𝑪𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒚 𝑺𝒖𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒓

Prolonged

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Above the village, a large black cloud appeared, accompanied by the rumble of thunder. Rain started pouring down, and among the villagers was Nonno Sakura. Despite the sound of the rain, he could distinctly hear the cries of a baby. Unable to ignore it any longer, Nonno stood up and went outside to investigate the source of the noise.

Opening the door and looking around, Nonno scanned the area but found nothing. However, when he looked down, he discovered a basket with a baby inside. Shocked, he quickly brought the basket into his house, concerned that the baby was getting cold. He cradled the baby and began rocking her gently.

Noticing a note inside the blanket, Nonno chuckled as he looked at the baby's squinted face. He started reading the note, which revealed that the baby's name was Megumi Fushiguro and asked Nonno to take care of her. Although disappointed, he shook his head and heard a grumbling sound. As he looked at the toddler's face, which seemed to be trying to glare at him, Nonno chuckled.

"Hello, little Megumi," he said, attempting to gently pinch her face. However, Megumi grabbed his finger before he could touch her, causing her to smile and gurgle. Nonno laughed, "Well, you and Mikan will be the best of friends." He began to plan how to formally adopt Megumi into his family, deciding not to change her name since her parents had chosen it.

And so, as the baby grew older and reached the age of four, two strange dogs appeared. They kept following Megumi, and Nonno decided to adopt them. He named the white one Shiro and the black one Kuro, causing him to sweatdrop and squeal with happiness as he saw Megumi's face light up while hugging the dogs. Nonno took a picture of Megumi with her beloved pets.

By the age of five, Megumi had to be accompanied by Mikan to prevent her from getting into trouble. However, she started seeing things around her, which she initially expected to frighten her. Surprisingly, Megumi found herself bored by the "curses" she encountered. This led her to question what these phenomena truly were.

When she turned six, many boys in school expressed interest in courting Megumi. Believing they wanted to fight her, she convinced her grandfather to enroll her in a martial arts class. Megumi's fighting skills proved to be exceptional as she defeated her teachers. Mikan proudly boasted about her friend being a black belt master, and Megumi, growing bored again, continued to study different forms of self-defense, eventually transitioning to weapon training.

At the age of seven, Megumi encountered another girl named Hotaru Imai, who seemed similar to her in some ways yet different. Megumi tolerated Hotaru's presence, which made Mikan jealous. Hotaru, finding Megumi cooler than Mikan, started clinging to Megumi, causing Mikan to throw tantrums.

As they progressed in their studies, their classmates perceived Hotaru as a cold and genius student, Mikan as a cheerful and cute girl, and Megumi as a stoic, aloof, and stunning beauty. Many students developed crushes on Megumi, but she constantly felt as if she were under attack. Hotaru, understanding the situation, smirked at her best friend's obliviousness, while Megumi found her classmates' behavior strange for their young age.

At the age of nine, Megumi continued her training in weapons and further explored her abilities. During her practice, she unintentionally merged Kuro and Shiro, resulting in a larger, fused dog. In the following three months, she discovered that she had the power to summon creatures hidden within her shadow. Amazed by this newfound ability, she named it the 'Ten Shadows Technique.' However, she couldn't help but question why it was called "Ten Shadows" and why it felt significant. Due to her lack of trust in her friends and family, she chose to keep this ability hidden from them.

When Megumi turned ten, she received news that Hotaru Imai would be leaving the village due to a law that required her attendance at a school reserved for geniuses in another town. The announcement caused a small stir in their close-knit community. People spoke in awe of Hotaru, not just as a genius but as one of those extraordinary individuals referred to as Alice geniuses.

And so, with Hotaru's impending departure, a sense of adventure began to stir within Megumi and her friends. Little did they know that this would be the start of a thrilling journey, filled with mysteries, challenges, and incredible discoveries.

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