♛
"ENJOY YOUR DAY, MASTER Leigh," Étienne says as Max heads out of their car, adjusting his peak cap before walking up the steps towards the Keep.
Today starts another week of Max's school life. If this was a different story, Max would have happily gone to class like a normal student would, but since it wasn't, Max arrived at the Keep and was welcomed by white uniforms who were fighting right in front of the entrance.
Max clears his throat and tries to move away so he wouldn't get caught up with them, but when the group of boys saw Max, they immediately stopped fighting so Max could pass through.
"When you're part of the top ten, your aura really changes," a random student tells his friend while they were watching the scene unfold.
Max takes a deep breath and walked on the path that the students gave him. They were all staring at his gold armband and all the brooches that were pinned in his collar, intimidated by the power that each brooch holds.
"If you're going to fight, don't do it at the entrance. You're blocking the way," Max says while he continued walking past them.
The students were surprised, but they nodded their heads and changed location like what Max had told them.
"Looks like today's going to be an exciting day," Max sarcastically whispers to himself while walking his way towards their classroom. But as he was walking down the corridor, someone suddenly calls out for him. Max stops, and a smile automatically appears on his face when he heard the familiar voice. He then turns around and greets the white uniform who was approaching him with a playful grin.
"Felix."
[20 Hours ago: at the Campbell Mansion]
"I have wasted my youth, only to be a part of your display. But I am not a pretty little thing that you show off for people to look at. I am Felix Campbell, and I am the heir to this empire. If you wish that I lead this family in the future..." Felix pauses and grips the Campbell emblem before pulling off the necklace that his grandfather was wearing.
With fire in his eyes, he throws the emblem away and tells him, "Then stop pulling my strings and watch me."
Felix's parents and grandfather were left speechless, and for the first time ever, they felt intimidated by him. Felix stood his ground and gave his demand. He knew that there was no chance that his family would change their heir. Compared to his other siblings, Felix was the most capable. He was the only one in their family who could lead them to the next generation. Even his incompetent father knew that.
"F-Felix..." His mother calls out.
Felix takes a deep breath and turns to face his parents. To his surprise, his mother was kneeling on the floor, his father comforting her. The two didn't say anything, but then the quiet room was filled with his mother's sobs.
Felix watches the regret in his parents' eyes. If things were different, he would have felt terrible for making her mother cry like that, but since it wasn't Felix felt angry. Why was she crying? She had no right to cry after everything they'd done to him. Felix should be the one who's crying right now, he should be the one who's in pain, not them.
"Where is it Keigo?! Are we getting close?!" A voice could suddenly be heard from outside the room.
Felix and Ari furrowed their brows in confusion as they turned their heads to the door. A couple of seconds later, the door bursts open, revealing Max and Ervin with at least a dozen guards following behind them.
"We demand you let Felix go!" Max shouts, but as soon as he saw everyone in the room, Max and Ervin quickly stopped, panting heavily after getting chased.
Everyone in the room became quiet, their mouths wide open in shock from seeing their unexpected visitors. After a while, the serious expression on Felix's face changed and he started laughing. Right after him, Ari followed and started laughing too.
"M-master, we apologize for this disturbance. We'll apprehend these trespassers immediately," one of the guards suddenly states, instantly making Felix and Ari stop laughing.
Max and Ervin were about to run when the guards started approaching them, but before anyone could grab them, Felix's grandfather suddenly said, "Stop, leave them be. You may all return to your stations."
The guards, as well as Max, Ervin, Ari, and Felix, were surprised by the old man's instructions, but the guards didn't try to question him as they bowed their heads and left the room as they were instructed. As soon as they left, Max and his friends looked at Felix's grandfather who looked back at them with a serious expression.
"I have not been subjected to this kind of disrespect in my entire life," he says as he looked at them one by one.
Felix thought that he was going to insult his friends again, and this time, he was prepared to defend them. But surprisingly enough, his grandfather wasn't planning to do such a thing. Instead, he asked them, "Why did you all do this? You all look like smart boys. You're clearly aware that such actions have grave consequences."
Max, Ervin, and Ari looked at each other before looking back at Felix. Even Keigo, who was listening to them, couldn't help but feel the pressure too. All he could do was sit quietly and wait for what Max and the others are going to answer.
"Why?" Ervin asks back, now looking at Felix's parents and grandfather. "Felix is our friend," he simply answers, and that single sentence made everyone in the room quiet.
"It doesn't matter the consequences, and it doesn't matter if we get in trouble or if we get hurt, as long as a friend of ours asked for our help, we're going to be there," Ervin finishes, and Max, Ari, and even Keigo were nodding their heads to agree to it.
Felix's grandfather doesn't say anything and just looked back at Max before looking back at the Campbell emblem that's now on the floor. Without saying anything, the old man stands from his seat, surprising everyone.
"Father!" Felix's dad says in shock. He was about to help his father, but he stops him as he walked toward the emblem, holding onto his cane so he wouldn't fall. With all his strength, he bends over and takes the emblem on the floor before walking toward his heir.
