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"RANK 11, FOURTH-YEAR student of class A, former rank 9, Vijay Devgan, with a total of 9259 merit points...gaffer." The voice announces, and everyone in the Great Hall became completely quiet. No one said a word, but then Ari, whose mouth was still wide open from shock, removes his eyes from the screen so he could slowly turn to his dear friend. When he was now looking back at Max, Ari tells him with a soft voice, "You did it..."

     Max continues to stare at the screen with disbelief. He couldn't say a word either.

     "You fucking did it," Ari repeated.

     When Max finally removed his eyes from the screen to look back at Ari, Ari quickly stood from his seat. The two of them stare at each other, and after a couple of seconds, Ari grabs Max by the shoulder and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Maximilian Leigh Sinclaire, you're now in the top 10!"

     Ari's voice echoed inside the hall. His voice was so loud that it woke every single white uniform who was there. In that very moment, the white uniforms who once doubted and despised him, stood up from their seats and started to cheer. It was a rare occurrence, but everyone became one for the first time.

     Krist, who had his arm around Max, doesn't say anything but pulls Max and embraces him as the rest of the members of Jokers and BND ran to his side to congratulate him too. Even the members of Cigarettes and Crazy 8 who were at the balcony were on their feet, clapping their hands as well.

     "That's what I'm talking about!" Ervin shouts, running to Max to kiss his head. Even Felix—the devil that he was—had tears in his eyes because of how proud he was for what Max was able to achieve.

     "You're growing up so fast," Marcus tells his brother before patting his head like he always does. Max laughs, but then he grabs his brother and hugs him too. The gesture surprised Marcus, but he smiles and hugs his brother back.

     "Thank you," Max whispers to Marcus before letting go of him and approaching Cj and River who were still in their seats.

     "Congratulations Max," Siren says, and Max quickly stood in front of Siren and bowed in front of her, showing the marquis his deep appreciation.

     "It's all thanks to you Siren. Thank you," he says, and Siren just smiles and nods her head, glad that Max was able to achieve what he was able to achieve today.

     Cj, who acted like he didn't care, continued eating his snack as if nothing happened, so Krist grabbed his arm and forces him to stand before pushing him toward Max. Cj curses at his best friend, but then he looks at Max and clears his throat before saying, "Congratulations Max. You deserve it."

     Max smiles and nods his head, acknowledging the count's effort.

     As his protectors congratulated him, the members of the Omega Society suddenly went to his side to congratulate him too. Krist and the others were surprised because they honestly thought that Max didn't have other white uniform friends, but they're glad that Max actually has them now. This was a huge step. This was going to change everything.

     When everyone finally got back to their seats, Max looks back at his protectors and bowed in front of them. It wasn't just a simple bow, but it was a deep bow that he kept doing for at least 10 seconds.

     Krist, Hans, Cj and Siren looked at each other before smiling like proud parents. When Max stood back up, the announcer says, "The lower ranks have now been announced. May we now welcome the top 10 highest ranked students of J.S High."

     Max looks at his friends for the last time before walking to the stage. As he was walking, he looked up at the balcony where the Royals were. Viktor was looking down at him, and when their eyes met, Viktor smirks and touches his crown brooch.

     "Congratulations on everyone's new rank. May you all continue to strive and rank higher until our next announcement," the voice continues as Max reached the stage where the white uniforms continued to cheer for him.

     "Without further ado, let us welcome...the top 10 highest ranked students of J.S High."

     The massive doors of the Great Hall opens, and the first person to enter was Vijay Devgan, the former rank 10. Despite him getting demoted, the students cheered for him, especially his club members in the Film Society.

     Vijay didn't look disappointed as he smiles and waves to the crowd. He then goes on the stage and shook Max's hand. "Congratulations," he says, and Max thanks him. Vijay then looks at the crowd and bows to them for one last time before going down the stage to head back to where his friends are.

     Soon after, the rest of the rankers entered.

(note that this ranking is different from the ranks shown in chapter 102|Rank 10 because their ranks were updated when the second term started.)

     Rank 10: Antonio Fernández de la Paz

     Rank 8: Thomas Anderson Woods

     Rank 7: Kenzo Furukawa

     Rank 6: Justin Griffiths

     As the four of them joined Max on stage, the members of the student council, the Elites, made their entrance next, making the cheers become louder than last time.

