Embarrassed Lucas

Chapter 25: Embarrassed Lucas

Lucas, Moon, and Doll rushed down to the hall as the emcee commenced the start of the White Day High's Founding Anniversary. It seemed that the three of them were the only remaining people left. Moon and Doll headed in the other direction as Lucas was left as he started to rethink what Doll had told them.

There were assassins from Aspho that wanted to know who those students Principal Lyns was handpicking. For what? To be prepared for the tournament? To know whom to block and whom to defeat? Such cheaters.

He started slowing down his pace and walked in silence through the gate of the gymnasium and as he approached closer to the doors where the anniversary slash assassin hunting was being held. He was slowly hearing several noises from the people inside— chatting, laughing, clinking sounds of champagne glasses, footsteps from their shoes ringing on the marble floor.

Lucas could only heave a sigh.

Principal Lyns never told them about this ceremony. Even Moon, and surprisingly Doll never dressed like they were aware of this. Why? Doll should've known this since she knew all of the upcoming events that will be held with this school.

Was it planned to be this way?

When Lucas arrived at the front of the gymnasium; he couldn't help but take a pause. He checked himself for the last time. There were so many people that were already occupying this station. He sniffed and held his chin up high, then stretched his arms to the hardwood door and pushed it.

After this, he knew he will face a huge crowd like his Godly Potential thing. But right now, he was not the protagonist of this show as he already knew. Yet what made him this worried? What will happen?

As he watched the door open on its own after he had pushed them, a brightly lit room greeted him. It was far different from the dimly lit corridor that he just passed by earlier. He had to squint his eyes to see beneath the blinding light. When his sight finally adjusted, he realized that it was a huge mistake coming over to this kind of event.

The White Day High's Founding Anniversary wasn't an event that he wanted to attend.

Almost all the people inside were looking at him. He entered from the door nearest to the stage; therefore, he was easily noticed and all of their attentions instantly gathered up to him. Many of them stopped from talking; some even paused from drinking their luxurious drinks. He also just realized that the surrounding suddenly quieted down. He knew something was amiss.

Crap. Were they waiting for him all along?

Those people were not his age. They looked like the parents of the students here. Weren't they the stakeholders that Principal Lyns had told them that made her that stressed from before?

He sighed in discomfort and decided to continue walking and indulged himself in the celebration.

No, he was just a nobody in this school, an outsider. He has to find those assassins instead of overthinking again. If the announcements of the handpicked students' names commenced and those Asphoes were still here, it would create a mess. More to think of it, how can they knock each intruder out of this crowded place? It will be trouble!

"Ladies and gentlemen. Lucas Martin, a Fire Starter, was also handpicked!" the emcee announced.

Crap! What he had heard? He was handpicked?

He was unable to sink anything he was hearing until a thought came to him: he should face the crowd and go upstage. Given the stares from the parents attending here, he will be mocked for sure. But, he was still trying to locate the assassins. What will he do?

After realizing what he heard from the emcee, the people in the crowd changed their expressions. All of those people that were near him suddenly shifted their gazes. Now, they were looking at him. He stared at the emcee, and even from afar, he can see that he was smiling, ordering him to go up.

Screw this celebration!

He cave in and started walking towards the stairs on the right side of the gymnasium. Some of the people lowered their drinks and fully looked at him while he was going to the stairs. Some scrutinized him from head to toe.

The stairs of the stage had a carpet placed on them to guide the handpicked participants where to go. In the back of his mind, he didn't deserve to step onto a carpet even until now. His whole being wasn't used to this kind of leisure. Unknowingly, he did finally face the whole crowd, the same as when he was proving his Godly Potential.

He started to feel conscious with his look. Rather than minding it, he stepped to the center where he needed to stand in front of the podium. The Headmaster, Principal Lyns, and some authorities from the academy were sitting there, as well as Coach Clive and some familiar coaches he had seen from the Skill Selection.

From the corner of his eyes, as he scanned the crowd, he saw Mister Vacio. He was the first familiar face that he noticed in the middle of the people that attended the Anniversary. He was also facing this door like everybody; and just like many others inside, he was holding a glass of half-consumed champagne in his hand and smiling— to him.

