HYPNO BOY
THE BOY WITH CLOSED EYES
KANZAKI HIGHSCHOOL ENTRANCE HALL:
Whispers, Stares, Snickers.
They followed Hiroshi like shadows clinging to light,
"What's with his hair?"
"He's got a 40-year-old uncle's haircut!"
"Are his eyes… shut? How the heck does he see?"
"Creepy!!!, I heard he talks to himself too..."
The students' voices floated through the corridor like invisible arrows, but none pierced Hiroshi's calm, His expression was as still as stone, unreadable… with those glasses covering his eyes, and his buzz cut giving him an oddly mature aura,
What they didn't know—
What they couldn't know—
Was that his eyes were a weapon,
Behind those closed lids were the hypnotic eyes that could break wills and control who and what he wishes,
So he kept them shut,
Not for fear but for control.
Among the curious crowd was Emi-chan, a bright eyed girl with a ribbon in her hair and a heart full of sunshine, she had a tradition of welcoming new students with warm, homemade cupcakes,
Seeing Hiroshi all alone, she lit up,
"Hey there!", She walked up to him with a gentle smile, "You're the new guy, right? I brought these for you!"
She held out a cute little box with bunny stickers,
Hiroshi stopped, he looked at the box,
Then without a word, he walked right past her,
Her smile faltered away,
"Eh…????" She blinked, watching him walk away,
Did he not hear me? Did I say something wrong?, she asked herself as she stood there, wondering,
The hallway buzzed louder around her, some students whispered, laughing at the rejection, but Emi didn't laugh, she just looked at the cupcake in her hand, still puzzled.
CLASSROOM 1-B
Hiroshi stepped into his new class, The teacher introduced him briefly, but even that was forgettable in the sea of whispering classmates,
He didn't smile, he didn't wave,
He just bowed slightly and took his seat in the back row by the window.
The classic transfer student spot,
Outside the glass, cherry blossoms danced in the air,
Inside, Hiroshi sat like a statue, Calm and Composed, also he was Observing, Waiting,
A normal student? Not even close.
SCHOOL CAFETERIA
The room buzzed with chatter, trays clattering, and the sharp scent of fried noodles and curry buns, students were huddled at tables, lost in their own little worlds, until he walked in,
Hiroshi Hiroto, with his blank expression, stiff posture and that ever present mysterious smile barely curling on his lips,
He took his lunch tray simple rice, fish, miso soup and milk to drink too and moved toward an empty table, as if the noisy cafeteria didn't exist to him at all,
But someone was watching, that was Kaito-san,
A red-haired brute with a swagger in his step and cruelty in his smirk, his leather wristbands clinked together as he leaned against a nearby wall, arms crossed, his gang of sycophants buzzing around him,
"Oi, that's him?" Kaito asked while cracking his knuckles,
"Yeah," one of his cronies replied, "The new kid, doesn't even talk, just stares into space like a total freak",
"Tch!!" Kaito grinned, "Let's welcome the freak, shall we?"
LUNCHROOM SHOWDOWN
As Hiroshi sat with his tray, slowly unwrapping his chopsticks, Kaito and his crew approached,
"Yo, grandpa bob-cut," Kaito sneered, towering over Hiroshi, "You lost your nursing home or something?"
Laughter erupted from his friends but Hiroshi didn't flinch,
Not a single word from him,
His eyes remained shut behind his glasses and his face was an unreadable stone,
Kaito's grin twitched,
"Huh? What's wrong? Cat got your tongue? Oh wait! Maybe you're one of those wind up dolls that only works when someone pulls a string",
Still, Hiroshi remained quiet and Calm,
This irritated Kaito alot,
So, with a smirk, he grabbed Hiroshi's milk and slowly tilted it over…
SPLASH!!! All over him,
The cold liquid trickled down Hiroshi's bob-cut, dripping onto his glasses and uniform,
Laughter exploded everywhere,
Kaito howled, "Haa!!! That's the look! That's what I wanted to see!"
But Hiroshi just calmly wiped his glasses… stood up gently and walked to the vending machine…
Bought a new drink and sat back down,
Still Silent and unbothered.
The entire cafeteria fell into a stunned hush,
Kaito's face twitched, this wasn't funny anymore.
"Tchh… who does this guy think he is?"
He smashed his fist into the table,
"You're my new toy, freako, hope you're ready to play",
As he stormed off, something flashed behind Hiroshi's glasses,
Just for a second, a glint of power, a hint of warning,
But it was gone just as fast, and he ate his lunch like nothing happened.
AFTER SCHOOL
The sky blushed with the golden hues of late afternoon, students filtered out of the school gates, laughing, chatting, stretching as they headed home.
Hiroshi walked alone, quiet footsteps echoing against the pavement, his school bag hung loosely from his shoulder, his bob-cut glistening faintly under the sun where the milk had dried earlier,
Still expressionless, still calm.
But behind the glasses,. his eyes were open now, staring ahead, unseen and dangerous.
Suddenly—SPLASH!!!
A dirty wave of water from a roadside puddle drenched him,
"SEE YA TOMORROW, UNCLE FREAKO!"
