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THE BELL RINGS AND everyone runs to their room so they could attend their homeroom class, but as everyone was running down the hallway, they couldn't help but steal a glance at a certain student who walked past them, proudly wearing three brooches of a crown on his collar.

     Max was back in J.S High, and this time, there wasn't anything that would interfere anymore. He spent his time at the company during the weekend, attending meetings and working on proposals and projects.

     Despite getting his inheritance back, Max decided that he'll work twice as hard as he did before. He had to prove to everyone that he wasn't just a kid who went on a tantrum because something was taken away from him. He had to make them realize that the chairman seat was made for him.

     Another thing that changed was his relationship with Denzel. They weren't entirely on good terms with each other, but they weren't vicious towards each other anymore. Denzel would consult with Max regarding the business now, and he'd sometimes call him during meetings too. Honestly, they were more like business partners than father and son, but it was still progress nonetheless.

     "Max is here!" A voice shouts as soon as Max enters his classroom.

     Everyone in their room couldn't help but look at him, especially when Max was now able to acquire Cigarette's brooch too. But as everyone was staring at him, Max spots Felix instead who was waving happily at him.

     Felix was talking to Ervin before Max arrived. Even though they've been friends for a while now, Max still feels weird seeing them together, especially when Ervin was a known bully in their year and Felix was a loser.

     Max waves back at his friends and heads to his seat so he could put his bag down, but then he notices that his seatmate - Ari - was nowhere to be found.

     "It's rare for you to come here first before Ari," someone says, and Max turns around and sees Ervin and Felix walking towards him.

     "Am I that much of a bad student?" Max asks as he takes a seat and looks back at Ervin who leaned on Ari's empty table while Felix stood beside him with his arms crossed.

     "If barely attending your classes and getting suspended for three days make you a bad student then yes Max, you are," Felix teases, but Max only laughs it off.

     "Anyway, what did you guys do this weekend?" Felix then asks.

     Max pulls out his notebook and pen from his bag and answers Felix's question. "I just went to the company like normal. Since I got my position back just recently, I had a lot to work on."

     "Seriously? You didn't even go shopping or eat out at least?" Felix asks, and Max instantly remembered his friendly dinner with the vice president last Friday night. Of course, for his own good, and to save Gavriil from the questions that would be bombarded at him, he decided not to tell them anything.

     "Nope, didn't do anything like that at all," Max lies, dodging the question so Felix wouldn't ask him anything further. "How about you Mr. Campbell? What have you been up to?"

    "Oh you know, attend meetings with my mother, study, plan how to take over the world, you know...the basic stuff," Felix says before looking back at Ervin. "And how about you big fella? Did you do anything interesting over the weekend?"

     "Well, unlike you guys, my weekend wasn't so interesting. I had my training, attended a seminar, and yesterday I went to a bar with some friends. That's pretty much it," Ervin explains.

     Despite it sounding like a regular weekend, Felix suddenly gasps and looks at Ervin with shock. "Wait, you have other friends besides us? How is that possible?!" He sarcastically asks, making Ervin lock his arms around Felix's neck to tackle him.

     While the two were messing around, Max looks back at his notebook to read through them again. He asked for pictures of Ari's notes the other day so he had to rewrite and study them. As Felix said, Max hasn't been attending his classes, and he was even suspended for three days. He has to catch up somehow.

     "Guys!" A familiar voice suddenly shouts, instantly making everyone look at the doorway. Even Felix and Ervin stopped fighting to look as well.

     "There he is," Max says as Ari walks inside the room with an expression like he just heard the worst news he's ever heard of in his life and he's dying to share it with them.

     "Move your ass, Johnson!" Ari practically shouts as he ran to his friends.

     Max, Felix, and Ervin looked at Ari with furrowed brows as Ari slammed his bag on his table.

      "Good morning?" Max says with an unsure tone, but then Ari grabs Max by the shoulder and tells him, "Max, is it true that—" Ari was about to continue, but then he notices that his classmates were staring at him, so he clears his throat and leans over to Max so he could continue with a softer tone. "Is the vice president threatening you?"

     "What?!" Max, Felix, and Ervin shout in unison after hearing what Ari was so worked on.

     "Who the hell told you that?"

     "I just had a meeting with Marcus. He told me I should look after you because Gavriil's trying to do something funny. I can't believe even the vice president is targeting you now. What did you even do?" Ari says, almost making Max slap himself because of how ridiculous this was.

