Over the long course of its history, the Order had developed a variety of metals to meet practical, technological, and strategic needs.

  Interestingly, our research has revealed considerable overlap between our metallurgical discoveries and those of several advanced civilizations beyond our world. The fact that sentient beings, separated by vast distances, could arrive at similar metallurgical solutions is perplexing but ultimately a welcome surprise.

  When the Order was first contacted and other races presented their findings, scholars and smiths within the Order immediately recognized similar compositions and properties of the materials. That recognition prompted collaborative analysis and further investigation, which in turn clarified the extent of the parallels we had observed.

  Multiple explanations and several theories attempt to explain this convergence. The most compelling and most widely accepted states: necessity is the mother of all invention. Analogous problems tend to produce analogous solutions.

  Consider copper as an example. In its native form copper is a relatively soft metal and limited in structural use. Across civilizations, metallurgists discovered that alloying copper with other elements produced a harder, more durable metal, thus making it a more useful material.

  Every member of the Order, from different nations had pooled their knowledge together, as is our way, to refine these methods. The same collaborative tendency is also evident among other races. This basic principle of altering composition to achieve the desired physical properties recurs across independent races, and traditions, throughout the known cosmos.

  Remarkably, even the most advanced metals, metals that were known to us at the time of contact, metals we long held secret and have withheld from the rest of the world, such as mithril, orichalcum, and adamantium, are shared across multiple worlds, though not as common as, say, titanium.

  While each civilization assigned different names or symbolic meanings to these materials, their fundamental properties remain the same.

  Of course, minor compositional variations exist, much like how iron, steel, or any type of metal has variations. The true point of divergence lies not in their composition, but in their purpose, why each society sought to create them.

  However, for the Order, guided by necessity, in our quest to defend our planet from the great enemy, we have, in our capacity as sentient beings, produced ten metals that are unique to our world alone.

  They are so named, Astroferrum or Star Iron, Congrelite, Ardegon, Verdecon, Oridinium, Volanstrum, Verdurite, Terracon, Hexallite, more commonly called Chthonic Blue Steel, and the most potent, Auralite.

  -excerpt from the book, A Lecture on Metals, by Sāvani Mishra, Teacher and historian, and member of the Order.

  Editor’s Note: The following excerpt has been translated from the original manuscript dated 250 BCE.

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  The cold early spring air brushed against my cheeks and my breath came out in little white clouds, matching the rhythm of my jog.

  I slowed down a bit to tie my scarf firmly around my neck. If I lost this, there’s no doubt that he would raise a fuss. It is Friday, April 12, and cherry blossoms (Sakura) season is in full swing, and thankfully, today isn’t as cold as the previous days.

  After I passed by multiple trees during my jog, I unconsciously glanced at them, but this early in the morning the petals were still closed in the cool dawn air. It was around 5:05 am when I left the house and the sun was just starting to rise above the horizon. I could see the outlines of homes, even in the distance, their windows still dark and barely visible in the dim light.

  Fortunately, because of the event, the school had given us special permission for a day off to pack, so I didn’t have to worry about schoolwork for a while.

  There were many paths I could have taken for my jog, but the path that I chose and usually take, would lead me from our home towards the direction of the inner-city, a fairly direct path that followed the flow of the Tagawa River.

  I preferred this route because it would take me to Hachiman-yama Park which offered greenery and had paths for walking and jogging.

  And since there are fewer people early in the morning, I will get to enjoy looking at the cherry blossoms while I run at a leisurely pace. The silence in the early morning is enjoyable and is filled with a sense of peace that only came when everything seems to be standing still.

  After I travel around the park, I would double back following the same path until I get to the street that will take me to Fujimigaoka where I will rest for a bit. That is around 6 km of distance, before heading back home adding another kilometer to the distance I will jog.

  For some, going for a jog in the cold could be seen as unpleasant, but the clean spring air felt invigorating, and cool the temperature helped me run more comfortably compared to the heat in summer.

  Even the dark wasn’t scary anymore, I was used to all of it. While being mindful of the occasional cars that whizzed past, their headlights cutting through the pre-dawn darkness, I pressed on.

  A few minutes later, as I approached the edge of Fujimigaoka that was filled with shops, denser houses and buildings that were still closed, I saw a few convenience stores already open, some with a few customers already inside.

  The warmth of the buildings seemed to beckon me in, but I kept going just a bit further, determined to finish my run. I passed by a few more streets and stopped twice at red lights.

  As I neared my destination, I noticed a familiar figure in the distance as he entered the store I often visited—the last stop on my route.

