Cold Karma

September 2108 Osaka City

School bells rang all across the city in resounding chimes, signalling the end of the school day for many. Being a September afternoon, the sun hung low in the sky, casting an orange hue on the buildings and people of Osaka. Students filtered out of their respective academies in waves and set to the streets, either to head straight home for the day or to kill some time. Two students of Xandar Junior High were keen on the latter, as was their usual routine. Like usual, they would buy something at a local corner store and loiter around for a while before getting back for dinner, and there was nothing stopping them from continuing the trend.

“Maaan, today sure was borin’... I was just about t’fall asleep in Mr. Toriya’s class in fifth period.” yawned Deishi, a stocky boy with a body made of clay, which visibly sagged and melted with his fatigue.

“Don’t worry pal, I could see your muddy face nearly meltin’ onto yer desk, kehehe.” replied Yokuda, a much smaller student with an imp-like look, accompanied by small wings and a hunched stride. His jeering rewarded him with a light shove from Deishi, who hated being referred to as ‘muddy’.

“Shuddup, you little goblin! I’ve had a long week, gimme a break!” the earthy lad retorted, which prompted another cackle from his classmate.

“Oh boohoo, Clayface must want his pick-me-up drink from the konbini, right? Want me to buy it for you? Kehe!” the devilish boy playfully sneered, flapping up next to Deishi’s head to give him a condescending pat on the head. The thickset student only huffed and shrugged off the jab, continuing down the familiar route to the shop.

“Well, yer not wrong.” Deishi simply replied.

The convenience store soon came into view– a standard 7/11 which offered middle school students like them anything from ready-made meals to high-intensity caffeine fixes in energy drinks. The Xandar boys took the liberty of hastily jaywalking across the busy road to the doorway, the typical chime playing as the automatic doors rolled open for them. Though upon entering, the pair noticed something off about the interior: it was surprisingly cold.

“Brrr, what’s with this cold? Is the heating busted in here?” Deishi commented, a shiver going up to his shoulders. While not an unbearable chill, it was enough of a difference for them to notice, as the temperature inside the store was usually well-maintained most days. “Let’s get our stuff n’ bounce.”

The duo took their usual route around the floor, scanning shelves and fridges as they gathered their items of choice. Deishi grabbed a brand name energy drink, and Yokuda, a dark-chocolate bar. They reconvened near the checkout where a cashier was ringing up another person in front of them, so they waited.

“Oh, trying a different flavour this time, Deishi? ‘Raspberry Rage’, huh?” Yokuda commented as he scanned the text on the can in his classmate’s blocky hand. His purple eyes then turned on a boy directly behind Deishi. He looked about their age, clad in a different school uniform, and was pensively considering what chocolatey treat he was going to pick from the selection on sale, hums and haws to boot. The imp also noticed that the young man’s wallet, clearly packed with cash, was resting loosely in his back pocket, which immediately gave Yokuda a great idea.

He nudged his pudgy pal, gesturing to keep him covered as slowly backed up towards the unknowing customer. After making sure the coast was clear, and with a clawed foot and a quick backwards kick– similar to a ballerina– Yokuda swiped the boy’s wallet and quickly hid it from view. The middle-school pair presumed their browsing as if nothing had happened, and soon enough it was their turn to pay for their items with cash that wasn’t their own. Deishi and Yokuda quickly left the shop, just in time for the person they had robbed to notice his belongings missing.

“Yer the worst, bro.” Deishi chuckled, shaking his head dismissively as he cracked open his drink. “What if he needs anything in that?”

“Don’t sweat it, man, I’ll just toss it on the ground somewhere for him to find later, keke…” Yokuda snickered, clearly used to the deplorable act of swiping money from unassuming people. He searched the wallet for anything of interest, whether it be more money or a credit card of sorts. Though his fluorescent purple eyes rested on an identification card displayed at the front. “Sou…ta? Well, Mr. Souta, consider yer donation mighty appreciated, kakaka!”

Deishi rolled his eyes with a huff. While not approving of his friend’s methods, he found it easier to play negligent and blame the person for not being more careful with their personal items. In the end, he got something for free, so he didn’t mind as much. Now all that was left was for them to finish their treats and head home.

“Oi.”

