Ike was on his way back to the class, without the intention of going back to the sad occurrence behind the school, when he stopped at a person's voice.
"I thought you'd help." The person's voice was laced with laziness and a subtle intrigue.
Ike looked around and then looked up. There, sitting on the branch, was a youthful-looking student. He had a petite frame, and looking at his leg swaying back and forth, Ike could tell he wasn't that tall. If not for his untidy uniform and traces of drool on the corner of his mouth, he would assume this student was a model student because of his clean-cut haircut.
"The one over there." The youth pointed in the direction where Ike came from. "I thought you'd help."
"And why would I?"
"Well, isn't that natural?" said the youth, tilting his head to the side. "If you see someone who obviously needs help, you will help them. For instance, that guy is being overpowered by three guys. Isn't that unfair?"
"Even if I helped, it will still be unfair. It'll be two against three." Ike shrugged indifferently.
The youth frowned. "You have a point."
"Those who extend their helping hand blindly tend to get in trouble. I refuse to invite such a nuisance in my life," Ike continued, carrying the same indifferent air around him. "I don't want to end up hating the little goodness that is left in me. Do not blame me for looking after myself. If you want to blame anyone, then find someone in the student council, since they were the ones who weren't firm enough to make those bullies learn their lesson."
Ike held the youth's gaze for a moment. When the latter kept quiet, unable to respond to his argument, Ike rocked his head.
"I thought so," was what he muttered, taking a step to leave but stopping once again.
"Ike Lobo." Ike slowly lifted his gaze back to the youth. "You're the guy who beat up Larza the other week, are you not?"
Ike blinked ever so slowly while the youth's lips stretched from ear to ear.
"I thought you were interesting when you conceded. Many here wouldn't miss the chance," the youth continued upon receiving silence as a response.
"Are you one of those many you are talking about?"
The youth's grin stretched even more. "I wish."
The youth jumped from the branch he was sitting on, landing on the ground quietly.
'He barely made a sound,' thought Ike, a little impressed by how this youth landed without making that much sound.
When the youth straightened his back, Ike confirmed his stature. He was neither short nor tall, just someone who was a little above Ike's shoulder.
"I like you even more now," said the youth, taking a few steps until he was in front of Ike. He offered his hand and introduced himself as, "Basty. My dad said he likes butts so much he named me like that."
Ike glanced at Basty's hand but didn't hold it, raising his eyes back to the youth with little interest.
"Not a handshake person, I see." Basty awkwardly retrieved his hand. "How about a hug?"
"I don't see any reason for this exchange." Ike didn't beat around the bush. "The only reason I indulged with you despite being late for my class is that I am already ten topics ahead. No need for an introduction."
"Man… you make me a little sad. Ashley said you're a fun guy, but I can see that witch was bluffing."
"Ashley?" Ike arched a brow, and the youth named Basty nodded.
"Mhm. That girl with a…" Basty raised a finger in front of his ear, moving it in a circular motion as a silent description of Ashley. It meant a girl with a loose screw in the head. "She kept talking things about you, so I was curious."
Ike opened his mouth but then shut them again, assessing Basty from head to foot with discretion. "You're part of the student council."
"Yep!" Basty grinned and showed a thumbs up. "You got it right."
"And you approached me…"
"First of all, I didn't approach you." Basty cut him off before the latter could make any speculations. "I was here first and saw you throwing some trash and everything that follows that. I talked to you because I was curious why you didn't help."
"Normally, people who had a strong sense of justice would jump into any situation to help someone. I thought you'd be that type of person, but I was wrong, which makes you even more interesting!" Basty continued, sounding so elated at something Ike didn't know. "You should join the student council body! It'll be a lot of fun."
"No." Ike's quick refusal replaced the smile on Basty's face with a frown. "First and foremost, I don't think I'd enjoy the student organization. I might've not helped that poor student, but it surely expanded my horizon. I thought it was just a boring organization where kids like you had joined, hoping to see something fun, but today, I realized it wasn't just boring. It was all nothing but talks, filled with hypocrites who talk big about duties they don't fulfill."
"That situation over there…" Ike took a deliberate pause, pointing in the direction past Basty. "... is the fault of everyone in the student council. You let those offenders off so easily, and now, the person who plucked enough courage to trust the student organization to help him is paying the price."
"This world… don't make violence rate go down. It's just that people stop asking for help because it was futile," he added, taking a step forward, bending over to see Basty's face up close. "I don't dislike bad guys pretending to be good; they're already bad, so it was expected they'd go so low. However, I deeply dislike people who pretend to be good but actually shelter a sinful heart."
Ike raised his brows, giving Basty a meaningful look before uncurling his back. "Enough with this recruitment. I refuse to be a part of this bullshit."
With that being said, Ike shrugged indifferently. He cast Basty one last look before turning on his heel to walk away. But again, for the umpteenth time, he stopped after four steps.
"You already wasted time, so why not waste the rest of the spare thirty-five minutes you have before the next subject?" Ike looked back at Basty, only to see the latter flung his arms and hold them behind his head. "The student organization already has a terrible reputation, and I personally don't care about it. But there were exceptions."
Basty smiled ever so slowly. "Spare me those minutes to change your view about the student organization. You might think there was no need, but what's there to lose, right? Going back to the classroom now will piss the teacher off and make you stand up outside for the rest of the class."
"What do you say, hm?" he urged politely.
Ike narrowed his eyes, studying the convincing look dominating this guy named Basty.