Chapter 4
The morning bell rang across Kanzaki High, casting a usual peaceful airexcept today was different, the moment Hiroshi Hiroto stepped through the gates, silence swept through the courtyard, students halted mid step, whispering and staring with wide eyes,
"He's here...",
"Is that really him?",
"I heard he might be a wizard!"
"No, he's definitely a robot, did you see his eyes?!",
Wild rumors had taken root overnight and spread like wildfire, some students believed he had superpowers, others thought he was a cursed android sent from another dimension, a few even claimed they saw him float, though no one could prove anything,
Hiroshi, unfazed by the growing fear around him, kept his hands in his pockets, his glasses back on, and walked slowly through the hallway,
No one dared to block his way, not even accidentally, students pressed themselves against lockers to let him pass, their faces full of awe and anxiety, Hiroshi didn't flinch, He was used to being misunderstood, though the silence was louder than usual.
From afar, Emi-chan watched him,
She clutched a small box in her hand, Still warm, she thought, glancing at the cupcakes she baked that morning,
Her eyes followed Hiroshi as he passed,
"I don't care what rumors they're saying", she whispered to herself, "He protected someone yesterday, he's not scary… he's just lonely",
Determined, she took a step forward but he vanished around the corner.
---
Meanwhile, deep in the principal's office, a tense meeting was underway,
Tetsuya sat nervously with his head down, fidgeting with his sleeves, across from him, Kaito sat on a chair, his arms in slings and his face bruised and bandaged, the air was thick with tension,
"I don't remember anything!", Tetsuya cried, tears running down his cheeks, "I swear… I didn't mean know how I hurt him! Everything was blank, I dont remember...pleasw believe me",
The principal slammed his palm against the desk, making everyone flinch,
"You're new here, and this is your first offense, but violence is not tolerated in this school, you're lucky we're letting you go with just a warning, next time, it's expulsion!",
Tetsuya whimpered a quiet, "yes....sir",
Miss Akiyama, standing silently to the side, watched with soft eyes, her thoughts wandered, this boy... he's telling the truth, but if he didn't do it, who did?
She looked at Tetsuya with pity in her eyes, then her mind flashed back to the glowing blue eyes she saw on Hiroshi ,cold, unreadable, powerful.
She said nothing, she also wondered what kind of person, Hiroshi truly is.
---
Back in the hallway, Hiroshi opened his locker slowly, He didn't care that eyes were on him, he liked the quiet, for once, no one was throwing things, mocking his bowl cut, or calling him "cursed Boy", There were no insults, no traps… just silence.
Peace, he thought.
He closed his locker, but as he turned to leave, a familiar voice called out behind him,
"Um… Hiroshi-kun?"
He stopped, Emi-chan stood there, slightly out of breath, holding the box of cupcakes with both hands,
"I… I made these, you don't have to eat them if you don't want to, but—" she stopped when he didn't respond, her hands trembled slightly,
Hiroshi glanced at her but said nothing, his face was unreadable, he wasn't trying to be rude, but he didn't know how to accept kindness, especially not now, not after using his powers so openly,
He turned away and walked past her.
She didn't follow him, but she didn't leave either,
"I'm not giving up" she said gently, "I don't care what you are, I just want to know who you are",
Hiroshi paused but didn't look back not even for a second.
---
Later that day, Hiroshi sat at the very top of the school roof, where the wind hit hardest, He stared out over the campus, watching students laugh and play, all while staying far from him,
He closed his eyes,
'I broke my rule', he thought to himself, 'I said I'd never use the power recklessly… But I had no choice, he was hurting people, I did what I had to',
A memory of his grandfather's voice echoed in his mind:
"Power can save or destroy. It is the heart behind it that decides the difference", young him never understood it but older him was able to tell what his wise grandfather said,
Hiroshi slowly opened his eyes, eyes that held too much for a 17 year old.
---
The sky was painted in warm shades of orange and violet as the school bell rang, signaling the end of another day at Kanzaki High.
Students poured out of the building like birds freed from a cage chattering, laughing, bustling with the usual afterschool energy,
But Hiroshi Hiroto walked alone.
His presence parted the crowd like a ghost drifting through space, no one dared to approach him, some watched from behind pillars, others whispered behind their hands, it didn't matter, he was used to this weight.
His hands were deep in his pockets, his eyes cold behind his glasses, he walked the same path he always took quiet, secluded, far from the noise,
Until,
"!!",
Hiroshi suddenly halted mid-step.
