Another day of clear blue skies. A cool breeze wafts through the air while sunrays filter between the trees. Students flood out the school gates, immersed in typical weekend chatter. Like any other day, I make my way through the park.

  However, lately things have been a bit, well? Different…

  “Is that really him?”

  “Who? That guy? Never seen him before.”

  “Dude, have you been living under a rock? Have you not heard of Asrion?”

  “Who’s that? Some cartoon character?”

  My mouth twitches at the comment. Who does that guy think he is? You think I named myself? Unfortunately for you, I’m remembering that face of yours. If we ever meet again, you’ll definitely get sent home crying.

  But I mean, he does have a point. It wasn’t always like this. I used to be just an average, run-of-the-mill student—decent grades, but nothing special. But then one day, I decided to shake up dull routine a bit. And then what do you know? Success kind of just followed, and consequently, money and fame. You know, normal high school stuff.

  Okay, okay, who am I kidding? There’s no way your average guy would have this many people gawking at him. I’m not even doing anything special, just walking home like the rest of you!

  Look left, look right, heck, even in front of me. Every time, I’m met by the awestruck expressions of kids in uniform, frozen in place at the sight of me. Stop looking at me like I’m some sort of celebrity! Don’t you guys have places to be?

  What, are you guys expecting something? What should I do, pull a magic trick, do a little dance, drizzle some money in front of your faces? Just go home like the good kids you are!

  Amongst those staring at me, I can spot some familiar faces. Hmm, I can put a name to most of them, but I haven’t really interacted with them much, some people I sit near too as well. Wait… Aren’t those guys the ones who bullied me back then?

  Huh? Did they just flinch? All I did was look at them!

  If I were alone, I’d have burst out laughing by now. This whole situation is utterly hilarious. It’s so tempting to just start bragging right in their faces, but I wouldn’t have gotten this far if I indulged myself on every whim.

  I turn onto a quieter, more isolated street, passing by play areas and residential blocks until I reach a four-way intersection where I find myself waiting to cross.

  I let out a massive sigh—or would that count as a moan? Either way, some passers-by look at me, taken aback.

  Ugh, I’m so exhausted. If nothing comes up, I can look forward to a well-needed lazy weekend. A weekend of no work… Heh heh, how long I’ve waited for one-

  Ping

  The sound my phone snaps me back to reality. Who could be messaging me at this time?

  Pulling out my phone, I stare blankly at the message. A number I don’t recognise, with a rather outrageous request too. Have you ever heard of something called ‘courtesy’? Asking me to meet up without telling me who you are is the epitome of rudeness.

  I don’t have a solid idea of who it might be. If they had something important to say, they could’ve just texted me, right? Maybe the information is sensitive, or it’s some kind of surprise. Best-case scenario, it’s an admirer—preferably female. Worst-case...? Who would even try something like that? It’d be a pretty stupid idea. I may not be a genius, but it’s obvious that attempting to pull something like that would never work in your favour.

  Yeah, it’s decided. I might as well go. Curiosity wins, fatigue loses… for now at least.

  It shouldn’t take that long; the meeting place is only a few blocks away.

  After crossing the road, I take a different route than usual, weaving my way through buildings and houses for a few minutes.

  Passing through one last alley, I arrive at the designated spot—a small, tucked-away concrete square wedged between a few buildings. The air is thick with the scent of damp earth, and the absence of the wind makes for an unsettling silence. The perfect spot for some shady business; it checks all the boxes.

  Hmm, should I go back? They say first impressions are everything, and I’m not really feeling it right now. Well, turning back would be a hassle, having already gone through the effort of coming here and all. Though maybe that’s just the sunk cost fallacy speaking on my behalf.

  Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

  They’re not even here yet, but after coming all this way, I don’t mind waiting for a while. Should I send them a text? Wait, did I even reply to their message in the first place? They might not show up at all.

  About ten minutes pass, and I’m on the verge of submitting to boredom. It’s been long enough, so I guess it’s time to go. It’s annoying to have wasted time, but in the end, my own dumb curiosity is to blame, so I don’t have any right to complain.

  Just as I’m about to leave, footsteps echo from around the corner.

  Finally! Took you long enough! I wonder who it is-

  Wait a second… aren’t there too many footsteps?

  Multiple guys turn the corner, one after another. None of them are particularly bulky, but they’re not horribly built either. They move with a confidence that sends a chill down my spine.

  An ambush, isn’t it? Well, not really, since I came here voluntarily, fully aware that this was a possible outcome. But come on! Who could’ve expected this?

  The flow of people stops. Five guys in total line up in front of me, blocking my only escape route. They’re lined up so perfectly, I half-expected them to break into a dance routine.

