The member of the class who was shocked the most by Tenji Line’s words was without a doubt Yuki, but of course, all her classmates were stunned as well. Even Hikaru’s fatigue disappeared when hearing Miss Iceflame would not be participating in the Class Battle, Exo’s surprise, on the other hand, turning to despair very fast.
(Exo) ‘So we’ll even be left without Yuki in the field?! That’s it!! Now we’re definitely dead!!’
(Seiren) ‘Hold it, Ex! We may be fighting without our baby doll, but the Nightsong bitch won’t be with her class, either, so I think our chances are still good!’
(Yuki) ‘But why?! Why are they leaving us out of the Class Battle? Is it a punishment for our last fight?’
(Tenji) ‘No. The purpose of a Class Battle is to demonstrate the participants’ skills and the two of you showed everything you’ve got during your fight. So the council has concluded there’s no need for you to get involved now.’
(Yuki) ‘But Ulura may have more tricks up her sleeve! There’s still time until the Class Battle, so I can learn some new stuff, too!! Please, sensei!
It’s my fault this whole thing started! I have to be there, fighting with my classmates against Nightsong’s class!! It’s the least I can do!!’
Hikaru put his hand on the white-haired beauty’s shoulder then, revealing his reassuring smile despite his exhausted appearance when she turned to him.
(Hikaru) ‘Don’t worry about us, Yu. We’ll be fine. You had your share of fun with Ulura, so now it’s our turn.’
(Yuki) ‘But this …’
(Tenji) ‘I’m sorry, Yuki, but I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do.’ – hearing how final the tone of the Biology teacher sounded made Miss Iceflame look at him again, noticing Tenji looked as if he had something more to say – ‘The other reason for the exclusion of you and Ulura from the Class Battle is a request from Ulura’s parents. Considering the condition she was left in after her fight with you, the Nightsongs said they don’t want to see their daughter getting hurt again so soon.
Leaving Ulura’s class with one member less while our class is at full strength would not be fair, though, so it was decided that due to the display of your abilities, you will be the one who’s left out. I really wish that wasn’t the case, but there’s just no convincing that family. Especially Ulura’s mother.’
Yuki’s homeroom teacher kept talking after that, but she wasn’t listening anymore. She couldn’t focus on his words with the overwhelming sense of guilt swelling in her heart.
If she hadn’t stood up to Ulura, her victory wouldn’t have changed the students’ perception of Martian Class No. 3 and they wouldn’t have decided to challenge the amnesiac’s classmates to a Class Battle because of that. Some would say the black-haired tyrant was to blame for overreacting and challenging Yuki, but it was really Yuki’s choice that had led to this turn of events. Hers and nobody else’s.
Maybe another reason for Hikaru to accept the challenge made by Hock and Gorudora was him thinking that since Miss Iceflame had stood up to the former Queen of Sunbird, he needed to do the same with her classmates. The kindness of all the people from her class who had brought Yuki nothing but joy since meeting them had been repaid by her with dooming them to face Miss Nightsong’s class. And the ice maiden herself, the one truly responsible for the Class Battle happening in the first place, wasn’t even going to be a part of it.
But things couldn’t end like this. Yuki wasn’t going to let that happen.
If there was anything she had learned since enrolling at Sunbird, it was that everyone needed to take responsibility for their actions. And she was going to as well. In order to do that, though, she needed to change the opinion of quite a few people about letting her join the coming fight.
*
After Saya came home from work that day, the white-haired beauty approached her to discuss both the Class Battle and how she could secure a place in her class’s team for it, this happening while the two were making dinner.
Hikaru and Graid were out in the yard, the spiky-haired teenager’s uncle having taken over supervising his training from his mother. Meanwhile Iziya and Rose were setting the table in the dining room next to the kitchen, so the newest member of the Summerbolt family hoped the head of that family could give some attention to her.
(Saya) ‘You want me to train you to develop a new ability in five days?’ – the fiery mom left aside the knife she had been using up to that point to dice potatoes on a cutting board, looking at Yuki now with a serious and somewhat sad expression – ‘I get why you want to do this, Yu, but it doesn’t work like that.
Your body may be superhuman, but it still has its limits.’ – she then pushed the diced potatoes from the board and into a cooking pot with plenty more potatoes cut in the same fashion already boiling inside – ‘Pushing yourself far beyond those limits is more likely to lead to some side effects than help you discover a new ability.’
