Slowly raising himself up, the burly man glared at Keres with aversion and resentment. He was simply caught off guard, it's not as if that little runt could take him in a fight.
"Not satisfied, huh? Alright, come on." Keres beckoned him forward and in the next moment, a banana came flying in the teenager's direction.
Keres swiftly reached forward, seizing it with ease.
"...?" Furrowing his brows, his face formed a puzzled look.
"Watch out!" Ina's voice rang out from behind him. She was about to step in, but Beatrice placed one hand on her shoulder.
"Wait." The bodyguard said.
When Keres sensed the man's right fist hurtling towards his face, he dodged, slightly tilting his head to the right.
The man groaned, he tried punching with his left but his fist once again failed to reach the boy. The burly man soon exploded with pent up fury.
"Are you only good at running away, you retard?"
"Huh? What are you on about? I haven't taken a single step from this spot" Keres replied with a subtle provocation.
The man shot forward, swinging his arms one after the other. But Keres evaded the whole barrage without breaking a sweat.
"Huff... huff... huff" The burly man soon slowed down and began breathing heavily. He had realized his opponent was willfully toying with him but his pride wouldn't let him accept it.
"It's harder not to dodge when you're only swinging at my face. Try aiming at something else, dumbass." The teenage boy taunted.
Scorn and hatred dueled in the man's eyes. He reached his massive arms forward, aiming to teach the fucking runt a lesson with his superior strength.
Keres anticipated this and took a swift backward leap, narrowly escaping his opponent's reach.
The burly man slanted forward, losing balance. And Keres' left back arm swung at him like a battering ram.
"Arrrgghhhh" The burly man released a thunderous roar. Raising his arms, he set up a guard but—
WHACK!
A cracking noise echoed and the man was flung away, crashing into the floor.
Though it appeared as if strength played the only pivotal role, that couldn't be farther from the truth. Keres had used a last-second shift in footwork to sweep the man off his feet before delivering the final blow.
It was at this point the burly man realized he could not win. He clutched his throbbing arm, his face contorting in agony. The radiuses of both arms had cracked upon blocking the strike, rendering him powerless.
"Shit" He cussed, agitatedly slamming his fist against the brick wall to his side. Upon an attempt to raise himself up, he sank to his knees.
It wasn't supposed to go this way. As someone who always carefully selected his opponents, he had only ever known victory.
As long as they weren't chakra users, forcing them to submit always came easy for him. And so, he couldn't accept it. What do you mean he failed to land a single hit on a mere middle school runt?— He chewed on his lower lip.
"Are you satisfied now or do I have to beat you half to death before you realize how merciful I'm being with you?" Keres' chilling voice pierced his eardrums. And in the next moment, the man swallowed his saliva.
At this point, his pride no longer mattered, surviving was much more important than the foolish ego that got him into this situation.
"P-p... please, sp-spare me!" The man pleaded, pinning his head against the ground in defeat.
"Good, raise your head." Keres said. Next, he dropped into a squat, grabbing the frightened man by his hair.
"I don't care if you intend to keep on living as scum after this but should that be the case, see to it that we never cross paths, ever again. Do you understand me?" Keres asked, the tranquility of his voice tormenting. The man immediately responded with an instinctive nod.
"Now get lost before I change my mind!" The teenager spat, and following his words, the burly man stood up and began walking away.
His head and shoulders hung low, weighed down by the heavy burden of shame. The world around him blurred as he disappeared into the distance, dejected and defeated.
Upon deactivating his ability, Keres adjusted his rumpled shirt, walking back to the spot where he was assaulted earlier on. Ignoring the princess and her bodyguard, he lifted his bag from the floor.
Beatrice studied his every movement. She couldn't shake off the feeling that he only acted after sensing her presence earlier but that shouldn't have been possible.
"Kid, if I may ask, why did you let them get away?"
Keres stopped and thought about it. As many convenient excuses as there were, the unfortunate truth was that he sensed a part of himself within them.
"Beats me." He replied, shrugging his shoulders.
"Whatever the reason may be, don't get beat up like that when you're capable of easily handling your opponent."
"I'm sure the world would be a much better place if I took the advice of every strange old lady I ever came across." He said, stirring a groan from the bodyguard.
"You brat..." She gritted her teeth, clenching her fists.
"Pffft" Ina let out a radiant giggle but Keres paid it no attention.
His mind was entirely focused on getting away from her. But the teenage boy soon flinched as she called out to him from behind.
"Keres," her tone was gentle and bore no ill intent but Keres intuitively raised his guard, glancing over his shoulder, at the direction of her voice.
