Max sat rigid in his chair, eyes fixed on the notes Isabell scribbled across the board, but his mind was tangled in the distractions swirling from the corner of his vision.
Collin kept moving his head, casting those furtive glances—not quite staring, but too frequent to be accidental.
'I didn't do anything. There shouldn't be a reason for him to notice me. Everything I've done so far has been quiet. Invisible. Is it because I'm always alone? Maybe he's just trying to be nice.'
The classroom felt smaller than it should, walls closing in with the weight of unspoken questions. The muffled rustle of turning pages, the distant creak of the old wooden floor, and the faint hum of fluorescent lights overhead all bled together into a dull roar.
"And that is why you always kill a demon on sight," Isabell's voice cut sharply through the haze, breaking Max's train of thought. She was perched on the edge of her desk, arms folded, a half-smile playing on her lips like she enjoyed watching the students squirm under her gaze.
"That wraps it up for today. Enjoy the rest of your day."
A ripple of movement flooded the room as students gathered their belongings, the shuffling crescendo of chatter and footsteps filling the space with careless energy.
Max could guess what was about to happen.
"Hey, are you Max?" Collin asked.
"Mhm. And you're Collin," Max replied, voice flat but not unfriendly.
Collin smiled, easy and a little amused. "Happy you could remember my name."
"Yeah... everyone talks about you. Number one rank. Question is, what would you want with someone tethering between 2700 and 3150?"
Collin shrugged, grin widening. "Well... wow. A guy can't just talk to another classmate?"
"Come on. You would've said something to me before. And you kinda been looking at me all day today." Max said.
"Thought I was being subtle…" Collin said, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Well, are you busy? We could talk over some food."
"I could eat," Max replied, voice low and straightforward.
"Perfect."
The two of them stepped out of the classroom, slipping into the buzzing corridors of Nexus Academy. The hum of conversation filled the air—footsteps echoed, lockers clanged, and distant laughter bounced off the steel-and-glass walls. Around them, clusters of students glanced Collin's way, whispers trailing in his wake like a shadow.
Max kept pace beside Collin, eyes scanning the students who stole quick glances at the top-ranked first year. "Is this what famous people feel like… or supermodels?" he muttered with a dry grin.
Collin let out a tired sigh. "Ever since I got here, it's just been stares and whispers. Like I'm some kind of exhibit."
"Expected when you're the face of the first years," Max said, voice low but matter-of-fact.
"I don't want that," Collin replied, fingers running through his messy blond hair as they walked. "I just want to do my own thing. No spotlight."
"Comes with the territory of a ranking system. But don't act like there aren't perks to being number one," Max said.
Collin chuckled. "Alright, you got me there."
They moved into the cafeteria, the buzz of conversation growing louder—the smell of food, clattering trays, and chatter folding around them.
"Find a seat," Collin said, already heading toward the food line. "I'll buy."
Max had to admit, Collin wasn't so bad. But he'd have to rethink his plan about avoiding the main cast. It wasn't feasible—not when moments like this happened. He'd need to shift his focus.
'Most likely, I'll try to be a supporting role, Max thought. Only if I get forced to, though.'
"Hello? You go brick wall mode?" Collin's voice broke through, sharp and amused.
"What?" Max blinked. "I wasn't listening."
Collin appeared beside him, tray in hand. "I came back with your food and you didn't move. Ethereal."
Max gave a dry smile. "I was just thinking about the terrible food you were going to bring me, since you didn't ask what I wanted."
Collin grinned, shaking his head. "I'm the one paying. You'll survive."
"Fifty-fifty," Max said. "But why did you want to talk to me? The friendless guy who disappears as soon as class ends."
"Well, some guys were out to get you. You did something during that VR world we had to go into," Collin explained.
"And you just happened to stumble onto their plans or something? Did they have a bulletin board with string and photos?" Max asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Even had your face with an X on it," Collin said. "But I caught them roughing up someone around your rank for crossing them. I dealt with it and made them spill if they were going after anyone else."
"Huh. Think they got the wrong guy. I got eliminated pretty fast in that," Max said.
"No, you didn't," Collin shot back, switching to an announcer voice. "Maximus Augustus +1 point. Pond trial."
"Yeah, wrong guy," Max said flatly.
"Uh-huh," Collin replied, unconvinced. "And nobody seemed to talk to you, so I figured you might be lonely."
"I have plenty of friends," Max said, not missing a beat. "They just all go to different schools."
"All of them?" Collin asked, lifting a brow.
"Every single one," Max nodded with deadpan seriousness.
Collin broke into a quiet giggle, shaking his head.
"Collin liked that one," Max said, taking the moment to sip from his drink like it was a delivery punchline.
"Talking to you is fun," Collin said, smiling now without the usual practiced charm.
"Tips are welcome," Max replied. "Also, we haven't even touched our food yet."
"Well, I was telling you about stuff," Collin shrugged.
"Stuff?" Max echoed, eyebrow slightly raised.
"All the stuff," Collin said with mock gravity.
"All of it," Max repeated, finally taking a bite of the sandwich he'd been given. It wasn't awful. He'd had worse.
"What's it like hanging out with the top ten every day?" Max asked between chews. "I hear about you guys in the hallways constantly. Like walking mythological figures."
"We just kind of hang out for the convenience," Collin said, shrugging. "I like most of them, though."
"This might be a full-court shot," Max said, brushing crumbs from his sleeve, "but… you dislike Takahiro."
