A Glimpse?! - 1

What is it that decides the fate of a person?

Is it really true that you can attain the destiny that you desire with your hard work? Or you are supposed to lay down and bear the responsibilities that materialize as time passes by…

"A round of applause for magnificent performances by our diligent and creative students."

The entire auditorium starts echoing as the clapping continues with the hooting and the laughs surrounding the atmosphere.

The alumni pass the mic to the higher authority after ending her role as the anchor.

"Ehm…uh…Good Morning, my dear sophomores and first-years." Binding his tie a little bit tighter, the old man speaks while looking at the students with a confident yet creepy smile.

"Before ending our annual sports meet, I would like to announce the result of the various exams and Olympiads that took place, a few weeks ago." Holding the card in his hand, he fixes his body posture and continues the talk while rubbing his frontal-shining head.

"This year, our institute has left behind most of the top universities and colleges in our country."

"I will start with the results of the national exams that were held two weeks ago," twitching his eyebrows a little with a slight smirk, he continues, "There is someone among you who was able to attain first place in the examinations!!"

Those sentences attract the attention of some of the students but many of them are still busy gossiping and enjoying their school life.

"I would like to call, Hyosuke Arata from Class 1-A on the stage to requisite the reward for his extraordinary performance!!" This time, everyone's eyes are focused on the boy who is seen walking straight towards the platform while looking downwards.

"This kid is from a freshers batch and has already achieved the level to compete with the geniuses of our country and win the national examinations with a perfect score." He looks at Arata with a 'can't be contained' smile and reaches out to him while Arata joins the stage through the stairs.

"A round of applause for 'Hyosuke Arata'!!!"

Unknowingly, unconsciously, unwillingly, the hands join each other and the entire auditorium is filled with claps reverberating all around the walls, although the kid in the limelight was acting a little bit weird.

No reaction to the applause whatsoever, he doesn't even look towards the crowd and keeps his eyes in the dark while shaking his hand with the old man.

"So now, Arata will present himself to you with a few words of motivation and his convictions." The half-bald guy presents the mic to Arata with a bit of uncertainty as he feels the apathetic atmosphere surrounding the boy.

"…" The boy turns his face above and looks into the eyes of the old man who reacts in surprise but is able to maintain his composure. Dead brown eyes with a bored face, clearly representing his urge to get out of this place as soon as possible, while standing in front of the crowd shocks the man.

"I will gladly do so." Arata closes his eyes and takes the mic from the man with a smile on his face. His half-dead face suddenly turns into an eternal happy face with no regrets left; a simple yet powerful facade.

He enters the stand, looks at the mass with a shining face, and continues…

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-Ting-

The school bell rings and the students are also dismissed after the speech of the boy.

The students pick their bags and start moving to their houses with their respective modes of transport.

"Hey, that boy Arata, isn't he a first-year?" Between the various groups and duos gossiping, a girl asks her friend.

"Yeah, that's why it's a big deal. You don't see people like him so frequently." The girl answers.

"Well, there's nothing we can do to compete with them. They live in a different world from ours. That's what natural talent looks like." A boy interrupts the talk in the group and is supported by other students for his argument.

"There's no other conclusion, it's nice to be talented huh…"

"But maybe, there's some chance that you can compete with them, why are we even competing with them anyway?" A girl said.

"Nah, not possible. They are gifted with intelligence by birth so they have an innate ability to grasp anything and do anything…you can't compare normies like us with them."

"Eh? Are you degrading us in a way then?"

"Haha, I am just stating the truth. Let's leave that aside, should we go and have some teriyaki of that shop?"

"Oho, why not…I heard that it has some great critics."

The group goes on to the shop while chatting and gossiping with their friends.

On the other hand, Arata walks through the same street with his head downwards, barely looking side by, for precaution.

While his face expresses no emotion, his mind is too busy to feel his surroundings.

Darkness all around him, he clasps his head in irritation while sitting on his knees, surrounded by students and teachers who are looking at him with ink-scratched concealed faces with widespread smiles.

"Extraordinary child" "Such convictions" "So easy for him" "Talented" "Yeah, he is talented that's why" "Nice to be so gifted" "I wanted to be like him" "People like him live in another dimension" "It's better to leave him alone" "Yeah, it's not like we are on the same scale anyways!!"

"Hwaah!! With a heavy breath, Ciel opens his eyes and looks around him aghast'd.

~A few hours ago~

LEONA POV

"Huh? Where did he run off to?" I slide off the fur of Kuromi while looking around, unable to find Ciel.

"Is he slacking off again?"

"Or maybe he just forgot the path to the shop," Kuromi answers me with a blank face like it's nothing unusual.

"No, maybe we should go and check out for him then." I don't think he could have gone too far since this town is not that large.

"You need to stop overthinking, Leona. He is not a small kid anymore." Kuromi relaxes his back and turns back to his normal size, looking at me.

"What are you going to do when he starts his adventure alone? There are some things that you just need to loosen up a bit."

"Loosen up?" Suddenly, my body experiences a glimpse of the rage as I clench my fists and bash them against the wall of the emporium. "You still want me to loosen up after what happened to all of us?" My eyes glow up as I feel the heat inside my body.