The anger in Damian's chest burned hotter and hotter. He was the son of a president, yet he had made a complete fool of himself in front of the entire class on his very first day.
His gaze turned vicious. He found a crumpled scrap of paper in a corner, crushed it into a tight ball, and hurled it straight at the back of Anya's head without hesitation. It struck with a muffled smack.
Becky's cheeks flushed with anger. She glared at them, her eyes wide, and snapped, "If you don't knock it off, I'm telling the teacher right now!"
Anya still wore her squinty-eyed smile, but her lashes trembled slightly, and both her hands clenched into fists.
She kept warning herself, Don't get angry. Don't get angry. I have to get along with him. This is crucial to the mission.
"Move!" Damian sneered, deliberately shoving Becky aside as she stood in his way.
He raised his chin smugly, his voice brimming with provocation. "Do you have any proof that we did it?"
His two little lackeys, Emile and Ewen, immediately chimed in behind him. Emile even spread his hands theatrically. "Exactly! We didn't do anything!"
Damian stood over Anya, pointing a finger at her with a contemptuous smile. "Yeah, you squinty-eyed little freak. I'm going to bully you all I want from now on."
He paused. "I'll beat you so badly you'll never giggle like that again."
Emile gleefully added fuel to the fire. "Even if you cry, that dad of yours who fixes people's minds will make you feel better, right?"
Damian burst out laughing, his voice dripping with mockery. "Seriously? Wow, he must be amazing! That's just great!"
Anya's narrowed eyes flew wide open, blazing with anger. The evil boss's son really was evil too. Picking on cute, clever Anya wasn't enough for him-he even dared to insult her father.
She couldn't take it anymore. She decided to use her mother's finishing move!
She quickly turned to check on Mr. Henry, who was up on the stage introducing it. His back was toward them, and he hadn't noticed what was happening over here at all.
Seeing Anya turn away, Damian grew a little uneasy. His threats had really just been bluster. After all, bullying classmates was a serious offense at this school, treated the same as hitting someone, and could easily earn him several Tonitrus Bolts.
He forced himself to stay composed, but his voice weakened despite himself. "Hey, where are you looking? Scared?"
He had barely finished speaking when there was a muffled boom. Anya suddenly swung her fist and slammed it into Damian's laughing face.
The tremendous impact instantly changed Damian's art style. He went flying as Becky and his two lackeys stared in disbelief, then crashed squarely into a table at the edge of the hallway with a thunderous thud. Completely stunned by the blow, he crumpled to the floor.
Damian clutched his face, shocked and furious.
How could anyone dare to treat me like this? I'm the president's son, one of the highest-ranking people in this country...
The more he thought about it, the more hurt and anger welled up inside him. He couldn't stop himself from crying, his sobs growing louder and louder. "Wuh... waaah, waaah, waaaaaah-"
Hearing the crying, Mr. Henry quickly put down the materials in his hands and hurried back.
Emile immediately pointed at Anya and loudly tattled, "Sir, she hit someone! She sent Lord Damian flying!"
Anya put on an innocent, bewildered expression and pointed at Damian, who was lying on the floor. Her voice trembled slightly. "When I held out my hand, he happened to walk into it..."
"Liar! What makes you think you can get away with that?!"
"And didn't you just check whether the teacher was looking?!"
The two little lackeys roared in anger.
In her panic, Anya copied what Damian had said earlier, her face flushing as she shouted, "What proof do you have that Anya did it?!"
Damian was still crying on the floor. Ewen pointed at the clear fist mark on his face and shouted angrily, "Lord Damian still has the mark from your punch on his face!"
Anya inwardly realized she was in trouble.
[I miscalculated!]
Henry's expression was stern, his gaze sharp as he stared at Anya. "Are you giving false testimony? That is a very shameful thing to do, Anya Forger."
Tiny beads of sweat appeared on Anya's forehead. She was terribly nervous, afraid she would be expelled.
Mr. Karen said the consequences of hitting someone at school were really serious. What do I do?!