(Yuki) ‘So you’re saying I should sit and watch while Hikaru and the others are doing everything they can to prepare?’ – the violent nurse nodded to the bowl with lightly beaten eggs next to Miss Iceflame who gave them another stir with a whisk before passing on the bowl, the two exchanging glances again then – ‘Saya, that’s something I just can’t do. Isn’t there anything that can be done about this? How else can I change the Nightsongs’ and the minds of everybody else on the council?’
(Saya) ‘Everyone else on the Sunbird council isn’t a problem.’ – while continuing to explain, Saya poured the eggs in the pot and then started stirring them in order to mix with the potatoes with a big wooden mixing spoon – ‘It’s the Nightsongs. Those two and especially Ukris will not change her mind after she’s made a decision, no matter what.’
(Yuki) ‘Do you know them? Ulura’s parents, I mean.’
Even though Saya no longer held Yuki’s gaze, the ice maiden could still see the tensing of the muscles all over the face of Hikaru’s mother in the aftermath of her question.
(Saya) ‘Let’s just say I’ve dealt with them before. And I would like that to never happen again.
If Ulura won’t be participating in the Class Battle, it makes me happy that you or Hikaru won’t have to deal with a Nightsong either. And besides, you’ve suffered enough during your first week at Sunbird, so I think it will actually be better for you not to be a part of what’s coming.’
(Yuki) ‘But, Saya …’
Saya cleared her throat to interrupt the amnesiac before she could finish her sentence, having stopped stirring to look at her again.
(Saya) ‘Seeing how annoyingly stubborn you are about this, though, I’ll see what I can do.’ – Yuki beamed with joy from finally getting a positive answer, the cook also giving her a small smile before becoming serious again – ‘First, you’ll have to keep up your physical training with Hikaru. You’ve only used the full extent of your powers once but you didn’t know nearly enough about them then, so it will be different now.’
Saya paused for a moment in order to take a bit of the dish in the pot with the spoon and taste it, not blowing on it at all as people usually did before eating hot food. But unlike other times, Yuki didn’t make any comment upon seeing that sight since she had gotten used to it.
Using her solar flame deva to redistribute any heat her body came in contact with was a piece of cake for a master like Mrs. Summerbolt, after all. And every time Miss Iceflame saw her perform what felt like a huge feat to her with zero effort, she reaffirmed her resolve to one day become just as good at using her deva.
(Saya) ‘Mhm. This is just about ready and tasting really delicious.’ – after licking every last bit left on the spoon, she left it aside, put the pot’s cover back on and moved it away from the stove – ‘Back to you, though. If we want to develop your deva, we’ll have to start with the five basic abilities for every deviant. Have they tested how good you are at each of those?’
(Yuki) ‘No. I don’t even know what those five abilities are.’
(Saya) ‘It’s a set of distinct abilities that every deviant, no matter the deva they possess, should be able to use.
They include creating some structure from one’s deva, creating clones, manifesting one’s totem animal, cladding oneself in one’s deva and channeling one’s deva through organic and inorganic materials.
Hikaru told me you channeled your ice through the ground to create a mass of spikes under the bastard that attacked you and Seiren last week. So you have the channeling style checked.’
(Yuki) ‘I also covered myself in ice armor when I fought Ulura.’
(Saya) ‘That covers cladding yourself in your deva. The spikes, blades and needles you create with your ice count as structures, so that’s one more of the five you’ve got. What about your totem? Have they tested you to find out what it is?’
(Yuki) ‘It’s a deer.’
(Saya) ‘Oh, nice one. An Artiodactyla like mine.’
(Yuki) ‘I haven’t asked actually, now that I think about it. What’s your totem?’
(Saya) ‘A ram.’
(Yuki) ‘That’s really cool. And Hikaru’s?’
(Saya) ‘A sabertooth, the same animal as the totem of our family. But I think we should leave the questions about everyone’s totems for later.’
(Yuki) ‘Sorry, I got off track.’
(Saya) ‘Have you managed to create a deer out of your ice yet?’
(Yuki) ‘I’ve tried, but it hasn’t worked.’
(Saya) ‘Don’t worry. While being able to use all five basic abilities, most deviants excel at using one of them over the others.’ – looking around for a moment with a look on her face as if trying to remember something, Saya soon continued – ‘The only thing left is creating clones. Have you tried that before?’
(Yuki) ‘No, not yet.’
Iziya and Rose came in the kitchen right after Yuki answered, Saya’s sister going to wash her hands first while the oldest member of the Summerbolt family waited.
(Iziya) ‘Table’s all set.’
(Rose) ‘How’s the food?’
(Saya) ‘It’s ready. You can bring the plates, so we can get everyone a portion.’ – finally, Mrs. Summerbolt’s attention returned to Yuki – ‘And you can go to the yard to get those two up here, Yu. Make Hikaru explain clone-making to you on the way.’
