More than 1 month had passed after I was back to Kammzet.
"Yea, Feng, I will be alright. Living alone is nothing tough when compare to working under you."
I am currently having a phone talk with my elder brother who is still in Silver Peck city.
"Hah, be grateful, if you were not trained by me like that, you couldn't be who you are today."
I don't quite understand what he mean, but I know it's useless to ask so I just let it slide.
"Well then, I'm going to hung up. If you found yourself in any problem...... just solve it yourself. Don't find me. Don't ask for help from mother as well."
"I won't, I don't want to make her worried anyway. Further more, I won't hurt my pride to ask for your help."
"Haha, right. Well, see you then."
There goes the short conversation I have with my elder brother.
-----------
About Minnie's challenge.
Well, to sum it up, she was defeated by me. It wasn't an easy victory because I had to hold back, though it wasn't the hardest thing I had achieved either.
After she was defeated, as expected, she was crying in dissatisfaction. 'Crying' not as in tears came flowing out, but something like screaming. She caused quite a ruckus afterwards, and Akiko had to comfort her and calm her down. As I thought she was too frustrated from losing. Ying also commented that, "Aside from losing, I think the fact that you're couching her bothers her the most. Simply because she doesn't want to obey a guy."
I heard that Minnie often fights with her father as well, I guess me couching her might really be a problem.
After I won, chatters were everywhere. I felt like the audience, who came to watch our fight (which is mainly Taekwando members), were criticizing on how rude I treated a girl. I didn't really heard their conversations, but from their facial expressions, it definitely were not a pleasant one.
I dislike this atmosphere. It is just like when I was in a middle school in Silver Peck city.
----------
February 19th. Monday
More than a week had passed after Minnie's challenge.
In the morning while I was walking on the path to the school.
I felt that after the match with Minnie, there are gazes everywhere.
No....... that's not quite correct.
There were already gazes everywhere even before that match, just that it gets stronger now.
After I reached the class and greet both of my bad friends, I asked them if they heard any rumors about me.
"Rumors? Why?"
"Because I felt like I was watched by someone. No, I mean I felt that a lot of people are giving me weird look."
"Weird look? Really? I don't think so."
"Haha, that's typical of you, Yan. I agreed with Ying, those aren't really weird look. Well, they may as well really be weird, but definitely not the way you take it."
"Which means?"
"You're thinking that something bad about you is going around right? Then you don't have to worry. They are mostly good news, or good rumors."
Good....... rumors? I had never heard of something like this is possible, I thought rumors only refer to bad things.
Before I got to ask in detail, the first period started, so I had to hold my question back until lunch break instead as the short breaks in between lessons are too short for me to discuss this.
-------------
Lunch break, in cafeteria.
After we had bought our lunch and found ourselves a place to sit, I started to ask about those 'rumors'.
By the way, Akiko and Minnie are not here yet, for some reason they always come to cafeteria later than us.
"So back to the topic from this morning, tell me more about those 'rumors'."
Yu Zhe think for a few seconds then answered.
"First of all, your skill in Taekwando. Do you know you got yourselves some admirers? Though they are basically your juniors in the Taekwando club plus some of their friends."
Hm? Is that why some of the juniors always stick with me in the training?
"More like, how do you get to know about that? Do you know my juniors or something?"
"After your match with Minnie, when someone was criticizing how you treated a girl, someone stood out and defend you, saying stuff like how skilled you are and how good you are when helping juniors, that you are also holding back with your best while fighting Minnie, etc etc."
".........."
I am plainly speechless.
Actually, there are a lot I want to say.
For example, 'defending me like that is just going to cause more trouble for me and himself',
or 'I'm not that great'.
But no point saying those to Yu Zhe. Those words are more for my junior.
Then again, my junior was helping me, so I shouldn't say those words to him as well, I should be appreciating instead.
Therefore, I'm left with nothing to say.
"So because of that, it is later revealed that they admire you as 'someone takes good care of his junior'."
"Honestly, I don't see that as a good rumor."
"Why not? Someone just openly declares you're a good guy."
"That is just what he thought. Don't forget there are still people who criticized me, wouldn't they fight back as my junior tried to defend me?"
"Nope, I didn't heard anything of that sort."
"You didn't hear doesn't mean they are not planning to fight back. There's a chance they are planning to fight back secretly, perhaps using some underhand method. People who fights back with underhand method are not to be taken lightly."
After hearing me say that, both Yu Zhe and Ying were staring at me like I said something ridiculous.
The atmosphere around became kind of tense.
"Eer... Yan, there aren't that many people who're like that."
From Yu Zhe's reply, I started to understand.
Maybe I had meet with too many people of that kind back in Silver Peck, so it had already become a habit for me to be very wary.
As Yu Zhe mentioned, Kammzet is a more peaceful place than Silver Peck, so there should be much less people of that kind.
"Ok.... I'm just trying not to be overly-optimistic."
From my words, Yu Zhe understood my feeling and kept quiet. Even though he never live in Silver Peck before, but from the past experience of us stirring troubles and fighting with other kids, he could understand to a certain extend.
"I really don't think you have to worry."
Said Ying, and broke the tension.
"Akiko is saying good things about you as well."
"Huh? what kind?"
"She said something about you leading the club activity for Arts Club in place of the vice president when she had something to attend and no around. Being trusted by the vice president even though you just joined the club not long ago has earn you some respect as well. Moreover, you did well leading the club activity despite you're a new member."
Though it sounds like a good thing, I didn't feel so. Rather, I thought it was strange that people came to respect me instead of jealous or envy. Are the people in Silver Peck really that bad? or rather the people in Kammzet are too kind? Or maybe there are some conspiracy going behind those compliments?
