Chapter 11: The Boy Named Ren Akiyama

In a certain, perhaps slightly uncharitable sense, Ren Akiyama was a remarkably petty, almost obsessive, young man.

When it came to any and all matters concerning his beloved Hana Tanaka, his thoughts, with an almost alarming predictability, invariably, inevitably, drifted towards the romantic, often overly dramatic, aspects. If others, those less… invested… than himself, knew the full extent of his internal anxieties and wild speculations, they would probably label him as pathetically small-minded, a “love-brained,” overly possessive fool whose head was solely, obsessively occupied with convoluted emotional entanglements. This was, of course, a carefully guarded secret he never outwardly showed, masking it beneath a veneer of calm competence.

But if you knew, truly knew, what Ren Akiyama actually did, what he endured, at school all day, every single day, it would all seem perfectly, tragically natural.

Don’t be fooled by Hana’s sometimes ditzy, gacha-obsessed demeanor; she was, in fact, incredibly and almost unfairly popular at their high school. She was, undeniably, a breathtakingly beautiful girl, a natural head-turner. Her grades, while not top-of-the-class, weren’t bad by any means. And, most importantly, she was a bona fide Esper—in this crazy, unpredictable era where becoming an Esper was purely a matter of cosmic luck, a roll of the genetic dice, that in itself was a shining symbol of being one of heaven’s uniquely favored, a chosen one.

Furthermore, there was that persistent and almost mythical rumor, whispered in hushed tones in school corridors and online forums, that increased, prolonged contact with an Esper could somehow, magically, raise one’s own chances of awakening latent abilities. So, setting aside Hana’s undeniable personal charm and effervescent personality for a moment, a veritable legion of hopefuls, both male and female, desperately wanted to get close to her, to bask in her Esper aura. And who, in the complex social hierarchy of high school, could possibly be closer to a person than their significant other? Their boyfriend? Their girlfriend?

Not to mention, Hana herself was a grade-A, top-tier beautiful girl! Who wouldn’t like her? Who wouldn’t dream of being her special someone? Practically everyone with a pulse liked her! Or at least, was intrigued by her.

So, although Ren Akiyama was also, in his own quiet, academic way, something of a favored child of heaven, a recognized genius... he wasn’t an Esper. He was a Normie. Ordinary people, his peers, didn’t hold him in particularly high awe or reverent fear. At the same time, their school, a veritable hotbed of teenage drama and supernatural occurrences, certainly had more than just Hana Tanaka as its sole resident Esper. And among those other Espers, those super-powered rivals, quite a few harbored rather obvious, not-so-secret feelings for the oblivious Hana; some had even, with a shocking lack of subtlety, openly, aggressively pursued her, much to Ren’s eternal frustration.

In the treacherous, high-stakes battlefield of romance, Ren Akiyama was under immense and almost crushing pressure.

In fact, the various, often unsolicited expressions of affection—or rather, the relentless, sometimes vaguely threatening approaches made with both good, ill, and frankly creepy intent—towards his precious Hana by all sorts of people had always been a significant, stress-inducing burden for Ren to bear. This burden, thankfully, had lessened somewhat in recent days, primarily because he had, against all odds, successfully, miraculously passed the notoriously difficult Supporter examination. This was more than just a piece of paper; it was a symbol of status, of position, a tangible mark signifying that he, Ren Akiyama, was truly, officially qualified to enter the rarefied, often dangerous, "Esper society."

Even in the short term, before the relatively inexperienced Espers at their school truly blossomed and became officially recognized "Heroes," Ren, as a qualified Supporter, was technically, professionally, ahead of them, including even his beloved Hana. In terms of official societal standing and access to the levers of power, he was far, far above these mere, hormone-driven students. That was why he had, only very recently, been able to temporarily shed some of that crushing, ever-present burden of romantic anxiety. For now.

