~ Ayano's Pov ~
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I thought about doing the speed test secondly... I got a great gauge on my strength, and I prioritize my speed, so knowing it would be best for me.
I walked back to the entrance of the warehouse... Since it's about 40 meters, end to end. So, I should be able to get a decent enough merk on how fast I am.
I cracked my neck, shook out my arms to loosen up, and got into a low sprinting stance.
I took a deep breath… and launched forward.
BAAA~DOOOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A thunderous shockwave erupted from behind me, blasting the dust and loose debris in all directions. For a brief moment, time felt like it fractured. My vision nearly warped, with the world stretching into a tunnel of blurring light and pressure—
The air around me screamed, parting like a blade had sliced through it.
And then—
CRACK!!!
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I heard it... The unmistakable sound of an actual sonic boom. The windows rattled. I could even hear the metal beams a few meters away groaned under the sudden pressure shift in the area too.
By the time I realized what I'd done—I was already on the other end...
I practically skidded to a stop, my shoes even left burning rubber across the pavement, leaving behind long streaks of friction. My heart slammed in my chest—not from fatigue, but from the realization.
"No, way…"
'I-I just broke the sound barrier....'
I turned around slowly, eyes wide. The air behind me still shimmered with some sort of displaced force, what else could I call it? Overtime the dust settled, and small chunks of concrete from the start line had been all blown apart—only a small crater was left where my feet had once been.
Hahaha...
I knew what my previous limit was, barely over 90 mph, and that was on a good day... Now, I could even break the barrier whenever I wanted, and not even feel the least bit fatigued... Still, at least it showed me that my speed increase doesn't inherently increase proportionally with my striking strength.
But, it was still pretty impressive as is...
"..."
I guess, next is my lifting strength... I didn't see much to really work with around here. The only thing that were around was a few dozen of those steel beams... 'Given their heights and widths, I'd say they were around 500-600 pounds eac-'
Before I could finish my own thought, I saw a large yellow tag with what seemed like their collective weight on it...
'That definitely saves me time in measuring and weighing them all...' When I looked, it read 30 tons...
Still, that's around 7 to 8 times heavier than my previous maximum... which was around 4 tons. Not weak by any means, but I was already decently above even peak humans before, well, I might as well try.
I swung my arms a bit and then stooped low, bolstering both my hands in any of the wedges I could feel for.
'Here goes nothing...'
"Hmph...!"
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I think... I was a pretty reasonable man, I'm sure I wasn't insane either and I thought I was also pretty level headed in my temperament and overall judgement. So, why the hell do I notfeel a thing?
30 tons were in my arms, was it not? I checked again, but, it said so on the label. So... Why can't feel them? No... It's more like, I don't even register the sheer weight at all...
CreeaakkkK~
I easily removed on of my arms, still not feeling anything. But I sure heard the creaking groan of metal and the sound of stressed concrete underneath my feet...
The beams shifted slightly in my grasp, but not because I was even straining—In fact, it felt as if, they were bending to me.
"Ok, what the hell…?" I muttered under my breath, eyes widening slightly.
I wasn't just lifting 30 tons. I was doing it ultra casually. Like I was holding a small bundle of tiny pebbles.
I flexed my arm slightly, testing the weight again, but it felt like, nothing. No pull on any of my joints, no burn in my muscles either—Actually, my heartbeat hadn't felt like it even spiked at all. I glanced around a little, half-expecting some sort of hidden support or some kind of prank setup.
But, no. The steel wasreal. The label was just as real too. The 30 tons was very, very real.
And I was holding it like a gym bag.
'Ok.' I exhaled for a few times, then—being as curious as I was at the moment—extended my other hand and lifted another segment of the pile.
60 tons.
And still…
'Nothing.'
I'm slightly concerned now. "…What the actual hell am I turning into?"
The steel beams groaned in my hands as if they knew they weren't meant to be carried this way. I tilted my head, because now I fascinated by all this. Especially since it was already way more impressive than what I had done earlier.
Now, I'm wondering if this was even my upper limit anymore...
I gently lowered them back down—careful not to slam the concrete and destroy it—and I quickly dusted my hands, shirt and pants...
"…Alright." My maximum lifting strength is definitely an unknown at the moment.
Bzzt~
Bzzt~
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My phone went off, it was a message from... 'Kotonoha?' I read it. "Are you okay, Ayano-kun? I just… wanted to check in on you."
Man, that's sweet, I texted back, "Yeah, I made a slight detour, but, I'm heading home right now. what about you?"
A few seconds passed.
Bzzt~
Kotonoha replied, "I'm just at home. I couldn't really concentrate after studying… so I've been thinking about today."
Another message popped in right after.
"I hope you're not pushing yourself too hard... You've been looking a little tense since earlier."
I paused for a moment, thumb hovering over the screen. That… wasn't something people usually picked up on. Not even Sekai mentioned it.
I tapped out a quick reply.
"Guess you're more observant than most. I'm fine though, really. I Just needed to stretch my legs a bit, and clear my head."
There was a long pause after I hit send. I didn't get another buzz for nearly a minute. But when it finally came—
"If there's ever anything you need... Even if it's just someone to talk to... I'd be happy to be that person."
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I realized that my fingers had stopped moving... Was I really this stunned? She didn't even say much, but those words... They actually hit different. Gentle. And for some odd reason, they even felt sincere, or maybe, this was just me too...
I looked at the steel beams nearby, still warped from my earlier stunt, then back at my phone screen...
So much was changing around me—in me—and it felt like I was being pulled further and further away from anything resembling a normal human. But then a message like that… something so human, it tethers me back a bit.
I typed up a response, slowly this time. "Thanks, Kotonoha. That really means a lot."
"...You're a kind person." I typed again.
She replied almost immediately.
"So are you."
And just like that, I couldn't help but smile a little... These small, simple moments—that made me feel more grounded. Plus, people who text like this are pretty rare to come by, at least back in my old life.
I quickly locked my phone and made my way towards the exit.
'…Guess I'm heading home for real this time.'
I got the results I was looking for today. At least, kind of... Since tomorrow is the last day, though I guess I should start thinking of that trip to Chisaki's home town.
...
'Whatever, that part can wait until I get home.'
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Croak~
'I'm finally home...' I stretched, dropping my bag to the side while I was at it.
I've kind of gotten used to it, but... Every time I come here, I realize just how, isolated I am. I come home to no one, each and everyday for months. It wasn't exactly the greatest feeling ever, even if one gets used to it over time.
Oh... I almost forgot, I picked up my phone to text Sekai, "I just got home."
Almost immediately, the screen lit up with her reply. "Took you long enough~ Did you get lost or something? 😏"
I laughed a little at her teasing, tossing my keys into the little tray by the door. "Nah, I just decided to take the long way home. The night air felt great, and it was a hard pass."
She sent a short reply this time. "Good. I'm glad you're home safe."
I paused for a moment, staring at her message longer than I needed to.
A soft exhale slipped out of me as I let my body fall back onto my bed... The ceiling looked the same as it always had—plain, familiar—but now everything else in my life was starting to feel… different. Lifting steel beams, shattering the sound barrier... and then quietly texting cute girls like none of that just happened.
What even was my life now?
Bzzt—
Another message popped up. "Also… thanks again for today. I had fun. For real 💖"
I smiled again...
I responded, "Yeah… me too, we should do it again sometime."
I locked my phone and let it rest on my chest. Tomorrow would be a pretty big day for me—tests, normalcy… or at least, what passed for a normal in my current state...
And still, none of them knew. Not Sekai, not Katsura, not even Renji... No one knew what I was really capable of...
But, that was fine with me.
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END