Sebastian’s face was already bloodied, a cut above his eyebrow leaking red down the side of his face. His expensive uniform was torn at the shoulder.
One of the masked figures raised a fist for another punch—
"STOP! Stop right now! We called the police, you will be arrested for assault!"
The three masked figures froze, turning toward her.
For a brief mont, they seed to hesitate.
Then, as if suddenly realizing a teacher had arrived, all three bolted—sprinting in different directions through the crowd before anyone could stop them.
"Hey! Get back here!" Alia shouted after them, but they were already gone, disappearing into the maze of buildings.
She imdiately turned her attention to Sebastian, who had collapsed to one knee, breathing hard, blood dripping from his face onto the ground.
"Are you okay?" Alia knelt beside him, her hands hovering uncertainly, clearly wanting to help but not sure where to touch without causing more pain.
Sebastian looked up at her, his face a mask of pain and shock.
"I... I am fine," he managed to say, his voice shaking slightly. "They just... they ca out of nowhere..."
"Don’t move. Let see." Alia gently tilted his face, examining the cut above his eyebrow.
"This needs to be cleaned. Can you stand?"
"I think so," Sebastian said, wincing as he tried to get to his feet.
Alia helped him up, supporting him with surprising strength for soone her size.
The crowd of students was still watching, murmuring amongst themselves, phones still recording everything.
Ethan stood at the edge of the crowd, his earlier satisfaction fading into confusion.
Sothing about this felt... off.
Why had the attackers run the mont Miss Sloane arrived? They could have easily finished what they were doing and still escaped. Why stop mid-assault?
And why did Sebastian look injured but not that injured?
"Soone get the nurse!" Alia called out. "Now!"
Several students scattered to comply.
Alia kept her arm around Sebastian, guiding him toward a nearby bench. "Sit down. Try to breathe slowly. You’re safe now."
"Thank you," Sebastian said quietly, his voice filled with genuine-sounding gratitude. "I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t shown up..."
"Do you know who they were?" Alia asked urgently. "Did you recognize them? Did they say anything?"
Sebastian shook his head weakly. "They wore masks. I couldn’t see their faces. They just... grabbed and started hitting . I didn’t even have ti to react."
"This is unacceptable," Alia said, her voice hardening with anger. "Violence like this right outside the school grounds, the administration needs to take imdiate action."
The school nurse arrived, rushing over with a dical kit.
"Oh my goodness!" Nurse Williams exclaid, imdiately beginning to clean the blood from his face.
"He was attacked by three masked individuals," Alia explained. "They ran when I arrived. We need to review security footage, find out who did this."
As the nurse worked, Sebastian winced convincingly, his eyes closing briefly against the pain.
But for just a mont, so brief that almost no one would have noticed, his eyes opened and locked directly onto Ethan’s across the crowd.
And in that split second, Ethan saw sothing that made his blood run cold.
Sebastian’s expression wasn’t pained.
It was triumphant.
Then it was gone, replaced imdiately by the mask of an injured, traumatized student.
Ethan’s hands clenched into fists.
’This was planned,’ Ethan realized with growing horror. ’This entire thing was staged.’
But he had no proof. No way to explain it without sounding paranoid.
And anwhile, Miss Sloane, beautiful, kind, protective Miss Sloane was crouched beside Sebastian, her hand on his shoulder, her expression filled with concern and protective fury.
"Don’t worry," she said softly to Sebastian. "I’m going to make sure whoever did this is caught and expelled. You’re safe now."
"Thank you, Miss Sloane," Sebastian said, his voice weak but grateful. "I don’t know what I would have done without you."
Ethan watched the scene unfold, nausea rising in his stomach. Unfortunately, he could do nothing to stop it, he could only watch in silence.
Alia helped Sebastian to his feet, keeping one arm firmly around him for support. The nurse packed up her ergency supplies, preparing to move him to the infirmary for proper treatnt.
"Co on, let’s get you sowhere more comfortable," Alia said gently to Sebastian.
"Careful now, he might be more injured than he looks," Nurse Williams added.
They began walking toward the school building, moving slowly to accommodate Sebastian’s "weakened" state.
Ethan stepped forward, trying to catch Alia’s attention. "Miss Sloane, I can help—"
"Not right now, Ethan," Alia cut him off without even looking at him, her focus entirely on Sebastian. "We can talk another ti."
"But—"
"Please, Ethan. Go ho. And be careful—whoever did this might still be around the school grounds."
With that, she guided Sebastian away, leaving Ethan standing alone in the dispersing crowd.
He watched them disappear into the building, his fists clenched so tight his knuckles turned white.
’He planned this,’ Ethan thought bitterly. ’He orchestrated the entire thing just to get close to her.’
But what could he do? Accuse Sebastian of faking an assault? With no evidence? He’d look insane.
Ethan turned and walked away, his jaw tight with frustration.
[Ding! Major Achievent Unlocked!]
[You have successfully intercepted the protagonist’s developing relationship with a new heroine through strategic planning and execution!]
[The protagonist’s attempt to bond with Alia Sloane has been completely overshadowed. You have positioned yourself as the primary student in her protective focus.]
[Reward: 200 Villain Points, 50 Villain Halo]
[Protagonist Penalty: -50 Protagonist Halo (Ethan Cole’s montum continues to decline)]
[Bonus Reward: "Teacher’s Appreciation Gift Set" - A carefully curated collection of rare first-edition literature books that will significantly increase favorability with literature enthusiasts, particularly Alia Sloane.]
Sebastian smiled softly as Alia and Nurse Williams helped him into the infirmary.
===Status===
Host: Sebastian Fairfax
Combat Power: 187 (Average human: 100)
Villain Points: 1,750
Villain Halo: 415
Luck: E
Charm: E
→ Skills: Silver Tongue
→ Inventory: Spirit Gathering Incense (x7), Teacher’s Appreciation Gift Set
→ Assets: $850,000, 7% equity stake in Bella Vista
→ Cultivation: Spirit Apprentice Level 1 [1/200]
Reviews
All reviews (0)