     Rank 5: Dustin Griffiths

     Rank 4: Heaven J. Carter

     Rank 3: Richard Young

     Rank 2: Gavriil Ivanovich Alexeev

     Rank 1: Ian Rothman

    The Elites went to the stage as well and joined the others. Dustin didn't have any expression on his face like usual, Heaven glared at Max before looking away from him in disgust, while Richard smiled at him.

     Gavriil then walks past at Max and quickly whispers, "Congratulations." And finally, the Elites president, Ian, looks at Max and surprisingly pats his shoulder like he was congratulating him too.

     "Let us give a round of applause for our Rank 10 for once again performing well and becoming amazing examples for our students," the voice anneounces, and the students clap their hands for the 10 of the most influential white uniforms in thaeir house.

     Krist and the others couldn't help but fanboy over the fact that they were finally seeing Max in that position. In fact, it doesn't even matter anymiore whatever rank Max would be in. Being in the top ten was already a huge achievement.

     Sir Barron—the Elites advisor—went inside the hall, while Viktor and Joon went down from the balcony to join the others at the stage, immediately making the ten bow, even Ian since he's currently not the president until his rank gets announced. Sir Barron then approaches Viktor and hands him an envelope that contained the new ranks.

     Joon, who was holding a glass case that contained the Elites' brooches, approaches sir Barron and hands him the case. When sir Barron was now holding onto it, he looks at Viktor and nods his head towards him, signaling him to begin.

     "I will now be announcing the new ranks, starting from rank 10," Viktor says as he opens the envelope to read its contents. He stares at the paper, double-checking it to make sure he doesn't say the wrong name. Viktor, who was just openly flirting with Siren earlier, was now as serious as everyone else. This was the reason why he was the king.

     "Rank 10, with total points of 9300..." Viktor says before looking at a boy with ocean blue eyes. "2nd-year student of Class A, Maximilian Leigh Sinclaire."

     Max exhales in relief as everyone cheers for him, especially his friends who were even standing at the table, specifically the jesters. One of the professors had to scold them just so they could calm down.

     "Max and Vijay only have a 41 point difference. That's a very close gap," Hans, the protector who's the most strict with Max, says as Max's information was shown on the screen. Though this was something to celebrate, Siren and the others couldn't help but agree. 41 points were so low that Vijay could literally steal Max's rank in a blink of an eye.

     "Rank 9, with a total of 9600 points, 3rd-year student of Class A, Justin Griffiths," Viktor announces next, and the cheers for Max quickly dies down.

     Justin ranked even lower, and Max didn't know how to react. Maybe Ari was right that the clubs made a huge impact on the ranks because the next names that were announced came as a shock like the others. 

     The new rank 8 was now Antonio Fernández de la Paz, who was a member of the Theater Guild. Rank 7 was still Kenzo Furukawa who was from the Beta Society, while rank 6 was Thomas Anderson Woods, who was the leader of the Alpha Society.

     "Looks like the Elites are still the same," Felix says while eating some snacks.

     "Let us congratulate the new rank 6 to 10," the voice announces as the 5 went down the stage, just behind the five students who are still members of the Elites.

     "Let us now announce the new line-up for the Elites," the voice announces next, and sir Barron opens the glass case before standing beside Joon so he could pin the brooches on their collar.

     Viktor clears his throat and looks back at his list before looking at the five white uniforms in front of him. "Rank 5, the new Elites school representative...3rd-year student of Class A, Heaven J. Carter with a total of 11,300 points."

     The students gasped after finding out about Heaven's new rank, and Cj started laughing like he was having the best time of his life. "Serves him right!" Cj says, making Krist laugh too.

     Now that Heaven isn't a member of the Monarchs anymore, it seemed like he wasn't able to acquire enough points to rank up or to even keep his rank.

     Heaven looked like he didn't like the news either because he didn't move from his spot, almost like he didn't want to accept the results. Sir Barron had to force him to move, so Heaven had no choice but to take a step forward.

     While Joon was pinning Heaven's new brooch, Max notices Justin—the former Elites school rep. smiling and clenching his fist. "Thank god...thank god he got higher," Max overhears him say.

