"Duh, Oi, Micchiikooo, check this out! I'm totally gonna blast this firestone at the balloons over there.....like, boom! It's gonna explode, and everyone's gonna lose their minds, screaming and running around like idiots. And then I'll roll in all cool, like, 'Chill out, losers, I'm here to save you!' Hahaha! It's gonna be soooo awesome, like, the best thing ever. Trust me, this is genius-level stuff!." He delivered the line with a forced, awkward laugh, as if he couldn't quite believe his own brilliance.

"Hahaha haha!, What a genius-level, Harrruukkiot...you are genius..." She chuckled with a pause, her expression shifting to one of mild disapproval. "Yeah, then I'd mess with your perks... and boom! You'd be totally lost, like a deer in headlights. Honestly, this whole plan sounds like a trainwreck waiting to happen. But hey, if you're cool with that, sure. Knock yourself out. Just don't come crying when everything falls apart."

Michiko snatched the sling from Haruki's hands and grinned, eyes twinkling with mischief, as she leaped easily from rooftop to rooftop. "Hehe, plan fails," she said, laughing. "Now, what are you going to do, Mr. Genius-level?"

Haruki shouted, his white hairs whipping through the air as he pursued her. "Oi, Michiko, give it back! If you don't, I will make you regret this with a long, force kiss!"

"Hahaha, try to stop me, Mr. Genius-level!" she taunted from a distance, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "What's next? Gonna throw a tantrum and call yourself a genius while you fail miserably? Seriously, you couldn't even hit a balloon if it was tied to your face!"

She raised her eyes, mischievous smile crooked on her face. "Perhaps I ought to start a fan club for you—"she chuckled—"Haruki, the Master of Epic Failures." What a pity your brain isn't as quick as your tongue is!

She laughed out loud at that, and, oh dear, she was having such a ball teasing him.

Haruki couldn't keep up with her velocity, his legs barely keeping the capacity to run while she leapt so naturally from rooftop to rooftop. "Michiko, stop! You brat!" he yelled, getting frustrated. "You think you're some sort of queen now, able to parkour around? Ugh, I'm going to send you tumbling and regret this one right now.

He gritted his teeth, still trying to catch up. His voice cracked as he said, "If you don't stop, I'm gonna start calling you 'Princess of Pain in the Neck' from now on! And no one wants that, trust me!

Turning back from afar, her voice rang with defiant carefreedom: "Who cares?" she shouted out, a playful smile spread across her face. "You can't catch me anyway, Haruki!"

But just as Michiko's laughter echoed in the distance, Haruki's luck ran out. His foot slipped on the edge of the roof, and with a yelp. "Buhh-uaaa-uaaa." He plummeted straight into a stack of crates below. The crates, packed with delicate festival decorations, shattered upon impact, sending ribbons, lanterns, and streamers scattering across the ground in a chaotic explosion of color.

The decorators, who had been setting up for the festival, whipped around in shock, their faces flushing red with anger. One of them stormed over, hands on hips. "Are you kidding me?" they snapped. "Do you have any idea how much that stuff cost? You better start apologizing, you clumsy idiot!"

Haruki groaned, gazing up at the mess he'd just caused. "This is. just great.", he muttered to himself, his embarrassment and frustration mingling in his mind.

From afar, Michiko stopped mid-lunge, letting out a sharp glance over her shoulder. Haruki stopped chasing her. She waited for a moment, letting go of her mischievous grin and pouting her eyebrows in puzzlement.

"....Huh?" She turned completely, casting down at him below. At first, nothing seemed to penetrate her skull, but the sight of him sprawled across broken crates and decorating festival decorations somehow managed to hit her.

A slow, almost apologetic chuckle spilled from her lips as she realized what she had done. "Oh … that's gonna hurt," she muttered to herself, but she couldn't help the snicker that followed. "Well. guess the genius-level hero just got grounded."

Michiko's eyes scanned the chaotic scene below, her glance darting between the scattered decorations and the angry crowd of decorators. She was looking for any sign of Haruki, but the mess was so overwhelming and the people so frantic that he seemed to have disappeared into the chaos.

