Birthday, Quarrel

Smallville Elementary School, science laboratory.

The old teacher was helplessly trying to stop them from the front of the room.

But clearly, it was no use.

Listening to the laughter around him, Worthington gritted his teeth and glared at Dio.

This guy...

He was better than me at everything.

More popular, more handsome, stronger, smarter, and even taller than me!

He was only in fourth grade, yet he was already a whole head taller than me!

Damn it!

Taking a deep breath, Worthington took advantage of the moment when the teacher sent Dio to collect the juicer.

He quickly sprinkled white powder into Dio's lemon juice.

His father had given him this stuff once when he was constipated. The pain had been unbearable.

Heh heh!

This would definitely make Dio embarrass himself!

Then everyone would know who the boss of this class really was!

It was me, Worthington!

"Oh?"

Back at his seat, Dio narrowed his eyes.

This Worthington really was stupid.

White powder floating in the lemon juice—was he afraid Dio wouldn't notice?

Little kids really were childish. Though, come to think of it...

It had been a long time since anyone had tried to mess with him.

Hmm.

Transfer students were a rare species.

The World!

The instant time stopped, The World silently appeared and effortlessly switched their beakers.

A few minutes later.

"Let's end today's experiment here, students!"

"I'm sure everyone was able to see the patterns in the lemon pulp under the microscope, right?"

"Hahaha! All right, students, class is about to end."

"And last but not least!"

"Let's raise a toast and drink the lemon juice we squeezed ourselves."

"It will help you digest your lunch better."

"Of course, if any of you are afraid of sour things, you can come up and get some sugar cubes. Your teacher prepared them for you~"

The old teacher drank first.

Worthington also downed his drink in one gulp, smugly watching Dio.

A few minutes later—

"Pfft!!!"

Worthington's face suddenly turned the color of a lemon. Clutching his stomach, he doubled over.

The laboratory instantly erupted into chaos as the students watched in horror as the young master started dancing disco.

"What happened?"

"Is that bloating?"

"Worthington, did you eat too much this morning?"

Dio stood up worriedly. "Worthington, didn't the teacher just say lemons help with digestion?"

"Eat some quickly. It might ease the symptoms."

Nodding, Worthington had no time to think. He hurriedly grabbed two lemons and stuffed them into his mouth.

And the instant the lemon pulp burst in his mouth—

"—Cough, cough, cough!!"

His entire little face turned from green to purple as tears and snot sprayed out together.

"Y-you..."

The rich kid covered his face and rolled around on the floor. The horrifying assault on his taste buds made him lose control in an instant!

Even the old teacher beside him looked troubled and could not bring herself to approach.

"Worthington, don't roll around, don't roll around."

"Ooh~!"

"Worthington!"

"Worthington, how long have the lemons your father brought you been sitting around?!"

"Teacher begs you, stop wriggling, ooh~!"

This wasn't enough.

Glancing around at the stunned crowd, Dio smiled wickedly and suddenly shouted:

"Worthington, what's that on the ceiling?!"

"Ahhhhhhh!"

With Dio's terrified cry, everyone fled the classroom in panic.

They looked as though they were afraid of being attacked by a biochemical weapon.

Leaving behind only Worthington, writhing madly on the floor, and...

"Clark! Get out here!" the old teacher shouted from the doorway. "Good boy, Worthington is in a special condition right now. I've already called the school security office. They'll come handle this special situation!"

Clark frowned.

Honestly, the smell hit him even harder.

But...

Seeing Worthington writhing painfully on the floor, Clark held his breath and hurried forward, grabbed him by the collar, and closed his eyes.

Then he charged into the corridor, dragging him like a sack of moldy potatoes.

The rich kid's wails echoed through the hallway.

"Bleurgh—wait! Clark, thank you, but don't use so much force!"

Clark kept his eyes shut. The Kryptonian's super speed made the ordeal last only a few seconds.

"Thud!"

The stall door was kicked open violently, and Worthington was accurately tossed into the toilet like a bowling ball.

"May God bless you, Worthington."

The boy made the sign of the cross over his chest.

However.

Along with the sudden sound of rushing water, Worthington's pig-like shriek came from inside the stall:

"Clark, the school toilets flush automatically!"

Amid the sound of gushing water, Clark sighed.

May God bless me.

Hopefully there wouldn't be curry for lunch.

At noon, in the cafeteria.

Carrying his tray through the noisy crowd, Clark constantly heard whispers around him:

"Did you hear? Worthington sprayed stuff everywhere in chemistry class."

"That was him, right?"

"That Clark actually dared touch him? Ugh, isn't he afraid of catching some weird disease?"

But the blue-eyed boy turned a deaf ear to the gossip. After all, Uncle Locke had said that this was merely a little hardship.

It could not affect his growth, nor could it interfere with the choices he made.

He simply walked silently to a corner of the cafeteria—

There, Dio sat alone by the window, his slender fingers elegantly cutting into a pork chop.

Sunlight streamed through the glass onto his blond hair, as if coating him in a sacred halo.

But strangely, the three tables around him were completely empty.

Clark pulled out a chair and sat down.

"Dio." He spoke in a low voice. "What happened in class..."

"Hmm?"

Dio did not even raise his head. His red eyes remained focused on the grain of the pork chop. "Is Worthington all right?"

"Dio, did you control that World thing?"

"There was no need for it, right?" Clark hesitated for a moment. "Worthington only..."

The dinner knife stopped in midair.

"Clark, today is our special day. I don't want to argue with you."

"But Dio, Worthington—"

"Clark!" Dio lowered his voice. "I really don't want to fight with you!"

"If he had succeeded..."

"Who would be lying in the toilet now?"

"To pity an enemy is to betray yourself."

Dio's barrage of questions left Clark stunned.

He clenched his fists, then slowly loosened them. He wanted to argue, but he did not know how.

Uncle Locke had never talked about a situation like this.

Standing tall was certainly something to be proud of, but falling did not mean failure.

But what if...

Someone deliberately pushed the wheat over?

The fallen wheat would never make it to next year.

It would rot, grow moldy, and eventually become nourishment for that one "lucky" stalk.

"Then next time..." Clark finally managed to say, "at least tell me."

Dio raised an eyebrow, seemingly a little surprised by that answer.

"Eat." He pushed over an untouched blueberry pudding. "I don't like pudding anyway."

"Take it as your birthday present, big oaf."

"Mm..."

"Happy birthday, Dio."

The sunlight remained bright, and the cafeteria remained noisy.

On a tree branch outside the window.

A pitch-black robin tilted its head and looked at the pair of brothers before flapping its wings and flying into the sky.

So bitter~

Another year spent deleting and rewriting.