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"WILL IT BE TOO much if I tell you how honored I am to be walking with you right now?" Ari jokes, making Max punch his shoulder while he and the rest of his friends were walking their way back to their classroom.

     After it was announced that Max was now ranked 85, everyone just lost it. The top 100 was mostly filled with 4th-year students and a few 3rd-year students. But Max, who not only just started studying in J.S High, became the fourth 2nd-year to enter the rank 100 alongside Ian, Richard, and Gavriil.

     As for ranks 1 to 10, a few ranks changed, while the Elites were surprisingly still the same. But thanks to the exam results, Richard is now only 900 points away from Gavriil. If Richard gets to beat Gavriil, a lot of things might just change in their house.

     "What I'm more surprised about is the fact that queen Cindy gave you 1500 merit points. Like how could you casually forget to mention that?" Felix asks.

     "When I got back from the House of Queens you suddenly opened up about the brotherhood banners getting vandalized, and then Jokers suddenly declared war against Cigarettes. A lot happened so I just forgot about it," Max defends.

     "Well, what's important is that you finally got to enter the top 100. You're literally a couple of ranks away to enter the top 10 and enter the Elites," Ervin says, and Max nods his head in determination.

     While the four friends were walking down the hallway, they suddenly saw Gavriil walking opposite their direction; Richard Young walking beside him.

     When they were finally just a meter away from each other, Ari stops and bows to greet the Elites secretary, Richard Young, who is his fellow Rose. The two Elite members stop as well as Richard bows his head to greet Ari back.

     "Congratulations on getting promoted and finishing at top 2," Richard tells Ari before looking at Max. "Congratulations as well, Mr. Sinclaire. What you pulled off was very impressive. I remember getting the same experience, but that was during the last term. It's amazing how you're able to do that in only four months."

     "Thank you," Max says, bowing to him as well. Max then glances at Gavriil who was already looking back at him, so Max had to quickly look away from him.

     "Well, we do not want to waste much of your time," Richard says as he and Gavriil were about to leave, but Max suddenly says, "Mr. Alexeev. May I have a word with you."

     Ari, Ervin, and Felix were surprised, but then Gavriil turns back and says, "Sure."

     Ari was about to say something, but he sighs and looks back at Max before saying, "We'll head to the class first."

     Max nods his head as a reply, and Ari and Felix walk away, Ervin patting Max's shoulder before following the other two. When the three were already out of sight, Gavriil walks closer to Max and tells him, "I was heading to my club room. If you like then we could talk there."

      "That would be fine," Max answers, and then Richard, who was still with them, looks at Gavriil and tells him, "I'll head back to the office first. Don't forget, we still have a meeting. We won't be able to start without you."

     "I know. I won't take too long, don't worry," Gavriil answers, and Richard nods his head, glancing at Max and smiling at him before walking away as well.

     When the two were finally alone, Gavriil looks back at Max and tells him, "Follow me. The newspaper club is just nearby."

     Max doesn't say anything and just follows behind Gavriil until they reach a room which was much bigger than Omega Society's club room.

     The room was empty, so Gavriil locks the door so no one could disturb them. "Give me a sec. I just need to find a document," Gavriil says, running to one of the drawers so he could find what he was looking for.

     While waiting, Max looks around. The room was filled with piles and piles of newspapers. There were even six computers for the members to use.

     "Being a vice president is so much work. Other than the things you already have to do for the Elites, you're even required to be the advisor for the newspaper club. I also heard that even Ian is the senior advisor for the broadcasting club," Max says as he continues to look around the room.

     "Well it's important that no unnecessary information gets leaked, that's why these clubs are overseen by us," Gavriil answers while checking the files on the table.

     "I agree to that, but is it required? For instance, if I become the new Elites president, am I forced to leave Omega Society?" Max then asks, making Gavriil chuckle.

     "You sound confident," he says. "But if you're wondering, no, you're not forced to leave your current club. You can handle both clubs, but if you can't do that, you can hand it over to someone else in the Elites."

     Max nods his head in understanding as he walks closer to Gavriil so he could stand beside him. He stood close to him as he looked down at the file that Gavriil was reading.

     "Will this take long?" Max asks, and Gavriil immediately stops what he was doing to look back at him.

     "I'm sorry," he says as he closes the file. "Congratulation on your new rank by the way. So, what did you want to talk about?"

     "About what Viktor said during the morning assembly. What did it mean?" Max finally asks, almost making Gavriil laugh.

     "So this is why you wanted to talk. Can't say I'm a bit disappointed," Gavriil jokingly answers, but when he saw Max's expression, he becomes serious as he says, "Чему́ быть, того́ не минова́ть, which directly translates to 'You can't avoid what is meant to happen.'"

     "What does that mean?"

