The sun had only risen a few handbreadths above the horizon, but its scorching heat was already making the asphalt of Garuda Mandiri High School's courtyard burn like a furnace.
In front of the main flagpole stood a young guy with a completely disheveled uniform and a tie crookedly leaning to the right.
Yep, that was Luca. After pulling an all-nighter digging up the kitchen floor of an abandoned house to retrieve three pure gold bars alongside Raffa and Xavier, Luca had successfully overslept.
He'd missed breakfast too. As a result, the school gates were firmly padlocked by the time he arrived, leaving him to face the most tragic fate imaginable for his energy efficiency: being forced to bake in the middle of the schoolyard.
"Damn it... it's freaking hot," Luca muttered, wiping away the thick sweat pouring down his temples. His eyes stared straight ahead, completely dazed.
"If I knew it'd be like this, I shouldn't have helped haul those crowbars last night. My glowing skin in this life is gonna end up looking as dark as asphalt. No breakfast, getting roasted out here... what do they think I am, a rice cracker? Man, I feel so weak," he continued grumbling to himself.
In the middle of his tragic pity party under the blaring sun, a sudden shadow blocked the blinding glare above Luca's head.
Luca blinked and looked down. Standing right in front of him was Hiro, holding a light blue folding umbrella over Luca's head to shelter him from the stinging heat.
In his left hand, the sweet, innocent-looking boy held a bottle of cold, condensation-covered mineral water.
"Luca-senpai... oh my gosh, how did you end up getting punished like this?" Hiro asked with a deeply concerned look on his face, his bright, innocent eyes filled with genuine anxiety.
Luca let out a massive sigh of relief. The moment his eyes landed on the cold water bottle, he snatched it and immediately pressed it against his hot cheek.
"Ah... my savior! Thanks a bunch, Ro. I had some emergency business to attend to last night, so I overslept."
"Yeah, Senpai, take a drink first. I just happened to be walking through the hallway on my way to the library when I saw you getting punished out here. I couldn't bear to see you suffering in the heat, so I rushed back to class to grab an umbrella," the younger boy replied.
"I'm so sorry, Senpai... Is this because I hitched a ride in your car last night? Did you end up getting home late and exhausted because of me? This must all be my fault..." Hiro said softly, hanging his head as if he were the primary cause of Luca's misfortune this morning.
Luca, being a total softie at heart (especially with his protective older brother soul), panicked the second he saw Hiro's sad face.
"Woah! No, no, Ro! It's totally not because of you! I swear! This was purely because... uhhh, a cat gave birth in my neighborhood last night, and I had to step in as the midwife. Plus, I was waiting around for my dad's rooster to lay an egg! So you really don't have to feel guilty, alright?" Luca rambled, throwing out the most ridiculous excuses on the spot.
Hiro looked up slowly, his eyes sparkling with touched emotion at Luca's attempt to comfort him.
"Really? It's truly not because of me, Senpai?"
"Yeah, totally, kiddo!" Luca chuckled, fondness in his voice as he ruffled Hiro's hair, completely unaware that he had just fallen right into the sympathy trap the younger boy had set.
Behind the light blue umbrella hiding his face from the duty teacher in the distance, the corner of Hiro's lips curved into an extremely faint smirk.
You really haven't changed a bit, shorty... That's exactly why I can't let you go...
A cold, remarkably sly smile flashed across his face for a split second. Hiro thoroughly enjoyed how easily he could manipulate Luca's emotions using nothing more than a pitiful face and a bottle of cold water.
"In that case, can I stay here and keep you company until your punishment is over, Senpai?" Hiro asked, seamlessly switching back to his innocent, cheerful persona. "So you won't get lonely."
Man, this kid is way too nice. I swear, I'm so lucky to have such a caring schoolmate in this lifetime. Reminds me of Leo... Wonder how that guy's doing? Is he still mooching off the neighbor's Wi-Fi? How did he react when I died? Did he go wild? Ugh, a guy like Leo crying? I can't even picture it. Why am I suddenly missing him? Luca thought, briefly recalling his past life as Zenra.
He quickly brushed the thought aside and chugged down the cold mineral water, leaving only half the bottle.
His throat, which had felt as dry as a desert, finally felt refreshed.
"Ah... that feels amazing. Thanks again, Ro. You're a total lifesaver."
"You're very welcome, Luca-senpai!" Hiro replied with a bright, cheerful grin that made his eyes crinkle cutely. He adjusted the umbrella to make sure Luca remained fully shaded from the harsh sun.
However, after smiling brightly, Hiro's expression gradually dimmed, taking on an awkward tone. He fidgeted with the hem of his uniform with his free left hand, putting on a slightly woeful face—the classic picture of a lonely homebody.
"Luca-senpai... honestly, I'm really happy I can just chat casually with you like this," Hiro said softly, his voice sounding a little shy. "Because at home, I rarely have anyone fun to talk to. My older brother at home is super stiff. He's always busy with his own stuff and rarely comes home. So the house always feels so empty... like a graveyard."
Hearing Hiro's confession, Luca's protective older-brother instincts instantly flared up. He turned his head, his empathy piqued.
"Huh? You rarely talk to your brother? Aren't you a rich kid who gets spoiled with all kinds of luxury stuff?"
Hiro let out a short sigh, offering a weak smile that looked a bit sad, though he tried to keep it cheerful.
