First Ceremony!! Friends or Foes?

February 17, 2025, the first day of school. Zufar (15 years old) felt excited and nervous as he stepped into the school grounds, hoping to meet Adam before reaching the school hall. However, Adam was still nowhere to be seen. As Zufar walked, glancing left and right in search of someone, he suddenly collided with someone without realizing it. He quickly apologized while looking at the boy he had bumped into. The boy looked like a delinquent, with wavy blue hair and green-colored pupils. His sharp gaze seemed filled with anger from the collision. However, Zufar did not feel intimidated, as the boy was shorter than him.

"Sorry, bro, I didn't notice. I was looking for my friend just now," Zufar quickly apologized without waiting.

However, deep inside, he wanted to say that he didn't see him because he was too short. Zufar smirked inwardly. The boy remained silent, not responding to anything, and simply walked away from the scene. Zufar ignored the incident, assuming that the boy might be an introvert. He continued his search until he reached the school hall but still hadn't found Adam.

"Did Adam skip school on the first day already?" he wondered in his heart. All the students were already seated in their respective rows, waiting for the principal's speech.

"Dok!! Dok!!" The sound of the microphone being tapped.

"Test! 1, 2, 3!" The principal repeatedly tested the microphone.

"Good morning, everyone. Welcome to the new students, and welcome back to the returning students," the principal joked. He continued his speech for a few minutes before concluding.

"We have prepared your class assignments on the notice board. After this assembly ends, you may check the board and proceed to your assigned class. Thank you".

With that, the assembly ended. All the students immediately moved towards the notice board to check their respective classes.

"Ahhh... I did my best last year. This year, I must get into the class I want!" he thought to himself.

Zufar and Adam had given their best effort during their time in Form 3. It was because of Adam that Zufar developed an interest in studying.

Zufar used to be a rebellious student who loved getting into fights. He had even defeated a Form 5 student in a one-on-one fight before. But Zufar didn't fight just for fun. He fought to avoid being bullied by other troublemakers. Determined, he exercised and trained in boxing by watching YouTube.

He met Adam for the first time in Form 1. At that time, Zufar saw Adam being bullied by three Form 3 students. They often demanded lunch money from Adam.

Adam came from a very wealthy family. His family owned a highly successful business that dominated the country's economy. Because of this, Adam was frequently targeted by bullies, as they knew he was a coward.

Since that encounter, Adam was amazed to see Zufar defeat the three bullies. He gradually became a bit braver in standing up for himself whenever someone tried to bully him.

However, Adam was not skilled in fighting. Instead, he used his intelligence to outsmart and avoid the bullies.Zufar eagerly searched for his name in the class he had been hoping for. The moment he found it at number 22 out of the 32 selected students, he jumped with joy. Letting out a sigh of relief, he then began looking for Adam's name but couldn't find it.

"Huh? Adam should be in the top 1-5 on the list. There's no way he's ranked lower," he wondered to himself.

Zufar continued searching through all the class lists but still couldn't find Adam's name. Just then, the school bell rang, signaling the start of classes. In class, Zufar sat staring out the window, lost in thought. His mood was low for the day. The class began with an introduction session where students got to know one another. Among them were transfer students from other schools who had recently moved to the area.

Each student introduced themselves and shared their experiences during the school holidays. Zufar, however, only spoke a few words and barely interacted with his classmates.

Time passed, and soon the school day came to an end. Students packed their things, preparing to go home. Yet, Zufar remained at his desk, lost in thought as if pondering something.

Without him realizing it, someone was standing in front of him.

"Hey!! What are you daydreaming about?! Class is over!!" the voice called out.

Zufar was suddenly startled. He hadn't even noticed that the class had ended. He didn't even realize what he had done throughout the day.

Looking up, he saw the student who had spoken to him—a girl with long red hair and striking blue eyes, staring at him intently, as if expecting something.

"On the first day of school, everyone is usually happy, but you look so gloomy. Even people who don't like studying are excited on the first day," she said.

"Hmm, I don't know," Zufar replied. "Thanks for letting me know," he added before grabbing his bag and preparing to leave.

"Hey!! Zufar!!"

Suddenly, the girl threw a punch at him. Zufar managed to block it just in time. But before he could react, she followed up with a powerful kick. Zufar barely dodged it.

"She's fast," he thought to himself.

"Why are you suddenly attacking me?! Are you crazy?!" Zufar snapped.

"I want revenge!! You ruined my brother's dream!!" she shouted back.

The girl continued attacking relentlessly. Her movements were swift and precise—it was clear she was skilled in combat. Zufar remained on the defensive, waiting for an opening.

"Now!!"

Seizing the moment, Zufar countered. He grabbed her leg and attempted a low kick to knock her down. However, she seemed to anticipate his move. With incredible speed, she spun around and delivered a precise kick to his chest.

Zufar lost his grip and was sent crashing into the wall. He exhaled deeply, looking up.

"Hmm... It's been a while since I last fought. My body feels stiff now. Looks like I need to start jogging again," he thought to himself.

It was as if the kick had no effect on him at all. Seeing this, the girl became even more furious. She launched a straight kick aimed directly at Zufar's face. Zufar glanced at her attack and effortlessly dodged it. It was as if his fighting spirit had awakened. The attack seemed slow to him now.

Zufar swiftly moved to the left and delivered a sliding kick, causing the girl to fall. Without hesitation, he followed up with a powerful punch to her stomach.

"Urghh!!" She groaned in pain.

"Who's your brother? Sorry, I don't really remember people's names. Maybe because they're just ordinary. I've beaten up so many people already. Don't take it too personally," Zufar replied.

"I have a lot of things to think about. Next time, write down the name first so I'll understand," Zufar added.

Suddenly, the room fell silent. The girl had lost consciousness. Perhaps the punch was too strong, knocking her out completely.

Without giving it much thought, Zufar left her in the classroom and made his way home.

Later, Zufar arrived in front of Adam's house—a large bungalow. He pressed the doorbell and waited for a moment.

Someone opened the door and approached him.

"Young Master Adam has invited you to meet him. Please, come in," the man said.

Zufar nodded and followed the male servant inside.

"I will bring some refreshments. Please proceed to meet the young master," the servant added before leaving Zufar at Adam's bedroom door.

Before Zufar could knock on the door, Adam had already opened it. He looked a bit gloomy, but he forced a smile to hide it.

"Yo, Far!! Come in… I got a new game, let's play," Adam joked.

"Skipping school just to invite me to play games? That's a new one! Hahaha," Zufar laughed.

"I didn't skip… My dad enrolled me in another school," Adam replied while turning on the PlashStesen 5.

Zufar simply nodded in understanding. There wasn't much Adam could do if it was his father's decision.

The school Adam's father had enrolled him in was a prestigious institution meant for the wealthy. It was undoubtedly the best place for someone like Adam, who had a high IQ.

"I'm fine with wherever he wants me to go. But I made one request—to continue learning martial arts. Not just academics," Adam replied.

Adam had started training in martial arts after that incident. He often invited Zufar to test his strength, but the results were always disappointing. It was as if Zufar was born to fight—just in the wrong era. If he had lived during wartime, his name would surely have been written in history.

"That's good. Who knows? Maybe one day you'll finally beat me, hehehe," Zufar smirked.

"Yeah… Just wait until I get stronger. I'll take you down in the UTC (Ultimate Tarung Championship)," Adam shot back.

They both laughed, and little by little, the sadness of not being able to attend the same school faded away. They spent time together and parted ways before dusk arrived.