Just a few feet ahead, standing stiff with a pale face and trembling lips, was none other than Kaito,
The two locked eyes for half a second and just like that, Kaito let out a sharp breath, turned, and ran in the opposite direction as fast as his legs could carry him,
Hiroshi sighed and shook his head,
Some scars leave deeper marks than wounds... he thought,
He turned to keep walking when suddenly a soft voice called out from behind him,
"Hiroshi-kun!", He paused but didn't turn,
Steps pattered quickly behind him, and then there she was, Emi-chan, clutching her pink lunch box with both hands again, panting slightly from catching up,
"I.....I know you probably don't wanna talk to anyone right now," she said nervously, "But at least… just take one?"
She opened the box gently to reveal a neatly packed row of small, frosted cupcakes, still warm, with pastel colored sprinkles,
"I've been trying to give you one since the day you arrived", she said with a sheepish smile.
Hiroshi stood silently for a moment,
Then, finally, he turned, his cold stare softened just slightly, He walked up to her, took a single cupcake from the box, and studied it like it was something rare,
Then finally, he spoke,
"If only there were more people like you… maybe this world wouldn't be as rotten as it is",
Emi froze, eyes wide, He had spoken to her for the first time, his words weren't cutting, weren't cold, they were… gentle,
Before she could say anything else, Hiroshi turned to walk away,
But she found her voice,
"Wait!" she yelled, heart thudding, "Can we… can we be friends?",
Hiroshi paused mid step, the breeze brushed through his hair,
He didn't turn to face her,
"I'll think about it", he replied softly,
And with that he walked away, leaving her standing there, but this time with breed of hope, she could maybe or eventually be his friend, get to know this strange boy, people doesnt seem to understand.
---
The sky was darker now, dusk settling like a thin blanket over the quiet road Hiroshi followed home, the wind whispered through the leaves, his thoughts wandered, maybe Emi-chan really was different, nothing like the rest, he had seen hell,
But suddenly. . .
A voice behind him cut through the calm,
"She's so weird, right?"
Hiroshi froze, that voice wasn't familiar and it wasn't normal,
He turned sharply, his eyes narrowing,
"Who's there?" he demanded, "Show yourself",
From behind a crooked lamp post, he stepped out,
A very Tall Boy,
Hiroshi's eyes widened just a little, not in fear, but confusion, the person before him towered almost like a skyscraper, not just tall, he was unnaturally tall, and built like he could crush steel without trying,
His swooshy brown hair fluttered lazily in the wind, a plain black t-shirt hugged his lean, muscled frame, paired with casual black jeans, his left hand remained buried in his pocket, giving him that cocky, effortless 'bad boy' like air, but it was his face specifically, that sinister smirk that made Hiroshi feel uneasy,
A slow, knowing smirk curved his lips like he was already enjoying a private joke,
Hiroshi frowned, "And you are?"
The tall stranger tilted his head slightly, his smirk deepening, "If you wanna know... let's get to know each other better",
The way he said it was just too casual, too confident,
Hiroshi scowled, "I don't like you",
That made the tall boy chuckle under his breath,
"Well, that's too bad", he replied coolly, "Because the feeling isn't mutual at all, I like you a lot and I'm really hoping we can be friends",
His voice had a calm edge to it, like a blade sheathed in velvet, Hiroshi could tell this guy wasn't normal,
And he wasn't joking.
Hiroshi stared him down, "I'm not interested, don't bother me again, and we will never be friends",
He turned sharply, brushing past him with clear disgust, the air was tense,
But as Hiroshi walked away, the tall boy's smirk remained, glued to his face like it was part of his soul,
"We'll see…" he whispered.
~~~
The city buzzed softly in the night as Kaito sat hunched over his desk, bathed in the blue light of his laptop screen, his brows were furrowed, lips tight with tension, He couldn't stop thinking about what happened with Tetsuya… how the guy suddenly flipped like a psycho and didn't remember anything and then there was him, Hiroshi,
Rumors were spinning like a cyclone through the school, some called Hiroshi a cursed doll, others whispered about him being a wizard or an AI robot made by some weird scientist, it was stupid but it was also… chilling,
Kaito bit his lip, then cracked his knuckles, "Time to dig", he muttered,
He opened a program, a backdoor into the school database, a few lines of code, a bypass, and boom he was in,
He clicked on the student files, scrolled down, and there it was,
[HIROSHI HIROTO]
A photo of that weird kid with the bowl cut and glasses stared back at him, the image alone gave him goosebumps,
" Need answers", Kaito whispered to himself,
And just like that he made the call,
He had the money, his family was rich, hiring someone to "scare" the truth out of a freak wasn't exactly hard… even if that someone had a criminal record as long as a shopping list, he did it, he hired a hitman and couldnt wait to execute his plan,
---
Saturday – Late Morning
The air was fresh, calm, a rare kind of peace in the city,
Hiroshi stepped out of his house, his glasses resting neatly on his nose, in his hand, he held a slightly squished cupcake, the one Emi-chan had given him, He hadn't eaten it, but for some reason, he brought it with him,
Maybe it meant something or Maybe not,
He walked quietly through the streets, not really going anywhere, his eyes wandered, observing the life around him kids laughing, people chatting, cars humming, it was all so… alive,
Then, near a small park, he saw a boy sitting on the curb, sniffling, a small container of pudding was spilled by his feet,
The boy looked heartbroken.