     "Marcus, that fucking idiot," Max mumbles to himself before pushing Ari's hand away from him. "The vice president isn't threatening me. That's just stupid. And don't believe everything that my brother says, he's just being overdramatic again."

     "Then what was that all about? Was Marcus just playing with me?" Ari asks, scratching his head.

     "Don't make up a bunch of stuff like that man. We'll get in trouble," Felix then says.

     Ari was about to say something else, but their homeroom teacher - sir Barron - entered the room just in time, making everyone head back to their respective seats. Following behind him was the person they were just talking about, the vice president, Gavriil Alexeev.

     "I'm watching you," Ari says as he squints and follows Gavriil with his eyes. At this point, Max couldn't even say anything anymore. All he could do is try his best not to laugh at how Ari is acting.

     "Good morning class II-A," sir Barron greets as he stood in front of the class.

     "Good morning sir," everyone responds.

     While sir Barron starts taking their attendance, Max notices that Gavriil - who was standing beside their homeroom teacher - was holding two familiar glass red velvet cases. Max didn't know exactly what that was for, but he knew that something intriguing was about to happen to them again.

    "Looks like you're all here. That's good," sir Barron says as he hides the attendance sheet back in his bag. "To begin our homeroom period, I'd like to inform you about your upcoming first term examination," he then adds, instantly making some look nervous while the others took our their planners so they could jot it down.

     "Your exams will start on December 13 to 15, that is Wednesday till Friday. On Monday and Tuesday, which are December 11 and 12, J.S High will be closed and you will not have any classes. This is to give you guys time to study. Is that clear?"

     "Yes sir."

     "Now, if you all remember, I announced that at the end of your second term, all of you must be higher than rank 320 or you will be forced to move to Class B. That statement still stands, so use this examination as a way to acquire points. The top three students who will get the highest score in your entire year will get 1000, 2000, and 3000 merit points respectively, while the top 4 to 10 will get 500 points each," sir Barron explains, and Max nods his head because Felix already explained this to him before.

     "Since competing with the entire school year must be difficult to some, I will personally give 200 points to everyone if none of you fail any of the exams," sir Barron says next, and the class starts cheering.

     Two hundred points is a big deal and it can greatly help the others rank up. Their homeroom teacher giving that much away is a big deal to them.

     "Now, other than that, I also would like to address the reranking that occurred last week. There are a few of you who are still a few ranks away from the quota. Some of you got demoted, some got promoted, while some ranks stayed the same. But out of all seventeen of you, only two changed titles," sir Barron explains, and Gavriil - who is still holding onto the two red velvet cases - takes a step forward.

     Everyone in the class starts talking as sir Barron opens the first case.

     "Felix Campbell," sir Barron calls out, making Felix's eyes widen from shock.

      "From rank 408, you have been promoted to rank 400 with a total of 2220 points, officially making you dweller. Congratulations," sir Barron says, immediately making Ari, Max, and even Ervin clap their hands for their little friend.

     Felix slowly stands, shock still present on his face. He knew that he was now a dweller, but he didn't know that there would be a ceremony for it. He thought they'd just give it to him and get on with it. So while still looking dazed, Felix walks to the front and faces the class while sir Barron removes his black armband for him.

     Sir Barron opens the case and pulls out Felix's new armband, which was now color blue. And while sir Barron was putting it on him, Ari stood up and shouted, "Class II-A doesn't have a serf anymore!"

     The class laughs at Ari's statement as sir Barron finally puts Felix's new armband on. As soon as he was wearing it, the entire class surprisingly claps for Felix while he walked back to his seat.

     After everything, their class wasn't as tense anymore as before. In fact, they felt like a proper class now and not just a bunch of bullies trying to put everyone down. No one knows when the change started, but it's safe to say that Max's previous actions and achievements helped in a way. Other than feeling jealous, Max inspired them to do better too, and that's the exact thing that Max wants for the rest of J.S High.

     "Alright, sit down Faulkner," sir Barron says, instantly making Ari take a seat.

     "Now for the second one," sir Barron says next as he removes the other red velvet case from Gavriil's hand to make way for the one that's on the bottom.

     The class couldn't help but whisper at each other as they wait for who it might be. Even Max was curious.

