One day when Aibar arrived at school, the moment he stepped through the front gate, he noticed an unconscious body lying on the ground.
Lucas and So-Hyeon were standing beside it.
Lucas's hand was covered in blood up to his wrist.
Aibar walked over, glanced at the unconscious body on the ground, then looked back at Lucas and So Hyeon.
In a calm voice, Aibar asked,
"Was this a new opponent sent by Eclipse?"
Lucas gave a small smile.
"Yeah. This guy's name is Nurman. He's only a little stronger than Asanali and Arsen... but So Hyeon and I defeated him without any difficulty."
Lucas lifted his foot, about to step on Nurman's head.
Then—
"Stop."
Aibar's cold voice echoed.
Lucas immediately froze and lowered his foot.
Lucas and So Hyeon looked at him.
Lucas smiled faintly.
"What is it...? Why are you angry?"
"I'm not angry."
Aibar calmly bent down and lifted Nurman's body.
Lucas and So Hyeon stared at him in surprise.
Without another word, Aibar turned around and began walking away while carrying the body.
When he reached the school gate, Lucas ran after him.
With curiosity in his voice, he asked,
"What are you going to do with him?"
Aibar looked over his shoulder.
"I'm going to bury him."
Lucas's eyes widened.
"W-What...? Wait, wait..."
After gathering himself, he forced a smile.
"You're going to bury him? He's your enemy... technically mine too."
"Yes. He was our opponent."
Aibar continued walking.
"But that doesn't mean he wasn't human."
"Huh?"
Aibar answered calmly.
"I own a piece of land specifically for this purpose. I bought it so I could respectfully bury Eclipse members."
He paused.
"The people who were close to me and passed away are buried there as well."
Lucas stood silently for a moment.
Then a small smile appeared on his face.
"You know... Eclipse got lucky."
Aibar glanced at him.
"For most people, once someone becomes an enemy, they're no longer seen as human."
Lucas looked at him with genuine respect.
"But you... you're different."
Aibar simply continued walking and left through the school gate.
Classes continued as usual.
Aibar buried Nurman respectfully, changed into clean clothes—a black shirt, black classic trousers, and black dress shoes—and returned to school.
During the fourth period, Aibar fell asleep.
This was already the second time it had happened.
Maria noticed him sleeping.
She quietly turned toward him and stared for a while.
A small smile appeared on her face.
She took out her phone, snapped a picture of him, then put the phone away.
Maria looked at him again, smiling softly.
The entire class was watching.
Even the teacher.
For some reason, everyone seemed to think sleeping Aibar looked adorable.
By now, the injuries Aibar had received during his battle against Arsen had completely healed.
The bell rang.
It was time for the fifth lesson.
Aibar slowly opened his eyes and lifted his head from the desk.
As always, he sat quietly in his seat.
A moment later, the fifth-period teacher, teacher Sharapat, entered the classroom.
The instant she looked at Aibar, she immediately struggled to suppress a laugh.
"Huh?"
Aibar tilted his head slightly in confusion.
Maria and the other students were also staring at him while trying not to laugh.
Aibar calmly took out his phone, opened the camera, and looked at himself.
Several tiny, cute hair ties had been attached throughout his hair.
Without showing any emotion, he said,
"What is this?"
Aibar immediately understood.
If he ever fell asleep during class again, something dangerous—but adorable—would probably happen.
This was Maria's punishment for him sleeping during class.
A punishment from the Guardian of Order.
A cute punishment.
Aibar remained expressionless.
But he wasn't upset.
If anything, he felt slightly relieved.
Looking at Maria, he calmly asked,
"If my girlfriend is happy because of this, then that's fine."
He paused.
"How long am I supposed to keep these on?"
Maria instantly turned red.
Flustered, she answered,
"You can take them off now."
She carefully helped him remove the little hair ties.
After that, classes continued.
Eventually, the school day ended.
The bell rang for break.
Aibar left the classroom and headed toward the restroom.
