Bubble sfx and water running in the background.
I couldn't understand why the rabbit made me feel the way it did. Maybe it was the sheer absurdity of it—a bubble bunny in the middle of a school hallway. Or maybe it was the way its hollow, shimmering eyes seemed to stare right through me, as if it knew something I didn't. Either way, it was enough to throw me off. My heart raced, but not from fear—no, it was something else. Excitement? Curiosity? I couldn't tell. I turned to Jack, who was standing beside me, his usual cocky grin plastered across his face.
James Karawei: "Jack... what the heck is this thing? Should we touch it?"
Jack Daniels patted me on the shoulder and confidently stepped forward, smirking like he'd just stumbled upon the world's easiest prank.
Jack Daniels: "Ah, a prank, huh? Let's see what this trickster has in store for us."
Before I could stop him, Jack reached out and brushed his fingers against the rabbit. The moment he made contact, the bubble bunny exploded into a flurry of at least a hundred smaller bubbles—each one far from normal. They shimmered ominously, floating in the air for a split second before darting toward Jack like tiny, homing missiles.
Bubble popping and woosh sfx.
Jack Daniels: "WHAT THE HELL?!"
The bubbles burst on contact with his skin, each one releasing a mini explosion of air that ripped through his flesh. Jack was flung backward, skidding across the wet floor, his blood mixing with the thin layer of water. His skin and arms were now riddled with tiny, pore-like wounds, like he'd been hit by a shotgun blast of air. I ducked instinctively as the remaining bubbles flew past me, hitting the wall and bursting into tiny holes. The hallway looked like it had been attacked by a swarm of angry bees.
Despite the chaos, I couldn't help but grin. This was insane. Absolutely insane. And yet... it was the most exciting thing that had happened to me in years. Atleast i thought so... Not that i could remember anyway, it was damn annoying.
I ran over to Jack and helped him up. His arm was badly damaged, blood dripping from the countless wounds. He winced but forced a laugh, trying to play it off like it was nothing.
James Karawei: "Dude... are you okay?"
He dusted himself off and shook his head, causing his now-wet ponytails to flop around like soggy noodles. Ugh.
Jack Daniels: "Never felt better. What the hell was that, though? And why are you happy? You aren't an adrenaline junkie like me, are you?"
He glanced back toward the sound of running water, his grin faltering for a moment.
Jack Daniels: "At least they're gone... right? No more bubbles?"
The sound of the classroom door slamming open cut through the tension. Cathy Ariston stormed into the hallway, her headphones dangling around her neck like a noose. Her eyes flicked from Jack's bleeding arm to the Swiss-cheese walls, then settled on me with a glare sharp enough to slice steel.
Cathy Ariston: "What the bloody hell did you two morons do this time?!"
James Karawei: "We didn't do anything! There was this... bubble rabbit—"
Cathy Ariston: "A bubble rabbit? Are you taking the piss?!"
Jack Daniels: "Oi, Cathy! You're the one who's always yammering about how 'boring' school is! Here's your bloody excitement!"
He gestured grandly at the carnage, wincing as the motion tugged at his wounds. Cathy rolled her eyes so hard I thought they'd get stuck.
Cathy Ariston: "Oh, brilliant! Next time, maybe ask before redecorating the hallway with your idiot confetti!"
James Karawei: "Hey, you try saying no to a sentient soap bunny!"
Cathy opened her mouth to retort, but froze when her gaze landed on the waterlogged floor. Her voice dropped to a hiss.
Cathy Ariston: "...Is that blood? Did you two get into a fight with a cheese grater?!"
Jack Daniels: "Nah, just a bubble bath gone wrong. You should try it—great for the pores!"
Cathy looked ready to throttle him, but a new sound cut through the tension—a man's voice humming a tune from the shadows. The air grew colder, and the hallway lights flickered.
Cathy Ariston: "Oh, for fuck's sake. What now?"
The three of us turned to look at the dimly lit hallway as the new sound echoed from the darkness—a man's voice, humming a tune. It was eerie, almost hypnotic, and it sent a shiver down my spine. This was one crazy situation, but for some reason, I was having fun. Fun? Was I... some sort of psycho? This was a dangerous situation, sure, but my life suddenly didn't feel so boring. And the thought that supernatural powers might be real made me grin even bigger.
James Karawei: "Um... should we check out who's singing? I think we just found our culprit."
Cathy Ariston scoffed and stepped forward, grabbing me by the right shoulder. Her grip was surprisingly strong.
Cathy Ariston: "Oh sure, go into the dark, creepy hallway like it's not a horror movie cliché!"
