Many months later after Blood Gear's downfall, Sunshine City returned to its normal and peaceful state. The birds were chirping, people were seen walking around the city and life continued as usual. Meanwhile, a hostage situation ensued in the downtown district. A group of armed thugs seized a school bus and held the students and the teacher inside. Children were seen banging the glass for help as one of the thugs held the driver at gunpoint. The driver stopped driving before being thrown out of the bus by the thug. The driver screamed for help after the thugs hijacked the school bus.
Rachel and her friend Cathy prepared for the moment to come. The blonde Esper jumped out from her hiding first and stopped the bus using her electromagnetic Sigil. The students rejoiced as they saw the Esper girl coming to save them. Cathy leaped into action and used her Sigil to liquefy herself while sneaking into the bus. She went inside and fought against the thugs all by herself. One of the armed thugs attempted to escape, but he was pinned down and electrocuted by Rachel. Cathy threw the unconscious thugs one by one out from the bus. A group of security officers came into the scene and arrested the armed thugs for acts of terrorism. The teacher and the students thanked Rachel and Cathy for saving them.
"Thanks for saving me and my precious students! We were almost being turned into minced meat by those gun-toting bad guys!"
"No probs. Our job here is to keep Sunshine City safe from criminals and other dangers. After all, we're part of Azure Shield, right?"
"Sure thing, Rachel!"
"Those guys from Takahitsuji Securities will be handling those scoundrels. You can continue your field trip"
"Sure thing! I told those children that you two are real-life anime characters and they were very happy"
"Real-life anime characters? Whoa there, we're not just a bunch of anime characters or superheroes. We're Espers, remember?"
Rachel and Cathy went back to their school after saving the teacher and her students. Ever since they joined Azure Shield, a small peacekeeping organization formed by Dr. Marina under the guise of the school's student council, Rachel and Cathy have a routine of patrolling around Sunshine City for any potential dangers. They mostly handle criminals and similar threats with the help of Takahitsuji Securities, a subsidiary of Lazuline dedicated to protecting Sunshine City formed by Alfredo's deceased parents.
Lazuline also has a school called Rurigaoka Academy, an inclusive school for humans and Espers alike with the Cambridge IGCSE curriculum. The teachers and school staff mostly comprise of robots known as Zarvox, an autonomous robot made by Lazuline and ROFL Technologies, a partner of Lazuline based in Chicago. Meanwhile back in the class, Rachel bumped into a rather familiar face from her childhood. A redhead Esper girl with blood-red eyes and a ponytail. She was one of Rachel's friends back from her days in elementary school, and she was known to be a prankster back in the days.
"Well well well, if it isn't my old pal Rachel"
"Hi, Nicole! I haven't seen you for a long time!"
"I'm glad to see your face again after we graduated from elementary school together. You and Cathy went to the same school but I had to go back home with my family to Newport"
"How did you became an Esper?"
"The same as you. I saw them on the news, and I was pretty shocked after hearing that children and teenagers are gaining supernatural powers from the meteorite's dust clouds. I became one when I went for a walk in the park during the meteor's impact, and I accidentally set someone on fire with my powers. I had to be arrested, and someone bailed me out of jail and took me to Sunshine City. I think it was one of those Lazuline people or something"
"For me, I and my siblings were turned into Espers and I was ostracized by my friends including Cathy. A few months later, my little sister went missing and my brothers were murdered and kidnapped. Thankfully, one of my brothers survived, but the other one didn't. His name is Daniel, though"
"Daniel? Is he hot? I wanna see him!"
"Later when we go back to the tower, okay? Say, have you joined Azure Shield?"
"Damn right I did. I'm also a member of Azure Shield, and I got this cool shield insignia embroidered to our cardigans!"
"Me too! Dr. Marina made these to distinguish between us and the rest of the students. There are only like 4 or 5 members here? It wasn't a pretty big organization, but we're still recruiting"
"Cool, maybe I can join you on your next daily patrol?"
"No probs, Nicole. Let's go grab a bite to eat at the cafeteria!"
