Chapter 20

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A group of twenty thugs wearing covered masks and black clothing stood outside of the restaurant, some armed with bats and knives, while others remained unarmed. Elvis, the leader of the group, with his intimidating stature, stepped forward, his eyes scanning the front entrance of the building.

Just like his friends, he wore a similar mask; only the lower half of his face was visible. His presence alone was enough to send shivers down the spines of the people inside and anyone who knew him.

Holding a revolver in hand, he smirked evilly at the sight of the building. In his mind, he knows those pieces of walking garbage wouldn't leave their beloved business.

Some won't, of course. There are people who tried to fight back against their tyranny, but it came crushing down when those fools realized that they were outnumbered and outgunned. No one can escape his control over this city, as the Ark is his entire toilet, where he shits and pisses whenever he wants. It was a wonderful reminder in the back of his mind to think such a thing.

Grinning from ear to ear, "I know you're in there, Tom!" He bellowed, his voice echoing throughout the empty streets, "Come on, you little rat, we're not going to hurt you, well, not at first." There was a promise of threats in his voice, and the others laughed at their boss's threatening remarks, "Bring your old man to! I want this to be a family reunion!" He joked, finding the entire situation hilarious and amusing at the same time, despite the looming danger in the air: "Come on, you shit for brains! Hurry up, or me and my boys will come in there!"

He and his group of friends waited as they tried to listen to any sound of footsteps or movement from the building. The icy silence of the night was the only thing that filled their ears as the tension in the air grew thicker while their cars headlights acted like a sentinel, watching over the scene with a cold and unforgiving gaze.

The boss looked at the others, his concealed eyes analyzing each of his minions, and so far, all of them were confident in getting his revenge by making Tom believe that he was safe and free from him.

Time passed slowly and painfully for everyone, heavy with anticipation and dread. Elvis can wait for a few minutes if he must, but anything more than an hour will require him to start breaking into the building to teach them a lesson.

He had no intention of wasting his time for too long, especially when the angeloids weren't present in this area for the time being. But it will be a matter of time before they get there. Luckily for him, he got scouts to keep an eye on the place to see if there was anyone else than them.

Then the entrance opened, stopping everyone from their tracks with their eyes glued on the figure that emerged from the restaurant.

It wasn't Tom nor Malcom, but rather Sunny, the mysterious and compassionate young man who saved the waiter from certain doom while having defeated Elvis without much of a finger. The sight alone made everyone confused. "Who the fuck is this guy?" One of the thugs muttered under his breath, his eyes narrowing as he studied the unfamiliar face.

"Beats me!" Another shrugged, unsure if they even got the right place. "Hey boss, do you think this is the place?" He was about to move when he, as well as everyone else, felt a dangerous aura unlike anything before coming from Elvis.

The boss was enraged by the sight of Sunny standing tall and unafraid. No one knew why their boss was extremely angry at this particular young man, but none would dare ask him about it. For their own safety, they should avoid pissing off the big boss when he is in this state.

Nothing good comes out of it.

"You! You dare to show yourself to me!?" Gripping his revolver tighter, Elvis roared in fury, "I'll make you pay for what you've done!" The humiliation was something he wouldn't let go of. He made sure that in every bone and tissue of his body, he'd make the young man suffer for the rest of his life. "Well?! Answer me, dammit!"

Elvis screamed, his eyes narrowing into slits and his hands shaking with rage. He's never the type of crook who will let anyone who is his enemy be free and walk away, and this time he'll make sure that this hero will wish he never crossed paths with him.

However, Sunny didn't answer or respond to the man's question. Instead, he pulled out his smartphone, tapping it before holding it in his direction.

"Elvis, isn't it? I want to make something clear to you. I'm not here to cause any trouble, nor do I wish to fight you. My only intention was to protect my friends and the people within this establishment. I have no desire to harm you or your men; just leave these innocent people and don't bother them ever again."

He stared at them with an awaited response, the hesitation within him simmering just beneath the surface. He'd already faced Elvis once, and he had no desire to do so again.

Silence hangs all around them, like dense fog eating them from the outside. A hush fell over the group when neither said a word. On the other hand, Sunny fears for the worst in the inevitable outcome of protecting this establishment.

While he doesn't know if he himself had Esper powers that brought about their boss's downfall in the alleyway, it was more than clear to him that the world is with him in this. Making him believe he isn't alone in this fight when he has loved ones still in the restaurant watching him from their windows.


Glancing at his back, he saw Chef Malcom, Tom, and Lei, all spelled with concern and horror across their faces. His own heart shrank when he saw her hugging herself with tearful eyes. Her form shook with fear, and he knew he couldn't let his promise be a lie to make her accept his stupid decision.

"Trust me," whispered in the wind, his voice carried through the night. "I'll be okay." While they couldn't hear him due to being indoors, Lei understood the message from the way his lips moved when he uttered those words.

