Arghhh—finally! I'm out of this damn academy," the man groaned, throwing his arms up, stretching off years of torture right outside the front gate. He inhaled the cold air, grinning like a lunatic finally released.
"I can finally start my most… wildest… biggest explosion yet. Something no one has ever seen before…"
He stopped.
Someone was there.
Hidden near the trees. Watching.
His eyes narrowed. He walked toward it—slow at first, then faster. The closer he got, the more the "reader's panel" seemed to shake.
"What the hell are you doing?" he muttered.
A figure stood there. Human body… but a camera for a head. Just standing. Recording.
"…Huh?"
He tilted his head.
"What are you… a cameraman? Filming for who?"
A pause. Then he chuckled.
"Oh… so it's for the readers, huh? I see..."
"Huh? Act like I didn't see you or else you'll lose your job..?"
He stepped closer, casually resting a hand on the cameraman's shoulder.
He gave a thumbs up.
Grin widening.
"Hehehe… you're fucked."
He grabbed the camera man by the neck and dragged him along like a hostage while casually walking forward, acting like this was totally normal.
"Eyoooo—what up, what up. Name's Shun... Shun Drosswyn," he grinned straight at the lens, eyes bright like this was some hype intro vlog.
"I just graduated from this shitty academy. Finally, I survived. Barely."
(The camera man clung to Shun's arm, trembling like hell.)
"Worst school ever. Imagine this—day one, I bless them with the most beautiful explosion mankind has ever seen…"
(The camera violently shakes harder.)
"And what do I get? Detention. Threat of expulsion. Judgy stares. Like bro, nobody there appreciates real art. They're all boring."
The cameraman tapped desperately at Shun's arm, body weakening.
"Oh—shit."
Shun blinked, finally realizing his grip.
"My bad, my bad. Forgot you needed oxygen." He loosened his hold, patting the camera like it was a pet instead of a person. "Don't die yet. We still have a lot of cool stuff to record."
As Shun loosened his grip, the camera man collapsed to his knees, still trembling.
Shun dug into his bag.
"Here… a gift," he said casually, handing over a small box.
The camera man hesitated, then slowly opened it—
Shun suddenly spun around, pointing dramatically at the sky.
"BOOM!"
The box detonated in a sharp, thunderous blast. A column of smoke burst upward as the poor camera man shot into the air like a firework.
"FLY HIGH!" Shun shouted proudly, shielding his eyes as he watched the guy disappear into the clouds.
The ground shook for a few seconds. Then silence.
Shun nodded to himself, satisfied, and brushed dust off his clothes.
"Well… that was cool."
He turned away, hands behind his head, strolling like nothing happened.
"Anyway… time to go home. Haven't seen them in six years."
He walked casually down the stone road, hands in his pockets, humming.. nothing in the world mattered. The street was calm, wind brushing past him—
"SHUUUUN!"
A familiar loud voice cut through the air. A tall, skinny guy sprinted his way, waving like a maniac.
Shun glanced lazily. "Oi, four eyes."
"Stop calling me that, you explosion freak!" the guy snapped, pushing his glasses up.
He caught his breath. "Are you walking alone?"
Shun looked left. Then right. Then back at him. "Do you see anybody else with me?"
A vein popped in the guy's forehead. "This little—" He grabbed Shun by the collar, shaking him.
Shun didn't even care. He slowly turned his head toward the camera guy trying hard not to get noticed, thumb pointing at the angry guy.
"Pff. Rage baited."
Four Eyes twitched harder. "I SWEAR I'M GONNA—"
As Four Eyes kept ranting about Shun being a "walking disaster"
A sharp glimmer of light rolled into their view. A sleek, polished carriage stopped beside them, wheels barely screeching.
Both of them paused.
The window slid open just a little—just enough for a smug-looking nobleman to poke his head out.
"Well, well… look at this. If it isn't the infamous Shun the Destroyer."
Shun stared back flatly.
Four Eyes frowned.
The noble smirked harder. "Where's your carriage, Mister Nobleman? Or did they repossess it because you blew it up too?"
Shun didn't reply. Didn't blink. Didn't give him the satisfaction. He just turned away and casually continued walking, hands in pockets.
But the carriage rolled alongside him, wheels creeping at walking speed.
"It's pretty rare to see a noble hanging out with a commoner these days—oh… right." The noble chuckled. "Maybe you won't be a noble much longer. HAHAHA!"
Four Eyes clicked his tongue. "Ignore him—"
That last line, though.
That one stuck.
Shun stopped. His eyes narrowed. "What do you mean by that?"
The noble's grin turned colder, meaner. "Find out for yourself."
The window slid shut. The carriage rolled off, laughter echoing behind it.
The street went quiet again.
Four Eyes bumped his shoulder against Shun. "Hey… don't think about it. He just wants to piss you off."
Maybe.
But Shun's chest felt tight. Something ugly crawled in his gut.