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"Oda-kun."
"Saga-senpai," he stuttered.
There it was again, that warm flutter in his chest he always felt when they were together. Saga-senpai took his hand in his and smiled.
They walked hand-in-hand down the halls together. Other students were staring, but the two of them paid no attention to the curious onlookers. Their open mouths, pointed-fingers, and harsh murmurs were nothing with Saga-senpai by his side.
"This is my class," he said shyly, a blush spreading across his cheeks. "Well then, this is where we part, Oda-kun." Saga-sempai leaned forward, dark fringe covering his face. Saga-sempai, his one true love, his proud boyfriend. He was the luckiest person in-
Suddenly, his beloved's face became distorted and murky. The bright lights of the high school hallway became dim. His eyes focused on a solid grey, shrouded in darkness. He felt groggy, rolling over to see his bedside table and the clock which sat upon it.
"Oh shit, I'm late!"
Onodera Ritsu bolted out of bed, scrambled towards his closet, and tripped over one of the miscellaneous items scattered along his bedroom floor. He reached towards the sleeves of a suit jacket and pulled it down to him. He dressed in a frenzy on his way to his kitchen, grabbing a nutritional jelly pouch from the assortment stacked on the counter. He raced through the door of his apartment with the pouch in his mouth and a briefcase in hand, out towards the bustling city streets of Tokyo below.
Ritsu continued his hasty commute, not noticing the presence following closely behind him.
--
"You're late, Onodera!"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Ritsu bowed to his boss, Kubota-san. He had hoped to avoid this confrontation, but his luck was just as poor as usual.
Kubota lectured Ritsu in a harsh tone: "Your work has been suffering the past few weeks. Don't think I haven't noticed. You better shape up!"
Ritsu continued to bow profusely all the way to his cubicle.
"Aw man, getting reamed by Kubota-san again?" Came a voice from the cubicle across the way. The top of the occupant's head was barely visible above the chair.
Ritsu slumped backward into his own rolling chair, "I don't know what is with me lately, Kisa-san."
His colleague seemed to be reflecting seriously, "Hmm, well. It's bad enough to be 28 and single, but always late, too?" Ritsu twitched violently as if Kisa-san's words had pierced him directly through the heart.
"If I recall correctly, you're 31 and just as single as I am!" Ritsu countered.
Kisa shrugged, "I'm a top performer at the company, always on time, and I have a date every weekend. It all balances out."
Ritsu scooted his chair towards his desk and put his face in his hands. Kisa-san had the advantage of looking super young and charming. It wasn't Ritsu's fault he didn't seem to have the same appeal. He booted up his computer with a groan—time to begin another boring day of data processing.
Once loaded, a breaking news banner on the corner of the computer screen caught his eye. Another train accident? That was the third one this month. Fortunately, there had been no casualties, but this was unprecedented. Train accidents in Tokyo were usually very rare.
"Don't forget we're meeting with the new Head of Finance later today!" Kubota barked, walking past them in the direction of his office.
"I wish Yuri-san hadn't retired," Kisa lamented, "She always brought in the best baked goods to share."
Ritsu had to agree. Their team collaborated with the finance department often. He hoped Yuri-san's replacement was just as agreeable.
--
By late afternoon, Ritsu had heard several whispers from others in the office that the new Head of Finance was "tall" and "handsome." It was the most excited anyone had been since he could remember. Ritsu took his usual seat next to Kisa in the conference room, ready to see what all the buzz was about.
Sure enough, a tall, dark-haired, attractive gentleman in a suit and glasses appeared. He took a bow and introduced himself, "I am Masamune Takano, I look forward to working with you all. Please take care of me."
Ritsu wasn't sure what to make of the greeting. It was brimming with confidence, perhaps even cockiness. But what was strangest of all was that Ritsu couldn't stop staring at the new face. Takano-san seemed familiar somehow.
The typical introductions were given by Ritsu and his team before they were dismissed for the day. Ritsu allowed himself one more quick, discreet glance back at Masamune Takano-san. He couldn't shake the feeling they had met somewhere before.
--
"Are you sure he's the one we've been looking for?"
"Absolutely! My Star Sensor went ballistic the moment he ran by me this morning!"
"I just can't believe it. He seems... basic. No leadership skills to speak of."
"Well, he's yet to awaken. After that, I'm sure he'll fall into his role as leader of the Emeralds in no time!"
"Whatever you say."
--
Ritsu groaned. His usual train for commute was out of service. It would take 30 minutes on foot to get home to his apartment. He stood helpless in the train station, considering taking the bus.
The ground below him began to tremble. Earthquakes were common, but the tremors intensified. It felt as if the ground below his feet was crumbling. Ritsu ran to more stable ground and collapsed. Sounds of screaming could be heard when suddenly, the ground split apart. Ritsu stared in horror at the large, gaping crater that took the place of the tiled floor where he had been standing only seconds earlier. His heart was beating erratically, and he clutched his briefcase desperately.
From the open earth, a massive creature unlike anything Ritsu had ever seen ascended rapidly. It seemed almost electric, humming with terrible current throughout its huge form.
The monster lunged towards a train sitting idly by the platform. Any attendants still inside swarmed out and away from the terrible entity. Emergency sirens began to blare, and the lights flickered as the station descended further into chaos.