The sudden rough tone addressing them made both boys twist around, which was their first mistake. Yokuda’s collar was grabbed by a chilly blue hand, and Deishi caught a swift straight kick to the gut that doubled him over. The assailant then threw the winged robber into an adjacent alleyway, doing the same to the larger boy with seemingly no effort. They both tumbled into the trash and grime of the alley, recovering from the sudden attack and rising to meet their foe.

“What’s the big deal, y’punk?! C’mere!” Deishi roared, suddenly dashing forward to retaliate with a wide swing. The girl quickly countered with an age-tsuki– a cross counter punch aimed right for the boy’s chin that sent him hurtling back into the dirt again. Yokuda, seeing how easily his bigger friend was disposed of, aptly sought retreat.

He flew past the new figure, escaping being the one thing on his mind, only for him to fall to the ground. He was unable to flap his wings, and once again, he was cold; this time with a freezing sensation taking hold of his back. He turned over to face the attacker, who stomped a foot onto the gremlin’s chest, making him yelp and wheeze in pain. His position also gave him a good look at who they were now dealing with.

“Y-Y-You! You’re.. ‘Freezing’ Souta!” Yokuda blurted out, only to recoil in pain as the girl eased more weight onto his puny sternum. “What a-a-are you doing ‘round here?”

“So you know me. Good, then this’ll make things easier.” Crystal said plainly, her words as cold as her stare and the aura of frost that surrounded her. “You two thought you were slick, huh? You idiots didn’t take a second to look and see if anyone aside from the cashier witnessed your little heist.”

“W-What does it m-m-matter to you? It was just a– YEOOWWW!” the imp began to retort, only to be cut short by the frosty lady easing more of her weight onto him, threatening to crush his ribcage under her sole.

“That was my little brother’s wallet, DUMBASS!” Crystal barked, yanking the pouch from Yokuda’s claw with a quick swipe and stuffing it into the pocket on her navy varsity jacket. She let out a huff of cold air, taking a glance back at Deishi’s crumpled figure before addressing Yokuda again. “How much was it?”

The devil was silent for a moment, his only response being that of his small, shivering frame. “W-What do you m–”

“THE STUFF YOU BOUGHT WITH MY BROTHER’S MONEY! How much was it?!” the chilly assailant shrieked, heaving Yokuda off the ground with a single hand.

“I-I-IT WAS LIKE, 650 YEN! I’LL GIVE IT BACK, I PROMISE!” he pleaded loudly, his face contorted in fear of the pale woman manhandling him. She glared with azure eyes, as if he had said something profoundly offensive to her.

“Y’think I’ll just walk away with 650 yen and call it quits, you PUNK?! I want 1000 yen from both of you bastards, y’hear?” Crystal ruthlessly ordered, carelessly dropping Yokuda to the ground. “Consider it a good reason to not rob someone again. Now, c’mon, hack it up.”

The tiny student rattled in horror of the mercilessness of the frostbitten fighter. He complied with her request, unable in all aspects to oppose her. His hand went into the pocket of his trousers as he fetched for his own wallet, all the while being scowled at.

“And if you decide to try running again,” Crystal added, giving a freezing grimace that made Yokuda shudder. “I’ll turn you into a fuckin’ bat-popsicle.”

Her threat urged Yokuda to relinquish a portion of his allowance to Crystal, who simply took the note and stuffed it into her jacket. “Good. Now, go get the rest off tubby back there. I doubt he’s conscious to do it himself.” she commanded with a point of her thumb. The winged boy shuffled steadily towards his pal, reaching down to retrieve the remaining funds, only to stop. Crystal noticed this, turning to face the pair.

“What’s the holdup, bat-freak? The sooner you give me the money, the quicker you get out of here with no broken bones.” she threatened loudly. She stood still, waiting for Yokuda to finish her request, only for him to stay frozen in place. A vein pulsed on her temple, the delay clearly irritating her. “What did I say, motherfucker?! I said a thousand more yen and–”

Before the cold-hearted girl could finish her sentence, her ears picked up rapidly approaching steps from her rear. She turned around barely quick enough to defend against a dropkick aimed for her back. She rolled into the damp dirt of the alley, quickly hopping back to her feet to find herself facing down someone new. A boy taller than the previous two, with determined moonlike eyes and a purple complexion coated in twinkling stars.

“‘Ey Frosty, what d’ya think yer doin’ to my pals there?” the starboy growled, dropping his skateboard and backpack onto the ground, quickly discarding his gakuran jacket and bringing up his fists. “Yer gonna regret this!”

