Praise

The sun was shining through the windows of the classroom, casting a warm glow on everyone inside. As I took my seat, my eyes landed on Ms. Smith. It was hard to believe that just a day ago, she was covered in bruises and barely able to stand. But now, she was back to her old self, radiating health and vitality.

Suddenly, Ms. Smith's voice interrupted my thoughts, calling for the class's attention. "Class, I would like everyone to give a round of applause for Sora," she said, her eyes shining with admiration. "There was an intruder on the campus, and he was able to take him down. Even I wasn't able to take him down."

As I looked around the room, I saw everyone clapping and cheering for me. It was a strange feeling, but one that I couldn't help but savor. It felt good to be recognized and appreciated, especially after the chaos of the previous day.

But my moment of glory was short-lived. Leo, my classmate, grabbed me by the shirt and started shaking me, his face contorted with anger. "I can't believe you did something like that!" he exclaimed.

I tried to brush him off, knowing that he was just teasing me, but his words stung. "Yeah, yeah," I replied, trying to downplay my accomplishment. "He wasn't all that anyway. Even you could lay a hit on him and take off his arm."

Leo's expression turned bitter, and I knew I had gone too far. "What are you saying?" he asked, his voice low and dangerous.

"I'm saying he's really weak if you laid a hit on him because you are weak. Even if he was distracted by me, he didn't stand a chance."

But as I spoke, I realized something was off. When we had first fought Brown, he had been so much stronger than he was when we faced him yesterday. It didn't make sense - maybe it was a clone or a stunt double. But one thing was clear: we hadn't killed the real Brown.

"Leo, we didn't kill Brown," I said, my voice low and urgent. "That was something else."

Leo's eyes widened in surprise. "What are you saying?"

"Remember when we first fought him, when everyone was there? He was able to take everyone out with ease. Sure, I innovated to try to beat him, but it was a bit too easy."

"You might be right," Leo agreed, his expression thoughtful.

I turned to Ms. Smith, hoping she could shed some light on the situation. "Ms. Smith, I have a question. May I talk to you in private for a quick moment?"

"Go right ahead," she replied, her eyes full of concern.

Ms. Smith and I stepped out of the classroom and into the hallway, away from prying eyes and ears. As soon as we were alone, I spoke up.

"Brown is still alive," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

"I thought as much," she replied, her eyes narrowing in thought. "It seemed a bit too easy. But there's just one thing that I can't explain - he was able to deal with me so easily, but when it came to you, he became so much weaker."

"I think he took some of the power away from his clone after he dealt with you to seem like it was actually him," I explained. "That is the only logical explanation. I need you to go talk to the headmaster about this as soon as possible."

"After this class, I will make sure to do that," she said, her expression serious. "One more thing - what does he want with you?"

"I don't know he wants something that's inside of me that not even I know of." I replied, just as puzzled as Ms. Smith was.

Ms. Smith and I walked back into the classroom, and I felt the weight of the situation settling back onto my shoulders. The unease that had temporarily dissipated now began to seep back into my body. As I sat back down in my seat, I could feel my heart pounding rapidly in my chest, my palms becoming sweaty with anxiousness.

Leo tapped on my shoulder, concern etched onto his face. "Sora, are you okay? You're sweating a lot."

I tried to compose myself and nodded. "Yeah, I'm alright."

After class, Ms. Smith and I made our way to the headmaster's office. We briefed him on everything that had happened, and he was quick to respond.

"I thought as much," he said, furrowing his brow. "We'll need to take extra precautions until we catch this man. A 12-year-old killing a government official is unprecedented."

Ms. Smith nodded gravely. "He is incredibly powerful, headmaster. When we first encountered him, he destroyed almost the entire class in mere seconds. We need to take this seriously."

The headmaster nodded, deep in thought. "I'll assign more guards to the campus, and especially to your classroom, Sora. We need to protect you."

"Sir, he isn't targeting the school. He's after me," I interjected.

The headmaster's expression turned to one of concern. "What could he possibly want with you, my child?"

"I have no idea, sir."

"Until we catch this man, I'll be assigning you to a private penthouse on campus. You'll be guarded 24/7," he said firmly. "Everyone in this school is my child, and I will not let anything happen to them."

I was escorted by four guards to the penthouse, and as I entered, I was struck by the sheer luxury of it all. The size of the space, the top-of-the-line amenities, the robot that cleaned for me – it was like entering a whole new world. I sat down on the couch and took everything in, feeling a sense of safety and relief wash over me.