The heat inside the coffee shop continued to rise, with the people watching as the ice in their drink started to completely melt; their warm coffee once again boiling.
Surprisingly enough, none of them started to leave—their attention was now all on the source of this scalding heat.
The people are used to this, with the Supers using their abilities without a care in the world. Most of them would probably run, but getting the chance to see the arrogant students of Mega Academy get what's coming for them?
A little burn here and there was worth it. After all, they were staining the reputation of the school's matriarch.
Mega Academy was built to honor Megawoman, a symbol of hope and integrity. Its purpose was to nurture young Supers, teaching them to wield their powers responsibly for the good of all. But over time, as the number of Supers grew, so did their arrogance. The once-proud academy had earned a reputation for producing elites who seemed to think they were above everyone else.
Truly, a shame.
"D… don't you know who we are!?" The boy with the stone fist barked, stepping forward despite the growing heat. His voice wavered, but he tried to sound tough. "We're students of Mega Academy!"
"That's so fucking cliché," Hannah sneered, her tone dripping with disdain. She flexed her fingers, and with a flick of her wrist, both fists ignited into roaring flames. "And that's three seconds."
The student's bravado faltered, but it was too late. Hannah's flaming hand shot out, grabbing his stone-covered fist.
"Grah!" The boy screamed in pain as the heat seeped through his stone skin—the wrong response, as Hannah's other burning fist was already on its way to his head.
"Hannah."
Fortunately for the young student, before her fist could make contact, Riley stepped between them, his calm presence halting her entirely.
Her flames extinguished immediately, her hand jerking back as she glared at him. "What the fuck are you doing!? I almost hit you!"
"No. I know you would never hurt me, Hannah," Riley replied, his monotone voice steady as he looked up at her. "But we should leave. Adoptive Mother and Father told us not to attract attention."
"That's because they're stupid," Hannah hissed, her frustration leaking out in heated bursts. She glanced around the shop, noticing the phones pointed at them. "You attract attention just by existing."
"Then would it be better for you if I didn't exist, Hannah?" Riley tilted his head.
"What the fuck kind of question is that?" Hannah snapped, her glare shifting to the group of students. "If anything, they're the ones who shouldn't exist. These fuckers strut around in Mega Academy uniforms and act like they're untouchable. Why don't you try picking on someone your own size, huh? Huh!?"
She squared her shoulders and took a step forward, but the students were already backing away.
"Erik, there are cameras! We should go!"
"Tch… this isn't over!" Erik, the boy with the stone fist, spat out the words as he stumbled toward the door with the rest of the group in tow.
"So cliché," Hannah muttered, rolling her eyes. She glanced at Riley and held out her hands. "Anyway, I got you some milk and—"
She froze, realizing her hands that were supposed to be holding their drinks were now empty.
"Fuck!" She stomped her foot, clutching her hair in frustration. "Look at what they made me do!"
Hannah let out a string of curses, then sighed heavily. "Come on, we should just go. Shit, I'm gonna be late for the entrance exam because of those idiots!"
Before Riley could respond, she grabbed his hand and pulled him along, the two of them rushing out of the coffee shop.
Unfortunately, their escape was halted at a busy crosswalk, where they had to wait for the light to turn green. The students were there too, trying their best to avoid eye contact with Hannah and Riley.
"Fucking cowards," Hannah muttered under her breath, squeezing Riley's hand tighter. "You know, Riley, once I get into the academy, I'll teach those pricks a lesson—especially that stone-fisted asshole. Just wait until I put that thing up his ass. It'd be better if he just dropped dead."
"Would it, Hannah?" Riley asked, tilting his head as he met her gaze. "Would you feel better if he died?"
"Fuck yeah, I'd feel better," Hannah scoffed. "Those idiots use their powers to bully powerless normies like you. Screw them. Screw the so-called heroes too. They're all the same. The only one who's awesome is Megawoman, and she's retired. Fuck."
Just in a single light, everyone waiting on the side of the road knew what Hannah felt because of her loud voice. And of course, the students heard it too.
"S… shit, Erik. Did you hear that? She's going to Mega Academy too," one of them whispered nervously.
"Shh! Ignore them!" Erik hissed, glancing at the crossing signal. "Why is this light taking so long!? Let's just go!"
"Wait, Erik! A truck!"
The warning came too late.
Everyone's eyes turned wide as Erik suddenly ran across the crossing without waiting for the light.
And then, their eyes turned even wider as they saw a truck barrel toward him, its horn blaring in desperation.
