The school day soon came to an end, and students gradually began leaving the campus in groups.

Cars lined up outside the academy gates while drivers waited patiently for the children.

But unlike usual, Leo didn’t head toward the main exit.

Instead, he quietly took another route toward the restricted area behind the school building, completely unaware that someone had noticed him slipping away.

"Leo?" John’s voice suddenly echoed behind him.

Leo instantly stopped walking.

"Why are you heading toward the restricted area?" John asked nervously while trying to catch up with him.

Leo frowned slightly. He hadn’t expected John to follow him after they said goodbye earlier. Little did he know, John had originally wanted to ask him more questions about his "mother" situation. But instead of leaving school, Leo had mysteriously headed somewhere students were forbidden from entering.

"Shh." Leo quickly grabbed John’s arm and pulled him closer.

"Keep your voice down," he warned quietly.

John immediately looked startled.

"You shouldn’t have followed me," Leo continued seriously. "This could get risky."

The moment John heard the word "risky," his face instantly paled.

"W-What are you talking about?" he whispered shakily.

Meanwhile, Leo’s expression remained unusually cold and focused.

"Just stay close to me," he said before pulling John further toward the restricted exit.

Honestly, Leo would’ve ignored the situation entirely if he hadn’t just seen Theo secretly heading there himself. And now that Theo was involved again, Leo couldn’t shake off the bad feeling growing inside him.

As Leo and John carefully approached the back exit, both of them suddenly froze.

Not far ahead, Theo was walking together with Nate.

John’s eyes widened.

"Is that Nate?" he whispered.

Leo frowned immediately. Theo sneaking into the restricted area was already suspicious enough. But seeing Nate with him made the situation even stranger.

Not far away, Theo suddenly stopped walking and turned toward Nate.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

Nate smirked casually. "Obviously."

Then the two of them continued walking before disappearing into a nearby alley. The moment they vanished from sight, Leo’s expression darkened.

He immediately turned toward John. "Listen to me carefully," he said seriously.

John gulped nervously seeing that look on Leo’s face. He looked like their physical education teacher right now. But despite the uneasiness, John continued to listen to him.

***

Meanwhile, Nate and Theo walked deeper into the narrow alleyway behind the academy.

At first, Nate remained relaxed. But the further they walked, the quieter Theo became. Eventually, Nate frowned.

"How far is this place?" he finally asked. Something about Theo’s behavior suddenly felt off.

"J-Just this way," Theo stammered awkwardly while pointing toward another alley ahead.

Nate’s expression immediately shifted. The suspicion in his eyes deepened slightly. Still, he continued following Theo until they entered the second alley.

The moment they stepped inside, a voice suddenly echoed nearby.

"Well, well."

Both Theo and Nate stopped walking instantly. Nate’s brows furrowed as he looked up.

Three older boys slowly stepped out from the shadows ahead of them. They were clearly much older than students from Daffodil Academy. Their messy appearance, rough expressions, and intimidating presence instantly made Nate uncomfortable.

The way they dressed alone already screamed trouble.

Nate immediately turned toward Theo with an irritated glare.

"What is this?" he demanded coldly. "Weren’t we supposed to go to the gaming studio?"

His patience instantly disappeared.

"I snuck away from my driver for this?" Nate continued angrily. "Why the hell are we here?"

He had carefully escaped his driver’s sight after school, fully intending to return before anyone noticed he was gone. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

But now? He was seriously starting to regret coming.

Meanwhile, Theo nervously avoided his gaze.

"I-I did what you asked," Theo said shakily while looking toward the older boys. "Now let me go."

Nate blinked in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

But Theo still refused to look at him directly.

The truth was simple. For days, those older boys had been extorting money from Theo.

Whenever he failed to pay, they cornered him behind school, threatened him, and sometimes even beat him.

At first, Theo gave them whatever pocket money he had. But eventually, it stopped being enough. And when Theo told them he knew someone rich enough to provide more money...they gave him another option.

Bring Nate.

One of the older boys suddenly smirked while stepping forward.

"So this is the rich kid?"

Nate’s expression darkened instantly. His sharp eyes moved between Theo and the boys before realization slowly hit him.

"...Theo," he said coldly.