     "Whatever shall be, will be. It's a Russian proverb. It could mean anything, considering it came from Viktor. But if I were to make a guess, it could be a warning."

     "A warning? To who?"

     "Not sure. Maybe to those who are trying to mess with the brotherhoods, or maybe he's just trying to mess with us. But either way, you shouldn't think too much of it," Gavriil answers, and right after that, he looks back at the files again. "Do you have any other questions?" 

     Max takes a deep breath and stares at Gavriil for a couple of seconds before asking next, "You became top 4 after being top 1. Have you not been studying well? Is there something on your mind? Maybe you've been too busy with other things that you couldn't study properly anymore."

     Gavriil wasn't expecting Max to open that up, but he didn't want him to think much of it so he asks instead, "Why? Are you worried about me?"

     "I'm being serious Gav," Max says, and Gavriil sighs and turns his body to Max. He then grabs Max by the arm and pulls him closer to him before wrapping his arms around Max's waist until they were only a few inches away from each other.

     "Shall I give you a truthful answer, or shall I give you an answer that will not worry you?" Gavriil asks.

     "How will I be able to choose from that?"

     Gavriil doesn't answer, but instead, he leans close and kisses Max on the forehead before whispering, "I missed you."

     "You're changing the subject," Max quickly says with a serious expression, making Gavriil chuckle before reaching out to tuck Max's hair behind his ear. "I was asked to purposely make mistakes on my exam. That's the truthful answer," he says, surprising Max.

     "W-What? Why? Is it Viktor? I heard from Ari that you were their underling. Is this true? Were you actually supposed to rank higher?"

     "I thought you would have realized that already, but yes, I am his underling, but for different reasons. Maybe I could have been top 3 or top 2, but that doesn't change the fact that Kawanishi Keigo is a smart boy. He deserved what he got, regardless of his class," Gavriil answers.

     Max still looked confused, so Gavriil adds, "As for your other question, regarding who told me to do it, I will not answer it, and that's because I don't want you to worry."

     "You underestimate me too much, Mr. Alexeev. It's almost offensive."

     "I don't...which is why I'm not telling you."

     Max sigh in defeat. With Gavriil's arms still around his waist, Max rests his head on Gavriil's shoulder, his scent instantly calming him. "I missed you too..." He finally whispers back, instantly making Gavriil smile.

     Gavriil lets go of Max's waist with his right hand so he could touch his face, forcing Max to look back at him. When they were now staring at each other, Gavriil leans forward to give Max a kiss, but Max immediately looked away.

     "I told you...only when we're alone," Max says, his voice almost out of breath.

     "We are alone."

     Max laughs at the response and pushes Gavriil away. "Don't be foolish," he says, and Gavriil could only lean on the table, wiping his lower lip with his thumb. "You underestimate me too much, Mr. Sinclaire. It's almost offensive," Gavriil tells him, making Max laugh even more.

     "Whatever you say, vice president," Max teasingly replies as he walks towards the exit. "I'm heading back to class. You're heading to the Elites' office right?"

     "I am. I'll see you when I see you," Gavriil says, and Max smiles at him before grabbing the doorknob so he could head back. But before he could open the door, Gavriil remembers something and immediately says, "By the way, I just heard from Ian."

     "What?" Max asks as he looks over his shoulder.

     "Omega Society...a senior finally took the position to be your advisor."

...

Max arrives outside their classroom. He was expecting to hear noise, but when he realized that it was practically dead silent, he rushes to the door to open it. And as expected, the reason why they were so quiet was that their homeroom teacher, sir Barron, was standing in front of them.

     When Max closed the door behind him, sir Barron instantly looks at him and asks, "Sinclaire, where have you been?"

     "I apologize, sir. I was at the restroom."

     "Alright, just take your seat."

     Max nods his head and immediately goes back to his chair beside Ari. "What did I miss?" Max asks with a soft voice.

     "Not much. He just arrived too." Ari answers, and the two look back at sir Barron so they could listen to what he's about to say.

     "First I would like to congratulate you all for a job well done. I required this class to be above rank 300 before the end of the second semester. As of now, half of the class has already accomplished that. You also did well on your exams, so as promised, I added an extra 200 merit points on all your accounts," sir Barron reveals, making everyone in the class started clapping.

     "I would also like to congratulate Mr. Faulkner and Mr. Campbell for achieving a remarkable score on their exams," sir Barron then says, and the class claps for them too. Felix even looked embarrassed, especially since he's not used to all the attention.

     "Lastly, I would like to congratulate Mr. Sinclaire for being able to enter ranks 100. It is an unbelievable achievement that every one of us should be proud of," sir Barron says next, and like the time at the stadium, his classmates cheered for him, not out of malice but simply out of complete respect.

