The day continues without incident as students get reacclimatized to their school lives. They go about their studies and the mundanities of their routine. Later, just before lunch, Mio stands in the restroom, washing her hands. As she turns off the water, the digital wristband on her left arm beeps. She holds it up like a watch and it projects a holographic message in text and speaks with a synthetic voice. “Attention Students. It is now time for the End of Summer Assembly, after which will be lunch period, and then a return to your regular class schedule. Please report to the auditorium immediately.”

The auditorium is a sleek room with a large stage and several monitors. On the far sides of the room, several booths with hovering computer drones line the walls, rigged up to complicated machines. At the front, a tall man with an easygoing demeanor and red hair, tied back into a ponytail, strolls across the stage in a nice, white suit with a green dress shirt underneath his jacket. A small camera drone hovering nearby, following his movements so that he appears on the screens. He prattles on with the usual rhetoric about the beginning of the second term and how the academic journey of the First Year students is just beginning. But then he steps back, yielding the stage to a beautiful woman sitting in one of the chairs behind him, stylishly dressed, with a head of long, flowing, deep violet hair. “Now if you’d all lend your undivided attention to our esteemed counselor, Ms. Ophelia Tate.”

Several students break into an uproarious cheer as Ms. Tate stands and approaches the front of the stage, somewhat bashfully waving to them all. She bows respectfully to the man who’d introduced her. “Thank you, Principal Aizo.” Then she bows to the students that make up the audience of the assembly. “Today marks the beginning of a new term. As with every new term, the school is required to update your Links with new software approved by the city. Second and Third Years will be more than familiar with this, by now. First Years, as this is new to you, you’ll be going last so we can work you through it. As this is your first experience with this process, there’s the added matter of pairing for some of you, as well.” She then bows to the crowd. “We ask that you be patient with us as we take our time getting through everyone. Thank you, and here’s to another successful term at East Lumos Academy.”

The remainder of the assembly plays out exactly as stated. The Second Years go through their updates, then the Third Years. The First Years, as predicted, take a bit longer as people figure everything out. When Mio’s turn comes, she steps up to the booth being run by Ms. Kelly. “All right, Mio, please hold your Link under the scanner, here.” Mio does as she’s told, holding out her arm with the wristband under the device rigged to the computer, which goes on to scan the LED circling the band, after which her information comes up on the computer screen. “I’m going to need you to verify if all of this information is accurate.”

Mio leans over to check the monitor as all manner of documentation scrolls by. 15, Birthdate December 24, First Term 2.3 GPA, the works. Even questions about medical records. It’s… incredibly thorough. “It all looks fine.”

“Okay, then. You’re due for pairing, so just sit there and I’ll get you set up.” Kelly snaps her finger and the drone seems to nod, extending a cord of some sort and plugging it into a magnetic port on Mio’s Link. “Try to hold still.”

“Right…”

The process doesn’t take overly long. As Mio leaves the auditorium and proceeds on her way to class for her lunch period, she checks her Link. The holo-interface pulls up a loading visual, along with text that simply says Pairing… Apparently the process could take a few minutes after completing the wired portion. Still, though. It was done. The first milestone on her “road to academic success,” as Aizo had called it. Thinking about it… it’s a bit overwhelming.

In Beacon, education is everything. The entire city is a massive establishment of higher learning with over half of the structures being educational institutions of one form or another. Everything about the place is designed to foster new generations of scientists, artists, entrepreneurs. And Links measure the success of one’s academic pursuits. Grades, disciplinary records, the works. They’re a portable summary of the person wearing them, as well as useful multipurpose tools for everything from communication to shopping. Perhaps overwhelming is an understatement. But now Mio’s is fully active… almost.

---

The rest of the day carries on as any other. Mio sits in the room, eating her boxed lunch by herself in her corner, staring through the window. During class, she answers the odd question, otherwise keeping her head down. Every now and then she checks her Link. Pairing… At the end of it all, a cleaning drone hovers into the room behind her as she slides the classroom door open with the press of a button, the last one up from her seat as everyone else is already off to their clubs and she’d been busy finishing a drawing. Eventually, she makes her way to the entrance to get her things from her locker. The space is empty, save for her. But before she gets far, a warm, friendly voice catches her. “Morioka-san!”

