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LINCOLN INTERNATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL, short for Lincoln High, looked more like a museum than it was a school. The buildings looked like preserved temples in Greece, and the students looked like literal scholars. The atmosphere was definitely different from J.S High.

     The students weren't shouting and running around, and someone wasn't getting cornered and beaten to the ground either. They were also a coed school so whenever girls would look at them, Keigo would end up blushing and shyly hiding behind Max. I guess that's what happens when you're from an all-boys school.

     "Why does everyone look so smart and shiny?" Keigo asks, making Max nudge him so he could shut up.

     "You two arrived just on time because everyone's having their lunch break. I'd bring you to the cafeteria, but let's head to my office instead so we could talk there in private," Gengxin says as he starts walking towards one of the buildings.

     While they were walking, the students couldn't help but look at Max, some with awe while the others looked back at him with judgment. After all, Max was the student who defeated their representative in the pageant, so they're still pretty much bitter about it.

     "By the way, I'm Kawanishi Keigo. It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Li. I watched you during the pageant and you were amazing. If Kingston Creed didn't betray you and make you his human shield, you would have definitely placed higher," Keigo excitedly says as he shows Gengxin his hand, but Gengxin just stared at him, making Keigo start laughing awkwardly.

     "And now I remember how terrible your personality was," Keigo then comments, making Max glare at him again.

     "Anyway, how have you been Gengxin? After the pageant, I haven't heard anything from you since," Max says instead, and Gengxin sighs, almost like simply speaking was such a troublesome task.

     "Well, it would have been strange if I was constantly on the news like you are," Gengxin says, a smirk almost showing on his always blank face. "I've been living my life as a normal student, unlike you who have constantly been in the spotlight. You've been busy ever since the pageant ended. I heard about your father revoking your heir title in the news, and then you successfully got it back a few weeks after. You were also in the news just recently because you got food poisoned with madam Cindy Lin and a few other big names in the business industry. There's never really a dull moment with you, is there?"

     "I can't really say otherwise," Max says, admitting to what Gengxin just said.

     The three of them eventually arrive at the office that Gengxin mentioned, which looked like a library because of how many books there were.

     "My apologies for the mess, I didn't expect to have visitors. But you can take a seat anywhere you like," Gengxin says as he went to his desk to take his seat.

     Keigo and Max sat on chairs that weren't covered in piles of books. As soon as they were seated, Gengxin looks at them seriously and says, "Now, what do you two white uniforms need?"

     Max adjusts in his seat and sat straight before saying, "We're actually looking for someone. He's a student named Harold Grant. We found out he's a 4th-year student here."

     "And why on earth are you looking for him? I can't just give you one of our students without knowing the reason for it. I know enough that you won't do anything crazy Sinclaire, but you still have to tell me why you're looking for a member of our school," Gengxin then asks, which was a valid reason.

    "He was a student in J.S High, and he was heavily bullied to the point where he left the school. We want to speak with him because we're looking for the people who made the lives of students like him miserable. We want to make things right," Max explains.

     Even though they're really doing this for the banquet, Max and Keigo realized that solving these tasks solves bigger problems in J.S High. If they can do something about it, then that's better.

     "Is that so," Gengxin says as he adjusts himself in his seat. He thinks about it for a while, but then he sighs and says, "I know who he is even though he's in a year higher than me. Actually, I know him very well," he then says, surprising Max and Keigo.

     "You're acquainted with him?" Max asks, and Gengxin leans back in his seat and intertwines his fingers together, almost like he was getting ready to share something heavy.

     "Do you know why schools like ours don't like J.S High or the other brotherhood houses?" Gengxin suddenly asks, making the two furrow their brows in confusion because they didn't expect Gengxin to say something like that.

     "Students who come from your houses, whether they graduated from them or whether they transferred, almost all of them are arrogant and over-confident bullies," Gengxin says, now with a more serious expression on his face.

     "What are you talking about?" Max asks.

     "Well, in Layman's term, the students who are a product of J.S High tend to become worse than they already are. Whether it's in their new school or in their workplace, they always come out thinking they're the kings of the world, and that mindset is what makes your school classless and tacky. It puts your school in a bad name and it seems like no one really cares about it," Gengxin brutally says, and neither Keigo nor Max could say anything to defend it because they both know what J.S High really is.

