The morning seemed longer than usual for Minami. The chance to breathe a little relief came during recess, where she could hide behind a low wall, a place hardly anyone went to during break time.

But her moment of reflection wouldn’t last long, for Yukino, who had been searching for her everywhere, appeared quietly behind her.

“I found you! How are you?” Yukino asked.

As if struck by lightning, Minami flinched and slowly turned her head toward Yukino.

“I’m fine!” she said, her voice trembling.

“No, you’re not!” Yukino countered, cutting through her lie.

Those words filled Minami’s eyes with tears. At the same time, she felt safe enough to open up.

“… Yukino, you’re not very normal yourself… If I show you something, you won’t freak out?” Minami stammered.

“Did you just call me crazy?” Yukino asked, giving her a side glance.

“Well… not exactly wrong, right?” Minami replied, laughing awkwardly.

Instead of continuing the banter, Minami began removing her scarf. Then her coat and gloves, revealing her glowing skin to Yukino.

“Don’t tell anyone.” Minami asked timidly.

“Believe it or not, I know someone who can help you!” Yukino declared, showing no surprise at all.

“Really? I knew I could trust you.” Relief washed over her, and a spark of hope lit inside Minami’s heart.

“I’ll call Akiko and Miyu to see this.” Yukino announced, already running to fetch them.

“No, stop! No one else at school can know!” Minami cried in alarm.

Yukino ignored her desperate plea and quickly found the two in the courtyard, bringing them to see the situation. They both looked and instantly reached the same conclusion:

“Megumi! You need to talk to Megumi!” Akiko and Miyu said in unison, without hesitation.

“What?! Another person has to see this?” Minami grew even more nervous, realizing her situation was slipping out of her control. Discretion was no longer an option.

“It’s because the Potentia of Light is different from the others. I don’t understand how it works, and she’s the only one it affects this way.” Even Akiko gave a technical explanation.

“Potentia?” asked the glowing girl.

“They’re powers.” Yukino explained quickly.

“I feel like I’m in those crazy things you watch, Yukino. What’s the name again?” Minami asked.

“Anime.” Yukino answered with a look of disdain, clearly annoyed that her friend had called it crazy.

As they talked, the bell signaling the end of recess rang, and they all had to return to class. Minami stared at her pile of clothes and worried, it took her too long to put them back on, and she didn’t want anyone to see her glowing.

“Just go like that!” Yukino suggested.

“Say it’s highlighter.” Miyu offered.

“No one’s going to believe that.” Minami sighed.

Back in the classroom, Minami sat silently in her usual spot, hoping no one would look at her. Her classmate beside her stared and asked:

“Minami, what’s up with you glowing?”

“It’s highlighter.” she explained.

“Oh, okay!” he said, satisfied with the answer.

“He believed it…” the glowing girl thought, shocked.

Sayuri’s House

Sayuri was in her daily practice, composing a new melody at the piano. Focused, the music flowed with incredible lightness, filling the room with harmony. The scene resembled a glorious, heroic movie moment.

“SAYURIIII!” Akiko shouted at the top of her lungs, bursting into the house and cutting through Sayuri’s rehearsal.

CLANG rang out from the piano as Sayuri lost the notes and her feelings were cut short. She took a deep breath, calmed herself, and turned to Akiko, saying:

“Akiko, please don’t yell while I’m playing. I was practicing a more difficult melody…” she asked, slightly irritated but still gentle.

“But Sayuri…” Akiko continued, “we have an emergency!”

Akiko revealed that with them was a girl glowing from head to toe, desperately in need of help. Sayuri’s jaw dropped, shocked at the sight.

“MEGUMI, GET OVER HERE!”

It wasn’t common to hear Sayuri shout, much less with fear. Megumi rushed down the stairs to see what had happened.

The tall blonde woman entered the room, and Minami looked at her, captivated by her beauty. When the model saw the scene, she remained calm, showing it wasn’t strange to her.

“Rub your hands together well, then clap. That will dissipate the energy.” she instructed, demonstrating the gestures.

Minami’s face revealed her inner confusion. This was unlike anything she had ever known. With little choice, she copied the act, however absurd it seemed. She rubbed her hands and clapped. A faint ray of light scattered, and she stopped glowing.

“What!? That’s all it was?” Minami gasped.

“This happens in the early stages of this Potentia. When it awakens, energy builds up very quickly in the skin, so it needs to be dispersed. If you’d like, I can teach you how to use it.” Megumi offered warmly.

“Yeah… maybe I should learn, huh?” she replied, smiling shyly.

Koa and Adonis’s Apartment, March 21, noon

It was a lazy day, and young Adonis had finally woken up. He headed to the kitchen, where Koa was already preparing lunch.

“Hey, Koa! Good morning.” he greeted, yawning.

“Adonis, it’s already lunchtime. Don’t you think you’re getting up too late?” Koa asked, clearly annoyed.

“But today’s Sunday. It’s my day off.” Adonis replied, yawning again.

Day off? Koa thought, pausing for a moment.

“But have you thought about what you’ll do during the week?” he asked, glancing at Adonis.

