A static fuzzy screen ran and ran repeatedly until a scene emerged: a young boy and his older teenage sister playing together outside their house. The static returned, but this time the girl was protecting her sibling from what seemed to be a gang member. She was soon shot in the head, right in front of her younger brother. Everything turned pitch black, and a faint voice echoed throughout the void.
"Kazami-san… Kazami-san… KAZAMI-SAN!"
Shoto Kazami, a thirteen-year-old boy with short black hair and soft green eyes, was startled back to the present by the voice of his classmate. The memory of his sister's death was the only thing playing in his mind, a haunting recollection from when he was just three years old, now ten years past.
"Jeez, what took you so long to answer me? Are you going to join a club or not? You at least gotta do something at this school."
Shoto just looked at her quietly, stood up slowly, grabbed his bag, and left the classroom. His classmate scoffed loudly, walking out after him.
Returning home, Shoto opened his door, but as he almost made his way in, something ruffled out of the bushes, appearing right behind him. Shoto turned and looked quietly.
"Oh. It's a cat."
The cat quickly darted inside Kazami's home, heading straight upstairs to Shoto's room. Shoto blinked twice before closing the door and running after it. However, once he entered his room, the cat was sitting quietly on his bed, staring right at him.
"You have to get out of my bed. What if you have fleas or something… come on, shoo—"
The cat opened its mouth slowly, and at first, Shoto thought it was going to hiss at him, but then it spoke.
"I don't have fleas, and I took a lot of showers before coming here. Thank you very much!"
It talked. Shoto fell to the ground, crawling backwards to the corner of his room as quickly as he could, pointing and shaking violently as he stared at the cat.
"Y-Y-YOU CAN TALK?!"
The cat laughed, leaping off the bed and slowly making its way to Shoto with excitement in its eyes.
"I've been looking for you for years, your majesty… for decades I have traveled across hundreds of lands just to find you, and you're finally here!"
Confused, Shoto got up slowly, walking towards his room door.
"Stay here. I'll be right back with some food and lots of water."
Shoto closed the door, quickly making his way to the kitchen in a panic. He gathered some canned tuna for the cat and some egg rolls for himself. However, before he could head back, his aunt stopped him.
"Shoto-san, when you're done eating, please take your plate back down! Okay, thank you!"
Mai Kazami, his aunt, was a stay-at-home relative who took care of Shoto because both his parents had disappeared without a trace. She was a bit lazy but took care of him regardless. The boy just nodded quickly before rushing back into his room, locking the door behind him. He opened the can of tuna and slid the food towards the cat, sitting down to wait for the animal's response. The cat quietly stared at it but decided to eat it anyway. Soon after, it stared at Shoto with a snarky smirk.
"It's time for you to rise up again, my lord. Time for you to rise up and take hold of Japan once m—"
Shoto interrupted the animal. "The hell are you even talking about? I'm not a damn king. And what do you mean take back Japan?" He pulled out his phone and checked the time, sighing as he got up to change into his pajamas. He placed the egg rolls on the table and lay down on his bed. "We can continue this tomorrow after school," he said, then passed out. The cat glared at the boy, walking to the side of his bed and sleeping right below him.
The next day, Shoto prepared for school, refreshing himself, fixing his hair, and adjusting his uniform. The cat stared outside, looking at a girl who attended the same school walking past the house.
"Hey, Shoto. Who's that girl?"
Shoto walked to the window and stared down at the girl. "That's Chidari Yumiko. She's pretty popular because of her father's lineage as a prime minister. Never looked into it. Why are you asking me?"
The cat got up on its two paws and stood like a human, holding a miniature bow and arrow aimed right at Shoto's chest. The boy stood there, confused.
"Wh-what are you do—"
Before Shoto could finish, the cat spoke. "You are going to become her boyfriend. When you do, I will tell you what's going on."