Mio turns to find Jun rushing over to her, stopping and hunching over to catch his breath, panting. He’s met with Mio’s usual flat stare and a nigh-inflectionless “Serizawa-san…” On his approach, she blinks at him. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Jun laughs. He clears his throat and stands upright, putting on a big smile. “So, uh… did you get a chance to think about what I asked you, before?”

Ah. Right. And here it comes again. That humming feeling from earlier. Mio keeps her head down, looking to the floor and, really, any direction but directly at the boy. “Um… honestly, I forgot about it until now. I had a lot on my mind, I guess.” Jun watches as the girl plays with the strap of her bag to distract herself and can’t help cracking an endeared grin as she goes on. “I don’t… really know how that stuff works, so…”

“Y-yeah. I’m not really the most experienced with it either. Ahaha…”

Then the two go quiet, Mio’s mind bouncing around, trying to make heads or tails of this sensation. It’s… wrong. Not the feeling she exactly expected. Not what she’d read about. Then what is this… this anxiousness? “Uh… to answer your question, though… I…”

Mio freezes for a second. But just as she opens her mouth to speak again, a loud tone cuts her off and Jun pulls up the display on his Link. “Ah. Sorry about that. I’ll silence it, real quick,” he says. But when he actually looks at it, his entire demeanor changes. Instantly, he turns several shades whiter as an automated voice begins to speak.

“Serizawa, Jun. Your capabilities make you a contender. You are one of the 10,000 Espers enrolled to participate in the latest iteration of the United World System’s Royale Initiative in the city of Beacon. You have already been sent information on your first opponent. Further notifications will be sent as you advance throughout the next 200 approximate days of the contest, or until the time of your elimination. We thank you for your cooperation with this civic responsibility to ensure the continued safety of mankind and wish you luck, earning your stay in our fine city.”

Jun’s entire body trembles. His breathing is erratic and his hands feel clammy. A jittery “W-what?” falls from his lips.

Hearing that, Mio’s stomach twists itself into a knot. The tingling feeling turns to ache as Jun scrambles to go through his Link for the notification. Mio clenches the strap of her bag tight and bows her head, though her expression remains unchanged. “Serizawa-san… I’m sorry. Maybe you might be able to win. Then-”

“Morioka-san…” Cut off, Mio raises her head to find Jun looking dead at her with pained eyes. Then he blows up the display on his interface, revealing a holographic profile with her picture on it.

“Eh?” Mio steps back. “But…” Then it hits her. Holding up her arm, she opens the display on her Link. Pairing… It never finished. She didn’t get the announcement. She frantically fiddles with it for a bit, even hitting the Link, itself. Anything to try and get it working. Looking back across from herself at Jun, that humming in her body returns, more intense than it ever had before. “S-Serizawa...san?”

Jun holds his head low and closes the display, leaning against one of the lockers to his side with a slam. “Damn it…” Then he grits his teeth, curling his hand into a fist and punching one of the lockers, bruising his knuckles in the process. “Damn it! Seriously? Right when I finally get up the nerve to ask her? It’s not fair…” Slowly, Mio backs away from Jun, him staring into that locker door with sorrowful eyes. Just then, a bright purple flash emits from his Link, catching both youths by surprise.

The light of Jun’s Link illuminates the room, calling on a mysterious energy to surge out from his body, and a large being manifests behind him. A wolf-like, humanoid creature that snaps at Mio with rows of gnashing teeth. Its fiendish red eyes settle on her like prey and its spiny, quill-like fur stands up on its back, crackling with an eerie fuchsia glow. It manifests seemingly from thin air like a ghost. But this beast is all too real. She’d never seen one before - a Familiar. The pressure Mio feels intensifies as the creature takes full form and looms over Jun’s shoulder, glaring right at the girl, leaving her in a stupor. In that moment, it sinks in for her. The reality that this is the world she now inhabits. And, like always, she is utterly alone in it.