My name is Kaitou Iijima, and I'm a first-year student at Kibou Academy. To be ho, I don't have the slightest clue why I'm attending this academy. It's known to be a professional and private academy. My dad enrolled me here. I don't even know a thing about him. He just es in and out of my life whenever he wants .

  As I approached the massive school building, I noticed a bunch of students making their way to the entrance ceremony. Nervously, I ehe building and found my way to the auditorium, where a lot of Kibou students had gathered to listen to the annou.

  I took a seat and gnced around.

  After a few mihe room began to quiet down as teachers of the academy lihemselves up at the back of the stage. One of them approached the microphone. She was an average-height woman with a katana hanging besides her left hip. I looked at her katana, then observed all the other teachers

  "Why do most of the teachers have ons?" I muttered with surprise.

  "Hello! Wele to Kibou Academy! My name is Hana Tokugawa, and I'll be teag the rank 3 students," she announced with a beaming smile.

  "Rank 3? Why are there rankings in this school?" I wondered.

  Tokugawa-sensei tinued her speech, "Now, please wele the head of Kibou Academy!"

  A tall man with bck hair, and bck eyes walked toward the microphone, releasing an air of authority that sent shivers through the room.

  "Wele, my students, to Kibou Academy: The Onryo Extermination Institution," he decred.

  "Onryo Extermination Institution?" I whispered to myself, puzzled.

  He introduced himself, "My name is Jiro Yamaguchi, the Head of this Academy."

  People arouarted muttering about him and his position in the academy.

  Yamaguchi-sensei tinued, "Let's get straight to the point. You're all here because you're not ordinary people. You possess araordinary power called broken ki. Broken ki is a unique supernatural energy that enhances your stamina, agility, strength, and even your future," he expined. "This power is a blend of mental focus aional state, and each broken ki user has their own special arts with sub-teiques they create. Its purpose is to bat the Onryo, vengeful spirits that harm the real world and only be seen by those who trol their broken ki."

  “You will all be taught how to improve your broken ki, and make it effective during future battles. You will also be living in the dorms that are a part of the academy.”

  Yamaguchi-sensei g the clock above the students, abruptly cluded his speech, ahe auditorium, leaving the room in silence.

  "Onryo? Broken Ki?" I thought, fused. "Is this guy serious, or is it some kind of joke? Why didn't my dad warn me about this? I would have beeer prepared. I haven't even used broken ki before! Hell, I don't know the first thing about any of this!"

  Tokugawa-sehen annouhat it was time for us to see our ranks, numbers and teachers for the semester, dispying them on a rge s above the stage.

  I searched for my name and finally found it.

  "Rank 2? Is that good or bad?" I wondered.

  Tokugawa-sensei remembered something important, "Also, for all the first years, ranking goes from 6, which is the weakest unit, to 1, which is the stro unit,” she expined.

  My eyes widened in shock. "Why am I so close to rank 1? I should be at rank 6!"

  Tokugawa-sensei instructed everyoo go to their s for introdus. I was still looking at the s. right under "Rank 2," was the name "Daichi" in bold. “That must be my teacher's name,” I thought. Though I wondered why he only had a first name. I, then, got up from my seat ahe auditorium.

  I walked through the hallways in seary . It took me some time sihere were a bunch of slow students als to find their ways to their csses. Finally, I stood before the door, took a deep breath, and ope.

  The css retty small, only having four students, including myself. I chose the seat at the back right of the .

  After a while, a tall guy walked in the . He had gray hair and silver eyes.

  "Hello, everyone. I am Daichi-sensei, and I'll be your teacher until the end of the semester when you'll be re-ranked,” he said.

  He looked around the room.

  “Another small css eh?,” he said. “I need each of you to introduce yourselves and expin why you joihe academy,"

  My heart raced. "I have to tell everyone why I joined? I'm not telling them I didn't have a choi ing here!"

  “You are up first,” Daichi-sensei said.

  He poi a girl with red hair and blue eyes. She retty short, but I wasn't any taller.

  "Hello! My name is Akira Hayashi, and I'm a sed-year student at this Academy. I joio protect people from the Onryo," she decred with unwaveriermination.

  She was beautiful, an angel among us. The introdus tinued.

  Daichi-sehen picked the person to introduce themselves, “You over there you’re .”

  He poi a guy with dark blue hair and brown eyes. He retty cut.

  "My name is Shoota Ito, a sed-year student at this Academy. My goal is to exterminate all Onryos, so don’t get in my way," he procimed before sitting down with an air ance.

  "I don't like that guy," I thought. "We probably won't get along."

  Daichi-sensei, again, picked the person to introduce themselves, “ is you.”

  He poi a guy with bck hair and bck eyes. He was slightly taller than me, and looked very mature.

  "My name is Fukui Jinja, and I'm a third-year student here. I enrolled here to avenge my family, who were killed by a group of Onryos," Fukui said with a dark demeanor.

  “So he was one of the survivors from that i,” Daichi-sehought.

  "So people are really getting killed by these evil spirits," I thought.

  Daichi-sehen looked at me.

  " up is you," He said.

  I stood up, shaking heavily.

  "My name is Kaitou Iijima, and I'm uh-a first-year student at this Academy."

  All eyes turo me, likely because of my rank as a first-year student.

  I began to sweat. "Um... I-Uh-I don't know how to use broken ki, and holy, I didn't have a particur reason for joining this academy. I was forced to e by my dad."

  It was silent.

  “Shit Shit Shit! I said I wasn’t gonna say that,” I thought, panig.

  "So you're just here without any motives and don't even know how to use broken ki? What a load of crap!" Shoota yelled, angrily.

  "Why are you ranked 2 if you're inexperienced with broken ki?" Fukui muttered under his breath, side eyeing me.

  “Guys stop, you're making him feel bad,” Akira said, trying to calm me down (it didn't work).

  Shoota looked at Akira.

  “We don’t rash like him in our unit,” Shoota yelled.

  I had expected this rea. Thankfully, Daichi-seepped in to stop the argument.

  "He is rank 2 because the head of the academy pced him here," Daichi expined.

  “What Yamaguchi-sensei put me in this unit?!” I said, surprised.

  "Don't give me that nonsense!" Shoota yelled. "A weakling like him could never be noticed by the head."

  “He has potential and could bee a strong broken ki user iure, way strohan you" Daichi said.

  "Possibly even strohan myself," Daichi thought.

  Shoota looked at me in fury then looked away in anger.

  “tsk”

  Clearing his throat, Daichi-sensei tinued, "Anyways, you will all engage in a small sparring match with your cssmates. This will help me determine your suitability for Onryo extermination tasks."

  “A sparring match?! I’m gonna die!” I said, shivering.

  I hesitantly raised my hand.

  "Yes, Kaitou," Daichi-sensei inquired.

  "I won't be able to participate in the sparring matches since I don't know how to use broken ki," I admitted.

  Daichi-sensei smirked at me, "Don't worry. I'll teach you."