Best friend?

Alex and Rachel walking side by side to school caused a stir in the students' emotions. Some of the students who heard the rumor that Rachel one of the three Goddesses of the school had a boyfriend didn't believe it, but when they saw the scene of her walking with the transfer student they had their mouths wide open in shock.

Among the three Goddesses Rachel was deemed to be the hardest to conquer since her standards were higher than normal, even the other popular boys like the captain of the tennis club were rejected by her.

Yet now the transfer student who just came yesterday had conquered her. Was the other rumor true as well, the rumor that Alex and Rachel are childhood friends and they just had a fateful meeting yesterday?

"I heard they were separated because Alexander's family went overseas."

"Well, I heard that Rachel was from a distinguished family and she's just studying here to learn about commoners. Alexander being from a rival family found a chance and followed Rachel to this school."

"That sounds too farfetched don't you think? My theory is more realistic, Alex is a super bodyguard sent by Rachel's family to protect her. That's why he wouldn't stop staring at her."

"Realistic? I think you're confusing realistic for one of your dramas."

"Please I don't watch live-action, 2-D is supreme!"

The students were a buzz, Rachel could only sigh at the students' weird assumptions. 'Well, the truth is Alex is in a trial period as my friend first. When he gets good results in the trial run, I might spare a moment to think if he could be my boyfriend.

Alex looked at all the students warily and stood beside Rachel even closer since he thought that someone might attack in all the excitement.

'Why is everyone staring at us? Is this a form of distraction and someone was waiting to ambush us? I haven't even decided if Rachel will be the target of protection but I can't have her dying as a potential target.'

Everyone who saw Alex's actions mistook it as him being overprotective of his girlfriend.

"I wish I had a boyfriend who would get jealous if others even stare at me."

"I'll be that guy, how about you be my girlfriend?"

"Sorry, I'm not looking for a boyfriend at the moment."

"But you just said you wish for a boyfriend."

"Sorry"

"...."

"I wish that my boyfriend would protect me from the stares of others."

"Is anyone even staring at you?"

Rachel noticed Alex closing in on her looking like he was protecting her from everyone's stares and hearing the students' comments, Rachel started to turn crimson red like an apple. Alex noticed Rachel's changing state and made her face his way.

"Hmm, do you have a fever?" Alex placed his forehead upon hers and noticed that Rachel's face got even redder.

"It's nothing I'm alright, let's just go to the classroom already!" Rachel walked away from the scene with a huff, Alex followed after her confused at the weird reaction.

Everyone else who saw the scene was slack-jawed and after a while started screaming.

"KYAAAAA!" "NOOOOO!"

...

When the two new friends Alex and Rachel opened the door to their classroom, their classmates had the same reaction as the people outside.

Due to their having no effect, the teacher placed Alex and Rachel back in their original seating arrangement.

Once Rachel sat down on her chair at the front of the classroom she was immediately surrounded by her female classmates bombarding her with questions.

Alex, on the other hand, was glared at by the boys, which confused him. They were glaring at him but they weren't releasing any killing intent, so is it alright to do nothing? He started pondering why the male classmates of his would glare at him but not a speck of killing intent could be felt. Though he felt something different he just couldn't understand what it was.

While Alex was thinking of the reason for his classmates' glares, someone suddenly opened the classroom doors with a bang. Alex quickly reacted and tried to reach for his handgun hidden in his bag, but before he could do so the boy who entered the room pointed at him.

"You there it is no use, you were too slow!" The boy wearing a disheveled-looking uniform, black gloves, and a Salomon Quest 4D GTX Boots, somehow had a cold glint in his eyes. The boy who told Alex to stop approached him.

"You're the same as me, aren't you?" Alex gulped dryly, was his cover blown? Is this guy also a mercenary? What rank is he and what unit was he in?

"Don't worry, I won't bother you. I was from the shadow mercenaries, and simply did that out of habit."

