The Oath of the Challenger

As I already stated before, I already have a degree before I came to Japan. The only thing that is stopping me from working at a hospital or a medical research center is a law passed as quickly as it was drafted that nullifies the ACES diploma and worker's license of those who will work in Japan. In order to work here, you have to pass the Japanese ACES curriculum and not your country's ACES curriculum.

"…"

Of course, this is seen by many people as outright illegal or abusive. You learned the language, the customs and culture to work in here to support yourself or your family back home and suddenly, a few people up-top says that you can't work here and gives you two choices. You are either sent home to look for other options or enroll at a school here and stay until you graduate.

Not every worker is desperate enough to stay at an unfamiliar land and surrounded by either hostile or indifferent people. And not that many has enough time on their hands to stay here for 4 years just to get a proper job.

I am among the few who had the time and connections to live here and still land an unrelated yet favorably paying job. I do wish that I am in the medical field, but still, cooking delicious food for people and helping them with their ails might seem different, but in the end, you're serving them likewise.

"Order for table 13. Family set 4 with extra platter of garlic fried rice."

"Roger!"

"Chef Chronia. Another platter of sweet and sour pork for table 6!"

"There's one more order-worth of it at the second pan. Just plate it and you can serve it."

I work as the head chef of a certain restaurant at Old Tokyo's Sagami area. The entrance to Sagami bridge that connects Old Tokyo to New Tokyo. Here, I work with a few other chefs whose loyalty I won over after two painstakingly long years.

"Chef! Stove fire!"

"Endou got his hand burned! Someone get a wet cloth and some gauze pads!"

"Turn off the gas valve!"

Small accidents like this happen every so often. It's either a stove fire, some scalds from spilled soups and the surprisingly common issue of a numb tongue after we taste test a whole batch of extra-spicy Szechuan dishes after some teenagers made a dumb challenge to each other only ending up wasting the food they ordered after most of them cannot finish it.

"Hey Endou, are you still good? That burn looks a tad too dangerous."

"N-no need to worry, Chef… I'll rest for a while and look if I can still go."

"Alright. Show me your hand and I'll treat it."

Thankfully for them who seems to be a magnet of occupational hazards at work, I have medical training and has been the one who saved them from visible scars and pesky spots from their scalds, burns and cuts.

"Some cream here and a layer of gauze… Rest for a while and look if you can move it freely by later. I'll send a report to Manager Kaede that you may need to take a few days off if you can't move it."

"Y-yes… Thanks a lot, Head Chef."

We returned to usual work with me leading the team to fulfill the lunch and take-out orders as we approached the rush hour for the early dinners at 5 PM.

"Alright team! Full force! I want this door to not close while we're in rush hour. I know that we must prioritize speed but keep the quality of the food as top-notch as possible. Cut the meat, prepare the condiments and spices and let's satiate our customers' appetites and tastes!"

"""Roger!"""

By 7 PM, the last customers are settling their bills and I helped out the waiters to bring down the roll-up door to show that we are closing down for the day.

"Line up! Line up! Deliberation is about to start!"

A roll call from a certain person's voice was our signal to all go to the main dining hall of the restaurant. The five divisions of the staff, namely the Fine Cuisine which has 20 chefs, the Bakehouse and Confectionary which has 15 chefs, the Catering staff that has 5 chefs and 50 workers, the General Service staff which is composed of 200 waiters and waitresses and my Family Diner group that has 10 chefs and 25 junior chefs.

The exorbitant number of people working in this restaurant can be justified simply by stating its name.

"My dear workers of Ars Classica… I congratulate you yet again for another good performance at work."

"""Thank you, Madame Alicia."""

From the staff room, an old woman dressed in a chef's coat walked slowly beside a strict-looking lady with a clipboard on her hand. Her eyes looked cloudy, her hair was as white as milk and her age is apparent with the wrinkles on her face.

"Head Chef Imamura of Fine Cuisine. The patrons have sent excellent reviews about your dishes and your staff's efficiency. Keep up the good work."

"Thank you greatly, Madame Alicia."

"Head Chefs Hasegawa of Bakery and Confectionary. Your department is steadily growing, and our products are earning great renown. Keep on growing, you two."

""T-thank you greatly, Madame Alicia.""

The commendations continued until the old woman reached me and spoke.

"Head Chef Chronia of Family Dining… Thank you for your service again today."