Rachel and Nicole went to the cafeteria for a brunch. Cathy also joined the two Esper girls after hearing that they're holding a brunch to celebrate their reunion. On their way to the cafeteria, Rachel and her friends are blocked by a tall female Esper with a long platinum blonde and purple hair. Her name was Celia Amethyst, a popular idol from an unknown foreign country. Following her is her lackey, Misaki Kusakabe. She was a brunette Esper with a pair of glasses that treats Celia as if she was her master.
"I'm sorry, ladies but the cafeteria is reserved for me!"
"Why? Everyone is allowed to eat and drink there, right?"
"Yes, but I have more privileges than you. Can't you see that I'm a very popular idol? Unlike that girl over there. I heard that her career when downhill faster than a boulder rolling off from a mountain ever since she got her ass kicked out from her idol agency. Not to mention, her parents are actually dirt poor!"
"How could you!"
"Oh, from what I heard, her parents aren't actually into entertainment-related stuff. They're just selling red bean buns and steamed chestnut cakes on a bakery that her family-owned. For me, my family is making millions out of my fame, unlike that douchebag over there!"
"I heard you're talking shit about me!"
"Aw snap! Now that bitch's gonna get me!"
Yurika walked into the scene as she heard Celia making fun of her life with an angry look on her face. Celia was very surprised seeing Yurika in her civvies, and not her idol look. Her brown hair was tied into a braided side plait, and her hazel eyes gleamed like a pair of freshly-cut opal. She grabbed the blonde idol by her collar and bitch-slapped her in the cheek. Celia's left cheek turned red after being slapped by Yurika. She walked away eventually, and Misaki took her somewhere safe. This opens the path for Rachel and her friends to go to the cafeteria and have brunch together. Meanwhile, Yurika is still feeling distraught after Celia made fun of her family and her life. Alfredo was walking through the hallway and saw the former idol crying.
"What's the matter, Yurika?"
"That bitch over there made fun of my life and my parents. I feel very sad because I still can't get over my failure as an idol, and how I lost my fame, my fortune, and my fans. I lost everything because of my accursed Sigil. I don't wanna be an Esper anymore..."
"Don't worry, Yurika. I'll deal with that bitch myself later. I'll make sure that she'll get her just desserts"
"You're my hero, Alfredo!"
Moments later, Rachel and her friends went home from school together after a pretty rough day. She remembered that she was going to have her final test back when she was still in the United States. Since she's no longer a student in her old school anymore, she must start over from the 1st grade. However, she felt happy since she was finally got to study in an inclusive environment where Espers are welcomed, and where she could make new friends with her Esper brethren. She had a lot of fun there, especially during gym class, where she could show her athletic prowess to her friends. Of course, she had to bump into some potential foes like Celia and her lackey Misaki, but it was part of her usual school life.
Meanwhile back in the tower, Dr. Marina was happy to see Alfredo went home pretty early. it's a routine for him to come back to Dr. Marina for his daily therapy since Alfredo is currently suffering from PTSD and stress ever since he lost his parents and his clan to the Blood Gear gang. Sometimes he gets a headache whenever his flashbacks kick in, or when someone talks about his dark past.
"I'm home, Dr. Marina"
"Glad to see you again, Alfredo. Are you ready for your daily therapy? I'm pretty surprised that you're home this early. Usually, you'll spend your night alone at a local café or something"
"I'm not in the mood for that right now. I would like to get my usual daily therapy again"
"Sure thing! I'll prepare it for you"
Alfredo was given a pill and a glass of water for him to drink. He chugged down the pill and drank the water before going to bed. The pill is a special drug concocted by Dr. Marina to reduce stress and control his Sigil. It must be used every day after lunch or dinner, or else his stress and PTSD will worsen. If his PTSD worsens, Alfredo will enter some sort of berserk state where he will attack anyone he sees with his Sigil and his sword. To prevent that from happening, Alfredo is put under surveillance by Dr. Marina, to keep in check with his daily routines and activities. He's also trained by Dr. Marina during free times, where he mostly trains his sword-fighting skills and how to manage his Sigil.
He suddenly remembered when his parents were murdered by Christie. When he was home from a night with his friends, he saw his house left in shambles and his parents lying in their blood. His father died from blood loss, but his mother was still able to speak to him before she lets out her final breath. During that time, Alfredo was very devastated. He lost his parents, his house, and his dignity. His friends left him one by one after finding out that his once-successful clan is no more, and he was expelled from his school after murdering two of his classmates in self-defense using his dangerous Sigil, Vermilion Volt.