Shoto laughed, fixing his uniform and walking slowly towards the cat. "Did you do a status check on me or something? Yeah, I had a crush on her, but I don't think us going out will happen so—"
The cat vanished from his sight, and Shoto felt like he got stabbed. The arrow struck through his heart, causing his muscles to tense up, veins popping from his neck to his legs, and his green eyes dilating to pure white. A demonic roar echoed across the neighborhood as the boy launched himself off his back, landing back in his room. He grabbed his backpack and dashed out of the house. The cat walked back to the now-broken window, staring at Shoto running after the girl.
"Everything will go according to plan."
A trail of dust followed Shoto as he ran at jet-like speeds to confront her. Yumiko was already approaching the school gate when Shoto screamed with all his might.
"YUMIKO-SAAAAANNNNNNNN!!!!!!!"
Yumiko was startled, turning around to see Shoto running full speed towards her. He slid to a stop right in front of her.
"Yumiko-san… BE MY GIRLFRIEND AND GO OUT ON A DATE WITH M—"
Suddenly, he was stopped by a student with silver hair, holding worn-out boxing gloves on his back with his left arm.
"My younger sister won't be your girlfriend yet, Kazami. You need a stamp of approval from me! Chidari, Ryuji!"
Ryuji and Yumiko were twin siblings, just minutes apart. Ryuji had different hair color than Yumiko but was also the big brother. Ryuji glared at Yumiko before looking at Shoto with seriousness in his eyes.
"If you want to earn that, then meet me at the boxing ring after school. That's where you can get my approval."
He walked off, Yumiko bowed to Shoto, then quickly ran after her brother. Shoto slowly reverted to normal, looking straight ahead blankly, about to panic. His bag randomly appeared in front of him, opening by itself as the cat from earlier appeared.
"Looks like you got something to look forward to after sc—"
Before the cat could finish, Shoto picked him up and set him on the ground. He didn't want to speak because they were in another area, but he started to walk inside the school building, the cat following suit. Heading towards the middle of the hallway, since nobody was around, Shoto decided to speak.
"You gotta be one crazy cat. You shot me with an arrow, and it changed me. I confessed to the popular girl in school, and now her big brother is going to tear me apart because of it?! What the hell do you want from me?"
The cat smirked slightly, hopping onto his right shoulder softly. "Face him, and let Ryuji be on your side, then I will tell you everything."
Shoto glared at the cat, proceeding to walk to class. He didn't know why he was listening to the cat, but at least he had something to look forward to.
Hours passed, and now it was the end of school. Shoto made his way to the boxing club arena. A female voice shouted his name, running towards him, stopping to catch her breath. It was Yumiko.
"Wait, Shoto…"
Shoto looked at Yumiko, shocked because this was the first time they were actually talking to each other.
"Y-Yumiko, Look I—"
She bowed her head quickly, eyes shut. "I'm sorry!! This wasn't supposed to happen. Nobody has ever asked me out before, and my brother is probably using that as an excuse to fight someone."
Shoto was dazed. He didn't know what to do despite her apologizing for her brother's actions.
"It's alright… I'm pretty sure he'd act like that regardless since you're popular at this school."
Yumiko looked up at Shoto in awe. "Me? Popular?? Aw, that's the sweetest thing you ever said!" She turned her back, flustered at his compliment. Shoto was shocked.
'THAT'S THE SWEETEST THING TO HER?!' He thought she was popular since everyone talked about her, but maybe it was a mix-up.
Yumiko turned around and smiled brightly. Shoto started to get flustered.
"Good luck. I hope you'll win, and if you do, then you can take me out sometime! It's a promise from me, okay? Cya!"
She walked away with a smile on her face. Shoto watched her, still blushing, but now he had something to look forward to. If he lived, he began to walk the opposite way to the arena, a nervous smile on his face, trying to maintain his composure.
Minutes passed, Ryuji, already in his boxing gear, stared intently at the door with a serious expression. The door began to open, and Shoto walked in slowly, wearing amateur boxing gloves and shorts.
Ryuji circled the ring, a smile spreading across his face.
"Finally, you showed up. I was getting a little worried you flanked me."
Shoto glanced away, mumbling to himself, "I was going to at first..."
He looked back at Ryuji, walking towards the ring slowly. "Let's just get this over with."
