Everyone reached Shin's house. As they entered, they saw a tense scene—each parent rushing toward their child, expressions lined with worry and relief. The warm energy of the home was now filled with frantic voices and tight embraces.
Shin stood at the doorway, watching silently. His eyes darkened with emotion. Without a word, he turned around and stepped outside, quietly shutting the door behind him.
Five minutes later, Shin reentered. The air inside had calmed. Parents were sitting now, speaking in lower tones, expressions slowly returning to normal.
Zhen approached him.
"Is everything in control now?" Shin asked, not meeting Zhen's eyes.
"You mean your parents? Yes, but... you should have met them," Zhen replied, arms folded.
"I can't stand the look on their faces when they're scared... You know me well," Shin muttered, brushing a hand through his hair.
"Whatever," Zhen said, rolling his eyes. "I want to talk to you."
"Is it about the accident?" Shin asked knowingly.
"Yes," Zhen answered with a slight nod.
"We can't talk about that in the house. Maybe somewhere else," Shin replied in a low tone.
They exchanged a look and quietly exited the house.
Meanwhile, things had settled down inside. MyungJin, with narrowed eyes and furrowed brows, began spying on Jim. He peeked from behind a wall, watching as Jim once again murmured to himself, lips barely moving.
"Stop spying on me. Come out," Jim said coldly, staring straight at the wall MyungJin was hiding behind.
Startled but not willing to back down, MyungJin stepped out. "Now tell me, why are you talking to yourself?"
"I always do it," Jim said calmly.
"No, you don't. I know you also got the power after that accident," MyungJin replied sharply, stepping closer.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Jim said, looking away.
"Yes, you do know what I am talking about. Tell me, what is your power," MyungJin pressed.
"You show me your power first," Jim said, raising an eyebrow.
"So you do agree you have power," MyungJin replied with a smirk.
"Yes. Now show me your power," Jim insisted.
"I can't show my powers, but I can tell you," MyungJin said.
"Go ahead. Tell me," Jim replied, arms crossed.
"It's complicated to explain, but I'll try. So, when I woke up, I saw a screen in front of me, hovering mid-air. I don't think others can see it—because when Shin entered the room, he didn't even notice it."
Jim tilted his head slightly. "What was on that screen?"
"It was like a computer system… but not exactly a computer. I tried to touch it, but my hand went through it. It responds to my voice." MyungJin explained.
Jim's eyes sharpened. "I'm also the same as you. But I won't call it a computer system. I call it… Technology Eyes."
"Nice name for the power," MyungJin said, grinning. "Do you think others got powers after the accident too?"
"I don't know," Jim said. "But I think we should test them."
"Alright. There were seven of us in the accident. That means we need to test the other five," MyungJin replied.
"Who should we start with? Shin, Zhen, Haru, Ren, or Zhi?" Jim asked.
"We can try all at once," MyungJin suggested.
"Alright, here's the plan…" Jim leaned in and started explaining.
They soon approached Shin.
"Shin, I was thinking… we should hold a team tournament of Water Battle Royale on Reunion Day. It's happening again after three days," MyungJin said excitedly.
"It's a good idea… but wasn't Reunion Day canceled after the accident?" Shin replied, raising a brow.
"Yes, it was. But now it's happening after three days—on Friday," Jim added.
"So, is it a yes for Water Battle Royale?" MyungJin asked.
"Yes. And it'll help me prepare for the city Water Battle Royale tournament coming up for gamers in two weeks," Shin said with a hint of a grin.
"There's a city Water Battle Royale tournament coming, and you didn't tell us?" MyungJin said in mock offense.
"Can we join that tournament?" Jim asked.
"Yes. Age above 10 is allowed," Shin replied.
Just then, Jim's father walked in. "Jim, we have to leave now."
Jim nodded and left with his parents. Soon, the rest of the group went back to their homes too.
Three Days Later
Everyone returned to Shin's house, buzzing with excitement. The garden had been transformed into a battle arena with cover, inflatable barriers, and refill tanks at the edges. Zhen stood aside, not dressed for the game.
Shin came out with a large bowl filled with folded paper slips.
"This will be a duo match. There'll be three teams. The last team standing wins each round. We'll have five rounds. The team with the most wins becomes the champion," Shin explained confidently.
"Alright, so what are the teams?" Haru asked, bouncing slightly on his heels.
Shin reached into the bowl and pulled out two slips.
"The first team is… Ren and Zhi."
He reached in again.
"The second team is… Me and Haru."
Jim nodded. "So that means MyungJin and I are the third team."
"Correct."
"So where will we play it?" Zhi asked.
"In the garden. I've already set it up," Shin replied.
"And where are our water guns?" MyungJin asked.
"In your bases," Shin replied. "Ren and Zhi will go to A Base. Haru and I will be at B Base. MyungJin and Jim—you're at C Base."
"I'm ready!" Haru shouted, grinning.
"Alright then. Everyone to your bases!" Shin ordered.
The teams scattered. MyungJin and Jim rushed toward C Base, a camouflaged tent tucked in the garden's far corner.
Inside, the base was simple but efficient: racks of water guns, a refill station, and a small screen counting down to the match.
"So, how will we know if they have powers?" MyungJin asked, selecting a lightweight water blaster.
"If they have the same power as us, they'll definitely use thermal vision to spot us. If they have another type of power, they'll still try to use it secretly. We'll detect it during the match," Jim explained, checking his gear.
"But our thermal vision only works for 30 seconds… and then it takes 10 minutes to cool down," MyungJin noted.
"We have five rounds. Don't worry about it," Jim replied with a confident smirk.
A countdown began on the screen.
5… 4… 3… 2… 1…
"The battle is about to begin," MyungJin whispered, gripping his water gun tightly.