To him? Why? He did one skim-over look on his appearance before raising the glass he was holding as though giving him a cheer. Vacio had a knack to know how to irritate him. Good for him, though. If he continued doing that, he was ready to erase his irritating face with his fires. He had trained for the day he can fight him again.

If given the chance, at any time, he was ready to fight him. His last encounter with him had drastically changed into a memory. The Lucas he knew back then wasn't fully used to his fire.

As he noticed that he'd shared some time on this stage, he heard some claps that were coming from a small number of people from the crowd. After that batch of applause, it ceased and became replaced by a sudden shout.

"What a shame!" Lucas heard someone say. He has moved back, and tried to find who was the person who said that.

As he scanned the bunch of well-dressed people, he heard another uproar from another spot.

"Look at him, did he think he can erase himself from being one of those Asphoes?"

Lucas could feel his hands clenching as a wave of immense anger came into him. Those two who have spoken sick about him already can create a chain, and all of those parents that have any anger towards him can say anything to him while this Anniversary was running.

"Hypocrite."

"How did he even get here? I wonder how much he paid for letting Principal Lyns become one of the Whites."

"I wonder also if he paid Miss Lyns for being picked."

"He was hot. Maybe he used his own body, that can be a seduc—"

By that last remark, Lucas totally lost his temper. He almost rushed to the person who said that to him. Then, Coach Clive suddenly came up and stood at Lucas' right side. It was like he was defending him. Why?

"Lucas," Coach Clive said calmly, trying to raise his tolerance. "You're not any of those words. Let them believe their assumptions that are as stupid as them."

The noises from the people grew. Someone said a complaint, followed by another until the gymnasium was filled with their angry voices. Lucas pursed his lips and forced himself to look straight at them, with his chin held high; even though he knew those remarks were rapidly filling up his ears and patience.

When will they stop? He knew he deserved this. But almost at every time? It was tiring already!

"You need to face this. You need to see how these stupid people would rave." Coach Clive continued beside him.

He felt the concern coming from him and the tone of his voice; for the first time, it was pretty obvious. What made him act this way? With what was happening now that was caused by his presence, this Coach should be angry at him. That was what the Coach Clive he knew.

"Their voices shout for supremacy. They will always find multiple wrongs no matter what you did was purely right. Don't make them be satisfied from getting into your tempered self. Don't make them satisfied as I told you before, you hear me?"

The noise and the people's arguments became louder as Lucas just watched them like what Coach Clive had said to him. He didn't think that Coach Clive's words can be used in a moment like this. He knew those words were cliché already and were useless this time. He proved himself wrong.

A moment later, he heard Principal Lyns' voice.

"So embarrassing," she said. "It's so embarrassing that the people from White Day High look more uneducated than the man in front of you!"

All of them stopped. Traces of anger on their faces could still be seen. Lucas can't help but look at Principal Lyns who was standing behind him; from the main chair onstage. What was she saying? Does she not know what she said will just make everything worse?

He was tired of this scheme. It was exhausting his temper from time to time. More upcoming sporadic, and he will unhesitatingly gonna blow all of them with his fire.

"Excuse me?" A senior student whose cloth was seemed costing like an expensive car asked.

"Do you understand what you're saying Principal Lyns?"

"What is going on with White Day High?" Another one retorted.

"Everyone, calm down." Principal Lyns calmly said, not a trace of mincing of her words or doubt in her voice was heard. It was as if she had already seen things going to be like this. Or maybe she was used to messes like this throughout her reign as the School's Principal.

She glanced over him, but when she witnessed that Coach Clive was staring at her, she shifted her gaze back to the crowd. She cannot fix herself for a second, but held her microphone up and decided to continue.

"We are here for the White Day High's Founding Anniversary. I hope you haven't forgotten that already. We are also here for the recognition of the students of this school that did well from the held selection— your sons, your daughters that studied here. Just set aside your self-interest for now."

Almost many of them were able to calm down and be silent, but some of them were still annoyed because of what they heard. Lucas can still hear their whispers that sounded like they were about to wager and rally about that little thing.

What was even their reason for being angry? Was it the kind of attitude that rich people possessed? They were onto themselves so much that they thought their presence was big enough to change everything. They were dumb, yes; Principal Lyns was right.