However, long-standing, deeply ingrained thought patterns, those pesky habits of mind, were incredibly difficult to change overnight. Ren, despite his newfound status, remained instinctively, almost pathologically wary of those whose perceived status or power was higher than his own, especially when it came to Hana.

Perhaps, a small, rational part of his brain whispered, this showed too little trust in Hana, in the strength and sincerity of her feelings for him. Perhaps it revealed a fundamental lack of belief in his own charm, in his own ability to keep Hana genuinely, consistently interested in him for the long haul. In a certain, rather unflattering sense, Ren Akiyama was precisely this kind of inherently suspicious, overly analytical, and slightly insecure person. And perhaps, just perhaps, it was because of this naturally suspicious nature, this overly complex, constantly whirring mind of his, that he had been able to pass the notoriously, almost legendarily difficult Supporter exam at such a tender, impressionable young age, thereby becoming a so-called, officially recognized elite of society. Small comfort, that.

He simply paid attention to too many minute, insignificant details; he considered far too many complicated, improbable what-if scenarios. It was both a blessing and a curse.

After escorting Hana safely back to her doorstep that evening, and somehow managing to gracefully decline her somewhat suggestive, wide-eyed invitation to "come in for a bit, since Dad's not home," his mind was already preoccupied, churning with another pressing, far more alarming issue. So, with a hasty excuse, he quickly hailed a cab and headed straight back to the imposing, anonymous organization’s headquarters.

There, in a small, sterile briefing room, he once again came face-to-face with the enigmatic, intimidating Magical Girl Black.

“Alright, kid, spill it. What do you think you’re doing, barging into a delicate young lady’s private room in the middle of the goddamn night?” Black’s voice was a low growl, though Black, deep inside, knew perfectly well that Ren was a good, respectful kid and wouldn’t actually do anything untoward or improper; she was merely posing the accusatory question due to her carefully cultivated, perpetually grumpy magical girl persona. It was expected of her. “If you have something urgent to say, you could have just sent a text message, couldn’t you? Ever hear of a phone?”

Ren looked at her intently, his gaze surprisingly, unnervingly direct. “Please look me in the eyes, Miss Black, and answer my question honestly. No deflections. No games.”

The young man’s unexpectedly serious, almost challenging gaze made Black—made Kenji—feel a sudden, unwelcome jolt of pure, unadulterated panic. Her heart lurched. She had a vague, sinking, utterly horrifying idea of what this perceptive little brat wanted to say. Oh no. Not this. Anything but this. “Hold on a minute there, kid,” Black blustered, trying to sound nonchalant. “Do you even understand the profound, unspoken significance of looking a girl directly in the eyes like that? I saw that rather cute girl named Hana with you at the concert today; she’s your girlfriend, isn’t she? Are you, by any chance, you little scoundrel, planning to two-time her? Thinking of cheating on her with a mysterious, powerful magical girl like myself? Is that it?” Nice save, Kenji! Distraction successful! Probably!

“Avoiding my question directly, and instead attempting to seize control of the conversation with a transparently diversionary counter-question, is a classic, textbook sign of lying, Miss Black,” Ren stated calmly, his gaze unwavering, fixed on Black’s dark, unreadable pupils with laser-like intensity. “You know exactly what I’m going to ask, Black, and I have absolutely no intention of beating around the bush or playing verbal sparring games with you. Today, during the battle with Maiden Bandage, you almost manifested a new, uncontrolled form, didn’t you? If Strawberry Sweetheart hadn’t intervened with her Sparkling Form at that precise moment… things could have gotten very ugly. Am I wrong?”

He said it so directly, so bluntly, so incredibly, horrifyingly perceptively. Even Strawberry Sweetheart herself, a seasoned magical girl, hadn’t seemed to realize the true extent of the danger Black had been in. And yet this kid, this mere rookie Supporter, who had been standing all the way down in the audience, had already figured it out? With such terrifying accuracy? This boy… he’s dangerous!

