As the two walked into class, Ace felt acutely aware of the numerous pairs of eyes from her female classmates focused on the male besides her.
"Good morning ladies, you are all looking gorgeous today." Raiden flashed them a smile before taking his seat, making the girls swoon at his polite mannerisms.
As the female furrowed her eyebrows at the male, he gave her a questioning look. "What?"
The girl shook her head, dismissing the topic. "Nothing."
The male frowned at her, wondering if he should persist on finding answers but decided to drop it.
As she approached her desk she noticed a note waiting for her. She furrowed her brow in confusion and picked it up from her desk, reading the contents. A flare of panic soared through her veins.
Stay away from them
Or else
You'll get hurt
What made this seem even more unsettling was that it was written in red.
"Is something the matter?" Raiden questioned, noticing her uneasy state.
Ace quickly hid the note from him. "Nothing's wrong, haha."
He furrowed his brow, knowing that something was wrong. He sighed, deciding that this wasn't the right time to question her. He would, but not now.
"Good morning, students. For the rest of the week, you'll be working on your homework." Mrs. Abaya stated before sitting back down, her eyes focused on her laptop.
The students began murmuring to themselves as some stood up and walked to sit at a different table besides their friends.
Pulling out her folder, Ace looked at a few notes she'd taken the day before and begun planning her essay, compiling her thoughts and setting it into an organized outline she could follow for when she began writing the actual essay.
Raiden observed her actions, concluding that she seemed disinterested in conversation at the moment before pulling out his own binder, getting started on the essay.
As he worked, he grew more and more uneasy. "Ace."
She glanced up at him. "Yes?"
"What did that note say?"
He watched her carefully as she tensed up slightly. "What note..?"
He sighed. "You know exactly what I mean. Tell me. Now."
"It.. doesn't concern you.." She tore her gaze away from him, avoiding making eye contact.
"I can tell that it does." He stated. "Why are you hiding this from me?"
She stayed silent for a moment. "..Well.. I don't want you to worry.." She smiled. "I met you two days ago. How can I let someone I barely met worry over me?"
"I may have met you two days ago, but that doesn't make a difference to me. I see you as someone that I should care about, considering that we are now friends. If it is anything detrimental to your safety and well being, then it is in my responsibilities to do everything that I can to help you."
Ace hesitantly looked back at him. He held such a relentless gaze..
Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out the note that she had crumpled up. Straightening it out, she handed it to him in an unwilling manner.
Raiden took it from her, his eyes scanning over the threat. He sighed. "I see. Thank you for allowing me to read this." Folding it neatly, he put it in his pocket. "Don't worry, Ace. I will ensure your safety. It may just be a petty threat coming from one of these envious girls. It is very immature of them to behave in this manner. I wouldn't worry too much about this."
"Okay.."
He smiled reassuringly and gently patted her shoulder. "There's no way that I would let a beautiful girl like you get hurt. I'll protect you like your knight in shining armor."
"Oh stop." The girl waved her hand dismissively. She picked up her pencil, thoughtfully resting her chin on her knuckles.
Raiden felt a slight twinge of disappointment in his heart. Strange.. I thought she'd be swooning by now.
He suddenly heard a shy voice coming from the side of him.
He looked up to see one of his peers standing beside him, her hands covering her mouth as her cheeks flushed a rose red.
"Yes, sweetheart?" He questioned, becoming acutely aware of Ace's curious eyes focusing on him and the girl.
"W-well, I uh.." The girl stuttered. "My friends and I wanted to invite you over to sit by our table. We were hoping to have a nice conversation with you." She gestured towards a group of girls sitting at a table, all watching with great interest.
Raiden smiled kindly at his peer, apologizing to her. "I'm sorry sweetheart, but I have some work that must be attended." He took a glance at the sheets of paper waiting to be filled with words.
However, the girl clasped her hands together, stubbornly unaccepting of the answer she'd received from the male. "Please? We're all eagerly waiting for you. We even pulled up a chair for you."
The black-haired male frowned, feeling annoyance beginning to surge through his veins. "Again, I'm sorry dear. Please let me do my work."
The girl pouted. "Are you sure you'll be doing work? Or is that just a lame excuse to stay with this loner?"
The female startled as the girl glared at her. "Huh?"
"Stop hogging all of his attention, you f*cking b*tch." The girl snapped at her.
"Wha- What do you mean?" Ace furrowed her eyes in confusion at the fuming girl.
"Don't act like you didn't hear me you-"
"Well, perhaps you should stop acting like an egoistic degenerate." Raiden scowled. "You've debased what little dignity you possessed. Truly an embarrassment, such a shame."
The male straightened out his papers nonchalantly as the girl stared at him, wide-eyed in surprise.
"Please, do yourself a favor and save yourself from the mortification you've brought onto yourself." He set the papers back down onto his desk. "Unless you'd like to be known for your despicable infamy, I suggest you leave and stay away from us."
The girl hesitantly turned away, walking back to her seat and proceeding to hide her face from those surrounding her. She attempted at suppressing the tears that had built up and was on the verge of falling.
Staring in shock at the male, Ace couldn't utter a single word.
Raiden glanced at the female, a questioning look on his face. "What's wrong?"
The girl gaped at him. "How could you speak so rudely to her and act like nothing just happened?"
The male shrugged. "What's wrong with that? She was getting on my nerves and just insulted you with a derogatory term. I couldn't just let that pass."
She shook her head at his explanation. "No. Even if she was acting obtrusively, that doesn't automatically give you the right the say such rude things."
The onyx-eyed male sent her a neutral look, a look that somehow made her bones chill. "If I didn't say anything, she wouldn't have left and would have continued throwing demeaning remarks at you." He paused for a moment. "She's just another wretched fan willing to do whatever it takes to get closer to her idols. Perhaps she was the one who left you that threat."
The female frowned. "Raiden, you can't just-"
"I won't stand by and watch someone tarnish my friend's name." He stated firmly, dismissing the subject.
Heaving a sigh, she remained silent, giving up the argument. She gave one last glance at the black-haired male before picking up her pencil and returning to her work.
Raiden sighed inwardly. Why does she insist on taking the blows instead of standing up for herself? Being kind to those undeserving of generosity is a big mistake I've made- and I won't make it again.