‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

 

"Speak," the man on the phone sighed as he waited for any response.

 

"He pulped me up until I had a hard time breathing, Sir. After telling him that I gambled all of the money, he asked me how to get it back," the flimsy student reported, putting the phone between his ear and his shoulder to take time washing his hands upon the sink.

 

The student, even if he was materially weak, he stayed smooth after what happened earlier with the guy who physically abused him, Victor. Still, he could not help but feel a deep sense of loss as his body aches. After washing his hands, he felt a ringing on his head and went askew on the wall. He realized later then that if he moved an inch once more, he might collapse from too much pain. So instead of moving forward, he slowly sat on the floor, feeling the deep throbbing sore on his arm. Even without any strength left on his other hand, he still held the phone lightly to his ears.

 

"Then did you tell him how to get it?" the man asked with his warm and inviting voice.

 

The man seemed to grasp what might be the current situation of the student right now. Of course, dealing with brutal students such as in Class 11-5 must be truly difficult. For the man, on the other hand, he gave no regard to this since the student offered himself to take this. The student must be really desperate for his desires that he agreed to be treated like this.

 

Earlier happened to be with the librarian, yet now another person caught ready to offer his right hand towards the man, which occurred to be the student of the school. Just for the man's absolute orders, his right hands ought to offer their bodies and lives even if it caused them suffering and illness. In exchange, the man would grant them what they yearn for. That was the deal they had agreed for.

 

"Yes, Sir. I told him that an event tomorrow night will happen. And that he should be there to have the money back," the student continued, wheezing while withstanding the discomfort he felt.

 

"Not bad. What else?" the man uttered in a soothing way.

 

Every time he speaks felt as if it was spoken from the chest, rather than the head. His tones were pleasing and not at all nasal. Manly voices tend to be stronger and deeper, and this type of voice could inspire confidence in the people around him. So the way he breathed out words had the student felt courageous.

 

"Right now, Sir, their class was called to the President's Office."

 

"Hmm, too bad," the man let out a deep sigh. "I wish I was the President. Well, is that all?"

 

"I also told him to bring an adult who should be participating in tomorrow's event."

 

An excited breath. "That is good to hear! That is what I wanted to hear!" He stood up, stamping his hand above the table with excitement. "You did a great job, my dear Juanito!"

 

The student heard a quick intake of breath over the phone and could feel the man’s excitement. He never thought that he would be this entertained by his answer. With the student's blank straight face, he felt delighted deep inside him. All of his efforts had been paying off just by hearing the man's reaction.

 

Now that the student mentioned it, the man had thought about the plan he was planning a while ago. Maybe he could use this plan for tomorrow's event or maybe, for the upcoming days. But even so, the man felt so excited, giggling with joy. He seemed so certain that the Class 11-5's class teacher, Mr. Travis, would come. This time, there might be a plan that this unknown man had in his mind.

 

"Sir..."

 

After a few seconds, the student seemed to be so nervous that he had a hard time opening his lips. There was something in his mind that he was so eager to ask about, yet he was more concerned about what might be the man's reaction if he asked this. Now that he let himself be involved in this, he had no choice but to be courageous. When he thought about the hardships he faced so many times, no matter what, he must also face the courage for a single question. "... When can I receive the money?"

 

And so that, the man smirked.

 

"I will give it to you soon."

 

≿━━━━༺❀༻━━━━≾

 

"Hey, Kenneth. I have something to tell you," Victor urgently went his way towards Kenneth and just ignored the four others. Even if he got slapped so bad, he just could not care less about it.

 

Before Victor could reach his approach to Kenneth, Zeus stopped him by pushing his shoulders. Glaring at him with his clenched fists, Zeus asked, "I was asking you. Why are you here?"

 

As Victor lose his balance, good thing he stepped back right away. Still looking at Kenneth, he responded while snapping his tongue. "I was settling something."

 

Not too long after, the girl, Mareta, went her way outside the office amidst her unreadable blank face. The way she breathed, walked, spun the doorknob, closed the door, were as soundless as her dark appearance. None of the four sensed her presence, she was a total under the radar in the first place. Without uttering a single word, she just completely vanished. For her, it was like watching a melodrama which she does not like. Therefore, going back to the classroom might be a better choice for her rather than staying in this futile place.

 

"Yes, right. Settling something. You have been saying that excuse for a week now," Zeus faced Victor as he threw daggers towards him. "What are you hiding?"

 

After hearing that, Victor frowned at him since he could not take this annoying Zeus any longer. Clenching his fists, he spoke, "I do not hide anything, I was just planning something." He straightened his position and faced him sideways, "How about you? Stop concerning yourself to others. It is making you look more pathetic than before."