No wonder he was able to pass that goddamn Supporter exam with flying colors! He’s a monster! A polite, well-dressed, terrifyingly observant monster! As Magical Girl Black, she had to grudgingly, reluctantly give Ren Akiyama her due respect. If she were still just boring old Kenji Tanaka, the clueless corporate drone, she would never, ever have noticed that this quiet, unassuming boy next door had grown, had matured, to such an astonishing, almost frightening degree. At the very least, Kenji Tanaka, bless his ignorant heart, lacked the confidence, the sheer audacity, to even attempt the Supporter exam, let alone pass it with such distinction. In terms of actual societal standing, of real-world competence and potential, Ren Akiyama had already, decisively, surpassed the burned-out, underachieving corporate drone Kenji Tanaka. It was a sobering, slightly depressing thought.

In that precise, revelatory moment, Black truly, deeply, almost painfully recognized the immense, crushing weight of the title "Supporter." Although Ren had initially seemed somewhat unreliable, a bit too naive, and she had harbored her fair share of serious doubts about his capabilities, secretly hoping he would simply grow and learn under her (extremely reluctant, often verbally abusive) tutelage, the undeniable truth was—he genuinely, truly had substance. He was the real deal.

To speak such words so clearly, so resolutely, and to look at her with such an unwavering, almost accusatory gaze… There was absolutely no room left for denial. The jig was up.

Black, or rather, Kenji, thus chose, with a heavy heart and a profound sense of impending doom, to answer honestly. “Those infernal black flames… they possessed the insidious ability to inflict pure, unadulterated pain, almost as if they were burning one’s very soul from the inside out. After I finally, brutally defeated that lunatic Maiden Bandage, I was completely engulfed by those cursed black flames, and I… I could no longer move. I was trapped. If that agonizing erosion and relentless burning had continued for even a few moments longer, I think my mind, my sanity, would have been the first thing to break, and I would have undoubtedly entered the so-called ‘Inverted’ state… I honestly don’t know what that would have looked like. Or what horrors I might have unleashed in that state.” Her voice was barely a whisper.

The Inverted state. A terrifying legend among magical girls and their unfortunate adversaries.

In the wildly popular and disturbingly accurate mobile game "Magical Girl Brawl," there were a total of six officially recognized magical girls with playable "Inverted State" forms—that is, magical girls from throughout recorded history who had definitively, catastrophically entered an Inverted state and whose combat data had been meticulously, chillingly recorded and archived by the ever-watchful Hero Organization. Without a single shadow of a doubt, an Inverted state magical girl possessed raw, untamed combat power several times greater, often exponentially higher, than their regular, sane form. They were walking calamities.

In fact, while ultra-rare, benevolent power-ups like Strawberry Sweetheart’s "Sparkling Form" were possessed by only a very small, elite number of exceptionally gifted magical girls, the terrifying "Inverted State," although officially represented by only six playable cards in the game, had actually been entered, often with disastrous consequences, by more than just that limited number of magical girls throughout history. It was just that the other magical girls who had unfortunately, tragically entered an Inverted state had either… self-destructed in a blaze of uncontrolled power, or had been summarily, necessarily, killed by their fellow heroes before they could cause irreparable damage. Indiscriminately attacking friend and foe alike, with no regard for collateral damage or innocent lives, was the basic, horrifying condition of a magical girl lost to that dark state. Strawberry Sweetheart was considered the most powerful, most respected magical girl of the current era precisely because she, almost uniquely, could somehow miraculously maintain a fragile hold on her sanity while in her own terrifying Inverted state. Although she herself, understandably, despised that dark form and rarely, if ever, willingly used it, if Magical Girl Black had indeed entered an Inverted state today, given her already "meta-defining," off-the-charts combat power, no one knew, no one could even begin to fathom, how much unimaginable destruction she would have wrought upon the world. Or whether humanity, for its own survival, would have been forced to make the terrible decision to eliminate her.