“Yuu-san! Thank god!” cheered both Yokuda and Deishi, the latter of which was still conscious enough after the counter-blow to ring in help from Kaoru while the arctic attacker was distracted.

Crystal’s brow stitched tightly together, the sudden appearance of a third idiot apparently being the straw that broke the camel’s back– the camel being her patience. She dropped into her well-learned karate stance, staring down the purple saviour.

“Who are you?” she questioned with a clearly annoyed and disinterested grumble. “A friend of these two nimwits?”

“Yer damn right. I’m Kaoru Yuu, the guy who’s gonna knock you out cold. Even colder than you already are.” Kaoru answered, giving Crystal a confident smirk that she visibly grimaced at.

“I shouldn’t have asked.” the snow woman sighed, bringing up her cold hands into a defensive position, eyeing the new boy curiously. She presumed that, with the way he discarded his belongings upon entry, that he was used to alley brawls like the one to come. Nothing she hadn’t dealt with before, though.

“ORAAA!” Kaoru roared, charging straight at Crystal with a loose guard. He opened with a left uppercut, which was easily countered by a palm-strike to his chin. He didn’t relent however, throwing another wide right swing that Crystal backstepped. She then sent a heavy kick for his neck, aiming to knock him out with a single hit, only for him to soften the impact with a lucky arm block. This gave Kaoru the opening to land a weighty straight kick on Crystal’s chest.

“OOF!” she grunted, stumbling backwards from the attack, catching herself on her hands. Her furrowed brow furrowed further, a look of serious anger on her face. It was rare for her to be hit at all in petty scraps, so the fact she was having trouble with a nobody pissed her off to no end. “You sparkly sonofabitch…”

The starry skater was light on his feet, seemingly confident with the good move he had landed. “What’s the matter, snowflake? Can’t match yer bark n’ yer bite?” Kaoru taunted, stepping in to continue his barrage of mediocre punches. Crystal weaved and diverted most of the swings, finding herself distracted by her growing rage, unable to go back on the offensive.

A starry fist slipped through her guard and cracked her in the cheek, throwing her off-balance. For the first time in a while, Crystal let loose a wild punch; an instinctual reaction to the stressful situation she had found herself. But it met no target, and after realising this, she felt another kick land firmly on her back. She fell forward onto her stomach with a grunt, propping herself up with her hands and turning back to Kaoru with a nasty snarl.

The boy stepped out of one of his galactic portals, which he had slipped through after landing the blow on Crystal’s face.

“Had enough? I can go all day, bitch! No one gets t’mess with my friends!” the starful student proclaimed, wiping his nose with a thumb before raising his fists again. The two other boys cowered behind him, clearly relieved that one of the big names of Xandar Junior High had come to the rescue.

“Shut your mouth.” Crystal growled, rising back to her feet and sending a chilling stare at the trio. She rubbed her tender cheek, clicking her tongue angrily. “You don’t get it, do you? You lost the moment you entered this alley, you moron. I was going easy on you.”

Before Kaoru, Yokuda, or Deishi could argue against her claim, a severe chill flooded the secluded area. Crystal began dropping the temperature around her immensely with her ability, and with a firm stomp, she sent a wave of ice rolling towards them, ensnaring the feet of all three targets. The ice held Kaoru’s shoes firmly in place, even as he struggled to free them. Panic quickly set in for the three of them as the ice woman approached, menacingly rolling up the sleeves on her varsity jacket.

“What did y’say again, stringbean? You can go all day, huh?” she rhetorically asked, before digging a right hook into the starboy’s stomach, keeling him over. She quickly grabbed his head, burying knee blows into his gut. “THAT’S GOOD TO KNOW!”

Crystal’s onslaught was relentless. She spared no area of Kaoru’s starry body from her wrath, landing punch after punch, kick after kick. She only quit after the boy stopped retaliating, his face bruised and bloodied and his eyes vacant, showing that he was finally unconscious. After letting him fall into the dust behind her, she then turned on the remaining two, giving them a similarly brutal treatment.

The snowy student exited the alley in a huff, clutching her brother’s stolen wallet and the extra cash from the petty thieves in a swollen hand.. Just as she returned to the storefront, her sibling rushed out of the door, almost bumping into her on his way out.