Meanwhile, inside the classroom, So Hyeon, Lucas, and Maria were still talking about how cute Aibar had looked earlier.
At that moment, Symbat turned toward them from her seat.
"You all know tomorrow is Aibar's birthday?"
Everyone froze.
Maria looked surprised.
"How do you know that...? Is it true?"
Symbat smirked slightly.
"What? The honorable Guardian of Order doesn't even know her own boyfriend's birthday?"
She crossed her arms.
"How embarrassing."
Before the argument could begin, So Hyeon interrupted with a cheerful grin.
"Perfect."
She raised a finger thoughtfully.
"Tomorrow is my birthday too."
After a brief pause, she smiled.
"Then it's settled."
She pointed dramatically.
"Tomorrow, we'll celebrate both Aibar's and my birthday."
Symbat shook her head.
"Aibar..."
She hesitated.
"How should I put it..."
"He has never celebrated his birthday."
Everyone stared at her.
"I think he hates his own birthday."
Lucas, Maria, and So Hyeon looked genuinely shocked.
Seo Hyeon smiled.
"Impossible."
Then her smile widened.
"And if it's true, then we'll celebrate it no matter what."
She pointed toward the ceiling dramatically.
"Tomorrow I'm not the main person."
A grin appeared on her face.
"Tomorrow, it's him."
"We'll make sure it's unforgettable."
Lucas nodded.
"You know..."
A small smile appeared on his face.
"When we first came here, nobody trusted us because we used to be Eclipse members."
He glanced toward Aibar's empty seat.
"Nobody except him..."
"And Maria."
He folded his arms.
"Honestly... I've started respecting Aibar."
Symbat smiled.
"Then tomorrow we'll gather at Aibar's house."
"A surprise party."
Maria immediately glared at her.
"I'm organizing it."
She crossed her arms.
"Because he's my—"
Her voice stopped.
Her face turned bright red.
Symbat looked at her dismissively.
"Hmph."
"The girl who can't even tell her boyfriend that he's her boyfriend wants to compete with me?"
She smirked.
"I even have Mr. Azamat's phone number."
Maria clenched her fists.
"Jerk..."
"Hey, hey."
Lucas laughed awkwardly.
"Don't fight."
"It's Aibar's birthday."
"We should all work together and give him a surprise instead of arguing."
Maria calmed down.
A small smile appeared on her face.
"Fine."
She looked at Symbat.
"I know you don't really like me."
"But let's work together and make this the best birthday he's ever had."
She extended her hand.
Symbat stared at it.
Then she smiled and shook it.
"Alright."
"I admit it."
"You're not as bad as I thought."
She nodded.
"You're right."
"Let's all do it together."
"I'll secretly inform the rest of the class today."
Maria thought for a moment.
"There's one problem."
Everyone looked at her.
"It's almost impossible to hide something from Aibar."
"He can practically read people's thoughts just by looking at them."
So Hyeon smiled.
"We have a card to play."
She looked at Maria.
"Maria."
"You distract him."
Her smile widened.
"I believe you can keep him from finding out the truth."
Maria nodded confidently.
"Alright."
"I'll do my best."
At that moment, Aibar returned to the classroom.
"What are you all doing?"
Maria smiled.
"Aibar."
"Do you remember when you gave me the Guardian of Order position and offered to be my assistant?"
She looked away awkwardly.
"I was an idiot back then."
"I saw you as a rival and rejected your offer."
She sighed.
"But now I understand."
"Being the Guardian of Order is difficult."
She looked directly into his eyes.
"I need your help."
Then she grabbed one of his hands with both of hers.
"Please, Aibar..."
"Please..."
She wasn't acting.
She genuinely needed his help.
Because of that sincerity, Aibar completely believed her.
He never realized she was hiding something else.
At that moment, the final teacher entered the classroom.
Without showing emotion, Aibar nodded.
He accepted.
Maria's face immediately brightened.
The lesson began.
Everyone returned to their seats.
Lucas looked toward Maria.
A surprised smile appeared on his face.
Inside his head, he thought:
("Maria...
