The simplest method of fighting against bullies was to fight back.
Never try to reason with your bullies.
Just pummel them once and they would never dare to bully you anymore.
This was the solution that Calvin had in mind.
However, he knew that this solution might not work considering that each and every person in this place were demons.
But of course, since there was no harm in trying, then why not?
Calvin left his backpack in the classroom. He started walking through the empty corridor. He then spotted several students rushing towards their classroom with their backpacks on their backs.
Calvin approached them with a smile, "Hey, can one of you tell me where the infirmary is?"
Unfortunately for Calvin, his infamy made the students very unfriendly to him. It took him quite a long time before a student was willing to point him in the right direction, but even then. Calvin was still confused as to where exactly was the infirmary in this school.
Calvin furrowed his eyebrows.
He didn't let his failure undermine his determination.
He approached another student, but they ran away and avoided him like the plague.
"..."
Calvin was instantly downcast.
"Am I really that scary?" He softly whispered.
"No..."
But he didn't expect to get a reply.
Calvin was startled and he subconsciously assumed a battle stance with his knees slightly bent and his arms raised in front of his chest.
"What's with that pose, Ivan?"
Ziya was the one who approached him from behind.
She was carrying Calvin's backpack in her hands.
"Why did you bring my backpack with you?" Calvin asked.
"I was afraid that the bullies may mess with your textbooks and notebooks once the teacher got off the class. That is why before the class ended, I pre-emptively took your backpack and came out of the class to catch up to you." Ziya replied with a smile.
Her tone of voice and the beautiful smile plastered across her face made one feel refreshed.
One would also think that a girl like Ziya would definitely be popular in class due to her innate kindness and beauty. Unfortunately, it was actually the opposite in this class full of demons. In fact, she was one of those being bullied.
The target of the bullies at this moment was Calvin.
Ziya carried Calvin's backpack off to safety but even though Calvin knew that what she did was quite nice. It was also basically the same as announcing that she was Calvin's accomplice. In other words, from now on. The intensity of the bullying on her would only grow and never decrease.
But from the look on Ziya's eyes, she didn't seem to mind.
She was more concerned about Calvin than herself.
'That isn't a good sign...' Calvin inwardly thought.
Taking the backpack from Ziya, Calvin slightly bowed his head in a gesture of appreciation and gratefulness.
"Thank you. If you didn't take my backpack, then it would've probably been ruined by now..."
"However, what you just did was the same as announcing to everyone that we are friends. Wouldn't that mean that you'll be targeted by them? I don't think that it's worth it to be friends with me when you'll just suffer in return." Calvin probingly asked.
Ziya stopped on her tracks and stared right at him. For some reason, Calvin felt that her gaze was inexplicably strange.
"I like you."
"What?"
Calvin almost stumbled over nothing when he heard what she said. He subconsciously looked around as if paranoid that a person of authority was looking over here at this moment.
"I said, I like you, that's why I am helping you..." Ziya bloomed with a smile.
Seeing the innocent smile bloom on her face, Calvin couldn't think of anything malicious at all.
In fact, he felt as if Ziya was his own daughter.
She was just too cute with her brilliantly shining eyes and her sweet smile.
"But I think I might regret being your accomplice." Ziya suddenly continued.
"Why?" Calvin asked in curiosity.
"It's because I heard earlier that the faculty members are planning on meting out some punishment for you."
"Oh? They want to punish me?" Calvin expected this much from the faculty members of the school. In other words, he wasn't that surprised by her revelation.
"Yes..." Ziya nodded.
"So, that is why you said that you might regret being my accomplice. But why did you still do it? From the looks of it, you're cognizant about the consequences of helping me, yet why did you still help me?" Calvin asked with a smile.
Ziya pondered for a moment and replied, "I think it's because you're like superman."
"S-Superman?"
Calvin didn't expect that answer at all.
"Yes... Superman, a hero... You're like a hero to us. It's about time that someone teaches the bad guys their lessons."
Ziya didn't mince her words at all.
If not for the fact that she was so young, Calvin would've mistaken the excited look on her face for killing intent.
"Now that I think about it, this is the first day that we met. Let me properly introduce myself to you. You probably heard about my name already, but it's much better to re-introduce myself again, for formalities sake, you see?" Calvin stretched his hand out to Ziya.
For some reason, he never thought of her as a little girl.
But it must be because Calvin was "Ivan" at this moment.
A young boy whose age was similar to Ziya.
"My name is Ivan. Nice to meet you."
Ziya's innocent smile deepened.
She stretched her hand out and placed her small hand onto Calvin's hand, "I'm Ziya! Nice to meet you too!" Ziya boisterously replied. Her mannerisms didn't make her exude the aura of someone that was being constantly bullied.
Instead, she was still lively and was really talkative.
By the time that the two of them reached the infirmary, they had already delved into a dozen topics ranging from their daily lives and some simple arithmetic. Of course, Calvin was a god when it came to simple elementary arithmetic. His prowess earned him the constant praise of the little girl.
"All right, I think it's about time for you to return to class, Ziya... I'll handle everything from now on. Wait for my good news and be a good girl, all right?" Calvin waved his hands to Ziya who was already briskly walking away from the infirmary. Calvin's hand suddenly froze in mid-air.
He unexpectedly addressed Ziya as if he was her elder and upon that realization...
Calvin also realized that he was indeed old enough to be her grandfather.
'Fuck...'
Calvin inwardly cursed.
Shaking his head, he removed this unnecessary negative thought out of his mind and let out a sigh.
Pushing open the sliding doors of the infirmary.
Calvin squinted his eyes, yet he couldn't see anything due to how dark the infirmary was.
"Is anyone here?"
The infirmary was quite large and was made up of six connecting rooms. The outermost room served as the consultation room for it was the smallest, with only three sets of chairs and tables and a shelf containing several amenities befitting an infirmary.
'Why does this infirmary feel more like a private clinic? It's so huge... Just how many students visit this place for a consultation every day?'
Calvin swept his gaze across the consultation room and after finding that there was no one looking at him from the corridor right at this moment.
He took his very first steps inside the infirmary.
Step!
But as soon as his feet landed inside the infirmary.
The air suddenly froze.
A cold draft appeared out of nowhere and blasted Calvin's face.
Calvin's pupils constricted.
"This presence..."
"This is the presence of the Notebook of Secrets That Will Destroy Your Life!"
Calvin audibly gasped.