'Shadow mercenaries, I have never heard of a group like that... I'll inform Father later.' Alex was on high alert, while the boy who did the dramatic entrance felt excited. 'How was that! I was cool right?! Hmph not like I'm not cool all the time."

"So who are you exactly?"

Alex's hand was slowly reaching for his handgun but was stopped by the mysterious boy who was looking at Alex while grinning, he was staring at Alex's hand that was slowly reaching for the handgun. It was as if he was saying that Alex could try to reach for his handgun, but he was still confident in winning. 'Shadow Mercenaries, what kind of fearsome group was it?'

"Hmph I'm James Bourne, but you could call me by my alias Oliver. Don't worry we are not enemies... Instead at this very moment, we are allies in the same situation. So, for now, how about a truce?"

Alex didn't know who this boy called Oliver truly was but his intention seemed genuine, he truly wanted to have a truce. It was then Alex remembered number 4 in the mission revision, find a friend that is not the target for protection.

"Fine then will you be my friend?"

Everyone who heard Alex and Oliver's conversation was shocked. Oliver himself looked at Alex his mouth almost opened up in shock, but he didn't want to break character so he kept looking at Alex with a serious expression. 'Is this guy serious, he actually wants to be friends?' Oliver looked at Alex's indifferent yet serious expression and was sure he wasn't joking.

"Oliver was actually able to trick the transfer student into becoming his friend."

"No way."

"Is this for real?"

While everyone was having their own reactions. Oliver bit his left thumb until it bled, 'Ouch! That hurt more than I thought it would!' Even though he was screaming inside Oliver didn't break character and still had a serious look on his face not showing the slightest twitch. Oliver then wiped the blood from his thumb onto his right hand he then extended it towards Alex.

"To our brotherhood."

Alex was bewildered by Oliver's actions. 'This guy is serious he really wants to be comrades... No brothers in arms.'

Alex then nodded his head, bit his left thumb, and wiped the blood onto his right hand. He shook Oliver's hands.

"To our brotherhood," Alex responded to Oliver's weird actions.

Rachel who saw the entire scene was freaking out in her mind. 'You were already weird, to begin with, I wanted to reform you so that you can turn into better boyfriend material... But before I could do anything, you made another weirdo into your friend!' Rachel then noticed Alex was smiling, it was a natural smile that she hadn't seen from that emotionless face of his. Rachel sighed and smiled as well, 'Well I guess having a friend that gets you is a good thing.'

...

Alex was surprised by Oliver's stories he was part of the ever-elusive Shadow Mercenaries, while everyone thinks that he's delusional and that's what makes it the perfect cover-up. Alex thought this comrade of his had truly become one with normal society.

The two talked about events in other countries' battlefields and the current situation of each nation. Alex was thrilled to have this kind of conversation with one his age.

Oliver, on the other hand, was also having fun since someone actually went along with his scenarios, this new friend of his was very knowledgeable about the military.

While the two new friends were chatting in class the teacher couldn't help but grit his teeth. Yesterday it was clear as day that the Principal was protecting Alex, so that would mean someone powerful and influential was backing Alex. Since Alex was also someone able to answer all of his questions with no problem, giving Alex a difficult time was an impossible task.

Even Oliver the so called delusional kid was not as simple as he looked. He always scores in the top 10 in the whole school and has a very amazing athletic ability even though he keeps on talking gibberish. The two weirdos were also the two who were at the top of the class.

In this class, the only one who could match up to the weirdos was Rachel, who was also part of the top ten in the whole school. Yet this girl turned out to be the girlfriend of one of the weirdos, it wouldn't be weird that she as well might turn into a weirdo. The teacher sighed he had no power whatsoever to scold Alex and Oliver for talking in class.

The teacher who had difficulty conducting class was being pitied by the normal students. The students didn't understand why the teacher was not scolding the two for talking while in class, but they could somehow guess it had something to do with the weird yet mysterious transfer student.

...

The next class was Physical Education so the students were required to change into their P.E. uniforms, white shirt, and blue shorts. The girls needed to head to the locker room assigned for them, while the boys stayed behind the classroom to change.