  One steps forward, presumably the leader, though he’s the smallest of the bunch.

  “Well, well, look who actually showed up” he says. “I really don’t understand the buzz about you.”

  You’re not alone there, buddy.

  “I mean.” He continues. “Even an idiot would suspect something was off. But it seems like your arrogant ass can’t even manage that.”

  Actually, I did kind of see this coming, so I won’t be counting this as a loss on my end. Arrogant though? Feels like he’s just throwing around words.

  I do understand that I’m in a rather perilous situation, but there’s just one question nagging at me that I just have to ask.

  “Uhm, who are you meant to be again?”

  The little man’s temper flares, his face twisting into a variety of indescribable shapes.

  It was just an honest question; chill out man!

  “See what I mean!” He shouts. “So fucking arrogant! People like you make me sick!!”

  Shortly after saying this, his face unexpectedly breaks into a spine-tingling grin. Without the need for any words, the gravity of the situation finally dawns on me.

  A familiar sensation creeps throughout my body. Cold sweat. I used to feel it when on the verge of missing deadlines, but who knew I’d feel it now?

  What can I do against five people? I’m cornered, walls flanking me and on either side. I’m effectively trapped like a rat. There’s no way I’m escaping this, let alone getting past the cordon in front of me.

  “Keeping quiet, huh? Where’s that shitty bravado of yours now?” He bursts out laughing, his crew joins in, their chuckles grating on my nerves. Despite ensuring that my composure doesn’t leak, I guess that subtle change in behaviour revealed a lot.

  Now’s not the time to think of a dry comeback. I need a plan, and fast. I may have taken some martial arts lessons, but against multiple opponents, it’s almost pointless.

  Crap, one of the guys is charging at me. What should I do—what should I do?

  I’m not given any time to decide as the first guy closes in, his footsteps pounding against the cracked pavement. I brace myself, my moist fists clenched.

  He’s coming in fast, but that’s about it. All style, no substance. If this is the level they’re at, maybe I have a shot. I just control the fight, one opponent at a time.

  I take a deep breath and settle into a boxing-like stance. I’ve got no idea what would be effective for a street fight, but I have no better ideas.

  He’s leading with a horrendously balanced punch—it’s telegraphed from a mile away. Should I just kick him?

  I launch a front kick straight to his groin. Why do people in stories avoid this? It’s brutally effective, like a guaranteed critical hit. The guy drops like a stone, writhing on the ground. His friends freeze, and even the little leader’s jaw drops.

  Should I finish him off? He could get back up… or would that be overkill?

  Eh, screw it. After stamping down on his head, he stops moving. There’s no blood, so he’s probably not dead.

  It’s fine, I’ll just claim it was self-defence, or just straight-up lie. Yeah, the latter would be the safest bet in court.

  The remaining four look visibly shaken, especially as I start moving towards them.

  I think I kind of get what the short lad was going on about. Those expressions are really feeding my ego. I switched up so fast it’s actually kind of scary.

  “Who’s next? Just line up right here, single file!” I taunt.

  Shit, I’m still outnumbered. Again, maybe they were onto something about my ego.

  Two of them finally step forward, more cautiously this time. The guy on the left winds up for a punch but ends up throwing it too early. I step in close, grab his shoulders and drive my knee into his diaphragm. He crumples to the ground, gasping for air.

  Before I can react, the other grabs me from behind, trying to wrestle me down.

  Seriously? I’m bigger than you, genius. Ever heard of weight classes?

  He grunts as I stamp on his foot, causing him to loosen his grip. I turn around and catch him with a backhand to the jaw. He joins his friend on the ground.

  Finally, the last guy left starts coming at me...

  Wait—what? Last guy? Where did that leader go?

  I glance around, and spot him trying to sneak away. What a cheeky little bastard.

  “Hey! You know your buddy is ditching you, right?” I signal to the last guy.

  He glances over his shoulder, like the idiot he is. I nail him with a swift kick between the legs and slam him into the pavement.

  Now I’m alone, surrounded by four incapacitated idiots.

  Perfect, just what I need—a pile of bodies around me. I need to catch that little coward before he causes more trouble.

  Was this even a fight? Felt more like a rehearsal. If they’d rushed me all at once, I’d have been screwed. But no—they came at me one by one, like some sort of wave defence game.

  Just I start in the direction the leader ran, a sudden wave of nausea crashes into me.

  Wait, is it even nausea? My vision blurs, though I don’t feel sick. Did someone hit me?

  Frantically, I whip my head around but see nothing through the haze, just the bodies. Do my other senses even work? I bite my tongue—yep, definitely felt that. So, what the hell is going on?

  I continue to squirm about, searching for the cause as I fail to notice my consciousness slowly slip away.