"Thank you very much, Madame Alicia."

"Your customers have said that your team has kept up greatly with the rush hours. Their children said that they want to go back here again sometime in the future."

"I am honored."

The old lady patted my shoulder to congratulate me before passing by to end the deliberation.

Work hours was finally over, and we were handed our pay for today. I received our part which I proceeded to distribute to the others who had a relieved expression on their faces as I changed my clothes and my bag to finally go home.

"…"

The train ride home was a bit pleasant. Given that this is a weekend, there are not that many people who would be riding the line towards Sunogahara station, but it also meant that some unsavory people will be around during the trip.

"S-sorry, sir… I'll explain later so please lend me an arm for now."

"…Understood."

A few months ago, I noticed that this young woman would always enter the train at this station halfway between Sagami station and Sunogahara station. Sometimes, she is wearing my school's first-years' uniform, other times, it would be a casual outfit like a blouse or a dress. To put it simply, she looks like she came from a club activity at school or a get together.

At first, she just looks at me nervously and when I look back, she will avert her gaze before holding onto the guard rail. After a few weeks, she would slowly creep from standing by the guard rail to sit on the line of seats where I am sitting and just today, she entered the cab, sat beside me and asked me to lend her my arm to cling onto.

"…Is someone following you?"

"U-Um…"

"Don't worry. I'm posing as your companion, might as well act the part."

The girl's hold on my arm got tighter before she slowly spoke out.

"A senior… The other guy who followed me here and is standing over there… he's been stalking me since we first met."

I looked at the end of the cab and there, I saw a familiar third-year student who had this grimace on his face while looking at us.

"I know him. Isao from Class 3-A. Basketball captain and one of the influential faces in the school."

"Huh? Y-you know him?"

"Ephraim Seliah Chronia, Class 2-A. How about you?"

"A-ah. A-Akamine Kaori from Class 1-C. S-so you're also a senpai…"

"No need to use the honorific. It's too formal for my ears. In any case, how will you handle his stalking? I can only imagine it as something annoying and creepy for you."

"I-It is… But I'm not brave enough to ask him to leave me alone… and given that he is someone famous and useful to the school because of his sports experience, I believe they won't lend an ear to me if I complained."

"…I understand the feeling. It sure is annoying."

I took back my arm that she was clinging to. At first, she became a bit nervous but after I used it to pat her head, she calmed down.

"I always ride the third to the last cab in the train. If ever you'll ride the train, just ride this cab and you'll find me during dismissal time and the evening."

"W-What do you mean?"

"Why? I can lend an arm and a seat. You're afraid of someone and I can help, so I'll help."

After I replied, she looked like she heard something unimaginable. She took my arm again and clung to it tightly.

"W-why are you helping me out, senpai?"

"I already said it, didn't I? I'll help because I can help."

For the rest of the train ride, she held onto my arm until finally in Sunogahara station, we went down from the train, and she bid me a farewell. I did the same for her and we went our separate ways.

"I wish that girl gets home safely."

I wished that thing for Kaori since she's someone being stalked by a creep.

"Hey."

"Huh?"

*Byak-!*

I wished I did the same for me.

When I was at the dark alleyways of Sunogahara-cho, Isao took out a lead pipe and hit me on the back of my head. Caught off-guard, it hit me squarely and I lost consciousness.

"Argh…"

"S-Senpai…"

"K-Kaori…"

My eyes were stained with blood as the back of my head felt warm and numbingly painful. I gnashed my teeth, trying to endure it as my vision began to clear up and I saw myself lying on a floor while Kaori's voice echoed in my ears.

"H-help… Senpai…"

"Kaori… what are you-"

"You shut up!!!"

"Ack-!"

As soon as I tried to sit up, I saw that we are inside an abandoned house where Kaori is sitting on a chair where she is tied up. Suddenly, someone shouted and kicked me on my stomach which made me throw up some blood.

"You… ruined my day. You ruined my plans!"

"Argh!"

It was Isao, he kicked me on the chest and face repeatedly while spouting some nonsense about me ruining his plans.

"I already had her in my sight. I could've approached her any day and have her beside me again… but you… You stupid-!"

"Ack!"

"…Insignificant!"

"Isao-senpai! Please stop already!"

"…and meddlesome bastard ruined my plans!"