"Being rich doesn't guarantee you'll have someone to eat dinner with, Senpai. My brother is just super mysterious. When he's home, he mostly shuts himself in his room, and whenever I try to talk to him, he just gives short, blunt replies. He's really weird too—like, he talks to himself in his room, and I'm not even allowed inside. Sometimes I feel really lonely... That's why when you and Raffa-senpai let me ride in the car last night, I was so happy." Hiro looked up, gazing at Luca with wide, hopeful eyes. "So, if I drop by your desk later or come hang out with you like this often... you won't feel annoyed, right? I just really want to have a cool big brother and a good friend like you..."
Hearing such a simple, pathetic sob story from the angel-faced classmate in front of him, Luca's heart completely melted.
The protective instinct he once had when he worked himself to the bone to support his little sister surged wildly. Luca stared at Hiro with a look of deep, overwhelming pity.
Man... poor kid. He looks so innocent, yet he's lonely at home just because his antisocial brother is as stiff as a dried dishcloth. No wonder he's so clingy with me, Luca thought glumly, his heart genuinely breaking as he felt Hiro's situation mirrored Raffa's past.
Luca immediately clapped Hiro on the shoulder firmly, trying to give him a boost of strength.
"Dude, of course I won't be annoyed! Relax! From now on, just consider me your big brother. Whenever you're lonely at home, in class, or just need a gaming buddy, come find me at my desk. My door's always open for you!"
Hearing Luca's reckless promise of protection, Hiro instantly broke into a wide, bright smile, as if all his sadness had vanished into thin air.
"Really, Senpai?! Wow, thank you so much, Luca-senpai! You really are the best!" Hiro said in a cheerful, adorable voice, fully returning to his bubbly underclassman mode.
Luca chuckled, reaching out to ruffle Hiro's soft hair again. But before his palm could land on Hiro's head, a harsh yank on the back of his uniform collar sent Luca stumbling two steps backward.
"Hey! What are you two doing huddling under an umbrella like a couple on a date?! Are you guys gay or something?!"
That cold, sharp voice instantly shattered the warm atmosphere in the middle of the schoolyard.
Luca blinked and turned around. Standing right there was Raffa, posture straight, face as stiff as a dried dishcloth, glaring daggers directly at Hiro.
Beside Raffa stood Xavier, looking perfectly calm while clutching a heavy stack of textbooks from the library, his face as blank as a brick wall.
Since Raffa and Xavier were in the same class, they happened to be assigned to fetch textbooks from the library, which had windows directly overlooking the main yard.
The moment Raffa spotted Luca's heat-exhausted silhouette being shielded by Hiro under an umbrella, the memory of Hiro's creepy, unnatural gaze in the backseat of the car last night instantly replayed in his head.
His yandere instincts and intense brother complex immediately sounded the alarm. There was no way he was going to let his money-grubbing older brother anywhere near a kid who set off every single red flag in his gut.
"Ouch! Don't talk nonsense, kid! I'm completely normal, totally straight! But wait, why are you guys out here?" Luca asked, bewildered as he adjusted his messy collar from his little brother's sudden pull.
Raffa ignored Luca's question entirely. Instead, he stepped forward, placing his large frame directly in front of Luca—completely cutting off any visual line between Luca and Hiro.
The glare Raffa threw at Hiro was dripping with absolute hostility, as if he were ready to swallow Hiro whole if the boy dared to take one more step forward.
"Your heat punishment ended five minutes ago, Bro. The duty teacher already went back to the office," Raffa said, his voice deliberately dropped low and cold, his eyes locked onto Hiro's every move. "Now get back to your classroom. And stop keeping caterpillars as pets in the middle of the field."
Suddenly being rudely chased away, Hiro immediately took a step back. He pouted sadly, slowly closing his light blue umbrella, and looked at Raffa with wide, innocent eyes that seemed completely intimidated.
"I-I'm sorry, Raffa-senpai... I just wanted to keep Luca-senpai company because I felt bad seeing him suffer in the heat..." Hiro whispered in a trembling voice, acting like the textbook image of a terrified kid confronting a gang leader.
Seeing that, Luca smacked Raffa's shoulder in annoyance.
"Hey, kid! Don't be so mean to people! Hiro here was super nice—he brought me an umbrella and cold water when I was practically dying of heat stroke! Don't drag your stupid cold war from the car last night into school!"
Raffa scoffed loudly, completely unmoved by Luca's defense.
"I don't care, Bro. Bottom line: you're not allowed to get close to him. End of story."
Xavier, who had been quietly watching the chaotic family drama unfold, finally let out a short sigh. He adjusted his glasses and his stack of books, fixing a neutral gaze on Luca.
"Sena... I mean, Luca. According to my time calculations, your physics class will begin in precisely two minutes. If you do not move toward your classroom immediately, the probability of you receiving a second round of punishment from the teacher is 99.9%."
"Damn it, why are you two teaming up just to make my life miserable?!" Luca whined in frustration. Giving up, he cast an apologetic glance at Hiro.
"Ro, I gotta head back to class first. Thanks again for the water! Don't listen to my brother, he's just stressed out over money matters!"
"Sure thing, Luca-senpai! Good luck in class!" Hiro replied, instantly cheerful again as he waved his hand adorably.
Raffa immediately spun around, grabbing Luca's arm in a tight grip and dragging his older brother down the hallway without giving him a chance to look back. His possessive streak was completely out of control today.
Meanwhile, in the middle of the emptying field, Hiro stood alone, clutching his light blue umbrella. He watched Luca and Raffa's retreating figures bickering and tugging at each other in the distance. The moment the brothers vanished around the corridor's corner, the innocent sparkle in Hiro's eyes vanished completely.
An extremely faint, mysterious smile once again curled at the corner of his lips—a calm, unbothered expression belonging to someone who wasn't shaken by Raffa's possessive threats in the slightest.
Let's see just how far you can keep me away from Zenra... This is only the beginning.