I AM EXTRA IN A SHONEN MANGA

As Lira began sketching the first lines of a plan, Rael cut in.

His tone was sharp, too sharp.

"Enough wasting time. Lira, you're right about one thing, we need to act together. But we need a brain, and you don't have it more than me."

Lira's eyes flared.

"What?! You arrogant little—"

"Then what are you suggesting, huh?" she snapped.

Rael didn't blink.

"Tsk. Let me lead. Not because I want to… but because I already see how we win."

Kaen barked immediately,

"I'm against it!"

Lira stared at Rael. Her mind ticked rapidly.

(Rael leading… He's insufferable. But... he's brilliant. He exposed an entire tactical flaw in the top class formation two months ago, and I know he's already been on a battlefield. The only flaw he has is… his goddamn pride.)

She sighed.

"Okay. You lead."

Kaen whirled on her, eyes wide.

"What?! This is crazy! I told you—!"

Lira turned to him, her voice firm and composed.

"We need him to win. As much as I hate to admit it… he's the right choice. You've seen his dossier. The missions. The results."

Kaen clicked his tongue.

"Tsk."

Rael smirked, folding his arms as if victory had already begun.

"What a loser."

Kaen flared instantly.

"What did you say—?!"

"Enough of this childish crap!" Lira snapped, stepping between them.

She turned her eyes back to Rael.

"You said you had a plan. Let's hear it."

Rael's expression cooled. His gaze flicked toward Raiden, who still stood at the center of the training field, silent and unreadable.

"Raiden is baiting us," Rael began, voice calm and clear.

"He wants us to think brute force works. That's the lie. We've all failed individually. But if we overlay our strengths—not mix, just time them—we might force his hand."

Kaen scowled.

"So what's the genius plan, huh? He's a living storm. He's not even trying yet."

Rael nodded.

"Exactly. He reacts. He doesn't act. He wants us to come at him. He wants us to show our hand."

Lira crossed her arms, thinking aloud.

"So… we give him a scenario where reacting puts him in danger."

"Not danger," Rael said. "Engagement."

He turned to Kaen.

"You lead with another charge. Go all in—no hesitation. Make it look real. Don't try to land anything. Just push him to move."

Kaen blinked.

"What, so I get kicked again?"

Rael didn't flinch.

"Yes. You're bait. That's the role you play best."

Kaen's eyes lit up with fury.

Flames flickered around his shoulders.

"Say that again, I dare you."

"ENOUGH!"

Lira cut in like a cracking whip.

She turned to Kaen.

"He's being a jackass, but the plan's not wrong. If you make Raiden shift, I can throw down a Blooming Threadfield—it's not a trap. It's a rhythm-breaker. He's a reactionary type. I mess with that timing—we buy a second."

Kaen clenched his jaw.

His flame fizzled down to embers.

Then he sighed.

"Fine. But one more smug insult and I'm burning his hair off."

Rael, of course, ignored him.

"Once Raiden's rhythm is off," Rael continued, "I'll launch Spiral Bind Lance from a blind angle. I'm not going for him. I'm going for the paper."

His eyes moved between them. Cold. Focused.

"This doesn't work if anyone strays. I don't need you to like me. I need you to execute."

Kaen rolled his shoulders, a grin playing on his lips.

"Yeah, yeah. You better not miss."

Lira nodded. Her gaze flicked to Raiden, who was still holding the paper—completely casual, yet entirely aware.

"Then let's move."

The three of them stepped forward.

The wind began to shift.

Raiden smirked faintly.

A low thunder rumbled beneath his breath.

He didn't speak aloud, but his thought passed like electricity in the air:

(Finally… they're starting to get it.)

..

As The wind fell still across the stone-slab field—

As if the world itself held its breath.

The cracked training tiles whispered of past battles. Ghostly lines of faded Shinrei flickered in their grooves, scars left behind by students who'd tried and failed before. A paper—the mission slip, spun weightlessly between Raiden Kurogami's fingers, a single leaf in the calm before lightning.

The Thunder God leaned back against a splintered training post, posture lazy, coat hanging open in the breeze. Stray arcs of electricity danced across his shoulders like restless spirits. His hair stirred as if it, too, sensed the tension—

But his eyes?

Half-lidded. Bored.

Across from him, Kaen Suro stood, fists clenched, jaw tight.

His ribs ached. His breath came ragged and shallow, but he didn't flinch. Not now. Flame coiled beneath his skin like a furnace kept just barely under control.

"I still think this is dumb," Kaen muttered, his voice gravel pressed through teeth.