     Everyone was looking around the class, trying to guess if the armband was for someone who got promoted or for someone who got demoted. While everyone waits in anticipation, sir Barron takes a deep breath, but before he could even announce it, he suddenly looks at Max and smirks.

     "Maximilian Leigh Sinclaire," he calls out, instantly making everyone look at Max.

     Max was surprised and speechless. Even Ari - who's sitting right next to him - gasps because of the shocking news.

     "From rank 310, you have been promoted to rank 286 with a total of 4850 points, officially making you the third gaffer in your entire school year. Congratulations," sir Barron announces.

     The class started talking to each other because of the shocking news. Max finally becoming a gaffer is a big deal, and the fact that their class now has three of them makes it even more amazing.

     Max didn't know how to react as he walks to the front to face the class. Everyone was dead silent - even his friends - as sir Barron removes his old armband. He then opens the case and pulls out the famous gold armband. The class couldn't help but stare at it with awe, especially when it's such a rare color.

     Sir Barron approaches Max and finally puts the golden armband on him.

     "Let us welcome your new gaffer," sir Barron says, and the class finally claps for him. Max looks at his arm to check the armband. And kid you not, he almost shed a tear when he saw.

     Max finally went back to his seat right after, and sir Barron continues, "Alright everyone, that's it for our homeroom. Now quietly wait for your next class."

     The bell rings just in time, and sir Barron heads out of the class with Gavriil. As soon as they were gone, the class starts becoming noisy again, and Ervin and Felix immediately went to Max to check his new armband.

      "Holy shit Max! You're a fucking gaffer now!" Felix shouts with an excited tone, staring and even touching his armband to see if it was real.

     "You rank higher than me now. But how was that possible, I thought you would get demoted since you were suspended last week?" Ari says with a pout, and Max laughs and drapes his arm around his friend to comfort him.

     "Actually, I'm not sure either. To tell you the truth, I didn't lose a thousand points when I was suspended, so I should still be in the same rank. A thousand points were suddenly added though and I have no idea why," Max says. He doesn't remember doing anything that would get him that many points so he's as confused as them.

     "So technically someone gave you a thousand points," Ervin then says.

     "Who the hell would give you a thousa—" Felix was about to finish his sentence, but then Ervin remembered something and immediately cut Felix off to say, "But isn't that the exact maximum points that Cigarettes can give to a white uniform?"

     Felix and Ari were surprised when they realized it too. They were about to ask if Max knows anything about it, but then Max stands from his chair and immediately says, "Cover for me."

     "What are—" before Ari could even say anything, Max runs out of their room, leaving his three friends speechless.

     "See, he's definitely a bad influence," Felix says, making Ari and Ervin chuckle.

     "Anyway, let's go back to our seats before the professor arrives. We'll just tell Max everything that happened later."

....

Max runs down the hallway, making sure no one spots him. When he arrives at his destination, he didn't even hesitate as he barges inside like he owns the place. No one was there but one member of Cigarettes, the count, and the co-founder of Kings Tobacco Company, Anthony Rockefeller. 

     Anthony was reading a book when Max arrived. He knew that Max was there, but he still doesn't put his book down as he says, "If you're looking for the others they're not here. They're attending their class, a class where you should be in too."

     "Shouldn't I be saying the same thing to you?" Max asks while catching his breath.

     "I didn't feel like attending it so I'm here just to kill time," Anthony answers. He then puts his book down and looks straight at Max before asking, "Do you have any more questions...master?"

     Max stares back at him and ignores what Anthony just said. He wasn't sure if he was going to confirm it with him or not, but then Anthony notices his new armband, and a smirk instantly appears on his face.

     "We were debating last week if the points would be enough to make you a gaffer since you got suspended, but looks like you pulled through," Anthony casually says, finally making Max certain that the points came from them.

     "So you guys gave me the points. I know this is a dumb question, but...why?" Max asks, making Anthony chuckle. But before Anthony could even answer the question for him, someone suddenly appears behind Max and says, "Do you not like it? Then you can just give it to someone else. We're not going to damn you for it, don't worry."

      Max immediately turns around and was surprised to see the leader himself, Cj, standing right behind him.

     "Boss," Anthony greets, immediately standing from the sofa.

     "I snuck out because of how boring the class was," Cj says to Anthony before looking back at Max. "And you, let's talk at my office. I have something to tell you."