  It is a fairly big family restaurant that is able to seat around 30 people and is managed by the family of one of my classmates, Aika Fujimoto (藤本 愛花). Coincidentally, she was also part of the group that was invited to attend the event.

  “Morning Shizuku,” Amaki Haruto (天輝 春人) greeted as I entered the store. “I didn’t think you would be out jogging despite the cold.”

  By Japanese standards, he was considered quite handsome, tall at 180 cm, he was also well-groomed, and he had an easy smile. Now though, he was just wearing simple jeans and a hoodie.

  “Good morning, Haruto,” I answered as I caught my breath. “This is how I’ve always done things. I even do it during winter when it doesn’t snow much.”

  At my reply, Haruto’s eyes widened slightly. We continued our conversation as we got in line for the counter.

  “That’s seriously impressive,” he said as he moved aside for one of the customers to pass. “But are you sure you aren’t being too diligent? I know you have the Inter-High qualifiers to think about, but isn’t that more than two months away?”

  “It’s fine,” I replied and waved away his concerns. “Thanks for the concern, but this is just part of my routine, nothing I can’t handle. Besides, we still have a few practice matches before the qualifiers begin. I don’t want to embarrass the school by giving a poor performance.”

  “Well, couldn’t you have skipped today?” he answered back as we moved up the queue. “We also have that trip to worry about.”

  “No, this also counts as training and if I don’t do it, it will feel like there was something missing in my day,” I said as we neared the counter. “How about you though? It’s my first time seeing you this early in the morning. Did something happen?”

  Before Haruto could answer, the person ahead of us finished ordering and we moved up to the counter.

  The old lady behind the counter is named Kaede Fujimoto (藤本 楓) and is the grandmother of our classmate. She and her husband were the ones who opened this restaurant and had known me since I was just a child. My father used to bring me here when he had free time back then.

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  A few years ago, Haruto and his family moved nearby, about three streets down the road. His father opened a small pharmacy and clinic and this was the first restaurant they ate at after they moved.

  So, we were used to seeing Aika helping around the store. And as fate would have it, we became classmates at the start of middle school.

  “Good morning, Kaede baa-san,” we both greeted and she smiled at both of us.

  “Good morning, Shizuku-chan, Haruto-kun,” she answered back before focusing on Haruto. “I have always seen Shizuku-chan this early in the morning, but it is my first time seeing Haruto-kun this early. Did something happen?”

  “Ah, well,” he began, looking a bit bashful. “I uh, woke up early and couldn’t get back to sleep. I’m hungry but I don’t want to wake up mom or dad yet so I thought I would eat outside instead.”

  To Haruto, his parents, especially his father and grandfather, were his heroes, and he looked up to both of them. Both are doctors and one of his life’s goals is to help people like they do.

  “You got all excited for our trip? Are you a kid?” I said to him, my voice tinged with a bit of laughter.

  “Shut up,” he said sounding more embarrassed than before. “I didn’t choose to wake up early, it just happened.”

  “That is quite alright,” she said before her face became contemplative. “Compared to Aika, who proclaimed that no one should wake her up. Anyone who did would feel her wrath. Really, that girl is starting to get lazy. I still remember the time when she was so eager to help around the restaurant and she would get angry at her parents when they didn’t wake her up early.”

  She ended with a sigh, but it was the words of a grandmother who was doting on her only granddaughter. Haruto and I could only smile wryly at that.

  “Sorry about the talk, but I worry,” she said before addressing us again. “So, what will you both have? I assume it’ll be the usual for you, Shizuku-chan?”

  “Yes please,” I replied and Kaede baa-san turned around, behind her was a machine that dispensed their hot beverages.

  She pressed the appropriate button on the machine and a few seconds later, she gave me my order, hot milk chocolate in a to-go cup.

  “Thank you, baa-san,” I said as I placed my payment on the cash register tray that sat on the counter. She nodded back and turned to Haruto and she worked the register.

  “Baa-san, do you have anything that is hot?” he asked as Haruto looked at the menu. “And maybe some miso soup?”

  “The miso, you can get right away,” Kaede baa-san replied before she thought for a moment. “But, do you want to eat right away or are you willing to wait?”

  “Uhm, I’m hungry so, if possible, right away,” Haruto replied as I began blowing on my drink.

  “The only ones we have right now are Okayu (rice porridge/congee), egg, and grilled salmon.” Kaede baa-san said as she checked their menu. “Is that alright?”

  Haruto thought for a moment as I took a few sips of the chocolate.

