A streak of yellow ran through his otherwise bright green hair dyed dark near the lower half of his head.
The rough-looking yet well-maintained green hair was parted at the parietal ridge, the upper half of the hair was swept to the opposite side whereas the lower half remained loose and spread out at the bottom. They formed a distinct boundary between the bright green strands on top and the dark black locks at the bottom.
The short hair tried but could not touch the nape of the neck of its owner, curling helplessly in the blowing wind.
All it could reach was the gray piercings on the ears and the black earrings dangling from the ears of the wearer.
Occasionally, the ear length strip of darkly dyed hair would move and scrap across the right cheek, bringing about a stinging and prickly feeling on the fresh wounds present that have yet to completely close. A white bandage was carelessly and casually stuck on it and it didn't completely cover the open wound.
Other red wounds could also be found on the face where the nose was and on the other cheek where there were no bangs to disturb it.
Above the wounds was a pair of almond-shaped eyes drawn with green and yellow with a pair of slit pupils.
Being glanced at by them, Ian described, was like being stared at by a reckless and teeth-baring aggressive animal raring to have a go at their opponent.
What attested more to that astute observation was the white bandages wrapped around the green-haired guy's hands and wrist the way boxers wrap their hands to prevent and lessen damage.
The school uniform the other side wore was the same standard one that male students wore to S High School, except that only a few days into school and the uniform was already tattered and torn, dirty in multiple places, suggesting the rough fights he must've been in.
All in all, the other side had the typical image of a cool outcast, troublemaker, and lover of mischievous deeds and heated fights.
Wearing a wide grin on his face that showed his sharp canine teeth, the other side opened his mouth once more.
"You're Ian, right? This year's freshman year student representative? I've been sent to look for you. Huh? Why are you not answering me?"
The moment the person opposite Ian spoke, the image that the other side had unknowingly built up with his appearance and gait, broke.
'He's a dense fool.' Was Ian's instant evaluation of the guy.
"Hey, hey, isn't he that wanna-be gangster in the junior year we heard our seniors mention?" The girl who had confessed to Ian just some minutes ago whispered to her fierce friend who had calmed down in the span of the interruption.
"I think so. He looks exactly as our seniors described him." Gracie nodded in affirmation.
"Our seniors also told us that he comes from a wealthy and noble family, how come this senior wants to be a… gangster?" The girl looked confused.
"... Not everyone is right in their head," Gracie reluctantly said in a low voice that only her friend could hear.
Unfortunately for her, with Ian's sharp ears, he smoothly caught their entire conversation and understood a little about this fellow student who had suddenly and abruptly appeared.
"Hello?" The nicknamed "wanna-be gangster" guy confusedly asked when no one responded to him.
Silence~
"Anyways, come with me, some seniors want to see you," the wanna-be gangster shook his head and said impatiently. He couldn't be bothered to make up some excuse like his friends had asked. Isn't it just a freshman kid? Why bother to work so hard just to get him to come. Just use their status as seniors and that's that.
He carelessly thought.
Ian stared at the green-haired gangster-looking guy and almost laughed out loud. He felt it was so ironic.
On the other hand, seeing that Ian still had no intentions of moving or responding to him, the impatient wanna-be gangster couldn't stand it anymore and went up to Ian with a fierce expression that easily scared off the girl who was standing somewhat close to Ian.
The girl backed away a few steps in instinctive fear.
Stretching out his hand, the wanna-be gangster grabbed Ian's arm and started pulling him.
Ian's eyes flashed with a cold, merciless light, but then he quickly smothered it with a thought. He had a guess in mind about the purpose of the people who wanted to see him so he went along with the other party for now.
The frightened girl and the suspicious Gracie watched as Ian was taken away just like that.
*****
"When are they coming?!" A frustrated voice lacking something called patience, one of the greatest virtues, hit the eardrums. A trace of anger could be detected as well.
Behind S High School and in the hidden corner of the school grounds where an old and abandoned storage house was located was the hideout of a notorious gang of high school delinquents who come from either rich or influential families.
By nature, this group of bullies loved to watch others suffer and tremble in fear in their presence. Knowing that the smell of fear uncontrollably emitted from their victims was because of them, made them relish in their sense of superiority, it made them drunk on their visible power.
From their freshman year till now in their respective upperclassman years, they have bullied countless victims, timid and easy targets were their favorites, regardless of their victims' backgrounds. Once they were beaten into submission and fallen prey to their fear, none of them dared to tattle to their parents the culprit of their injuries and mental harm out of a false sense of self-protection and out of what's left of their trampled pride.
But what they loved most after watching others suffer and committing crimes, was women.
So what Ian did—even though he didn't actually do anything—crossed their bottom line.
From his countless experiences, the leader of the delinquents Manl, a rough-looking guy with a buff and muscular body and an angular face, determined that the popular freshman year student representative was an easy target who'll easily break.
"It's always the gentle looking ones that are the quickest to break and beg for mercy on their knees. They can't stand even a single beating with their delicate, weak bodies," Manl laughed.
His friends and their lackeys also laughed with him.
For a moment, evil, mocking laughter were all that could be heard all around. Their voices were so loud that they could be heard from a mile away.
In fact, their disgusting laughs entered the approaching Ian's ears.
"Urgh! What in the world are those filthy scums laughing about this time?!" The wanna-be gangster muttered to himself in dissatisfaction.
Ian observed. It seems this wanna-be gangster was not in the same camp as the people he was taking him to. This begs the question—why was he following their orders then?
With his hands in his pockets and his back hunched, looking grumpy, the wanna-be gangster was really trying his best to imitate the posture of those old, crude gangsters on the streets of days past.
Ian had a sudden thought while looking at the other party's distasteful bearing.
'Levi might get along with him. They both like outdated things after all.' Ian rudely thought. Thank god Levi wasn't here and he didn't know what Ian was thinking, otherwise, he would whack Ian upside the head with his beloved fan with his temple throbbed with veins.
The wanna-be gangster suddenly stopped, causing Ian to pause in his movement.
Taking a deep breath, the other shouted at the laughing group of delinquents who sure as heck look their part.
"Look! I brought him here as you asked. Now I'll be going since I have no business here. Just wait until I get my revenge on you, Manl! I'll beat you one of these days and you'll have to be the one to fulfill one of my wishes!"
With a humph and an unconvinced demeanor, the wanna-be gangster said his part and then left without waiting for a response.
Leaving Ian in a wolf den all by himself.
Ordinarily, if it were anyone else in Ian's situation, they would have been shivering non-stop in their boots. However, he was Ian and not anyone else. What did he have to be afraid of when facing these immature children who were still playing gangster thinking they are all that?
'Well, isn't this fun?'
Ian smirked.