"Not so fast!"
Ritsu saw a man floating in the air. He had long, flowing dark hair and was dressed in a white suit coat, a deep green vest with a matching ribbon tied in a bow at the collar, and impossibly tight white pants. A long green staff gleamed in his hand. The sight was as unusual as it was breathtaking.
"Green Emerald Fighting Blast Beam!" The man shouted, pointing his stick at the monster. Bright verdant lightning blasted forward, crackling loudly when it made contact with the beast.
"Oh hi!"
Ritsu screamed. His sight of the battle between the strange guy and the current creature was blocked by the face of a tiny, pink-winged rabbit pushing its face into his.
"Oh right, personal space! Green-san is always going on about that. So sorry!"
The flying rabbit gave a slight bow, "It's nice to finally meet you, Pink-san!"
"Pink-san??"
"That's right! I was planning to introduce myself during less chaotic circumstances, but Phenomena do as they please, am I right?"
A horrible shriek pierced through the station. The long-haired man was gripping his staff, a pulsing stream continuing to bear down on the monster.
"Twinkle! Hurry up, I can't do this alone!"
The rabbit nodded and waved the yellow star wand in its hand, "Right! Alright, Pink-san, it's your time to shine!"
Radiant pastel pink light shone over Ritsu's face. He could not tear his gaze from it. Calmness swept through him. He wondered if this was the sweet release of death.
"Now, Pink-san! Shout the words "Pink Emerald Sparkle Sparkle!"
Ritsu couldn't speak.
"C'mon, please! You've got to spit it out right now!"
"Pi-nk Emera-ld Sp-arkle Spar-kle?" Ritsu forced out from his throat. He rapidly spun into the air, all around him a kaleidoscope of pink hues. Before he knew it, he was adorned in an outfit matching the mystery man's in pink accents.
"Oh, you look fantastic!" The fairy bunny cheered. "Doesn't the leader look great, Green-san?"
"Twinkle, hurry the hell up or I will let this thing attack you!"
"Alright, alright! Well Pink-san, you need to take this sword. It's yours now." A gleaming silver and gold sword with brilliant pink gems popped into view. "Use it to slice that dreaded Phenomenon in half while shouting, "Pink Emerald Shiny Sword Malice Attack!"
"That's... that's so many words," Ritsu objected.
"You can do it!"
Ritsu wrapped a tentative hand around the shaft of the sword. He swallowed his nerves and willed himself to have courage. With his fingers around the hilt, he lunged right at the creature with the sword.
"Pink Emerald Shiny Sword Malice Attack!" He cried.
It was as if the sword was moving on its own. With incredible power, it sliced through the creature, which sparked and flashed out of existence.
Ritsu realized he was breathing heavily. He dropped to his knees, shaking. Had that really just happened?
He watched the sword float in front of him become consumed in a pink light. On instinct, Ritsu reached out his hand. The sword started to shrink into a pendant, no bigger than his thumb nail, and dropped into his open palm. There was a chain around the tiny sword now and he put it around his neck.
"Hooray! Hooray! Well done, Pink-san! See, Green-san? He's a natural!"
"Well, you might be right about that." The majestic man called Green-san was certainly tall. Words gained a presence of their own and escaped Ritsu's lips:
"Saga-senpai?"
Green-san seemed taken aback, his eyes widening.
"It's too bad we haven't found our healer yet. This place is a huge mess!" The rabbit fairy sighed, unaware of the moment happening between the two magical men, "Oh well, let me see what I can do." It waved its wand, and the floor began to close back. The derailed train returned to its place on the line.
"Whew, I'm beat," it said once its task was complete, "No magic for me for a while."
"We still need to alter their memories," Green-san said, "I'll take care of it." He waved his staff, and everyone staring at the spectacle resumed their usual routine. It truly was as if nothing had happened.
"No one can see us now," the rabbit told Ritsu, "Oh pardon me, I never finished my introduction, did I? My name is Twinkle, and I am the guardian of the Emeralds!"
"The Emeralds?"
"Yes, yes. You are Pink Emerald, the leader of the Emeralds! This here is Green Emerald, he is the protector of the Emeralds! There's still three more of you we're searching for: the healer, the crafter, and the seer. Once we have the whole team, we'll be sure to stop the Phenomena in no time!"
Ritsu had many, many more questions, but he was having trouble keeping his eyes open.
"Seems like you need to get some rest," Green-san said.
Ritsu nodded. He needed to go home and sleep, but he was drained, and walking 30 minutes would be impossible now.
"The trains should all be working now that the Phenomenon's been destroyed. Where's your cell phone? Let's exchange KUMA ID's."
Ritsu reached for the pocket of his trousers, realizing the absurdly tight pants he now wore did not have any. There was a pocket in his coat, and there he found his phone. He and Green-san shared contact information.
"Message me when you're home safe." Green-san said, making Ritsu's heart flip. He and Twinkle bid him goodbye and floated away.
Ritsu boarded his train, albeit much, much later than normal. After the two-minute walk to his apartment, he entered with a sense of relief washing over him. He was about to fall into bed when he caught a glimpse in the mirror.
He was still wearing the ridiculous fighting clothes!
In a panic, he seized his phone and messaged Green-san: "How do I get my old clothes back!?!"