Track 03. drive to MY WORLD

Planet Earth — March 1st, Sayuri’s House

After the confrontation with the unknown woman, Akiko, Megumi, Naoko, and Miyu brought Yukino to Sayuri’s house to get her somewhat up to speed on what had just happened.

“SAYURI! SAYURI! THE WORLD ENDED! WE GOT ATTACKED! THERE ARE INJURIES!” Akiko burst in, yelling and slamming the door.

Sayuri was upstairs. Hearing the commotion, she ran down in a hurry.

“What is all this screaming?! Who got hurt?” she asked, already holding a first-aid kit.

“Akiko! No one’s hurt!” Miyu said.

“But Naoko got shocked, right?!” Akiko replied, nowhere near as frantic as she’d been seconds ago.

“Shocked? Like she stuck her finger in an socket?” Sayuri asked, confused.

“STOP IT! IT WASN’T A BIG DEAL. I’M FINE!” Naoko cut in, irritated.

While the conversation went on, the homeowner noticed a girl with long black hair and bangs.

“Oh! A school friend of the girls?” Sayuri smiled. “I’m Sayuri. Welcome.”

Yukino was about to introduce herself, but Akiko threw her arms around her and started presenting her instead.

“This is Yukino—Aino’s cousin. We met this morning and I already feel like we’re best friends—”

Megumi saw the scene, pulled Akiko back, and covered her mouth so she could explain what had really happened.

“Sayuri, something important happened. We were attacked by an unknown Potentia, and Akiko’s classmate also turned out to be one. She’s an ice user.”

Sayuri’s eyes widened. The information landed hard—but before asking for details, she needed to understand one thing.

“Had you done that before?”

Yukino wasn’t expecting the question. She only shook her head no. Sayuri asked her to try to explain how she had released her power.

Yukino didn’t even know what she was supposed to feel. She lowered her gaze, then tried to put it into words.

“I… don’t really know how to explain it. I remembered a feeling I had last year. I just… followed my gut and put the energy into my palms… and then the ice came out. It almost hit the woman who attacked us.”

Sayuri listened carefully, then asked Yukino to try using her Potentia again.

Yukino felt intimidated. How was she supposed to repeat something so new—something that shouldn’t even exist? She hesitated, then focused, forcing herself to try.

Energy gathered in her hands. Snowflakes formed, thickened, and turned into shards of ice.

She stared at her own power, stunned she’d actually managed it. It felt unreal, like she was dreaming.

Sayuri didn’t know how to react. Even after hearing the accounts and seeing it with her own eyes, it was hard to believe. Then she looked at all of them and said:

“I think… our coming here may have caused changes on this planet. And I believe at least six more Potentia will appear. That’s the best-case scenario. It would be good if we found them as soon as possible—so they don’t get attacked too.”

March 2nd

The morning was pleasant. The household slept peacefully. Still groggy, Guang slowly opened his eyes to check how much longer he could sleep.

To his shock, the clock read 6:40 a.m. He should’ve been up forty minutes ago to get ready and drive the girls to school.

Guang jolted upright and immediately called to his wife, who helped wake the girls.

Sayuri hurried to the bedroom, flung the door open, told them it was late, and demanded speed. Then she rushed downstairs to make breakfast so they could eat something.

“Ah, no… is it really gonna be like this every day?” Akiko complained as she climbed out of bed.

School — Morning

At school, the routine went better than the day before. The students who had complained so much were quieter now. The girls weren’t “new” anymore, so no one felt the need to talk about them.

Break time came, and Akiko, Naoko, and Miyu got together to talk about which classes they’d had in their first days.

Akiko said she loved foreign language class. Naoko had gotten interested in physics. Miyu liked geometry.

While they talked, Aino—Yukino’s cousin, and Akiko and Miyu’s classmate—walked across the courtyard in the opposite direction.

“AH! LOOK! AINO!” Akiko shouted.

No response.

“She’s pretending she doesn’t know you,” Naoko teased.

“WHAT?! NO SHE’S NOT!” Akiko snapped, getting up to prove Naoko wrong. “AINO! COME HERE!”

