Zeke paused, observing their reactions. His eyes locked onto Franz, who was glaring at him, but surprisingly did nothing. He thought Franz would at least say something, but it seemed as if something was holding him back.
He met Franz's eyes directly, showing no fear. The grudge had already formed, it was pointless to bury it. Even worse than being arrogant was being spineless. After a brief stare, he turned his gaze to his seat and walked over.
But more than his appearance, all of them were surprised to see him utterly composed, as though nothing humiliating had occurred yesterday. Plus, Zeke also gave the feeling that he had changed, which was strange since they only knew him for a couple of days.
"He dyed his hair…"
"What if that's his original hair? And the white one was a dye?"
"Why isn't Franz saying anything?"
"Even with red hair, he looks handsome. Damn it. But hmm, don't you think he looks less arrogant than before, or is it just me?"
Whispers echoed in the classroom, but Zeke was unphased. He sat down and rested his cheek against his palm, glancing at Andrei, who was looking at him with a silly smile.
"You look fresh," Andrei smirked."The uniform suits you well."
Zeke raised his brows, giving a slight nod.
"Thanks. You too."
Andrei was startled, looking at Zeke with surprise. He couldn't help but chuckle. Even though he revealed his circumstances yesterday, Zeke didn't push him away.
Zeke frowned, clicking his tongue. "Tch. Wipe that smile off your face. It's terrible."
"Haha." Andrei rubbed the bridge of his nose, embarassed. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. "Oh yeah, let me tell you something about our professor in Science class. He's called Manhattan…"
Since everyone's gaze was directed at Zeke, they naturally noticed their conversation. Their gazes changed, looking at Zeke with a hint of pity. But after some thought, they shook their heads and left them as it is.
Perhaps it was just reasonable for two outcasts to form a friendship.
After waiting for a while, the door opened once more, and a gray-haired man walked inside the class. Everyone hurriedly went to their seats. Andrei stopped talking and turned his gaze to the front. After a brief moment, Professor Manhattan started the lecture.
***
Science class was uneventful, to say the least. But it was exactly what Zeke preferred. The next class was History, and there was still an hour of lunch break before then. Since he finally received his Herta ID, he can now eat in the cafeteria using his merit points.
Andrei accompanied him in the cafeteria, having nothing to do. Zeke bought some meat and chicken, costing him fifty merit points. Andrei bought some ramen noodles and bread, which only cost around twenty merit points.
After getting their lunch, they sat on one of the unoccupied seats and ate quietly.
When Andrei saw Zeke immersed in eating, as though he hadn't eaten properly for days, he couldn't help but be amused.
"I didn't know you were such a glutton."
But truthfully, Zeke couldn't help it. He had been eating unbranded, mysterious canned foods since he came here, and even if it was just a couple of days, his tongue had never known that such terrible flavors could exist.
After a few minutes, Zeke was done. He took a tissue and brushed his lips, wiping off any residue. Before Andrei could say anything, he suddenly spoke.
"Speak. What did you do?"
Andrei flinched. "Huh? What do…"
"Don't hide anything from me." Zeke narrowed his eyes. He clicked his tongue. "Tch. Judging from Franz's attitude when we sparred, he shouldn't have easily let me go like that."
Andrei hesitated for a moment, but when Zeke glared at him, he gave up.
"Alright, alright…"
He spread out his hands, sighing.
"You're sharp, you know? I did warn Franz not to do anything to you. As for others, I didn't do anything. Maybe they're scared of what you did to Franz before you got knocked out. You were pretty terrifying after all. Even I got chills."
'Scared?'
Zeke sneered inwardly. He narrowed his eyes. "Just one warning and he stopped? Looks like you're more famous than I thought."
Franz didn't seem like someone who could be reasoned with words alone. For him to take Andrei's words seriously, that meant that Andrei possessed a considerable amount of influence or strength.
"Regretting being friends with me already?" Andrei mused.
'Friends…'
Zeke didn't answer and warned him instead. "Don't touch Franz."
Andrei was startled. "Huh?"
"I said don't touch him," Zeke repeated. "Sooner or later, I'm going to repay him for what he did, but even more. An eye for the whole body, as they say."
Andrei's eyes widened slightly, looking at Zeke with surprise. But seeing that Zeke was completely serious, he couldn't help but chuckle.
"No problem! I'm looking forward to that day, Crimson."
Zeke didn't answer him.
After eating their fill, there was still a lot of time before the next period, so Andrei led Zeke around the campus during the remainder of their lunch break. On his first day in the academy, Zeke was initially rejecting towards the idea of someone guiding him on campus, but after letting go of his pride, he couldn't care less about putting up appearances anymore.
He didn't mind making "friends"—after all, he was no longer the person he once was.
What could they possibly need from him?
In the past, he disdained such shallow and foolish relationships. He believed that friendships between two people with unequal standing would always lead to the lesser party leeching over to the more powerful party.
This idea was ingrained in him by Alexander, but it was also something that was proven to him time and time again. All the friends he made back in Magic City were nothing more than parasites. They clung to him for his background and talent, but the moment he lost any use, they turned their backs on him.
Now that he was nothing but a poor, weak gray, there was nothing left to exploit. If anything, he would be the leech in the analogy.
That thought put a frown on Zeke's face.
Yet, he couldn't deny it.
As it stands, he was using Andrei to fit in the academy and understand his surroundings more; compared to the help Andrei was giving him, he had nothing on him that could help Andrei.
It was his first time being the lesser party, and it was overturning what he knew. A thought couldn't help but appear in his mind, that if he made more 'friends' like Andrei, then maybe…
'No.'
'I won't be a parasite.'
Zeke clicked his tongue. He might have lost his pride as a Starlight, but not his dignity. He wasn't going to actively make friends with people, but if they approached him, he wasn't going to reject them anymore.
And that was enough.
'But I can't forget…'
It doesn't matter who his friends were. He absolutely can't trust anyone again, no matter what.
Zeke thought to himself, looking at his reflection on the colorless pane of glass beside him. After everything that happened, he couldn't believe anything as shallow as "love" or "friendship" anymore.