 

Something like those words snapped Zeus's nerves. He immediately went after him with his furious, menacing eyes. "What did you say?!" A look of great bitterness swept across his face.

 

Before Zeus could reach him, the girl who slapped Victor blocked the way and stopped him in an instant. "Are you going to fight in here, the President's Office?"

 

By then, Zeus suspended and held his emotion. If he had ever hit him, there might be another penalty for the ruckus he would have made. Thanks to the girl, he was able to stop himself and think twice. But then those words Victor uttered, he could not just let it pass just like that. It really triggered him.

 

Now that the girl mentioned the President, all of them wandered their gaze everywhere and then realized something.

 

"Where is the President?" asked Kenneth, straying an eye in the entirety.

 

"Right, where is he?" the girl asked.

 

No matter how hard they tried to look around, there seemed no single trace of the President inside the office. All they could see was the luxurious decorations displayed throughout the room. There was also no single person other than the four of them.

 

Zeus turned his back, putting his hand inside his pocket. "All of you are so foolish. All of us have no idea what is the face nor the gender of the President, yet you are still so fixated on the rules..." Without looking back, he slowly walked down to the door. "...when the rules itself do not even play fair."

 

After a while, when Zeus reached the doorknob, he spoke out the last words he wanted to tell, "Your plan is on a hiding to nothing if you keep this up." And that, he vanished in a blink of an eye.

 

Kenneth, Victor, and the girl were the only ones who were left inside the President's Office. The sullen and ominous silken thread inundated the area after the disappearance of Zeus. The air swirled around them as if they were the rocks within a great and wide riverbed.

 

"He is the foolish one by letting his strength deceive him," Victor replied in a cold manner, looking at the path where Zeus stepped out.

 

"Stop that. That was a year ago," the girl glared at Victor. "And besides, it was his choice. Just do not mind him."

 

"Well, he is a pessimist," few words came from Kenneth's mouth had the two wheeled their eyes on him. "I have no idea why he chose Mr. Travis to stay in our class and be our class teacher when in fact, Zeus himself is a pessimist."

 

"Don't say that when you're the cruelest here. Using your head to get their flaws is the evilest," the girl pointed at Kenneth's chest and pushed him at once, "If he's a pessimist, then you're a coward. Remember, even if you know my weaknesses, I will never be your dog."

 

Kenneth then smirked, taking off his eyeglasses to clean them boldly in front of them. "Well, you're so fearless for an orphan like yourself. Protecting them until their last breaths was a heroic act when you --- can't even defend yourself." After cleaning his eyeglasses, he wore them back, painting a sarcastic smile on his face. "But... you are still weak as before, Petra."

 

The girl, Petra, did not flinch nor react to what he said. Instead, she brusquely sighed, walking through the door while bluntly declaring, "Say what you want, I don't really care. But I am still growing though." She looked back at him as she held the doorknob, "How about you? When are you going to stop acting like a coward? When your knowledge and power become your weaknesses?"

 

Kenneth just stared at her going outside the office.

 

"Suit yourself, coward," Petra's voice disappeared together with her footsteps as she went away.

 

At that moment, there was a deep silence in the atmosphere as if the quiet days were idled away. Victor then face-palmed as he just witnessed the two quarreled over their points of pride. Why don't just the two of them lower down their pride?

 

"So, where is the President?" After a moment of silence, Kenneth continued, looking so calm and confident at Victor.

 

As a response, Victor shrugged his shoulders once, "I do not know either."

 

"Do not tell me the guards are lying?"

 

Victor's eyebrows raised as his jaw went slack. "What? Don't blame me." Crossing his arms, he sighed, "Long story short, I was caught by the guards smacking Juanito at the back of the gate. They sent me here saying that the President has come to reprimand me. Well, the President is not here. And as I was waiting for over ten minutes, that blondie came in here..." Although he pointed where Mareta stood earlier, he found no blondie at the spot. "Wait, where is Mareta?"

 

Pushing his glasses up and tilting the body, Kenneth looked at him straightly in the face within a distance. "So, what is it that you want to talk to me?"

 

Every good thing Kenneth ever learned was on the other side of a curious wandering. It was how he matured into his interests and discover his own place in society as a genius. If one is not first curious, the learning has nothing firm to anchor to.

 

"Before that, tell me first about this class teacher you mentioned earlier."

 

Curiosity built the cats. Both Kenneth and Victor's curiosity led down the rabbit hole.