Hearing Akiko’s yelling, Aino immediately bolted in panic. Akiko, not understanding why her friend was running, chased her the whole way.

Aino ran as hard as she could, but she got tired quickly—her stamina wasn’t great. She braced her hands on the outside wall by the bathrooms, panting, breathing heavy.

Akiko, who had no trouble running, caught up. Even breathless, Aino glared at her.

“I’M SO EMBARRASSED! WHAT DO YOU WANT, AKIKO?”

“Aino, listen. You’re not gonna believe this. I don’t know if you know. I don’t know if she told you, but Sayuri knows—everyone already knows.”

“Akiko, stop! Say it already!”

“It’s about Yukino! She’s one of us!”

“What?! What do you mean?” Aino’s eyes widened.

Akiko started waving her arms around like seaweed.

“You know… she does… that thing.”

Aino crossed her arms and looked away.

“I get it. I just refuse to be happy about it.”

“But why?! It’s cool she’s one of us.”

“Cool? One of us? There is no ‘us.’ I just want to be a normal, ordinary person.”

Akiko went quiet. Her body went still, her eyes dropped to the floor, and she didn’t say anything else.

Planet Finalia — Same Morning

Firm footsteps echoed through Ayami’s base, moving down the corridors until they reached her room. When they finally stopped, the door opened slowly.

“You called for me, ma’am?” a male voice asked.

“Yes, Itzel. I did. Come in,” Ayami ordered, turning toward the door.

Ayami rose, displaying superiority through her lace gown embroidered with pearls, fur-lined shoulder pieces, her body outlined by gleaming golden satin.

“I will need your skills for a reconnaissance mission. And I want you to find out who the four girls Rosália encountered—and whether others are appearing. Infiltrate the inhabitants of Earth.”

“Understood. I’ll report as I gather information,” Itzel replied promptly.

A portal opened—similar to Rosália’s, but blue—and sent him to the planet.

Planet Earth

In the same square where Rosália had appeared, a portal opened again—this time inside the artificial lake.

The man who emerged had pale turquoise hair, shoulder-length, adorned with three braids. His skin was fair. His eyes were a bright sky-blue. Itzel wore a linen shirt and sweatpants, both brown, both ripped.

He understood his mission: observe the citizens’ behavior. He walked through the city, watching how people carried themselves.

Everyone seemed well-dressed. Most women wore animal-print dresses and high heels. Men looked sharp in well-cut jackets. Itzel concluded it must matter here.

He kept wandering and came across clothes displayed outside on the street. Seeing they were new and apparently unattended, he decided to take one. The piece was immediately yanked out of his hands—hard.

“HEY! HEY, HEY, HEY! STOP STEALING! GET OUT OR I’M CALLING THE POLICE!” yelled the shop owner, a man around thirty with an ordinary look.

“But sir, it was outside. I’m not stealing.”

“DON’T GIVE ME THAT! YOU’RE GONNA PAY!”

“Okay… but how do you pay?” Itzel asked.

“Tch. You’re unemployed, aren’t you? There’s a video rental place run by some alternative folks. Ask around on your way.”

Itzel followed the direction the man pointed. After a while, he spotted the video store in a nicer part of downtown.

The two-story building had huge glass windows across the front, with the entrance on the side. Posters of the latest movies covered the walls. On the door there was a sign that read: HELP WANTED. Itzel figured this had to be the place and walked in.

“Hi. Do you need someone to work here?” Itzel offered immediately.

“Hey! Welcome! Yeah, we’re hiring…” replied a young man who was organizing VHS tapes and DVDs.

He had a pink mohawk, fair skin, brown eyes, ball piercings on his left eyebrow, a ring on his lip, plus piercings and earrings along his ears. He wore a black shirt and pants with the shop’s apron.

“Hm. Face accessories… like Aiden and Koa,” Itzel thought, observing.

“Poor guy. His clothes are all torn up,” the young man thought, observing Itzel back.