Returning his gaze to the entire gang, they then roared with laughter from the audacity of ordering them around as if they were his leader. Even Elvis, their feared and respected boss, snorted at the stupidity they just heard coming from Sunny's mouth: "You think we give a damn about what you say!?" He barked, his eyes glaring daggers at the young man, "The only reason I'm here is because of that little rat, Tom. But now," the boss's smile grew wider than before, "now, I'm beyond pissed off!"

Sighing in complete defeat, Sunny looked back at his phone, tapping an app before letting it play by itself. Grabbing his earphones from his pockets, he began putting them on while more laughter erupted from the gang as Elvis couldn't help but be confused and angry as well as amused altogether.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Elvis screamed, his confusion growing along with his anger. "Turn it off, asshole!" He demanded, his gun pointing directly at Sunny, who continued to ignore him and instead focused on his music, "Do it now, or I'll blow your head clean off!"

But the young man didn't move an inch; if some force of nature is making him do this, he'd trust it more than a bunch of nobodies who are trying to kill him at this very moment. He can't see the bigger picture, and he won't be able to if he gives in to fear or panic.

He's not the one calling the shots. Here, he will stand and face whatever comes his way. The music started playing, filling the night with the orchestral music and the gentle movement of a violin, smiling gleefully with eyes closed.

Seeing him in this state, Elvis was incredibly mad, to the point that he wasn't even bothered by shooting the young man. He had no reason to hold back, especially when his pride was on the line.

Yet some otherworldly feeling came inside of him, telling him to stop whatever he was doing and instead to run. It was like a sudden gust of wind that blew through his hair and his heart, causing the man to freeze in his steps. This feeling was so overwhelming that he couldn't understand or explain it.

"What...?!" Looking down at his right hand, "Why is it shaking?" The revolver, along with his entire hand, started trembling uncontrollably. He couldn't believe the powerlessness he was feeling at that very moment.

"This can't be happening!" He thought to himself, his mind racing with a million different thoughts and ideas. Was it fear? Hesitation? None of it made any sense; it was like his body was refusing to comply with his commands, having its own will without a master guiding it.

"Boss?" A thug asked, seeing the man's strange behavior, "Are you okay? You're shaking."

"I'm fine!" He growled with a lowered head, his voice strained and unsteady. "I'm going to—" As he lifted his head, Elvis couldn't believe his own eyes at what he was seeing. There stood Sunny, positioned in holding an imaginary violin as the young man played it as if it were real.

Everyone, including the people inside, was shocked to see him smiling, completely at ease and devoid of fear, while pretending to be playing a musical instrumental that doesn't exist in front of their eyes. The only thoughts that are present are if Sunny has gone insane in this entire situation.

"What the fuck?" The boss muttered, his rage and fury slowly being replaced with confusion and shock. "What is he doing?!"

Tom, who was watching along with Lei and Malcolm, shared the same sentiment as everyone else: "Um, guys? Why is Sunny pretending to be playing a violin while listening to music?" Finding it rather strange and even a bit funny, they couldn't believe their eyes.

"Guys?" He turned to glance at them from his side, whose attention was entirely focused on the strange scene in front of them. Giving himself a small shrug from the lack of answer, he returned his gaze to the window. "I don't know; maybe he just lost his marbles?"

Exhausted from Sunny's shenanigans, Elvis forced his legs to move, which, with some effort, worked like charm. With gleeful anticipation, he marched towards the young man and said out loud, "You're a dead man!" Shouting at the top of his lungs, he aimed his revolver straight at Sunny's head after stopping.

"I'll make sure of that!" He waited a bit more, hoping to see Sunny's terrified eyes, but he didn't get the satisfaction. The fake musician is still pretending to play the violin, which irritates him further.

"Have it your way!"

BANG!

Everyone closed their eyes, including Lie, who covered her mouth in shock at what they had just witnessed, and even though they all knew the result, it didn't stop her companions from gasping in disbelief. The thugs began a short laugh when they saw the two of them still standing, frozen like statues, aware of who got shot.

"That guy got smoked!" One of them joked, seeing this as an as an obvious outcome for anyone foolish enough to challenge their authority. It is the price to pay for losers like him; he should have known better.

Elvis slowly turned around and fell to his knees, his hand dropping the gun on the floor. "Hey, what are you all looking at?" Seeing his horrified friends looking back at him, he didn't understand what was wrong with them. "Why are you all just staring at me?" He asked, his gaze flickering between his comrades, "Is there something on my face?" Then blood began to trickle down his forehead from where the bullet grazed him. "Oh," he murmured, his mind unable to process the information before dropping dead in front of them.

No one could believe what they had just said. Everyone was sure the barrel was directly pointing at Sunny's forehead unless it malfunctioned, which is extremely unlikely given how rare it is. The only explanation that remained was that the young man was some sort of Esper, still unable to control his abilities, but nonetheless present when the situation calls for it.

It is a thought that terrifies the thugs at the idea of dealing with one, especially when none of them have any clue what kind of power he has.

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