The cafeteria didn't breathe.
Not a single chair scraped against the floor.
Not a whisper dared to rise.
Jake stood at the center of it all, hands tucked casually into his pockets, posture loose — far too relaxed for a place littered with overturned tables, blood-stained tiles, and shaken students.
That calm…
was what terrified everyone the most.
The main senior swallowed hard.
The arrogance he had worn so proudly earlier had completely vanished. Sweat trickled down his temple, his jaw clenched so tightly it looked like he believed sheer willpower might protect him.
Jake studied him slowly.
Not with anger.
Not with judgment.
Just… measuring.
"You were asked to apologize," Jake said quietly.
There was no shout.
No threat.
Yet somehow, his voice carried more weight than Bam's command earlier.
The senior let out a shaky laugh, trying to regain control.
"C'mon, man. Things got a little out of hand, yeah, but—"
Jake raised one finger.
The senior's mouth snapped shut instantly.
Jake's gaze drifted across the cafeteria.
Broken tables.
Spilled food.
Blood on the floor.
Students stood frozen, phones clutched tightly in their hands, caught between fear and excitement, knowing they were witnessing something they would talk about for years.
Jake turned back to him.
"Do you know what you did wrong?" he asked calmly.
The senior hesitated.
That hesitation…
was the wrong answer.
Jake's eyes shifted slightly — toward Moco.
She stood near the entrance beside Sofi, posture straight, face unreadable.
She wasn't shaking.
She wasn't angry.
She was simply watching.
Jake followed her gaze… down to the neatly folded uniform in her hands — still faintly stained with food.
Then he looked back at the senior.
"You didn't start a fight," Jake said.
"You didn't even throw the first punch."
For half a second, the senior's eyes lit up.
Hope.
Jake continued.
"You humiliated someone. In public. For fun."
A pause.
"And then you laughed about it."
The hope died instantly.
Jake stepped closer — not aggressively, not threateningly — just close enough to make the senior's breathing turn shallow.
"In Indus High," Jake said softly, "violence can sometimes be… tolerated."
A ripple passed through the crowd.
Several students stiffened at that word.
"But humiliation?"
Jake shook his head slowly.
"That's something the council never ignores."
He leaned closer, his voice dropping so low that only the senior could hear.
"Apologize. Now. Or you will regret it."
The senior straightened slightly, forcing confidence back into his tone.
"Why would I regret it?" he scoffed. "You gonna beat me up or something?"
Jake didn't react.
Instead, he spoke calmly — cold and steady.
"You don't understand," Jake said.
"I'm trying to protect you."
The senior frowned. "What are you talking about?"
Jake leaned in again, his voice barely above a whisper.
"You're jumping into the ocean thinking you'll just swim out…
without knowing what lives beneath the water."
The senior's breath hitched.
"That girl you messed with," Jake continued, eyes unwavering,
"is not as simple as you think."
A pause.
"If you ignore this warning," Jake said quietly,
"you'll regret it for the rest of your life. Crying."
Another pause.
"And even the council won't be able to protect you."
Jake stepped back.
"Now the choice is yours."
The senior's gaze drifted toward Moco.
For the first time… he truly looked at her.
Her eyes were calm.
Dead serious.
Empty of emotion.
And for reasons he couldn't explain, his chest suddenly felt heavy.
His heartbeat grew loud in his ears.
Fear crept in — raw, instinctive fear.
He clenched his fists, then slowly walked toward her, stopping a few steps away.
And then—
He bowed.
"I'm sorry," he said stiffly.
"For my behavior. It was a mistake."
Moco didn't respond.
She didn't even look at him.
She simply walked past him, straight toward Sam and Max.
"Are you guys alright?" she asked calmly.
Sam blinked, then scratched the back of his head with an awkward grin.
"…You just ignored him completely."
Moco glanced at him.
"You want to talk to him instead of answering me?"
Sam instantly pulled his hands up.
"Nope. I'm good."
Moco gave him an unimpressed look.
Behind them, the senior stood frozen.
He had apologized.
He had bowed.
And still…
he was nothing.
Jake appeared beside him again, speaking quietly so only he could hear.
"Let it go," Jake said.
"You did the right thing."
A pause.
"You'll be grateful one day…
when you realize how close you were to losing everything."
The whispers spread like wildfire.
Sam stood beside Max, chest still rising and falling heavily. His knuckles throbbed, jaw clenched tight.
Max leaned in slightly.
"You okay?"
Sam stayed silent for a moment.
Then, quietly:
"…I almost didn't stop."
Max's fingers curled into his palm.
"I know," he said. "But you did."
That mattered more than Sam realized.
Sid walked over, eyes scanning Sam once before nodding seriously.
"You've got a dangerous switch," he said.
"Learn when to flip it… and when not to."
Sam let out a breath that was half a laugh, half a sigh.
"Yeah. Guess I need better brakes."
Sofi stepped forward next, stopping in front of Sam.
She studied his bruised face, the blood at the corner of his mouth.
"…Thanks," she said simply.
Sam rubbed the back of his neck.
"Uh… anytime?"
Moco stood just behind Sofi. Her eyes lingered on Sam for a second longer than necessary.
"You didn't have to go that far," she said.
Sam looked at her, surprised.
"I know. But… I wanted to."
Moco said nothing.
She simply nodded once.
Jake clapped his hands lightly.
"All of you," he said, turning toward Max, Sam, Sid, and Sofi,
"come with me."
A pause.
"Now."
The tone wasn't threatening.
It was inevitable.
Max met Tom's eyes across the cafeteria.
Tom gave a small nod.
Go.
As they followed Jake out, the students parted instinctively, eyes burning with curiosity.
No one spoke.
Everyone understood one thing clearly:
Whatever happened next wouldn't stay a secret.
And Indus High had officially crossed another line.
As they walked down the hallway, the tension still clung to the air.
Sam finally broke the silence, curiosity winning over caution.
"Hey, brother Jake," he asked casually,
"what did you say to that senior? He folded instantly and apologized in front of everyone."
Jake kept walking, eyes forward.
"You'll understand when the time comes," he replied flatly.
A moment later, he added,
"You guys still don't know many things about this school."
His tone hardened slightly.
"But you will. Very soon."
Sofi tilted her head.
"By the way… where are we going?"
Jake replied without slowing.
"Nothing special. Just attending a small meeting."
Sid crossed his arms.
"Keep in mind," he said bluntly,
"we're not associating with you council guys."
Sofi added calmly,
"Yeah. Do whatever you want."
Jake stopped walking.
He turned around slowly, expression clearly unimpressed.
Then he pointed at Max.
"Look at this guy," Jake said.
"He hasn't asked a single question since we left the cafeteria."
"You should learn from him."
Max blinked, surprised the attention was suddenly on him.
"Ah—" he shrugged.
"I honestly don't care."
Sofi and Sid both turned toward Sam.
Sam grinned.
"I'm even more carefree than him," he said, pointing at Max.
Sofi leaned toward Sid and muttered quietly,
"They're both blockheads."
She paused.
Then realized she'd said it to another blockhead.
Jake let out a quiet sigh.
"Enough," he said.
"Let's move. At this rate, we'll be late."
And without another word, they continued down the hallway —
each of them unaware of how deeply this moment would shape what came next.