I stopped time just as the gust was about to reach its peak. I had hoped not to have to use the knife this soon, but I was not going to let anyone who had seen me and had any idea of my powers get near my friends. I turned around to see the speedster from the mall frozen in place right behind us.

  I pulled out the knife, but as I flipped it open. My previous life flashed before my eyes. Targets I barely even remembered resurfaced in my mind. An old money launderer for a crime family. A handful of politicians. A young woman who could control water and used her ability to water her plants. A homeless man that had just learned that he was a meta.

  My hand was shaking. I almost dropped the knife when I started remembering everyone whose lives I had ended. I genuinely had no idea what my death total was anymore.

  Maybe I was a monster after all... Am I really prepared to do it all again? Because once I start, there's no going back.

  I stared at the knife, not knowing or caring how long time stood still. I had hit Morton's Fork — an impossible choice between two equally bad outcomes, killing this speedster or letting her go and letting her see me and all of my friends.

  Regardless of her face that day at the shopping district, it would paint a target on all of our backs.

  I finally arrived at my decision and begrudgingly put the knife back in my bag. I went back to where I originally stood and tried something new with my powers. Instead of fully resuming the flow of time, I tried to bring it to a slow pace. At first, nothing happened, but after a little while, something clicked.

  Everyone else began moving at a snail's pace while the speedster took off at nearly full speed. I kept my glance over my shoulder to make sure she wouldn't do anything. She weaved in between our group not touching anyone or anything. Then our eyes met, and I got an unexpected outcome.

  In an instant, she recognized me, and her neutral face turned to fear. She banked to the right and got out of our group, and we held eye contact the whole time. While everyone else moved as slowly as a river of cold tar, she sped off. As she ran away I heard her talking to herself.

  "Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! Not him! Not here! No no no no no no no!"

  The look of fear was genuine: she was terrified of me, and she had every right to be. With her out of sight, time resumed its normal speed, and my group seemed none the wiser. Hiro and Rito were talking about a new series coming out. Yamada was politely listening to Chika whine about the heat. Hojo and Ino walked in the back hardly saying much. Denki nudged me.

  "What's up, Kazuma?"

  "We need to keep our eyes open today," I said in almost a whisper. "Those gusts were caused by a meta, a speedster."

  "Really? I didn't even notice them. Here I thought I was fast."

  "Her," I corrected. "...and speedsters can move faster than most can perceive, even metas. That one in particular has a companion, a spatial manipulator."

  "A what now?"

  "Think of that video game you and your brother play with the portal guns. Only he can do it without one."

  "That's so... cool!"

  "Oh yeah, it would be if they were like us, but they're delinquents. I've dealt with them before."

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

  On the last stretch before the gate, I quickly explained what had happened at the shopping district and what had happened just before our conversation. Denki put me in a playful headlock.

  "You can do stuff like that too? Every time you talk about it, I'm in more awe of you, Kazuma."

  "It's way too hot for any of that," Chika said as she and Yamada walked past us.

  "Boys will be boys, I guess," Ino said with an almost smug smile.

  She and Hojo went to the admissions desk behind where the two of us were, and I stopped Hiro and Rito before they could pass us. Denki and I wrapped our arms around the two of them, and we formed a sort of small huddle.

  "Alright guys, like it or not, we're all metas," I started harshly. "The thing about being metas is that we're obviously not the only ones. A few minutes ago, I confirmed that there is at least one more at the park, probably two."

  "Kazuma, this again?" Rito was still processing his own revelation.

  "Can't we just leave them alone and hope they do the same?" Hiro didn't want to fight, even though he could.

  "Hey, hey, guys. Kazuma's not saying that we have to fight them. He's just saying to keep your eyes open, right?" Denki looked at me for affirmation.

  "Right. If anything happens, we take the girls, and we get out of here as fast as possible."

  Leaving would eventually be what I would do, but if anything happened, I would do something about the two of them first.

  We all paid our way into the park and put our stuff in a couple of lockers. We left the locker room to wait on the girls outside. The sun was beating down as it continued to climb higher into the sky, and the temperatures were rising with it.

  "Sorry to keep you boys waiting," a voice called out.

  As the four of us turned, we caught sight of the dream of every guy our age. The girls had placed their travel clothes in the lockers and were walking out in their swimsuits chosen to "make the boys go wild."

  Yamada was the most conservative in her choice. Her styled light red one piece suit was a contrast to her fair skin. She wore it with a mild confidence that brought it all together. Rito forced himself not to be captivated, but it was clear that she had accomplished the "drive him wild" task.

  Ino and Hojo wore the suits they had picked out when we went to the shopping district. They were a similar color pattern featuring various greens, purple, and black. The difference lay in both the depth of the cuts in the neck and the straps in the back. Of the two, Ino seemed to boast more confidence.

  Rito again held back his metaphorical nosebleed with Hiro's help. It was clear that the two girls were moments away from turning the whole waterpark into their battlefield. Hopefully, that would be the only battlefield of the day.

  Finally, Chika walked out and did her reveal, which was the most unusual since she was always the type to waltz into any situation with the utmost confidence. She stood almost holding the doorframe in the light blue and white two piece swimsuit she picked out when we went to the shopping district.

  Now that I think about it, I've been there pretty often the past couple of months. Why didn't I notice the two metas before? Were they just not there? Something's not adding up...

  I was so lost in thought that I didn't realize that I was nearly staring a hole into Chika. Almost everyone else thought that I was being a pervert and staring at her body. Denki, who knew I was deep in thought, nudged me and brought me back to reality. I looked around to see Chika's face beet red and everyone else almost marveling at my "boldness."

  "Wait, wait, guys, I can explain," I tried to defend myself.

  "I guess I should have chosen a different swimsuit. This one didn't just drive Kazu crazy, it actually broke him for a minute!"

  Chika's childish laughter let me know that she was back to normal. She smacked my back as she continued to laugh, and everyone sort of accepted the situation.

  "You and I both know Kazuma's not like that, Chika," Denki said with a smile as everyone else was walking toward the first stop. "But that's not saying it had no effect on him also."

  "Hey!" I called out, but he had already taken off to rejoin the group.

  Suddenly, it was just the two of us again. I looked over at Chika who was looking down almost. In a single sentence, her normal self went away again.

  "Are you okay?" I asked. "You've seemed like something's been bothering you since we got here."

  "...wouldn't... hated... staring." she muttered.

  "Chika, I can't help if you don't speak up."

  She sort of chuckled then looked at me and smiled. "It's nothing. Let's go join the others!" She took my arm and pulled me to the first ride of the day — the Funnel Drop.