CHAPTER 8

It really feels like Chiaki passed up a golden opportunity

“That won’t be happening.”

The atmosphere of the entire room’s excited high was abruptly swept away by an appalled gust. Ryan had claimed a decisive victory over Mindie, and he was now part of the Halo Tour. His potential was obvious. Any sane Tour coach would’ve jumped at the chance to mentor him. Even Ciara shot a dumbstruck look at her mother.

Chiaki didn’t seem bothered. “I agreed to let you take part in the Tour if you performed well; I never agreed to be your mentor on top of that.”

She ambled over to her daughters amidst the scrutiny of a room full of stunned gazes, then placed a hand on Mindie’s shoulder specifically. Mother and daughter’s respective green eyes met, and the veteran Superstar’s smile adopted a more genuine curl.

“I already have my daughter under my wing, you see. One protégé is all I can handle at the moment.”

Mindie turned away slightly at that, a slight blush from the embarrassment that came with her mother’s confidence.

Ciara leaned forward and murmured, “Mom, if that’s the only thing then I can—”

“That’s my decision,” Chiaki said, with an air of finality. She turned on her heel and strode towards the exit unperturbed, not bothering to look back. “Congratulations again, Mr. Belmont. I look forward to seeing your performance throughout the Tour.”

And then she was gone. Ryan stood there for a moment, trying to work through the shock he just experienced. He was all but certain she would accept him as a Star to nurture. Did he go wrong somewhere? Was he lacking in some way that he didn’t see? These thoughts and others pervaded his mind as he gradually came to terms that he was starting the Tour without a mentor to guide him. He hung his head glumly.

Feeling Erika’s hand on his arm, he turned to her and forced a smile. “There are a few Stars on Tour without a coach, right? I guess I’ll be doing this on my own.”

But Erika beamed at him. “Nooot quite…”

The confidence in her grin prompted a look of perplexity from him. Before he could ask her what she meant, the answer came with the sound of footsteps approaching from the far side of the observation area, and a voice whose cadence could only be described as heroic.

“It’s truly a pity that Chiaki turned down such a promising Star.”

Startled, Ryan whirled towards the sound of the voice. An impressive-looking man with short, well-groomed hair and a burly physique waded through the crowd. A moment later he was standing right in front of Ryan, crossing his arms as he looked him over.

Erika held a hand out in a presentative gesture to this man. “Ryan, this is my Tour coach—Artreius Nor. He’s also the Dean of HRU, Vice Chair of the Lumi Department, and one of the top-ranked Superstars in the whole world.”

Artreius erected his chin proudly. “And soon to be the top-ranked Superstar in the whole world. Don’t fret over Chiaki’s rejection. Her time as both top dog and Chair is coming to an end. I will be the one to surpass her—and I’d like you to help me do that.”

Ryan looked at him, dumbfounded, but with a glint of hope in his gawking eyes. “You mean… you’ll be my coach?”

“Erika here has been singing your praises since you came to her aid. That’s the kind of foundation I like to hear about in my students. That’s what the field of luminescence needs.” He jabbed out a fist, striking an impressive and welcoming image. “Join me. Hone your skills under my wing, and we will build the next generation of superstars in the Superstar ranks!”

Ryan briefly looked at Erika, as if seeking her affirmation; she gave it to him, beaming and flicking her head in a go on! gesture. Reassured and feeling good about it, he turned back to Artreius with a bright grin and thrust his own fist against his.

“I accept!”

The surrounding crowd reprised their cheers and excited chatter. Artreius threw an arm each around his two proteges, beaming with a display of pride to each of them in turn.

Off to the side, Ciara watched as this scene unfolded, having settled her little sister on a bench near the door. She looked towards the exit—where Chiaki had walked away from this chance—and scowled.

Mindie looked up at her. “Go after Mom. I just need to rest up a bit.”

“All right.” She gave her a quick hug and hurried after their mother.

Mindie watched as her sister disappeared outside, continuing to stare until the door dragged itself shut again. Then she heaved out a deep sigh and sunk back against the backrest of the bench.

“A little more practice… Once I can go back into my lumi state.”

=-=-=

The Luminescence Department was an old institution. Much like others of its tenure, previous generations had placed an importance on showing off their status while at the top of the ladder. The Department corridor occupied the entire top floor of Central. There were only a handful of Superstars in the world at a time, no thanks to the hazards of dealing with chaos.

Despite this, there were still active Superstars without an office space here. And so, they had opted to assign themselves to one of the Department chapters spread across the world. The Department Chair’s office was, of course, a corner room with windows placed such that the occupant had a spectacular view of Halo Ridge—both the university and its namesake town.

