The universe was always a mystery. Beyond many celestial bodies, there are also an uncountable number of planets where different life forms inhabit. In many of those there are some beings in their human evolutionary stage, and among them, some obtain a different power called Potentia. These people were assigned the mission of being responsible for the maintenance of their worlds doing everything possible to maintain harmony. However, if everything is in order and progresses according to these laws, why, in a far-flung place, is there one that cries so much?

Utopia planet

It was a distinct day; a young lady was hurrying into a hall teeming with crystals and rose-quartzes. She had lilac-colored hair, was medium height, and had light blue eyes. As if she were prepared for a great event, she was wearing a dazzling organza draped dress, firm structures around the bust region and huge ruffles at the sides resembling of carved crystals, in gradient blue, pink and purple shades, which when combined had a similar effect to iridescent. As soon as she arrived, she saw a group of acquaintances, and joyfully greeted them.

“Hello, girls! I've arrived early, don't you think?” she said getting closer.

“Wow, such a surprise, Akiko…” A young woman, whose hair and eyes were dark, which contrasted with her white skin, sarcastically replied. Her long dress possessed many shades of blue and small white details. Her bust was structured in a "strapless" style, with organza and a draped finish. The skirt was made of the same fabric, and possessed a train in layers, which created curves resembling the sea.

“You only arrive early when you are feeling curious.” This time it was another girl from the group that had commented. Her dark skin, with green eyes and hair, and her expression brought her a youthful and responsible appearance. Her dress was crafted with structured fabric that imitated plant leaves. The dress was asymmetrical and in layers, and due to beaded embellishments in all its extensions, whenever light illuminated it, it shimmered in many shades of green.

“Is Akiko here? Am I late?” A tall woman with long, wavy blond hair cascading down to the middle of her back, skin in an olive shade, light blue eyes, and lips tinted red by her lipstick, looked surprised by the situation. Her elegance was evident, her long dress fit perfectly, accentuating her body, gracefully following each movement with enchanting fluidity. Soft shades enveloped her, creating an aura of delicacy, while subtle highlights illuminated her silhouette with an elegant touch. The layers and ruffles carefully arranged, added a sense of movement and lightness.

“Well, well, what a surprise, right?” Another woman, older and grinning, spoke up. Her hair looked short, wavy and dark, while her eyes conveyed kindness. Light and long, her dress possessed delicate straps, and simple bust; her skirt had plumes and layers which recalled birds' feathers, presenting its flow to the wind.

“Hey! What conspiracy is this?” Akiko complained, while her colleagues laughed at her reaction.

During the laughter and jokes with Akiko, in the same place, a little girl appeared asking for permission quietly and timidly. She had blue eyes, her hair was red, and the tips of it were wavy, curling graciously. Her dress was the most delicate among the others, with soft shades of pink. It was made of organza and had many voluminous structures with a light wire, which kept a petal shape, making her look like a gorgeous flower.

“Little sis, come!” Akiko looked backwards and encouraged her little sister to join them. Beside her, stood a woman with the same hair color as Akiko. She was tall and elegant, wearing a rainbow-colored organza dress that trailed along the floor. She seriously looked at Akiko and called for her attention.

“Take care of Matsui, will you, Akiko? I don't want to see you running around the place.” said the mother of the two young ones. “Do not get dirty, do not get delayed... You know that her party is tonight.” the woman proceeded in an authoritative tone.

“Mom!” The young one answered back. “I got it!” At this point an older, short-haired lady got closer to Akiko's mother.

“Do not worry, Ms. Yajima. I'll look after them.” promised the woman, lightly resting a hand on the shoulder of the young ones' mother, to make her feel safe.

“Great to know about this. Thank you, Sayuri. In you, I trust.” Akiko's mother felt relieved after hearing her words. Akiko observed them both and marveled at how Sayuri was so skilled at communicating with other people. “Well, I am leaving now. See you soon!”

“We can prepare ourselves to start now.” Sayuri commented.

After those words were said, in that hall, a tall woman with long, wavy, brown hair, and tan skin emerged. She was wearing a structured and asymmetrical black dress, with a long hem and a wide opening that made her right leg completely visible. Imposingly, she looked at the young group. The fabric was sophisticated, with metallic wires that made it shine majestically.