"Aggghhh…"

I groaned as every inch of my body felt painful after his barrage of kicks. I can't move my body anymore…

"And you… you slutty bitch! Who gave you the permission to be touchy-feely with this damn foreign student, haah!? Did I let you do it?! Did you even ask for my permission?!"

"Please, Senpai! Please don't hurt me!"

"Hurt you? I was prepared to love you like I always have done. Don't you remember it? All of the fun times we had when we are still together?"

"How can I remember something that didn't happen?! I don't even know who you are until last month!"

"What? Come on, Kaori… come on! Don't tell me that you really forgot about everything!"

"I am not your lover!"

Hearing their conversation cleared up some things to me. Somehow, this guy is thinking that Kaori is his girlfriend. As for the reason, I do not know, and I do not care right now.

"Maybe you will remember it if we do it… Just wait right there, I'll prepare a futon so we can comfortably do it…"

"No… NOO!!!"

Him mentioning that thing awakened me from my pain as I stiffened my body to endure my wounds and slowly stand up while Isao is laying down the cotton bed mat while having a lustful expression on his face.

"S-Senpai…"

"Shh…"

I picked up the lead pipe that he used to hit me earlier and shot forward with all the strength I can muster.

"Wha-?!"

"DIE!"

Because of my wounds, my swing became slow and did not carry enough momentum, he also put up a guard with his arms which caught the pipe, but that wasn't my only move.

"Urk-!"

"Hyap-!"

I sent a forward kick to his abdomen, and it made a satisfactory crunching sound as he hit the wall behind him.

"You-!"

"Payback, you bastard!"

I didn't miss any beat as after he rebounded from the wall, I held the pipe tightly on both hands as he looked at me in shock.

*Piyak-!*

I swept the pipe upwards to hit him on the face and this time, it was a solid one as he immediately fell down to his feet.

"Senpai… Senpai!"

"Argh… I ended up lending more than an arm…"

I slowly walked towards Kaori and untied her while my vision started to cloud up and my movements became sluggish again from overexerting myself.

"Just hold on, Senpai! I will call-"

"Don't bother… no one will come."

"B-But this is the emergency hotline-"

"We're in Sunogahara-cho and I am a foreigner… they'd probably only take you and make me and that guy to land on some prison…"

I have firsthand knowledge about it… even emergency responders aren't fond of us foreigners nowadays.

"So don't bother… just hand me my bag and get out of here… I'll handle things here."

Kaori looked teary-eyed as I told her those words. I grit my teeth to endure the pain and gestured her to just go away and leave before things get more dangerous.

"Go… Just go now…"

"Hik-! No… I will help you, Senpai… Just hold on to me… Hah!"

Kaori picked me up and helped me limp towards the door of the abandoned house. My wounds are painful, and I can still feel the place behind my head where the pipe hit earlier still bleeding.

"Just hold on, Senpai… We can-"

"-!"

At that very moment, I saw a shadow grow from behind us and I pushed Kaori out to the door.

"Why you-?!"

"Urk!"

It was Isao. He lunged forward and sunk a knife to my shoulder before pulling me back into the house's interior.

"Senpai! I will-"

"Go! Just go and get away from here!"

"But-!"

"That's an order! Get out of here and save yourself!"

"Kh-!"

"No! Kaori-chan, I will not let you-"

"Get back here, you oaf!"

Isao was about to chase after her, but I caught his feet and pulled him back which made him fall face-first before he can make chase.

"You… YOU!!!"

"Argh! Damn it!"

He kicked my face before standing up.

"Because of you… because of you, I didn't get to explain to Kaori!"

"Urk!"

"She's mine! Only mine! How dare you take her away and make her act as if we weren't together before!"

"Damn you-!!!"

I shot up to charge towards him and tackled him down to bring down some heavy punches to his face that already had a broken nose bridge.

"Ick! Why won't you just die!?!?!"

Having more fight left in him than me, he took out the knife from my shoulder and plunged it into my abdomen… I felt that stab as my mouth was immediately filled with blood.

"Ack! Arrrgggghhhh!!!"

Unlike the bruises and gashes from before, these two stab wounds were fatal… As I looked at my blood oozing from my shoulder, I knew that I bit more than I can chew.

"Argh… how am I supposed to explain this to Kaori… she should still be able to accept my apology…"

As I heard the delusional guy's monologue, I can remember all the things that brought me to this situation and those people that I hated the most since I was just a child.