I don't know, but I know for sure, being wary won't hurt.
"Dude, you really shouldn't worry that much."
Perhaps I was making a serious face, Yu Zhe looked at me with a sad expression, which caused Ying to look sad as well. The uncomfortable tension is back again.
They are probably imagining my life in Silver Peck, figured something bad happened that caused me like this. 'If only that incident never happen' is probably what Yu Zhe is thinking. He had blame himself too much on things that aren't his fault, like his mother's death, like the incident that makes me move away Kammzet.
"Sorry, my bad. I will try to be happy for that. So let's stop this tense atmosphere and enjoy our lunch"
'try to be happy', though I was the one who said it, it sounded ridiculous to me, because there are probably no one in this world who have trouble being happy on good things, except me.
Afterwards, as Minnie and Akiko join up with us, the tension was broke for real and everything is back to usual.
Aoba Alexander and Miley didn't eat with us today. According to Akiko, they have something personal to handle.
-------------
After school, I'm staying in the art room because of art club's activity.
Art club itself has around 40 members, but the art room is never full of people every time in the club activity.
According to Annett, the vice president of art club, aside from members who didn't take the club activity seriously, the rest are students who happened to have other club activity fall on the same day as art club's, so most of them decided to join the activity bi-weekly.
Today, there are less than 10 people included me, and it didn't take long for everyone to leave and left me alone in the art room.
The school closes for student at 7.00pm, which there are an hour left for me to stay in the art room.
I'm not so good with drawing. Though I had learn a bit of drawing back when I was still primary school, that is far from enough if I wanted to draw something decent.
Vice prez Annett did comment that I did well despite being a complete beginner, but I won't feel satisfied from that. After all, all the paints around me are very good, especially Llyr's. With all those good paints around, my painting looks like a kid's drawing, and it hurts my motto of 'if cannot the best, then at least be above average'.
As I was focusing in drawing, my fighting instinct broke my concentration and told me someone is standing behind me.
As I tensed up my muscle in prepare to defend myself, a sudden flashback of the conversation I had with Yu Zhe and Ying in lunch came to my mind, so I decided to do nothing but observing the situation.
I continued in drawing, pretending I didn't know someone is behind me. Though I can't see, but I can tell that person's distance is drawing closer to me by listening to the small noise of footsteps.
After a few seconds, the person is standing directly behind me. Having someone I don't know standing behind me while I'm not in a self-defend stance made me nervous, but I didn't show it on my face, nor I slow down my drawing speed.
"Excuse me."
I felt relief immediately, from his tone, the person most likely won't harm me. Unless he's as vicious as someone I met in Silver Peck
I stand up and turn around to look at that person. A guy who's around 10 cm shorter than me, brown in skin color, he is actually one of my junior in the art club. Guess I really was too wary against everything.
"Yes?"
"Sorry for the interruption, can I have a talk with you?"
"Of course. What's wrong?"
"Ah, before that, my name is Ahmad Muhiddin Bin Abdullah. You can call me Ahmad"
A Malay, or an Arabian I guess.
"I would like to thank you in place of my friend, who was save by you a few days ago."
"A few days ago?"
"To be exact, it was last Thursday. In the Taekwando training."
"I don't recall I save anybody"
He looked a bit surprised as I said that, then he chuckled a little.
"You are just as I heard. You may not realize, but you really did save Mohan."
Oh no..... I can't tell him that I don't actually remember any of my junior's name.
"Ah, his full name is Madan Mohan Kapoor."
That name is familiar but I'm not sure who that is......
Wait, last Taekwando training..... someone I had help.....
"Could he be the one that I helped him by buying him some food??"
"Yes. That's him."
"But why? It is true that I bought him some food but saying that I 'saved' him is exaggerate wasn't it?"
Ahmad chuckled again.
"Well, I supposed it is natural for you to not realize. Mohan is a kind but timid guy, so he couldn't refuse when someone ask him to do something. That day, some other Taekwando members ask him to buy some foods and drinks for them, but he was already exhausted from training so he didn't really want to. Due to his timid nature, he just can't decline them so he had to walk to the cafeteria while feeling tired. Then you came in and help him."
"....... even so, 'saving' him is still exaggerating."
"No, you did save him. Back then, you said something like 'you seem tired, let me run the errand instead'. After looking at you helping him, the other Taekwando members felt that they did something wrong for always asking Mohan to run all their errands. So they apologized to Mohan later. Perhaps due to what you did, some are more considerate towards Mohan now. Therefore Mohan feel indebted by you."
My.....my..... What a 'chain reaction'.
I wanted to say 'but I really didn't do much' but I guess I should just accept the gratitude.
"Well, I guess I should say 'you're welcome'....."
"I'm sorry to bring this up to you all of the sudden. Mohan is.... in a way, shy as well, he can't seems to thank you properly in person so here I am, thanking you in his place. Normally he could thank people properly but maybe because you're now like an idol for everyone, and savior for him, so he find it hard to talk to you."
"Wait. what!? Idol? Savior?? That is over-exaggerated."
"Ahahaha"
Ahmad burst in laughter.
"You really didn't know? You had quite some name among the juniors, especially those who associated with Taekwando and art club."
I don't feel comfortable being popular, but of course, I didn't say that out.
"Well, that's all I wanted to say. I have something to do so I won't join the club activity with you for today. So, goodbye."
"Aaa...... goodbye"
Man....... what a shocking truth.
Though Yu Zhe had already mentioned it, I still find it hard to believe.
Even though I am being famous in a good way, I still hope that I don't get any more famous than I already am.
I dislike standing out.
Because it is very uncomfortable when there are gazes from everywhere.
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