Suddenly, she remembered what her mother had once said. "Listen carefully, little Anya. There are times when it's right to use violence."
"For example, when a friend is in danger and you're helping them..." Though she didn't know why her mother, an assassin, would say something like that, at least she finally had an excuse.
Flustered, she pointed at Becky and stammered, "B-because he... stepped on her foot."
Anya fidgeted with her two index fingers. "So Anya got angry. I'm sorry..."
Becky's eyes instantly reddened, her face full of emotion. Anya had done it for her! Damian really had stepped on her shoe when he shoved her earlier, even if he had only caught a tiny part of it.
"A-Anya..." She threw her arms around Anya, tears streaming down her face. "Thank you. Thank you..."
[She endured insults against herself, yet bravely stood up for a friend, with the courage to defy a boy... Truly elegant! Forger, she is your daughter indeed.]
That was what Mr. Henry thought. He wasn't blind. He had already been keeping an eye on Anya and Damian, and he knew Damian had started it.
Though that behavior was very inelegant, it hadn't violated the school rules, so all he could do was reprimand him verbally.
"I will take the circumstances into account when deciding your punishment."
"That isn't fair, sir! Lord Damian got punched, and he's still crying... Mmph, mmph, mmph..." Before Emile could finish, Damian scrambled up from the floor and clapped a hand over his mouth.
Damian's face was impossibly red. A girl had actually made him cry! How humiliating would it be if word got out? And this idiot was still shouting about it for everyone to hear.
Ewen quickly spoke up beside him. "Whatever happened, she has to be punished severely! Otherwise, what about the harm Lord Damian suffered?"
Mr. Henry's brows drew tightly together. This was becoming difficult. The boys were getting rather pushy.
Anya stood nearby, looking utterly pitiful. Her large eyes filled with tears that threatened to spill as she gazed pleadingly at Mr. Henry.
Was he really going to make the original victim bear the blame? That would make him a terribly irresponsible teacher.
Henry found himself caught in a dilemma, with the overbearing boys on one side and the pitiful girl on the other.
Being a teacher is so hard!
Which meant it was now time for Eden Academy's PE teacher-Karen-to make his entrance!
He stuffed the half of his cake he hadn't finished because he had been watching the show into his mouth, quickly straightened the clothes he had wrinkled while peeking, and walked over.
"Heh. Are you saying you bear no blame at all?" Karen's gaze was piercing. "You were stirring up trouble yourselves. I saw everything."
Karen's sudden appearance startled Ewen and Emile. They turned around in alarm, with no idea when another teacher had appeared behind them.
Ewen mustered his courage, though his voice trembled. "Y-you're making false accusations! How were we stirring up trouble?"
A meaningful smile curled Karen's lips. He took a small paper ball from his trouser pocket and tossed it up and down in his hand. "Oh? I'm making false accusations? Then whose paper ball is this? Such a difficult mystery..."
"Th-that..." Ewen stole a glance at Damian and didn't dare say anything.
Emile gritted his teeth and stepped forward. "That's..."
Karen cut him off, continuing to toss the paper ball with an amused look in his eyes. "I told you, I saw every~ single~ thing. I also know who threw it."
As he spoke, Karen's gaze flicked toward Damian.
Damian's face went deathly pale. His legs weakened, and he involuntarily took two steps back.
Karen smiled with narrowed eyes. A glimmer of red flashed deep within them, and his tone turned cold. "Helping a friend is a good thing. Taking the blame for a friend is not..."
"If you insist on doing that, I'll have no choice but to give all three of you a Tonitrus Bolt each. Fighting earns three Bolts, and the three of you would have three between you. Fair enough, wouldn't you say?"
"F-forget it. Let's go." Damian turned and fled in a panic, stumbling slightly. Ewen and Emile slunk after him, and they soon disappeared at the end of the hallway.
Karen clapped his hands, his smile returning as he turned to Mr. Henry. "There we go, Mr. Henry. Problem solved."
Henry looked at Karen. After a moment of silence, he pointed at his mouth. "Mr. Karen, you still have frosting on your face."
Karen: "..."
Before you continue