Tokyo: My Superpower Refreshes Every Week

"Cheers!"

In the school building, next to the vending machine, cans of orange juice, cola, and fruit juice clinked together.

Kenji Kojima's face lit up with excitement. He gulped down most of his cola in one go, then let out a satisfied sigh. "Ahh, refreshing!"

That statement held a dual meaning. The first was the refreshing sensation from the cola; the second was the exhilaration from Aozawa defeating Yutaro Shidori.

Their defeat had been a foregone conclusion. If they lost, they would be annoyed for a moment but would quickly recover. They were accustomed to failure and to quickly regaining their composure afterward.

But this time, they hadn't failed.

The purpose of Aohana Vine's friendly match had been for Yutaro Shidori to face Aozawa, using Aozawa as a stepping stone to get closer to Sunaga Takashi.

But Aozawa had defeated their champion.

Thinking of this, Kenji Kojima felt exceptionally thrilled and exclaimed, "When did you get so strong?"

"He has his talents, and I have mine. It's just that my talent is far superior to his," Aozawa stated, not bothering with modesty.

Superpowers were, after all, a type of innate talent.

"Haha." Kenji Kojima laughed heartily, then bought a few more packs of mildly spicy rice crackers from the vending machine. "Don't be shy; my treat."

Opening the rice cracker pack, Aozawa took one. CRUNCH! He bit into it. The others, their faces full of excitement, also reached into the rice cracker bags. CRUNCH! CRUNCH! The sounds echoed as they all ate.

The five of them lingered by the vending machine, chatting. Sometimes, boys' happiness is just that simple: gathering together, munching on snacks, chatting about anything and everything—time just flies by.

"Crap, it's almost noon! I need to get home for lunch, or Mom will kill me."

"Hey, you're in high school now. Still such a wimp?"

"In front of my mom, I'm still an elementary school kid."

"Haha." Aozawa and the others burst out laughing.

"True," Kenji Kojima said, his smile fading. "Let's head back for lunch. I don't have enough money to treat everyone to a meal."

"Yeah, and I have a date with a girl," Aozawa added.

"You're the worst!" Aozawa's words immediately drew playful protests from the others.

Laughing and teasing each other, they reached the school gate.

Kenji Kojima looked at the blazing sunlight pouring down on him and sighed. "Aozawa, you're really something else."

"Captain, you're pretty slow on the uptake if you're only just realizing that."

"I'm not joking; you're truly incredible." Kenji Kojima smiled, but his expression turned serious.

Every school has that one person who seems to shine, living a life different from ordinary people. He was certain Aozawa was that person for Brilliant High School.

"Do you think we can win the Jade Dragon Flag championship?"

The smiles vanished from the others' faces too. They also wanted to know the answer. Until today, they had considered the Jade Dragon Flag a distant, unattainable dream. But now, the strength Aozawa had displayed seemed to bring that dream within reach.

"Of course we can, Captain Kenji. Just let me fulfill the promise I made to you last year: we'll win this year's Jade Dragon Flag championship."

"Haha, if you really win, I'll definitely treat everyone in the Kendo club to a huge meal!" Kenji Kojima declared, patting his chest.

Looking back on his life, he realized there wasn't much to celebrate, no honors to his name.

Just ordinary.

It wasn't that he found such a life bad.

Mediocre people should be aware of their mediocrity, just as a toad can't expect to soar through the sky.

But he yearned to experience the feeling of being bathed in glory. If he couldn't achieve it himself, at least by standing beside a champion, he could later boast to someone.

"I once won the Jade Dragon Flag championship alongside so-and-so."

For him, that would be enough.

"Captain, I won't hold back. I'll eat until you go bankrupt."

"Don't worry. Even if I have to sell a kidney, I'll treat you all." Kenji Kojima smiled, waved goodbye, and said, "See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow," Aozawa replied and turned towards Shinjuku.

「...」

Shinjuku, a themed café.

Today's theme was bunny girls. Seeing the sign, Aozawa knew he had come to the right place. He quickly pushed open the door.

A blast of cool air greeted him. Bunny girls moved about inside the café. These weren't the summery, breezy bunny girls with bare legs and no stockings. Instead, they were more like winter mascot-style bunny girls, each in a bulky costume that made them look as clumsy as pigs. Only their faces peeked out.

Fortunately, the air conditioning was on inside. Without it, they would surely be sweating profusely in those outfits, perhaps even risking heatstroke and a trip to the hospital.

Hojo Shouko, inside one such bunny costume, looked awkwardly cute, her delicate face framed by the fuzzy suit. "Welcome, Aozawa-senpai."

"My shift isn't over for a little while yet. Please take a seat over there. I'll make you a coffee, on the house," she said, turning and heading towards the counter.

Aozawa sat where she indicated, in no rush. He was still full from all the snacks he'd eaten with Kenji Kojima and the others. If he hadn't wanted to treat Hojo Shouko to a meal, he wouldn't have come at this hour. He didn't mind waiting a bit; even half an hour would have been fine.