     Max was surprised, but he didn't say anything as he follows Cj inside his office, also known as the Red Room. For a second Max was nervous, he thought he was going to see another white uniform dangling from the ceiling, but he couldn't help but sigh in relief when he saw that the room was empty.

     "You came just in time. I was just about to talk to you," Cj said as he sat on the sofa.

     "I doubt that," Max states, making Cj laugh.

     "You're sharp, but regardless, you're already here so let's make the best of it. Take a seat," Cj tells him before gesturing at the seat adjacent to him.

     Max doesn't say anything back and takes a seat. As soon as he did, Cj stares at him and says, "I was actually contemplating on whether or not I should give you this instead, but I guess my crown brooch looks good on you anyway so I have no regrets."

     Cj then puts something on the table in front of them, and to Max's surprise, it was an underling brooch. The color was slightly different than the ones that the other Lighters were wearing, so when Max realized what it really was, he couldn't help but furrow his brows.

     "That's the brooch your Ashes wear," Max says.

     "Actually it's Heaven's," Cj adds, surprising Max even more.

     "Heaven J. Carter? The new Elites treasurer? Did you take his underling title from him?" Max asks, and a grin appeared on Cj's face, almost as if he found Max's question funny.

     "No. As soon as I was finished with my suspension, he went here at our base and slammed his brooch at the table, telling me he had no intentions of becoming my Ashes anymore because he's an Elites member now. Could you believe it?" Cj explains, but rather than looking annoyed or pissed, he looked more amused instead.

     "He's an idiot. Even Richard Young didn't give his brooch back to Hans even though he's the Elites secretary."

     "Well, it's his decision. And besides, I don't need anyone who would easily betray me. Loyalty is the foundation of my underlings. Those who cannot withhold it might as well get thrown in the bin," Cj then reveals.

     "What do you mean by he betrayed you?"

     Cj takes a deep breath and rests his arms on the head of the sofa before looking back at Max with a more serious look this time. "He was the one who told the Elites about our negotiation, which is why we got suspended. Coming from him...out of all people," he says, leaving Max speechless.

     Why? What were his reasons? Those were the questions that Max wanted to ask, but for some reason, he couldn't say them out loud. He was still too shocked to really say anything. He never even knew Heaven before he met Cj so if Heaven wanted to cause Max any harm, then Max doesn't know a single reason as to why he'd do that.

     "I'm still trying to connect the dots myself but I haven't figured it out. My closest guess is he's working with someone. There's no reason for him to target me, so it's you that he's after," Cj explains further, making Max sigh and massage his temple.

     "Wait, is that the reason why you gave me a thousand points?" Max asks, and a grin appears on Cj's face again.

     "I really didn't care about what you're planning to do to J.S High. In fact, I gave you my crown brooch just to make Cigarettes look good. But after what Heaven did, I realized something. I'm not the type of guy to take my revenge on anyone, but if you enter the Elites and take his place - the same guy who he tried to destroy - it would be fucking satisfying."

     "So it all falls down to your satisfaction once again. Why am I even surprised?" Max asks, and Cj just shrugs his shoulder.

     "Anyway, thanks for the points. Whether you want to take your revenge on Heaven doesn't really concern me, but it got me closer to my goal. Your crown brooch also helped boost my reputation, so in the end, it's a win-win situation for the both of us," Max says as he finally stands from the sofa.

     "Oh, you're already leaving me little Maxy? That makes me really sad," Cj says with a baby voice, making Max roll his eyes in annoyance.

     "There's no point if I stay any longer. Besides, now that I have your brooch, I don't need to stick around you anymore. I have a new target now," Max answers, and this time, it was Cj's turn to act surprised.

     "Looks like you learned a lot from me after all," Cj then says as he watches Max make his way to the exit.

      Max doesn't say anything anymore and opens the red door so he could finally take his leave, but just before Max could step out of the room, Cj tells him, "Your next target is Crazy 8, right? Well, I hope you know that Siren isn't easy to please."

     "So I've heard," Max says as he looks over his shoulder. "Do you have any advice for me then, my count?"

     Cj adjusts from his seat and looks back at Max with a serious expression before saying, "You want advice? Well then, let me give you one. Siren is known as the master of secrets. If you want to be able to conquer them then make sure you don't have anything you wish to hide. Because as soon as you cross paths with that motherfucker, what you're scared of the most will be feasted on by the people who hate you the most. And that shit is terrifying."

- END -