“Potentia from Utopia Planet.” the woman began. “I, Ayami, who possesses Judgement Potentia, am here to conduct you all today.” she continued. 

Young Matsui seemed confused by her sudden appearance and wondered where the woman had come from. Sayuri noticed the little girl's confusion and explained the situation.

“She came from there!” Sayuri pointed in the direction of a crystal altar that was shinier than the other ones. “This beautiful place serves as a portal to different worlds.” the little girl nodded in understanding. After this brief interruption, Ayami, once again, called for the attention of everyone present.

“Hello, young ladies. I have come here earlier because I would like to invite the seven of you for a mission.” she began explaining, letting the young ones be attentive and curious. Akiko notices that something was not right and attempts to correct Ayami with all formality that is within her grasp.

“But ma'am... There are six of us.” commented the young one.

“Oh... It is true. She has gone to Earth, hasn't she?” Sayuri confirmed with some doubts.

“She always goes there, isn't that right, Megumi?” the tall, long dark-haired woman asked the woman with blond, wavy hair.

“Yes, Naoko. She lives there.” Answered Megumi, the young blonde. An atmosphere of tension started surging; Ayami's expression of power and superiority began to give way to one of disgust and indignation.

“How? How is that possible? Why?” inquired with a voice tone that clearly conveyed her disgust about the situation .

“Ms. Ayami? Is everything all right? Do you need help?” said Megumi, who got worried about Ayami's reaction, and tried to calm down the situation.

“I decided…” said Ayami in a harsh tone and frowned eyebrows. “...That I do not need your assistance anymore.” she said pointing at the direction of the crystal altar from where she came, leaving the girls confused.

Ayami wielded through her hands dark and bright Potentia, striking the core with such force and energy that it was easily destroyed. The resulting explosion left a void in that planetary system, however Ayami remained protected within a round and translucid shield encompassing her entire body. Gazing into that void, she inquired:

“Hm... Yes, perhaps I have exaggerated…" Her expression was serious, and aside from her speech, there was no empathy or regret in her gaze. In fact, there was an atmosphere of disdain towards the situation. As she remained in place, Ayami sensed a presence that was gradually getting closer to her. When it was very close behind her, she turned around, her face registering astonishment. The presence was another woman with long pink hair, facing her silently.

“You!” inquired Ayami.

Planet Earth

On November 12th, on Earth, the day equivalent to the incident in Utopia, during the night, a young girl with black hair and bangs was laying on her bed, struggling to sleep, tossing and turning.

“Damn!” she annoyingly said. “What a weird sensation... I can't sleep.”

***

It is March 1st of the following year. In a spacious two-story house, an alarm clock rings frantically. It is 6 AM, and time to start the routine.

“Oh, no…” complained the man with both eyes and dark hair. “I'm still sleepy.” Sayuri, who was lying beside him, couldn't control herself and laughed at the situation.

“We must wake up. I'll call the girls.” she said, getting up and heading towards the other room; then she opened the door and tenderly called the young ones. “Good morning, girls! Today is the first day of class, let's wake up!" In the bedroom there were two simple beds and a bunk. Megumi was already waking up and stretching up.

“Good morning, Sayuri.” said Megumi in a good mood.

On the other bed, little Matsui was sleeping tight. Miyu, who was sleeping in the bed underneath the top bunk, started waking up and sitting slowly. On the top bunk, Akiko tried to hide her face under the pillow, and covered herself back up.

“No, no, no…” she repeated as in a mantra, showing her indignation for having to wake up so early. Sayuri already knew how to deal with them, and in a kind tone, she said to all of them.

“C'mon, chop chop.” Ghuang needs to work, and he is going to offer you a ride.” she explained, and then, without changing the voice tone, but inserting a more serious one, she proceeded, “Ah, and those who take long aren't having breakfast.”

“WHAAAAAAT?” Akiko got up instantly, disturbed by the idea of not having breakfast.

It didn't take long for all of them to be ready and having a substantial breakfast. Megumi, who wasn't a minor anymore, could make use of this moment to go about her daily routine.

“Let's go to the car already. I can't get delayed.” said Ghuang while taking his stuff.

