Act - 12: ''Friendships and Foes''

I followed Nora out of the classroom towards the playground, her glances fleeting as she led the way. We reached a group of four kids, familiar faces from my new class.

Nora introduced them one by one. "This is Lars," she said, pointing to a boy with unruly blonde hair and a wide grin.

"And this is Sofia," she continued, gesturing to a girl with dark hair in pigtails, fiddling with a colorful bracelet.

"Next is Emma," Nora nodded towards a redhead with freckles, clutching a book to her chest.

"And finally, this is Mia," she pointed to a girl with curly brown hair and big, curious eyes.

They all looked at me, curiosity and friendliness in their eyes.

I stood there, feigning confusion as Mia observed me and turned to the others. "Ahh, he doesn't understand us," she said, her voice a mix of concern and curiosity.

Lars snickered, "Or he's just retarded."

Sofia shot him a stern look. "Be nice, Lars!"

Nora quickly intervened. "Come on, Dio, let's go to the park." She signaled for me to follow, and I nodded, playing along.

As we walked, I stayed silent, absorbing the banter between Nora, Mia, Lars, and Sofia.

"I heard the new teacher is really strict," Mia said, glancing nervously at the others.

Nora shrugged, "She seems nice to me. I think she's just trying to help."

Lars chuckled, "Yeah, well, we'll see how long that lasts. Teachers always start out nice."

Sofia nodded in agreement, "I hope she stays nice. I don't want another teacher like Mr. Hansen."

We arrived at the park, only to find our usual hide-and-seek spot occupied by a group of older kids, fifth graders. They laughed among themselves, their presence imposing.

Lars' face reddened with anger. "Hey, it's our day to have the park! They know that!" He tried to act tough, puffing out his chest and glaring at the older kids.

Remy, a familiar troublemaker from my past life, noticed Lars' attempt and sauntered over with his friends.

"Got a problem, little man?" Remy taunted, smirking down at Lars.

Tension rose, and Nora nervously tugged at Mia's shirt, whispering, "Maybe we should go..."

Mia stood her ground, voice firm. "No, this is our day. If anyone should go, it should be them." She glared at the fifth graders with unwavering resolve.

Remy checked for any teachers and, finding none, motioned for his friends to surround us.

Mia stepped forward, her voice dripping with disdain, challenging Remy's authority.

"What are you gonna do, hit girls? Didn't your father teach you something so basic as to never touch girls?"

Mia's words hit Remy hard. His eyes darkened with rage, the smirk wiped from his face. "What did you say?" he growled, stepping closer to Mia.

I knew she hit his sore spot. Remy didn't have a dad, and anyone mentioning him made Remy furious.

I debated whether to intervene. I planned to lay low on my first day, avoiding any trouble. But seeing Remy winding up to punch Mia, instinct took over. I rushed forward, catching his fist mid-air just before it could connect with Mia.

Lars's mouth fell open in shock. "How did he move that fast?" he murmured.

Mia, Nora, and Sofia stared at me, their eyes wide with surprise. Remy, taken aback, growled, "Who the hell are you?"

I didn't answer. Instead, I let go of his fist, bent down, and picked up a stick. In the dirt, I drew a stick figure lying down, beaten, sending a clear message: I will kick your asses if you keep this up.

The fifth graders watched, momentarily stunned by the audacity of my silent declaration. Remy's face contorted with anger and confusion, struggling to process what had just happened.

Mia, Nora, Lars, and Sofia looked at me with a mix of admiration and surprise. They might not understand everything about me yet, but they knew one thing for sure—I wasn't someone to be pushed around.

Suddenly, Lars pointed and screamed, "Oh, is that a teacher I see?" Remy and his friends scattered in an instant.

Mia turned to me, her eyes wide with admiration.

"Your reflexes are amazing! Do you work out?" she asked, checking me out with her fingers.

Lars and Sofia chimed in, offering their compliments as well.

"Yeah, that was awesome!" Lars said, his eyes shining with excitement.

"You were really cool back there," Sofia added, nodding in agreement.

I turned to look at Nora, smiling gently.

She blushed and quickly looked away, a shy smile playing on her lips.

The school bell rang, signaling the end of our break.

Mia sighed, "Guess that was our break, then."

Lars chimed in, frustration clear in his voice.

"Stupid Remy, ruining our last break. Next time I see him, I'm gonna beat him up myself," he said, trying to sound tough.

Sofia laughed, mocking him playfully.

"Oh, really, Lars? I'd like to see that. You couldn't even beat a fly," she teased, poking him in the ribs.

Meanwhile in the main capital of Norway called Oslo, Peter Bigdalen let out a sigh of relief as he has finally signed the final contract for his first hotel project.

It was a significant milestone in his career, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment wash over him.

Just as he finished signing, his secretary entered the room.

"Mr. Bigdalen, how is the kid I asked you to check out?" Peter inquired, his curiosity piqued.

The assistant briefed Peter on Dio's first day at school, mentioning that nothing particularly noteworthy had happened yet.

Peter's thoughts raced as he considered the situation.

"Perhaps it was just my imagination," he mused to himself, recalling the interaction with Dio at the airport.

But then, he remembered Dio's parting words, and a sense of excitement crept over him.

"Keep an eye on his growth for now," Peter instructed his assistant, his voice tinged with interest.

It was better to scout him out, especially when it came to someone as Dio.

Peter nodded decisively, his mind made up.

"Call my wife and have her contact Aria. We'll arrange for Dio to visit Emilia at our place this weekend," he instructed his assistant.

With that settled, Peter returned his focus to the stack of papers on his desk, his thoughts drifting back to Dio and the enigmatic aura that seemed to surround him.

As the class went through a picture book of different alphabets to help me learn the language, I played along innocently, trying to absorb as much as I could.

Suddenly, Elvira's voice cut through the classroom in a stern, loud tone.

"Okay, everyone! School's done in 10 minutes.

I want everyone to put the book, toys, and anything else you used back in their proper places.

Clean your tables, and don't forget to put your empty lunch boxes in your backpacks to take them home."

Her authoritative tone commanded immediate attention, and the class sprang into action, bustling about to tidy up their spaces before the end of the day.

As the school day came to an end, I joined my classmates in tidying up the classroom, doing my best to help out.

Once everything was in order, we filed out into the hallway, where I quickly slipped on my shoes.

Excitement bubbled up inside me as I realized that I finally had the chance to go to the store and buy four packages of Gogimon cards.

It was the perfect opportunity to kickstart my plan and begin building my collection.

With a sense of anticipation, I followed the flow of students out of the school building and headed towards the store.

Inside the store, I quickly located the four packages of Gogimon cards and made my way to the cashier to pay.

With a sense of satisfaction, I completed the transaction and exited the store, eager to start opening the packs.

However, as I stepped outside, I was met with an unexpected sight.

Remy and five other kids were waiting for me, their expressions filled with a mixture of amusement and malice.

Remy smirked as one of the kids pointed at me, confirming my identity.

"Good job," Remy said, his tone dripping with sarcasm as he handed the kid a Gogimon card as a reward.

My heart sank as I realized that trouble was brewing once again.

Dio Stat's Info:

Lvl:4

Strength:22

Agility:15

Intelligence:8

Endurance:8

Charm:17

Dio influence, power & riches:

Money - 0 krone

Associate - 0

Asset - 4 (Gogimon pack)

Digital Asset - 0

Goons - 0

Car - 0

Guard - 0

Company - 0