Tokyo: My Superpower Refreshes Every Week

To avoid the trouble caused by language barriers, Emily and the others were assigned warhorses for transport.

Emily had originally wanted to ride with Katerina, but Morimoto Chiyoda pulled her over to share a horse.

Although it was Morimoto Chiyoda's first time riding, she easily learned how by watching the others. Or perhaps, the warhorse beneath them was so well-trained and gentle that it never resisted carrying a rider.

Emily wasn't very satisfied with the saddle; it felt a bit hard. The backrest, however, she'd give a perfect score. It's so soft and springy.

She leaned her upper body back. Unlike Katerina's diamond-like hardness, Morimoto Chiyoda is like soft, freshly baked bread. And she smells so good.

A voice, soft and alluring as the wind, whispered in Emily's ear, "What did you and Griffith talk about? Did you mention Dio?"

Dio's identity was currently Morimoto Chiyoda's most pressing concern.

Emily nodded. "You'll never believe it. Dio has lived for over a thousand years, and he's an Angel Envoy!"

"Dio has lived for over a thousand years? But didn't you say last time he was very young?"

"That's right. Angel Envoys don't age. Don't be fooled by Griffith's youthful appearance; his actual age is also over a thousand."

Emily's explanation sent ripples through Morimoto Chiyoda's mind. It meant her earlier suspicion—that Aozawa was Dio—was completely wrong.

"Then how do you explain Dio's activities and the new Superpower he gains each week?"

"It's all part of the ritual to ascend to Paradise," Emily relayed. "Griffith said that sinners' souls possess great power. During that specific time, dying in that particular way can maximize the potential of a sinner's soul. It's all to pave the way for Dio's journey to Paradise."

Emily's words plunged Morimoto Chiyoda into deep thought. Could Aozawa have made all this up? she wondered. Yet, looking at the people around her, feeling the wind on her face, seeing the vast, endless landscape before her… Everything is so real. These are living people, not illusions. I must be overthinking. Aozawa is only sixteen. How could he possibly orchestrate something like this?

Realization dawned, and Morimoto Chiyoda suddenly felt a sense of clarity and relief. She laughed heartily. "So that's how it is! The souls of sinners… but where do they end up?"

"I'm not sure. I didn't ask Griffith." Emily shook her head and then recounted the rest of her conversation with Griffith to Morimoto Chiyoda. She didn't find it a bother; on the contrary, after hearing such astounding news, she felt an irresistible urge to share it, to let Morimoto Chiyoda experience the same shock that reverberated within her.

Emily's words, carried on the wind, brushed past Morimoto Chiyoda's ears, striking her soul with an impact as profound as the desolate, sprawling earth before them.

DING DONG DONG.

The bell signaling the end of the last morning class rang, and the teacher left the classroom. Instantly, the room erupted with noise.

Phoenix Academy Maggie turned her head, looking diagonally behind her. "Tetsuji wasn't in class. Do you know where he is?"

Aozawa shook his head with a smile. "He's probably too excited. Have you figured out how you're going to praise Tetsuji's manga at lunch?"

Phoenix Academy Maggie laughed. "Don't worry, I'll provide the perfect assist!"

With that, she took her bento from her desk and headed towards Yoshikawa Sayuri and the others.

Aozawa stood up and decided to head to the club building. As usual, he didn't use the main entrance, instead going around to the side.

There, he saw a figure hanging from the third floor.

So that's why he wasn't in class, Aozawa thought. He was hiding here.

The figure hanging outside the third-floor window was clearly Hojo Tetsuji. Only he possessed the arm strength to suspend himself like that.

"Aozawa-senpai, this is no time to be calm!" Natsuka Yanagimachi exclaimed, looking very anxious. "What if he falls? That's the third floor! A broken leg would be getting off easy!" She definitely didn't want any bloodshed or fatalities occurring outside the Guzheng Club.

"It's okay, Summer Flower," Hojo Shouko said, calmly patting Natsuka's shoulder. "Brother is a very strong man. Once," Hojo Shouko continued reassuringly, "when Brother was passing a construction site, a tower crane malfunctioned. A pile of steel beams fell, but he was fine—just a dislocated arm."

"Are you kidding me?" Natsuka Yanagimachi looked shocked. "Steel falling from that high? He should have been dead! How could it just be a dislocated arm?"

"Calm down. It's Tetsuji. I'm sure he'll be fine. A fall from the third floor won't hurt him," Aozawa said with a shrug. He guessed Hojo Tetsuji was hanging there most likely to eavesdrop on Phoenix Academy Maggie and the others, wanting to hear what Yoshikawa Sayuri thought of his manga.

"Shouko, where's my bento?"

"Aozawa-senpai, I'll go get it for you."

Hojo Shouko climbed through the window. Natsuka Yanagimachi quickly stood beside her to block the view. Shouko is being too reckless! Natsuka thought. She's wearing a short skirt; climbing like that, she'll flash someone!

Hojo Shouko climbed back into the room and brought Aozawa his bento.

"Senpai, enjoy your meal!"

"Thanks. Feels like I'm eating at a restaurant," Aozawa quipped, taking the bento and heading towards the school building.