“Okay, when can I buy stuff?” Itzel snapped out of his thoughts and went straight to it.

“You’re direct, huh…”

“I need to buy some clothes.”

The mohawk guy smiled and introduced himself.

“Got you. Got you! Name’s Ren, I own this place! Dude—three minimum wages. You can get yourself sorted just fine! You seem chill. How about a trial tomorrow?”

Ren looked Itzel up and down carefully. He was soaked, and his clothes were damaged.

“Dude, no offense, but… you got somewhere to sleep?” Ren asked.

“No,” Itzel answered calmly.

“I’ve got space at my place. Sound good? Just so you’ve got somewhere—at least for now.”

“Man, he’s so unfazed,” Ren thought.

Itzel accepted while Rosália’s words flashed through his mind:

“THEY’RE DISGUSTING, TREACHEROUS—YOU CAN’T TRUST A SINGLE ONE OF THEM!”

“Yeah. That works. I accept,” Itzel said to Ren, making it clear his mission came before his companion’s opinion.

“Ayy, for real! Then watch how we do things till closing, and then we get off.”

March 3rd — School, 7:30 a.m.

Another routine school day, and Akiko was already tired of her days feeling exactly the same. She and Miyu were heading to class when Akiko bumped into Aino at the doorway. Their eyes met. Akiko gave an awkward smile; Aino turned her face away, making it clear she didn’t want to talk.

The school day went normally until break. In the noisy courtyard, Yukino showed up behind Akiko and Miyu, asking to talk.

“So… about those trainings…” she began, like there was more she wanted to say.

“Don’t worry. It’s fine. You’ll see when you get there,” Miyu replied.

“And don’t stress, Yuki! Sayu is amazing!” Akiko added.

“…But… I’m not gonna have to fight her, right?” Yukino admitted, voicing her real fear.

“What? Fight? No!” Miyu replied, offended. “Ugh—you and Akiko watch too much anime. It’s not like that. She’s just going to help you control your Potentia. That’s it.”

“Okay. Good. So she’ll be like a mentor. And that woman who attacked us—what did she want?” Yukino continued, calmer now.

“One thing at a time. First you understand your Potentia, then we deal with the rest. Class is almost over. You’ll have lunch at my house, and then you can ask your questions,” Miyu said, shutting down the rumors.

The last classes passed in a blink. The bell rang, and they headed home, where Sayuri was waiting with lunch ready. Once everyone was served, the hostess announced:

“You rested? Good. I’ll be with Yukino now. The rest of you—do the dishes.”

Yukino stood and followed her to the back of the house. The yard was pleasant, full of greenery and flowers. From there, the city noise faded, as if they were far from the bustle. It was a place to forget problems. The two sat on the grass.

“First, we’ll do a concentration exercise. Breathe slowly and let go of any intrusive thoughts,” Sayuri instructed.

Yukino breathed carefully, keeping a comfortable rhythm. Sayuri continued guiding her:

“If you pay attention, you’ll realize your Potentia is something natural—something that has always been with you. Like breathing. And you can learn to use it better. I want you to notice that consciously, and when you’re ready, form small snowflakes.”

At first, Yukino felt anxiety rise inside her—light palpitations—but she focused on her breathing. Once she felt calmer, she raised her hand. A small smile appeared.

She managed to create ice crystals naturally, as if it had always been part of her.

“Very good! Now we’ll slowly control quantity and size,” Sayuri praised.

The first day’s training stayed calm. Yukino pushed herself to do what was asked and managed snowflakes of different sizes and amounts.

Because it was her first time, it was tiring—but Sayuri sensed excellent results. Yukino thanked her and returned home. The following days of training grew more intense.

By the end of the third day, Yukino showed signs of exhaustion.

“Third day of training in a row. I’m gonna be initiated,” she muttered, tired and sarcastic.

“THAT’S IT! Let’s go, bestie! Yuki! Pajama party on Saturday?” Akiko cheered.

“I have no idea what people even do at a pajama party. But I’ll ask my parents if I can. I’m too tired to think right now,” Yukino replied, with absolutely no filter.