Funnily enough, she started walking ahead of us, and we obviously followed through the now-wetter hallway. The sound of running water grew louder, and the air felt heavier, like we were walking into a storm. We turned the corner to find a man in a pristine white wedding suit, twirling a bubble between his fingers like a diamond. His glowing red eyes locked onto us, and he grinned—a predator's smile.
[A/N: Concept art, if it looks bad it's cause it was AI generated, sadly...]*
The man noticed us immediately and tipped his white top hat, his red eyes glowing like embers in the dim light.
Keito Nakamura: "Ah, the fledglings finally emerge! Tell me, little lambs—do you enjoy my art?"
He gestured to the bubbles swirling around him, each one refracting light like a prism.
James Karawei: "Art?! You turned Jack into a human colander!"
Keito Nakamura: "A small price for transcendence my boy! The mundane world crumbles, and in its place... beauty, nay... Cleanliness!"
He flicked a bubble toward Cathy. It burst inches from her face, spraying her with mist. She flinched but held her ground, fists clenched.
Cathy Ariston: "You're a right nutter, you know that?!"
Keito Nakamura: "Nutty? Perhaps. But even madness has its method."
He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a whisper.
Keito Nakamura: "The Syndicate sees all, little ones. Your school... your lives... are but specks in the grand design. And I?"
He spread his arms wide, bubbles cascading from his sleeves.
Keito Nakamura: "I am the brush that paints their masterpiece."
Jack Daniels: "Yeah, yeah—spare us the monologue, Picasso. What do you want?! Weirdos aren't allowed in our school. Beat it, or we're calling the cops.""
Keito's grin widened.
Keito Nakamura: "Why, him, of course!"
He had pointed at me while stepping closer.
Keito Nakamura: "Or 'the holy weapon'. But fret not—I'll carve the truth from your bones if I must."
Cathy pointed at the man while looking pissed, a big frown on her face, but the stranger just chuckled and tipped his hat again.
Cathy Ariston: "Jack's right. If you don't leave, we'll call the authorities! And what's with the getup? You look like a damn Disney villain!"
She put a hand on her hip and bent slightly, pointing toward the stranger. Damn... we must stay focused, brothers. We MUST stay focused.
Cathy Ariston: "We do NOT care if you play with bubbles, just do it somewhere else!"
She got close to the stranger, about to touch him. He smiled, and with a wave of his hand, a large bubble appeared and burst, sending Cathy flying back at least five meters into some lockers. The impact was brutal, and she slumped to the ground, blood trickling from her head.
James Karawei: "Cathy! Are you okay?"
I rushed to her side, my heart pounding. Her body was limp, and her breathing was shallow. I prodded at her injuries, trying to help but failing miserably. This wasn't a dream. It couldn't be. The pain, the blood—it was all too real.
James Karawei: "What the hell?! This is crazy... this has to be a dream—right?"
I turned to look at the man as he calmly strutted toward us, hands in his pockets, laughing like a damn psycho. Strangely enough, his eyes glowed red.
Keito Nakamura: "Ah... poor little girl. My suit is more expensive than your entire school! How dare you try to touch me. I am here for a reason, you know."
He waved his hand dismissively before bowing and striking a pose, tipping his hat toward us as he stood on one foot, winking and smirking. Ew.
Keito Nakamura: "I am Keito Nakamura, the 55th ranked member of 'The Syndicate,' also known as... 'The White Rose'!"
He took a more neutral stance, hands behind his back, and grinned like he'd just won the lottery.
Jack Daniels: "'The Syndicate'? Oh... OH! Wait I know about these guys!"
He patted my shoulder and stepped forward, his voice trembling slightly despite his attempt to sound confident.
Jack Daniels: "My sister works for them... damn. They're one of the biggest conglomerates on the globe!"
He pointed at Keito Nakamura, his finger shaking.
Jack Daniels: "What the hell is a member like you doing here? And what's with all these damn bubbles?"
Keito Nakamura chuckled and took two steps closer, twirling and popping another bubble with his finger.
Keito Nakamura: "I'm here because The Boss ordered it. I'm here to fetch either 'the boy' or 'the holy weapon.' But you don't need to worry about that, my dears~"
A sharp whistle pierced the air. We turned to see Jasmine Olson sauntering down the hallway, a glock gleaming in her hand. My breath hitched.
Whistling sfx and walking through water.
[A/N: Sorry for more bad AI concept art.]*
Jasmine... The student council president. Since when does she carry a— Actually, scratch that. I don't remember knowing her, She's is in my class, but damn this memory thing is bumming me.
