Saving the Villain

"Oy! You blockheads. What the hell are you doing?"

Maxen and the three bullies shifted their attention to Luke. The latter stomped his feet on the step-up until he was standing tall on the flat surface.

"Hah… and who is this pretty boy here?" Wyn, the long-haired student, cocked his head. "Did he just call us bookheads?"

"Oy. Aren't this the transferee last year? Heh. So he still doesn't know the rules here, huh?" The one leaning in the corner, Emyr, sneered, gazing at Luke from head to toe.

"It seemed our boy Maxen had a new friend, eh? Why don't you introduce us to him?" Ja, the one who had a scar across his eyebrow, tugged Maxen's shoulder. "You two seemed pretty close."

"Hah…" Luke scoffed, setting his eyes at Maxen. "Look at him. Acting all tough when he can't even deal with these guys."

Maxen arched a brow and glanced at Luke. "Go."

"What?"

"Mind your own business." Maxen snapped his eyes ever so tenderly, setting his eyes back to the long-haired student. "He's not my friend. Come. Let me treat you to something nice."

"Haha! Is that so?" Wyn clapped, laughing in ridicule. He then tipped his head to the side, eyes on the one whose arm was resting across Maxen's shoulder. "Let's go. We will catch up with him since it's been a while."

"Ah… this brings back the good old days."

"Where are you all going?" Luke inquired, stopping the four from leaving the stairs they were standing on. He blinked innocently, watching the four of them look back at him. "Oy, Maxen. Class is about to start."

"I'll be back." Maxen kept his cool, having a plan in his mind to return before the class starts. He just didn't want these people to target Luke, knowing these three weren't the only ones in their group. It'll be a hard time for that unsuspecting guy if these bullies caused trouble for him.

"Heh… what is this? He's acting like your bitch." Ja sneered, shaking his head at Luke. "Let's go, buddy."

Ja kept his arms over Maxen's shoulder as they turned to walk down the stairs. However, he stopped when Luke grabbed his arm, looking to his side where the latter stood.

"Oy, Maxen, it's time for class." Luke kept his eyes on Maxen while his grip around Ja's arm tightened. "Who are these guys? Obviously, they're not your friends. You don't have friends other than me."

"Who said we're friends?" Maxen furrowed his brows and cocked his head to the side.

"Oy! Let me go —" Maxen's eyes fell on Ja's arm where Luke was gripping him and noticed the veins protruding on the back of Luke's hand.

"Right… we're not friends. We're rivals. However, I don't like it when you are letting these blockheads do what they want." Luke let Ja's go when the latter yelled and flung his arm. Yet, his attention remained on Maxen's. The only time Luke peeled his gaze away from Maxen was when he glanced at Ja.

"If I kicked him down the stairs, how long will it take for him to recover in the hospital? Obviously, he wouldn't die from this height, right?" Luke glanced at the stairs where he came from, making Maxen furrow his brows.

"Oy, what is this fucker saying?" Ja snorted as he glanced at the other two bullies. However, just as he looked away from Luke, the latter shoved his hands inside his pocket and raised a foot.

Without a second hesitation, Luke planted his foot on Ja's abdomen and kicked him lightly. It wasn't a loud kick, but a kick that was enough to push Ja off the stairs.

"Ah!"

For a moment, Maxen, and the other two bullies, Wyn and Emyr, watched Ja roll down the stairs, wide-eyed. Maxen, in particular, had his brain go blank at Luke's action.

'Did he just kick Ja off the stairs?' Maxen blinked, shifting his dilating eyes at Luke. Much to his dismay, Luke carried a bored expression while staring at Ja, who was grunting on the floor while holding his arm.

'This guy… is he not aware of what did he just do?' Maxen was in a daze while staring at Luke.

Meanwhile, Luke just let out a shallow breath and raised his eyes at the other three standing on the same surface as him. He didn't show the slightest remorse for kicking Ja; actually, he didn't show any sign that he cared even if that fall killed the bully.

"I don't think he needs to go to the cafeteria now." The side of his lips curled up, snapping Wyn and Emyr back to the current lapse. "You should bring him to the infirmary since he needs it more than filling up his stomach using someone else hard-earned money."