     Max didn't know why Justin was so happy, but then Max realized that Heaven getting demoted meant that Dustin got promoted. He didn't really understand it at first, but looking at how Justin's rank got so low, did this mean that he gave some of his points to his brother?

     "Now for the new Elites treasurer...rank 4 of Class IV-A with a total of 11, 600 points," Viktor finally announces, and Justin—his twin—started to cry.

    Max has never really had a proper conversation with Justin, but he decides to take the chance now as he pulls his handkerchief from his pocket so he could give it to him.

     Justin was surprised, but he takes the handkerchief and uses it to wipes his tears. "Thank you," he says. "Most of our father's friends are students in J.S High too. Our achievements here are his achievements, so when we both got demoted we got beaten badly," Justin suddenly shares, surprising Max.

     Justin tries to laugh it off, but Max knew that it hurt both of the twins. Max didn't expect Justin to share something like that, but all Max could do was to pat Justin's back to comfort him. Something like this was normal, especially among kids like them. They had to be the very best so that their parents could flaunt their achievements to others. It was the hard reality of things.

     "I will now be announcing the Elites secretary," Viktor says, and as everyone expected, the Holy Three did not change.

     Rank 3 was still Richard Young with 13,500 points, Gavriil Alexeev was still the vice president with 14,650, and of course, president Ian Rothman with a whopping 19,000 points.

     The Monthly reranking eventually ended, and everyone went back to their room, still talking about the events that happened at the hall. But as everyone was excitedly heading back, the top 10 rankers were asked to follow sir Barron.

     The others already knew what was going to happen, but Max was still new to all this, so while the ten of them were walking down the hall just right behind sir Barron who was casually talking to Ian and Gavriil, Justin moves closer to Max and tells him, "You don't have to be so uptight, we're just going to have a short meeting."

     "It's really rare for the other white uniforms to see the Elites or even the rest of the top 10. Is this the reason?" Max then asks, glad that Justin approached him first so he now has someone he can talk to.

     "The Elites are always busy with school-related tasks, while the rest of us are busy getting lessons in case we enter the Elites. It's like we're training. You also don't have to worry about not entering the Elites because the lessons we receive still help us academically and teach us life skills when we start working. But of course, you have a different fate," Justin says, and Max just laughs it off.

     The ten of them eventually arrived at the 5th floor of the Keep. The members of the Elites went straight to their office. Max thought that they were going to follow them, but they went inside the room beside it instead.

     Max went in and was surprised to see five desks that were similar to those at the Elites' office. The difference was just that there weren't many papers and folders scattered everywhere.

     "To those who do not know...I'm talking to you Maximilian...this will be your new private room," sir Barron explains before standing at the front where the whiteboard was.

     "The Elites and the rest of the top 10 rankers work separately, but the council can still ask for your assistance. This is where you'll also have your private lessons. The top 10 are also no longer required to attend regular classes, so some of them stay here and self-study instead," sir Barron explains next, making Max realize why Gavriil is rarely in their room.

    "Of course, that does not mean that you shouldn't go to your classes anymore. As you are now the 10th highest-ranking student in the entire school, it is important that you are a role model to the other students. If you fail a single subject, you're automatically out," sir Barron says with a serious expression, immediately making Max nod his head in understanding.

     Sir Barron then heads to an empty desk and points at it, "This will be your new desk. The helpers already cleared out Vijay's belongings, so you may put some of your personal things here. Don't worry, there are cameras on every corner of this room, and the five of you are the only ones who can access the door using your student card. I'll also be sending you your new schedule."

     When everyone was already on their desk, sir Barron walks to the exit so he could meet up with the Elites next.

     "Congratulations everyone. Whatever you are feeling at the moment, know that you deserved the seat that you are in now. Work harder and try your best to enter the Elites. I'll make sure to guide you as much as I can," sir Barron says for the last time before finally heading out.

     As soon as he was gone, the rest of the ten starts swarming Max.

     "Wow, Maximilian Leigh Sinclaire, in the flesh," Antonio de la Paz—rank 8, says as he stares at Max like he was scanning every part of his body, instantly making Max feel uncomfortable.

      "Can't believe we now have the Alpha, Beta, and the Omega Society leaders here too. It's a good thing because the Elites usually work together with the brotherhoods," Justin then says, and Max unconsciously looks at Kenzo Furukawa—rank 7, and Thomas Woods—rank 6, who used to look down on the Omega Society in the past.