Alfredo was left to wander around Sunshine City. He fought and killed every Blood Gear thug he sees, innocent or not. The sight of someone wearing mechanic clothes or fighting gears makes him infuriated. At one time, he helped and adopted an Esper boy who was attacked by Blood Gear thugs. Unfortunately, he escaped from the Takahitsuji residence without a word or two. Alfredo tried to look for him but to no avail.
The black-haired Esper boy cried in bed as he remembered his dark past. He still had fond memories of him with his parents, especially the fact that they're the only people who cared about him. He only had a small number of friends in school, and most of them are steering away from him because of his grim outlook and his ruby-red eyes. Some of them said that Alfredo looked like a demon because of his personality and the way how he speaks to others. Some of them are scared of him as well.
"Mommy... Daddy.... NOOOOOOOOO!! Don't leave me alone! AAAAAAAAH!!"
"What's wrong, Alfredo?"
"I had a nightmare where I saw my parents murdered again"
"Looks like that pill I gave you didn't work. I need to try another different concoction. There's might be something wrong in the mix. I'll keep you informed when I'm ready with a new pill, OK?"
"Got it"
On the next day, Rachel and her friends are going for breakfast together at Benny's, a diner popular amongst Esper youngsters. Rachel ordered a huge portion of souffle pancake drizzled in maple syrup and served with a platter of fluffy cheese-stuffed omelet and hash browns, big enough for her, Cathy, Nicole, and Yurika. The four Esper girls chowed down on their meal as they talked about their plans for the weekend. Not far from where they're sitting, Daniel is seen sipping on a cup of black coffee. He prefers to be left alone since he's pretty busy with his work at Takahitsuji Securities. He had no time anymore to talk or even play with his sibling anymore.
After having a delicious breakfast together, Rachel and her friends decided to go to Park Island, an island south of Sunshine City that houses a huge amusement park, zoo, and aquarium. The aquarium is also home to the only captive Great White Shark in Japan, which is a rarity since this species is pretty hard to keep in aquariums, while the zoo has a huge rainforest dome exhibit that houses a huge colony of Binturongs for the visitors to feed and play with.
"So, whatcha gonna do at Park Island?"
"Oooooo I can't wait to cuddle those fluffy Binturongs at the zoo! They smell like popcorn and they're like walking feather dusters!"
"How about you, Rachel?"
"I wanna go to the aquarium. It reminds me of my childhood when I used to go to the local aquariums with my brothers. Also, I heard that they have a Great White Shark there? That's awesome sauce!"
"Whoa, what's going on there?!"
On their way to the subway station, Rachel stumbled upon an unconscious female Esper. She appeared to be a dark blue-haired girl with hime-cut hair and a black hairpin. She picked her up and asked her friends to carry her to the tower's infirmary. The Esper girl woke up and found herself inside the infirmary. She felt confused and scared at the same time after waking up. She cleared her eyes and saw Yurika, her old friend.
"Wh-wh-wh-WHY AM I HERE?! WHERE AM I?! HELP!!"
"Calm down, calm down... We found you lying on the street out cold. We were very worried when we saw you. That's why we brought you here so Dr. Marina could help you out with your problem later"
"I see... Hh-HEY! It's that you, Yurika?!"
"Yes I am, and you?"
"Don't you remember me? I'm your former roommate and fellow Lucky Colors member, Nagisa"
"Nagicchi, is that you? I'm glad you're safe..."
"I'm glad to see you too, Yurishii"
Yurika and Nagisa cuddled each other after being separated for a long time. Dr. Marina came into the infirmary and told Rachel and her friends that Nagisa was attacked by someone. There have been reports of Espers being attacked and left unconscious on streets and alleyways by an unknown assailant, and Nagisa was one of the victims. Dr. Marina suspected that the attacker might be another Esper, and it appears that it attacked anyone regardless of age and gender. There are also reports of Esper children being kidnapped. She ordered the rest of the Azure Shields to go with her and investigate the culprit behind this mysterious incident.