"You —" Emyr, who finally recovered from his shock, turned to Luke. And as someone who grew up in a violent environment, he immediately raised his fist. However, Luke was quick enough to grab his wrist, twisting it on the bully's back, before pressing him against the wall.

"Ugh!" Emyr ground his teeth as his cheek squished against the wall with Luke holding his wrist on his back while Luke's arm was pressed across his back.

"Oy!" Seeing what was going on, Wyn, the long-haired one, threw a punch toward Luke's temple. But his fist stopped a palm-length away from Luke because Maxen grabbed his wrist, using sheer brute force.

Wyn's eyes dilated, gazing at Maxen, who was able to stop him just by grabbing his wrist. He tried to move his fist but to no avail. Yet, Maxen didn't even show the slightest sign he was exerting effort.

"That's enough." Maxen's eyes drooped, but the glint that flickered across them didn't go past Wyn's radar. "Bring Ja to the infirmary… or should we wait for any teacher to see us?"

"Hah… Maxen, you really did it."

"Fuck…" Maxen let out a dry laugh, looking back at Wyn from head to toe. "This is annoying. Come. Throw a punch and let's just cause mayhem here like we always do."

Maxen let go of Wyn's fist and crooked his fingers, taunting the latter to throw a punch. "I already planned to do this somewhere else, but it seemed to throw your first is more important than bringing that guy to the infirmary."

Wyn balled his hand into a fist, looking at Maxen furiously. But when he glanced down to where Ja was grunting on the floor, and at Emyr, who was still pressed against the wall while Luke was looking back at him nonchalantly, he huffed. This wasn't the time to teach these two a lesson.

"You two will regret this," He spat out, glaring at Luke. "Come on, Emyr. Let's bring that guy into the infirmary."

"Fuck –!" Emyr groaned, wiggling his body. When Luke finally let him go, he glared at him and scoffed. Massaging his wrist, he spat out near Luke's foot. "You better prepare that pretty face of yours. I'll mess it up later."

Luke raised his hands and shrugged, watching Wyn and Emyr take down the stairs. The two of them helped Ja, dragging him to the infirmary to get his arm or leg wrapped up.

"What do you think you're doing?" Luke's brows rose when Maxen spoke. "How can you kick that guy down the stairs just like that?"

"It won't kill him." Luke shrugged, tilting his head to the side. "I should be the one asking you. What do you think you're doing letting them gang up on you like that?? Also, are you going to use the allowance that Cosette's dad works so hard for those goons? Oy, Maxen, are you crazy?"

Maxen let out a deep exhale, shaking his head mildly. "I can't believe you." He then turned on his heel, his hands on the handrail as he walked towards the stairs.

"Oy! Did you really plan to let them drag you to the mud like they had always done?" Luke hurriedly followed until he was walking beside Maxen. "Did you forget Cosette is always stuck with you? I will kill you myself if she gets dragged in this mess."

Maxen stopped at the last step and faced Luke. "The treat I planned to give them is a couple of sweet fists. I planned to finish it quickly, but you just have to step in and make a scene."

"Wow… you're welcome." Luke clicked his tongue in irritation.

"Also, how can you say that fall won't kill him so easily?" Maxen shook his head in disappointment. "Aren't you afraid you'd get suspended?"

"Why would I get suspended?"

"Right… you're rich and you can just bribe everyone." Maxen let out a scoff, taking another step since he didn't want to deal with him right now. However, just as he did, he stopped when he heard Luke chuckle.

"It was an accident." Maxen looked back, only to see Luke smirking like a devil. "I was on my way to my room when those three ambushed me, and when I tried to get away, that guy lost his footing and fell."

Luke took a step ahead of Maxen and looked back at him with a confident smile. "Who do you think they believe? Those troublemakers who were on the brink of expulsion? Or me? Who never caused trouble before?"

"Maxen, even when we have tons of money to spare, we use our minds to earn more and not lose more." He tapped his temple and grinned, turning on his heel as he sauntered off.

Maxen could only stare at Luke's back, speechless at that guy's plan if they were caught. Surely, Luke always had a surprising side that would catch Maxen off guard most of the time.

"Right…" he breathed out, idling on the same spot for some time. 'Although he acts dumb most of the time, he can be cunning and vicious if he must. It's just as Sir Conrad said. Their world could be very dark and dangerous.'