Chapter 71 Power Of Nature, Space Distortion

"How about you uhm... Kurayami?"

"Call me Kurogami," Kurogami responded, cutting Shidou off as he was shifting the attention from him to Kurogami. Although it didn't end up the way he thought it would, he managed to redirect everyone's attention to him so he won't have to explain his superpower in a more detailed manner. After all, revealing one's superpower doesn't mean you'd have to reveal your trump card as well.

Midori was a different case, though, he just revealed everything about himself, which is essentially a good thing since that would open up more possibilities for him in supporting the entire team. It just goes to show how serious he was regarding the matter, so much so that he'd risk laying out all his cards just to win the tournament.

"I have the power of the shadow, and that's all I can tell you." He simply answered, extending his hands and gesturing at Sakura Cherry who was right to his left. "And you? Don't tell me you got some sort of useless superpower, otherwise, I'm going to flip.

"Wait, you watch that anime too? That's such a classic! It also has a sequel to it, his son is the protagonist. If you haven't watched it then you should. It starts off kind of boring at first but it got better over time." Midori interrupted, pertaining to a certain anime where someone named Sakura was nicknamed useless because of how, well, useless she was at first.

Having brought attention to herself, Cherry couldn't help but hang her head down low and fidget nervously while all eyes bore upon her like a drill steadily creating a hole on her forehead. She was just like the character on that anime herself, not because she was useless, but because of her strikingly pinkish hair and slender body. Well, she's more proportionate than that character but needless to say, her features are more than enough to mistake her as the character's real-life counterpart.

"I... I don't really understand my superpower but what I do know is that I can increase the life force of a certain person on the detriment of something else. The power of nature, or so that's what I called it ever since I was little. There was one time when I accidentally turned a friend of mine into a tree just because I accidentally transferred her life force on a seed that she was stepping on... haha... ahahahaha... "

"MORE LIKE THE TREE GREW AROUND HER AND SHE SLOWLY DIED!" Cherry screamed, her face distorting in a disturbing manner. Raising her hands and standing from where she was, she continued laughing hysterically as her body stiffened and jolted in mysterious ways. It was all too sudden that no one managed to react nor stop her in time. She just continued screaming, laughing.

Then she paused.

And continued laughing uncontrollably once again. But after that, she started crying as if she was the victim. Her cries were too pitiful that everyone thought maybe she'd gone through an unrecoverable past. Covering her face with both her hands, she continued crying. "She was my best friend... and yet the tree slowly grew around her, causing her joints and bones to break and bend in terrifying ways. She screamed at me... I screamed back... and yet there was nothing else I could do. I watched as the tree squished her... blood and gore flowed from within that tree but it continued growing. Its steady creaking sound harmoniously went together with the cracking of her bones and the rupturing of her organs... I... there was nothing I could do. I just watched in horror as I screamed my heart out."

? Upon saying that, she stopped crying, and then wiped the tears and snot off her face. Just on her expression alone, one could tell that she was feeling excruciating pain deep within her bones and soul. Obviously, the traumatizing experience she went through as a child scarred her for life, making her emotions run wild every time she remembers it.

"Wait, I haven't introduced myself, yet, right?" She continued, much to everyone's bewilderment. Her expression has drastically changed from being traumatized to being warm and gentle. Even her smile could be likened to the sakura trees in early spring due to how warm and sincere it was. Everyone was mesmerized by it and a tranquil silence fell deep within the group. "I'm Sassu. Don't tell Cherry I came out just to tell you about her past. She doesn't want to talk about it but don't worry, I already told you everything. That being said, I'd like to take care of this body and Cherry at the same time so it would please me a lot if you don't ask her any questions about her superpower. Just remember that she could accomplish anything you asked her to as long as it's deep within the range of reality, that's just how powerful she is. Also, if ever you need my help, you can just call out to me and I'll switch with Cherry."

"Oh, and by the way, I'm another personality she created using her childhood friend's personality and character traits— you know, that one who died because of her. So... it would also please me if you don't ask about Sassu or anything about her childhood. Right now, I'm doing all I could to suppress all her memories regarding that past. I wouldn't want her mind to break due to the trauma."

"That said, I should go now, Cherry might sense me if I stay too long. Don't tell her I came out!" Sassu continued before she blinked twice. "W-what happened?" This time, the consciousness returned to Cherry and she was back to her usual timid self.

"Nothing, you kind of dozed off for a second. Are you feeling all right?" Satoshi, fortunately, was quick enough to come up with a convenient story so she won't feel suspicious. "Should we head down to the Nurse's office?"

"Um... no, i-it's fine. It happens to me a lot... " She continued. "You were asking me about my superpower, right? I'm just... I have a superpower that's connected to nature. I can steal and transfer life force, buff someone temporarily, or even cause a slight change in the weather." She continued.

In response, everybody clapped softly as if she just did something to deserve it. Perplexed, she glanced at everyone before finally accepting to herself that they were probably just genuinely curious about her superpower. Nevertheless, she felt an inkling feeling deep inside her as if she just did something that caused everyone to be a bit wary of her. As to what it was, she could only wonder. After all, she knew that her memories weren't reliable in the first place.

"Next... how about Fuuka? Care to tell us what your superpower is?" This time, it was Hiroshi who spoke up instead of the usual Midori. Even though Cherry's uncontrollable personality had disappeared already, Hiroshi could still feel the fear welling up inside him. It took all of his being to suppress the scream that was about to come out from his lips. Cold sweat steadily dripped from his forehead, however, and his goosebumps haven't calmed down since then.

"I can cut through any objects and distort space." She said. "However, I'm not strong enough to cause a black hole... probably because that would destroy the world in one go. Also, I can't actually affect a living thing with my superpower. That's the only limitation I have. As long as it's an object, and it's not alive, I can either cut through it or distort it. I don't know how it'll be useful in the inter-high but it has helped me escape from dangerous situations in the past. It will prove to be useful when we're retreating."

"It's my turn then," Hiroshi cleared his throat. "I can control earth and— "

"We all know what your superpower is. You were the most viewed match for this year's first-year initial matches after all." Midori interrupted him out of the blue, fanning the flames of fury which weren't there a moment ago.

"Let me continue." Hiroshi hissed, clearing his throat once again before smiling. "I can control earth and fire, giving me the magma superpower. If you need me to change the terrain or you want some chaos in the field, then I'm your man. No one can provide a drastic change in the terrain better than I do. Also, I may be weak but I am a team player. You all don't have to worry about me getting in your way."

"Are you sure about that? Last time I heard you were flying solo during the free-for-all hero training session. You sure you're a team player?" Siril called out, half-teasing the guy. "Never mind that, we all know what we came here for, right?"

Everyone nodded, then their eyes focused on Satoshi who was just quietly overseeing the entire exchange.

"Yeah, what is your superpower exactly, Satoshi?" Siril continued with a skeptical gaze.