A/N: English is not my first language. Please forgive any grammatical errors.

Chapter 6

Characters on this chapter

Mao Inoue, Jin Akanishi, Sho Sakurai, Teacher Harris, Principal

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Sho together with Mao and Akanishi went in Akaba Academy, the school that helps SA users to enhance their abilities.

Mao couldn’t remove her eyes to the surroundings.

“Wonderful!” she bit out. “This looks a school for wizards”

Sho smiled as Mao continued her sightseeing.

“Amuse yourself now because once you see the principal you can’t do that for sure!” Akanishi revealed.

Mao stopped then faced Akanishi “What do you mean?” she questioned.

“Hey hey, Akanishi don’t scare her” said Sho.

Mao quivered “A-Are you saying that the principal is a monster?”

“Hahaha!” Sho laughed. “No, of course not! C’mon Mao, let’s hurry in the principal office” Sho took her hand.

“I’ll just wait you here!” said Akanishi.

Finally they met the principal.

“Good morning!” the principal greeted.

Mao tried to examine the principal. Based on his appearance, he looked normal. Just a plain male principal so he wondered why Akanishi seemed afraid towards him.

“Because Akanishi has many secrets like hanging around with different girls, flirting with them and so on… he will be in total embarrassment when he meets me!”

“Eh?” Mao got shocked. How did he know what was in her mind?

“Don’t be surprise Mao, his ability is to read mind” said Sho.

Mao couldn’t believe in what she heard.

“Shadow Prince Sho Sakurai… what do you want from me?” asked the principal. He can read minds but Sho is exceptional.

“I’m here to apply this girl to be a sentinel” Sho answered having glance with Mao.

“Is that so…” The principal looked at Mao “Then… good luck!”

Mao moved. “Is being a sentinel will help me to get Ryousuke back?” she wondered.

“Don’t worry Miss Mao, for sure this will be a good help for you to get your brother back”

“Eh?”Mao froze.

The principal was indeed a great SA user. Reading mind was an exceptional power.

For Mao, among all powers this was unbeatable.

“Anything else?” the principal asked.

“No more” said Sho.

“Then, you can now meet teacher Harris for the exam”

“Thank you!” Sho replied. “Let’s go Mao.”

“Okay… Thank you Mr. Principal!” said Mao as she bowed her head.

“How is it?” asked Akanishi when Mao and Sho got off from the office.

“We met the principal. He’s nice and his power is amusing…”

“Oh yeah…” Akanishi commented.

Mao smiled “Now I know why you’re afraid of him… because of his power!”

Akanishi raised his eyebrow. “I’m not afraid, I just want to be safe!” he insisted.

“Really?” Mao started to .

“Of course… and besides I don’t trust him. How can you trust a person who can read everyone’s mind… oh yeah except this guy…” he looked at Sho.

Mao glanced at Sho then to Akanishi again “What do you mean?”

“You don’t know his ability?” Akanishi asked.

That was the time Mao realized that he didn’t yet know his friend’s ability.

“My ability called nullification” Sho revealed.

“Nullification?” Mao repeated.

“He can nullify all kinds of power” Akanishi added.

“Nullify all kind of powers?!” Mao got shocked “I-If that’s Sho’s power then… he is invincible!”

“Oh, not really…” Sho humbled himself.

“How could he become invincible… he only have a defense ability… a selfish ability to be specific!” Akanishi insisted.

“Oh well…” Sho commented still wearing a smile.

“Wait the minute…” Mao faced to Sho “If your ability is nullification, how come you had hard time living in ordinary world? I remember you said it before”

Sho smiled “It’s because jobs there are tiring…”

“Eh?” –Mao’s reaction.

“So, let’s go… we need to meet Teacher Harris” said Sho then he leaded the way.

Mao narrowed her eyes “I really don’t know if I should admire him or what…” she said confused on Sho’s real attitude. (But she was still convinced that Sho is a nice person)

“So, your examiner will be teacher Harris…” said Akanishi .

Mao nodded.

Akanishi made a wide grin.

“Why?” Mao wondered.

“I heard that he is the cruelest examiner here… so cruel like his face… he looks like the cartoon character called Squidward…”

“You’re scaring me again… but it’s useless, you can’t fool me this time.”

Akanishi didn’t respond.

 “By the way, what’s your ability? We’ve been companions for so long but I still don’t know your skills” asked Mao.

“It’s called mimicry ---Physical mimicry” Akanishi answered. He then started to walk.

Mao followed.

“Mimicry... then you can copy other person; can you show me sample?”

“No!” Akanishi responded. “Lately whenever I tried to use my ability I feel weaken... and it’s all because of Sho”

“Why Sho?”

“I’m his sentinel so he must use his ability to help me strengthen my power… but since his ability is so selfish he can’t help me to be a better sentinel.”

