CHAPTER 9 - High Crime Rate
Gloria stood at the entrance of a classroom.
"Is Tristan here?"
"Tristan, someone's looking for you." One of Tristan's classmates said.
"Yes?" Tristan approached her. She's beautiful.
"Tristan, Hello. You're called to the faculty room." Gloria said.
*****
Gloria arrived at the faculty room with Tristan. "Hello Ma'am Odessa. Here is Tristan."
Tristan entered the faculty room."Good Afternoon Ma'am."
"Tristan, you're here. Have a seat," A teacher in her twenties said. Odessa has a mature body and a motherly face. Her hair is silvery white. Her lips are pink as a rose.
"You called me, Ma'am?"
"Tristan, why did you punch Brando? Many students saw that."
"They said hurtful words to me."
"You should not punch someone because they said something that hurt you. The best you could do is stay away from them. You know that this school does not tolerate violence, right?"
"I'm sorry ma'am." Tristan said with his head down.
Odessa gave him advice, "Tristan, you must learn to manage your emotions. If you want someone to talk to, you can go to me." She looked at Tristan with assurance.
Tristan glanced at her slim eyes with blue pupils.
"Okay, Ma'am."
"You can go now. If this happens again and reaches the principal's office, it can affect your studies."
*****
Tristan and Niño are leaving the school. They are now outside the campus gate.
"Hey Tristan, Nino. Wait Up." Amado called them and hurried to approach them. "You're going home? Where do you two live?"
"Yeah. Tristan and I live in the same apartment. We split the rent to save money."
"Oh. I also stay in an apartment but I feel lonely there. If you guys don't mind, Can I share an apartment with you two?"
"Huh?" Tristan and Niño looked at each other.
"But why? You seem to be a rich guy. Our apartment is rundown and small."
"I don't mind at all. I'm used to living in small rooms. When I was a kid, I lived with my grandma who owns an apartment." All of what Amado said is scripted.
"Are you sure about this?" Niño asked.
"Other than that, if I stay in a luxurious apartment, I can become a target of those local gangs and robbers. Based on the news, Manila has a high crime rate. It's very dangerous for newcomers like me.
"Manila really has a moderately high rate of violent crime recorded every year. From robbery, to murder, and even illegal drugs. Most of these criminals target foreigners and newcomers who are not accustomed to this place." Tristan said something useful.
"We were lucky to have not experienced any robbery during our entire year here." Niño said.
"I know right. It's better to stay low key than to attract unnecessary attention." Amado said.
"You got a point." Niño is convinced.
"You don't have to worry anymore. I'll cover the entire renting expenses."
"Woah, Thank you! You're an angel sent by the heavens." Nino praised Amado.
*****
In an alleyway.
"Hey! Give me back my bag." A middle aged guy said to three thugs. One of them stole his bag.
"Or what? You want to get beaten up, old man!" The thugs threatened the man.
"You filthy robbers. Return what you stole to this old man." Brando and the glasses guy appeared.
"Huh. Who are you kids? Don't meddle in the business of adults." The thug holding a steel pipe insulted Brando and the glasses guy. The thug approached Brando.
Brando throws a right hook punch. The punch hit the thug's lower jaw. The thug's jaw was open because he's overconfident with the weapon he was holding.
"What the! You bastard!" The other two thugs attacked Brando at the same time. The alleyway is narrow. Brando took advantage of it.
A thug rushed towards Brando and punched him aiming for his face. Brando evaded the punch by moving his head. Brando's is very agile. Brando throws five consecutive jabs that hit the target's body and face.
"Arrgh." The thug took all the hits.
The other thug panicked when his two friends were down. The thug was so focused on Brando that he did not notice the glasses guy approaching him.
The glasses guy scurried towards the thug.
The glasses guy grabbed the thug's two arms. He then swept his right leg that aimed for the thug's left foot performing a foot sweep. It is a Judo move. The thug hit the ground with his own weight.
The thug tried to get back up.
The glasses guy gathered all his strength and punched the thug in the face. It caused a large bang sound when the thugs head smashed the ground.
The thug lost consciousness from the impact. His face was squeezed by the two opposite forces, the heavy punch and the ground.
Brando stood up straight looking down on the three thugs. They won.
The glasses guy grabbed the bag and gave it to the old man.
"Here you go sir. Glad we were passing by here. Those thugs might have robbed you clean."
"Thank you so much. It's funny that an adult was saved by a high schooler. Hohoho" The middle aged man is happy.
This man, he's no ordinary person who just came from another province. He's a wealthy businessman who happens to go to Manila because he was looking for someone.
His pacifist nature led him to become badly beaten up by these thugs. His clothes were removed and they left him with only shorts. No one tried to help him because people thought he was insane. The steel pipe that hit his head caused a memory loss.
Back in my previous life, I thought he was just some homeless man. I avoided him because he seemed crazy. Until I found out in the news that his family was looking for him. They found him after several months.
The timing was perfect. I met him now when we were going after those Tondo Ravagers. The glasses guy pressed his eyeglasses. He's celebrating an achievement.
"I'm grateful for your help. My name is Crisanto Ramirez. Pleasure to meet brave individuals like you two."
"Hello sir. I'm Brando and this is my friend Datu. Are you alright?" Brando said. Why the heck does Datu want me to be kind to this old man?
"Say. How can I return the favor?" Crisanto said.
Datu smirked. I now have a large source of income.
Omniscient's Character Data:
Name: Datu
Title: The Returner
Age: 18 ( was 25 in his past life)
Rarity: 8 Star
Appearance: B
Body: B
Personality: B
Skillset: SS