That night...
Rai and Xeno went to a café to clear their minds for a while. At first, Rai didn't want to go, but Xeno insisted, so he had no choice but to come along.
"So, is Aveline feeling better?" Xeno asked.
"I don't know. Only the Servant knows," Rai replied.
Xeno took a sip of his coffee.
"The drinks at this café are seriously amazing. They're definitely worth the price," he said.
"This is called wasting money," Rai responded.
Suddenly, a man wearing a jacket approached their table. The moment Xeno saw who was standing behind Rai, his expression changed in shock.
"This is bad..." Xeno muttered.
The man placed a hand on Rai's shoulder.
"Are you Rai Tsukasa?" he asked.
Hearing that, Rai turned around and looked the man in the face.
"Hm?" Rai replied.
The man then glanced at Xeno.
"Oh, hi, Xeno. Aren't you going to introduce me to him?"
Trembling slightly, Xeno quickly introduced the man to Rai.
"Rai... He's the Head of the Sports Division. His name is Gene."
With his usual cold expression, Rai greeted him.
"I see. So... have we met before?" Rai asked as he extended his hand toward Gene.
The moment Gene heard that, he became irritated.
"I'll get straight to the point. I want you to stay away from Lia, okay?"
Rai answered calmly,
"Of course. Anything else?"
Instead of leaving, Gene became even angrier. He gripped Rai's shoulder tightly.
"You damn Opportunis. Do you think I'm joking?"
Rai stared directly into Gene's eyes with a serious expression.
"Do you think I'm joking? Would you kindly remove your filthy hand from my shoulder... or should I break it for you?"
Hearing those words, Gene hesitated. He slowly let go of Rai's shoulder before turning around.
"The next time we meet, I'll beat you," Gene said as he walked away.
Seeing that, Xeno immediately panicked.
"Hey, Rai! You should apologize to him. He's even stronger than Lyube, and he's from Moonspire Dorm just like Lyube."
Rai answered coldly,
"That's impossible."
Since it was already 10:00 p.m., the two of them decided to return to their dormitory before Mr. Yuto got angry.
As they walked back, Xeno once again asked Rai how he had managed to defeat Lyube.
"I'm seriously asking this time. How did you beat Lyube?" Xeno asked.
Rai let out a sigh.
"How many times do I have to tell you? He was the one who surrendered."
Xeno scratched his head.
"The problem is... when we checked the CCTV footage, we couldn't find anything because the recordings had already been deleted."
Hearing that, Rai remembered what Lyube had said the previous day. Before Rai left, Lyube had told him that he would take care of everything so Rai's secret wouldn't be exposed.
"So that's what he meant..." Rai muttered as he fell into thought.
Noticing Rai spacing out, Xeno suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Hey! Are you even listening?!"
His shout disturbed several street thugs who were sitting nearby. They immediately stood up and blocked Rai and Xeno's path.
"Hey! What the hell is your problem? Why are you shouting? Are you looking for a fight?" the gang leader demanded.
Hearing that, Xeno immediately apologized while trembling.
"We're sorry! We're really sorry!"
The gang leader, still furious, raised his hand to punch Xeno.
However, Rai quickly caught his arm before the punch could land.
"We already apologized, didn't we?" Rai said calmly.
Just then, a police officer on patrol noticed the commotion. Panicking, the thugs immediately fled, leaving Rai and Xeno behind.
"What is this? Why are you two still outside your dormitory?" the officer asked.
"We're sorry, sir. We're on our way back right now," Xeno replied.
Rai and Xeno immediately ran back to Opportunis Dorm. Since it was already very late and they were afraid of being scolded by Mr. Yuto, they entered through a secret entrance before quietly making their way upstairs and returning to their respective rooms.
The next morning...
Rai was putting on his shoes, preparing to leave for school.
Just as he was about to head out, Aveline called out to him from behind.
"Morning, Rai..."
Rai turned around and saw that Aveline was already dressed and ready for school as well.
"Why don't you stay and rest?" Rai asked.
Aveline shook her head.
"I'm already feeling better. I'm still a little dizzy, though."
Worried that something might happen to her, Rai decided to accompany her.
"I'll walk with you to school," Rai said.
Aveline simply smiled upon hearing that, and the two of them began walking to school together.
Meanwhile, elsewhere, Gene went to meet Lyube in his office. The moment he arrived, he immediately started complaining about Lyube's decision to abolish the bullying system.
"What the hell is wrong with you? Why did you suddenly get rid of your favorite system? I leave the school for just one day, and you go and change the system that's been the most useful to me."
Lyube continued arranging books on the shelf before replying,
"Hey, do you think you're my superior? Aren't we both Heads of our own divisions?"
Hearing that, Gene became even more irritated.
"I know we're both Division Heads, but I'm stronger than you! You should be the one listening to me!"
The moment Lyube heard those words, he clenched the book in his hand tightly. He slowly turned his gaze toward Gene, who was standing in front of his desk.
"Seriously? You're still bragging about your strength from back then? Yes, when I was just a member, my punches were weaker than yours because you were a karate athlete. But that doesn't mean the current me is as weak as I used to be, okay?"
Lyube walked toward Gene and stared him straight in the eyes.
"Our head-to-head record is only three wins to five. If we fought again, don't expect to keep your winning advantage."
Gene remained silent. For the first time, he couldn't even bring himself to meet Lyube's furious gaze.
Unable to contain his anger any longer, Lyube hurled the book in his hand at a glass mirror, shattering it instantly.
Without saying another word, Lyube stormed out of the office, leaving Gene standing there in silence, lost in thought.
-- End Chapter 12 --