     "You're going to fit right in," Thomas then says, and Max just nods his head as a response.

    "We should go back to our seats and start reviewing for tomorrow's class," Kenzo, who looked like he was the strict one among all of them, stated, making the rest of them follow without complains.

     Max takes a deep breath and looks at his desk that even has his nameplate. While everyone was doing their tasks, Max couldn't help but stare at the outstanding students who were in the room. These were the people who Max was going to be with for a while, and maybe if he gets lucky, he'll be staying at the other room and be with Gavriil and the others.

     "You can do it Max," Max whispers to himself before taking a seat as his new desk.

     This was the start of Max's new chapter.

     This was the beginning of his journey to becoming a member of the Elites.

...

Viktor grabs Joon's arm and slams his body on the lockers before aggressively kissing him on the lips. Joon struggles, and when Viktor finally lets go of him, Joon raises his hand and slaps Viktor with no hesitation.

     "Don't you dare touch me," Joon warns, almost making Viktor grab hold of his cheeks in complete anger. If he didn't stop himself on time, things would have gotten worst.

      "I told you my prince...jealousy doesn't suit you," Viktor says, his face only a few inches away from Joon.

     Joon doesn't say anything, but then he wraps his fingers around Viktor's neck, strangling him. Viktor laughs and lets him do whatever he was doing so he could let out some steam. After a while, Joon finally lets go, and Viktor quickly tries to catch his breath.

     "You're pathetic," the prince tells him, making Viktor laugh. But just a couple of seconds after that, Viktor's expression turns into anger as he punches the locker behind Joon, instantly bruising his knuckles. Hee-joon didn't flinch.

     "I am loyal only to one, and that is you. Is that not enough?" Viktor says with almost pleading eyes.

     "I do not need your loyalty. You know for a fact that I need more than that," Joon then tells him, and Viktor finally calms down as he rests his head on Joon's shoulder.

     "You wish for my love, yet I cannot give it to you," Viktor says with a soft voice, and the cold look on Joon's face changes into sadness. Tears were forming in his eyes, but he tries his best not to let them fall. He didn't want to cry, not when Viktor could see him.

     "Leave," Hee-joon demanded as he pushes Viktor off him. He then fixes his uniform and walks towards a window, staring at the view of their magnificent campus, a view that he was still not used of.

     "That white uniform has really got us fired up," Viktor says, not following Joon's order to leave. Viktor wasn't going to leave him, not when he's still angry.

     "Siren was the one who initiated it, she's a master manipulator after all. She knew that we'll have a reason to target Sinclaire after that," Joon says with his arms crossed.

     Viktor chuckles and walks to where Joon was to stand behind him. He then grabs him by the waist and pulls him towards him so he could kiss the nape of his neck. The warmth of Viktor's lips made Joon close his eyes in pleasure.

     "Shall we target him then? Shall we show them the consequences of doing such a thing to the Royals? What does my prince want? I'll try my best to fulfill it for you," Viktor asks before kissing Joon's neck again.

     "We'd be falling right into their trap if we did. You might be fine with it, but I do not wish to look like a fool."

     "Said the man who reacted exactly how Siren wanted," Viktor answers back, immediately making Joon turn around to look at him with anger. He was about to throw a punch at Viktor, but Viktor quickly grabs his hand and pulls him closer. "Those eyes...such anger. When you look at me like that, it always turns me," he says, angering Joon even more.

     "You're always like this Vi; always playing around. If you do not know, Sinclaire has now acquired four crown brooches. You will soon have to face him," Joon says as he effortlessly pulls his hand away from Viktor. "You'll have to return to your past. You can't keep on running away."

     Viktor doesn't say anything anymore as his playful expression turns into a much more serious one. "You shouldn't be worrying about anything my prince. You shouldn't be worried about me either. That white uniform won't be able to get near you, I'll make sure of it."

     "That white uniform just entered the top 10," Joon immediately reminded him.

     Viktor reaches out to touch the Stepanov ring in his finger before looking back at Joon with an almost sinister look. "He's still in the top 10. If he really wants to reach us...then he has to work harder than that."

- END -

NOTE: To those who are wondering, the update schedule is STILL Friday to Sunday, approximately 7:00 PM (MNL). I'll see you guys next week! Thank you!