Chapter 3 — The Day the TV Wouldn't Stop Talking
---
Scene 1 — April 15th. 7:00 AM. The Dorms.
We open with the voice of Thomas Hawkman.
His voice is everywhere: on TV, on the radio, in a short clip that went viral overnight and racked up seven million views before dawn. Hawkman is the kind of broadcaster who seems to smile even when he isn't. There's something in the corner of his mouth, something in his brows, something that makes even the weather report look like a conspiracy.
And now he's in his element.
Hawkman (on screen, visibly excited): "Two weeks on, the identities of Hikari's four heroes remain a mystery. The source of the green energy seen in the town square is still unknown. The wall of ice that appeared out of nowhere is unexplained. This morning we watched an interview with a paranormal expert who believes that…"
Leo presses the mute button on the remote.
Silence.
A moment.
Then the sound returns.
Leo looks at the remote. He's sure he pressed it. He presses it again. The sound stays.
Hawkman (unshaken, still excited): "…another theory as to whether these forces are human or—"
Leo pulls the TV cord from the wall.
The screen goes black.
Silence returns. Real silence this time.
Leo sits on the edge of his bed, his dark green hair sticking up in three different directions. He's still in his pajamas. He's still tired. He hasn't slept well in two weeks.
Every night, before he falls asleep, he hears his own voice. He hears the description of the "mysterious green light." He hears the speculations, the analyses, the theories.
Every morning, he wakes up to a voice calling his name. Not his own.
A knock at the door.
Kenny (from outside, loud): "Leo."
Leo doesn't move.
Kenny: "Leo, I know you're awake. I heard the TV."
Leo (to the air): "I can't escape anything in this room."
Kenny (after a moment): "Are you talking to yourself?"
Leo: "No."
Kenny: "Because if you're talking to yourself, that's normal, but if you're talking to the TV after you've turned it off…"
Leo: "Come in, Kenny."
Kenny pushes the door open, his blue hair also tousled, but for Kenny, tousled is a deliberate hairstyle. Or at least that's what he tells everyone.
He has a tray in his hand with a cup of coffee, two slices of toast, and a small jar of jam.
Kenny (entering, standing in the middle of the room): "I brought you food."
Leo (looks at the tray): "That's my tray."
Kenny: "It's become our tray. This is a dorm room, Leo. We share everything now. Emotions. Spaces. Resources. Jam."
Leo: "The jam is from my house. I brought it from my house."
Kenny (sitting on Leo's bed without permission): "And now it's like family with us."
Leo (takes the coffee): "…What do you want?"
Kenny: "Nothing. Just wanted to check on you."
Leo: "Since when do you check on people at seven in the morning?"
Kenny (suddenly serious): "I had a strange dream last night."
Leo drinks his coffee, waiting.
Kenny: "I dreamed I was playing soccer."
Leo: "…Okay."
Kenny: "But the ball was water."
Leo: "Water."
Kenny: "A ball of water. And I had to score a goal, but every time I kicked the ball, it evaporated."
Leo: "What?"
Kenny: "And there was an old woman in the stands. She was clapping for me every time the ball evaporated."
Leo puts his coffee cup down and looks at Kenny. Kenny looks back at him with complete seriousness.
Leo (quietly): "Kenny—"
Kenny: "And she was wearing a hat. A weird hat shaped like—" He pauses. Thinks. "A sandwich."
Leo stares at him.
Kenny (after a moment): "I know."
Leo: "I didn't say anything."
Kenny: "But you would have."
Leo doesn't deny it.
Kenny (taking a piece of toast): "Anyway. It's a long day. We have a lecture at nine, then—"
Leo: "Kenny."
Kenny pauses.
Leo (in a low voice): "I can't."
Kenny: "What do you mean?"
Leo: "I mean, I can't sit through a lecture on modern literature with his voice in my head."
Kenny: "Whose voice?"
Leo: "Hawkman."
Kenny: "Leo, you turned him off."
Leo: "I can still hear him."
Silence.
Kenny (more quietly): "It's been two weeks."
Leo: "I know."
Kenny: "Nobody's contacted us. Nobody's shown up. Iruki—"
Leo (interrupting): "Iruki disappeared."
Kenny: "He'll show up."
Leo: "How do you know?"
Kenny: "Because men who appear suddenly know how to disappear suddenly. That means they know how to come back."
Leo looks at him. He doesn't know if this is logic or madness. With Kenny, the two are often together.
Kenny (standing, taking the tray): "Take a shower. Put on something that doesn't make you look like a superhero hiding. I'll wait downstairs."
He walks to the door and stops.
Kenny (without turning around): "And she was smiling. The old woman in the dream. When the ball evaporated, she was smiling. Like she was glad it was gone."
He goes out and closes the door quietly.
---
Scene 2 — The Hallway. Before Breakfast.
Kenny waits by the stairs. Jenny stands beside him, arms crossed, staring out the window. Tara sits on the bottom step, her sketchbook in her lap, but she's not drawing.
