---
That evening, as Vins and Freya were walking together...
They reached the entrance of a dark alley. Freya mentioned her house was located at the very end of it. Vins, feeling that the alley was a bit too quiet and pitch-black, took the initiative to offer Freya an escort right to her doorstep. He was genuinely worried about her, unable to imagine her walking alone through such a sketchy, deserted path.
Freya seemed secretly thrilled with Vins's initiative, even though her words suggested she didn't want to trouble him. Like a true gentleman, he insisted on walking his school's Student Council President home safely.
As they ventured deeper into the alley, the faint, rowdy sounds of young people their age could be heard hanging out inside. Vins and Freya walked past a dozen or so teenagers who were completely engrossed in their late-night gathering. Freya, who looked exceptionally beautiful that night in her casual clothes, was occasionally catcalled and teased by them.
With a sharp protective reflex, Vins firmly put his arm around Freya's shoulder, keeping her close on his left side. Freya's face instantly flushed deep red, completely caught off guard by what her junior had just done.
Vins shot a lethal, piercing glare at the group. The sheer intensity of Vins's gaze instantly made the punks shut their mouths and stop teasing her. Vins quickly realized they were getting drunk, as his sensitive nose caught the heavy stench of cheap alcohol as they passed by.
Among that group, a blond-haired guy was seen casually chugging a glass of liquor. Just from observing his relaxed, dominant demeanor, Vins immediately deduced that the blond-haired guy was the top dog there. He knew this because the guy was the only one sitting dead center on the hangout spot.
The blond guy glared sharply back at Vins, and his stare was met with equal hostility. They both felt a sudden, heavy intuition—as if they were destined to cross paths again soon under much more violent conditions.
Vins and Freya finally arrived at the front door of Freya's house. A woman was seen sitting on the porch chair, holding a little girl around 7 years old.
Their house was secured by a sliding iron gate covered with opaque fiberglass, making only the heads of the mother and child visible from a distance.
Freya whispered that it was her mother and her little sister.
Creeeak...
Freya slid the heavy gate open, and the two of them stepped into the porch area.
With utmost respect, the King of Ontreight offered a polite hand-kissing greeting to Freya's mother, right after Freya had kissed the woman's hand.
"Assalamu'alaikum..." Freya and Vins greeted politely as they approached.
"Wa'alaikum salam... Where have you been, dear?" Freya's mother asked, her voice filled with relief after clearly being worried.
"I just got back from the internet cafe, Mom! Doing some homework... Mom, meet my boyfriend! His name is Vins!" Freya announced boldly, introducing Vins to her mother.
Vins practically choked on his own spit, completely blindsided by Freya's casual bombshell.
"Huh? Uh? Hello, Auntie! Nice to meet you..." Vins stammered, awkwardly bowing to Freya's mother.
"Wow! You've got good taste, sweetie! Choosing a partner like him!" Freya's mother smiled warmly, praising her daughter's choice.
"Isn't he handsome, Mom? Hehehe... He's smart too, Mom! He's also a really good boy..." Freya bragged, hyping Vins up in front of her mother.
"Good! I'm so happy to hear that! Compared to the one before, this one is much better in my opinion... Come in, dear! Come inside for a bit..." Freya's mother offered, gesturing for Vins to enter the house.
"I apologize, Auntie... I really don't mean to refuse! But I really should head home now! It's getting way too late... Hehehe..." Vins declined politely, bowing his head.
"Oh! I see... In that case, I'll head inside first, dear... I need to put my little one to bed!" Freya's mother said, adjusting her grip on her sleepy daughter.
"Please lock the gate later, Frey! Dad's still out of town and won't be home tonight... Vin! Be careful on your way back! Thanks for going out of your way to escort my daughter..." Freya's mother smiled kindly before turning around.
"It's no problem at all, Auntie! Hehehe... Have a good rest, Auntie!" Vins replied respectfully.
The mother and her young daughter disappeared into the house, waving a final goodbye to Vins. Freya, however, was still standing by the sliding gate, clearly not ready to say goodbye to him just yet.
"Vins, don't go home yet! Stay here..." Freya pleaded, giving Vins her best puppy-dog eyes.
"It's already late, Sis... It doesn't look good to the neighbors if a guy and a girl are hanging out in front of a house this late! And why the hell did you tell your mom I was your boyfriend?" Vins whispered, trying to advise his senior while internally panicking.