     When the atmosphere became tense, Gengxin sighs and suddenly adds, "Well, I guess no one really cares...except you."

     "What?" Max asks, surprised by the sudden compliment.

     "When you won Mr. Brains & Brawn, during the press conference, you said something that surprised not just me but the other schools as well. You said you were going to prove J.S High's worth and show others what you guys are really made of. Your aura is different compared to before and I can tell you're already trying to make your house better. And like the pageant, I will support you in your endeavors," Gengxin then says, surprising both Max and Keigo.

     "T-thank you," Max says, and Gengxin opens his drawers and pulls out a folder that had a red x mark on it.

     "This is Harold Grant's profile. He's one of the few students in our red list, which means he's being observed on whether or not he will graduate this year, or if he will be expelled instead," Gengxin explains as he hands the file to Max.

     Max opens the folder and Keigo moves closer to him so he could see the contents too. When they saw what was written on his profile, they couldn't help but be surprised.

   Harold Grant had a dozen of violations. He was suspended a couple of times too, and one of the reason for it was because he fought a teacher. It was an overwhelming profile.

     "What the hell happened to him?" Keigo asks in shock.

     "J.S High happened," Max says, and for the first time, he finally understood what Gengxin meant.

     Students in J.S High—or in other houses—fight to survive. Those who reach the top tend to become arrogant, and they end up feeling like they can do anything because they were able to rise from J.S High's cruel system. On the other hand, those who are at the bottom tend to hold a grudge, and they become worse, just like Gengxin mentioned.

     Paradox is already a good example of that. Max knows and even met two of the members of that brotherhood, and both of them are a menace to society. Of course he can't really generalise it, since there are still students like Abel Henedy, but looking at how students in other schools notice it too, then Max can only guess that a huge percent of the students coming from J.S High end up becoming like that.

     "Why haven't you expelled him yet then?" Max asks as he looks back at Gengxin.

     "This might be a surprise to you, but our school rarely expels students as we believe each of them has a chance to change and become better. We've sent Mr. Grant to multiple councilors, support groups, and even seminars, but he just doesn't care. Students are scared of him, and a lot of them believe he's like that because he came from J.S High. Another thing is that despite his attitude, Grant still performs well in academics, so he has promise. His personality is just pulling him down. If he keeps this up, he won't be able to graduate, and that's going to leave a huge mark on us and on him," Gengxin explains, and Max nods his head in understanding before looking back at Harold's profile.

     "With what happened to him in J.S High, I won't blame him," Max says as he stares at his picture. He doesn't say anything for a while, almost like he was deciding on something important. When he finally knew what he was supposed to do next, Max looks back at Gengxin as he says, "Would you allow us to speak with him?"

     "What are you going to do?" Gengxin asks back, and the grin on Max's face made Gengxin and Keigo know that Max was up to something again; something that was going to leave Lincoln International High School speechless.

...

"Please don't end up punching him," Gengxin said with such a serious expression that it scared Keigo more because it looked like Gengxin wouldn't really care if Max did do that.

     "Punch him? What do you think of me, some kind of savage?" Max asks back as he followed Gengxin to the cafeteria where all the other students were.

     "Can't we just call out to him and talk to him privately?" Keigo then asks, nervous that he was going to be in the spotlight again thanks to Max. "Why do you always have to make a scene, and in the middle of the cafeteria too? Like, is this your preferred location? I don't get it."

     Max laughs at the statement and continues walking. "I told you that you can wait at Gengxin's office but you insisted on coming. And it's not like I want to be in the spotlight. It's just that this is the brotherhood way."

     "Brotherhood way?" Keigo and even Gengxin ask in confusion.

     "Look, Harold built this hard shell around himself because of what happened to him in the past. He experienced being the prey so that could have made him what he is now. He came from J.S High, right? And knowing the white uniforms, they only listen when they're interested, so let's give him something interesting to listen to so he could open up that shell of his," Max says, and Gengxin and Keigo looked at Max with disbelief.

     Well, with someone who has ranked up as fast as him, they can assume that Max knows what he's doing...hopefully.