"Can we continue now?" Principal Lyns asked while smiling. Some people from the crowd nodded. Some were staring at her in contempt. She cleared her throat and heaved a sigh.

Lucas even felt the change of reaction from Coach Clive after Principal Lyns interrupted. Was he irritated, or was he angry with her? What happened, that this two looked like they have some rifts? Well, they never talked like normal people even from the start. Maybe it was normal.

As he traced the crowd, he suddenly saw Mister Vacio and his menacing little smile. He almost forgot the assassins that they have to find. Did Moon and Doll already spot some of them? He cannot see any of them from his place. Where they were at this time?

"If that was the case, you may go down Mister Lucas Martin. Call the next selected participant, Mister Emcee." Principal Lyns had ended, as he walked over the set of chairs behind the stage.

The emcee was given another microphone, and the microphone that Principal Lyns used seemed to be previously his. Maybe because of the uproars, Principal Lyns suddenly snuck and grabbed the emcee's microphone unintentionally.

As the emcee handed over the microphone, he gave Principal Lyns an awkward stare before being able to continue. "Next was Wright Halberd! A Magic Calligraphist…"

The emcee continued with a lot of remarks, but Lucas wasn't listening anymore. Coach Clive started to walk towards the table at the back. When he started to go down the stairs at the left side of the gymnasium, he realized that his legs were shaking, but he continued nonetheless.

He has to go down, he said to himself. Even without Principal Lyns' consent for him to go down, he surely will. Those words from the stakeholders were irritating. His hands were itching until now. He felt a strange satisfaction after finishing the last step of the stairs.

He had held himself? Did he manage to control his temper? How lucky was he to do that?

Lucas just started his walk at the marble floor of the gymnasium and saw faces after faces for the second time; this time, their stares were more sticky. Examining his whole look, there were disappointment and contempt with their eyes. Their drinks were put lower; their gazes plastered all over him.

Suddenly, a hand touched Lucas' arm and pulled him over towards, jolting him. He turned and realized that it was Moon. He didn't know where he came from; he suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

"We've been waiting for you, didn't you know?" Moon exclaimed. "Go and walk faster, let's search for the intruders already!"

He felt the worry and anxiety with his words. With what happened, was he worried again for him? Was there a point to? He was beaten badly with the Null Room and he just got away with it without any hassle. His cousin shouldn't worry about him too much.

"Yeah. Let's go." Lucas managed to say.

Moon lightly pulled Lucas down the secluded part of the gymnasium, then to the crowd where they needed to search for the hidden assassins. It was dark this night and all of the lights were trailed inside that anniversary celebration. It began to be colder than before, as he saw his own breathing creating mist at this dark canopy.

They were walking away from the middle of the crowd while Doll was far away from them. Apparently, Lucas saw Mister Vacio again, so he ran as fast as he could to catch him. He bumped some people from his escapade, but they were slow enough to see who bumped them since Lucas was already far away.

He stared all over the place, but Mister Vacio was nowhere to be found. He was left able to heave a sigh of relief. But no, that man posed a danger in here. He shouldn't be complacent again. Or else—

"Another one was an Exorcist… Doll Nova was also handpicked!"

Oh? Despite absent-mindedly hearing it, he realized that Doll was the one being mentioned by the emcee. So Doll was also handpicked? But Lucas decided to turn his ears elsewhere and stopped listening. He had no guts to know what the emcee was saying.

Again, Moon happened to find him and stopped before he actually got near him. Facing him, he saw his cousin was smiling. What was with that look? Was that amusement? For what?

"Nice job, Lucas. You did very well."

Lucas didn't answer. He had no idea what he was saying. Nice job? He stared at his cousin in contempt. He hated things as uninteresting as this. What did he actually mean?

"I didn't expect that you can restrain yourself," Moon muttered, still doting at him. "I'm expecting that you would blow it off," he added.

Lucas shifted his gaze off of him, and rather looked at the back of the people that were listening at the celebration.

"I'm impressed."

He heard his cousin continue.

Despite the situation, Lucas wanted to laugh at what Moon had said. Was he impressed about him having the patience to hold it back?

He let a cold laugh out; his face was covered by shadow, as he said, "If only you knew how hard I held myself back, you will truly be impressed as hell!"