Hiroshi stared for a moment, then slowly knelt down,
He held out the cupcake,
The boy looked up, wide eyed, "For... me?"
Hiroshi didn't say anything, he just nodded once,
The boy smiledone of those pure, grateful smiles that made the world pause for a second and ran off happily with the cupcake in his tiny hands,
Hiroshi stood there, no expression, But inside… something flickered,
Warmth? He didn't know at all.
As he continued his walk, he passed by a narrow alleyway, iy was tucked between two old buildings, Quiet and Empty, no one ever used it,
Then all of a sudden,
"Pssst!"
A sharp whistle echoed out from the shadows,
Hiroshi turned slightly,
"Hey… kid" a voice called, He stepped in,
Standing there was a man dressed in black, a long coat, dark shades, boots made for silence, He leaned against the wall, arms crossed, smirking like a villain from a B-grade movie,
Behind a dumpster, Kaito crouched, phone in hand, already recording, his fingers trembled but He couldn't miss this,
The man cracked his neck,
"Got any last prayers, freak?"
Hiroshi didn't flinch, he looked at him the same way he looked at a vending machine that ate his money,
"I'm not in the mood" he muttered,
The hitman's grin widened as he pulled out a glinting blade,
"Good, cause eeither am I", then he lunged at him,
In a heartbeat, Hiroshi took off his glasses, his eyes glowed a strange, bright blue that shimmered like liquid moonlight,
The man froze mid attack and the knife hit the ground,
His face twisted… then softened, Je blinked slowly, lost in a daze,
"You're done with this life", Hiroshi said coldly, "From now on, you'll be good, go to the police and confess everything, be a decent human",
The hitman nodded slowly, his expression going from blank to beaming, he was back to normal again
"I… I want to be a better man!" he declared suddenly, smiling like he just saw a new light, "I'm going to the police!",
Hiroshi patted his head like a child, "Go!!", he ordered him,
And just like that, the once feadly man jogged off, humming to himself,
Behind the dumpster, Kaito's jaw dropped, he hit "stop" on the recording, his face pale,
"What the hell…?"
But before he could blink, Hiroshi was in front of him,
Kaito gasped and stumbled backward, phone clutched tightly,
"Y-You were just… How did you—?!"
Hiroshi looked bored.
"You've been very naughty," he said calmlym, "Delete the video"
Kaito clenched the phone tighter, "No! I'll post it! The world will know you're a freak! Stay away from....",
His eyes met Hiroshi's glowing ones.
Suddenly, the fight left his body, his arms drooped, drool slid from the side of his mouth, He handed the phone over like a robot,
Hiroshi deleted the footage, cause this could get him attention and he doesnt want that all,
Then he leaned close, his voice soft like a whisper in a dream,
"Forget all of this, the hitman...the alley, how you cooked up this....plan",
Kaito nodded, completely entranced, then,
Snap,
He blinked.
Looked around, confused,
"What… am I doing here?"
Then he saw Hiroshi and fear shot through him like lightning,
"You… Y-You…"
He turned and ran, screaming down the street,
Hiroshi sighed and walked out of the alley, with his hands in his pocket, he looked and pretending.
It began to drizzle.
The sky was turning gray, and people hurriedly pulled out umbrellas or ducked under storefronts,
But Hiroshi just stood there, letting the rain soak him.
He didn't move and he didn't flinch He just stared upward at the clouds, lost in his thoughts.
Was this what it meant to live? To survive? To always be seen as a monster?
Then… the rain stopped, at least, for him,
He blinked, noticing the dry space above his head,
An umbrella, he turned.
A tall figure stood beside him, holding it over both of them,
Brown hair, a sharp jawline, and that same cocky energy like before,
It was the same guy he met at evening during that brief, strange encounter,
The guy leaned down slightly, eyes gleaming.
"We meet again," he said with a smirk,"
Hiroshi became curiusly, yet angry,
He became curious about this tall boy and why he is too, desperete....
---