He parked his bike after entering the village near his home. He made sure to lock his bike tight, robbery might not exist, but people messing with your things, like hiding them and using them, still exist.
Going inside the village mall, which was located in the center of the village. The mall he was in was a small one to begin with. It only had two floors. The ground floor is where you can buy groceries, clothes, hardware, and other essentials for home needs.
At the top is where the arcade and other entertainment centers for children, teens, and family goes. Along with it, the food court, which Lean goes to when he doesn't want to spend time cooking.
On his way up the escalator, he found someone calling out to him on the second floor. Looking up he found a bunch of children waiting for him, with large smiles on their faces.
"Damn it. They want to be spoiled again." He whispered, looking at their faces full of anticipation for him.
As soon as he got to the second floor, five children ran up to him and three hugged his legs tight, not letting him run away from them.
"Let go, you freaks!" He roared at them, pushing them off his legs. "Guys, I'm not here to play today, I'm just here to eat! So. Let. Go. Of. Me!" He yelled, pushing the kids to the floor.
The kids stood up from the floor, glared at him, and grinned. "Get him!" The kid with blue hair shouted at the rest. Lean glaring back at them, tens up, ready to hit these kids running at him.
"Bring it!" he said, pumping his fist at his chest. The children consist of three boys and two girls. These five are cousins to each other. Three had blue, red, and green hair and eye colors. While the two had purple hair.
The blue and green boys charge at him, swinging their hands at their backs. The moment they were on a meter ranged from Lean, he let out a large swing with his legs, hitting the two heads together.
"Ow!" He said looking at the boys at the tip of his legs, they were now covered in a transparent, colored armor headpiece. "Too early?" He said to them, but the two only ignored his words and slammed Lean's legs on the floor, putting him off balance.
"Now!" The red-haired boy said, ordering the two girls to the side for their magic. "Vines!" "Shadow!" The two girls yelled, summoning the expected words on Lean's back.
Both the vines and shadows wrapped themselves around his legs and waist, pushing Lean down to all four. Finally, the leader of the group charged at Lean and leaped into the air.
Putting his thumb into his mouth, his body suddenly expanded; "Take this!" The kid yelled out, crashing into Lean's back, pushing his stomach to touch the floor.
Lean groaned for a bit while the children celebrated their victory against him. They clapped their hands together and smiled from ear to ear.
"Alright. Game…, over." Lean whispered, and the girls gazing at his eyes found cracks in it. They fidget for a bit and yell out, "Everyone run!"
"Huh?" The three exclaimed on top of Lean's back. Before they knew it, they were off from him, and in a second Lean stood up with them on the floor.
Slowly, Lean turned around to them and asked with an annoyed tone, "What do you think you're doing?" Emitting a large amount of negative emotion at them.
The blue and green-haired boys pushed the red-haired kid in front and pointed at him. "It was his plan." pushing the blame on him.
Trying to save himself, the kid tried to reason with Lean, but before he could say a word, Lean grabbed his jaw and asked.
"So it was your plan?" Glaring at the kid's eyes with his cracked eyes. "Now then. Tell me? What kind of punishment should I inflict on you today? Hang you from the railing of the floor, drown you at the fountain on the first floor, or spin you around till you throw up?"
"Eeekk!" The kid flinched at his words as the two tried to walk away from there. "You two! Where do you think you're going?"
"Ahh. Nowhere!" The blue-haired kid said, grabbing the other as he kneeled on the floor.
"Can't believe the two of you tried to run away when those two are already kneeling down," Lean said, pointing at the two girls at his back, trying to hold their tears from forming.
"Remember what I said before?"
"Yes! If we do something bad, we'll get punished!" The five recited together, as Lean walked around them, and punched their head as a punishment.
******
"Honestly, you guys should stop doing this. If I weren't me, you guys would have hurt others by now." Lean said to the kids, sitting at a circular table in the food court, waiting for their food to arrive.
After giving them their deserved punishment, he told them to hold hands and go to the food court. In there, he ordered each of them their prepared food and for himself.
Now he's here waiting for their food to arrive. 'Still, to think these children below the age of ten are already this good at using their abilities. In a matter of years, they have to go down to the surface and fight monsters.'
He thought, looking at them. "Kuya Lean. Why are you staring at us like that?" The little girl asked, seeing that Lean did not say a word as he looked at them.