“Tomorrow I’ve got a math test, a physics assignment to turn in, and my class was put in charge of collecting cardboard boxes for the school festival.” the boy listed off casually.

With a show of anger, Koa slammed the knife into the wooden cutting board. His reaction made it clear Adonis’s answer was far from what he wanted to hear. Startled, Adonis jumped back, wide-eyed.

“Adonis… your mission! Maureen, Itzel, Yesenia, Rosalia, they’ve all encountered the girls, and you’ve done nothing so far!” Koa scolded firmly, his voice leaving no room for excuses.

Adonis pressed his palms together, bowed his head, and answered in a trembling voice:

“I’ll go! I swear! Don’t give up on me!”

March 22, Monday, School

The second-year class was in P.E. At this school, boys and girls practiced separately. There were three courts: the gymnasium, the covered court, and the open court.
The most popular sports were soccer, volleyball, basketball, and handball. Adonis was playing his favorite sport in the world: soccer. Some of the girls in his class watched the game, showering him with praise.

“Ahhh! He’s so handsome!”

 “How lucky we are to live in the same era!”

 “Even better to be in the same class!” they exclaimed.

As the striker, Adonis played with the seriousness of a professional. His speed was high, and he put great effort into the game. The effort left his body and face dripping with sweat, which started to bother him.
To wipe it off, he lifted his shirt slightly to clear his forehead. A common gesture among boys, but it sparked wild commotion among the girls.

“AHHHHHHHHHHH!” they screamed in unison.

“Girls are weird, man.” the other boys muttered to each other.

Meanwhile, Aino was dragging Miyu by the hand toward the sports courts in a hurry.

“Come on, Miyu, let’s take advantage of being dismissed early.” Aino said.

“Fine, but why are we going to the court?”

“I want to see Adonis, but I don’t want to go alone.”

“But I’m not interested.” Miyu complained.

“Don’t make a scene.” Aino pleaded.

“…” Miyu muttered.

I don’t have to stay here… Miyu thought, turning away toward her classroom.

As she turned, too focused on leaving, she didn’t see where she was going and bumped face-first into someone’s chest.

“Whoa! Sorry, didn’t see you!” Adonis apologized to Miyu.

The green-haired girl said nothing, caught by surprise. The redhead looked at her and crouched to gauge her height.

“Man, you’re so short!” he said, impressed.

“What!?” she replied, clearly annoyed.

“Look on the bright side! You’ll never hit your head on the ceiling!” he joked.

“You’re so lucky, Miyu!” Aino chimed in from behind.

Miyu grew even more irritated, pouting. Adonis stood up again, clueless about why the girl seemed upset. Without another word, she turned and headed toward the courtyard. Aino ran after her.

“So? Did your heart stop?” Aino teased.

“Yes, from anger!” Miyu snapped.

March 23, Tuesday, School

The first classes were over, and the recess bell rang. In the first-year class, the last period had been Biology, and the teacher had one request before they left.

“Alright, guys, I know it’s break time, but could someone help me take the books to the lab?” asked Professor Mira, showing the enormous stack she had brought.

But everyone ran off to recess, not bothering to help. Only Miyu stayed behind, offering to assist. The teacher thanked her and handed her some books.

The pile was so tall it nearly covered her face, and she walked carefully to avoid tripping. The classroom was on the ground floor, but the lab was upstairs, requiring a long climb.
Miyu climbed carefully and stopped in front of the lab door, wondering how to open it with her hands full. Soon, a hand reached out to open it for her.

“Thanks.” she said gratefully.

“Isn’t that heavy? Give me some books.” Adonis, who had opened the door, offered.

“No, it’s fine.” she politely refused.

They both entered. Miyu placed the books on a table while Adonis began exploring the room, greeting the skeleton and examining jars of specimens.

She watched him from the corner of her eye, concerned. It didn’t take long before he crossed the line, fiddling with stored substances.

“Let’s mix some stuff!” he exclaimed, picking up two liquids.

“Hey, don’t touch that!” Miyu scolded, irritation rising.

“Look at this pink liquid, so cool!” Adonis said, beginning to mix the contents of a test tube and an Erlenmeyer flask.

“Adonis! That’s caustic soda!” she warned, rushing toward him in alarm.

“Look, awesome! Pink! Blue! Green! Now it’s yellow!” he commented as the mixture changed colors.

The colors caught Miyu’s attention, momentarily distracting her from her concern.

“Do you know why that happens?” Adonis asked, glancing at her.

Miyu felt challenged but answered quickly:

“It’s not hard! The water had sodium permanganate, and the caustic soda had sugar. That’s what caused those colors.”

“That’s right! You’re smart, I like it!” the redhead said, impressed.

The girl didn’t take the compliment seriously, ignoring him. But soon he had another bright idea.

“Alright, I’m taking this home.” Adonis said, lifting the container.

“What? No! Put that back!” Miyu demanded in panic.

“Hey! Hey! Hey!” he protested, dodging her attempts.

“Adonis, drop it!” Miyu tried to grab it back.

In the struggle, the flask clinked against a nearby beaker, and the thin sound of glass echoed through the room.