The Exchange Hero

Episode 2

Mrs. Jiro woke me up around 10am local time. My head felt like it was full of cotton, but a cup of hot tea and some eggs helped me to full awareness. I could hear Mr. Jiro picking out notes on the piano. When Kyoka-chan sat at the table I asked her. "Do you play any instruments?"

"Yeah, we all do. Mom and Dad are both professional musician, though Dad is more of a composer than performer."

"What do you play?"

"Guitar, piano, and I'm learning the bass."

"What sort of music do you prefer to play?"

"Mostly rock, the newer stuff. But not pop, synth, or death metal. The exchange program said you play too. I think that is why my parents wanted to host you."

"I play the piano. My grandmother taught me. I play all sorts of music, though Grandma likes ragtime and honky-tonk the best. Playing Joplin really helps build-up your manual dexterity."

"Janis?"

"Scott." She just nodded.

"Do you have any other talents for performing?" asked Mrs. Jiro. I looked at the table and saw a bowl of hard boiled eggs. Taking three, I began to juggle.

"Cool!" Mrs. Jiro cooed. Kyoka-chan gave a single golf clap. I caught the eggs, pocketed two and began to eat the other. After the meal Kyoka-chan offered to take me for a walk around the neighborhood.

I had been to Japan twice before for robot competitions, but I had not spent much time in what we in the states would call the suburbs. Instead of high rises, there were single family homes and small two- or three-story apartment buildings. The bigger streets were lined with shops and banks and other buildings. I was reminded that cars drove on the wrong side of the road when I looked the wrong way when crossing at an intersection. After an hour or so Kyoka-chan led me to a small park across the street from the local train station. We sat on a bench in the shade.

"That's where we'll catch the train in the morning to get to UA. We'll have to get there before 0700 to make sure we are on time."

"How far is it from the house?"

"About 10-12 minutes. Longer in bad weather."

"Are you looking forward to starting at a new school?" I asked.

"You do know we had to test to get into UA. It was hard. And many applicants didn't make it. It's a great honor to be accepted at UA, and an even greater honor to be in the Hero course."

"I know, but are you looking forward to it?"

She looked at me silently for a moment. "I admit I'm a little nervous. Many of the kids in the practical exam were powerful. Some were even scary. I'm not sure whether I'll really fit in."

"So why are you going?"

"I want to be a hero." She shrugged.

I pulled at my hair with both hands. "Why does everyone want to be a hero?" I asked, frustrated.

"Meh...it's a job? With parents that are musicians, I can't really overestimate the importance of a regular paying gig."

"It's about the money?"

Before Kyoka-chan could answer, a deafening explosion sounded in the distance, rocking the bench and shaking the trees in the park.

"What the frik!" I shouted in English. Kyoka-chan pointed towards the train station. Just behind the station there was a cloud of smoke and debris rising high into the air. A winged figure could be seen flitting in the haze.