“You mean once you became a sentinel you can rely to your master?”

“Yes of course! See for example Nariyama, his ability is too summon anything…with the help of Matsumoto’s earth manipulation he can easily summon earth living things”

Akanishi hated Sho. That was the reality Mao found out.

“Sho, I’m going home… I can’t find any reason why I need to help you in helping this poor girl!” said Akanishi bluntly.

Sho smiled then whispered to Akanishi “Let’s make a deal… if you stay with us... I’ll give you three y girls… is that okay?”

 “Three y girls?” Akanishi had naughty smile as he imagined the girls.

His decision changed instantly.

“Hey Sho... I wonder why you are helping me…” Mao questioned.

Sho looked at her ‘The truth is… once you find a sentinel for a prince the payment is triple the price of a prince 3 months allowance.”

“Y-you mean… this is all for money?” –asked Mao.

“In able to live everybody needs money. You help me, I help you... Let’s help each other! Just stick with that idea.” Sho narrated.

Mao smiled accepting Sho’s point of view.

Small

Bald headed

Has big eyes and big nose.

That was teacher Harris look.

“So… you want to be a sentinel…?”asked teacher Harris.

“Yes…”Mao answered nervously.

“Okay... tell me your name and ability…”

“I’m Mao Inoue, my ability called empathy”

“Empathy?” Teacher Harris repeated.

Mao nodded “I can control others emotion, but in my case, I need to kiss them first before I could control them.

“Interesting…”Harris commented as he grinned . “Okay, follow me!”

Mao together with Akanishi and Sho followed the teacher.

Soon they arrived in the field.

“Your test will happen here” said teacher Harris.

Mao quivered.

“Of course you will be disqualified if your friends help you… so now... here’s your test…” Teacher Harris showed a pen and a piece of paper. He drew  a dragon fastly.

Soon, the paper produced light.

“What’s happening?” asked Mao.

“His  power is to turn his drawing into reality”

“W-What?” Mao got frightened.

In a blink of eyes Harris drawing became true.

The dragon he drew came to life.

“RARRR!!!!” the dragon fired fire from his mouth.

“Applicant Mao Inoue… you can be a sentinel once you defeat this dragon… remember, you can only defeat him by the use of your own power!!!”

“Ah---Aaaahhh!!!” Mao ran and hided on a tree.

“Mao!” called Sho, following her.

Akanishi scratched his head. “What an easy task… it brings back memory…” he said reminiscing how he became a sentinel.

“I’ll give you one hour to defeat the dragon…” said teacher Harris.  He seated in the bench and started reading a book.

Akanishi sat near him.

“RARRRR!!!!” ---The dragon continued.

“Mao, are you okay… c’mon, this is your chance... you must defeat the dragon!” said Sho

Mao was covering her face “No, I can’t do that. How can I defeat a dragon, I’m not a hero, I don’t even have a sword. This is insane, this is impossible!” Mao cried.

“You mean you’re giving up?”

Mao paused. She remembered that all of this was for the sake of her brother.

Sho continued. “If you really want to get your brother you need to face the dragon.”

Mao removed the cover on her face. “But… how could I?” –she asked.

 “Use your power…” Sho advised.

“My power… you mean… I need to kiss the dragon?”

“No, you can’t control the dragon because he is made of others ability... what you have to do is to kiss the….”

Mao froze. She knew what Sho was trying to say.

In able to defeat the dragon using her ability she must take of control with the person who did the dragon...meaning, she needed to kiss teacher Harris.

“No! I can’t do that!” cried Mao “Anything but that!”

“That is our only way…” said Sho convincing Mao.

“I don’t want! I can’t give my first kiss to that… “ she paused and looked to teacher Harris. His lip was so thick.

“Aaahh… no!!!” Mao continued crying. “If only I have a powerful defense I can easily beat the dragon!” she mumbled.

“Powerful defensive?—wait the minute… Mao I have a better idea!”

“What idea?” Mao calmed down.

Sho grinned. “You don’t need to kiss teacher Harris… but you can still beat the dragon without lifting your finger.”

“Huh? how?” ---Mao

“Kiss Matsumoto!” --Sho

“Eh?”

"If you can control Matsumoto, defeating the dragon would be a piece of cake. C’mon... we only have an hour to defeat the dragon, so we must hurried to meet Matsumoto”

“But how could I kiss him? I don’t want to kiss him!”

“Let’s go!” Sho pulled Mao’s hand.

“Where are they going?” asked Akanishi.

Teacher Harris continued in what he was reading.

“There is a place. Like no place on Earth. A land full of wonder, mystery, and danger! Some say to survive it: You need to be as mad as a hatter. Which luckily I am” -- The Mad Hatter