"How are your injuries?" She asked and he promptly responded, averting his gaze.
"Nothing serious. A little bit of aspirin and I'm good."
"Your bruises may be fine but the cut on your neck could get infected. I also worry for your vision, seeing as your eye is also bleeding." She said and Keres' jaw clenched. It was then, he became conscious of the blood, cascading down his right cheek.
There certainly was no injury there a moment ago. He couldn't tell what it was but she must have done something to him.
It was now clear that his near-death experience was undoubtedly her doing.
As she proceeded towards him, he trembled slightly. A squealing premonition rang in his ears; he had to get out of there.
"My abilities might be a bit lacking but I could heal your injuries if it's fine with you." She said with her fingers reaching forward. When Keres felt the warmth of her hand approach him, his lips sprung open.
"Don't." He spat and she pulled back at the sound of his unwelcoming voice.
"But... your injuries could worsen if left unattended..."
"Whatever happens to me is none of your business" He replied bluntly and advanced forward.
His bruised face beamed under the feeble sunlight as he glanced at his wallet, now covered with dirt.
Keres' response was impertinent no matter how anyone else looked at it. Most especially Beatrice, who was enraged by his words. In an instant—
She suddenly emerged in his front, aiming her glistening darts against his neck, perhaps to spook him— and it worked. Keres, who was caught off guard, shrunk, retreating a step backward.
"Who do you think you're talking to, brat?" Beatrice said and her eyes bore through the teenage boy with a murderous glare. Clearly, she couldn't bear the level of insolence he exuded towards the Princess.
However, despite his attitude towards her, Ina remained composed.
"Beatrice, It's fine." She said.
"Can I at least offer you a tissue to wipe off the blood?" She added, aiming her inquiry at Keres and he promptly averted his gaze before responding.
"I'll pass."
"Alright then, see you at school. Please look after yourself, okay?" Ina said, forcing a smile. In the end, she failed to hide the subtle sadness in her voice as she escaped the alley's narrowness.
"Haaa, let's go, Beatrice." She added, releasing a soft breath.
Even after Ina's exit, Beatrice waited behind. When she confirmed the Princess wasn't looking, she whispered a few words into Keres' ear and then, also took her leave.
"Damn it!" Cold sweat trickled down the teenager's back. When scenes from the morning's incident began playing in his mind, he slammed his fist against the wall. And in the next moment, he began running.
'I didn't do anything wrong!'
Slowly speeding up, then as fast as he could, he felt the wind's resistance push back as he reached an incredible speed, moving from one street to the next.
When he caught the gazes of numerous passers-by, frustration only clawed deeper into his skin.
"Damn it!" He groaned.
It should be normal that the strong acted as they pleased, yet, the cold wind skinned him alive, condemning his weak and miserable existence. Then, Beatrice's words began playing in his mind.
"Listen to me carefully..."
"Let this be the first and last time you ever make her sad. And please don't get the wrong idea—"
"I haven't forgiven you for this time just yet so it doesn't matter where you choose to run to or hide..."
"I will definitely find you and make you pay"
—
"Damn it!"
Memories from every one of his experiences today began filling his mind at lightning speed. Everything; from Lizzie and Mina's conversation during breakfast, the boys and girls gossiping leisurely at school this morning, down to his encounters with Ina.
After a while, he found it difficult to breathe. Sweat drops falling on his eyes spread out like paint and blurred his vision. Even the supposedly happy memories with Milan surfaced and tormented him.
As he progressed further, his body became heavier. Eventually, his running speed slowed down and his heart began beating with an unusual rhythm.
In the end, all his misfortunes came down to his lack of power. Right, if only his useless chakra panel could somehow start doing its job, he wouldn't have to go through any of this.
When entangled feelings of worthlessness, self hatred and longingness crept in, Keres stopped and stood still. As he stood there in a trance, the sensation of acceptance began to seep in.
It was time to wake up to reality. The damaged components in his chakra panel couldn't be replaced, and as long as this fact remained, his situation was entirely hopeless.
His lips formed a bitter smile as the unpleasant sensations flowed from his heart to the knuckles of his fist.
"Damn it all!"
He thrust it forward, knocking over the waste bin that stood in his way. Its contents spilled out, polluting the air and floor.
Cold breeze washed over him and after a relaxing breath, his rage began to wear off, eventually dispersing like subtle smoke.
Next, the rumble of an approaching city bus rang into his ears. He brought out the 10 rel bill he slipped from his wallet earlier, and he stepped aboard, leaving behind the scene of his momentary outburst.
***