“Crystal, there you are! I didn’t know where you went, b-but my wallet, i-it’s–” Cody stammered, waving his hands around as he attempted to explain his predicament before being silenced by his sister, who thrust the missing purse into his shaking grasp. “Y-You found it! Where was it? And.. why is there 2000 yen with it…”

“Don’t worry about it.” Crystal assured simply, patting her brother on the shoulder, beckoning him to follow her. Though Cody didn’t budge, instead looking back at the alley entrance she had emerged from.

“W-Where did you get this money, sis?” he fearfully asked, knowing full well that his sister might have beat the funds out of someone. Crystal groaned and grabbed Cody by the arm, swinging him forward in order to make him walk.

“I said don’t worry about it, now go! We’ll go to a different store!” she hissed, marching behind her meeker sibling as they fled the area.

Not long after, Kaoru found himself awake again, face down in the alleyway. His entire being ached, and he was almost certain that something was broken, but nothing he couldn’t walk off. He clambered to his feet, turning to witness the equally beaten Deishi and Yokuda. They were also conscious, and appeared pretty abashed by the whole situation.

“Yeah, uh… sorry ‘bout that, guys.” the starry brawler apologised. The Xandar pair could only nod and murmur ‘it’s okay’ in response. Since their attacker had long since left, Kaoru thought now was the time for some context. From the brief message he had received from Deishi, it sounded like the boys had unfortunately gotten jumped by someone, but the aggression from the unknown girl felt a little displaced. He steadily crouched down in front of them. “What happened?”

The innocent question made the duo freeze up and look away embarrassed, like an unruly pet would. This didn’t give the starboy a good feeling.

“We were in the store… and Yokuda snatched a wallet from some guy…” Deishi said, revealing the truth of the matter. Yokuda could only nod along and plead guilty to his crime. “Turns out that guy was her little brother…”

Kaoru paused, giving both guys a solemn nod as he rose to his feet. It looked like he was understanding of the reason at first, until he brought two starry fists over the heads of the silly students.

“THEN DON’T STEAL THINGS, YOU MORONS!” he roared, his anger and the pain of the boys rising up and out of the alley into the busy air of the city.

June 2109 Asanami Highschool, Nagasaki

It had been a couple of months since the beginning of the school year, which gave the newly introduced first years ample time to mingle and get familiar with each other, as they would be in close proximity to each other for the foreseeable future. The Heroics Platoons 1-1 and 1-2 were no different, with joint lessons and training sessions littered throughout their curriculum. In the passing weeks, Haruka found herself eyeing a particular student from the rivalling class. There was something strangely familiar about her look and the way she carried herself, and due to a memory that had recently resurfaced in her mind, she wanted to see if she could confirm her suspicions.

During an opportune lunch break, the leviathan gently wheeled herself up to the girl in question, who was coolly leaning against a wall as she approached.

“Excuse me, Souta-san, but may I ask a quick question of you?” Haruka requested, neatly folding her hands into her lap as she spoke. Crystal locked eyes with her, and for a moment she said nothing. The ice woman could tell Haruka was a good person from a glance, and figured she wouldn’t lose anything from entertaining her inquiry.

“What’s on your mind?”

“Well, I had just remembered something that was told to me about a year ago by a friend, and was wondering if you knew any more about it.” the young lady began, locking her webbed fingers together. “You live in Osaka, correct? Do you recall a… let's call him ‘sparkly’ boy with a tough, compassionate attitude?”

Crystal broke eye contact as she processed the odd question, staring into the air as she tried to remember the person Haruka mentioned. The name of the boy escaped her, likely because she purposefully forgot, but she couldn’t deny that his look was unique enough to stick in her memory.

“Yeah, I do.” she said, taking a fist from her pocket and clenching it at her side. “I kicked the shit out of him and a few of his pals who stole my brother’s wallet a while back. Why?”

“A-Ah, I see!” Haruka replied with a gentle, unsure giggle. Despite how easily she admitted her violent role in the incident, the response filled in any room for doubt in her mind that she was dealing with the very same person Kaoru had told her about back then after he had gotten beaten up. “Well I’m, ehm… very sorry for his brash behaviour, on his behalf. So sorry.”

The prim girl apologetically bowed her head, an action which stunned the frosty student. She raised a hand, dismissively waving the apology away. “No– I mean… it’s okay, you don’t have to…”

[END]