The cold wind brushed against Haru's face as he walked home alone.
The streets were quiet.
It was late.
He had just finished cleaning the classroom with Jinho and refused the offer to grab snacks together. Jinho had smiled and said, "Next time, then."
Haru wanted to be alone.
But something didn't feel right.
REI's voice spoke in his mind.
> "Warning. Multiple heat signatures detected. They are following you."
Haru narrowed his eyes.
"Where?"
> "Two behind. One above. One more waiting ahead."
He stopped walking.
Then, he turned and entered a narrow alley beside a small bakery.
Trash bags. Broken crates. A flickering streetlamp.
It was quiet again.
Too quiet.
"Come out," Haru said.
Four boys stepped out from the shadows.
They wore jackets with red boxing gloves printed on the back.
One of them smiled. He had a scar on his cheek and bandages around both hands.
"I told them you'd take the bait," the leader said.
He cracked his knuckles.
"You made a fool out of our club. My boys are still eating through straws."
Haru stood still. Calm.
"I didn't start that fight," he said.
The leader laughed. "Doesn't matter. You ended it."
"Let's teach this pretty boy what pain feels like."
The four rushed forward at the same time.
Haru moved fast—he dodged one punch, blocked another. He copied a leg sweep he saw earlier and knocked one boy down.
But then—REI's voice rang loudly in his head.
> "Warning. System interference. Disabling now—"
The voice stopped.
Gone.
REI disappeared.
"What…?" Haru blinked.
His head hurt. His body slowed down.
One of the boys grabbed his collar and slammed him into the wall.
Another kicked him in the ribs. Pain shot through his side.
"You thought you were special, huh?!"
Punch after punch landed on him.
Blood ran down his lips.
His vision blurred.
The world turned red.
Then…
It changed.
His eyes turned blue.
Bright, glowing, sharp like ice.
He grabbed the fist in front of him.
Crack.
The boy screamed.
Haru didn't speak.
He moved like a machine.
Precise.
Cold.
Unstoppable.
He grabbed the next attacker, twisted his arm, and threw him into the wall.
The last two tried to run.
Too late.
He appeared behind them, kicked one in the back of the head, spun, and elbowed the other in the chest.
The alley was silent again.
Four boys lay on the ground, groaning.
Haru stood in the middle, breathing slowly.
The blue light in his eyes faded.
He blinked.
Looked at his hands.
"What… just happened?"
No REI.
No memory.
Just silence.
He heard a quiet click—someone had taken a picture from the rooftop above.
A pair of eyes watched him from the shadows.
---
Far away, in a dark gym, a man with a cigarette stared at the photo on his phone.
A smirk grew on his face.
"The blue-eyed monster is real, huh?"
He tossed the phone on the table.
Around him, posters of street fighting champions and trophies decorated the walls.
He lit another cigarette.
"It's time the King of the East pays a visit."