No one knew what he was planning to do, but to their surprise, his grandfather takes Felix's hand and gives him the emblem. "You're right," he tells Felix, "You are our family jewel, but more importantly, you are our grandson. We were so proud of you that we got blinded; we treated you as nothing more than a shiny accessory that made the family look good. But we forget that you are a Campbell, and among all of us, you deserved that name more than anyone."
Felix was surprised. He looked down at his palm and stared at the emblem before looking back at his grandfather.
"I'm sorry Felix. I am really really sorry.."
[Back to present time]
"Look at this little heir. How's your first day of finally being free from your family?" Max teased while staring at the necklace that he was now wearing, making Felix laugh.
Felix joined Max and the two of them walked to their classroom together. "I'm sorry if we weren't able to talk much after what happened. My parents insisted that you all leave so we could talk properly."
"Hey, it's fine. We did what we intended to do, and that's the only thing that matters. But how was it then? Did you really talk after we left?" Max then asks.
"We did. My parents called for my siblings and we all talked. Even my siblings apologized to me, saying they felt guilty for not even having my back even though I was their youngest," Felix explains.
Max glances back at him and saw the smile on Felix's face, so Max smiles at him too before draping his arm around his friend's shoulder. "Well, I'm glad everything worked out in the end. And I'm glad that my old friend is back."
Felix looks at Max, and after a while, he stops walking and grabs him for a hug. "Thank you, Max. Thank you," he sincerely tells him.
Max was surprised, but he sighs in relief and hugs Felix back, patting his head like how he always does. "You're welcome," he says to him.
While the two were hugging each other, two other figures saw them. One white uniform, who had a particularly terrible hair color, approaches them and suddenly splits them apart. "No show of public affections please," Ari says, and Max and Felix looked back at him with annoyance.
"Good morning," Ervin then greets with a little wave.
The four of them looked at each other, and for a second Ari thought that Felix was going to get mad at him again, but instead, Felix ran to the two of them and hugged them as well.
"Oh wow, this is new," Ervin then teased, but he hugs Felix back anyway.
After a while, it was Max's turn to push them apart. "Okay, no show of public attention please," he tells them, making his friends laugh this time.
"How's your ankle?" Felix then asks with concern while looking at Ari.
"It's fine now. I went to the doctor right after and got it fixed. See?" Ari starts jogging in place to show Felix that he was fine, but Felix could tell that it was still painful since he notices Ari trying not to step on his injured foot too hard. He didn't say anything about it though because he knew that Ari was only trying to make sure he doesn't worry about it.
"I'm glad," he says instead, and Ari stops jogging and smiles at his 'very important' person.
After Felix's show of appreciation, the four friends finally walked their way to their classroom. Everyone instantly greeted the four gaffers of their year, which still felt off since they were somehow the outcast and now they're their classroom's pride.
Max walks to his chair while greeting the others, but while he was walking, he noticed that almost every one of his classmates was staring at his collar. For a moment Max thought that they were just looking at his brooches, but he stopped and chuckled when he realized something. "No, I have not conquered PHD, no need to be so curious," Max announces, making his classmates stop looking at him.
Ari, Ervin, and Felix laughed too as they placed their bags on their chair. After that, Max sat on his seat, and his friends immediately ran to his side, now curious about what happened at the banquet too.
Felix stole the seat in front of Max while Ari moved his chair closer to him. Ervin on the other hand leaned on Ari's table, and the three of them looked at Max, excited to hear what happened to the banquet.
"Based on the missing brooch on your collar, it's safe to assume that you didn't ask the princes for it," Ari says. "But I'm hoping you at least asked for points."
"I didn't. I didn't ask for anything," Max reveals with no hesitation, and his friends became completely quiet. They didn't believe Max for a second, but when their friends didn't say anything else, the three of them finally shouted, "What?!"
"Good morning my dear classmates!" Keigo announces just in time when he entered their classroom. Keigo had a bright smile on his face, glad to be back in school, but when he saw Ari and his new friends forming a circle around Max, the smile on his face fades and he immediately joined them.
"What you guys doing?" He asked, and Ari immediately grabs his arm and pulls him towards them. "Kawanishi, did Max really not ask anything from PHD?"
"Yeah, he didn't, I was there," Keigo confirms, and Ari, Felix, and even Ervin looked back at Max like they were disappointed in him.
"So it's official. You're an idiot," Ari comments, making Ervin hit him.
"Actually, I think he made the right choice," Keigo then tells his friends. "Based on the princes' reaction after the banquet, it seemed like they liked how you held yourself back. It showed your character. It was a good investment as it can benefit you in your future interactions with them."
Ari, Ervin, and Felix finally calmed down. If that's how they put it, then maybe asking for nothing was the best decision after all.
"Well, whatever your plan is with the Royals, we're going to be helping you with it regardless. It's not like we have a choice anyway," Ari jokingly tells him, and Felix, Ervin, and Keigo nodded their heads to agree to it.
"Glad I have reliable friends then," Max says with a smile. "You agree, right Keigo?"