Before leaving, he approached Sayuri and kissed her, saying that he would come back earlier that day. His car was sizable enough to carry him and the girls. School was on the way, so he left them ahead, and continued his path to work.

The school was a three-story edifice with some vegetation at the entrance, and it seemed to have lots of students. Miyu and Akiko were excited about the place, the former due to her special liking for studies, the latter due to its size. Naoko, who was more down-to-earth, reminded them that it was just a school.

The school uniform consisted of a white knit t-shirt with a pin containing the school's logo. Boys wear red pants, while girls wear red skirts. The school order also demanded white socks and white or black shoes. Upon entering school, they saw many students clustered around, looking at paper lists posted on the walls.

“Look, Akiko. There is a large group over there. They must be checking their classes list.”

“Ohhhh, no doubt, let's check it out!”

They managed to get closer to the lists for the high school's first year and managed to see that they were together in the same classroom; not only that, but they also noticed numerous names that caught their attention.

“Miyu! It is destiny, we are in the same classroom as Aino!” said in an exhilarated tone upon seeing the name of her acquaintance on the list.

“It must be, it must be…” answered in an ironic tone. And it was in that moment that she looked both sides and identified her friend. “Akiko, isn't that one Aino?” she warned, tapping Akiko's shoulder so that she paid attention.

“AINOOOOOO!!!” she screamed fussily, running towards her.

“WHAT?” she got scared observing her colleague's exaggerated attitude.

“Aino! I've missed you so much! Your hair is so beautiful! It's so good to hear your voice!” Akiko commented, non-stop.

Aino had tall, rigid shoulders, brown hair with blond highlights, dark eyes and fair skin. Aino had a higher-pitched voice than usual and was always concerned about maintaining her reputation, something that Akiko, with her spontaneous nature, wasn't inclined to do. After all, she continued clinging to Aino's neck, and it seemed that this wouldn't change anytime soon.

“I'm getting embarrassed…” Aino complained, but nothing happened.

Passing by, another student saw the scene and decided to join them, grabbing Aino's shoulder. Akiko and this new student exchanged glances. Then, Akiko, who enjoys meeting new people, introduced herself.

“Hello, I'm Akiko. This is Miyu. It's a pleasure! We are Aino's friends.”

“I'm Yukino. I'm Aino's third cousin.” explained the young one with fair skin, dark hair with bangs, brown eyes, who was wearing male school uniform.

“Wow! It's so nice to meet Aino's relatives here on plan…” Akiko tried to speak, but she was interrupted by Miyu, who covered her mouth, because she noticed Akiko would speak more than she was supposed to.

“It's so nice to meet you, Yukino!” Miyu said in a higher tone than Akiko, “And tell us, what is this school like?”

“School? Ok, let me see. The teachers explain things well, some are cool. But there is some unnecessary stuff. For instance, school events and sporting competitions. The events themselves are not exactly the problem; it's that participation is mandatory because it is worth a grade on the report card for the winning team. However, in the end, everybody benefits from it. Which is okay, but everyone puts up a fight because they think they won't gain anything. Speaking about the people in general, most of them seem to be going through a dull phase, as if they are in a heat period. Their concern sums up who can kiss the most people in a day. However, there are some cool folks as well.”

Miyu and Akiko couldn't help but show their astonished faces as they listened to the girl's way of describing her experiences in that school. They wondered if they should have asked, but at the same time, they thought that she might have exaggerated.

During this moment, Naoko, a tall girl, easily got close to the lists of the school's final year.

“302, whatever, I do not know anybody, though.”

The girls went to their respective classrooms, and Akiko couldn't stop thinking about how everything is so new to her. During lessons, she kept daydreaming, and never imagined how tiring the first day of classes in high school could be.

Classes lasted the whole morning, the first day was exhausting. The first teacher hadn't even introduced himself and informed us of the tests schedule until halfway through the year. The students spent most of the class speaking ill of each other. I made no friends. Aino was swooning over the math teacher; actually, many girls were. I couldn't understand why some complained I had very fair skin and told me that I should tan myself to become prettier. However, they also complained about Miyu because her skin was too dark. I couldn't understand anything. Maybe Yukino is right, this is a jungle. 

Thoughts about that day didn't stop occurring in Akiko's mind.