Jenny: "Is he okay?"
Kenny: "I don't know. I told him the old woman in my dream was happy the ball evaporated."
Jenny (looking at him): "What?"
Kenny: "It was a dream."
Jenny: "Kenny, how is that supposed to help him?"
Kenny: "I wanted him to see the bright side."
Jenny: "What bright side is there in a ball that evaporates?"
Kenny: "It disappeared. It disappeared quietly. It didn't explode. It didn't hurt anyone. It just… vanished. That's beautiful."
Jenny stares at him. Tara looks up from her sketchbook.
Tara (quietly): "…That is actually beautiful."
Jenny: "No. It's not beautiful. It's weird."
Kenny (smiling): "They can be both."
Jenny: "Weird and beautiful."
Kenny: "Like us."
Tara laughs despite herself. Even Jenny smiles a small smile that doesn't last long.
Jenny (after a moment): "Where's Alex?"
Kenny: "He said he was going to the library before the lecture."
Jenny: "At 7:30 in the morning?"
Kenny: "He's Alex."
---
Scene 3 — University Hallway. After Breakfast.
Leo finally came down. His hair is slightly less messy, his clothes are ordinary, but his green eyes are still fixed on something no one else can see.
Tara (standing, sketchbook under her arm): "Are you okay?"
Leo: "I'm fine."
Jenny: "That's a lie."
Leo: "I know. But it's becoming a habit."
They walk together toward the lecture hall. In the hallway, they pass Alex, standing by a window, reading a book with no title — or perhaps a book so advanced that titles don't matter.
Alex (without looking up): "I won't be late. I'll sit in the front row. Whoever likes hearing their own voice can sit in the back."
Kenny (nervous): "I sit in the back."
Alex: "I know."
Alex walks into the hall. He doesn't look at them. He doesn't stop. But his words remain.
Kenny (in a low voice): "Did he know about the dream?"
Jenny: "No. He knew about more important things."
Kenny: "More important than a camel interested in physics?"
Jenny: "You're the only one interested in camels."
Kenny: "He was a special camel. He was paying close attention."
Leo (walking): "I'll never forget the camel. That's a promise."
Kenny: "That's the nicest thing you've said all day."
---
Scene 4 — Lecture Hall. 9:00 AM.
The lecture has started. Kagimori writes on the board, not turning around. His voice fills the hall slowly, words about literature and stories and how they never really end on the last page.
Leo sits in the back row. Beside him, Kenny tries not to snore. Jenny looks out the window. Tara draws in the margin of her notebook — a small flower, maybe, or the shape of something she can't name.
Kagimori (without turning): "Stories don't end because the hero won. Stories end when someone stops telling them."
He puts the chalk down. Turns to face the hall.
Kagimori: "The question you should be asking yourselves today is: who tells your story?"
Silence.
Kagimori: "Is there anyone in this room who can honestly say they are the author of their own story?"
No one raises their hand.
Kagimori (quietly): "That's hard. That's always hard."
He turns back to the board.
In the back row, Leo looks at his hands. They are empty. No green light. No thunder. Nothing to remind him of that night.
But he remembers.
---
Scene 5 — University Hallway. The Coffee Machine. After the Lecture.
Leo stands in front of the coffee machine, staring at it as if it holds a secret to the universe. Kenny stands beside him, reading a poster about "The Importance of Personal Hygiene in Public Spaces" with the focus of someone studying scripture.
Kenny (seriously): "Did you know that 90% of germs spread through shared surfaces?"
Leo (still staring at the machine): "I don't care."
Kenny: "You should care. We're heroes now. Heroes need clean hands."
Leo (in a low voice): "We're not heroes."
Kenny: "Then what are we?"
Leo: "I don't know."
The machine spits out the coffee with a loud clunk. Leo reaches for it, but another hand gets there first.
A janitor's hand.
A middle-aged janitor, his cap low over his eyes, his gray uniform unremarkable. He takes the cup, places it on a small tray, then looks at Leo from beneath his brow.
Janitor (low, very familiar voice): "Your coffee. Don't forget to add sugar. You like it sweet."
Leo freezes.
Kenny stops reading the poster.
Kenny (a little too loud): "Iru—"
Janitor (quickly, without raising his voice): "Don't say the name."
He looks around quickly. The hallway is nearly empty. Two students at the far end talking about homework. No one is paying attention.
Iruki (calmly, as if discussing the weather): "After classes. The old place. Seven o'clock. Don't tell anyone except the team."
Kenny (whispering): "You disappeared for two weeks—"
Iruki (adjusting his cap): "I was busy."
Leo: "With what?"
Iruki: "I'll explain tonight. Now, drink your coffee and go to your lecture. You're safe for now. That's what matters."
He walks away, pushing his cleaning cart in front of him, disappearing behind a door at the end of the hallway.
Kenny (to Leo, quietly): "He was disguised as a janitor."
