Chapter 1

"Haa"

I let out a slightly sentimental sigh and trudged along the way to school.

It's no wonder, today is Monday.

I absentmindedly looked up at the sky, and saw students flying to school, so I averted my gaze back to the ground.

Ah, those with levitation abilities are so lucky.

Thinking this, I quickened my pace a little.

Then, a guy called out to me from behind.

"Hey, Kaze!"

Kamija Kaze. That's my name.

And the one who called out to me was Gotou Genki.

"Genki..."

"You don't seem very energetic today."

"It's Monday, you know."

He's my best friend. We get along well because we're both rare non-ability users.

But there was a decisive difference between me and Genki.

"Tsūrugi~!"

A girl ran over, calling out like that.

Her name is Ohashi Hitomi.

She's so beautiful that everyone has fallen in love with her at least once, and she's the school's Madonna.

She's also Genki's childhood friend. While I don't think Genki has noticed... (I hope he hasn't) she's in love with him.

"Good morning!"

"Good morning, Hitomi."

As soon as she ran over, Ohashi clung to Genki's arm.

Seeing this PDA in the morning is honestly quite painful.

"Ah, Kamija-kun, good morning too!"

Ohashi said as if she just noticed me.

"Good morning..."

As I replied, I heard someone calling from behind.

"Genki, good morning!"

Turning around, I saw that it was Furuya Rin, who had already clung to the other arm of Genki.

"Good morning, Rin."

"Mu, Hitomi...!"

"Good morning, Rin-chan."

Immediately, a battle for Genki began right in front of me.

Rin is my childhood friend, but she's in love with Genki.

I'd like to say that if she's a childhood friend, she should serve me, but unfortunately, Rin and I aren't that kind of relationship.

We're more like a rotten bond.

"Ah, Kaze, you're here."

Rin said as if she just noticed me.

"..."

That's the difference between me and Genki. Whether you're popular or not.

Genki is very popular.

They are just a part of the harem surrounding Genki, known as the "Genki Harem."

I wish they would just wither away, but there's no point in saying it.

Ah, if I were handsome too...

When I think about it, I just want to beat up my best friend's face.

"We'll be late if we don't hurry."

Ohashi's words made us realize we were about to be late for school.

---

Sitting in a mediocre seat in the middle of the classroom, I gazed out the distant window.

From there, I could see the Self-Defense Force patrolling the sky.

The Self-Defense Force is, in a sense, the defenders of justice.

An organization mainly composed of ability users.

To us non-ability users, their existence is invaluable. They eliminate the occasional monsters that appear in town.

And they also protect us from the evil organization "Anonymous," which opposes the Self-Defense Force.

While they are called an evil organization, their goals are unknown. Rumors say world domination or something.

It's a group that thinks about trivial things, but with the Self-Defense Force around, we can feel safe.

"Abilities are broadly divided into manipulation and enhancement types, and there are many that don't fit into these two categories. However, they haven't established a genre because..."

I let the lesson wash over me.

There's no point in listening to useless abilities, and it's just common knowledge. I won't develop an ability now.

Most people develop their abilities by the age of 10, and at the latest by 15.

I'm almost 17. I've passed the age where I thought I could control the wind.

I still feel inferior, but I've decided to aim for a civil servant job and move on.

"So, about Kaze's birthday party..."

"Yeah, I'll leave it to Genki. Hehe, Kamija-kun will be surprised, right?"

"I don't like the idea of throwing a party for that guy, but..."

"Rin was the one who suggested it, though."

I turned around when I heard Genki and his harem talking nearby during class.

They were huddled at the back of my seat.

However, they stopped talking loudly when they noticed I had turned around.

Come to think of it, it's my birthday tomorrow.

They're throwing a party for me. If I heard it by accident, it would be bad.

But I should clear my schedule for after school tomorrow.

Thinking this, I returned my gaze to the window.

---

The next morning, I left home a bit early.

I just woke up early, it has no special meaning.

The early morning commute seemed a little less crowded than usual.

I left home and chose a less crowded route to school.

It's a bit chilly in the morning.

I wish I had a blazer, but it gets hot by noon.

After passing through the shopping district and reaching the main street, I crossed the signal.

Then, I chose a less crowded route again.

Even if it's a detour, it's fine. Thinking this, I turned the next corner and bumped into someone.

I was pushed back. It was a man.

"Sorry..."

"...Be careful."

The tall man said that and walked down the path I came from.

There was another person behind him (I couldn't see her face because of the hood, but probably a woman) following him.

"..."

They have an unusual aura.

I stared at their backs for a while, but when the man turned and glared at me, I quickly averted my gaze.

"Was that...?"

"Maybe, but it might just be a bad observation."

"That's not a bad observation. You can tell by looking at their faces."

What? Such a loud voice.

Is it about me...? I don't understand, but it's better not to get involved.

I started walking faster.

I planned to take a leisurely detour and arrive at school at the usual time, but I ended up going straight to the classroom.