Theo flinched.

"You tricked me?"

"I didn’t have a choice!" Theo snapped suddenly, panic filling his voice. "They wouldn’t leave me alone!"

Nate stared at him in disbelief.

One of the older boys laughed mockingly. "Aww, look at this friendship drama."

Another boy stepped closer toward Nate. "Relax," he said casually. "We just need a little money from someone like you."

Nate immediately scoffed. "And you think I’m giving you anything?"

Despite the situation, his arrogance remained intact. Unfortunately, that answer only irritated the boys further.

"Don’t test our patience, kid."

One of the boys with messy ginger hair stepped forward and extended his hand arrogantly.

"Just hand over whatever money you have."

Nate immediately slapped his hand away.

"Do you even know who I am?" he snapped coldly. "If my family finds out what you’re trying to do right now, your lives are finished."

Nate had always been arrogant and stubborn by nature.

At school, he was the one people avoided provoking. Most students either feared him or obeyed him because of his family name.

So standing there while these older boys tried intimidating him only fueled his anger further.

Instead of looking scared, Nate actually laughed at them.

The sound alone irritated the boys instantly.

Adjusting the strap of his bag, Nate slowly turned toward Theo.

"I really thought you were my friend," he said bitterly. "But I guess I finally saw your true face."

Theo lowered his head guiltily.

Meanwhile, Nate’s expression darkened further.

"Just watch what happens to you after this."

Nate hated betrayal more than anything.

Even though he knew most people stayed close to him because of his family’s influence, he still chose to believe his friends were genuine.

But now?

Theo had lured him straight into a trap.

And that alone made Nate furious.

Scoffing coldly, Nate turned around and tried to walk away.

But suddenly—

Bang!

One of the boys kicked him hard from behind.

Nate lost balance immediately and fell face-first onto the ground.

A sharp pain shot through his arms as his school bag slid across the dirty pavement.

"Well," the boy sneered while cracking his knuckles, "you can hate your little friend all you want."

He crouched slightly near Nate with a mocking grin.

"But don’t mistake us for cowards like him."

His expression turned darker.

"If you try leaving again..."

The boy grabbed Nate roughly by the collar.

"...then prepare for something much worse."

Nate slowly lifted his head and looked at him coldly.

Then suddenly—

He laughed again.

"In your dreams."

Even though uncertainty flickered deep inside his eyes, Nate refused to show fear.

He already knew fighting three older boys alone wouldn’t end well.

But he also knew one thing for certain.

He would never willingly hand over what they wanted.

Because Nate Emerson never admitted defeat.

Never.

Using all his strength, Nate suddenly shoved the boy away before quickly getting back onto his feet.

Then without hesitation—

Punch!

His fist landed directly against the older boy’s face.

The impact made the boy stumble backward in shock.

For a brief second, even Theo froze.

None of them expected Nate to actually fight back.

But before Nate could take another step, the other two boys rushed him immediately.

One grabbed him from behind while the other punched him hard in the stomach.

Nate groaned as they forced him back onto the ground.

"Hold him still!" one of them shouted angrily.

The ginger-haired boy wiped blood from the corner of his lips before glaring murderously at Nate.

"You little brat..."

He kicked Nate hard in the side, making him curl slightly from pain.

Meanwhile, Theo stood frozen nearby, panic completely taking over his face now.

This wasn’t what he wanted. He only planned on bringing Nate there so the boys would scare him enough to steal money. He never expected things to escalate this badly.

"Search his bag," one of the boys ordered.

The moment one of them reached for Nate’s backpack, a loud voice suddenly echoed through the alley.

"Leave him alone!"

Everyone instantly froze.

The boys turned sharply toward the alley entrance.

Standing there were Leo and John.

Well... mostly Leo.

Because John already looked seconds away from fainting.

Leo stood firmly in front of him while holding his phone tightly.

"If you don’t let him go right now," Leo warned coldly, "I’m calling the police."

The atmosphere instantly shifted. The older boys frowned upon seeing children.

Meanwhile, Nate looked up from the ground in shock.

"...Leo?"

Even Theo’s eyes widened in disbelief. ’What is he doing here?’

However, when he heard the siren, everyone turned pale.