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Afternoons were usually bustling in Inazuma City, it didn't exactly matter what day it was. Busy streets filled with locals, chatting with each other and eye shopping, some occasionally stopping to buy some snacks or beverages.
Even though the environment could be defined as 'lively', that didn't mean every single citizen alone was feeling that ecstatic.
Descending the stairs near the island's blacksmith, a maroon-headed toddler huffed in boredom. His distinctive personality made him hard to get along with other children his age, so looking for playmates was out of the question, and none of the happenings around him seemed to pique his interest enough.
He wasn't exactly sad, no. He didn't really care that much about playing with other kids. They were noisy and they engaged in time-wasting, childlike activities, such as playing pretend, chasing after each other, and more pointless things in the view of an intellectually advanced child. In fact, there were times when he found those children so insufferable that he ended up in fistfights with them, always managing to escape their angry parents chasing after him.
Some of them knew his identity and tried having talks with the boy's parents to be more assertive in educating his child, yet his father laughed it off, saying things like 'that's my big boy!' and his mother didn't really pay any mind, as she'd always be on her son's side and knew he wouldn't do something like that unless he had a motive to.
The kid thought about his parents' whereabouts and the possibility of spending time with them to kill his boredom but quickly shook his head. He wouldn't want to bother them as they were at work... well... his father was probably skipping again, though.
Ever since his old man received a pyro vision he's been doing nothing but picking fights with treasure hoarders and fatui skirmishers for his own entertainment. The boy shrugged to himself, at least justice was being made each time one of those burglars went down.
A small smile crept up into the maroon-haired boy's lips, his olive-green eyes brightening up a little. He wondered how thrilling it must be to analyze how a real crime is committed, the whole 'behind-the-scenes' set up. He loved mystery and to solve little enigmas he'd come across.
Stopping in his tracks, the little boy moved his eyes from the ground to the road ahead of him. He was at the south entrance of Byakko Plain, the area that separated Inazuma City from Konda Village. Even though he knew the place like the back of his hand, something felt off about it.
The green-eyed boy brought his hand to his chin, his eyebrows furrowed and he stopped to think about what he should do. After some seconds, he shrugged again and decided to advance.
After some minutes, he finally understood what was going on: The kairagi that usually occupy that place laid unconscious near one of the many cascades that decorated Narukami Island. The grass around them looked lifeless, and the air gave off a faint burning smell.
