"Tora-chan... Could you be, like, some kind of superpowered person?!"

  It took me a while to calm him down as he got all excited.

  The juice we bought had gotten completely warm, and the sky had turned a deep red.

  "Tora-chan, you have to keep this a secret, okay? Don’t talk about it too much."

  I lightly emphasized the point as I started talking.

  "You know about the CA (Cellular Automaton) technology, right?"

  "Yeah, that... uh, electricity-like thing, right? I saw something about it this morning."

  I nodded quietly. Tora-chan’s understanding was correct.

  It’s a technology that uses specific minerals as a catalyst and turns humans themselves into energy sources, replacing most of the existing energy, and changing the world.

  Almost all the machines in the city run on this technology, and it’s deeply embedded into every part of life.

  It’s a great invention in human history.

  But...

  "Yeah. That’s right. But..."

  I paused for a moment, thinking. Should I explain this? I hesitated, but decided I had to tell him to avoid misunderstandings.

  "It’s not just that, though."

  "What do you mean?"

  "This is something I learned at school."

  I started explaining after giving that preface.

  "Apparently, quartz is used in CA technology. About 99% of people can use it."

  "Whoa, I didn’t know that."

  Tora-chan nodded in surprise. I felt a little pleased to be the one explaining.

  "And someone must have thought... if quartz works, what about other minerals?"

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  Tora-chan’s expression hardened slightly.

  "So... what happened?"

  "The result was... people who could resonate with minerals other than quartz! And these people had, well, what you might call ‘superpowers’."

  I smiled a little proudly.

  "That’s the kind of person I am."

  Tora-chan’s eyes widened in surprise, and he gasped.

  "So, you’re special...?"

  "Not really. You see, the fact that I can use a CA device means that most people in humanity are already Adepts with quartz," I said, downplaying the specialness of it.

  The word "special" echoed in my head like a sweet sound, and for a moment, my heart skipped a beat.

  But I quickly told myself that it wasn’t like that.

  The healing ability I have with Rose Quartz isn’t anything particularly rare.

  But its versatility is likely why I was chosen for the advanced class.

  Still, I didn’t want to say that to Tora-chan, because it would just affirm the "special" notion.

  After thinking for a moment, Tora-chan spoke seriously.

  "Wait, but I’ve never heard of this!"

  "That’s pretty normal."

  I laughed and replied.

  "Though there are a lot of Adepts, it’s not like we can use our abilities in public all the time. It’s not something you can just use casually."

  "Casually?"

  "Yeah. Adepts need to get a license before they can use their abilities, and we’re required to register and keep a record of our usage."

  "And...?"

  "Well, without a CA device or Adept Stone, you can’t use anything. Especially since CA devices are disposable—if you can’t get a refill, then even if you have the stone, you can’t do anything."

  Tora-chan nodded, a bit surprised but seeming to understand.

  After thinking for a moment, he suddenly asked,

  "Hey! Does that mean... I could use it too?"

  I thought he would ask that.

  "Yes and no."

  "What’s that supposed to mean?! I’m asking seriously!"

  "I’m serious too. You touched my CA device and slid it earlier, right?"

  "Yeah, but nothing happened... Does that mean I can’t use it?"

  "Looks like you can’t. It seems you’re not compatible with Rose Quartz."

  "—Rose Quartz?"

  Yeah.

  Now, research has shown that most people can resonate with stones other than quartz.

  But finding your compatible stone from the vast number of minerals on Earth is mostly down to luck, and unless you get tested at a specialized institution, it’s hard to find.

  It’s also somewhat costly.

  "Ah, so I can’t use healing powers..."

  "Well, even if you were compatible with Rose Quartz, it doesn’t mean you’d get the same abilities I have."

  "Wait, really?"

  "Apparently so. It seems that the abilities are tied to a person’s heart... or something like that."

  "Something like that... I’d like to find a stone that suits me. Do you think someone could help me figure that out?"

  "Hmm, our school is famous for CA technology. If you're really interested, you could ask Mr. Yawata from the advanced class."

  "Really!? That’d be awesome, like... maybe Diamond or something!"

  Tora-chan’s eyes sparkled as he smiled like a child.

  "You’ll probably find it. But I’m not sure if it will be the ability you’re hoping for."

  I laughed along with him as I answered.

  Well, I didn’t mention that even if he was compatible with Diamond, it wouldn’t be something affordable.

  In the distance, a crow cawed once, and the silence returned.

  The streetlights began to flicker on, casting a soft orange light over the sidewalk.

  I looked up at the sky, where faint stars had started to twinkle.

  Then, suddenly, a loud rumble sounded nearby.

  "Huh... What was that?!"

  Tora-chan reflexively shouted.

  Ahead of us, smoke was rising.

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