Theo stepped into the classroom, instantly sensing the heavy silence that hung in the air. The atmosphere was tense enough to raise goosebumps on his skin. He frowned, then spoke up in a loud, sarcastic tone that easily reached the four students causing trouble.
"Well, well… feels like a funeral in here. But who died, I wonder?" he said with a sly grin.
All four bullies immediately turned their heads toward him, their sharp gazes locking on Theo, who looked annoyingly calm and casual. But he didn't care. With his hands in his pockets, he walked leisurely toward his seat, acting as though nothing unusual was happening.
Once seated, he flashed Alvano a bright smile. "Morning, Van. Sleep well?" he asked, leaning back in his chair.
Alvano turned to him and gave a small nod. He didn't say a word, but the relief on his face was obvious—Theo was finally here.
The four bullies kept staring at Theo, this time with mocking grins. One of them, clearly the leader, whispered to his friends, "Looks like we've got ourselves a new toy."
They chuckled and tightened their grip on the new kid's collar, trying to assert dominance in front of Theo. The tension grew thicker, yet no one dared to interfere.
Theo simply observed them quietly. His gaze shifted to Alvano, whose hands were clenched tightly around his desk, jaw tightening as he fought to keep calm. Theo could read it easily—his best friend was struggling to hold himself back.
That made Theo smile faintly. So you really took my words to heart, huh? he thought. He knew Alvano was trying not to lose control, to restrain the power inside him. And for Theo, that alone was something to be proud of.
Seeing that things weren't getting any better, Theo finally decided to step in. He stood up and began stretching as if warming up for P.E. His arms swung lightly, and he tilted his neck side to side.
"Man, my body feels stiff today," he said casually. "Guess I need a bit of a morning stretch."
The bullies exchanged confused looks. One of them sneered, "What are you doing, you cocky punk?"
Theo moved closer, patting his own shoulders as he approached them. "Oh, nothing. Just thought the air in here's starting to smell funny… kinda like garbage." He glanced at them one by one.
The atmosphere froze. The class collectively held its breath. Everyone knew—when Theo talked like that, something was about to go down.
The four bullies clenched their fists, veins bulging. One of them gritted his teeth, trying to intimidate Theo. But Theo just rolled his neck lazily and slowly rolled up his sleeves.
"Four against one? You sure you wanna make morning exercise this exciting?" he said with a cocky smirk.
Without warning, one of them lunged forward and threw a punch straight at Theo's face. But Theo simply tilted his head to the side, dodging effortlessly, and countered with a sharp elbow strike to the gut.
"Ugh—!" The student let out a choked cry and collapsed to the floor, clutching his stomach. "Damn it!"
Two more attacked from both sides. Theo leaped lightly, spun midair, and delivered a spinning kick to one of their chests.
"Argh!" The boy flew backward, crashing into a desk and scattering chairs everywhere. The other tried to hit from behind but received a hard elbow to the temple instead.
"My head…" he groaned, stumbling before hitting the floor face-first.
Only one remained standing, trembling but desperate. He threw one last punch—but Theo was faster. He dodged easily and landed a clean uppercut to the jaw.
"Argh!!" The boy staggered back and fell, groaning in pain.
Theo stood calmly in the middle of the now-silent classroom. Some students gasped, covering their mouths in shock, while others ducked behind desks, afraid to get involved.
"Geez, you guys are so weak," Theo muttered, brushing off his uniform. Then he looked at Alvano and grinned. "So, Van—good enough for a morning show?"
Alvano gave a small nod, still wide-eyed in awe. Theo had just taken down four bullies with ease.
He remained seated, staring at Theo standing tall at the center of the room. His expression was one of pure admiration, mixed with pride—not just because Theo had won, but because he had the guts to stand up against injustice when everyone else looked away.
Theo walked over to the four groaning bullies and looked down at them with calm authority. "Listen up," he said firmly. "From now on, stay the hell out of this classroom. You've got no place here if all you're gonna do is pick on others."
None of them dared to respond. Their faces were pale, part from pain, part from fear.
Suddenly, the classroom door swung open. A tall student with a serious face entered—it was Joshua, the class president and one of Theo's old friends. His steps were firm, his presence commanding.
The moment he saw the chaos, Joshua sighed. "You guys again," he muttered flatly.
He shot them a piercing glare. "Before I report this to the school, I suggest you leave. Consider this my morning mercy."
The four bullies exchanged nervous glances before slowly getting up and limping out of the room without saying a word.
Silence returned, though the tension still lingered faintly. Joshua clapped his hands twice to get everyone's attention. "Alright, that's enough. Let's calm down. We're not turning this class into a war zone," he said firmly but calmly.
The students gradually settled back into their seats. Some whispered among themselves, but the chaos had eased. Joshua turned to Theo, who was already heading back to his seat like nothing happened.
"Thanks, man. If it weren't for you, this could've gotten worse," Joshua said sincerely.
Theo shrugged, a small grin on his lips. "No problem. I just hate seeing trash lying around in class."
Joshua chuckled softly and nodded. Though he was one of the most elite students in Class 10-B, he never acted arrogant. Unfortunately, he'd missed getting into Class 10-A by just a few points.