You're one hell of a manipulator.
No...
You're actually incredibly smart.")
Eventually, school ended.
Everyone went home.
Aibar entered his house.
Azamat was waiting for him.
"Master, tomorrow is your birthday—"
"Teacher, please."
Aibar interrupted him coldly.
"Let it pass like every other birthday."
Azamat frowned.
"No."
"This is your birthday."
"You're turning fifteen."
"Why do you always refuse to celebrate it?"
Aibar answered calmly.
"First, it's a waste of money."
"Spending money on an ordinary day makes no sense."
"Second, money is already scarce."
"I need to save as much as possible."
"Sometimes I even give up my own needs."
"That makes things easier."
He paused.
"And third..."
"I simply don't want to..."
In truth, Aibar had long forgotten what birthdays were supposed to feel like.
But part of him wanted to find out.
Azamat was slightly angry.
However, since he was now a cyborg, his face couldn't express those emotions.
"Fine."
"You've always been like this."
Aibar looked at him.
"Did I upset you?"
"I'm sorry."
Azamat sighed.
He knew there was no point arguing.
"Very well, Master."
"You're a hero."
"So saving money is important."
"I understand."
The evening passed normally.
Aibar continued handling his responsibilities.
Meanwhile, Azamat sat in his charging station, recharging.
Then a call came in.
Azamat accepted it.
One of his functions allowed him to communicate without a phone.
To an outsider, he appeared to be silently charging.
In reality, he was talking.
The caller was Symbat.
"Mr. Azamat... it's me, Symbat."
"Do you remember me?"
"Of course."
"Aibar's classmate."
"I'm listening."
"Is Aibar nearby?"
"No."
"And I can communicate silently through my internal systems."
"It's one of my functions."
Symbat sounded pleased.
"Perfect."
"We want to prepare a surprise for Aibar tomorrow."
"Would you like to join us?"
Azamat immediately answered,
"Of course. Of course."
A small laugh escaped him.
"I want my stubborn, emotionless master to remember his October 11th birthday in a way he'll never forget."
Symbat laughed softly.
"Then we'll come while Aibar is away."
"With the rest of the class."
Azamat suddenly asked,
"Will Maria,master's girlfriend, be coming as well?"
"I think master will be much more willing to accept the surprise if she's there."
Symbat was silent for a moment.
Then she smiled.
"Of course."
"A birthday without her wouldn't feel like Aibar's birthday."
"And she'll keep Aibar busy and away from home."
"We'll use that time to prepare everything."
"Excellent."
Azamat nodded.
"You know, I thought she was arrogant."
"But perhaps my master was right about her."
Then he added casually,
"Though personally, my favorite ship is you and my master."
Symbat instantly turned red.
"W-What...?"
"You really think that?"
"Yes."
"Aibar × Symbat."
"That's my favorite ship."
Symbat became even more flustered.
"Th-Thank you..."
"I... I'm happy to hear that."
She cleared her throat and regained her composure.
"Then I'll see you tomorrow."
"Goodbye."
"Thank you."
"Goodbye."
The call ended.
The next morning, Aibar arrived at school early as usual.
But this time—
Maria had arrived even earlier than him.When Maria saw Aibar arrive, she immediately brightened and walked over to him with a small smile.
"Aibarchik, how are you?"
Aibar looked at her calmly.
"Huh???"
Maria smiled even more.
"It's still hard to believe you're actually my boyfriend."
She covered her mouth slightly, amused.
"The face you make whenever you don't understand something—'Huh???'—looks incredibly cute."
Aibar looked at her.
"Did something happen to you today?"
"No, nothing happened."
Maria shook her head.
"It's just that I'm finally letting out all the feelings I've been holding back this whole time."
Her smile softened.
"When we were rivals... no matter how much I tried to act proud and arrogant, I always had special feelings for you."
She looked away briefly.
"I was too embarrassed to show them."
Then she looked back at him.
"But not anymore."
"Okay."
Aibar answered calmly.
Soon, the rest of the students arrived and classes began.