  “Yes, I will have an Okayu,” Haruto answered before adding “Also, a boiled egg.”

  Kaede baa-san nodded, and after she received Haruto’s pay, she worked a bit on the register. After she was finished, she bade us wait as she went to the back to get Haruto’s order so we sat down on one of the empty seats at the back of the shop.

  “Shizuku, that scarf looks expensive, did Reika give it to you?” Haruto inquired after we sat down.

  Hanazono Reika (花園 麗花) is one of our classmates and my best friend. We have known each other since childhood and are close as sisters. She is also one of the candidates for the event.

  “This? No, Rai didn’t, someone else gave it to me—as—just a simple gift,” I replied as I recalled the price. “This scarf cost $700 or more than ￥100,000 without the shipping fee.”

  “That’s expensive! What kind of friend would give such an expensive item as a simple gift?” Haruto replied, his eyes fully widened in shock.

  “One who can give you a headache,” I deadpanned.

  “What?” Haruto asked, confused.

  “It’s nothing,” I said, waving what I said aside.

  In between our talk, I would take regular sips of my drink. It was already more than half empty when Haruto spoke up.

  “I didn’t know you liked chocolate,” Haruto said as he eventually eyed my cup. “I thought you liked tea more?”

  “A friend got me to drink some years back,” I replied as I recalled that—memory. It wasn’t an unpleasant one. But it was—something. “And ever since then, I’ve had a liking for it.”

  “Hmm. So, one does learn something every day,” Haruto said with a small smile.

  “What does that mean?”

  “Well, most of—well—uh, no,” he began, as if debating whether to tell me something.

  “It’s just everyone has commented that your personal preference was tea,” he finished a bit lamely with a wry smile.

  “Well, everyone else is wrong,” I said, feeling a bit irritated. Why would they even assume that?

  “I like tea just as much as the next drink. But between tea and this,” I said, gesturing to my cup. “I prefer chocolate. It’s also a great post-jog recovery drink.”

  Haruto opened his mouth to reply but before he could, Kaede baa-san spoke up first. It only took her 5 minutes to prepare Haruto’s food.

  “That’s right, Shizuku-chan does prefer chocolate,” she said as she laid down Haruto’s meal on the table. “Even in summer, she will order and even try any drinks that are flavored with chocolate. She especially likes the chilled chocolate milk flavor.”

  “Uh, unless I am mistaken, isn’t that, addiction?” Haruto said in half disbelief half amusement.

  A vivid memory popped into my mind as I remembered that cackling, triumphant yell, that screamed “ONE MORE CHOCOLATE ADDICT FOR THE WORLD! AHAHAHA!”

  “No. It’s not,” I replied adamantly. “It’s definitely not.”

  Before I could say more, I caught a glimpse of the time, it was already 5:55.

  “Is that the time?” I said as I got up.

  “Going already?” Haruto asked as he thanked Kaede baa-san.

  “Yes, I still need to open the dojo,” I said before trying to empty the still hot cup.

  “Okay, be careful on your way back,” Haruto said before he began to eat his breakfast.

  Kaede baa-san saw me out and we were near the entrance when I finished drinking my beverage. I thanked her after I disposed of the go cup and was ready to leave when she asked me something.

  “Shizuku-chan is already all grown up,” she said sounding a bit nostalgic. “I wonder if spring has come for you yet?”

  I knew what she meant. I had never considered him as a potential match. We had known each other for six years now and sure, he was handsome, but for me, he wasn’t my type. He had always been a somewhat easygoing, cheerful person. A classmate and friend.

  But Haruto has this, stubbornness, to him that I don’t like. It’s a subtle kind of stubbornness that Haruto seems to always get away with, though I often notice. He often misinterprets things, and says them in a way that benefits him, and somehow everyone just goes along with it.

  And then there is that fan club of his, which, somehow, I often got dragged into, especially during middle school.

  I was teased at school, my classmates joked about it, and then other girls would come to me to ask if we were together. There was also one time that I lost a friend because she didn’t believe that I didn’t like him.

  My answer was always the same and I never asked to be involved with him, but somehow his presence managed to drag me into drama more times than I could count.

  I had to deal with that fan club, the teasing, the constant gossip and he never once stepped in to stop it. I once told him about it but he just said to ‘get along with everyone’.

  It feels like he doesn’t care. It’s not that I held a grudge or anything. It’s just that he is more trouble than he is worth.

  “Oh no, he’s just a classmate,” I replied to which Kaede baa-san just laughed it off.

  Sigh.

  Of course, she wouldn’t believe me.