Oliver who removed his uniform was actually wearing a bulletproof vest, and once he removed it what was shown was a body of pure muscle. Oliver had a case of Chuunibyou or basically, he was just delusional, his setting, his background story, and everything to do with the fictional character James Bourne was created by him.

Yet Oliver truly wanted to believe that he was a special agent of some secret organization. He trained his body and watched youtube videos of how to fight so he could become closer to his own delusion. Yet in truth, he was a boy who was scared of pain, even with the muscles he accumulated he was afraid of getting hit and hurting others. Still, the boy who had watched numerous videos of soldiers and mercenaries fighting their own personal war was deeply impressed.

When Alex saw the muscles Oliver had, he was impressed there were no scratches in his body not even a blemish of a prick was seen in his palace of muscle.

'For someone who went into dangerous missions daily, he has never been hurt?... I thought I was already the best, but here stands before me someone my age who has been to the same, no maybe even worse missions than me and has never been damaged.'

Alex could only sigh at realizing his own arrogance, as he was changing into his own P.E. uniform. The moment Alex took off his clothes everyone stared at him. Alex's body with the uniform on looked really slim, but what was hidden underneath the uniform was a body of steel. Alex's muscles weren't that of a bodybuilder like Oliver's they were that of a fighter, lean muscles with no excess fats.

Yet what truly caught everyone's attention were the numerous scars all over Alex's body. There were burn marks, slash wounds, and even something that looked similar to bullet wounds. What the hell happened to this boy?

Oliver had taken a look at Alex's scarred body and was amazed, 'Wow! Are those real? He really is committed to his own setting.'

Oliver mistook Alex's wounds to be something he himself inflicted. One of the boys in class suddenly dared to ask Alex about his wounds.

Alex hearing his classmate's question started to have a cold sweat. He couldn't possibly say that he got it from being on various battlefields, his identity as a mercenary must be kept a secret. Alex started to think as fast as he could about what to say.

While Alex was thinking deeply, the classmate who asked looked at Alex's troubled face. "Sorry Alexander, was that question too personal? I didn't mean to pry I was just a bit curious." The classmate bowed his head apologizing to Alex.

Alex shook his head and responded, "No it's alright it's not a secret or anything... I was just reminiscing about how I got them. Well, you see my dad is a Martial arts enthusiast and a Survival enthusiast, I got these wounds while training."

When the class heard Alex's explanation most of them accepted it, but some felt it was an exaggerated excuse. Some actually thought that the wounds might have been from his father hurting him, but they quickly dismissed the idea and just accepted his explanation as well.

Oliver, on the other hand, was greatly interested in Alex's father. "Hey my comrade, can I meet your father?"

When Alex heard Oliver's request he looked at him dumbfounded. 'What does Oliver want with my father? Is he going to scout him for the shadow mercenaries... But father can't fight anymore.'

"Sorry Oliver, my father has his left leg cut off. It's just a prosthetic leg now he can't move the way he used to. When you see him you might be disappointed."

'Sorry Oliver dad can't join shadow mercenaries.' Alex didn't say the last part of his thoughts since others might hear.

Oliver's eyes sparkled in interest, 'I wonder how he lost his leg? Did he lose it while doing survival training in the woods, and a bear swiped it off.'

"It doesn't matter Alex what state your father is in. A warrior of his caliber can still go on and fight!" Oliver said those lines trying to console Alex in regards to his father being attacked by a bear, also it was an opportune time to say something cool.

Alex was touched by Oliver still believing in his dad who made a mistake in a mission and lost his leg. Alex nodded his head, "I will inform my dad about your intentions of meeting him."

"Thank you, comrade here is my number just call me when he is ready to meet me." Oliver threw a calling card at Alex. Oliver was super happy that he was able to act cool twice in a row. He and Alex's synergy was extremely good.

Alex who caught the calling card looked at it and nodded his head.