"Ssshhh... Don't be noisy... It's already late!" Freya hushed him, gently placing her index finger directly against Vins's lips.
Her finger then deliberately, slowly traced downwards, gently touching Vins's lower lip, which looked incredibly tempting in her eyes. Vins, completely paralyzed by Freya's bold move, was taken aback.
"Vins... Someday... Can I feel this?" Freya whispered softly, her eyes locked onto Vins's lips as she pressed her index finger against them.
Vins immediately snapped out of his trance and stopped Freya's advance by firmly grabbing her slender wrist.
"Sis, don't do that! I'm a normal teenage guy! It's gonna be dangerous if I lose control later..." Vins warned his senior, his voice slightly husky.
"Huh? Oh my God... I'm so sorry! I just got carried away..." Freya gasped, her face turning bright red as she looked down and pulled her hand from Vins's grasp.
"It's fine! I'm heading home now, Sis..." Vins sighed, gently stroking the top of Freya's head to calm her embarrassment.
"Okay, be careful! Oh! By the way, Vins... I forgot something!" Freya suddenly blurted out, stopping Vins just as he was about to turn around.
"Come here! Let me whisper something!" Freya urged, pulling Vins's head closer. Vins simply obeyed, genuinely thinking Freya was going to share a secret.
Kiss!
"Thanks a lot!" Freya whispered, planting a soft, quick kiss directly on Vins's cheek.
Vins's pupils instantly dilated to the size of saucers.
Vins turned around with a strange, dizzying feeling swirling in his chest; it was the very first time a girl had ever kissed him on the cheek.
Freya remained standing at the sliding gate, watching Vins walk away into the night.
Vins was still holding his cheek like a statue. He completely hadn't expected to be kissed on the cheek out of nowhere.
Later that night, fast asleep in his bed, he mumbled completely out of context.
"Aye yooo... Global warming!"
---
The next morning...
Vins was seen frantically getting ready for school.
He was buttoning up his white uniform and hurrying to the living room to meet his parents.
In the living room, he saw his Father, Mother, and his older Sister busy chatting and having their morning coffee.
"Mom, Dad, Vins is heading out now!" Vins said to his parents, respectfully kissing the backs of their hands goodbye.
"Oh? Aren't you going to say goodbye to your Sis?" Vins's Mother asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh... There's someone else here! I honestly thought she was just a decoration!" Vins smirked, extending his hand to the 28-year-old woman.
"YOU'RE SO ARROGANT, YOU SHITTY BRAT!!!" Vins's Sis snapped, incredibly annoyed.
Vins quickly kissed his Sis's hand, then immediately bolted to the front door and started putting on his shoes.
Amidst his busy tying his shoelaces, he threw one last verbal jab.
"There are two incredibly unique things in this house... Number one! An old lady who screams 'YOU'RE SO ARROGANT' and still isn't married yet! Number two! The phrase 'YOU'RE SO ARROGANT' being screamed by an old maid who still isn't married yet!" Vins shouted, ruthlessly teasing his Sis.
"Byeee... Assalamualaikum!" he continued, waving his hand mockingly at his only sister before bolting out the door.
"HEY!!! JUST YOU WAIT UNTIL YOU GET HOME, YOU SHITTY BRAT!!!" his Sis yelled back, absolutely furious.
Vins just stuck his tongue out and hurried off to school.
In the middle of his walk, his mind drifted back to the moment last night—specifically what Freya's Mother had said.
"...Compared to the one before, this one is much better in my opinion... Come in, dear! Come inside first..." He immediately assumed that Freya had brought another guy home to meet her parents before him.
"So she's been in a relationship with another guy? Who could it be? A guy from Ontreight? Or from another school?" thought Vins to himself, his curiosity piqued.
Upon arriving at school, he headed straight to the canteen to enjoy Mpok Rika's coconut rice, which was his absolute favorite breakfast.
There, he bumped into Ed and his girlfriend, who were enjoying plates of lontong sayur from Mpok Rika's stall.
"Yo, Bro!" Vins greeted Ed.
"Eh? King V! Breakfast? Come here! Let's eat together!" Ed called out cheerfully.
Vins approached their table, carrying a warm plate of coconut rice.