Jasmine twirled the gun with practiced ease, winking at Jack.
Jasmine Olson: "Miss me, Jackie~?"
Jack Daniels: "Jazzie! Where'd you get the heat?!"
Jasmine Olson: "Trade secret. Now—"
She leveled the gun at Keito, her playful tone hardening.
Jasmine Olson: "—let's see how your bubbles handle lead therapy."
Keito chuckled, unfazed.
Keito Nakamura: "A gun? How quaint. But bullets are mere ripples in the ocean of my power."
Jasmine Olson: "Yeah? Let's test that metaphor."
She fired. Keito dissolved into a cloud of bubbles, reappearing behind her in a burst of soapy mist.
Keito Nakamura: "1st Step: Pouncing Tiger!"
He kicked her into the lockers, then turned to me, bubbles coalescing into a sword.
Keito Nakamura: "The Boss needs you alive, boy. But that emptiness in your eyes... it sings to the void within us all. Come—let us dance!"
I stepped backwards as he came towards me, glancing at my 'soon-to-be friends' on the ground.
James Karawei: "What the hell is this guy? LEAVE US ALONE!"
Jasmine and Jack were the first to stand up.
Jasmine Olson: "We're going to have a long talk later about this, Karawei. Hell of a welcome party, if you ask me. Is this little wedding boy your personal clown? I hope you don't mind... I have an itchy trigger finger and I really want to shoot him. We'll deal with the consequences later, right Jamie?"
She winked at me as she cocked the gun again. Jack tried to stand up but slipped... yikes, bro, get a grip.
Keito Nakamura: "My dear boy, you or that girl are coming with me regardless. Boss's orders are absolute."
He dashed toward us at an alarming speed. Jasmine tried to shoot him, but he punched her in the gut with a fist covered in bubbles. The shirt burst on contact, and her skin tore, sending her flying back. Five bubbles turned into homing missiles as he snapped his fingers, going straight for her.
Keito Nakamura: "You cling to your normalcy like a child to a blanket! Let go, James Karawei! Let the chaos consume you!"
James Karawei: "You talk too much!"
I grabbed Jasmine's gun and fired at a cluster of bubbles, triggering a chain reaction that blew Keito back. He laughed, blood trickling from his lip.
Jack Daniels: "We have to call the cops. Jasmine, are you okay? This must be a damn nightmare. Stupid cocky wedding bastard..."
Jack muttered curses under his breath as Jasmine ran after us.
Jasmine Olson: "I'm fine, Jacky~ Let's just find a hiding spot so we can talk. You have a lot of explaining to do! I can't let you or that maniac destroy this school. Never."
She winced in pain, clutching her bleeding stomach, but forced a smirk, trying to fool herself and us that this was just a regular school day.
We went outside as we heard Keito yelling after us. The schoolyard was filled with other students... this wasn't ideal.
James Karawei: "Quick, we have to go to a police station—or find someone... anyone!"
Keito literally slid on the ground after us, making bubbles as he did. The bubbles burst beneath him, boosting him upward as he jumped into the air, stretching his hands out and creating even more bubbles. In no time, the schoolyard was filled with thousands of bubbles, and he sat on the biggest one above us.
[A/N: like these but huge and way way more]*
Keito Nakamura: "Now, now! Don't run away... I am NOT finished~"
He stood atop his bubble, stretching out his hands, and a bunch of soap chains connected all of the thousands of bubbles as he prepared his attack.
Keito Nakamura: "Savage Garden: Thousand Thorn Burst!"
All the bubbles in the courtyard burst, sending students screaming and running. The air pressure from the bubbles caused a massive explosion, creating a dangerous situation. But for some reason, I was excited. Anger and exhilaration swirled together—I was definitely no longer bored.
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Author's Note:
Yo, thanks for reading through this chapter. Sorry about the art and stuff; it's kind of difficult to get the prompts right. But I hope you enjoyed it! I'm making this into a battle shonen-type novel—honestly, Re:Zero inspired me to do this. Until I learn how to draw, this is what I'm making instead of a manga (but I'm learning in the meantime 😜).
If you enjoyed the chapter, add this mess of a story to your reading list and tell your friends about it!
FUN FACTS!
Fun Fact: Jack Daniels is American, Cathy Ariston is British, Jasmine Olson is half-Taured (like German in this world) and half-Ryomanian, and James is Ryomanian.
Fun Fact #2: The "Matte Kudasai" attack isn't just a reference to the song... its name is quite literal.
Fun Fact #3: I have a Discord, YouTube channel, and website that you can check out in my Wattpad description.
Anyway, see ya!
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