Leo: "I saw."
Kenny: "A janitor, Leo. The man who awakened our powers is wearing a janitor's uniform and telling us not to say his name."
Leo (taking his coffee): "He knows what he's doing."
Kenny: "I don't know if that reassures me or worries me more."
Leo: "Both."
Kenny: "That's not an answer."
Leo (walking toward the hall): "But it's my answer."
---
Scene 6 — Outside Hallway. After Lectures.
Leo walks beside Jenny and Tara. Kenny follows behind, still thinking about the janitor.
Jenny (in a low voice): "He showed up?"
Leo: "He showed up."
Tara: "How?"
Leo: "As a janitor."
Jenny: "A janitor."
Leo: "Yes."
Jenny (after a moment): "That's smart. Who looks at a janitor?"
Tara: "But he disappeared for two weeks."
Jenny: "Maybe he was gathering information."
Leo: "That's what he said."
Kenny (from behind): "He said he'd explain tonight. The old place. Seven."
Jenny: "The old place?"
Kenny: "The basement. Where we found the suits."
Tara: "The suits?"
Kenny: "The clothes. The armor. Call it what you want."
Jenny: "They were practical."
Kenny: "They were beautiful. You said mine was beautiful."
Jenny: "I didn't say that."
Kenny: "Your look said it."
Jenny (heading toward the hall): "I don't remember."
Kenny (following her): "Jenny—"
Tara (walking beside Leo, quietly): "How do you feel?"
Leo: "I don't know. Tired. Strange. Like I'm watching myself from the outside."
Tara: "I feel that too."
Leo (looking at her): "You?"
Tara (looking down): "Sometimes, when I draw, I draw myself standing behind me. I don't know how to explain it. Like I'm looking at someone else."
Leo (quietly): "I understand."
They look ahead. Kenny and Jenny are arguing about something unimportant. Students pass by. The sun is setting.
Tara (after a moment): "Are we going tonight?"
Leo: "We're going."
Tara: "Are you scared?"
Leo: "No."
Tara: "How can you not be scared?"
Leo (looking at the sky): "Because I'm not alone."
Tara says nothing. But she walks a little closer to him.
---
Scene 7 — The Dorms. Night.
Leo sits on his bed. Kenny sits on the floor, like he did hours ago. The TV is off. The city is quiet.
Kenny: "Are you going to tell Alex?"
Leo: "Not yet."
Kenny: "What about your family?"
Leo (after a moment): "I don't know."
Kenny: "And your sister?"
Leo: "Kora… Kora will know when it's time."
Kenny: "How do you know when it's time?"
Leo (looking out the window): "I don't. But I know it's not now."
Downstairs, the TV is still on. Hawkman's voice is faint, talking about the unknown heroes, the green light, the wall of ice. About things that don't end.
Kenny: "I'm scared."
Leo: "I know."
Kenny: "It's okay to be scared, right?"
Leo: "It's okay to be scared."
Kenny: "Are you?"
Leo: "I'm scared too."
Silence.
Kenny: "I won't tell anyone you said that."
Leo (smiling a small smile): "Thanks."
---
Scene 8 — The Raijin House. Evening.
The TV is on. Luan is cooking — or pretending to cook. Her hand holds a small knife, but she hasn't cut anything in minutes. She stares at the screen.
Hawkman (on screen): "Tonight's question: Are Hikari's new heroes a danger or a necessity? Call us and share your opinion. We live in a time when we cannot deny that there are forces we don't understand. But the bigger question is: should we trust them?"
Luan turns off the TV.
The kitchen falls silent. Nothing moves except the sunlight coming through the window. She stands there, looking at the dark screen. She sees her reflection — dark green hair, green eyes, a hand still holding a small knife.
Luan (to herself, quietly): "He's okay."
She closes her eyes for a moment.
Luan (to herself): "He's okay. And he's not alone."
She opens her eyes. Her reflection is still in the screen. Still looks like her son.
Luan (to herself): "I need to tell him. Soon."
She doesn't move. She doesn't pick up the phone. She stands in the quiet kitchen, looking at a black screen that reflects only a face afraid that her son will learn the truth.
---
Scene 9 — Somewhere Else.
The voices of the broadcasters don't reach here. The news of the city doesn't reach here. Only shadows.
In a room with no windows — or maybe windows that reflect only what they want to reflect — two yellow eyes are open. They don't blink. They don't move.
A voice (from the shadow, quiet, as if talking to itself): "Two weeks."
The shadow shifts slightly. No wind. Nothing moves it. But it shifts.
The voice: "They're talking about you. About all of you. About the green light that cut through the night."
A quiet laugh. Not entirely cold. Never entirely warm.
The voice: "They don't know that light doesn't defeat shadow. Light… understands shadow."
Silence.
The voice: "Or does it know?"
The yellow eyes close.
The voice (the last thing heard): "I'll know soon."
---
End of Chapter 3 — The Day the TV Wouldn't Stop Talking
---