…Yuuji. That's my name.
I have a supernatural power—electrokinesis. Cool, right? I can charge my game console in seconds. Instant battery life? Yes, please. I've always wanted to show off this power to my friends, but Papa forbade me.
"Never let anyone know about your ability," he warned. "Keep it a secret."
So I did. Mostly.
But come on, having powers and not using them? That's like having a whole cake and not taking a single bite. Impossible.
Instead, I found a loophole—pranking people.
My dumb older sister, Irana, was my favorite target. She had a power too—cryokinesis. She could freeze people solid if she wanted to. Super scary, right? Except… for some reason, my electricity messed with her ice. Her freezing powers never worked on me, which meant I had the upper hand.
So, naturally, I abused this advantage.
I shocked her at random times, zapped her snacks, and even short-circuited her phone. The best part? Her angry reactions. Absolute gold.
But there was one person my power never worked on, Aria Onee-chan.
No matter how many times I tried, she never reacted. Not even a flinch.
At first, I thought she was just pretending. Maybe she had a super high pain tolerance? Maybe she secretly enjoyed being zapped? Gross. So, one day, I decided to go all out.
Papa saw me charging up, sparks dancing around my fingertips. I expected him to scold me—maybe even stop me. But instead, he just… smiled.
"Hope you're okay by the end of it," he said.
Huh? Weird. But whatever. If he wasn't stopping me, then it meant I had permission.
So, with confidence, I went ahead with my plan.
The moment my hand, crackling with high-voltage electricity, touched Onee-chan—nothing happened.
She just smiled.
"Oh? So you're trying to prank your Onee-chan, huh?" she said, tilting her head. "Well, if you can prank people, you should be ready to be pranked back."
Before I could react, she touched my neck.
What happened next was pure, unfiltered agony.
I got electrocuted. Badly.
I screamed. I cried. I ran straight to Mama, clutching my neck like I had just been assassinated.
That night, as I sulked under a blanket, Papa finally explained it to me.
"Aria has a power too," he said, smiling. "And it's even stronger than mine."
…What.
No wonder my pranks never worked. No wonder she was completely immune to my electrokinesis.
Compared to Onee-chan… I was weak.
And I hated that.
From that moment on, I started to admire her. I sometimes heard from Irana that Onee-chan often fought with boys at school. She was strong, fearless, unbeatable.
I wanted to be like her.
No—I wanted to be stronger.
I once went to ask papa about Onee-chan power.
"Papa, how come Aria Onee-chan is so powerful?" I asked, crossing my arms. "She completely neutralized my power and somehow redirected it back into me."
Papa hummed, rubbing his chin like some wise old sage. "Neutralize and redirect, huh… That's interesting indeed."
I squinted at him. "So? Do you know how she did it?"
Silence.
Papa just kept smiling, and I got the distinct feeling he was enjoying my frustration.
"Papa." I leaned in, waving a hand in front of his face. "Are you ignoring me?"
Finally, he chuckled. "Well, sweaty, you're just lazy and never train."
I blinked. "Excuse me?"
But aren't Onee-chan don't know she has power?
"You heard me." He patted my shoulder like I was some weak little kid. "You wanna get stronger? Train your power."
I frowned. "And how exactly am I supposed to train when I have to keep my power a secret?"
"Well," he said with a grin, "I can help you train."
At those words, my ears perked up.
My mind filled with visions of unlocking my full potential—shooting lightning bolts like some kind of storm god, bending electricity to my will, becoming unstoppable.
"Really?! You mean it?!"
Papa just grinned wider. "Of course."
And like a fool, I believed him.
Little did I know, I had just signed up for a personal training regime straight out of hell.
After quarrelling with Yuuji, Irana stormed off to the living room, still fuming. She found her father lounging on the couch, watching television like he didn't have a care in the world.
"Welcome back… Where's Aria?" he asked casually, not even glancing away from the screen.
"Mom called her to her room," Irana replied, arms crossed.
"I see… and Yuuji?" His eyes flicked toward her, and she could already hear the amusement in his voice. "I heard you two fighting earlier."
"Same as always, you know the drill, Pops," she muttered. Then, her frustration boiled over. "Though that stupid little brother of mine nearly revealed our esper powers in front of Onee-chan!"
And just like that, she launched into a full-blown rant about Yuuji's recklessness. The whole time, her father just nodded, barely reacting, like he was used to this routine.
When she finally stopped, taking a deep breath to calm herself, he simply asked, "So, he went back to his room?"
Irana twitched. Her fingers curled into fists, and for a moment, she had the overwhelming urge to punch him.
"You really love pissing me off, don't you? I guess Yuuji takes after you," she grumbled. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she added, "By the way, I still haven't forgiven you for that first mission you gave me."
Her father just laughed it off, completely unfazed. Then, with a shift in tone, he said,
"I heard something big happened at school."
Irana raised an eyebrow. "Oh, that? The report should be in your hands already. Why are you asking me?"
"Because I want to hear the details from my sweet daughter, of course." His voice took on a playful tone.
Without hesitation, Irana smacked him on the head.
"Why should I? You already know every detail of it!" she huffed. But then, her expression turned serious. "Though… there is something I want to ask."
Her father grinned. "Anything, sweety. Ask away, and I shall answer."
She had the urge to hit him again but held herself back.
"The heck happened to Yuya?"
That got her father's attention. His relaxed expression faded slightly. "Yuya? Ah… you mean the Fiolera boy?" He hummed in thought. "I don't know."
Irana narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean, you don't know? He's been acting really weird ever since the Esper Association interrogated him."
Her father exhaled through his nose. "Well… we erased his memory after that."
She froze.
"What?"
"You know the rule, Irana. Ordinary people aren't supposed to know about Espers."
"But Yuya is an Esper!" Irana snapped, completely bewildered.
Her father's gaze darkened. "Not anymore."
A chill ran down her spine. "What do you mean, 'not anymore'?"
He sighed, rubbing his temples as if the weight of the situation was finally catching up to him. "His power… somehow disappeared."
Irana's breath hitched. "This… is this related to Onee-chan's power?"
"Yeah. No doubt."
Her mind raced. "What exactly is Onee-chan's power? How can she just erase someone else's ability like that? And she doesn't even know she did it!"
Her father leaned back, staring at the ceiling for a moment before answering. "We're still not completely sure… but we have a theory."
Irana folded her arms. "What is it? And don't you dare pause for dramatic effect"
Her father smirked. Then, after a deliberate pause—just to annoy her—he said,
"Reality Manipulation."
Irana's eyes twitched.
"…You paused anyway."