"Then prove me wrong. Or don't. Just play your part," Rael said flatly from behind, arms folded, tone as sharp as ever.

Kaen didn't answer. Didn't look back.

(Tch. Arrogant bastard... You better land your damn shot.)

And then—

The fire surged.

Not flickering, not hesitant.

It erupted.

A sudden, visceral bloom of flame from Kaen's back, Shinrei igniting like a heartbeat with purpose. Orange. Crimson. Gold. The very air around him wavered under the heat.

The stones beneath him hissed—then cracked.

He didn't shout a war cry. Didn't need to.

"Alright, ThunderMan. Let's try this again."

His grin was wide and reckless.

Raiden tilted his head.

"Tch. Thunder what?"

"Flame Echo Art— CRASHING FLARE!"

Kaen burst forward like a living meteor.

No elegance. No restraint. Just raw, violent motion. Each step was an explosion of force. His flame trailed behind, painting the sky in arcs of furious light. The impact of his speed sent reverberations across the field.

Raiden didn't move.

(He's faster. Still not enough... but better.)

Just as Kaen's blazing fist closed the distance, aimed for Raiden's side—

He vanished.

Or more accurately, shifted.

A single pivot, effortless as breathing.

Thunderclouds in human form.

Kaen's strike sliced air.

His momentum staggered.

He cursed under his breath—

But then:

Fwump.

The air shimmered behind him.

A glow unfurled. Soft, deliberate.

Golden-lavender petals bloomed midair—

Lira's Blooming Threadfield, cast into Kaen's wake like a dancer's veil.

It wasn't meant to trap.

It was meant to disorient.

(Now.)

Raiden's movement stuttered. Barely.

A petal grazed his shoulder, shifting his step by a breath, a single misalignment in a divine rhythm.

Rael's voice cut through the stillness:

"Echo Art— Spiral Bind Lance."

From the collapsing wake of Kaen's fire, a stream of compressed Shinrei burst forth—

Not wild.

Controlled.

Shaped like a lance.

Spinning. Slicing.

And it wasn't aimed at Raiden's chest.

(He's not aiming at me…)

Raiden's brow twitched.

(He's aiming at the—)

Snap.

The paper.

The lance whipped past, so close it parted the air beside Raiden's jaw.

It grazed the corner of the slip—

One edge seared black.

An inch curled and crisped.

The paper fluttered down from Raiden's hand like a leaf—

And landed at his feet.

Intact.

But touched.

The silence held.

Raiden stared at it.

Then sighed softly, almost amused.

He pushed off the training post.

Clap.

Once. Loud. Like a thunderbolt cracking a cloudless sky.

"Heh… Good." Raiden's voice was dry, almost lazy.

"Took you long enough."

Kaen dropped to one knee, breathing hard. The flames dimmed around him, sweat pouring down his brow.

Lira finally let her arms fall to her sides. The delicate motions of the Bloom Thread had taken their toll. Her breath hitched as she recovered.

Rael exhaled slowly, lowering his hand. The Spiral Bind faded from his palm, leaving only the subtle hum of cooling Shinrei. His face remained unreadable.

Raiden stepped forward and nudged the scorched paper with his foot.

"You didn't beat me. Don't get it twisted."

His eyes narrowed.

"I could've fried all three of you ten different ways before you blinked."

Then, his gaze swept the field, measured, deliberate.

"But…"

"You finally started fighting like a team."

He let the moment settle. Then added:

"Team 3… approved."

Kaen looked up, eyes wide.

"Seriously?! YES!!!!"

He collapsed onto his back with a loud, exhausted laugh.

Raiden only shrugged, one hand in his pocket, smirk lazy and crooked.

"Barely. But you showed me what I needed to see. You followed through. You trusted the plan—even if you hated it."

His eyes flicked to Rael now.

"And you—knew your limits. That's rare in someone your age."

Rael said nothing.

But a twitch in his brow, a hardening of his jaw, spoke volumes.

(It still wasn't enough…)

(Even now… I'm not close. Not to him. Not to that man…)

The shadow of memory burned behind Rael's eyes.

Raiden turned. The electricity around him softened into static. He brushed the ash from his sleeves.

"We're done here."

He waved a hand dismissively.

"Take the slip. Your first mission starts tomorrow."

Then, over his shoulder

"Don't be late. Or do."

"But if you are… the Void won't wait for you to catch up."

And with a crackle of thunder—

He vanished.

Gone like lightning—

A whisper before the storm.

To be continue