"Great," she muttered, hopping down from the rooftop to the street below, her footsteps light and quick. She weaved through the crates, the ribbons, and lanterns, trying to find him, but he was nowhere in sight.

"Haruki?" she called out, her voice tinged with both concern and amusement. "Come on, don't tell me you've really vanished, you drama queen!"

But no answer came. All she heard was the disgruntled chattering of the decorators and the muffled sounds around her of festival preparations continuing. Michiko sighed, now seriously interested and a little worried. Where the heck did he go?

Meanwhile, Haruki, bruised and disoriented from his fall, stumbled into a narrow alley, trying to collect himself. His head spun, but before he could regain his bearings, a group of older boys emerged from the shadows. They sneered at him, clearly spoiling for a fight.

"Well, well, look who decided to show up," one of them sneered, cracking his knuckles. "Thought you could pull off some 'genius-level' stunt, huh?"

Haruki's chest tightened. He wasn't about to let these punks walk all over him. "What? How do you know that?" he spat, trying to stand tall despite his sore body.

"Who was that girl," the leader grinned, stepping forward. "Who called you genius-level, huh? Let's see how tough you really are."

Unknown to Haruki and Michiko, the group of bullies had been lurking on the rooftop of a nearby building, listening in on their conversation. They crouched low, barely visible from the edge of the roof, snickering to themselves as they overheard Haruki's cringeworthy boasting.

One of the bullies nudged the leader and whispered, "Did you hear that? This guy thinks he's some kind of genius!

The leader smirked, his eyes gleaming with malice. "Yeah, let's give him a little 'reality check.'"

They stood there and watched as Haruki and Michiko played out their little chase across the rooftops, laughing and teasing each other. But when Haruki slipped and fell, and then Michiko darted off, the bullies knew they'd gotten the perfect opportunity.

"Let's make sure this 'genius' learns his place," the leader said, already plotting the moment Haruki would find himself alone.

They waited patiently until Haruki was far enough from Michiko and wandered into the alley, where they jumped him. Hidden from sight, they didn't miss the chance to deliver their beatdown, laughing at how easy it was to take down the so-called "genius" when he was alone and helpless.

As the bullies continued to kick and punch Haruki, their blows landed with sickening thuds, each strike driving him further to the ground. Haruki gasped for air, his vision blurring, the taste of blood filling his mouth. One of the boys shoved his knee into Haruki's chest, pinning him to the ground as they took turns landing brutal punches to his face and ribs. Haruki barely had the strength to lift his arms to defend himself, each hit leaving him dazed and weaker.

"Not so tough now, huh, genius?" one of them taunted, his fist crashing into Haruki's jaw with a sickening crack.

Just as Haruki's vision started to fade and the pain became overwhelming, a sharp kick slammed into one of the bullies' faces, sending him flying backward.

Auuuuh!" roared the bully, his head jerking back. Blood started spouting from his nose as he crumpled to the ground.

Michiko stood there, her foot still outstretched after that devastating kick. Her eyes blazed with fury as she glared at the group of boys. "Do you think you can just pummel him down like that?" she growled. "Not on my watch."

Michiko acted with lightning speed before any of the bullies could react. She spun around to land a good roundhouse kick deep in the gut of the boy who had been holding Haruki down. That impact sent him stumbling back, gasping for air as the wind was blown out of his body.

His instant charge to her, and Michiko sidestepped the blow, grabbing him by the collar and slamming her knee into his stomach with all her might. He doubled over and gasped for air, but Michiko wasn't through yet. Immediately after that, she delivered a devastating punch to his face, sending him tumbling onto the ground, his head smashing to the pavement with a sickening thud.

One of the remaining bullies attempted to charge at her, but Michiko dropped him with a swift, precise elbow to his temple. The last bully, realizing he was no match for her, hesitated for a moment before running off, his comrades already retreating in defeat.

Haruki, still reeling from the fight but with a sudden surge of energy, managed to push himself up to his feet. His movements were shaky, but there was a dangerous gleam in his eyes as he approached Michiko. Without warning, he grabbed her arm, locking it in his grip and forcefully pushed her against the wall.