The next morning, Hazuki woke up with a splitting headache, groaning as he slowly sat up from the pile of hay in the stable.
His head pounded like a drum, his throat dry as sandpaper. Damn… hangovers suck.
As his blurry vision cleared, he saw Zaben, Ahlem, and the others standing in front of him, smirking.
"Heh, some so-called 'soon-to-be legendary hero'..." Zaben chuckled.
"Oh, shut up…" Hazuki held his head, wincing. "Damn, your voices are ringing in my skull."
Zaben crossed his arms. "Yo, Crazy Guy. We're heading back to our hometown after this. Just wanted to see you one last time."
Hazuki blinked. "Oh? Can I come?"
Zaben snorted. "No can do, Crazy Guy. Our uncle's the one with the carriage, and we're all following him."
"Ugh, fine…"
Still groggy, Hazuki pushed himself up, stretching his stiff limbs.
Without warning, Zaben and the others stepped in and pulled him into a firm hug—well, more like a rough, manly shoulder hug.
For a moment, Hazuki froze.
"Hey! What's with this 'tearful farewell' hug?! Damn, man! I'm not a girl!" Hazuki grumbled, trying to shake them off.
Zaben chuckled. "Chill, Crazy Guy. It's just… who knows if we'll ever see you again? Man, working with a guy like you was fun. Hehe."
Hazuki clicked his tongue. "Yeah, yeah… all you guys did was tease me."
Ahlem smirked. "And you made it too easy."
"Tch."
Zaben suddenly pulled something from his bag and held it out. "Oh, by the way, here."
Hazuki squinted at it. "Hmm? What is this?"
He took it and unfolded it—a set of clothes.
Zaben grinned. "It's just clothes, man. You might need it later."
Hazuki stared at it for a moment before stuffing it under his arm.
Then, with a sigh, he muttered, "Yeah, yeah… By the way, guys… Thanks."
For a second, no one spoke.
Then Zaben smirked. "Heh. Don't get all emotional, Crazy Guy."
Hazuki rolled his eyes. "Screw you, man."
The group laughed, and just like that, their time together was coming to an end.
"Oh, Crazy Guy. Here, a 'farewell' gift from me." Ahlem grinned, holding something in his hand.
Hazuki raised an eyebrow and held out his palm, expecting something useful.
Ahlem's smirk widened as he casually dropped it into Hazuki's hand.
Squish.
Hazuki froze.
He slowly looked down at the mysterious brown lump now sitting in his palm.
…
"OI! SHIT!!! THIS IS HORSE SHIT!!!"
"BWAHAHAHAHAHA!"
The whole group burst into laughter, some doubling over, slapping their knees, while others wiped tears from their eyes.
Zaben held his stomach, wheezing. "PFFT—Ahlem, you bastard! You actually did it!"
Ahlem grinned proudly. "Hehehe! Come on, what's a farewell without a little fun?"
Hazuki hurled the horse shit away, frantically wiping his hand on his clothes. "DAMN YOU! YOU ABSOLUTE SHITHEADS!!!"
The group kept laughing, and despite himself…
Hazuki couldn't help but smirk.
Yeah… he was gonna miss these idiots.
"Hey, Crazy Guy."
Hazuki, still wiping his hand furiously on his shirt, groaned. "What now?"
When he looked up, the whole group was standing there, fists raised.
A silent gesture.
A farewell.
Hazuki blinked, then let out a small chuckle.
He raised his own fist and knocked his knuckles against theirs.
"To the group of wall repairmen."
The laughter faded, replaced by grins and knowing smirks.
No more words were needed.
With that, the group turned, heading off toward their waiting carriage.
Hazuki watched for a moment, then sighed and stretched. "Alright… time to figure out what the hell I'm doing next."
Growlllll~
Hazuki's stomach let out a loud protest, making him clutch his abdomen.
"Ah, shit. First, I need food."
The hunger was real, but he felt sticky and gross after waking up in the stable.
He sighed. Before anything, I should clean up first.
With that, he turned toward the nearest stream, ready to wash himself off before dealing with his next problem—figuring out what to do with his life.
Hazuki arrived at the quiet stream, the cool water glistening under the morning light.
Without a second thought, he jumped right in—clothes and all.
The sudden chill sent shivers through his body, but honestly? It felt refreshing.
As he floated on his back, his eyes drifted toward the sky.
The endless blue stretched above him, a few white clouds drifting lazily across the horizon.
He let out a small chuckle. "Heh… I'm going to miss those guys."
For the first time since waking up, he felt a little emptiness settle in.
But now? He had to figure out what came next.
"Oi!"
Huh?
Hazuki, still floating in the stream, lazily turned his head to the side.
A broad-shouldered man stood at the edge of the water, arms crossed, glaring down at him.
"The stream ain't just for you, y'know."
Hazuki blinked. "Huh? What's your problem, shithead? I was enjoying my bath here."
The man's eye twitched. "What did you just say, punk?!" He clenched his fist, veins popping.
Hazuki slowly raised his hand from the water… and with a completely blank expression—
Flipped him off.
"Fuck you."
For a second, there was silence.
Then—
"YOU LITTLE SHIT!" The man lunged forward.
"I don't care who you are, bitch!"
Hazuki stood up, water dripping from his clothes, and lunged forward.
The brawl began.
The first punch from the guy hit Hazuki square in the jaw, making him stumble back.
But instead of backing down—
WHAM!
Hazuki punched back, his fist slamming into the guy's cheek.
The water splashed violently around them as they traded blows, slipping and struggling to keep their footing in the stream.
"Don't look down on me just because I'm skinny, shithead!" Hazuki shouted with a wild grin. "You know how hard I worked, pushing those wheelbarrows for months?!"
The guy grunted, stumbling from Hazuki's punch. "Oofff!"
But instead of falling—
He came back swinging!
"Your punch didn't hurt, asshole!" Hazuki shouted, still grinning like a madman.
"Oh yeah? How about this?!"
Before Hazuki could react—
BAM!
The man's kick slammed into his stomach, sending him stumbling backward, water splashing around him.
For a split second, Hazuki clutched his gut, feeling the impact.
Then—he jumped.
Using the momentum from the water, he twisted mid-air and—
"Take this, you piece of shit!"
WHAM!
His foot connected with the guy's chest, knocking him backward with a loud splash!
The guy fell into the stream, coughing up water as he tried to regain his balance.
"Take this! Just because you're friends with those troublemakers doesn't mean you can do as you please!" The man roared, swinging another punch.
"Huh?! Since when did I do as I please, you piece of shit?!" Hazuki dodged, then threw a fist straight into the guy's face. "All I do is enjoy my shit life, dickhead!"
His punch landed clean, sending the guy stumbling backward.
The brawl escalated, the two of them trading blows as they moved out of the stream—right onto the road.
( End of Chapter )