"Ate Risa… I apologize, but I wanted to help since I remembered you from that girl's story."

I stood up even though I was covered with wounds. I planted my feet on the floor even if my vision is barely working and my body is getting numb.

"Huh? So, you're still not dead?"

"…Come at me."

I don't know why it had to end like this. I still have children back home that needs my care and love. I still have a mother and sister at my home country that depends on me for their expenses…

"If I will die anyway…"

But even though it feels like a stupid excuse of a noble death… the fact that I saved someone is something that I will never come to regret…

"I will curse this world more than all of you can worship it!!!"

Against this world of inequality, hypocrisy, empty and shallow hedonism and lack of morality… if just once… even just once… If I end up as someone who fought back against all odds against this enemy of mine who has cursed me and put me down again and again for its amusement…

"I'll kill you, you damn pest!"

"-!"

He charged forward and I prepared to brace for impact, but as his fist approached my face, time to slowed down to a still and I found myself frozen in place as well as him.

"What the…"

["…"]

From the doorstep, someone came in… no, it appeared as if he phased through the door and went inside without making any sound. It was a tall person wearing a white robe that has a hood that hides their face.

"Who are you…?"

["I accept your challenge... Don't expect the consequences to be light, you fool."]

That person spoke and his voice was genuinely masculine. He extended his hand and held the knife at my abdomen before pulling it out.

"N-No… Don't-!"

["…"]

I knew what would happen if you drew out the blade that was stabbed into you so I wanted to voice out my warning and move my body, but I can't do them as I motionlessly watched this strange man pull it out. Yet after it happened, I felt no pain nor bleeding.

["Ephraim Seliah Chronia…"]

"W-what?"

He used the knife that was stained with my blood to prick his right thumb to make it bleed and after his blood mingled with mine, he spoke my name which shocked me.

["The oath has thus been signed… Your flesh shall be mine and my spirit shall be yours."]

He suddenly disappeared and before I can notice it, time started again, and Isao's fist hit me on the face and knocked me out of consciousness.

"…"

Am I finally dead?

"…"

Finally, huh? As if I've been waiting for this to come after so long…

"…"

If I really am dead, I at least want to leave without doubts or regrets. And the fact that I saved someone is something that made it easy for me.

"…No."

What am I talking about? I don't want to die yet.

"…I don't want to leave yet."

I still have children to take care of and a family to support back home.

"I can't leave this world yet."

I still have things to do… I can't afford to leave them unfinished or give them to other people's hands.

"I don't want to die."

That's right… I don't want to die yet. Not for myself, but because there are those who still need me.

["Understood. A favor for my only vessel."]

I was surprised to hear that voice that felt so strange yet also so familiar.

"Just who are you really?"

["I am Law. For now, that is the only thing I can tell you."]

"…"

["But in the future, we sure can chat as much as you want."]

"Then why not do it now?"

["Because you are still not ready."]

"Ready for what?"

Just like my dream from last night, the boundless emptiness suddenly became brighter before it ended.

["Ready to accept your fate that you wished for."]

I opened my eyes and saw an unfamiliar ceiling…

"He's awake. Call Director Nakamura."

There were people around me, probably nurses of some hospital who was forced by the police to take care of a "certain criminal foreigner" given that their priority was to call someone instead of checking up on me.

"Are his bindings not loose?"

"No, Director Yuri. It's all secured."

Bindings? Oh… of course they'll handcuff me to the bed… how original.

"Everyone, leave the room."

"""Yes, mam!"""

A strong feminine voice ordered the others to leave as I heard several locks and latches being set-up after they closed the door behind them.

"Hinata. Raise his headboard."

"Gotcha."

The upper area of the hospital bed was raised through a remote control, and I finally saw the people left here to talk to me. A blonde girl holding a tablet, another girl with magenta-colored long hair who exudes a boss-like attitude and a guy with a plain expression on his face.

"Ephraim Seliah Chronia, I presume?"

"The one and only one."

I replied cordially. Not wanting to make a negative reply to a neutral question.

"Do you feel fine? Is any place hurting right now?"

"I was stabbed twice, had a pipe hit the back of my head and was kicked to and fro by the other guy, I am far from alright, Officer."

"Oh… sorry, that was a stupid question to ask."