I put my bag on my seat and sat down.

"Phew..."

It's nice to be quiet.

The only sound I hear is the creaking of the chair.

But in a few dozen minutes, it will get noisy.

I looked up at the ceiling. I heard someone walking in the hallway.

Then, the door creaked open.

I turned around, but the door wasn't open.

It seems the door of the neighboring class opened.

Hmm. I thought I heard it right there.

Oh well.

I suddenly felt sleepy. I shouldn't wake up so early.

Lying on the desk, I closed my eyes.

Before I knew it, I had fallen asleep.

---

Ooohhhhhh!!

I woke up with a start to that noise.

My heart was pounding from the suddenness.

What? What's that sound?

It's not just loud, it's like being at a concert.

I wiped the sweat from my forehead and looked around, but it was just a normal classroom.

It was just before homeroom, so most of the students were there.

Huh?

It's gradually getting quieter.

"Good morning, Kaze."

"Ah, yeah, Genki. Good morning."

"What's wrong? You're all sweaty."

Wiping the sweat from my forehead, I replied, "It's nothing." I was probably half-asleep just now.

Or maybe my ears glitched.

"By the way, are you free after school today?

Everyone is planning to gather at my place, do you want to come?"

What a lousy way to invite someone.

"Who's everyone? It's probably just Hitomi and Rin, right?"

"Well, yeah, but should I invite others?"

"No, I'll come. I'm free anyway."

"...! Got it. See you after school."

"Got it. But I'll go home first."

"Okay, that helps."

As Genki returned to his seat, the teacher entered the classroom.

The classroom immediately quieted down, and everyone took their seats.

"Stand, bow, good morning!"

With that signal, another peaceful day of classes began.

---

After a day of classes, I was back home.

For some reason, it was more tiring than usual.

I flopped onto the sofa in the living room.

No one in my family had come home yet. Come to think of it, they're all working late today.

I'll be leaving the house empty since I'm going to Genki's.

Incoming call.

I checked the email on my phone. It was from Rin.

'Come by 7, okay? You'll probably be late, though.'

I should go early.

Thinking this, I drank a glass of water and lay back on the sofa.

Then I fell asleep.

---

I woke up to the ringing of my phone.

"What's so noisy?"

I was irritated by the loud ringing and roughly checked my phone.

The call had already ended.

But the "32 missed calls" text made me jump.

...What time is it now?

It was 8 PM.

I hurriedly changed clothes and picked up my ringing phone. It was Rin.

"Hello!"

"Hello? What are you doing?"

"Sorry, I fell asleep!"

"Haaa. Hurry up."

After a long sigh, the call was cut off.

I quickly changed from my school uniform to casual clothes and rushed out of the house.

I haven't been this anxious in a while. I can't believe I fell asleep. They're throwing a birthday party for me, after all.

I pedaled my bike hard.

Genki's house is about five minutes from my house.

I'll be there soon.

At that moment, I heard a ringing in my ears.

"Ah...!"

I fell off my bike with a thud. The ringing stopped immediately.

"Ouch... What was that?"

I often get ringing in my ears, but this was the first time it was like that.

...But I need to hurry!

I got my bike back up and started pedaling again.

---

"Sorry, really."

"Seriously, what are you going to do with the main guest being late?"

The party had started despite the mess, and my birthday was revealed.

"The food is cold now..."

"Sorry..."

But it was probably made for Genki to eat, right?

I kept that unnecessary comment to myself and bowed my head.

"Well, it's fine. I was worried about an accident.

Come on, let's eat."

You're showing off your charm even in a situation like this...

"Okay, itadakimasu."

"Itadakimasu."

Seeing the three of them start eating, I joined in.

"This is delicious."

"How about it, Genki??"

"It's delicious."

"What about mine!?"

"Y-Yeah, it's good."

"Eh? It's good?"

I apparently didn't need to give my opinion.

While savoring the PDA in front of me, I quietly ate my meal.

It's my birthday party, right?

After a while, we finished eating and had cake together.

"So, presents?"

"There are none."

Well, this much is enough.

We played TV games and before I knew it, the clock had struck 11 PM.

"It's already this late."

"Yeah. With Hitomi and Rin here, we should probably break up..."

"Maybe I'll stay over."

"Then I will too."

"What are you talking about?"

No, it's the usual.

"Because it's dangerous for a non-ability girl to go home this late."

Come to think of it, everyone here is a non-ability user.

No, Rin might not be a non-ability user.

But even if she has an ability, it's not much different from being a non-ability user.

"Then I'll take the two of you home."

"Uh-uh."

Do it somewhere else.

Suppressing the urge to say that, I put on my jacket.

"Then I'll go first. Thanks a lot. I had a great time."

I said my thanks and quickly left Genki's house.

---

On my way back, I was pushing my bike.

Yes, it had a flat tire.

What bad luck on my birthday.

I cursed in my heart while pushing the heavy bike.

But it's an unusually noisy night.

I was thinking that when it happened.

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