For many of the power-level enthusiasts and gacha game addicts, the "Inverted State" was an incredibly cool, super powerful, highly desirable thing. A "must-have" for any serious collection. But for the Hero Organization, for the people responsible for maintaining public order and safety, it was not such a good thing. Not at all. As a veteran corporate drone, well-versed in the art of CYA (Cover Your Ass), Kenji’s first, immediate instinct had been to completely, thoroughly cover up the near-Inversion incident. Deny everything. Bury the evidence.

But he hadn’t expected this damn kid, Ren, to be so terrifyingly perceptive.

“So, what’s your plan, kid?” Black’s voice was laced with a weary sarcasm. “Are you planning to dutifully report this to the organization? To tell them that their precious Magical Girl Black is a ticking time bomb, at imminent risk of going full ‘Inverted’ psycho? And then have them graciously install a remote-detonated tracking device on me, so that if I ever lose control and actually enter that delightful Inverted state, I’ll be immediately located, targeted, and unceremoniously eliminated for the greater good? Is that the brilliant strategy, Mr. Top Grades?”

“Strawberry Sweetheart’s Inverted state is controllable,” Ren stated firmly, his gaze unwavering, refusing to be intimidated. “At the very least, her case proves, empirically, that there is a way to control such a state, to master it, rather than be consumed by it.”

“Oh, really? You think it’s that simple, do you?” Black shot back, her voice dripping with a bitter cynicism that was pure Kenji Tanaka. “Back then, when Strawberry Sweetheart first entered her Inverted state, she killed her own best friend—or rather, to put a more heroic spin on it, her friend tragically, nobly used her own life to awaken Strawberry Sweetheart’s dormant sanity while she was lost in that dark Inverted state, allowing her to successfully, miraculously gain control over it.” Black’s voice was flat, devoid of emotion as she recounted the grim, well-known tale. “Do you honestly think anyone, anyone, can just replicate that kind of once-in-a-lifetime, tragedy-fueled miracle, kid?” Her self-awareness, her brutal honesty, was chilling. “I am not Strawberry Sweetheart. I don’t fight relying on the power of love and friendship and sparkly rainbows like she does. I cannot be ‘awakened’ by the same sentimental reasons, nor will I ever allow myself to encounter the same tragic, self-sacrificial situation she did. I won’t let anyone die for me. Period.”

“So,” Ren countered, his voice surprisingly calm, his logic relentless, “that also proves, by your own admission, that you might be different from other magical girls who have lost control. You, Black, might be able to control yourself using a different method. A method tailored to your unique… personality.”

Black raised a skeptical eyebrow, her voice laced with a dangerous challenge. “Oh yeah? And what, pray tell, makes you so goddamn confident as to say that, rookie?”

“It’s not about what makes me confident enough to say it, Miss Black,” Ren replied, his voice quiet but firm. “It’s that you… you have absolutely no other choice but to believe this. Not only do I have to believe it, for both our sakes, but you yourself, deep down, must believe that you can do it. That you can find a way. Because, frankly, you have no other viable options left on the table. Unless,” he paused, his gaze hardening, a silent challenge in his eyes, “you think you can overpower me, kill me right here, right now, and then successfully defect to some shadowy fiend organization before the Hero Association hunts you down like a dog. Otherwise, this problem, this ticking time bomb of your potential Inversion, is something that we both, Magical Girl Black and Supporter Ren Akiyama, must face together, as a team. This is a problem that can only be solved if we trust each other, implicitly and completely, and cooperate with absolute, unwavering sincerity. There is no other way.”

He says it all so damn casually! Like it’s just another Tuesday! This kid!

Even though it was Ren, even though he was her beloved daughter’s devoted boyfriend, Magical Girl Black felt a fresh surge of indignant anger at his calm words. “That’s easy for you to say, isn’t it!” she retorted furiously, her voice rising. “That’s because it doesn’t concern you directly! Because you’re not the one who’s going to turn into a rampaging monster! Because you’re not Magical Girl Black! You’re just a damn intern here, playing hero! What do you know about real responsibility?!”