     "Anyway, the cafeteria can be a little noisy so be warned," Gengxin says as the three of them finally arrived at a large door. Two guards—who were waiting outside—greets Gengxin first before opening the door for them.

     "You have a lot of guards in your school," Max comments, which wasn't really weird at all since their school houses rich kids. If we're being realistic here, J.S High is the one that's weird because you rarely see the guards inside the campus. Most of them stay outside instead, and they'll only appear when something really serious happens.

     "Here we are," Gengxin says as he steps in first, and Max and Keigo followed right behind him.

     Their cafeteria was a lot bigger than the Great Hall because they didn't have balconies, which were specifically designed for the brotherhoods. The students didn't stand and greet Gengxin either, which only made Keigo and Max realize how weird their school really is.

     "This is noisy to you? This is the noise we hear in a regular class. Back in J.S High, when it's a lunch break, you'd see someone crying over a Jack-in-a-box, and then two other guys would have been brawling on top of a table while the other students are probably making bets on who's going to break an arm first," Keigo shares, making Gengxin give him a weird look.

     "Keigo, this is what you call a normal school. We should already accept the fact that the brotherhood Houses are just different," Max says, and Keigo couldn't help but nod in agreement.

     "Anyway, where's Harold Grant?" Max then asks, and Gengxin looks around the cafeteria before pointing at a student with black hair who was eating alone in the far corner. "There's your guy," he then says.

     "Alright, I'm going to talk to him. You guys should just stay there and wait," Max says as he starts walking towards Harold who was eating his lunch alone.

     The students stopped what they were doing to look at Max. Some didn't really notice that it was even him, while some noticed him in an instant. When Max got to where Harold was, he sat in front of him and cleared his throat, making the ex-white uniform look back at him.

     Harold puts down his fork and looks at Max. At first, he was confused about why a random civilian was sitting in front of him, but after a while, his eyes widened from shock when he realized that the random civilian was actually Max Sinclaire.

     "What the actual fuck?" Harold says as he stares at Max from head to toe.

     "Hi Harold. It's nice to meet you," Max says as he shows him his hand, but Harold ignores it and says instead, "Get the fuck away from me. I don't know what you want with me, but I don't want to be associated with a Sinclaire."

     Harold then continues eating his lunch again, completely ignoring Max.

     Max knew that he was stepping over his boundaries, but he didn't want to give up just yet. If he could make Harold listen, then that would make a huge difference. "I'm sorry for coming to you like this, but will it be alright if I talk to you about something important? There's an issue that—"

     "I said get the fuck away from me!" Harold suddenly shouts, grabbing the tray and throwing it towards Max, spilling all the food on Max's face and shirt.

     Everyone was finally looking at them. Keigo was about to run to where Max was to help him, but Gengxin grabbed hold of his arm to stop him. He then looks at Keigo and nods his head, mentally telling him that Max got this covered, so Keigo just took a deep breath and stayed still.

     The entire cafeteria became quiet as they watch Max stand from his seat to remove the food that was on his clothes.

     "I know who you are, and I know you're from J.S High. I know that you're only here because you want to investigate me for what happened. None of you really care. All you care about is power and ranks. Well, I'm not going to tell you anything, so fucking scram!" Harold continues to shout, his voice echoing for everyone to hear.

    Max remains silent, and for a moment the students in Lincoln High thought that Max was going to punch him for what he did. But when Max finally removed all the noodles from his shirt, Max suddenly went down on one knee, surprising not only Harold, but Gengxin, Keigo, and the rest of the students too.

     "I'm sorry," Max finally says as he goes down on one knee. He then places his hand on his chest and bowed his head, something that no one expected Max to do.

     "On behalf of J.S High, I'm sorry," Max continues to say, leaving Harold and Gengxin speechless.

     "Li Gengxin was right. The students who come out of the brotherhood houses all turn out to be terrible people, but most of the time it's not their fault. J.S High failed them, the student council failed them, the association failed them, the entire system failed them," Max says with his head still low.

     "I know that I'm too late, and I know that I can't do much, but Harold Grant..." Max pauses and looks back at Harold who was now looking down on him. "J.S High might have failed you in the past, but you in the present...no one else failed you but yourself," Max says this time as he slowly stood up to face Harold.

