“BOOM!!”
A thunderbolt tore through the sky.
Ryuuji flinched.
The boy clutched his ears, eyes tightly shut.
The room trembled lightly. For a second, everything went silent—then the sky broke open with a heavy downpour, like someone had turned on the shower up in the clouds.
No dark clouds.
No warning signs.
Just one bolt of lightning.
And then… came the tears.
“RYUUJI!!”
A voice called out, echoing down the hallway. His mother.
“Come here! There’s something I need to tell you!”
This time, her voice grew sharper—sharp enough to silence even the thunder.
Ryuuji opened his eyes.
He forgot all about the lightning.
Forgot how scared he just was.
Creak…
The door opened.
He stepped out barefoot, his feet touching the cold floor.
The lightbulb above swayed gently with the wind.
The house was so big, even the sound of rain echoed like a whisper.
His mother stood at the bottom of the stairs.
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Ryuuji walked down.
One step. Two steps…
POP!!
A soft bang.
He froze.
“…Fireworks?”
Colored paper fluttered through the air.
Falling all over the stairs. Landing on his head.
White ribbons. Red. Yellow.
Ryuuji stood stunned.
He didn’t get it.
All week, he’d been stuck at home.
No festivals. No parties.
So what was this?
It wasn’t even his birthday.
It was only July. His birthday wasn’t for another two months.
“The exam results… Right! The test from two weeks ago! Maybe they posted them early?”
That had to be it.
Maybe the family was celebrating him.
He remembered asking his mom while doodling mindlessly at the kitchen table:
“Did I pass, Mom?”
“Barely. 78 points—just enough, kiddo.”
Her voice then—it had that laugh-suppressing tone. Not mocking, but… relieved. Like: Finally, this little rascal pulled through.
He’d applied to a prestigious high school—not because he had any big dreams.
Honestly, if he could, he’d rather stay in bed forever until he just… faded away.
But when she said that—Ryuuji had smiled. That cocky, proud kind of smile that makes you cringe when you catch yourself in a mirror.
He chose that school because his family was a minor branch of royalty.
No one forced him.
His parents never pressured him with words.
But somewhere in his heart, Ryuuji understood.
If he went to a regular school, people would talk.
If he ranked low, his parents would face a choice: clean it up… or pretend they didn’t see.
And he didn’t want to make them choose.
That was Ryuuji.
A normal kid, kind of dumb, lived simply—
But with a quiet heart that always, somehow, thought of others.
It became a party full of laughter.
Everyone told stories—Ryuuji sleeping in class, retaking tests because he wrote his name wrong.
Small things.
But somehow, they filled the house with warm, roaring laughter.
He saw his mother smile. His father. His relatives—
The ones who always believed in him.
And in that moment, Ryuuji smiled too.
…Except, the smile didn’t fully feel like his.
After the party, Ryuuji left the house.
No destination. Just ran.
Through alleyways. Turned left, then right.
Past the bushes he used to hide in when skipping school.
But strangely—despite doing the thing everyone expected—he didn’t feel as happy as he thought he would.
“Am I smiling… just because they are?”
“Was this future really my choice?”
Screech—
Tires suddenly skidded on the cobbled street.
A black luxury car stopped right in front of Ryuuji.
A man stepped out. Suit clean. Hair slicked back. Eyes sharp behind thin glasses.
Probably a butler—Ryuuji guessed.
The man said nothing at first. Then, he held out a hand:
“Kid, can you stand?”
Ryuuji took it.
Got pulled up with ease.
He blinked.
The man looked him over, hesitated, then nodded.
“Looks like everything’s in place. Sorry for startling you.”
He turned and got back in the car.
The door shut gently.
The car rolled away.
Disappearing behind Ryuuji like a dream.
He stood there.
Heart still pounding.
“Who… was that guy?”
