Prologue
Akari Tsubasa slept alone in her room at Seisen Academy.
Because of her overwhelming strength, she didn't have a roommate.
Her last one had left… after a night of nightmares.
And this was one of those nights.
Akari tossed and turned in bed, restless.
Her small stature made the mattress seem even larger, as if she were sinking into a sea of blankets.
Even in her dreams… she was fighting.
She saw herself lashing out at a group of students in some random school. Her fists moved uncontrollably, driven by a rage that had no end.
She did it to protect her brother… or at least, that's what she believed.
But then her eyes fell on her own hands… Covered in blood.
And she was laughing.
A wild, manic laugh, like hurting others brought her joy.
Until she saw him.
Her brother.
Beaten. Bloody. In pain.
"Akari… why did you do this to me?"
"Didn't you say you loved me…?"
The image of her brother dying ripped her out of the dream.
"No… oni-chaaaaaaannnnnnnnnn!!" she gasped, bolting upright.
Haah… haah…
Her body trembled. Sweat ran down her back.
Her eyes were filled with pure fear.
She looked down at her hands…. as if expecting to still see blood on them.
Her gaze shifted to a small photo on her nightstand: Her and her brother, smiling under a sakura tree.
Little by little, her breathing calmed.
"That nightmare again…" she murmured sadly.
"Always at the same time… 3:33," she added, glancing at her clock with resignation.
She got out of bed, carrying a towel over her shoulder and a plate full of fresh fruit.
She filled the bathtub and tossed in a jasmine-scented bubble bomb. She just wanted to relax, even if just for a little while.
She sank slowly into the hot water, until only her head remained above the surface. The warmth wrapped around her like a soft blanket.
"I need to control this power… before it controls me," she said, popping a grape into her mouth as she stared at the ceiling.
"I just want a normal life. Like Hina, like Touma… so jealous."
She puffed her cheeks.
"I want a teenage romance too!"
But her smile faded almost immediately.
"Though I know full well… as long as Brave Heart is out of control, that's nothing but a dream for me…"
She slowly sank deeper into the water, as if trying to drown even her thoughts.
Moments later, she leapt out of the tub and stood in front of the mirror… Soaked, towel barely holding together.
She forced her usual smile. The one she always showed the world.
A friendly mask.
"How much longer are you going to live this lie, Akari…? When are you going to be your real self…?"
She went silent.
Then her gaze dropped to her own body… Muscular, toned, with defined abs.
She thought of the other girls… Shizuki, Mirai, even Hinata.
All of them looked so much more feminine, softer.
She brought her hands to her chest and sighed.
"If only I looked more like a girl… Maybe they wouldn't treat me like such a tomboy…"
Suddenly, her mind flashed to Touma. To their last fight. To how he looked at her in that moment.
"W-What the heck am I thinking?!" she shouted, slamming the faucet open and splashing her face with cold water.
Wrapped tightly in her towel, she muttered to herself as she walked back to bed. Her skin still damp. Her thoughts still a mess.
And in her heart… A strange feeling she couldn't quite name.