Yesterday
One of the students who had been huddled underneath the building was trembling uncontrollably, her breaths coming out sharp and rapid.
All of them had squeezed together inside a tiny restaurant across from the bank, hiding while the battlefield outside raged on without pause.
The explosions, the shouts, the shaking windows— It was too much.
Finally, one of the girls couldn't hold it in anymore and let out a scream, her voice slicing through the tension.
Outside, Ao—who had been fighting tooth and nail—flinched at the sound and was struck down before he could react.
That scream snapped another girl back to her senses. When she looked out the window and saw Ao fall—then, impossibly, stand back up—
she instinctively grabbed her phone and began recording everything.
Later, after Toli arrived and wrapped up the incident in mere seconds, social media was flooded with talk about him—only him.
The girl couldn't stand it. He swooped in at the end and took all the spotlight, yet the one who fought from the beginning was ignored.
So she uploaded the video she recorded.
Present
Ao opened the refrigerator to start making breakfast for his siblings and his still-sleeping mother.
The fridge was completely empty.
"…Right. I used everything yesterday."
He let out a sigh.
"…Guess I have to go out now, huh…"
Because he'd become a viral sensation overnight, he didn't dare go out without following his mother's advice.
His "going-to-the-market disguise" consisted of:
a hoodie a cap sunglasses a face mask
—basically a celebrity trying to avoid paparazzi.
Just as he finished getting ready, his half-asleep mother wandered out of her room—and froze.
Then she grabbed him by the collar and dragged him back inside.
"What on earth are you wearing!?"
"You're the one who told me to hide my identity!"
"I said hide, not look like a suspicious stalker!! This stands out MORE, you know!?"
"Then what do you want me to do!?"
"Take off the mask and sunglasses—they scream 'IT'S ME, NOTICE ME.' Here, wear this beanie
instead. Put on a normal shirt. And use these round fashion glasses. They're mine."
She stepped back, inspecting him.
"Perfect! You look like a completely average human being!"
"…I look lame."
"And that's the point! As long as none of your standout features show, people won't look twice."
"…Fine…"
"Alright, A-chan. Stay safe, okay? Mama's waiting for breakfast~"
On the way to the market
The cicadas screamed relentlessly. The sun burned straight down on the pavement like a furnace.
"…Good thing I didn't wear the hoodie…"
Ao muttered as he squinted up at the blazing sky.
Maddie Montis summers are always suffocating. Surrounded by mountains and forests—it basically turns the whole city into a natural oven…
He wandered through the increasingly crowded streets until reaching his destination: the supermarket.
I wanna support the local shops but… I'm a regular. They'll definitely recognize me.
The moment he stepped inside, cool air washed over him. He nearly melted on the spot—
but snapped himself back to focus and marched toward the ingredients section.
As he walked, the TVs hanging from the ceiling suddenly played the news—
news about him.
"The boy's actions could be considered heroic… but the dangers cannot be overlooked,"
an expert mage explained during an interview.
Most of the segment was overwhelmingly positive, praising Ao's bravery.
Ao couldn't help grinning, puffing his chest a little.
He didn't notice someone quietly watching him from a distance.
After finishing his shopping, he headed home—passing through the crowded commercial district.
Almost everyone was talking about him. Every small group, every large crowd— all discussing the same viral video.
Ao tried to keep a straight face.
He failed.
But then—
A girl suddenly appeared beside him.
Ao froze, startled. He had let his guard down for just one moment.
W–who!? A girl? Since when!?
She clutched a small notebook to her chest, glancing nervously between him and the ground.
Ao's back went stiff. He instinctively took a step away.
But—
"Um!!!"
Her voice hooked into him before he could run.
Slowly, he turned back toward her.
"C–Could you… sign this for me…?"
"…Huh!?"
His body moved before his brain, and he found himself accepting the notebook.
Sign…? She must've mistaken me for someone else. I'm disguised! There's no way she recognized me!
While thinking that, he scribbled a signature into the book.
"…Here."
"Thank you so much!!"
She bowed enthusiastically.
Ao hesitated, then asked:
"…Can I ask something?"
"Yes?"
"…How did you know it was me?"
"…Your shoes."
Ao froze.
He looked down at his worn-out, soot-stained shoes.
"…You recognized me from my shoes? That's creepy… Anyway—please don't tell anyone, okay?
That it was me in the video, I mean."
"I'm actually the one who recorded that video."
"HUH!? Y–You!?"
"Yes. I just couldn't stand watching a pro mage swoop in at the end and take all the credit from my senpai…"
"Senpai?? Don't tell me—you go to the same school as me!?"
"Yes! I'm a second-year at XXXXX Middle School!"
"That's why your face looked familiar…
I thought you were a high schooler in my grade or something.
Anyway—let's talk somewhere else.
Please. I just wanna go home like a normal person."