But although she was the incumbent Chair, Chiaki had given that office up nearly a decade ago. Back then she had relinquished it to an ambitious Artreius Nor, who had stepped in as her Vice Chair. It was her choice. To her, it was more fitting to let him have it—the kind of fitting that felt like a slap to the face.

And so, she opened the door and walked into her much less lavish (but still comparatively respectable) office space, intending to return to work. It would have to wait, however, as her eldest daughter stormed in hot on her heels.

“Seriously, Mom? If Mindie were any typical Shade, that Ryan guy would’ve incinerated her.” She slammed the door behind her and threw up her hands in exasperation. “His luminescence is incredible! And you’re going to let Artreius have him?!”

“Artreius is taking him on as a student? That’s quite an advantage for a fledgling Star—especially one who’s starting late.” Chiaki walked around behind her desk. She didn’t even bother to take her seat before she tapped her computer out of sleep mode to get into her email.

“Why don’t you mentor him yourself?” Ciara paced up to the desk and patted the collar of her sports jacket, gesturing to herself. “Look, I’m already a Superstar. If Mindie is taking up the time you need, I can take her on.”

“What about your studies?”

“I can handle it.”

“Along with your field work?”

“Absolutely.”

Chiaki gave the slightest shrug. “Even so, Artreius is well on his way to succeed me as the top-ranked Superstar—”

Heavy palms came down onto the top of her desk with an indignant SMACK. “You can at least give that showboat of a man a run for your rank! You’re not as active in the field as you used to be. Before Mindie, the last student you mentored was me. I finished on the Leaderboard, but that was already three years ago. Even putting rank aside, your position as Chair of the Department will be at risk!”

A grin cracked onto Chiaki’s face, amused and without much care as she scanned her inbox. “You’re quite passionate about my status Ci-chan.”

“Because you are being too passive about it. Weren’t you the one who was always going on about being the best?”

That amused grin nearly vanished in an instant. Chiaki granted herself a pensive pause before speaking again. “Aren’t I already?”

“You won’t be for much longer at this rate. Is this what this is about? Are you tired of being at the top? Is that why you’re not taking on another student?”

Ciara’s scowl deepened as she watched her mother turn away from her computer screen and towards the window, seeming largely unperturbed. “You raised us to follow that mindset. I just don’t understand why you’re being so lax now. When did this even start?”

Chiaki gazed outside. While the view from her office wasn’t as all-encompassing as it would be at the corner of the building, she still had fortune enough to face east—the lake side of campus. And for a moment, she wondered if she deserved even this view.

“When Midori-chan became luminescent, she was so excited,” she began with an exhaled breath. “Do you remember that, Ci­-chan? She had such a rebellious streak back then; it had us both worried about her future.

“I was so surprised she suddenly became so eager to follow our footsteps. She couldn’t wait to be a Star. She said, I’m going to be the brightest Star in the world!”

Ciara nodded, the gauge of her temper gradually lowering to a level calmer and more composed at the memory. “She would practice and train until we told her it was time for dinner. Or that she still needed to do her homework.”

Chiaki’s smile returned, if only faintly. “I asked her back then… What do you think it means to be the brightest Star in the world?”

=-=-=

After training and breaking her state a few more times, Mindie had moved from the practice rooms in the Lumisphere to the lakeshore. She couldn’t unleash her luminescence on anything that wasn’t an amalgamation of chaos, but she could still hone her physical fitness. Another hour passed of pushing herself in running, skating, shadowboxing, and doing some minor parkour holds on the nearby benches and trees.

And then she was done, flopping back onto the grass with her arms out wide.

Her lungs were starved for air, and she breathed heavily in order to sate its need. Increasing her physical stamina affected how long she could keep her state active, but she felt she had plateaued. Her progress seemed to be slower in any case. Despite that, she knew she still had a long way to go. For starters, she wasn’t even close to reaching green—the next level of luminescence.

She stared straight up at the sky, whose daylight had begun transitioning from the bright blue of midday to the orange tint of late-afternoon. And her clear view of the sky was suddenly interrupted by the sight of a familiar, perpetually exhausted-looking face that regarded her with curiosity.

Taking that as a cue, Mindie sat upright as Pike crouched beside her. With a cheeky grin, Pike wordlessly pulled out two bottles of iced tea from the disorder within his messenger bag. Raspberry-flavored. Largely considered the worst flavor of iced tea you could choose from any vendor.

It was Mindie’s favorite.