As Shoto stepped into the ring, an arrow shot him in the back. It was the cat again. Shoto slumped forward as his muscles tensed, his eye color disappearing. The match had already started as soon as Shoto entered the ring. Ryuji threw the first punch, landing it straight in Shoto's face. At first, Shoto's eyes were squinted hard, but then he opened them, staring at Ryuji. Kazami gritted his teeth and returned the punch to Ryuji's lower left side, causing Ryuji to back off.
Ryuji started to think, 'What the hell, he can actually hit hard... was he like this before?'
Ryuji tried again, running up to Shoto and jabbing him directly in the gut, causing Shoto to skid back a little. Drool slowly appeared in Shoto's mouth as he looked up at Ryuji with a wicked smile. Ryuji's eyes widened, then he mirrored the smile, a fire igniting inside him.
"SO THIS IS HOW YOU WANNA PLAY, KAZAMI?! BRING IT ON!"
Ryuji and Shoto simultaneously ran at each other, their fists connecting. Shoto moved back, screaming as he unleashed a barrage of punches at Ryuji. Ryuji leaped to the side, slowly removing his boxing gloves.
"How about we take this to the next level, huh?!"
Ryuji laughed, leaping towards Shoto and jabbing him in the gut again. Kazami was taken aback by the attack but managed to stand. Shoto also removed his gloves, staring at Ryuji with a grin.
"My turn..."
Shoto and Ryuji exchanged blows as the sun began to set. They were both beaten and bruised, their knuckles slightly bloodied. Ryuji started to stumble, losing his balance. Shoto wobbled back and forth. Ryuji walked towards Shoto, his left bloody hand clenched tightly, aiming to punch him one more time. But he tripped and collapsed, defeated.
Shoto screamed as loud as he could, collapsing on the floor as well. "I won..."
Ryuji smiled. "Yeah... you won. You have my stamp of approval!"
The boxer laughed, not upset about losing but happy to find someone who could match him physically.
A few moments later, Ryuji waved goodbye to Shoto in front of the school gate, walking off. Shoto waved back, a slight smile on his face.
"Now... it's your turn to speak, Neko..."
The cat, standing beside Shoto, looked confused. "Neko?"
"Yeah... you didn't really give me a name, so I figured I'd just call you that in the meantime. Now are you gonna tell me—"
Before he could finish, Neko began to explain. "During the Edo period, a young king fought in a war against an empire and lost. Unfortunately, sacrifices were made, and his lover died in the process. He also died after fighting them off. His name was Shoto Remedus Kazami. Shoto, you are the reincarnated version of him."
It was quiet at first, then Shoto started to scream like a five-year-old boy scared of bugs. So many thoughts entered his mind, but then it hit him. "Does that mean Yumiko..."
"Yes, she's also a reincarnation of his lover. That doesn't matter. It is the modern era after all, so here's the overall thing. King Remedus had seven loyal followers. Ryuji can be one of them, soon. Now all you need is six more. Understand?"
Shoto nodded slowly, still confused. Whatever the case, his previous life with Yumiko seemed destined. He decided to go along with Neko's plan for now. "So who's next on your list, Neko? Do you know who?"
The cat looked at Shoto with a soft smile, walking away towards the boy's house. "I already did what I have to do. It's your turn." Neko started to run away from Shoto.
Shocked, Shoto chased after the cat. "YOU BASTARD!!!!!!!"
The next day, Shoto walked to school with bandages on his face, sighing softly as he dragged his feet. He saw Yumiko with her friends and decided to walk past her since he did beat her brother. However, Ryuji was a different case. The boxer put his arm around Shoto's neck.
"SHOTO!!!! Great match yesterday!"
Shoto was startled by the arm hug but smiled softly. They talked like close friends.
Hours later, Shoto and Neko were on the school rooftop, continuing their conversation from the previous day.
"So? Have you thought of somebody?"
Neko circled around Shoto, happily pondering his thoughts. Shoto stared at the rooftop door, nodding slowly.
"I have. I told him to meet me here, but I don't know if he will show up..."
A man with glasses and light blue-tipped hair stood on something connected to the building, adjusting his glasses slowly.
"Finally, I can have my chance to destroy you, Kazami..."