Roaring Watt

"What kind of look is that?" Jino noticed Chloe staring at him and, without the slightest politeness, reached out to press down on the girl's head, roughly tousling her short blonde hair.

The girl cried out in pain. "I just washed my hair!"

Chloe pitifully covered her head and shoved Jino's mischievous hand away with all her strength.

"Clark saved my brother, so this car is a thank-you gift for Clark." Jino withdrew his arm and explained with both hands in his pockets.

"What? You saved Jino's brother?" Pete looked at Clark in surprise. "No wonder you didn't come to school that day."

"It was nothing." Clark scratched his cheek awkwardly, while Little Black Pete let out a long sigh. "If I'd known, I would've skipped school that day too."

"Give me a break. You can't even swim." Chloe mercilessly exposed Pete.

The group chatted and laughed as they headed toward the school building.

The campus was bustling early in the morning. Jino swept his gaze over the crowd before his eyes settled on Whitney, whose arm was in a cast. He was surrounded by members of the school team in baseball jackets, heading toward the field under the guidance of the gym teacher.

The school's gym teacher was a broad, fat middle-aged white man. His hair was slicked back with gel, giving him the air of a mob boss.

"Hold on, kids." Coach Watt frowned, the flesh on his fat cheeks bunching together as though a huge furrow had been carved into his forehead.

The man tugged at his collar, his flabby belly trembling slightly. He stared at the group of four walking toward the school building, his gaze settling on Jino.

"That's the kid who injured your arm, Whitney?" Coach Watt shot Whitney a sidelong glance.

Whitney gritted his teeth and nodded slightly. "That's right. I suspect it was him."

Although the incident of his broken arm had become an unsolved mystery around town, Whitney's instincts told him that Jino was probably behind it.

"If I remember correctly, he skipped my gym class yesterday too?" Coach Watt narrowed his eyes slightly. His temper was explosive, and he immediately strode toward Jino. Behind him, the football players exchanged looks before following Coach Watt, eager to watch Jino make a fool of himself.

Their coach was no mild-mannered man. With his players, it was always either fists or insults.

"Brat!" Coach Watt shouted, stopping the four who were heading toward the school building.

"Uh-oh, it's Coach Watt. He's probably here to ask you about missing class yesterday." Little Black Pete shrank back. It was obvious that he was terrified of this coach.

Chloe gave Jino a look that said he was on his own. She felt Jino was in for trouble today.

Only Clark looked deeply worried. His body tensed as he feared Jino would clash with Coach Watt, then snap Coach Watt's arm in a fit of anger.

He had to be ready to stop Jino.

"What is it?" Jino stopped and turned to look at Coach Watt, who was several heads shorter than him.

From Jino's perspective, Coach Watt looked exactly like an enraged groundhog.

Coach Watt stared at Jino, their eyes locked. An untouchable fire seemed to burn in the air between them.

However, having seen far greater storms since childhood, Jino's composure, presence, and bearing were as far beyond Coach Watt's as the ocean was vast. In the end, Coach Watt was the first to crack under the frigid tension. He sneered and said, "Jino Luthor, right?"

"That's me." Jino nodded indifferently. He wasn't an idiot; he could tell this middle-aged man meant trouble, so his response was hardly warm.

"What do you want?"

Before Jino could finish, Coach Watt cut him off.

"Shut up, brat!" Coach Watt's voice was loud enough to qualify as a roar. He glared at Jino with his bull-like eyes wide open, pointing at himself with his right hand before pointing at Jino from afar. "I talk. You listen. Understand?"

Without waiting for Jino to respond, the man continued, "Given that you skipped class yesterday, I believe you deserve some punishment."

He turned to glance at his football team and sneered. "I don't care whether you're from the Luthor Family or some other damn family."

"Here, skipping class means punishment!"

The middle-aged man stared at Jino's handsome face with a vicious grin.

"And your punishment is washing the socks of every starting player on the football team for a week!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the players behind him broke into mocking laughter.

"Wow, then I guess I'll need to wear the same socks for a few weeks."

"I think I should change mine three times a day. Give him a few more pairs to wash."

Jino remained calm in the face of their taunts, but the three beside him could no longer stand by.

"Coach, that violates school rules!" Chloe spoke first. "The punishment for skipping class is only a one-thousand-word self-criticism. It doesn't include washing other people's socks."

"That's right. You're abusing your authority, Coach Watt." Clark looked stern as he spoke, taking a firm step forward to show his determination to stand with Jino.

"M-me too!" Little Black Pete gritted his teeth. After hesitating again and again, he slowly raised his hand.

"Shut up! You have no right to speak here!" Watt glared at the three through clenched teeth. "Get lost before I lose my temper!"

"Otherwise, you'll be washing socks with him!"

The three turned pale at Watt's roar. For three innocent high school students, the intimidating force of the roaring Coach Watt filled them with fear.

By now, quite a few passing students were secretly watching the group, many whispering to their companions about what was happening.

"So, did you hear what I said?" Coach Watt looked at the calm but silent Jino, a smug expression spreading across his face.

Even if he was from the Luthor Family, he was still just a high school student. With the authority he had built up over more than a decade as a coach, wasn't it easy to intimidate a high schooler?

Looking at the arrogant Watt, even Clark could not help feeling anger rise within him. Yet Jino was unexpectedly calm.

"Watt, roaring won't earn you anyone's respect." Under Clark's gaze, Jino slowly spoke. The boy sighed and looked at the school emblem on Watt's clothes. "If I remember correctly, LuthorCorp donates five hundred thousand dollars to Smallville High School every year for school development and staff benefits."

"I always thought the teachers at Smallville High School were courteous, well-mannered, and cultivated."

"But your performance has greatly changed my impression of this school." Jino calmly took out his phone and called Lex. Then, holding the phone to his ear, he gave Watt a nasty smile.

"Perhaps I should have my brother stop funding the high school."

"When the school administrators learn why, I hope I'll still be able to hear you roar."

There may be typos from typing too quickly. If you spot any, dear readers, you can press and hold the incorrect passage to report it. Xiao Mo will fix it when he sees it.