"How is he doing?!"
I rushed into the nurse's office. Ayaka took notice of me as she took off her surgical mask and gloves.
"Is it bad?!"
I panicked.
"Of course, it's bad. We cleaned him up slightly. Half of his face isn't functioning. Somehow, that explosion went deep into his skin and burned half of his facial nerve."
The fuck... There's no way.
"Would you like to see him? That's if you even dare. Let's just say he looks similar to Two-Face."
"Two-Face? Who's that?"
Ayaka stared at me awkwardly.
"You've never read the American Detec... You know what? Nevermind."
She said, putting her things on her desk.
Ayaka pulled a chair over and sat in it, facing me with her legs crossed.
"Will he be able to heal?"
I asked, knowing the answer.
"No. "
My heart skipped a beat.
"Normally, his facial nerve would heal over time, only leaving the burn scar, however, he was hit with magic, not a normal explosion. Even a Streia's nerves are human."
God fucking damn it.
I swear that guy is going to get it! He ruined someone's face-no, not only his face but his life, just because he was 'touched!'
That motherfucker...
"Oi, calm down! Your mana is going haywire from your rage!"
Ayaka shouted.
And slowly, I attempted to calm myself down.
I calmed down but not completely.
"Listen, Shoya. You need to control your emotions. I know that you're angry, but you need to."
I stayed silent, listening to her.
"Your mana potency is unique. It's similar to that of the Black Emperor, making your spells stronger than usual. That also goes for when you leak mana. When someone is angry, sad, or feeling negative emotions in general, depending on the person and how heavy the emotion, more mana leaks out. Usually, it isn't dangerous but for mana as potent as yours... Well, that's a different story."
"In other words, I can't get angry."
"Promise me that you won't go after that boy."
The nurse held out her hand.
"Ayaka, I can't-"
"Promise me. If you do, it won't only be him getting hurt. You could hurt other people and even yourself."
I couldn't avoid the melancholic eyes that Ayaka was making. In the end, I gave in.
"Alright."
I shook her hand.
"I'm not happy about this but if I get more people hurt then my anger isn't worth it."
Or so I say.
I want to hurt that guy so badly, but it won't be possible with his friends around him. It's best to give up. For now.
--
We had Ancient Runes and History. After those, I went back to the dorms.
On my way there, I met some unexpected guests.
It was the pink-haired girl and the black-haired boy from the Chinese team.
They were the ones who told me to stop before I would kill that guy.
The girl waved.
I waved back, awkwardly.
I... don't think they can speak Japanese.
I guess I'll start the conversation.
"Is there anything I could help you with?"
I said in Chinese.
They both looked at me with surprised expressions. The girl took off something from her ears, probably earbuds, and the boy followed in suit.
"You can speak Chinese?!"
The girl asked.
"Well, yeah. My stepmother taught me from a young age."
She sighed.
"Thank god. That makes things a whole lot easier."
"Sorry, if I'm sounding rude, but could you please hurry with what you want to talk about?"
I was still slightly irritated from the earlier incident.
"Right."
The boy spoke for the first time.
"I'm Qiang and this girl is Lin-Hua."
The boy got closer and whispered into my ear.
"Don't let looks deceive you, she's strong and an evil woman."
"Qiang..."
The girl, Lin-Hua, tapped her finger onto her arm. It was clear she wasn't the most patient person.
"Yeah!"
He sped back to her side.
"Well, you wanted to talk about earlier, right?"
They both nodded.
Suddenly, they got onto their knees and bowed. They shouted in unison.
"We are sorry for Li-jun's actions! Please forgive him!"
"Ah, please, raise your heads and stand! You two are making a scene."
I said, looking at other students staring at us.
As I said, the two got up.
"I accept your apology."
Lin-Hua looked relieved.
"However, I don't think I can ever forgive him."
"W-why?!"
Qiang asked.
I exhaled softly.
"Did you know that the guy he attacked can't move half of his face? He's stuck like that until the day he dies. All because of your friend..."
They both looked lost for words.
It was understandable.
When I saw Meguru Ame on the ground, I never thought that the damage would be this bad.
"Can I at least tell you one thing?"
Lin-Hua asked.
"Go on."
"I know this won't change a thing, but Li-jun isn't our friend."
"What makes you want to say this now?"
"Just hear me out. Li-jun is our principal's grandson. Aiguo Lee, the principal, is rotten to the core and so is his grandson. The only reason we stopped you then was because you were going to end his life. To be honest, even I was shaking, I never knew a student could emit that kind of killing intent. Why aren't you in the Japanese team?"
"You know, sometimes I wonder."
I said, jokingly.
"You should be in the team. You're stronger than most of them."
Qiang chimed in.
"Even so, if I wasn't picked, then that's it."
Hearing other people call me strong is weird. Especially from temporary exchange students.
Ah, that reminds me.
"Hey, what's up with Qin? I met him a week ago and he looked like some sort of beggar."
"Hm. Oh, so you're him."
Qiang muttered.
"'Him?'"
"Qin mentioned someone helped him get a haircut."
Lin-Hua interjected.
"Oh, I didn't tell you my name, did I? I'm Shoya."
"Shoya... He said he wants to meet you. Qin, I mean."
"Qin wants to meet me?"
"Yeah, right now, actually. Come, we'll take you to him."
And they went ahead of me.
I guess I'm going to meet Qin now. It's convenient since I want to know more about him.
Who is Qin Zhang, exactly?