The white-haired beauty nodded and left the kitchen, going through the dining room and down the stairs from there. She came to the second floor where the bath and the toilet were next, finally reaching the first floor housing Rose’s room before going out the door and around the back to the middle-sized yard of the Summerbolt residence.
Hikaru was currently lying on his back on the grass between the two green aple trees in the yard with a number of bruises on him and heavy breaths coming out from the depths of his chest. Graid was leaning on one of the trees as he observed his nephew, both Summerbolts being illuminated by the three large elongated UV lamps attached to a cable that passed above the tree crowns.
(Graid) ‘You’re a long way from catching up to my speed, boy. Hock’s got a Daroid deva as well and judging by what I’ve seen here, if you go up against him in the Class Battle, he’ll kick your ass in a minute.’
The mad genius grunted in response while trying to get back on his feet.
(Hikaru) ‘I don’t get it. You’re a lot bigger and heavier than me. How can you move that fast?!’
(Graid) ‘Using elemental teleportation and the Daroid for faster movement is not the same thing, you know, genius.’
(Hikaru) ‘You’re right. My teleportation is supposed to be faster because my body doesn’t take any stress and only my deva is used when teleporting.’
Yuki got to the duo just then, helping Hikaru up all the way as the trainer grinned at his trainee.
(Graid) ‘You’re slower because you’re going at only a 15% output.’
The spiky-haired teenager looked at his uncle with utter shock now.
(Hikaru) ‘You’re saying you’ve been using more than 15% all this time? Since when?’
(Graid) ‘Since before you were born, kid. But I don’t use it all the time because then I’d be setting off deva sensors left and right. While I’m at the house, though, I go wild a lot.’
(Hikaru) ‘But I don’t see … doesn’t it affect your body?’
(Graid) ‘I’ve trained to build enough stamina to be able to handle a higher output with no drawbacks. Which is the reason for the training you’re going through right now.’
(Yuki) ‘Dinner’s ready.’
The moment he heard those words, it seemed like Graid had entered a new plane of existence that held nothing but happiness.
(Graid) ‘OK, enough with the training for now! LET’S GO EAT!!!!’
He then clad himself in the scarlet energy compound to run way ahead of the duo while they followed with a pace that Yuki made sure wasn’t too strenuous for Hikaru.
(Yuki) ‘I’ll be joining you for training later, too.’
(Hikaru) ‘Huh? Why train when you won’t be fighting in the Class Battle?’
Following Graid’s example, Miss Iceflame grinned as confidently as possible at her friend.
(Yuki) ‘I won’t let you guys fight alone. I’ll get on the team for the Battle somehow. And then we’ll take them down together, Hikaru. I promise.’
Rather then become excited by her words, Hikaru had suddenly got a guilty look on his face to Yuki’s confusion.
(Hikaru) ‘You’re promising stuff, but I think before that, there’s someone who should be apologizing to you and the rest of the class. Me.
I accepted Hock and Gorudora’s challenge, so it’s my fault there’s even going to be a Class Battle.’
(Yuki) ‘But you did it because you knew a Class Battle is what everyone wanted, right?’
(Hikaru) ‘That’s what I thought, but maybe some of the guys from the class disagree and just don’t want to say that to my face. Except for Exo.’ – mentioning the techno-genius made the young Summerbolt chuckle – ‘He’s being painfully honest about how much he doesn’t want to fight.’
Being reminded that she needed to do more than just dwell on her own sense of guilt by what Hikaru said, Yuki decided to try and cheer him up while also asking about what Saya had suggested earlier.
(Yuki) ‘He’ll come around. I’ll help change his mind however I can.
And you don’t have to feel guilty about this happening. I think … maybe having a Class Battle became inevitable from the moment I fought Ulura.’ – Hikaru was getting ready to respond with some kind of counterargument by the look on his face when Yuki interrupted him – ‘And that’s why I want you to explain how clone-making works.’
(Hikaru) ‘Clones? Why?’
(Yuki) ‘I talked with Saya about how my skills can be improved to convince the Nightsongs and the rest to let me join you guys in the Battle and she suggested mastering clone creation.’
The mad genius’s confusion quickly turned to an almost disturbing glee then, this coinciding with the two reaching the long oval table of light brown wood in the dining room where Saya, Iziya and Rose were serving dinner while Graid was drooling.
(Hikaru) ‘Alright, then, Yuki. Just make sure you eat well.
Because if you’re serious about this, you’ll have to go through hell beyond even the superhuman.’