Keigo got flustered by the question, but he smiles at his new friends too and nodded his head as a reply. "I agree, but it's still a bit strange to be with a group. I've had friends, but not like this."
"Oh you'll never find a friend group like us," Ari tells him.
"Believe me, I know because there won't ever be another group of friends who would kidnap someone during the first day they become friends," Keigo reminded them, and all they could do was laugh at the comment.
"That was nothing. The first thing I did with them was when we got kidnapped by the fake Ashes and then we got beaten up," Ervin then shares, instantly making Keigo's eyes widen in shock.
"Excuse me?"
Ari laughs at the hacker's reaction, but before they could even explain what really happened, Felix clears his throat and looks back at Keigo with a serious tone. "Hey Keigo," he calls out, and Keigo looks back at him, waiting for what the marquis has to say.
Max, Ari, and Ervin waited too, but to their surprise, Felix bowed his head to their new friend and told him, "I'm sorry for how I treated you. You were only trying to help me but I ended up pinning you on the all and accusing you of being an untrustworthy person."
Keigo was shocked, even the other three. They weren't expecting Felix to actually bow to him like that.
"H-Hey, please don't do that," Keigo quickly says, making Felix lift his head up. "It's fine, I was a bit suspicious-looking anyway. I should have explained myself better. I was just a bit too nervous and awkward because I had a crush on Max."
"Oh, is that so? Then I guess that's—" As Ari was about to finish his sentence, he slowly realized what Keigo had just said, and after sinking it all in, his expression finally changed into complete shock.
"What did you just say?!" Ari, Ervin, and Felix shouted in unison, making everyone in their room turn their heads to look at them. Keigo flinched and backed away from the three of them. They looked so shocked even angry that it seemed like Keigo broke an important rule when it comes to friendship.
"Well you see—" before Keigo could even defend himself, the bell save him, and so Keigo runs back to his seat, making Felix and Ervin head back to their seats as well.
"That Kawanishi, I can't believe he just casually said that in the open," Ari says while moving his chair away from Max.
Max, who just laughed at his friend's reaction, pulls his notebook out of his back and reveals to Ari, "Oh, have I not told you about it yet? Keigo already confessed to me, during the field trip. Of course, I properly dumped him, and we got past that already so we're okay now."
"So that was him?!" Ari suddenly asks in shock, making Max look back at him with furrowed brows.
"What was him?" Max asks, and Ari immediately covered his mouth. He totally forgot that Max doesn't know that he was awake during their field trip and he accidentally overheard Max and Gavriil talking.
"Ari..."
"I can explain," Ari quickly says, trying his best not to get killed, but with a stroke of luck, their class advisor, sir Kai Barron, arrives at their classroom, and so Max didn't have a chance to interrogate him anymore.
"We'll talk about that later," Max whispers to him, and Ari just nervously laughed.
"Good morning," sir Barron greeted as he walked in front of the class.
"Good morning sir Barron," everyone greeted back.
Sir Barron adjusts his uniform and looked back at his students. With the serious expression on his face, they could tell that their adviser had something important to discuss with them. "We only have at least a week and a half left before the end of this month, and you all know that during these days, we are celebrating none other than the Elite School Convention," sir Barron says, and everyone started talking amongst each other.
Elite School Convention, is a convention where elite schools from all over the country will gather together to share, or basically brag, about what their school is about. Every year, the Higher Education chooses a school that will host the convention. The host will then welcome the other schools, which means that the students from other schools will be staying on their campus for an entire week.
"So basically all the schools you battled during the Mr. Brains & Brawn will gather together," Ari explains to Max since the heir wasn't quite familiar with it yet.
"Really? That sounds fun," Max says, excited to meet Gengxin and the other pageant contestants again.
As everyone started talking, Sir Barron clears his throat, and the whole class became silent in an instant. "As I was saying...during the convention, only selected students are chosen to visit the host school as we obviously cannot bring all of you there, but this year is going to be quite different," sir Barron tells them, and Max's eyes widened in an instant.
"Don't tell me..."
"For the first time ever, J.S High was chosen to host the convention," their adviser finally reveals, and everyone instantly started celebrating.
Sir Barron takes a deep breath and waited for everyone to enjoy the good news. After a while, when everyone was now calmer, sir Barron clears his throat again and continues, "As the host school, J.S High will also be showcasing what we have to offer, so this means that they'll tour the campus, join our classes, and look at the clubs. We expect that every one of you shall behave accordingly as our House's reputation depends on it."
"What about the brotherhoods?" One of their classmates then asked since the brotherhoods can be the very students who might as well cause trouble to these elite and preppy schools.
"The brotherhoods are a lethal part of what makes J.S High the house that it is today, but as we all know, they are separated from the white uniforms. President Janus and the rest of the professors in J.S High agreed that in order for the other schools to fully see what the brotherhoods are made of..." Sir Barron pauses for a second and then looks back at Max, almost like he knew that Max was going to enjoy this news more than anyone in the school.
"The six brotherhoods will be joining the white uniforms for the entire convention. They will be grouped and be merged to other classes, and for Class I-A, three brotherhood members will temporarily be your classmates."
- END -