Madison was ruthless and efficient, raising her hand and delivering a slap.
Lily staggered back two steps, clutching her face. Seeing Madison standing there calm and composed, she felt both aggrieved and furious.
Luke watched with great satisfaction. As expected of Bitch Maddie—her level was top-notch.
He had no intention of intervening.
First, Madison would never lose. She was a Witch—an awakened Witch at that.
Second, he absolutely enjoyed watching women fight.
Lily was furious, but she was wary of the strong, imposing Luke and didn't dare charge forward immediately.
At that moment, her boyfriend, Sean—who had been hovering nearby—finally noticed the commotion and stormed over angrily.
"Hey, how could you lay hands on her?!"
Sean stepped in front of Lily and jabbed a finger at Luke.
Luke frowned slightly and said warningly, "I hate being pointed at."
Sean glared even harder. Instead of lowering his hand, he took a bold step forward. "Fuck your opinion, who do you think you are?"
Before he could finish, Sean suddenly felt his right arm caught in an iron grip. Sharp pain shot through him instantly, his arm feeling as if it were being crushed under immense pressure—his bones even creaked.
"Oh—no!"
Luke held Sean's arm tightly, making cold sweat pour down Sean's face. He tried desperately to pry Luke's hand off with his free hand, but no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't budge him at all.
Everyone around them was stunned.
Luke looked strong, yes—but Sean was also 1.85 meters tall. There wasn't much difference in build. So why did Sean look like a fragile porcelain doll in front of Luke—nice to look at but completely useless?!
"My hand—ah! Let go! My arm's gonna break!"
Luke abruptly released him and said with exaggerated apology,
"Sorry, it seems my strength is a bit much for a guy like you. Ah, what can I say.. When I get emotional, it's hard to control."
"In your next life—ah, I mean, next time, be more careful."
Luke patted Sean's shoulder, then gestured for Madison to leave.
As he passed the flustered Maria, he smiled gently and said, "Maria, if you don't mind, want to walk with us?"
Maria looked at Lily and Sean, then back at Luke. She felt the urge to apologize to Lily, but when she saw Luke's sincere smile, she nodded almost instinctively.
The students around them stared at Luke, Madison, and Maria as if they had just witnessed an event straight out of a TV show, and unconsciously moved aside, clearing a path for the trio.
Maria hurried forward, following right behind Luke like a shadow.
Feeling the gazes of others—though she knew they were directed at Luke—her thoughts still drifted away uncontrollably.
Just now… Luke stood up for me, didn't he?
Maria quickly shook her head at the thought.
No… he was defending his other companion.
And he had struck her only friend and her friend's boyfriend.
She should be angry, shouldn't she? Even just a little?
But she couldn't help thinking: If she became Luke's girlfriend… would no one dare bully her ever again?
Maria followed this bold thought until a sharp voice cut through the air.
Startled, Maria raised her frightened eyes and saw three boys walking toward them.
It was Mike, the school bully from her class, along with his two cronies.
"Yo, isn't this Maria? Tsk, found a new 'friend,' have you? Or did the blonde pay you to suck her boyfriend's d—"
Mike was just about to spit out his usual insults, but Luke didn't give him the chance.
He kicked Mike straight in the chest, sending him flying three meters away, where he lay struggling to get up.
Mike's two companions exchanged a look, nodded, and rushed at Luke together.
Madison instinctively had the impulse to use her abilities.
But before she could act, Luke slapped them both down one after the other, like he was swatting flies.
Then Luke walked over to Mike. Under Mike's terrified gaze, Luke grabbed him by the neck and lifted him effortlessly.
Mike's face flushed red as he weakly hit Luke's solid arm.
Luke spoke softly, "I don't know who you are, and I have no interest in knowing who you are."
"But remember this.. If I ever see or hear you treating Maria disrespectfully again…"
Luke leaned in and whispered into his ear, "I promise you, I'll shove your head up your own ass."
"Trust me—I keep my word."
After he finished speaking, Luke let go, and Mike slid to the ground like a limp noodle with no strength left.
He was furious yet terrified, unable to utter even a single threat.
His two cronies stared at him strangely, and the humiliation burned through him.
Mike clenched his fist tightly, pulled a glass bottle from his bag, and glared at Luke's back.
Just then, Luke suddenly looked over his shoulder, as if he had eyes behind him.
Clang—
Mike flinched, and the glass bottle slipped from his hand, shattering on the ground.
Along with it shattered his courage and whatever boldness he'd been clinging to. "M-Monster!"
In the crowd,
A black-haired girl looked at Luke's retreating figure, her beautiful eyes shimmering.
Oh my god, he's so handsome!
He must be the strongest guy in the whole school, right?
No—I have to have him!
Maria followed closely behind Luke and Madison, then climbed into the car Madison had bought.
As a minor actress, Madison had once been wealthy enough to spend tens of thousands of dollars on a commuter car.
Madison smoothly stepped on the gas. "Maria, where do you live?"
Maria gave her address, glancing enviously at Madison, who looked effortlessly cool behind her sunglasses.
This was the kind of person she dreamed of becoming.
Maria wanted a car of her own too—she didn't want to take the crowded school bus every day, endure forced interactions with classmates, or suffer mockery and isolation.
But her father never paid attention to her situation, even though she had hinted that she hoped for a gift on her seventeenth birthday.
A simple commuter car meant nothing to her father—a well-known cosmetic surgeon.
"Um… thank you. Both of you."
Maria hid the grievances in her heart, turned her head, and thanked Luke, who was sitting beside her.
"It's fine. Seeing your situation… you really shouldn't consider Lily your friend anymore. How about this—why don't I be your friend from now on? If you ever run into trouble, you can come to me directly for help."
Luke waved his hand casually as he said it.
"Friend…"
Maria repeated the word softly, an unconscious smile forming at the corners of her lips. She asked, both hopeful and uncertain, "Is that okay? I mean… can someone as useless as me really become your… friend?"
"Of course. Don't underestimate yourself—you're an outstanding person."
Luke smiled at her. "From now on, you're my friend."
Maria stared at him dazedly, then after a long moment, she nodded. "Okay… starting today, you're my best friend."
[Anomaly Target Maria has been recorded. 500 Anomaly Points obtained.]
[Reality Editor upgraded to V1.5. Special Effects Function and Friend-or-Foe Identification Function activated. Current Anomaly Points 0/600.]