"I don't dislike anybody," Collin said carefully. "But he isn't the best to be around." He leaned in slightly. "And don't go around telling people."
"I'd tell that to yourself," Max replied dryly. "Considering you just told that to someone you spoke to for the first time, what… forty minutes ago?"
Collin laughed, leaning back. "You made it feel casual. Been different from what I'm used to since I got here."
"Once again, tips are welcome," Max said, gesturing lazily with half the sandwich still in hand. "But I'll say it for you—Takahiro's an asshole who thinks he's better than everyone."
Collin grinned, almost relieved. "Yeah… spot on."
The two sat in silence for a moment, the kind that wasn't awkward—just comfortable enough to let the cafeteria noise carry the weight of the room.
Then Collin spoke up. "What do you do for fun?"
"Chase after your number one rank," Max said without looking up.
"Bull," Collin shot back immediately, grinning.
"Okay—your power," Max corrected, casually. "Close enough."
"All yours," Collin said, gesturing broadly like he was handing over a prize. "Not gonna happen, though. No offense. I plan to keep getting better."
Max chewed slowly, swallowed, and wiped his mouth. "No, it's going to happen. I'll be in your range. Power-wise."
Collin studied him for a second, just long enough to take him seriously.
"Good luck then," he said, smirking. "But you might be crazy."
"Just confident," Max replied, and his tone didn't leave room for doubt.
Just as Max finished speaking, the sharp clatter of a tray hitting the tile echoed through the cafeteria like a bell struck out of rhythm.
Heads turned.
A girl was on the ground, red-faced and surrounded by a splatter of food that looked like it had exploded on impact. Her tray had flipped, her drink spilled, and most of her lunch was now an abstract painting on her uniform.
"If that's the future of heroes," someone called out from a table near the back, "we might as well invite the demons into our cities."
Laughter broke out—loud, ugly, cheap. The kind people joined not because it was funny, but because it was easy.
Max might've chuckled if he weren't sitting across from Collin.
Collin didn't laugh. Not even close.
"Don't," Max said, reaching out, hand landing lightly on Collin's shoulder as he watched the scene unfold. His voice was calm, but it had weight. "You'll make it worse. Especially for her."
"No," Collin muttered. "People who laugh and judge for something like that? They're scum."
"You're about to become part of the problem," Max said, not pulling his hand away.
But Collin stood anyway. "You already are," he said quietly, then started walking.
Max sighed. "Welp. Time for a graceful exit…"
He stuffed the last of his sandwich in his mouth, wiped his hands on a napkin, and made his way toward the trash bins. Tray dumped. Drink chugged. Carton tossed.
He was almost out the door when he heard Collin's voice—loud, clear, and carrying across the whole cafeteria like a microphone had been planted in his chest.
"Have you guys no shame?" Collin said, standing next to the girl, who was still kneeling beside her tray. "A simple accident, and she gets judged and ridiculed? That's what you laugh at? You're scum."
'Oh wow. Scum. Harsh,' Max thought, the corners of his mouth twitching with a small, private smile.
He kept walking, weaving through the flow of students in the hallway. Nexus Academy buzzed as usual—idle chatter, footsteps echoing on polished floors, the faint hum of overhead lights. Just noise.
Then a blur of motion passed by.
A girl, the same one who'd dropped her tray, ran past him with her head low and her bag half-zipped, shoulder catching the wall as she turned the corner too hard.
'Looks like Collin did make everything worse,' Max thought. His hands went into his pockets, and he kept going.
He didn't make it far before he heard someone behind him call out.
"Max."
He turned.
"I think you left your food—wait…" Max squinted as Collin jogged up to him, slightly winded. "Did you run here? Through the halls?"
Collin blinked. "Yeah? Why?"
Max raised an eyebrow, deadpan. "You do know we're not seven, right? Running through the halls at our age is a little weird, don't you think?"
Collin rested his hands on his knees, catching his breath. "You disappeared."
"Yeah, you went all hero mode. I'm not the guy who likes a lot of attention. Already had enough of it just walking next to you."
He gave Collin a look. "And guess what? You didn't help. She ran right past me."
Collin sighed and scratched at his cheek. "Yeah… she said I made everything worse. She asked why I even bothered. She's scared now. Too scared to go back in there."
Max nodded slowly. "Some people don't think like you do. They freeze. Shame becomes the event, not the fall."
"Still wish it didn't happen…"
"I wish for a quadrillion dollars," Max said.
Collin gave a tired chuckle. "Yeah. That would be nice."
Max tilted his head. "So, anything else you wan—"
Without warning, Collin grabbed Max by the sleeve and yanked him through a door to their right. The classroom was empty—desks neatly lined up, the light faintly buzzing overhead.
"Collin. What are you doing?" Max asked, adjusting his collar like it had personally been insulted.
"I saw Skylar through the window," Collin whispered, peeking through the blinds like they were on a covert operation. "She was walking this way."
"Okay… and?"
"I don't wanna be seen."
"…Right. So you threw me into a classroom?"
Collin turned, genuinely stressed. "Look, lately every time she sees me, she hangs around the whole day. She brings her friends. They talk. They linger. I get dragged everywhere. I don't want to do all that today."
"Learn to say no."
"I don't wanna be mean."
Max groaned and dropped into one of the chairs with a long, deliberate sigh, arms folded behind his head.
"You're a loser," he said.
"You're welcome," Collin said, now crouched near the window like a hunted man.
"Feels more like a hostage situation," Max muttered.