But at the last second, Erik narrowly dodged it, stumbling to the other side with a breathless, disbelieving chuckle.
"Did… did all of you see that!?" Erik called out, grinning and pointing back at his friends. "That shit almost hit—"
"Erik!?"
And before Erik could finish his words, the crowd's eyes once again turned wide… massive steel beam plummeted from above… and hit him head-on.
The impact was horrifyingly final, reducing his body to a mess of pulp and broken bones in an instant. Blood sprayed outward in a gruesome arc, painting the crowd—and Riley—in a sickening crimson.
"Fuck!" Hannah screamed, stepping in front of Riley and pulling him into her arms. "Don't look! Don't look!" she yelled, her voice trembling as she shielded him from the grisly scene. Her eyes darted upward, scanning the sky for the source of the attack.
And there they were—floating figures silhouetted against the light.
"Villains, seriously!? This close to the Academy!?" Hannah growled through gritted teeth. She didn't waste another second, grabbing Riley's wrist and dragging him into a sprint.
"We need to get to the school, Riley! And don't look at the body—shit!"
But Riley had already seen it.
As they passed by the mangled corpse, his eyes remained locked on Erik's ruined remains, his gaze unblinking.
This was the first time he had ever seen a dead body other than his biological mother. So, why?
Why can I not take my eyes away from it? What is this… warm feeling that is crawling inside my stomach?
"Do you feel happy now, Hannah?" Riley asked while they ran, "Now that male student is dead?"
"What the fuck are you even talking about!? Run! Just fucking run!"
"Huh…"
I have asked what love is from Adoptive Mother before, and she told me that it was like millions of butterflies flying inside your stomach—the way I am feeling right now, I believe it resembles that.
So does that mean that this is love?
Riley continued to stare back at the corpse, and very soon, a small smile started to crawl on his face. He stared at Erik's eyes which popped out from its sockets.
The very first time I am looking at someone else's eyes other than Hannah's.
He tilted his head to the side, and soon, his view of the corpse started being blocked by the legs and feet of all the people running and screaming from the chaos.
But I don't want this feeling to end. This feeling of… love?
His breaths started to turn heavier.
I need something to remind me of this feeling, something.
Something from him.
Riley reached out toward the disappearing corpse, his pale hand trembling as if drawn by some unseen force.
And very, very soon, the mangled remains on the ground—the head, or what was left of it—started to shift.
It twitched.
It shook.
And then, with a faint but audible snap, something launched itself from the wreckage.
"F… fuck!"
The bystanders near the corpse screamed in panic as something small shot through the air, grazing past their legs. It didn't just scrape them—it pierced, cutting through flesh without effort, leaving several stumbling and clutching at fresh, bleeding wounds.
As for the object? It flew straight to Riley's outstretched hand, landing with a faint, wet smack in his palm.
Hm?
Riley blinked, staring at the warmth now nestled against his skin. He glanced briefly at Hannah, but she was too preoccupied with dragging him away to notice. So, he lowered his gaze back to his hand—and saw it.
A tooth?
Jagged and broken, with a chunk of gum still clinging to its base. Blood dripped from both the ruined tissue and the gouge it left in Riley's palm.
Disgusting.
That was his first thought. He was about to drop it to the ground when something stopped him.
Another… feeling.
The longer he stared at the tooth, the more he felt it—a strange warmth blooming in his chest, spreading through his entire body.
…Happiness?
Why would I feel happy holding a tooth embedded in my palm?
He tilted his head, his expression as blank as ever, yet his mind raced with questions. The blood seeped slowly between his fingers, staining his skin, but he didn't care. Instead, he smiled—a small, widening smile that seemed to curl unnaturally at the edges of his unnaturally wide lips.
And then, almost instinctively, he slipped the tooth into his pocket.
By the time Riley realized what he'd done, Hannah had already dragged him to a quieter part of the city. She finally stopped running, releasing his wrist as she gasped for breath.
"What the fuck… are we safe now?" she muttered, scanning the skies for any signs of danger.
"Hannah."
"What? What!?" She spun toward him, her voice sharp with panic. Her eyes darted to his bloodied hand, widening in alarm. "Are you okay? Did something hit you!? What the fuck is this—why is your hand bleeding!?"
"Oh…" Riley blinked, as if just remembering. He raised his palm and stared at the smeared blood before turning to meet her frantic gaze.
"...I might have awakened my powers, Hannah."
"Huh? What the fuck are you even talking about?"