The morning sun spilled golden light over the rooftops of Tokyo as Kazunai Yazumèi leaned against the hood of a matte-black sedan, keys spinning around his index finger. Amy and Kimara, dressed in their matching Westwood High uniforms, made their way down the apartment steps.
"You two princesses ready?" Kaz asked, tossing the keys into the air before catching them.
"Don't act like you're doing us a favor," Amy said with a smirk. "You're heading that way anyway you big jerk."
Kimara laughed. "At least he's got good music in that dumb car."
They piled into the vehicle, and Kaz pulled out onto the street. The city buzzed with its usual chaos, but there was a strange stillness in Kaz's mind. The weight of the meeting with Kimiko and her military higher-ups pressed on him."So ladies" Kaz said, glancing at them through the rearview mirror, "How've things been at school lately?"
Amy rolled her eyes. "Bae you wouldn't believe, same crap, different week though there's this asshole, Dimitri, been trying to flirt with me. Says he's Mikhail's little brother, like I'm supposed to know who that is. Keeps trying to buy me lunch or walk me home. Creepy, really."
Kaz's grip on the steering wheel tightened for a brief moment. "Mikhail's kid brother, huh?"
Amy grinned. "Why? Gonna go all big bad shark on him?"
"I was thinking more like 'bash his dumb face in if he doesn't take the hint,'" Kaz said with a wink. Kimara snorted. "Please record that if it happens."
The car rolled to a stop in front of Westwood High. As the girls stepped out, Kaz noticed a familiar figure walking through the school gates.
"Shin!" Kaz called out. The timid gravity user turned his head and waved awkwardly. Kaz jogged over.
"Hey, I was thinking… drinks later this week? Just us. Talk about training, powers, whatever."
Shin scratched the back of his neck but smiled. "Yeah, I'd like that. Thanks, Kaz."
"Don't worry, I won't make you spar Ryusei again," Kaz teased, patting him on the shoulder.
With a final nod, Kaz returned to his car and drove off toward the city center, leaving behind the school's towering gates.
A While Later
The morning sunlight filtered through the cracked blinds of Room 2-B, painting strips of gold across the dust-speckled air. The walls of the classroom were plastered with faded charts showing elemental affinities, outdated hero rankings, and a giant map of old Tokyo—now splintered into gang territories and safe zones.
Kimara Yazumèi sat by the window, chin resting in her palm, eyes half-lidded. Her pen twirled lazily between her fingers while her mind wandered—mostly back to the night before and the family's meeting.
"—and that brings us to today's lesson: Radie-Beasts," droned Mr. Isoda, tapping a remote. The old holo-projector buzzed to life, flickering a grainy image of a twisted stag with six glowing eyes and branches for antlers.
"Radie-Beasts," he continued, "are the result of prolonged exposure to concentrated radiation from Morning Star fallout sites. Unlike human Radie-mutates, beasts weren't 'lucky' enough to have control over their mutations. They're volatile, territorial, and in rare cases, sentient."
A ripple of excitement moved through the classroom. Even Kimara blinked and leaned forward slightly.
"Question: which class of Radie-Beast is most commonly encountered in the Shinjuku ruins?" Mr. Isoda asked.
A girl two rows down raised her hand. "Uh, Type-C? The crawlers?"
"Correct. Type-C Radie-Beasts are smaller—rats, cats, even birds—that gained amplified aggression, minor elemental traits, and group hive instincts. Nasty buggers."
Kimara muttered under her breath, "Sounds like every cheerleader at Westwood."
A few students nearby snorted with laughter.
Mr. Isoda raised an eyebrow but continued. "But don't let size fool you. Some Type-Cs have downed rookie heroes. Now, for the advanced cases…"
The next slide showed a hulking bear-like creature with molten cracks running down its body, steam venting from its spine like a living volcano.
"Type-S. 'S' for Sovereign. These bastards are apex-level Radie-Beasts. We've confirmed only several exist in all of Tokyo's red zones. They're smart, territorial, and in some cases... they remember being hunted."
A chill ran down Kimara's spine.
Another student raised their hand. "Didn't the Northern Sector lose two squads to one of those last year?"
"Correct," Mr. Isoda said gravely. "The Coal Maw. A boar the size of a truck with fire-plume tusks. Wiped out a response team and left the area uninhabitable for weeks. Heroes avoid Sovereigns. Hell, even the military avoids them unless it's a full operation."Kimara glanced down at her notes. She hadn't written a thing.
Instead, her thoughts swirled—about what Uncle Sean had said... about what Kazunai had done. And now this class, reminding her of the real monsters outside the city walls.
Monsters that didn't care about gangs, names, or even blood ties. She raised her hand.
"Yes, Kimara?" Mr. Isoda asked, blinking in surprise. She rarely spoke.
"If these Radie-Beasts are so smart... are we sure they're not planning something?" The class went silent.
Mr. Isoda looked at her with an unreadable expression. "A fair question. Intelligence doesn't always mean civilization. But… it does mean survival. And survival? Means evolution."
Kimara nodded slowly. Her fingers clenched around her pen, dark frost quietly forming at the tips.
Lunch hour at Westwood High was a blur of cafeteria chatter and the distant sound of sports practice on the fields. Amy and Kimara sat beneath a tree on the edge of the schoolyard, boxed lunches in hand.
"This place is never quiet, is it?" Kimara said, chewing thoughtfully.
"Peace and high school don't go together," Amy muttered, her gaze drifting. "Especially not when your family name gets passed around like gossip candy."
Before Kimara could respond, a shadow fell over their lunch spot."Well, well. If it isn't the Yazumèi girls," came a snide voice.
Reina stood there, arms folded, platinum-blonde hair tied into an ornate braid. Behind her stood Dimitri, tall and lean, with a self-satisfied smirk on his face.
"What do you want, Reina?" Amy asked flatly.
"Just thought we'd pay our respects," Reina replied mockingly. "You know, considering your brother thinks he can prance around with the military and play hero."
Dimitri stepped forward. "Amy, I'm just saying. You could do better than this crowd. I mean, look at you. You deserve something more refined."
Amy stood up, facing him with a look of scorn. "Like you? I'd rather date a sewer rat. At least those don't talk back."
"Careful who you insult," Reina hissed. "You might wake up one day and find you have more enemies than friends."
Kimara stepped up beside Amy. "We know who you hang around with. And we're not scared."
Reina's eyes narrowed. "You should be."
With a dramatic turn, Reina and Dimitri walked off. The tension lingered in the air like smoke. "You good?" Kimara asked. "Yeah. But if that guy tries anything again, I might have to let Kaz go big bad shark mode after all."
Later that evening, in a high-rise overlooking the city, Zorya lounged in a velvet chair, legs crossed elegantly, sipping a glass of dark wine. Reina and Dimitri stood before her.
"So," Zorya said, her voice smooth as silk. "You finally spoke with this Kimara and Amy.", She Scoff
"They're mouthy," Reina said, hiding the fact she's been picking on kimara at school . "But they won't be a problem." Zorya smiled darkly, her gaze drifting out the window.
"Good. Let them feel safe for now. It's always more satisfying when they don't see the knife until it's already inside." The room fell silent, the weight of her words sinking like cold steel. The gears of something sinister were turning, and the sharks had no idea just how deep the ocean ran.