Natsuka Yanagimachi looked up again, still worried. "Is he really going to be okay? Falling from this height is no joke!"

"Don't worry, Summer Flower. You should never doubt his physical strength," Hojo Shouko said with a calm face. When it came to academics, her confidence in Hojo Tetsuji was nearly zero, but regarding his physical prowess, she never had a shred of doubt. Hojo Shouko had always believed her brother was built differently from normal people.

Suspended in mid-air, Hojo Tetsuji wasn't worried about himself; he just found the three people below incredibly noisy. He didn't want to attract attention, only to remain there quietly and eavesdrop on the conversation inside.

Hojo Tetsuji knew what he was doing wasn't right. But he couldn't help it; he desperately wanted to hear Little Sayuri's opinion of his manga firsthand, not relayed by Phoenix Academy Maggie. To achieve that, his only option was to eavesdrop from outside.

He hooked only his index and middle fingers over the edge of the window frame to keep himself from falling. Placing his whole palm there would make him too easy to spot. Two fingers resting discreetly on the edge allowed for maximum concealment.

With his ear pressed against the wall, he heard the door inside open. They're coming in.

"Eating a delicious bento while flipping through the latest JUMP really brightens up this stuffy atmosphere."

That voice isn't Phoenix Academy Maggie's, nor Little Sayuri's... It must be that girl, Nomura, Hojo Tetsuji thought. He vaguely recalled Phoenix Academy Maggie mentioning her but couldn't remember her full name, only her surname.

"It's so hot. I'll open a window to get some air circulating."

Phoenix Academy Maggie put her bento on the table, walked to the window, and slid it open. A gust of wind blew against her face, rustling the blonde hair by her ears.

Ah, that feels good, Phoenix Academy Maggie thought. She glanced down and noticed two fingers on the window frame. Looking further down, her eyes met the sunglasses-clad face of a man.

Hojo Tetsuji quickly brought his other hand to his lips, index finger raised in a 'shhh' gesture.

Phoenix Academy Maggie, looking down from above, had an expression that clearly said, What on earth are you doing?

Hojo Tetsuji's face was a mask of desperation. Please, don't make a sound!

"Maggie, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. The midday breeze is a bit warm, actually. It's probably better to close the window." Phoenix Academy Maggie closed the window, preventing Little Sayuri or Makoto from approaching.

"Let's just turn on the fan then," Nomura True Wave said. She switched it on, and the cool air flowing down made her instinctively loosen her collar to let the breeze in. "Ahh, that's so refreshing!"

Phoenix Academy Maggie sat down, opened JUMP, and said, "Quick, take a look at the manga I recommended."

"Space Self-Defense Force? What a dated name," Nomura True Wave commented as soon as she saw it.

Hanging outside, Hojo Tetsuji clenched his fists. This Nomura True Wave girl is deliberately trying to pick a fight!

"I think it's not bad. Pretty standard, I'd say," Yoshikawa Sayuri offered.

Yoshikawa Sayuri's comment made Hojo Tetsuji's heart soar. That's Little Sayuri for you! She gets it!

"The plot is so cliché," Nomura True Wave said after flipping a few pages, looking completely unimpressed. "Villain bullies heroine, hero makes a flashy entrance. What century are we in? Still using such a straightforward damsel-in-distress rescue? This manga feels like something from the last century."

Hojo Tetsuji didn't feel angry, only a sense of pity for this Nomura girl. How sad, he thought. Even her most romantic hopes have been crushed by reality. A hero saving a damsel in distress is a classic, romantic storyline!

Phoenix Academy Maggie turned to Yoshikawa Sayuri. "Little Sayuri, what are your thoughts?"

"I think it's quite good," Yoshikawa Sayuri said, her face alight with excitement. "The plot is direct, yes, but the art's dynamism and the dialogue really ignite something in you. Especially the scene where the hero saves the heroine! You know how it's going to end, but seeing it unfold still gets you fired up! A hero saving the beauty… it truly is a timeless trope."

This critique brought tears to Hojo Tetsuji's eyes. I'm so glad I became a manga artist! he thought. From now on, I'll live as a manga artist! I have to work hard on my manuscripts!

His two fingers loosened their grip, and Hojo Tetsuji plummeted.

THUMP! A cloud of dust billowed up from where Hojo Tetsuji landed.

Natsuka Yanagimachi stared, dumbfounded. "Hojo-senpai, are you okay?"

"Nothing serious. Just a bit numb," Hojo Tetsuji said, patting his thighs to shake off the lingering shock of the impact. Then he vaulted back over the windowsill, brimming with fighting spirit. "I'm going to keep working hard on my manga! I'll aim for serialization and see it through to the end!"

"Go for it, Brother!" Hojo Shouko cheered, pumping her fist.

Natsuka Yanagimachi looked up. He jumped from the third floor and only got slightly numb legs… she thought, still in disbelief. Instead of being a manga artist, Hojo-senpai would have a much brighter future as an athlete. With such terrifying physical abilities, he could excel in any training. Being a manga artist is such a waste of talent.