Creeaak...
"Hey, Bro! Why do you always call me that? Just call me normally, man!" Vins complained, pulling out a chair, visibly annoyed at his senior for throwing his underground title around.
"Hahaha... You really have zero pride in your title at all! I'm honestly baffled..." Ed laughed.
"It's not like that, Bro Ed! I just get super embarrassed when I'm called that... Just chill... Treat me like usual!" Vins groaned.
"Alright! Alright! Hey Vins! Have you heard the news yet?" Ed asked, his tone suddenly dropping into something deadly serious.
Vins, who was busy shoveling rice into his mouth, just lifted his head in question.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
"You know what? Yesterday, a 7th grader got brutally ambushed by a group of Onixight kids!" Ed explained grimly.
"Huh? You serious, bro?" Vins asked, his mouth still full of rice.
"What was his name again... Damn, I forgot! Poor guy... He was beaten black and blue and had to be rushed to the hospital!" Ed said, trying hard to recall the victim's name.
Gulp!
"Damn! I'll dig up the info later! We can't just let this slide, Bro Ed!" Vins stated, his eyes narrowing with irritation.
"Exactly! That's why! As soon as I heard the news from Doval last night, I immediately looked for you to tell you about this! Why don't you buy a damn cell phone?! It's so hard to reach you, you're living like a caveman!" Ed complained, frustrated by Vins's lack of communication.
"Yeahhh... I'll buy a phone later!" Vins replied casually, returning to finish the rest of his food.
After breakfast, they parted ways at the 2nd-floor stairs, with Vins continuing up to the 3rd floor.
He entered his classroom, where Doval and Edrik were already hanging out. Several other students were also messing around and joking loudly before the bell.
"Vins! Over here!" Doval called out.
"Are you feeling better, Val?" Vins asked, checking on his friend's battered condition.
"My cheek is doing way better. Have you heard the news yet?" Doval asked immediately.
Munch... Munch... Munch...
"Yeah Vwins! Have you gwot the nooz?" Edrik asked, his mouth completely stuffed with his favorite chocolate-filled bread.
"Swallow your food first, you shitty pig! Then talk! You're already impossible to understand when you're not eating! Let alone when you are!" Doval scolded Edrik, who was still busy chewing like a cow.
"Oh, right! About the 7th grader who got jumped by the Onixight kids? Who was it, Val?" Vins asked, remembering Ed's words in the canteen.
"It's Fido! A kid from 7-7! Fido is Briyan's classmate... Briyan actually met up with me yesterday! He told me to pass this bad news on to you!" Doval explained the intel.
"Where did it go down?" Vins asked.
"At the pedestrian bridge right in front of Onixight! That kid's house is literally across the highway from Onixight..." Doval added.
"What are we gonna do about this, Vins? Do you wanna handle it directly? I'll try to sniff out more information later..." Doval asked, waiting for orders.
"Let it be for now, Val! I need to know exactly who the culprit is first!" Vins replied sharply.
Soon after, the bell signaling the start of class rang loudly. All students scrambled back to their respective seats as the teacher walked in.
---
The school hours passed by in a flash. Before they knew it, it was time to go home...
Vins, who was about to head down the stairs, suddenly ran into Andrew, who was rushing down the steps like a madman.
"Hey, Drew! Where are you rushing off to?" Vins called out.
"I'm heading to the hospital, Vins! My internet cafe buddy is the one in the hospital! I just got word that he finally regained consciousness!" Andrew shouted back without stopping.
"Fido? I'm coming with you, Drew!" Vins yelled.
Andrew just kept running past. He didn't even hear Vins offering to tag along. He was in too much of a frantic hurry, rushing down the stairs.
"Should I just tail him?" thought Vins to himself.
Just as Vins was about to sprint after Andrew, Dani suddenly grabbed his shoulder, stopping him.
"Where are you off to in such a rush, Bro?" Dani asked.
"Come with me, man!" Vins ordered urgently.
"Let me tell Ed first, Vins!" Dani said.
"No time for that, Bro! We gotta move now!" Vins insisted.
"Okay! Okay! Let's rush it!" Dani agreed, sensing the urgency in his junior's eyes.
They both sprinted down the stairs, tailing Andrew, who was already quite a distance ahead of them.
