"Sit down. All of you."

The students were too surprised to even move. Their shocked reactions and terrified expressions confused Max for the hundredth time now.

"That's Sir Barron, right? Why is he here?" a student standing near Max whispered to the guy sitting beside him.

"Who the hell is this man now?" Max mumbled to himself as he stared at the professor like the rest of the class did. 

When everyone didn't respond to what they were instructed to do, the professor walked towards the platform that was placed at the front, placing both of his hands behind him like he was some kind of general in the military. He didn't say a word and just stared down at them, but that was enough to finally make everyone take their seats.

Max was impressed by the authority the professor possessed. He didn't say anything else and just let go of the student he was pinning against the wall before grabbing his chair and taking a seat.

"That's Sir Kai Barron. He's a professor in one of the special classes," the student sitting beside Max suddenly told him. He was also the same student who stopped him from throwing a punch earlier.

"And I'm assuming that's a big deal," Max answered without looking back at him.

The student smiled, glad that Max had even responded to him. 

"I'm Ari Faulkner, by the way." The student whose name was Ari introduced himself with a confident smile. 

Ari was only a few inches taller than Max. His hair had different shades of red, almost like he had colored it himself for the first time, which explained how bad the outcome was. And every time he smiled, his dimples would show. He was no doubt a charming fellow.

"Max," Max said back, and Ari's smile widened.

The two looked back at Sir Barron, who was glaring at the students with complete disgust. He was looking at them like they were some kind of germ. "It's the first day, and what do I get? A bunch of animals running wild like it's an open zoo. What a disgrace. And you call yourselves A-Class students." He told them.

Sir Barron started walking around the room. Every student that he got close to would either freeze in their seats or avoid making eye contact with him. It only made Max even more curious about why they feared such a man as him.

"To those who don't know me yet, I am Kai Barron, one of the special class professors at J.S. High. I graduated with a degree in Corporate Governance before completing my Master of Laws in International Business Law." Sir Barron explained, not proudly, but a-matter-of-factly.

"Now, for those who do know me...congratulations, I will be your new class adviser," Sir Barron then revealed when he stood in the middle of the class. 

The students practically gasped upon hearing the news.

"What's going on here? Sir Barron never took the job as a class adviser before," Ari said in shock. He didn't directly say it to Max, but Max was surprised by the information as well. Because if that was the case, then this class was important enough to have him assigned to it.

"Now, as your adviser, let me share with you all three things that I truly hate," Sir Barron said next as he walked towards a small and fragile-looking boy sitting near the window. 

"One: weak students." He looked straight at the student's face. "I don't need students who will act as the weak link in my class. If you ever fall into that category, I will remove you."

The small boy gulped in terror. He couldn't even move. But when their adviser walked away from him, he exhaled, hinting that he had held his breath the entire time Sir Barron was looking at him.

The professor then walked toward the student with whom Max had an argument earlier. 

"Two: kids who cause trouble."

The student gritted his teeth, but he didn't dare say a thing.

"You may be one of the best students of your year, but don't get too cocky. If you ever make unnecessary trouble, and if your grade in the 1st term drops even at the slightest, I will kick you out of here with no mercy," Sir Barron directly told him.

"That goes for all of you. There are a lot of reasons why you're placed in this class, and one of them is that the school takes pride in your achievements. But I'm your class adviser now, and it is stated in Section 20 of the students' handbook that students in an A-Class can be removed if they do not meet the standard that is set by their designated adviser," Sir Barron reminded them, and some students groaned in the background, displeased by what they had heard.

To finish up the "Top 3 Things Sir Barron Hated," their infamous class adviser made his final stop in front of Maximilian Leigh Sinclaire.

"And lastly, number three of the things that I hate...are people who think they're high and mighty just because of what they are outside the great walls of this school," Sir Barron finished while looking straight into Max's eyes.

"Sinclaire. You should know better than to threaten someone with outside matters," he told him.

Max was surprised by the accusation, so he tried to defend himself, "I didn't know that I was supposed to—" But Sir Barron didn't even let him finish as he looked back at the student who was put on the spot before him.

"You too, Ervin Walker. I'll have to talk to you about that attitude of yours later," he told him before heading back to stand in front of the class.

"I'll be giving out the rules of this class after Brotherhood Week. For now, you're all expected to wait here before the House Assembly," Sir Barron finished. He then headed to the door to leave, but before stepping out, he looked back at Max and said, "You, Sinclaire. Follow me."