Kaito's voice rang out like a bell from hell,
He zoomed past on his bicycle, flanked by his rowdy crew, laughter bouncing off the walls like a mockery symphony,
"Bob-cut loser!"
"Yo, he didn't even blink again!"
Their bikes disappeared into the distance, their voices fading with them.
Hiroshi stood soaked, the hem of his uniform dripping,
But his expression? Remained unchanged, he slowly wiped his glasses clean, straightened his bag, and continued walking, as if the world hadn't even touched him.
HIDDEN CORNER
Emi-chan, crouched behind a tree near the school wall, had seen everything,
Her cupcake box still clutched in her hand from earlier, forgotten,
Her soft eyes widened, full of a strange mix of pity and admiration,
"Why… doesn't he fight back?" she whispered,
The wind tugged gently at her hair,
She looked down at the now slightly squashed cupcakes in her box,
"Tomorrow…" she said to herself, clutching it tighter,
"I'll try again, I'll talk to him for real", she made a promise she hopes to fulfill,
As Hiroshi's lonely figure faded into the distance, Emi watched him go with a quiet resolve glowing in her heart.
NIGHTFALL STREETS
The sky had long since turned navy,
the street lamps buzzed faintly, casting orange glows across the quiet sidewalk,
Hiroshi walked alone, the school now far away from behind him,
his shoes tapped against concrete, echoing in the still air,
He could've taken the train, but instead he chose to walk, always did.
Maybe it helped him think or maybe he just liked the silence, even if it wasnt as quiet as he wanted at times.
But silence didn't last long tonight.
A woman's scream pierced the alleyway,
"Please.....please stop!! He's way to young for this!"
Hiroshi froze.
His eyes shifted slightly under his glasses as he turned toward the narrow alley nearby,
There, he saw it:
A small gang of five men surrounded a beaten-up teenager, that looked around 19, was slumped against a wall,
Beside him, his mother cried out, kneeling, her hands trembling while clutching a small purse,
"He owes us, lady!", The gang leader sneered, "Too many delays, he will have to pay, now you will pay too, for giving birth to this piece of trash"
And then...SLAP!!!
He struck her across the face, sending her to the ground, and the woman bled from her nose,
The world stopped for Hiroshi.
His brows lowered, his mouth straightened and he stepped into the alley,
"That's enough" he said, voice quiet but sharp,
The gang looked over,
"Huh? Who the hell are you supposed to be?"
The leader laughed,
"Kid, walk away, this ain't your scene",
Hiroshi's eyes glinted behind his glasses,
"Make me"
The leader frowned, then gestured,
Two gang members lunged forward at him but then Hiroshi raised his hand, slowly and casually,
Swish—left, Swish—right.
Thud. Thud.
Both men collapsed, fast asleep on the cold concrete,
The rest of the gang froze,
"What the—?"
Another two rushed at him with a yell,
Snap.
They stopped and blinked and looked at each other….
And punched each other straight and very hard on their faces, collapsing instantly,
Now only the leader remained, his eyes wide, his hand shaking as he pulled out a gun,
He stepped forward, pointing it at Hiroshi's head,
"Any last words, freak?"
Hiroshi simply smiled, that same calm and mysterious smile,
"Pull…..The.....Trigger",
The gang leader wasnt messing around and took no second look and he did it,
Click.Click-click-click
But, nothing.
The leader panicked, yanking the trigger over and over, small sweats beading down his forehead,
Then—
Hiroshi slowly lifted his hand to his glasses,
He slid them off,
Eyes open, glowing and piercing,
The gang leader gasped, suddenly shaking, and,
WHACK!
He punched himself, again and again,
until he crumpled to the ground, unconscious,
Silence fell again.
The woman and her son stared at Hiroshi, both trembling,
They tried to say thanks to him but the words wouldn't leave their lips,
"Go!" , Hiroshi said calmly as his eyes closed now with his glasses back on,
"Run. As fast as you can",
They nodded quickly, hurrying away into the night as the woman held her son tight in her arms.
Hiroshi stood alone under the flickering streetlight,
Drafty rain started to fall, soft and cold.
He looked up at the sky,
"This world…" He whispered to himself, "It's broken, but I won't let it break me",
Hiroshi began to walk away, the dim alley behind him filled with silence, save for the soft groans of the gang leader still barely conscious on the ground,
Blood trickled from the man's lip, his fingers twitched as he looked up through one swollen eye, glaring at Hiroshi's back,
"W-Who the hell… are you…?"
He choked the words out through the pain,
Hiroshi stopped.
He didn't turn right away, just let the question hang in the air,
Then slowly and deliberately, he turned his head halfway,
That mysterious smile returned,
"I am.....HYPNO BOY!",
With that, he turned again, walking into the misty night, the faint flicker of streetlights dancing on his glasses.
But he wasn't alone,
Above in the shadows of a rooftop,
A tall figure stood, eyes hidden under the swooshy hair that seems to battle with the wind.
The figure of the person had been there the whole time, watching everything,
Leaning forward and slightly, whispering to no one:
"He is perfect…absolutely….perfect"
The eyes glowed red beam but faintly.
Hiroshi hadnt seem to notice but seems there is more to uncover than he thought....