Soon, Andrew came to an abrupt halt. He was seen peering suspiciously into a dark alleyway before suddenly darting inside.
"Huh? The hospital is straight ahead, right? Why the hell did he turn in there?" Dani asked, confused.
"Hurry, Bro Dan! Let's chase him! I've got a really bad feeling about this!" Vins said.
They ran as fast as their legs could carry them, chasing Andrew into the alley. When they reached the sharp turn, they completely lost track of him.
"Vins! Let's just sweep the inside! I know this entire slum area by heart!" Dani ordered, taking the lead.
"Okay, Bro!" Vins replied, giving his partner a quick thumbs-up.
They stealthily searched every gritty nook and cranny of the area.
Finally, they spotted six students from a rival school intercepting Andrew in a filthy, slum-like clearing surrounded by massive piles of trash. Behind the five foot-soldiers, there was a massive, hulking student sitting arrogantly on a felled wooden log.
Andrew looked completely unfazed, already dropping into a solid fighting stance.
"Come on, Bro! Let's jump in and help!" Vins whispered, about to break his cover.
"Wait, Vins! Look closely at Andrew's stance! He doesn't look like some random kid who gets beaten easily!" Dani whispered back, holding Vins back with his strong arm.
Vins observed Andrew's stance carefully—it looked incredibly precise, balanced, and solid. He immediately confirmed Dani's observation.
From their hiding spot behind a rusted dumpster, they eavesdropped on what the rival delinquents were saying to Andrew.
"If you cough up the info about your boss... We'll let you walk out of here!" the large, hulking middle schooler growled from the log.
"Boss? Are you guys delusional or just drunk? I'm still a student! If I had a damn job, I'd answer your question about my boss! What a stupid Hippo!" Andrew mocked fearlessly.
"Hahhh... This shitty punk! Looks like this kid can't be negotiated with... ATTACK!!!" the large-bodied guy roared.
"ATTACK!!!"
The five grunts shouted in unison as they charged blindly toward Andrew.
Andrew seemed to be struggling a bit, facing down five guys simultaneously.
He quickly adapted, using dirty street tactics and cunning techniques—throwing handfuls of sand and random debris to blind them before delivering sharp punches and precise kicks.
SWISH!!!
"HEY!!! YOU DOG!!! MY EYES ARE STINGING, YOU BASTARD!!!"
SMACK!!!
"AAARRRGGHHH..." one of the rival students yelled, taking a brutal counter-attack from Andrew.
"EAT THIS SHIT!!!" Andrew roared, hurling a heavy piece of scrap wood directly at another grunt's face.
"OUCH!!!"
THWACK!!!
Another guy went down hard, completely caught off guard by Andrew's cunning street-fighting techniques.
Two guys immediately rushed Andrew from both sides, and he struggled hard to block their synchronized strikes.
Tap!
Clap!
Tap!
Clap!
Andrew suddenly found himself backed into a corner by the two grunts, with a filthy drainage ditch right behind him.
"HAHAHA!!! WHERE ARE YOU GOING NOW, ASSHOLE???" one of the two students sneered.
However...
SPLAT!!!
Andrew swiftly scooped up a handful of putrid, muddy dirt from the ditch behind him and hurled it directly into both of their faces.
"YOU DOG!!! BASTARD!!! IT STINKS SO BA—"
SMACK!!!
THUD!!!
SMACK!!!
"Uhhh..." one of them groaned in agony as Andrew's rapid-fire punches connected with his jaw.
"HEY!!! BASTARD!!! I CAN'T SEE!!! IT HIT MY EYE!!! DAMN IT!!! SOMEBODY HELP!!!" the other one screamed, clutching his mud-filled eye.
"SERVES YOU RIGHT!!!" Andrew yelled, pivoting on his heel and delivering a devastating side-kick straight into his enemy's ribs.
THWACK!!!
"ARGHHH..." his enemy screamed, collapsing from the brutal impact to his waist.
"Damn! Andrew's fighting style is pretty damn cool!" thought Vins to himself, highly impressed by Andrew's raw prowess.
"Hahaha... You can tell just by looking, Vins! Just from his stance alone... Someone who's new to street fighting wouldn't have a posture that solid! Andrew seems to have been in his fair share of bloody brawls too!" Dani whispered, analyzing the fight.