     "You don't know me," Harold says as soon as Max stood in front of him. He then grabs Max's collar and continues, "Everywhere I go, people fear me just because I came from J.S High. You don't know the looks I get once they find out I came from that fucking hell. You don't know what it's like to be judged and ridiculed even though I was bullied in that school. What does an ignorant boy like you know?!"

     The question pierced through Max like it was an arrow. What does an ignorant boy like him know? Max grew up having everything. He grew up with wealth, prestige, and power. He grew up with a silver spoon, and the people who looked at him looked at him with awe and envy.

     What does an ignorant boy like him know?

    "You're right, I don't know anything..." Max says before giving out a chuckle. "I got death threats because I'm a Sinclaire. I was strapped in a toilet, beaten to death, and got bombed because I'm a Sinclaire. When I enrolled in J.S High, I was all over the news for people to feed on. I was asked to join Mr. Brains & Brawn, and almost all the contestants targeted me because I was from J.S High. When I won the contest, the press wouldn't leave me alone because of the school I represented. Until now, my family thinks I'm a joke because I decided to study there. That's why you're right Harold, I don't know anything," Max says, now with a serious expression.

     "Because despite all that, I still don't know what you went through. I don't know you, but I know that you suffered on your own. That's why I want to change that, and that's why I need your help," Max says, and that finally made Harold let go of his collar.

     "At first I was selfish. Like what you said, I only cared about power and ranks. I only wanted to be on top because I wanted to prove to people that even though I'm a Sinclaire, I can stand on my own two feet. But someone told me that it wouldn't hurt to be more than that. With everything I witnessed and experienced in J.S High, I made up my mind to do something different," Max says with complete sincerity.

     "I had the ability to do things differently. No one cared? Well, I do. I fucking shed blood, sweat, and tears as I climbed each step. I proved my worth because I needed to be in a position where I can do more. I want to help you Harold, and I want to help people like you, so please, give me the chance to properly talk to you. Help me make things right, please," Max now begs.

     Harold looks at Max and clenches his fist. He was about to say something, but when he noticed everyone who was staring at them, he curses under his breath and decides to walk away, making everyone else go back to whatever they were doing.

    Max was about to stop him, but he stood and just watched Harold leave instead. Keigo finally runs to Max, pulling out his handkerchief to wipe his face and shirt from the food that Harold threw at him.

     "Max, I think that's enough. We should think of a different way to find information about this matter," Keigo tells him, but Max shakes his head, not giving up at all.

     "No, I saw it in his eyes, he wanted to help. We just need more time. We can't just leave like this," Max insists.

     "But Max, we only have a few days left. If we don't—"

     "Fuck the banquet," Max quickly says, surprising Keigo.

     "What are you talking about?"

     "We're finishing these task and solving all these injustices whether I get the invite for that banquet or not. This isn't about me anymore. I need to...no...I want to help. I want to be able to help him, so if you don't want to help me anymore then be my guest. I'm finishing this whether you like it or not," Max says with dedication, and Keigo couldn't help but look at Max with complete respect.

    "And that's why I keep on falling for you," Keigo tells himself before taking a deep breath. "If you think I'm going to leave after everything we've done then you're as crazy as Crazy 8. We're finishing this, and I'll help you achieve your goal," Keigo says, and Max smiles and pats Keigo's shoulder as thanks.

     "Alright, then where's Gengxin?" Max then asks, and right on cue, Gengxin approaches them with a smirk, an expression that was different from his usual poker face.

     "What, you enjoyed seeing me make a fool of myself?" Max asks, and Gengxin chuckles and shakes his head. "It was pretty amusing, but I guess you were right. Students from J.S High only listen when they're interested, and I guess he was interested," Gengxin says, making Max and Keigo furrow their brows in confusion.

     "What do you mean?" Max asks.

     "Uhm, I don't want to be the bearer of bad news here but that guy literally just walked away from us," Keigo then adds.

     Gengxin takes a deep breath and massages his temple. "I can't believe I got tangled up with you two," he says before grabbing both Keigo and Max's arms. "Before he left the cafeteria, he saw me and whispered something in my ear," Gengxin reveals, surprising the two white uniforms.

     He then moves closer to them and finally whispered, "It was the brotherhood, Checkmate."

- END -