Chapter | VIII |

Ring! Ri—

My hand swiftly moved to switch off the alarm, opening my drowsy eyes, I glanced at my hand with surprise. So my reflexes also increased, huh? Smiling, I got up and went toward the washroom. After completing the morning necessities, I picked up my bag and went toward the Academy.

With a subtle smirk, I dashed forward into the streets, squeezing past the bustling crowd, avoiding any physical contact using my newfound reflexes.

"You!"

I heard a yell, but it was deafened by the air crashing against me. Twisting my body, I used my keen senses to avoid an object thrown at me from a distance. With a mocking smirk at the guy, I dashed forward again.

Soon, I was at the entrance of the academy. I slowly walked through the ground. I could see the children's gaze as I walked past them, it was as if they were peering into my soul.

Avoiding them like air, I entered the crowded hall.

Not long after, I was in my classroom. I took my seat near the window, keeping quiet. Looking around, I saw the students gazing at me with a stupefied look. But ignored me as soon as I locked eyes with them, they went on with whatever they were doing before.

"What's up with him?"

"I don't know... Maybe he lost a relative?... Oh wait, he's an orphan"

My ears perked up, their small giggles ringed into my ears. Usually, I would have ignored them, but now, however...

The scouts were no longer watching me.

Slowly standing up, I walked behind the last rows of benches. There, two black-haired boys were sitting, laughing as they pointed at me, as if I was not aware of it at all.

I glanced at the one to the right, he was a fat kid with disfigured teeth and fair skin. I stood in front of him. Suddenly stopping their laughter, the fat kid rose from his seat. The one to the left chuckling as if something comic was about to occur.

"What, you got a problem... Orphan kid, hahaha!!"

The two laughed whilst banging the desk. They held their stomach whilst tears built up in their eyes. After a minute or two, they both stopped laughing and gasped for breath.

"Done?"

"Huh?"

Grabbing him by the color of his shirt, I pushed him with all my might. His back collided against the sturdy wall behind him, a confused and pained expression washing over his face. Not giving him a moment, I used the desk behind me to propel myself in the air to deliver a direct kick to his face.

Then, I grabbed his hair and pulled his head. Banging his bloodied face into the desk several times. With a final bang, I let him rest his face on the ground. He did not utter a word except for the first hit, maybe he already fell unconscious during the kick. Whatever.

My eyes drifted toward the kid on the left. Grabbing a towel on the desk near me, I stuffed it into his mouth before breaking two of his fingers. His cries were muffled, tears ran down his cheeks, but not out of laughter or joy like before, but because of the indescribable pain.

Then, scanning the room, I saw the terrified looks of my classmates. Looking into the eyes of everyone one by one, I grabbed the fat kid's head and showed it to them.

"If any... Any single one of you utters a word about this. I don't have to tell you what'll happen to you, do I? So, be good kids and clean this mess up. Again, don't speak a word about this... Do I make myself clear"

Silence. Pindrop silence. I banged the head of the guy once more.

"Y-Yes!"

They said in unison, shaken by the sight. I glanced at the other victim, he hastily nodded his head.

"Good"

With a pat on his shoulder, I went toward my own seat and gazed through the glass window. The kids in the classroom took the fat kid to the infirmary, and some hurriedly brought towels and water buckets to clean the blood.

After half an hour, a petite girl slowly approached me. She flinched as I stared at her, but somehow approached me with shaky legs.

"U-Uhmmm... W-We said it was a... Fight between them"

I gazed back to through the window again. I could hear her hurried footsteps, running back to her friends. Inwardly happy that I shoved my frightened personality into the ground, I smiled.

But then, giving myself a moment to replay my previous actions, I frowned. An ominous feeling rose in my heart. Why was I so agitated? As if my feelings were... More targeted, it felt as if I was emotionally unbalanced.

No... Way.

Did my emotions also get a boost? This was bad, that meant I could easily get provoked... Damn! What the hell! How in the hell am I supposed to deal with that? This is bad... Really, really bad. If I don't control these sudden impulses to thrash a kid around just for mere words, things would get really bloody. I can't just beat up everyone, I could raise suspicion and I could get myself into some big trouble if the scouts find out. I should try to find a solution, and fast!

Another question rose in my heart. What other drawbacks did I suffer? How will I deal with them if I don't even know what these drawbacks are? I certainly did not know, I never even consider any in the first place. I had just deemed it was blessing after seeing my suffering... However, thinking about it once more, why would anyone give drawbacks if the guy already had a miserable life as a drawback? I thought of something I hadn't considered before... What's the real origin of my power?

I was at a complete loss. I was just but a measly orphan with no background, with a hidden secret I did not know... Was it that? Was the secret I was kept from the key to my answers? Yes, that might be it, what else can it be?

Right at that time, Iruka—my class teacher—entered the classroom. The students, along with me, stood up to greet him. With a nod, he started to take attendance, calling one by one. Naturally, I said my name. He looked slightly irritated by mentioning mine, something I was used to, but I felt a tinge of anger flair inside me. Squelching the sudden burst of emotion, I sat down.

"Haru Nakamura!"

Several children seemed to flinch mentioning his name, Iruka raised his brows.

"He... Got into a fight with his brother, Aiko, and is in the infirmary"

A girl finally found the courage to squeeze out the words from her mouth. Iruka sighed.

"Kids these days... Hah~, what a headache"