Everyone looked back at Max. Even Ari was surprised.

Max took a deep breath and stood from his seat. Without saying anything, he followed their class adviser outside.

When Max got out of their room, he spotted Sir Barron reading a document. Without removing his eyes from the paper, he told Max, "Your uncle is too concerned about you that it's sickening."

Max almost laughed, but he tried his best not to. "I knew something like that would happen, considering the fact that everyone was surprised about you being our class adviser."

"Being a mere classroom adviser is the least of my concerns, but I am not a babysitter. You should know what to do and what not to do," he said, referring to what had happened earlier.

Max wanted to defend himself once more, but Sir Barron didn't even give him the chance to speak.

"I also heard about what happened at the Keep earlier. It's a good thing your brother arrived before the situation got worse. Clashing with a member of a brotherhood on your first day will only cause you headaches," Sir Barron added, frustrating Max even more.

"I don't need my brother's protection."

"Put your pride down for once, Maximilian," Sir Barron told him, surprising Max because he called him by his first name, and not because of what he said about his pride.

"So what? Should I be scared of those brotherhoods instead?" he asked, and Sir Barron finally looked at him.

"You don't have to worry about the brotherhoods. Students in black uniforms always follow the rules. Their leaders are senior students with the highest form of ranking, which is why they are feared but at the same time respected. Most of them have underlings in lower years. Ervin was one of them. It would be a problem if they mentioned what you did to them to their leaders."

"Well, I apologize for causing trouble. It's a little hard to adjust right now. Give me a day, and I might get the hang of this brotherhood system," Max explained with no hint of sarcasm whatsoever.

Sir Barron sighed and crumpled the document he was reading. "I know President Janus didn't tell you about the brotherhood system, so I'll let what happened earlier slide. I'll hand you the White Uniform and Brotherhood Handbook later as well. Study both and make sure you know each rule by heart. That's how you'll survive here," Sir Barron explained to Max, and the only thing Max could do was nod his head as an answer.

Sir Barron then took something out of his pocket. It was a black card, similar to a credit card, but it had J.S. High's logo, Max's full name, and his student number imprinted on it instead. He handed it to Max, and Max scanned the unfamiliar item thoroughly.

"That's your student card, which is also linked to your actual credit card. That is what you will use inside the campus. It will also show you your rank once you scan it in the computers found at the office. If you don't know yet, ranks are important here," Sir Barron explained as he gestured at the card Max was now holding.

"Ranks? So what rank am I then?" Max asked before putting the card inside his coat's inner pocket.

Sir Barron smirked and answered him, "From now on, you should get used to being at the very bottom."

Max glared at their adviser after hearing his answer, but before Sir Barron could say anything else, a student in a white uniform arrived and greeted him.

Max's eyes narrowed, studying the figure. 

Shoulder-length hair, a mole near his right eye, and a gaze that's reserved yet quietly intense. He looked like the perfect model student, but his aura said otherwise. It was steady, commanding, and oddly familiar, as if Max had stood in its shadow once before, though he couldn't recall when.

"Sorry to interrupt your conversation, Sir Barron, but everyone is already waiting for you at the stadium," the student said, his voice low and unhurried.

"I see. Then let us not keep them waiting," Sir Barron replied as he started walking away without saying his goodbyes to Max.

Max expected the newcomer to follow right after him, but instead, the tall student turned his head and said, "It would be wise if you wear your complete uniform."

Max blinked at him, momentarily thrown off. When the student gestured toward the top of his head, Max realized he had forgotten his peaked cap, left dirtied and ruined from the earlier incident.

"I would be a fool if I wore it now. It has a tire mark on it," Max muttered.

The student didn't budge. His gaze was unwavering, his tone unshaken. 

"Wear it."

It wasn't a request. Max wasn't used to being spoken to like that, least of all by someone he had just met.

He was about to glance at the student's collar to check for a brooch that might explain his authority, but with frustrating timing, the boy turned and walked away before Max could catch a glimpse.

Max cursed himself for missing the chance. He had no way of knowing who this student really was, yet the strange feeling wouldn't leave him. As much as he hated to admit it, there was something in that presence, a familiarity just out of reach, that unsettled him more than the demand itself.

One thing, however, was certain. 

Whoever he was, he was definitely not ordinary.