Because of the fierce, rapid-fire skirmish, only one person remained standing in front of Andrew.
The large-bodied guy slowly stood up from his wooden log, looking like he was about to step in and help his last fallen subordinate. Turns out, he just wanted to talk trash.
"LOOKS LIKE YOU REALLY NEED TO BE DRAGGED TO THE PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE WHERE YOUR PATHETIC FRIEND GOT BEATEN TO A PULP!!!" the large student taunted cruelly.
His words instantly enraged Andrew. Blinded by fury, Andrew charged directly at him. He leaped into the air, fully intending to deliver a flying punch right to the giant's face, but unfortunately...
THWACK!!!
Andrew, caught mid-jump, was hit squarely in the chest by a devastating counter-punch from the large-bodied guy. He immediately collapsed to the dirt, completely helpless and gasping for air in agonizing pain.
"AAARGGHHH!!! YOU BASTARD!!!" Andrew groaned, clutching his ribs.
The large-bodied guy slowly approached Andrew's fallen body, raising his heavy boot, fully intending to violently stomp on his head.
"Come on, Vins! Let's jump in! He's at his limit!" Dani ordered.
"Vins? What? Where did he go?" Dani blinked, realizing Vins was no longer crouching by his side.
TAP!!! TAP!!! TAP!!! TAP!!! TAP!!!
"I will absolutely not let it happen a second time like Jafar!!!" thought Vins to himself, his eyes blazing with pure rage as he sprinted forward.
WHOOSH!!!
THWACK!!!
CRASH!!!
Vins's explosive, full-power kick landed squarely on the large student's calf like a sledgehammer, sending the giant sprawling face-first into the dirt.
"ARRGGGHHH... YOU BASTARD!!!" the large guy groaned in agony, clutching his shattered leg.
Vins, utterly consumed by the dark memory of Brando's brutal treatment of Jafar, glared down at the large student with a vicious, cold-blooded look.
"YOU BASTARD, YOU F*CKING DOG!!! PTOY!!!" the large guy cursed, seeing Vins's terrifying gaze and spitting directly at his shoes.
Vins's dead eyes slowly flicked toward the guy's other, uninjured leg.
"No-no-don't... Don't... DON'T!!!"
CRACK!!!
Vins immediately stomped down mercilessly on the large guy's other leg.
"AAARRRGGGHHH!!! IT'S BRO-BROKEN... MY LEG IS FCKING BROKEN!!! ARRGGGHHH... FCK YOU, ASSHOLE!!!" the giant screamed in excruciating pain, thrashing on the ground.
The last conscious subordinate immediately fell to his knees, begging Vins to spare his friend.
"Bro... That's enough, Bro... Have mercy on my friend... We were just following orders..." the subordinate pleaded, trembling violently.
However...
THWACK!!!
A heavy, crushing blow from Dani landed squarely on the grunt's face, making him stumble backward and crash into the trash piles.
"WHO GAVE THE ORDERS??? HUH??? TELL ME, YOU BASTARD!!!" Dani roared, violently grabbing the subordinate by his hair and yanking his head back.
"I-I... Fr-from Onixight, Bro... M-me and my friends were ordered by Andy..." the subordinate stuttered, terrified for his life.
"GET YOUR FRIEND OUT OF HERE NOW!!! THAT IS, IF YOU STILL WANT TO LIVE!!!" Dani threatened, forcefully shoving the grunt's head away.
"Y-yes, Bro... I-I'm going..." the subordinate whimpered, as he and his four bruised friends scrambled to lift the wailing, large-bodied guy off the ground.
"HEY!!! WAIT UP!!! LOOK AT ME!!!" Dani barked, stopping them dead in their tracks.
"W-W-What else, Bro?" the subordinate asked, shaking.
"TELL YOUR BOSS, ANDY!!! IF HE WANTS TO KNOW WHO THE NEW RULER OF ONTREIGHT IS, JUST LOOK AT THE GUY WHO JUST CRUSHED YOUR LEADER'S LEGS!!!" Dani declared proudly, pointing a thumb directly at Vins.
"Ugh... What a damn show-off senior!" thought Vins to himself, facepalming internally.
The Onixight grunts just nodded frantically and limped out of the slum area as fast as they could.
