Three days passed quietly.
Too quietly.
Alexander spent most of his time managing the new authority of Hostel 7. Students who had once avoided them now lowered their heads when they passed.
Fear spread faster than respect. But Akshat didn't care about either.
That night, the campus was silent. Alexander and Akshat were in the living room of their apartment. Alexander was checking something on his laptop while Akshat leaned back on the couch, staring at the ceiling.
Then—
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Not polite. Not patient. Aggressive.
Alexander frowned. "At this hour?"
He stood and walked toward the door. But before he could reach it, the door burst open. The wood slammed violently against the wall.
A figure stepped inside. Tae Jin. His breathing was heavy, eyes bloodshot, hair messy as if he had been running for hours.
Alexander immediately stepped forward. "You've got a lot of courage coming here after what happened—"
Akshat raised a hand slightly. Alexander stopped.
"This one is mine," Akshat said.
Tae Jin's lips curled into a bitter smile. "So you finally decided to act like a leader." He stepped closer. Then suddenly—he lunged. His hand shot forward like a snake, wrapping around Akshat's right wrist, twisting it with brutal force.
Jiu-Jitsu. A technique meant to break balance instantly.
But something was different tonight.
Instead of resisting, Akshat stood calmly. Tae Jin's eyes widened slightly. His feet planted firmly on the ground, Akshat tightened his muscles and lifted him—not a counter, not a technique—just raw force. For a moment, Tae Jin's entire body hung in the air, his grip still locked. His expression froze.
"What—"
Before he could finish, Akshat slammed him into the floor. The impact echoed through the room. Alexander winced slightly.
Tae Jin groaned, the air knocked out of his lungs. He tried to stand again, but when their eyes met, something inside him broke. His shoulders trembled. Then suddenly—he started crying. Not quiet tears. Ugly, desperate sobs.
"Please…" he gasped.
Alexander blinked in disbelief.
Tae Jin grabbed Akshat's pant leg. "Give me Hostel 7 back."
The room fell silent.
Akshat looked down at him. "You attacked me… to beg?"
Tae Jin shook his head violently. "You don't understand! If I don't get Hostel 7 back…" His face turned pale. "The leader of Hostel 1 will hurt my family."
Alexander's expression changed instantly. The room grew cold.
Akshat crouched slowly, eyes level with Tae Jin's. "Leader of Hostel 1," he said quietly.
Tae Jin's body trembled. "You're afraid of him."
"You have no idea what he's capable of," Tae Jin whispered.
Akshat studied his face. Terror like that couldn't be faked. Interesting. Very interesting. He stood up and looked at Alexander.
"So," he murmured calmly, "looks like the real problem has finally shown itself."
Outside, the wind rattled against the broken door. Somewhere on campus, the shadow of Hostel 1 had just entered the game.
---
Tae Jin's fingers tightened around Akshat's pant leg. His entire body shook.
"Start talking," Akshat said calmly.
Alexander leaned against the wall, arms crossed, watching quietly.
Tae Jin wiped his face with the back of his sleeve, trying to steady his breathing. "You think Hostel 7 was a gang?" he muttered bitterly. "It wasn't. It was just… a branch."
"Branch of what?" Akshat asked.
"Hostel 1."
The room fell silent. Alexander straightened slightly.
Tae Jin continued, voice low. "You already know about the protection money. One hundred euros from every student in Hostel 7."
Akshat nodded once.
"That money doesn't stay here," Tae Jin said. "It goes up."
"Up?"
"To Hostel 1."
A faint smile appeared on Akshat's face. "So this entire campus is just a collection system."
"Yes," Tae Jin whispered. "But that's only the surface."
Alexander frowned. "What else?"
Tae Jin hesitated. Then he said it: "Drugs."
The word hung in the air. "Fake IDs. Gambling rings. Stolen exam papers. International student loans with illegal interest," he continued, eyes darkening. "Everything flows through Hostel 1."
Akshat leaned against the table. "And the leader?"
