Classes had ended minutes ago, and all the children had already left the school or were waiting to be picked up.
A young, new teacher—still in her first month at the school—noticed a single boy standing near the entrance, waiting for his parents to come.
All the other kids from his class had already gone home. He was one of the few still left in general. But, while most other kids waited in friend groups, he was alone.
He didn't seem sadder than other kids waiting for their parents, he had this look on his face that denoted this wasn't the first time this had happened to him.
"Oh, classes are already over, little man. Where are your parents?" the gentle teacher asked as she leaned down to meet the eight-year-old boy's eyes.
"Th-they must be busy with work… but they'll come soon to pick me up!" Despite the boy's cheerful tone, he already knew the real reason for his parents' absence.
"Okay, mind if I wait with you?" The teacher smiled and extended her hand to him.
The boy glanced around, his cheeks turning red from embarrassment. "I… I'd like that…"
With a soft giggle, the teacher felt his small hand slip into hers.
They stood together at the school entrance, quietly waiting.
---
"It's been two hours already and they still haven't come to get him," the teacher sighed, scanning both sides of the street once again.
"Th-they're probably taking care of my siblings," the boy explained with an awkward blush. "I come from a big family, and it takes my parents a lot of time to take care of all of us."
"Even if it's a big family, they can't just forget about their child," the teacher muttered under her breath, careful not to let him hear. "How big is your family, exactly?"
"I'm the fifth of seven siblings!" the black-haired boy said proudly, raising his fingers to show the number.
"Seven?!"
"And it'll soon be eight!"
Well, that explains a little, the teacher thought. "Your mother's... really brave to have that many kids."
"My mother didn't have all of them. Most of my siblings come from my father's other wives," he said as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
The teacher flinched slightly.
Nobles truly are something else, she thought with an awkward laugh and a sweat drop forming on her forehead.
"Hey, promise me something." She crouched down again, resting her hands gently on his shoulders. "Promise me you won't follow in your father's footsteps."
"I won't. I like my other mothers and siblings, but… I don't like that my mom sometimes feels alone. Or that my father's not around much."
"That's good," she said softly, standing up.
"Greetings, Mr. Siuco," said an old man in a fancy butler uniform who appeared in front of them.
"Ah, Antoi!" the boy exclaimed, running up to the man and hugging his leg.
"Oh, have your parents finally arrived, Atro?" the teacher asked.
"Have they, Antoi?" Atro looked up at the butler, his eyes full of hope.
"I'm afraid not, Mr. Siuco. Your parents were too busy with work."
"Hey, Atro, why don't you go wait in the carriage while I have a little chat with Mr. Antoi?" the teacher said gently.
"Okay!" The boy ran to the carriage and greeted the coachman before climbing inside.
---
"Greetings, Mr. Antoi."
"Good evening, Miss. Is something wrong with Mr. Atro?" The butler's expression turned concerned, already imagining the worst—bullying, bad behavior, or worse.
"Well... not with him. Do you know how late it is? We waited over two hours. It's not safe to leave a kid alone like that," the teacher said, her tone still kind, but firm.
"I sincerely apologize. If I had known when his classes ended, I would've arrived sooner," the butler said, bowing his head.
"Eh?" Known when classes ended...? the teacher thought.
"Not even an hour ago, Atro's older sister mentioned he wasn't home. I had to search all over the mansion asking where he might be."
"Listen, Mr. Antoi. I'll give you a timetable so you'll know exactly when to come pick him up. A kid shouldn't be waiting this long."
"I'd be most grateful, Miss. And I assure you—it won't happen again."
"Let's hope so. But don't worry, if you're ever late, Atro can stay with me while we wait," she added with a long sigh, handing the old man a piece of paper.
Meanwhile, from the carriage window, Atro watched them.
He couldn't hear their conversation, but he didn't need to. He'd been through this exact scene many times before.
He slumped into the seat, looking across at the one in front of him.
He imagined his mother sitting there. Then his father. Just for a moment.
But deep down, he knew it was nothing more than a fantasy. His parents had other priorities. He simply wasn't that important to them.
At least he still had Antoi—when the butler wasn't swamped with work—and a few of his siblings who sometimes spent time with him.
And, to a young Atro, that was all he wanted and needed. Just spending time with other people.
---
The boulder atop Atro's body began to slither away thanks to the bubble wrap spell that now surrounded atro's body.
Once it slid off, Atro slowly, painfully, tried to stand.
The bubble wrap spell had mitigated some of the damage from the rockfall, but the arrow lodged in his leg remained a serious problem.
In the end, Atro chose not to remove it. Pulling it out would only worsen the bleeding. As painful as it was, the arrow was keeping the blood in check.
"This is why I deserve a spot in the best class," Ximuss said, watching as Atro struggled to stand. "I don't know what kind of trick you used to rank just above me and get saved, but that doesn't matter now."
"I… I also deserve to be there… I won't… lose…" Atro gasped, forcing the words out.
"Just give up. You're nothing more than a stepping stone toward my goal."
"Wha…?"
"My goal is to get revenge on Alen. And who better than the student he personally trained? If I beat you, I'll prove I can defeat him no matter what, that he is nlthing more than dirty tricks and a binch of cheats."
Ximuss drew his bow, positioning the arrow with practiced ease.
"So… stay down and let me move forward, extra," he said coldly.
He released the arrow.
It flew with frightening speed. Atro, injured and slow, couldn't dodge no matter how much he wanted to.
"Oh, brilliant light that has served as hope for all of humanity since ancient times. Oh, shining light that outshines any shadow in the world… blind my enemies with your powerful shine—"
The arrow struck Atro in the side of his stomach, blood starting to flow.
"[Flash]!"
Despite the pain, Atro managed to cast the spell. A radiant light burst from his body, blinding his opponent.
Atro staggered but forced himself to stay standing.
"Agh! Cut that out! Don't you get it? I know that spell's weakness!" Ximuss shouted, shielding his eyes from the glare.
"Deep water, coat yourself on my weapon."
"[Water Infusion]!"
His arrows shimmered as water swirled around their tips.
Atro drew his bow and nocked an arrow.
"Spray your essence across this battlefield—help my projectiles soar."
"[Water Jet]!"
From the back of Atro's arrow, a powerful stream of water burst forth, propelling the projectile forward with speed and force.
Atro held the arrow between his fingers for a moment, taking a deep breath to steady his pulse and ensure the shot would land exactly where he intended.
Acting quickly, he released the arrow as soon as it looked right in his eyes.
Thanks to the Water Jet spell, the arrow flew at incredible speed—far too fast for Ximuss to dodge, especially with his vision still impaired by the blinding light.
The projectile struck the side of the mohawk-haired student's stomach. But instead of simply lodging in his body, the arrow pierced straight through him.
"Khgh!" Ximuss let out a breathless groan as the arrow tore a clean hole through his side. The arrow continued its path, embedding itself in the ground beyond him, still spewing water from its back.
"I'm not a stepping stone... I'm not an extra. I am Atro Siuco! I made it into the S-Class for a reason. I belong there—and I'm going to prove it by winning! I'll show you what I learned from training under the strongest...!"
Despite Atro's fierce declaration, he could barely stay on his feet. His body trembled from pain and exhaustion.
"How can you deserve to be in the S-Class?!" Ximuss shouted, his voice laced with rage and disbelief. "You can barely keep up with me! I trained so hard for that spot, and it got snatched away by a nobody—and the rest of those weak, worthless losers!"
"You're not the only one who trained their ass off to get here!" Atro fired back. "I spent countless nights without sleep—studying, training, bleeding—just to survive, just to stand where I am now!"