"Uhh?"
Levi's eyes widened, his mouth twitching as he stammered.
"M–My hero… y-you… your face?"
Vincent smiled, rubbing the back of his head, eyes shutting briefly.
"There are still a few bruises. You can see the plasters, but I'm fine."
"No! This is beyond anything I expected! Does your superpower include super-fast healing too?!"
Levi practically exhaled steam from his nostrils, his excitement palpable.
Vincent, however, just stood there, silent. He wasn't about to entertain whatever was running through the fatty's mind.
Maybe it was better this way. Levi, despite his quirks, was one of the eight after all.
Vincent sighed, slinging his crossbody bag over the backrest of his chair. He sat down, turning just as Levi settled into his seat—the metallic frame groaned under his weight, looking like it was on its last legs.
For a fleeting moment, Vincent felt sympathy for the chair.
His attention drifted back to Levi, who was diligently pulling out his textbooks, preparing for the first class.
"Hey, Levi…" Vincent whispered, careful not to draw attention from the murmuring class.
Levi's ears twitched at the sound of his name. His head snapped toward Vincent.
"Yes, my hero? What do you need?"
That response made Vincent pause.
'What's with that tone?'
He exhaled, pushing aside the weirdness.
"So, I wanted to ask… do you know the names of the other seven guys from yesterday?"
Levi practically beamed, his nostrils flaring again.
"Of course! I know them very well!"
Vincent allowed a thin smile.
'Of course, you do…'
He leaned in slightly, lowering his voice.
"Can you tell me about them? Maybe a little background. I want to know a few things."
Levi's eyes shimmered with excitement.
"Oh my God! Are you trying to put together a squad?"
Vincent's brow twitched, his face shifting into a puzzled frown.
'Seriously, what is this guy?'
Was Levi just a delusional fat guy caught up in his own fantasy, or was he actually onto something?
Vincent sighed, letting the frown fade. He forced a sheepish smile.
"What do you mean, squad? I'm just trying to get to know everyone. See how I can help in whatever way…" He paused, his expression darkening. "...Like it or not, I've put them in trouble."
For the first time, Levi's grin faltered. His expression grew thoughtful. He stared for a few moments, then placed a finger beneath his jaw, rolling his eyes as if searching his memory.
"Ah! That's right. I did hear something happened."
Vincent studied him carefully before asking, "Something? What's that supposed to mean?"
Levi's eyes brightened.
"Okay, so there's this guy—Kasem Punchit. His mother runs a Muay Thai dojo, but he never showed interest. After what happened yesterday, though, he attended the dojo for the first time."
Vincent's brows lifted.
"Wow…" His expression darkened a second later. "Wait. How does his mother run a Muay Thai dojo, and he never showed interest until now?"
Levi rubbed his chin intensely, eyes squeezing shut as he searched for the right words.
"How do I put this…? Kasem has always been indifferent about everything. Ever since we were kids, he's had zero motivation. That's why I was so surprised when I heard."
Vincent listened, gaze drifting toward the classroom entrance.
The first class was about to start. He quickly scanned for their homeroom teacher—his crush—before continuing.
"And how exactly do you know all this?"
Levi flashed a smug grin.
"I've been friends with Kasem and Gunner since childhood. We grew up in the same neighborhood—Northern Mereung District."
Vincent's mouth fell open slightly.
"Northern Mereung? Dude, I've heard of that place. People say it's full of gangsters."
He recalled when he was looking for a place to stay. Northern Mereung seemed ideal—it had a direct bus route to school. But his agent advised against it, claiming it was overrun with hooligans.
Vincent didn't hesitate. He chose a different, albeit farther, location.
Yet somehow, he always managed to get to school before Levi.
Levi snorted, letting another smug grin stretch across his face.
"Oh well, the gangsters have a rule. Plus, thanks to Kasem's mother, they don't touch the residents. And honestly? They can be friendly sometimes."
Vincent gave him a skeptical look.
'Friendly gangsters?'
That didn't sit right. But the part about Kasem's mother keeping them at bay made sense. Running a Muay Thai dojo meant she had to be a master.
Honestly… Vincent wished he could train under her.
But it wasn't possible. Not yet. Not with Daniel and Blu breathing down his neck.
He picked up his pen, scribbling Kasem's name on the back of his notebook, along with a few details about his mother. Then, he glanced at Levi.
"Next?"
Levi perked up.
"Oh! Right. I mentioned Gunner before, didn't I? Gunner Wasan. He's the slim, spiky-haired guy with vertical pupils and shark teeth."
Vincent paused, thinking back.
"Shark teeth?"
A brief flash of memory surfaced, aligning with Levi's description.
"Oh yeah… I think I remember someone like that. Honestly, I wondered if he was the one getting bullied—he actually looked like a bully himself."
Levi nodded, face growing serious.
"You're not wrong. Gunner was a bully. Between the three of us, he was the tallest, the most reckless, and the one who always got us into trouble. But he moved abroad to live with his mom for a few years. When he came back during our third year of middle school, he was completely different."
Vincent's fingers tightened around his pen.
"Something must've happened."
Levi sighed. "That's our guess, but he never talks about it."
Vincent frowned, jotting the information down.
They managed to go through five names before the homeroom teacher walked in.
As the lessons dragged on, Vincent's mind remained preoccupied.
Those guys… they'd been through their own share of hardship.
And now, they were getting dragged into something bigger.