Andrew, still sitting on the dirt, felt incredibly guilty for dragging his two schoolmates into this mess.
"You okay, Drew?" Vins asked, extending a friendly hand and smiling warmly.
Andrew stared in awe at how drastically different Vins's attitude was compared to the absolute monster who was just breaking bones a few seconds ago. He was shocked by the instant transition. Now, he just saw the chill friend who usually called him 'bro' at the internet cafe.
Grab!
"I'm fine, Vins! Thank you! I'm so sorry for getting you guys involved in this..." Andrew apologized, letting Vins pull him up.
"Relax, Bro... It's Vins's and my literal job to help out people in th— hmmm... hmmm..." Dani started bragging, before his mouth was swiftly clamped shut by Vins's hand.
"Hehehe... Don't listen to this crazy guy, Drew... He must've gotten blackout drunk last night! He's definitely not sober yet!" Vins laughed awkwardly, keeping his senior's mouth tightly covered.
"HMMM... HMMM... HMMM..." Dani muffled angrily.
"Hehehe... Come on! Let's go visit Fido at the hospital!" Vins invited Andrew, quickly changing the subject.
Andrew couldn't help but smile, watching their ridiculous, chaotic dynamic.
---
Upon arriving at the hospital room...
"What did the guy who jumped you look like, Bro?" Dani asked Fido, who was resting on the hospital bed.
"He's about as tall as Andrew! He's got bleached blond hair! And a silver piercing in his left ear!" Fido explained weakly to Dani.
"Wow! Taller than Vins and me, huh? Oh... So that's the Onixight punk named Andy!" Dani deduced.
Fido nodded slowly, confirming Dani's suspicion.
"Vins... I want to get revenge for Fido!" Andrew stated coldly, his fists clenching tight.
"Relax, Drew... When the time is right, they'll come to us themselves! Don't worry... I'll definitely back you up, man!" Vins promised, patting Andrew's shoulder to calm him down.
"Yeah, Andrew! Don't do anything reckless! I'm already doing fine anyway... Okay?" Fido pleaded, trying to keep his friend from doing something stupid.
Andrew finally took a deep breath and unclasped his white-knuckled hands.
"Thank you, guys!" Andrew said, looking at all his friends' faces with a genuine smile.
A brief silence filled the hospital room...
"By the way, do you guys smell that? Smells like a literal sewer..." Fido asked, scrunching his nose.
Vins and Dani immediately pointed their fingers directly at Andrew in unison.
"Hehehe... I kinda fell backward into a drainage ditch earlier!" Andrew laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head.
---
Meanwhile, on the Pedestrian Bridge...
CRASH!!!
"YOU ABSOLUTE IDIOTS!!! YOU CAN'T EVEN HANDLE ONE 7TH GRADER, YOU PATHETIC DOGS!!!" Andy roared furiously, violently kicking a metal trash can across the pedestrian bridge.
"S-sorry, Bro... W-we didn't know... Bro Diro had to be rushed to the hospital b-because Vins b-broke his damn leg... W-we didn't know! W-we thought Vins w-was w-weak because of his innocent face! B-But it turns out Vins is an absolute monster..." Diro's subordinate cried, absolutely terrified (Diro being the large-bodied student).
"A MONSTER??? YOU CALL HIM A MONSTER???"
THWACK!!!
"Ughh..." Diro's subordinate groaned in pain as Andy's heavy boot kicked him in the gut.
"So... What's the play now, Ndy? If we don't strike soon, I'm worried Vins will make the first move against our turf! Right, Vik?" A heavily muscular student with a nose piercing and wearing a blue Bucket Hat asked. He stood right beside Andy as his top enforcer, Ex.
"I agree with Ex! We have to trigger an all-out war with Ontreight immediately! To finally avenge your brother's death from 3 years ago!" A student wearing an official Onixight school alma mater jacket agreed coldly.
"War? Finally! It's been way too long... I get to see some real blood! HAHAHA!!!" A short, squinty-eyed student laughed maniacally. He wore a heavy chain necklace with a solid steel brass knuckle hanging as a pendant.
Andy's eyes darkened. He slowly unzipped his bag and pulled out a sharp, metallic folding knife.
"I GUARANTEE SOMEONE FROM THEIR SIDE IS GONNA DIE!!!"
---
-To be Continued
