The short-haired girl who had been about to sneak attack Sarah stared in shock as her arm was suddenly caught in a vice-like grip. She turned her head sharply.
A boy stood beside her, watching the fight unfold with sharp eyes — but not even glancing at her. His words had been directed at her, yet his gaze never met hers.
This only made her angrier. She struggled and shook her captured arm violently, trying desperately to break free.
But no matter how hard she pulled, the grip didn't loosen — if anything, it tightened further, sending sharp pain up her arm.
Seeing that brute force wouldn't work, and furious at being ignored, she lifted her foot and stomped down hard on the boy's toe with full strength.
Unknown to her whether it was intentional or not, just as her foot was about to land, the boy suddenly stepped aside.
Her stomp hit nothing but air, throwing her off balance. Her foot struck the ground with a loud thud , causing an intense jolt of pain through her body. Her center of gravity shifted wildly, and she began to fall.
In a panic, she reached out instinctively for something to catch herself — and the closest thing was the very boy she'd tried to attack.
Brian saw the girl's twisted face and wobbling stance, and without hesitation, he released her wrist and took two quick steps back, refusing to offer any support.
He had already felt a surge of anger when he saw her attempt to ambush Sarah from behind. Just holding back his temper was enough — helping her after that? Not a chance!
Unprepared for this sudden betrayal, her hand grasped at empty space. She tumbled forward helplessly.
And while falling, she seemed to grab onto something by accident — like a last desperate lifeline, she clung tightly.
¡Rip!
With a sharp sound of fabric tearing, whatever she grabbed couldn't save her. She crashed heavily onto the ground anyway.
Even in the chaotic environment, that clear noise drew attention from everyone around.
People turned their heads and saw the girl lying on the floor, clutching a torn piece of clothing.
Beside her, a slightly chubby boy was covering his lower body with both hands, his face flushed red with shame. The group could clearly see the red underwear peeking beneath his arms.
"Haahhaaa—!"
After a moment of stunned silence, the entire crowd burst into laughter — finding the situation absolutely hilarious.
"You… you…"
The plump boy, hearing all the laughter, felt like crawling into a hole. He shot a death glare at the fallen girl before realizing he couldn't stay here another second — he covered himself tightly and dashed toward the male dormitory as fast as his legs could carry him.
"What are you all still doing standing there?!"
Just as the crowd continued laughing, a deep, commanding voice suddenly roared from outside. Everyone's hearts skipped a beat. The laughter died instantly. Faces paled. Even those still fighting paused mid-blow.
Looking back, they saw a uniformed man striding toward them, shouting as he approached.
Brian smirked slightly and quickly led Sarah, Alan, and Dick away. He picked up Amir, still lying unconscious on the ground, and the four quietly slipped away unnoticed — taking advantage of the distraction caused by the instructor's arrival.
One of the older bullies noticed Brian's escape and felt a chill run down his spine. He looked at his friends' bruised faces and realized immediately what kind of trouble they were in.
They had gotten away with bullying before because no one ever reported them. But now, with injuries visible and witnesses everywhere, getting caught would definitely lead to consequences.
"Run!"
"Let's go, quick!"
Without hesitation, he warned his comrades and pushed through the crowd to flee.
Hearing his warning, both the fighters and the spectators scattered rapidly.
Though the bystanders hadn't directly participated, they knew better than to stick around. In such chaos, you never know who might be blamed. And with the herd mentality so strong, once others started running, no one wanted to stay behind alone.
Within moments, the previously crowded area was completely empty — as if nothing had happened at all.
The approaching officer watched the fleeing students silently, showing no intention to chase. He simply stopped and observed the dispersing crowd with calm eyes.
...
A Quiet Path on Campus
Carefully placing Amir on a bench along a quiet path, Brian gently laid him down and examined the bruises across his body.
Under the fading light of dusk, it was difficult to make out all the wounds, but Brian managed to locate the worst ones. Luckily, Amir had protected his vital areas well. Though battered, a few days of rest should heal most of it.
Seeing that Amir wasn't seriously injured, Brian turned sharply to face Sarah, Alan, and Dick. His expression darkened.
"You think you're tough now, huh? Rushing into a fight outnumbered like that — do you have any idea how reckless that was?"
Sarah lowered her eyes under Brian's stare, looking somewhat guilty, but muttered:
"I just couldn't stand watching someone get bullied like that... I thought I should teach them a lesson."
"Do you even understand what I'm criticizing you for?" Brian frowned, shooting her a piercing look.
"This isn't the outside world. We're inside a school now — you don't have to handle everything yourself. If you saw injustice, you could've simply reported it to the authorities. Even if they didn't want to intervene at first, once reported, they had to act."
"And even if this happened outside the enclave, would you charge in without calculating your own strength? Today you got lucky — these guys weren't actually strong. But if you face real danger, not only will you lose your life, but you'll drag your teammates down with you."
Then Brian walked over to Alan, yanked up his shirt, pointed at the bruises forming on his skin, and scolded:
"These are just bruises today . But tomorrow, they could be knife wounds. Or bullets."
Each word landed like a hammer. Sarah felt a wave of shame wash over her. She realized now that she had acted purely on impulse — seeing someone get beaten and rushing in without thinking.
Looking at Alan's injuries, she suddenly felt deeply remorseful. She stepped closer and gently touched the bruises on his arm. As he winced in pain, she bowed her head and whispered softly:
"I'm sorry..."
Watching her subdued expression, Brian felt a slight pang of guilt himself. Letting out a soft sigh, he decided not to press further. He had already said what needed to be said — now it was up to them to learn.
Inside the enclave, mistakes were forgivable. But outside, a single mistake could cost everyone their lives.
Turning away, Brian walked to Dick and gave him a gentle pat on the head.
"You did well," he said with a rare smile. "You understood your limits and chose long-range attacks instead of direct combat. You used the crowd as cover — smart move."
Then he glanced at Alan, who was still muttering painfully while touching his bruises, and added dryly:
"Unlike some people , who need others to tell them what to do before they change tactics... really frustrating."
Dick blushed slightly under the warm touch and smiled. It felt good to be praised for once.
Alan, on the other hand, clearly understood he was being mocked. He puffed his cheeks in annoyance but didn't argue. He just turned his head sideways, sulking.
Glancing at the darkening sky, Brian ordered the three to return to the library and retrieve the books they had left behind.
As for himself, he turned back to Amir, preparing to wake him and take him back to the dormitory.
At that moment, Sarah recalled Brian's earlier words and asked curiously:
"What exactly did you mean when you said the school sometimes chooses not to intervene? Aren't they supposed to maintain order here?"