Tae Jin's face changed instantly. Fear returned, pure fear. "You shouldn't even say his name casually."
Alexander scoffed lightly. "Oh please. Don't tell me he's some campus ghost story."
"No," Tae Jin said slowly. Voice dropping to a whisper. "He's the reason none of the gangs here fight anymore."
Akshat tilted his head. "Explain."
Tae Jin looked at the floor as if replaying a nightmare. "Two years ago… every fighter in this college decided to challenge him."
Alexander raised an eyebrow. "Every fighter?"
"Yes." Tae Jin nodded. "Hostel 2. Hostel 3. Hostel 5. Martial arts clubs. Underground fighters." His voice trembled. "More than fifty people."
"And?" Akshat asked.
Tae Jin laughed weakly. "They attacked him together."
Alexander smirked. "And he lost?"
Tae Jin slowly looked up. "No. He didn't even bleed."
The room fell quiet. "They surrounded him in the basketball court behind Hostel 1. For ten minutes… you could only hear bones breaking."
Alexander's smirk disappeared. "Ten minutes?"
Tae Jin nodded. "When it ended… every single fighter was on the ground. Some unconscious. Some crying. Some couldn't stand for weeks."
Akshat folded his arms. "And him?"
Tae Jin swallowed. "He walked away."
Alexander asked slowly, "What's his name?"
Tae Jin hesitated. Then finally spoke. "Kuroda Haru."
The name lingered in the room. Akshat repeated it silently in his mind. Kuroda Haru. The strongest student in the college. The king of Hostel 1.
Tae Jin's voice trembled again. "If I don't get Hostel 7 back… he'll think I betrayed him."
Akshat stared at him for a moment, then chuckled quietly. Alexander glanced at him.
"What's funny?"
Akshat rubbed the back of his neck and exhaled. "For the first time since coming to this college…" A faint smile formed on his face. "I'm finally a little interested."
Tae Jin froze. Alexander sighed.
Outside, the wind rustled through the trees. Somewhere in the distance, Hostel 1 stood in silence, waiting.
Alexander leaned against the wall, arms crossed. Akshat looked down at Tae Jin.
"Relax," he said calmly. Tae Jin slowly lifted his head. "I'll handle Kuroda. You don't need to worry about your family."
Tae Jin's eyes widened slightly. "You… you don't understand," he muttered. "Kuroda Haru isn't someone you can just—"
"I know what he is," Akshat cut him off. "He's the king of Hostel 1. The strongest fighter in the college. The one who controls half the illegal money flowing through this place."
The room went quiet.
"But he has rules," Akshat continued. Tae Jin froze. "Kuroda Haru doesn't allow outside connections. No gangs. No external threats. Everything stays inside the college." Akshat stepped closer, crouching slightly so their eyes were level. "So if someone hurts your family," he added, voice colder, "that means he's breaking his own rule."
Tae Jin stared at him in disbelief. "And people like him," Akshat continued, "care more about their reputation than anything else."
For the first time since the fight began, a faint spark of hope appeared in Tae Jin's eyes.
"You really think…" he whispered. "You can deal with him?"
Akshat stood up. "We'll see."
Alexander chuckled quietly from behind. "You sound pretty confident for someone who just inherited a gang problem."
Akshat shrugged. "I didn't ask for the problem. But now that it's here…" A small smile formed on his face. "I might as well enjoy it."
Tae Jin slowly pushed himself up from the floor. His pride had been crushed tonight. His power had been taken. But something else replaced it. Loyalty.
"…If you really can protect my family," he said quietly, "then I'll work under Alexander."
Alexander raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
Tae Jin looked at him directly. "From now on… Hostel 7 is yours."
Alexander glanced at Akshat with a smirk. "Well," he said, "looks like we just gained a new employee."
Akshat exhaled slowly and walked toward the window. Outside, the campus looked peaceful. Almost too peaceful. But somewhere in that darkness, Hostel 1 still stood untouched. And at the top of it—Kuroda Haru.
End of ch 31
To be continue...
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