Chapter 189
Back again
It wasn't long before Reuel, Henry, and Yohan came into the changing room, the heavy door swinging shut behind them with a soft thunk. None of them spoke at first. The silence lingered for a few seconds, filled only by the faint hum of the overhead lights and the sound of IAM taking off his training gear.
Reuel was the first to break the silence.
"This was your plan?" he said, eyes wide and voice cracking with disbelief. "Social suicide? You are literally insane!"
He threw his hands up in the air and paced in a small circle like he couldn't believe what had just happened. "I mean, bro—bro!—do you realise what you've just done? You're gonna be known as the guy who folded before the fight even started! You gave them the win!"
"If you can think of a better solution," IAM said calmly, "feel free to let me know—for next time."
Reuel stopped pacing and just stared at him. "Okay. Fair enough. Smartass. But seriously—is this secret of yours really that important?"
He gestured vaguely in the air. "Because people are going to hate you for this. Like... really hate you. It's already started..."
He paused, rubbing the back of his neck with a sigh. "Damn, man... even I'm kind of annoyed. And I like you."
Yohan leaned quietly against the locker wall, arms folded, watching with a furrowed brow but saying nothing yet. Henry, standing near the sink, filled a bottle of water, his back to the others.
"You gotta do what you gotta do," IAM muttered with a shrug.
Henry had already started changing, pulling off his shirt as he spoke. "You also pissed off that Natsuki girl. She looked seriously upset after you did that."
"How she feels has got nothing to do with me," IAM grumbled, tugging off the last of his clothing. "I'm more focused on what comes next."
The three of them exchanged brief glances but didn't interrupt. IAM sat on the bench with his elbows on knees, and spoke with a lowvoice.
"Now that I've done this, it's basically impossible to draw attention away from the fact I didn't use my Avien. Anyone paying the attention would've noticed, and some of them are going to be curious enough—or bold enough—to try something."
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "For that reason, I'm going to need your help. If anything weird happens, any sudden challenges or someone tries to catch me off guard… I'll need backup. You don't have to fight for me. Just stall or distract, whatever you can do. It would help me a lot."
Henry nodded. "Okay."
"Of course," Yohan said without hesitation.
IAM looked up at them. "And how do you guys feel about being seen with me now? You know... after all this."
"I don't care," Henry said bluntly.
"Same," added Yohan.
Reuel gave a small smirk. "My aura and presence doesn't allow me to care what others think."
IAM blinked at that. "...Right."
Just then, the rest of the boys began to filter into the changing room. A few came in with grins and snickers, nudging each other and clearly amused by the drama that had unfolded. Others entered wearing darker expressions, sending pointed glares in IAM's direction as they moved past him in silence.
Among the group of boys, Henry's eyes landed on Marcus. He had changed quickly and slipped out of the room without saying a word to anyone. It was a quiet exit, like he wanted to disappear entirely.
Aside from a few muttered remarks and the occasional dirty glance thrown IAM's way, nothing serious happened. The tension was there, simmering just beneath the surface, but no one acted on it.
Later, during the rest of the day's lessons, IAM could still feel the shift in the air. The atmosphere was noticeably colder—conversations quieted when he passed by, and a few classmates still cast him sideways looks.
The rumors about him being the sole survivor of the Hold hadn't disappeared. Most students brushed them off as baseless gossip, but that seed of possibility had already been planted. And once a seed is planted, it rarely stays buried.
By the end of the day, it was finally time to head to the Student Council once again. The group crammed into a mini car and arrived without delay.
As they drew closer to the familiar building—the very place where their last encounter with Blaze had left a lasting impression—Reuel cleared his throat and asked, "Ahem… how do you think he'd react if he saw us? He might actually skin us alive."
"We run. Obviously," IAM replied flatly.
"But last time, he caught up with one of us like it was nothing," Reuel pointed out.
"Then we simply need a sacrifice," IAM said, shooting Reuel a slow side-eye.
Reuel scoffed. "Actually, wouldn't he come for you first? You're the one not using your Avien. And, I don't know… maybe because you hit him with a car
"…Maybe we should just go back to the dorm," IAM suggested, already half-turning on his heel.
But it was too late.
They'd already stepped through the door.
Now inside, the only option was to act like everything was fine. The three of them settled in the lounge, though not without caution—each one subtly positioning themselves near the exit. Reuel kept glancing over his shoulder, Yohan had one hand resting on the armrest like it was a launchpad, and IAM never took his eyes off the elevator.
Minutes passed.
Then, finally, the elevator dinged and the doors slid open.
To their immense relief, it wasn't Blaze.
It was Ari.
She stepped out with her usual poise, completely unaware of the collective exhale that just escaped the boys.
Now they found themselves once again seated in the student council's lounge-slash-cafeteria, gathered around the same table as last time.
The setup hadn't changed and the faint aroma of high-end coffee, and the low hum of quiet conversation in the background stayed the same—but the dynamic felt different.
Because this time, Snow wasn't there.