While at the dining table, Ivy's parents chatted about the past, discussing the boy they had taken care of for a few months, the reason for their current success, and Ivy's life.
Ivy didn't know what he looked like because when her parents took in that boy, she was staying with her grandmother, who was helping her with school. Her parents were working nonstop to provide for her education and didn't have enough time to care for her.
That's why she wondered who that boy might be and if she would ever have a chance to meet him in person.
As her father recalled the past, he remembered the boy telling him, "Please don't try to find me, but I'll repay you through this. This is all I can give, so please take the risk." The boy gave him a folded handkerchief with a paper inside and a note explaining what would be in high demand in the near future. At the time, that product was at its lowest price, but the note predicted it would rise to its peak.
The product on the paper was starch. At first, he hesitated, but he recalled the boy's words, "Please take the risk," so he took it to heart. He secured a large loan from the bank worth a billion dollars. He did it because of what was written on the paper given by the boy, and he bought all the starch he could find around the country and even the world.
In just a month, it was a huge success, selling at almost 150 times the amount of the loan he had taken out. All because of the trust he placed in the boy.
Dinner ended, and Ivy's father looked at a framed with a cloth inside and "t.a. Bas" was written on it.
The next morning, Shinta was walking to school with friends from his old school, including Lucas Ropy. Lucas asked him about the school since he had been there for six months already.
"Not really good... No one really wants to talk to me," Shinta replied nonchalantly.
"Isn't that what you want? Hahahahahah," Lucas said.
"Well... Yeah, I can focus more on my studies if no one bothers me."
"Heh! That's what the upper class does to the lower class like you, huh? Pretty normal thing."
"Yeah, it might be more suspicious if they acted naturally towards me. I think this is where we part ways. Take care!"
"Hmm! I think you should be more careful than me, but take care too."
Shinta arrived at school, and during PE class, they were allowed to take any weapon from the table, some of which were deadly. Their teacher explained that "summer vacation is coming, and as part of this school, you should know how to protect yourself because you might be kidnapped or lose your life."
Students picked their weapons; some chose guns, knives, and even a self-protection gadget like a stun gun, like Yura. Each category of weapon had an instructor.
The PE teacher noticed Shinta not taking any weapon or participating in any martial arts stance. The teacher asked, "What are you doing here? Not interested in any of those?"
"No... It's just, the weapon I want isn't there," he replied.
"Then I'll let you get what you want since this lesson is crucial for protecting yourself," the teacher said.
In the teacher's mind, he wasn't a coward, even though he wasn't taking any weapon from the table, because of the terrible scars on his face. Letting him take what he wants was the best way to approach him.
Then, Shinta took two straight wooden sticks from his bag, each about an arm's length and 1.5 inches thick. The teacher was stunned and asked, "Is that your weapon?" and he agreed.
The teacher wondered if his decision was wrong and thought he was taking the lesson as a joke, so he challenged him to stop him from attacking Shinta with his so-called weapon.
The whole class watched and laughed at him because of his weapon.
The fight began, and Shinta fought the teacher, who was three times his size. The teacher struggled because of the unfamiliar martial arts he was using. His weapon attacked him with unbelievably fast and heavy strikes that hit like a whip.
Since the sticks were made of rattan, which was extremely light and durable, it allowed the user to react quickly.
While fighting, the teacher suddenly collapsed and became unconscious, the whole class was stunned by what happened. Shinta put his baston back in his bag, and the class silently stared at him.