     "Now we are on our second term. For the month of January, you are all required to attend your clubs. I'll be emailing you your new schedule, so you will be following that for this month. I encourage you all to use this to gain more points. Is that clear?"

     "Yes sir."

     "As for your new armband, I will be handing it over to you tomorrow."

     Sir Barron was about to add something when someone suddenly knocked on their door. Everyone waited as the door to their classroom opened. To their surprise, it was Ms. Warren, their Geometry professor who also happened to be Class II-D's adviser.

     "Oh, Ms. Warren. Is he ready?" Sir Barron asks, making the entire class look at each other in confusion.

     "Everyone was acting all emotional, but he finally got the energy to pack his things. After all, his classmates do adore him," Ms. Warren says, confusing Max and the others even more.

     "I see. Then I think he'll fit in this class well," sir Barron says, and finally, Ms. Warren moves aside, revealing a white uniform whose eyes were all puffy, indicating that he cried just moments ago.

     "Kawanishi Keigo?!" The entire class shouts and the white uniform named Keigo forces a smile and waves at the class before pulling his handkerchief out to blow his nose.

     "Class II-A, I want you to welcome Mr. Kawanishi Keigo. Starting today, he will be in your care," sir Barron reveals, making everyone look at him with shock.

     The entire class was so silent, but then Ari suddenly stood up from his seat and announced, "Class II-A, stand and properly greet Mr. Kawanishi."

     Ms. Warren and even Kawanishi Keigo were surprised, but then the class stood up as Ari commanded, bowing in unison.

     "Welcome to Class II-A, Kawanishi Keigo," Ari says first.

     "Welcome to Class II-A," the rest of the class repeated.

     The white uniform named Kawanishi Keigo was left speechless, but then he smiles widely before bowing before them as well. "Thank you for having me."

     Sir Barron smiles proudly at his class. He then greets Keigo as well before telling him, "With your performance, you deserve to be in this class, so do not worry. Aim high with the rest of your classmates from now on."

     "Thank you, sir," Keigo answers, and finally, he and his homeroom teacher gave each other their last farewell before finally leaving him.

     According to the rules of J.S High, class D has an average score of 85 to 87 percent, class C has an average of 88 to 90 percent, class B has an average of 91 to 93, while class A has an average of 94 percent and higher.

     As others have said before, it is very difficult to enter Class A. Not only are they given more requirements and responsibilities, but their lessons are also designed to be harder. That's also the reason why their homeroom advisor, sir Kai Barron, is very strict with them.

     "Alright Mr. Kawanishi, you may take a seat behind Mr. Campbell. It's currently vacant because that student was transferred to class B before," sir Kai explains, and Keigo nods his head and takes a seat on his new designated chair.

     "Well then, I'll be leaving you first. Wait for the bell to ring before taking your lunch," sir Barron says before finally walking out of the classroom. As soon as he was gone, the class becomes noisy again, some even went to Keigo to greet him.

     Keigo was a clumsy white uniform who had a bright personality. You could say he was a class clown that everyone in class D liked. He's an out-going boy who could make friends with anyone, but one thing's for sure, he had a personality that was very different from Max and his friends.

      "Look at him, fitting in perfectly like he didn't just arrive today," Ari says with his eyes narrowed, almost like he was looking at his prey.

     "Are you threatened by him because his average score on the exam was so close to yours?" Max teases before pulling out a book to read while waiting for the bell.

     "Of course not!" Ari immediately defends. He then moves close to Max and suddenly whispers at him, "You know, we were just talking about him in our Rose group chat..."

     "The Roses added you in their group chat?" Max asks instead, almost making Ari pinch him because of irritation.

     "T-That's not important. What I meant to say is that some of my fellow underlings told me that Kawanishi was supposed to be a year higher than us."

     "What do you mean?"

     "He enrolled before us but he stopped for a year."

     "Like Gavriil?"

     "No, Gavriil is supposed to be a senior, but this guy was supposed to be a junior; a third year," Ari explains. "That's why no one in our year knew him. Heard from the 3rd year roses that he stopped because their company went bankrupt."

     "Ari, it is not polite to say such things," Max seriously says, his eyes still glued to the book that he's reading.

     "But it's true, isn't it?" Ari asks back, almost pouting at Max like he was a kid who didn't want to get scolded by a parent.

     "No, it's a rumor. Until it is proven, it is still a rumor. And we don't want to be the people who would spread such things. Is that clear, Ari?" Max seriously asks, looking back at Ari.

     Ari doesn't say anything, but he sighs and nods his head in understanding. "Crystal," he replies before pulling out his phone so he could play with it instead.

    Max takes a deep breath and glances at their new classmate, Kawanishi Keigo, who was laughing with the others. Everyone looked like they were having a good time, but when Keigo's eyes catch Max, he looks back at him and suddenly winks at him, leaving a chill on Max's spine.

- END -