The First Day of School

The door opened, and the teacher entered. The students barely acknowledged the teacher's arrival; everyone continued with their own activities. Some were glued to their phones, while others chatted with friends. The teacher, with an indifferent attitude, began, "Alright, since today is the first day of school, I won't be teaching. So, you can do whatever you want," before sitting down at the desk.

Ethan was taken aback by this. "How am I supposed to stay here?" he thought. Seeing that even the teacher had no intention of teaching, he pondered, "What kind of school did I end up in?" A faint sadness and fear clouded his eyes; he felt profoundly alone. Despite it being the first day, it was odd to feel so isolated in this environment. The things that had happened to him at this school, where he hoped to make friends, had deeply unsettled him.

Three lessons passed. Most students in the class were familiar with one another; the newcomers, however, remained seated quietly at their desks. Seizing the opportunity, a group began to bully for amusement. Their target was Ethan; his weak appearance drew immediate attention. Sitting in the corner of the classroom, Ethan never imagined such unpleasantness would happen to him on his first day. He felt as if he were in an isolated zone.

"Hey, glasses!" someone called mockingly, pouring milk over his head. Ethan stared at the group in shock. "Hey, what are you doing?" His voice trembled with nervousness. The milk soaked into his hair, obscuring his vision through the lenses of his glasses. Amid the laughter of his classmates, he felt utterly helpless. In his heart, a deep disappointment settled from the humiliation he faced.

One of the group laughed, "Haha, he can't even talk because he's so scared!" Those words felt like a knife plunging into Ethan. At that moment, one of the bullies moved toward Aren, but upon seeing the cold expression in his eyes and the emotionless look on his face, they hesitated. Aren was trying to suppress his urge to fight; this wasn't the right setting for him. Yet the bullying persisted. The other students watched with indifference; such occurrences were commonplace in this city.

When the teacher returned, they halted their bullying and returned to their seats. Ethan thought, "Why did I end up in a school like this? I wish I hadn't made such a foolish decision. I just need to survive for three years. If I don't react, maybe they'll leave me alone." After wiping the milk from his head, he opened his book, but the stains on the pages made it difficult to concentrate. His emotions weighed heavily on him; he needed a way to relieve that burden.

No one in the class cared about the situation; in this city, such events were simply normal. Aren glanced briefly at Ethan but felt indifferent; neither the bullies nor Ethan mattered to him. Inside, a beast craved a fight, but in this environment, he restrained himself. Aren's eyes were lost in the gloomy atmosphere of the classroom.

When the lessons ended, everyone scattered. Only Aren, Ethan, and the bullies—Tom, Finn, and Leo—remained in the classroom. Leo, the group leader, had an average appearance; his face was unremarkable, and his short hair stood out. The following conversation unfolded among them:

"Hey, I'm hungry. Should we get something to eat?" Leo asked.

"I've got no money left to buy anything," Tom replied.

"Hey, I've got an idea! Let's ask that scared kid for some money; he'll give it to us right away, out of fear," Finn suggested. They quickly surrounded Ethan.

"Hey, give us some money," Leo threatened, glaring into Ethan's glasses.

Ethan was at a loss; he had little money left for shopping and didn't want to part with it. "No, I won't," he replied, only to be slapped suddenly. His glasses fell to the ground and shattered. The inability to see clearly without them heightened his anxiety. A swirl of thoughts—helplessness, loneliness, and fear—whirled in his mind. The cruel treatment he had faced at a school where he had hoped to make friends deepened his sense of isolation.

"What do you mean you won't?" Finn yelled angrily. Ethan fell to the ground; his weak body hadn't been expected to yield from a single slap. "You're so weak; I didn't expect you to fall from one slap," Tom mocked, laughing. Among the bullies' laughter, Ethan's voice trembled. The fear welling up inside him blurred his vision.

"Why are you doing this? I didn't do anything to you," Ethan asked in a shaky voice. Tears filled his eyes as he fought to suppress his emotions, but he couldn't hold back his tears. Feeling this helpless on his first day at school was disheartening.

"Do you know the rule of this city? Haha, of course, you're new here. Things like this are normal; you better get used to it," Leo taunted. At that moment, a rage ignited within Ethan, but sadly, he lacked the strength to express that anger outwardly.

Aren, indifferent to the scene, headed for the exit. Seeing Aren walk away without intervening, Leo thought to himself, "Another coward, great." He immediately grabbed Aren's arm and asked, "Hey, where are you going? Don't you want to join your friend?" He squeezed Aren's arm but quickly realized it was muscular.

At that moment, Aren could no longer suppress his urge to fight and swiftly turned, delivering an elbow strike to Leo's stomach. "Ahhh!" Leo groaned, clutching his stomach as Aren seized his head and kneed him. The sounds of "thud! thud! thud!" echoed through the classroom. Tom and Finn stood in shock; the group, accustomed to bullying, was rattled by this unexpected response.