Hojo Shouko soon returned with the coffee. Her movements were clumsy in the bulky suit as she carefully placed the cup in front of him.

"This costume must be hard to move in, huh?"

"Can't be helped. It's the manager's hobby—they're quite old but still love all sorts of cosplay." There was a hint of resignation in Hojo Shouko's voice. "Sorry to make you wait."

"No problem, go on with your work."

Aozawa picked up the coffee, blew on it gently, and took a leisurely sip. It was good—rich and sweet. He then took out his phone and started watching short videos—nothing killed time quite like scrolling through TikTok. With just a flick of his thumb, time slipped away.

「...」

Fifteen minutes later, it was time for Hojo Shouko to get off work. She took off the rabbit mascot costume and changed into casual clothes: a light blue sundress with spaghetti straps and pink sandals. She wasn't wearing any stockings, so all ten of her toes were visible. Her toenails were neatly trimmed and rounded, looking quite pretty.

"Aozawa-senpai, is there something on my feet?"

"No, I was just a bit surprised. You don't see many girls going without stockings these days, so I'm not used to it."

A hint of apology touched Hojo Shouko's face. In her mind, since Aozawa-senpai was treating her to a meal, she ought to dress as appropriately as possible—meaning, she should dress to make a good impression. "Should I go back and change into stockings? What color do you prefer?"

"No need, you're exaggerating." Aozawa quickly put a hand on her shoulder to stop her, surprised at how petite she felt. Her shoulders felt so delicate, as if they might break with just a little pressure.

Hojo Shouko paused, looking puzzled. "Is it okay?"

"No, it's fine. Have you thought about where you'd like to eat?"

"I managed to get a break; I have two hours for lunch. Let's get barbecue. I haven't had barbecue in ages." Hojo Shouko stated her preference directly. She wasn't one for false modesty; since Aozawa was treating, she naturally chose her favorite food without worrying about the price.

Of course, if Aozawa couldn't afford it, that was fine by her too.

When treating someone, one naturally had to consider their own financial situation.

If he couldn't afford it, they would just eat something else. She had actually come up with ten backup plans, depending on Aozawa's budget.

"No problem," Aozawa agreed.

Hojo Shouko nodded. "Then let's go to Okubo. I know a good barbecue place there that I go to often. For two people to eat their fill, it'll be around 40,000 Yen. Is that okay?"

"Don't worry, I have money." Aozawa smiled. He had specifically asked Chitose for 20,000 Yen for this meal. Added to the money he already had, that gave him a budget of 50,000 Yen.

Everything was going according to plan; 50,000 Yen would be more than enough to cover Hojo Shouko's appetite.

「...」

Shinjuku, Okubo Police Department.

Inside the interrogation room.

"That's enough, you can go now," Morimoto Chiyoda said, waving her hand impatiently. Before her, a middle-aged monk was engrossed in some bizarre dance. His hands clawed at the air as he ceaselessly chanted sutras.

To be honest, Morimoto Chiyoda was almost impressed by this charlatan. He was clearly a fake, yet his expression was so earnest, as if he genuinely believed he possessed powers bestowed by Buddha.

That expression, combined with his chanting tone, almost lent a strange sort of gravitas to his ridiculous movements, making them seem almost effective.

But Morimoto Chiyoda saw right through him; the man was clearly just a con artist.

Definitely not a Superpower User.

Morimoto Chiyoda glanced at the time on her phone. She was thoroughly sick of these charlatans. She stood up and walked out. Let this phony monk continue his dance in there.

Opening the door, Morimoto Chiyoda headed to the main hall, where she found Emily looking equally weary, massaging her temples. "Damn it," Emily grumbled. "They're all a bunch of fakes. Another morning wasted."

"Yeah, is searching like this really effective? I think we should stop," Morimoto Chiyoda said, stepping forward. She wanted to call off these interrogations for Superpower Users; they were too exhausting. "Or at least let someone else handle it."

"Don't even think about slacking off," Emily snapped, glaring at her. As team leader, she was leading by example by conducting these interrogations herself; her subordinates had no right to complain.

Morimoto Chiyoda shrugged and tilted her head. "What are we eating today?"

Katerina replied truthfully, "Okayama said constantly ordering takeout isn't good, so he wants to eat out. He's already booked a table at his usual barbecue place."

"Barbecue sounds good, but is it far? I don't want to walk a long way. I just want to find somewhere to eat quickly and then lie down." Morimoto Chiyoda sighed. The parade of charlatans had exhausted her mentally; all she wanted was to find a nearby place to eat and then collapse into bed.

Katerina answered, "It's right here in Okubo. After we eat, we can go straight back to Hisamatsu Apartment, and you can take a nap."

"Oh, really? In that case, let's get barbecue. Maybe a little alcohol will help me sleep." Morimoto Chiyoda stretched, a flicker of anticipation in her eyes.