guide your spiritual development."
"Instructor…?"
"Correct. And for the moment, our priority is stabilizing the flow of your spiritual energy."
She held out a small black charm—a rectangular tag with intricate glowing lines etched into it.
"Keep this with you. It will regulate your energy and prevent accidental discharge."
Akira hesitated… then took it.
Warmth prickled through his fingertips the moment he touched it.
"What is this…?"
"A regulator charm crafted by the Takamine Family. One of a kind."
He stared at it.
Then stared at her.
Then—finally—found his voice.
"Why is my life suddenly turning into some supernatural anime plot…?"
Yoruka blinked once.
"Anime?"
Akira let out a weak laugh. "Never mind…"
Yoruka straightened, brushing dust from her coat.
"We'll begin training at dawn. Meet me outside your house at 5 AM."
"Five—In the morning!?"
"Yes."
"Do normal people wake up at that hour!?"
"People with spiritual power must."
Akira groaned.
Yoruka turned away and began walking toward the courtyard gate, her long black coat swaying lightly behind her.
Before she stepped out, she glanced back over her shoulder.
"And Kisaragi Akira…"
Her tone softened just a fraction.
"Welcome to the real world."
Then she vanished from sight—no puff of smoke, no blinking lights. One moment she was there; the next, the air simply… shifted, and she was gone.
Akira stood alone beneath the afternoon sky, clutching the charm in his hand.
His heart beat fast.
The warmth flowing through his body pulsed gently—like a sleeping creature stretching for the first time in years.
He exhaled shakily.
"...What the hell just happened to me?"
The wind whispered through the trees.
And deep within his chest, his newly awakened power stirred again—quiet, but unmistakable.