Yi Tan, the six girls, and Tim all sat in a clear spot on the lawn waiting to see what was next. Yi Tan had both Ana and Mei sitting right next to him. This entire time they both seemed to be very reliant on him. "So, what are your names?" Yi Tan asked the four girls in front of him.
"I… I'm Rebecca..." Rebecca was a girl with short brown hair that went to her shoulders. She was a bit on the chubby side.
"Fina..." Fina was a blonde headed girl who looked to come from a rich family. Out of the four girls, she was the only one who seemed reluctant to agree to being someone's servant. But Yi Tan could tell the girl was doing it so she could survive.
"Mine's Samantha. People call me Sam. Thank you for offering to keep us under your wing otherwise..." Sam shivered at the scenarios running around in her mind.
"My name's Grace." Grace had black hair that went down just past her shoulders. Out of the four girls, she was the prettiest, but she also seemed to come from a poor family. Not that any of this mattered. To Yi Tan, someone's status or how much money they had meant nothing to him. He only cared about a person's personality.
And as for these four girls, even if they were acting now in order to stay safe, he did not care as long as they did not hurt him or his new friends. "It's good to meet the four of you then. Just make sure you do not do anything to betray Mei and Ana."
"Don't worry, the four of us will never do such a thing. We only hope you can keep us safe." Fina, the one who seemed more like a noble, replied. She even went as far as lowering her head as she spoke.
"Alright then." Yi Tan said with a smile. As he did, he suddenly felt a pinch on both sides of his waist. He looked down at Mei and Ana, both staring at him as if he had done something wrong. But before he could ask anything, he heard an arrogant voice yelling over at him.
"Hey, you! The poor boy who has a high power rating. It is your good fortune to befriend me. Andre Newman, of the noble Newman family from the third level." A young boy around sixteen to seventeen years of age walked up. His blonde hair was slicked back with a heavy amount of gel, making it seem very greasy.
The boy's haughty attitude made Yi Tan frown. But before he could say anything, Tim stood up and yelled: "Is this how you befriend someone? Acting the way you do? Do you think you are something just because you are a noble? Does it matter if you are a noble or not within the confines of this academy? Let me remind you this school is based on strength, not status!"
"You dare talk down to me!? I am a full pledged noble of the great Newman family while you are nothing but a poor boy!" Andre yelled back.
"Maybe you won't listen until I knock some sense into you!" Tim hated nobles who acted like this. He went to move to hit the bastard in front of him, but just as he was about to step forward to wack the kid, he felt a hand clamp onto his shoulder. He turned back to see Yi Tan. "Brother, why did you stop me!?"
"We do not know exactly what is going on or who in his family also goes to this academy. It is best to not get violent for the time being." Yi Tan explained. He then looked at Andre and said: "I think it would be best for you to go befriend someone else."
"You! So what if you got a high power rating. You're nothing but a poor person who can only be a dog for us nobles. Just like your trash friend and the little sluts you have at you… Mumph!" Andre felt something heavy hit his face, and the next thing he knew, he was eating dirt.
"Tan, you just said..." Tim looked at Yi Tan in disbelief. Didn't he just say not to resort to violence!?
Andre held his face. He looked down at this hand that had blood on it. Anger, rage, and embarrassment filled him as he turned and glared at Yi Tan: "You bastard! You dared to hit me!? I will have my brother kill y… Gahaa!"
"You want to have your what kill me?" Yi Tan asked as he sent a swift kick to Andre's stomach. He then used his foot and stepped right onto Andre's head, smashing his face into the ground. "You know I gave you a chance to leave. I was trying to be civil, but you just had to go and run your mouth. Now, look at you! You're lying here like a dog under this poor boy's foot. How does it feel? Does the dirt taste good? Why are you not answering!?"
"Tan… You're stepping on his head, making him eat dirt. He can't answer you." Tim said with a chuckle. He had learned a new side of brother today.
"He's only eating a little bit of dirt! How can he not answer!? Trashy people talk with their mouths full all the time!" Tan stepped even harder on Andre's head, pushing his face deeper into the soil.
"Tan, if you don't let him up, he might die..." Mei got up and came to Yi Tan's side and gently pulled on his arm.
Yi Tan turned and looked at Mei before raising his foot. Seeing her eyes that were full of concern for him made him lose all interest in the bastard on the ground. He placed his hand on Mei's head and scratched her ears. "Sorry, I lost my cool. I hope I didn't scare you."
"Haha! Brother, the word cool fits you well. Let me drag this bastard away. I do not want him dirtying the landscape." Tim offered. He did not wait for a reply before grabbing Andre by his foot and dragging him off like a piece of trash.
Yi Tan chuckled and sat back down with Mei. Mei leaned her head against Yi Tan's shoulder. She felt warm in her heart when Yi Tan got mad for the sake of his friends. "Hehe, Tan, you looked so cool just now." Ana said with a big smile and copied Mei's actions leaning her head on tan's shoulder.
"I do not know if I was cool or not, but both you and Mei, along with Tim, are now my good friends. I will not tolerate people who look down on my friends or family. Speaking of which, Ana, do you know that guy? He said he was a noble." Yi Tan asked.
"Hmmm? Newman…. Nope never heard of them must be a low ranking noble. Nothing to worry about. Never mind him, so Tan, you seem pretty obsessed with Mei's ears." Ana teased. She acted like this whole incident just now was nothing. She even passed off Andre as if he was a bug under her foot.
Yi Tan blushed slightly and answered: "I can't help it when they are so soft and cute." The entire time his hand was still busy scratching Mei's ears. Yi Tan's words caused Mei's cheeks to turn redder than they already were.
"Hmmm..." Ana looked at him, then at Mei, whose eyes were closed, and cheeks were flushed. "Just don't forget about me. Here, play with my hair!"
Yi Tan chuckled as he ran his fingers through Ana's hair, causing her to purr. The four girls watched the three with a strange look on their faces, especially Fina. She even whispered under her breath: "The domineering princess of the Worthswood family is acting like a little kitten in front of this boy…"