"Are you sure you're not sick? You've basically used the toilet like twice this morning, and we haven't even eaten yet," Edwin said to Liam after observing his unusual behavior.
Liam simply said he was fine and told Edwin not to worry.
The time was 6:55 AM, and most of the juniors had already left the hostel. Only a few Class 4 and Class 5 students remained. Liam had just finished dressing when the bell for breakfast rang. At this point, he was debating whether he should even go to dining. He didn't want to risk upsetting his stomach, but if he didn't eat, he might be too weak to fight properly.
Then again, it was just bread. There was no way he could upset his stomach from just bread… right?
Time flew by, and it was already 1:30 PM.
Liam had made sure not to drift off track. He clearly remembered the reason for the fight. While he was taking notes, Franklyn—who had been playing around—stepped on his notes without even turning back to say sorry. When Liam called him out, Franklyn still didn't bother to apologize. Liam had joked about going to do the same to his books, but Franklyn, for some reason, decided to take it too seriously. He slapped Liam right across the face.
That was something Liam just couldn't tolerate, and they'd ended up fighting.
Liam immediately smiled when he saw Franklyn chasing after another classmate, climbing over desks. After a few seconds of chasing, Franklyn was just one desk away from Liam's. With a single step, he landed on Liam's notes, leaving his footprint behind. He didn't even stop to say sorry.
Liam made sure to say the same words he did back then.
"Hey, Franklyn! You stepped on my notes!"
However, what he didn't realize was that this time, he'd said it with a bloodlusted tone—as if openly begging for a fight. Because of that, things proceeded differently.
"And that's why you're yelling at me? Are you looking for a fight?" Franklyn asked, stepping down from the desk and walking toward Liam.
"Well, that depends on your answer," Liam said, visibly frustrated. He didn't know how things would play out this time. He seemed to have said something differently, but either way, it looked like a fight was about to break out.
"Seems I've joked with you too much. You think we're equals?" Franklyn said, landing a slap across Liam's face.
Everywhere went silent. The entire Class 4A turned to look at both of them. A few students were even surprised that it was Liam being slapped. Sure enough, there are just a few people who don't naturally seem like the type one can bully, and their instincts told them Liam was the type to fight back.
At this point, Liam could barely hide the smile on his face. He was grinning from ear to ear.
Before anybody could register what was happening, another slap was delivered—with even greater impact than the last. But this time, it was Liam doing the slapping.
That was exactly how the previous fight had played out.
Right after, Franklyn shoved Liam, causing him to stumble backward. A chair was behind him, and he tripped, falling between the chairs.
"Yes! Everything is falling into its rightful place—including me, of course!" Liam said, standing up.
He was pushed again, but this time toward the lockers. That was it.
Suddenly, Franklyn's head was locked in Liam's arm. With a single gesture, Franklyn found himself lying on top of a desk. Liam placed his hand on Franklyn's neck, preparing to land a punch—but was stopped by his friends, who had come to separate the fight.
Unlike last time, where the victor was unknown or likely Franklyn, this time everyone knew: if they hadn't stopped Liam when they did, Franklyn's face would have been disfigured by now.
"The next time you want to oppress people with your power, think before you act. Not everyone who doesn't fight is weak!" Liam made sure to say that loud enough for it to sink into Franklyn's mind—and everyone else's.
He had won.
And that would further place Liam among the top ten. After all, Franklyn was the strongest Class 4 student in Vale House.
After that encounter, everywhere was silent—except for the closing bell, which snapped everyone back to reality.
Meanwhile, Lucas, one of Liam's close friends, could barely hold his laughter as he walked over to Liam.
"I thought you don't get angry. First time seeing this look on your face!" Lucas said, causing Liam to break out of character and laugh.
"I'm not angry! It's natural to fight back when you're attacked, right?" Liam said with a smile as he and Lucas walked out of the classroom after arranging his books in his locker.
"You're going to dining, right? Take my food… I don't feel like eating," Liam said as he headed toward Ashford Hostel while Lucas went to the dining hall.
"In about two weeks, the third semester would end. That means the time will soon come," Liam said with a sigh of relief as he entered the hostel and lay on his bed.
One of the things that had clawed at his neck ever since had finally been fulfilled. For some reason, he didn't feel different. Perhaps he should have at least landed a few punches.