What? Why didn't she respond in a hostile manner?

"Well then, let me ask a better question then…"

A blonde girl that has a plain expression on her face handed her a tablet and she made me look at it.

"Why did you use your Psychokinetic abilities towards Akamine Isao?"

"H-huh?"

"Just answer truthfully kiddo. We were the first responders at the site, so we saw the last moments before you manipulated his blood to mangle his body in all kinds of directions before breaking his neck."

What? What are these people talking about?

"We detected your Astra waves all the way from our base in Shibuya. We drove there immediately, and when we opened the door, you are moving your hands in all kinds of directions as Akamine Isao was levitating in the air, his limbs were dislocated from their sockets, and he is already on the verge of death."

"Wait… I don't know anything about that… I-"

"Are you saying that you are not aware that you killed Akamine Isao by manipulating his blood?"

"N-no…"

After I denied that, the three looked at each other with baffled expressions before they spoke.

"Well then, let's start from the very beginning… My name is Nakamura Yuri, the Director of the Special Security Service, a branch of the internal defense ministry responsible for detecting, handling, hiring or sometimes even disposing people with Psychokinetic abilities."

"Psychokinetic? You mean… telekinesis and other ESP stuff?"

"That's a near one, kid. But you're making a common mistake."

"Huh?"

The guy spoke up to correct my mistake.

"Telekinesis and ESP are things in science fiction. The Psychokinetic abilities we are talking about are nothing like that."

"W-what's the difference?"

"Why not take a look to your left?"

I did as he asked me to and saw a machine that looks like an EEG-machine beside me. It had a monitor and some wires attached to my head, but it looked like it short-circuited and burned its wiring.

"Just a few minutes before you woke up, your Astra wave monitor blew up and burned. We replaced it with a stronger one and it was the same case… this one also burned down in literal minutes…"

Astra wave monitor? What kind of instrument is that?

"Here is a short recording I got before you lost consciousness."

The blonde girl turned her tablet around and showed me a video that they mentioned earlier. In there, I was standing and Isao was floating in mid-air while shouting in pain while his appendages is being twisted in all kinds of directions.

"T-T-That…"

"I know that you are confused about many things right now, Chronia… But please trust me when I say this now that you have seen what you have done…"

The lady named Nakamura Yuri spoke to me gently but still maintained her serious expression.

"According to your records, I doubt that you will just accept everything that is said to you, but this one thing that I can say is something that I want you to keep in your mind and trust without a doubt… You have awakened a power that not many people have, and those that has it would probably go after you and the people dear to you once they learn about your existence… And because of that, I want to give you an offer…"

"…"

"We will keep you and your family safe from any danger. We will guarantee to do everything in our power to do that… the other choice is that you will join our ranks and work for us so you can learn how to control your powers."

"Control my powers? Why are you saying that when I can't even feel it?"

"That's exactly the problem kiddo… You can't feel it because you can't control it. For example, how can you control a bicycle that you can't feel around your body?"

His analogy was simple and that made it understandable to me. Because of that, I began to fear this thing that I was suddenly given.

"What would it be, Chronia?"

The body that felt heavy and numb earlier now felt light for some reason… if this is what they meant about a Psychokinetic ability, then this sure goes miles away from any common sense that I know about.

"Well then… I'll take the safer route…"

"W-What? How can you move already?"

They were surprised as they saw me sitting up as if I didn't have any wounds in my body earlier.

"Mind letting your new guy off the cuffs, Boss?"

"Hehe… Hahaha! Thanks a lot for taking the better decision. Hinata, take off his cuffs."

The guy took out two keys and took off the handcuffs on both of my hands as I took off the nodes on my head and the bandages on my arms and abdomen that showed scarred or scabbed wounds that are slowly disappearing.

"Another thing, Boss would be a bit too formal for me."

I looked at her and she had a confident smile on her face as she talked to me.

"What should I call you then?"

"I didn't like it at first. But since everyone else is doing it, let's just go with that… Yurippe… You can call me Yurippe."

That day, when I had my first encounter with the things that I will later on fight in, there was something in my mind that confused me.

The guilt of killing someone, the fear of dying and the unusually excessive selflessness in my thoughts… It was unnatural for even me. But without questions, without any doubts, I accepted them and went my own way…

Little did I know that this change wasn't because of my own volition, but because of an Oath that I was forced to comply with.