"Nothing. I just thought of something else." Lean pushed aside the girl's question. Trying not to start a conversation they don't need at their age.
These children, before him, are still innocent of the subject he thought about. At their age right now, they think their ability is all about being stronger and unique than others without any form of duty.
Which is what Lean wanted them to think. Right now they just need to enjoy their time as a child and create many childhood memories, who knows, maybe this stupid moment they are having right now.
It will become a powerful source of hope that they'll have in the future, allowing them to move forward and not let themselves die on the surface. Who knows…
"Anyway. Where are your parents?" Lean asked the kids, seeing that they were alone in this place.
"Another country." The red-haired kid said. Looking at them, Lean remembered something….
"By the way. What are your names again? I kinda forgot."
"..."
The kids had a complicated look at his words. To think Lean, who they have known since they were six years old, doesn't remember their names.
They looked at each other with their lips on the straw of their drinks and nodded. Since a moment like this appeared, they decided to introduce their name to him once again, along with their ability.
The first to introduce their name is the girls. The two stand up from their seats and step around the table, looking at them. Lean helps them balance their way.
They clear their throat, then summon their ability into their hand. With a cute smile on their face. They introduced their name and what type of supernatural beings they were. Catching the attention of the people around them.
"Name; Mia J. Sanchez." She said, looking up proudly, "Ability: Shadow summon. Type; Elemental." Little Mia said, summoning multiple shadows below her feet.
Finally, the second girl's turn came. Like Mia, she followed up on how Mia introduced herself to Lean.
"Na—Name; Princess S. Sanchez." Her voice cracked on the first word, but she continued. "Ability; Plant manipulation. Type; Elemental." Princess carried out her words, creating small flowers in her hands.
Lean gave them applause, clapping his hands together before giving it to them. "Wow. Good performance you two. Now then go down." Lean demanded the two, grabbing their hands as he helped them move back to their seats.
He looked at the three and said, "If you're gonna do that, do it on the floor," wiping off the mark on the table surface.
"Then it's our turn now!" The leader yelled. "Name; Lloyd B. Sanchez. Ability; Body Expansion. Type; Ignition." Lloyd proudly pronounced, expanding his arm, creating a bat-like hand.
"Name; Light L. Sanchez. Ability; Armor creation. Type: Crafter," the blue-haired kid said, creating gloves with spikes on them. Finally, the green-haired kid turned. Light gave him a light tap, giving him confidence to do it.
He was the youngest out of the five. So he didn't have much confidence in him. And most of all, his ability makes it hard for him to do this in public spaces.
Seeing how Lean gave everyone applause and praise, after their introduction, he didn't want to be the only one to be left out. So he pushed himself to do it.
"Name; Ray A. Sanchez." His voice was heavy, like carrying death itself. "Ability; Death army summoning." A tiny skeleton forms in his hand, waving at Lean. "Type; System."
After his introduction Ray hid under the table, not wanting to grab any unnecessary attention from people around them.
Lean only stared at the people around them, who had been watching them since Mia introduced herself. Letting out a bit of negative emotion towards them, scaring them off.
"Great job. Ray—No, all of you. You guys did a great job doing it." Lean praised the kids, grabbing Ray under the table and back to his seat.
'Kinda mature with their introduction, but I guess it's how their parents told them to introduce themselves.' he thought.
After a while, the food they had ordered arrived at their table. With a smile on their faces, the kids started eating, along with Lean.
*****
A good meal later, everyone was on their last bite of their food. The only ones left on the table were Mia, Princess, and Lean. The three were already in the arcade playing games with each other.
"Mia. I know this is rude, but where are your parents?" Lean asked again, a question that was pushed aside a while ago.
These children before him. They are not from this area to begin with. So seeing them here without any guardian or with their parents was weird.
Princess, being the oldest in the group, answered for Mia. "Mom said you'll be here today, so they let us go here without any guardian." Handing out a tablet to Lean.
Looking at the schedule mark given to him, Lean was gazing at his routine work. When he goes here to eat, when he goes to school, when he buys groceries, what he buys, and other routines, he never once thinks.
"What the. Am I really this easy to read?" He whispered looking at the detailed routine of his on the tablet.
"Is this even accurate?"
"Kinda…" a voice answered behind him. Turning around he found a person he did not want to interact with.