The entire class still didn't know it was Aibar's birthday.
Symbat had deliberately kept it a secret for now.
During the third break, Aibar went outside to get some fresh air.
The moment he left, Symbat, Lucas, So-Hyeon, and Maria gathered the class together and explained the plan.
Most of the students immediately agreed.
Some even contributed a little money to celebrate their superhero's birthday.
Whatever amount was still missing, Symbat paid from her own pocket.
The plan was complete.
Classes continued and eventually came to an end.
As everyone at school was preparing to head home, Aibar also stood up and began packing his things.
Just as he reached the classroom door, Maria grabbed his wrist and stopped him.
Aibar slowly turned around and looked at her.
In a demanding voice, Maria said,
"Aibar, don't forget the promise you made me."
She pointed at herself proudly.
"Today you're staying by my side all day and helping me."
She crossed her arms.
"You're the assistant to your Guardian of Order."
A playful smile appeared on her face.
"And today, your Guardian of Order needs you completely."
Aibar calmly nodded.
Maria released his wrist and walked out of the classroom.
Aibar followed behind her.
For the next several hours, Maria kept giving him tasks.
She made him move heavy objects.
She had him reorganize equipment in the auditorium, move furniture around, and help clean everything.
After that came paperwork.
But thanks to Aibar's absurdly high-level abilities, he completed every task almost instantly and without any difficulty.
Maria stared at him in disbelief.
"Aibar..."
She blinked several times.
"Are you actually human?"
Aibar looked directly at her.
"Yes."
He answered calmly.
"I am human."
Then he added,
"I've just trained a lot."
Maria closed her eyes and let out a long sigh.
"Ugh..."
When she opened them again, a small smile appeared on her face.
"It's hard to imagine..."
She looked at him thoughtfully.
"The kind of training you've done and the amount of effort you've put in to become like this."
"I think talent played a role too."
Aibar answered calmly.
"Maybe God saw my efforts and decided to give me more than I deserved."
He stood up.
"Anyway, if we're finished, I'd like to go home."
"Otherwise I'll fall behind on my other responsibilities."
"No."
Maria immediately replied.
She stretched slightly.
"What I meant is..."
"Let's rest for a bit."
"I'm tired."
Suddenly, a mischievous idea entered her mind.
A sly smile appeared on her face.
"Aibar..."
She tilted her head.
"I'm curious."
"You or Lucas?"
"Who's stronger?"
Aibar thought for a moment.
"Hmm..."
"I'd have to think about it."
Then he answered honestly.
"If we're comparing super power, then he might currently be stronger than me."
"Experience still matters, after all."
Aibar walked over to one of the spectator benches and sat down.
Crossing his arms, he continued calmly,
"But if we're talking about pure human physical strength..."
"No super power involved..."
"I think I'm stronger than all three of you."
Maria sat down beside him.
"Hmm..."
She thought for a moment.
"If I have weapons, I might have a small chance."
She nodded.
"But you're probably right."
"Because if you also had weapons..."
She laughed softly.
"Then even that tiny chance would disappear."
"I have to admit it."
Then she looked at him.
"But three against one?"
She smirked.
"That part I'm willing to argue about."
Aibar nodded calmly.
"Hmm... okay."
"Maybe I'm wrong."
"Your opinion could be correct too."
He took his phone from his pocket, checked the time, and put it away again.
"It's almost 5:00 PM."
"We should head home before it gets dark."
Maria stood up.
Then she extended her hand toward him and helped him to his feet.
Suddenly, Aibar looked at her and asked:
"Maria..."
"Weren't you all planning to celebrate my birthday?"
Maria froze in place near the exit.
For a brief moment, her entire body stiffened.
Then she cleared her throat.
Slowly turning her head over her shoulder, she looked at him and smiled.
"Today's your birthday?"
She blinked innocently.
"What?"
"How?"
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Her acting was so convincing that almost anyone would have believed her.
Anyone except Aibar.
Because Aibar had already read everything from the expression on her face.