Ren stared at her, his expression unreadable for a long moment. Then, he said slowly, his voice quiet but resonating with an unshakable resolve, “Then, if it comes to that… install a tracking device on me as well. Link it to yours. If you Invert, if you lose control and cannot regain your sanity, and if the higher-ups issue the order for your… elimination… then, when they activate it, eliminate me right along with you. Side by side. With that, Miss Black… can you finally believe in my resolve? In my commitment?”

“Do you… do you even know what you’re saying, you foolish boy?!” Black was utterly, completely incredulous. This was insane. She pointed a trembling finger at Ren, her eyes wide with disbelief. “That girl today, Hana, the one you brought to the concert… she’s your girlfriend, isn’t she! Have you even for a single, solitary second considered her feelings in all of this?! If I Invert, if I truly can’t control my sanity, you’re just going to… to die with me? Is that your brilliant plan? What about that girl then?! What about Hana?! Are you taking any responsibility for her future? For her happiness?!”

Hana. His precious Hana. She was the most important person in Kenji Tanaka’s entire, miserable life. If it weren’t for Hana, on that terrible, soul-destroying day his beloved wife had died, he would have undoubtedly, without a moment’s hesitation, followed her into the comforting darkness. But Hana was there, a tiny, fragile reason to keep living. So he had to stay. He had to give this child, his only child, a happy, secure life… That single, desperate thought had sustained him, had kept him alive, had dragged him through the empty years until now. And this reckless boy wants to throw his life away? For me?

“Therefore,” Ren stated simply, his voice devoid of any doubt, “I will not fail. And I fully expect you not to fail either, Miss Black. We both have too much to lose.”

What… what in the world gives this person, this mere boy, the right to say such things to me? With such certainty? He’s just an intern Supporter, a rookie! As a Supporter, surely he should have better, safer, more sensible options than… than this!

“You like Hana Tanaka a lot, don’t you, Miss Black?” Ren said suddenly, his gaze fixed on her, sharp and insightful. “I don’t know your specific reasons for liking her, not yet anyway. But I can see it clearly. The Magical Girl Black who faces Hana Tanaka, who interacts with her, however briefly, is… gentler. Softer. More human than at any other time. So, if you genuinely don’t want her to suffer, if you don’t want her to feel the pain of loss… then you will cooperate with me, with all your strength, with all your resolve. And together, I will solve this problem. I promise you that.”

Magical Girl Black could no longer refute Ren’s words. She was trapped.

Just as she knew, with a weary certainty, the organization would never allow a magical girl who might potentially Invert to run around freely, unchecked. It was too great a risk. And Ren’s will, his determination, was clearly resolute; he would not, could not, allow a potentially unstable, Inverted magical girl to operate freely in S-City, not when Hana’s safety was at stake.

So, Inversion… it was an unavoidable fact that had to be faced, a dangerous power that absolutely had to be controlled. From the very beginning, from the moment those black flames had touched her, there had never really been a choice. Not for her.

And this young man, this earnest, reckless, infuriatingly perceptive boy… he had chosen, willingly, to face it with her—even though they had only officially worked together for a few short, chaotic days.

She felt as if, for the very first time in a very long time, she truly, genuinely, understood her daughter, Hana, just a little bit. Before, from a concerned parent’s perspective, she had been very satisfied, very pleased with Ren as a potential future son-in-law. He was a good, reliable boy. But now, in this incredibly strange, high-stakes moment, she felt, just a little, though only a very, very little, the true, undeniable charm of Ren Akiyama as a person, the unique, compelling qualities that would undoubtedly attract her spirited, rebellious daughter to him… He was… something else.

A long, heavy silence hung in the air. Finally, Black let out a ragged sigh, the fight draining out of her. “If you die, kid… don’t you dare come back and blame me for it.” Her voice was rough, almost a whisper.

Ren’s answering smile was small, but resolute. “Don’t worry, Miss Black. I won’t let you die. And I don’t plan on dying either.”