ROBERT

When Kei noticed the two headmasters, he turned around and approached them calmly.

“What is he going to do?” Martin whispered.

“Is he going to beat them as well?” Dave added.

“Are you outta your mind, Dave?” Jim snapped.

Unexpectedly, he bowed down in a perfect ninety-degrees position - like how my father’s Japanese business associates greeted him. “Mr. Harrell, Mr. Smith…I would like to apologize. I broke the table on purpose.”

And just like that, the Viscount of Valenfields created another massive heart attack in Sterling again. Bloody hell, this is just his first day in Sterling and I’ve already lost count of how many times I’ve almost lost my mind! Perhaps being his friend wasn’t good for my mental health?

Meanwhile, the two headmasters were still bewildered by his sudden confession. “C-can you explain yourself, Mr. Bellrose?” Mr. Harrell questioned.

“Well, I was just having some breakfast in this cafeteria when suddenly these gang of seniors came and repeatedly asked about my relationship with Maurelle Whittman.” Kei explained, “I told them that it’s personal, but they wouldn’t listen. Instead, they intimidated even further to the point that I had to use a little bit of violence. I didn’t physically hurt anyone, but I broke one of the school’s facilities. I fully admit my mistake, and I will pay for a new table. And if there’s any punishment-“

“Oh, no, no, NO!” Mr. Harrell exclaimed, “We couldn’t do that, Mr. Bellrose!”

“Yes, we couldn’t give you any punishment!” Mr. Smith added, “You were only doing this out of self-defense! Our school have a very strict rule regarding to students’ privacy, so you didn’t do anything wrong!”

“Guards! Seize those boys!” Mr. Harrell ordered, pointing towards the six bullies who had tried to escape the scene quietly. They were no match for the soldiers of the Royal Army, so they were quickly apprehended and then escorted towards the high school building - probably for further questioning and such at the headmasters’ office. 

Mr. Harrell went off with the guards and the bullies straight away, but Mr. Smith approached Kei once more before he leave. “Once again, Mr. Bellrose…we apologize for the inconvenience! Would you like us to assign bodyguards for you during break times? Or would you like to bring your own private bodyguards to school next time?”

“Um, no thanks, sir. I’ll be fine.” Kei declined politely. “May I be excused now? I haven’t finished my breakfast, so…”

“Oh yes, yes! You may! And please, tell us right away if you have any more problems!”

“Alright, then... Are you sure I don’t need to replace that broken table or go through any detention, sir?”

“No, no! Not at all! In fact, Her Majesty would sack both Mr. Harrell and I from the job straight away if we give you any! But please...next time you have another privacy violation or any bullying issue, please notify one of the teachers or the guards on duty. We’d be having major trouble with the finances if you keep on breaking tables!”

Kei chuckled. “All right, sir. I’ll try not to break any more tables…”

...And just like that, the whole commotion was over without Kei getting into any major trouble.

To be honest, I was quite amazed. Had I been in his shoes, I’d be panicking and probably ended up getting in a huge trouble as well. Kei’s charm was almost like cheating, but when I thought about it, he wasn’t cheating at all - nothing in the school’s big book of rules said that he should get detention or any kind of punishments when he used self-defense against violated privacies; Sterling have always considered violated privacy as a serious offense, even worse than bullying, stealing, or tampering with school facilities. A lot of folks in this school came from families who couldn’t afford to have their private infos being leaked, even among students - celebrities, politicians, royalties, the mafia...well, you get the idea.

One thing was made clear during our first recess of the new school year though; never, ever mess with Kei Bellrose unless you wanted to share the same fate like that poor cafeteria table.

When Kei noticed me standing among the crowds, he waved towards me and I quickly approached him with the others. I immediately introduced him to the others, and I was relieved to see him beaming again with the friendly face that I got in acquaintance with this morning. The other three who didn’t see Kei during homeroom just stared at him dumbfounded - they probably didn’t expect him to be this friendly after all that commotion.

“Uh, hey! Nice swing, by the way!” Jim complimented, “You learn some martial arts back in Japan?”

“Uh, a little.” Kei replied.

His response made us gaped. A little? He just chopped a hardwood table with his bare hands!

“I only know some basic moves for self-defense. Never really had time for it, because I’m always busy with soccer practices all year round.”

I stared at him questioningly.

“You sure you don’t have a black belt in karate or something?” Marc asked.

Kei shook his head. “Nope. My mom does, though. And my dad goes for competitive kickboxing. I just managed to pick up some tidbits from them.”

Screw the last mental note - don’t even mess with the whole family.