"You are accusing us of monopolising the resources and extorting the students, but how are you any different?" Max snapped at Leo. "Demanding thousands of credits worth of books and even an eighty percent share in the contract for a uniform only worth five credits. You are a walking example of hypocrisy."

"Hah! It’s called justice," Leo retorted with a shrug. "You can’t put a murderer who killed for his own gain and an executioner who kills to serve justice on the same scale."

Max broke into gasps and laughter at the sheer absurdity of Leo’s words.

Taking a moment to calm himself, he asked,

"And how does demanding our resources serve justice to the common masses, o mighty executioner?" Max demanded, his face carrying a forced smile that hid his anger behind it.

"Exactly, only the head of the table would change from the commoner to Leo," someone from the gathered students muttered. "What difference does it make for us? We still have to pay the price for the books and uniforms."

The others shared the same thought. What did it matter who held the resources when they would still be extorted regardless? Nonetheless, they were enjoying the situation to the fullest. Seeing the boy who had been forcing them into contracts that felt like slavery now being cornered gave them more satisfaction than they had expected.

"That’s where I draw the line between you and me," Leo said with a smug look. "Unlike you, I will only ask for three credits, the actual price of the books. Moreover, you should be thankful for my mercy that I didn’t demand a hundred percent share of your contract."

He spread his heavy arms outward and demaned with a booming voice, "Now, tell me your decision, commoner!"

"All praise, Lord Leo!"

"Lord Leo!"

"Lord Leo!"

Half of the freshers chanted in unison, clearly supporting Leo, while the other half remained silent, eagerly waiting for Vlad’s answer.

"Who is this fatso?"

A voice cut through the crowd, turning everyone silent.

Every head turned toward the base of the tree behind Vlad and Max, the source of the voice, where Chloe sat rubbing one eye, still half asleep.

"Tch, no one here knows anything about etiquette. How could you disturb us at such a decisive moment?" Leo muttered, glaring at Chloe.

He placed both hands on his wide waist and demanded, "Where is this fatso that made you ruin my moment?"

"..."

Another awkward silence followed.

"Y-yeah, I-I wonder pfft—where is the fatso?" Max said, bursting into laughter mid-sentence.

The other freshers also barely held back their laughs.

"Is that what zero self-awareness looks like?" Vlad sighed.

"Bwahahaha! Bro, you need to slap a filter on yours and your girlfriend’s mouth," Max burst into loud laughter, repeatedly slapping Vlad’s back.

"I’m not his girlfriend!" Chloe said in a sharp tone, her expression unreadable.

"..."

"Oh, sorry," Max said to Chloe before turning back to Vlad and correcting himself,

"Bro, you need to slap a filter on yours and your sister’s mouth."

"I’m not his sister, mango boy!"

This time, only a faint frown appeared on Chloe’s face. Max was now officially on her I don’t like them list of people.

"M-mango boy?" Max gasped, pointing at himself, greatly offended by the nickname.

"Bro, do I look like a mango?" he asked, turning to Vlad, his tangerine hair swaying back in a cold breeze.

Another brief silence followed.

"Let’s settle the crisis first," Vlad said, tapping his shoulder and deciding not to hurt his feelings.

"S-so it’s true..." Max murmured, clearly aware that Vlad was dodging the question.

Vlad walked toward Leo, his steps slow and measured, his expression unreadable. One hand was placed over the other close to his belly, as if he was hiding something in the hand beneath.

Now everyone, including Max, had their attention fixed on Vlad.

What would he choose, dignity or money?

"We need my pen to sign the contract," Vlad said, extending his hand forward.

’So he is going to accept the deal,’ Max sighed. ’Well, I don’t blame him. I would have accepted it too. There is no way I would wear a skirt to the academy for a whole week. I would choose death over it. Still, it’s a pity... all the money we earned with blood and sweat...’

"Here is my pen."

Leo watched intently as Vlad slowly lifted one hand.

What was revealed underneath was not a pen but Vlad’s other hand, showing a middle finger.

"Hahahaha, suck it, fucker!" Vlad declared with a loud laugh. "What made you think I would give up all that money in exchange for a mere uniform? You can keep it for all I care."

"B-but you will wear a skirt for a whole week as punishment," Leo replied, thrown off by Vlad’s unexpected reaction.

"I can wear the skirt until I graduate if it means I get to look down at your broke ass," Vlad shrugged, wearing an ear-to-ear mischievous smile.

"H-hey, don’t be like that, commoner. Think about your dignity. I will only ask for a sixty percent share," Leo stuttered, scrambling to convince him.

"Not interested."

"Fifty percent share, and I will only take one fourth of your books."

"Absolutely not."

"Thirty percent share and you can keep all the books."

"Nuh-uh."

Leo now looked nearly on the verge of tears. He bit his lip and made his final offer.

"O-only twenty percent."

"Bro, you should accept it," Max sighed, leaning in beside Vlad. "I almost feel bad for the guy."

"If you feel that bad, you can give him the credits from your share."

"On second thought, I don’t feel all that bad."

Turning back to Leo, Vlad continued, "If you had come with this offer from the start, without all the bullshit about justice, I would have agreed to it. But too bad you wanted to play the hero."

He then turned to the group of freshers, who were equally taken aback by Vlad’s answer.

"As for those who were praising Lord Leo in hopes of getting their uniform at a lower cost, you now owe sixty percent of your earnings."

The smirk on Vlad’s face widened, his long shadow falling over the young freshers. "And don’t think you can deny it. I remember the face of every last one of you."

A shiver ran down the spine of every person in the group.

Even Max felt the hair on his arms stand up.

"H-he is ruthless. Thank God I’m on his team."