Next day...
Nyx and Ren were walking together near the school, pushing their bike slowly.
"Ugh... the petrol dried out," Nyx sighed. "Ren, you have to remind me to fill it up next time."
"How would I know?" Ren shrugged. "Anyway, the school's close. We'll just walk with the bike. After school, maybe we can ask our friends for some fuel."
As they walked, Ren started to mumble, "Till last year... I was always first in class, so everyone just picked me as class president without even voting."
"This time, it feels even sillier... It's just a class election. There's nothing to gain. Just more work..." Ren blabbered on.
Nyx simply smiled, not saying a word.
As they approached the school gates, they spotted someone in the distance.
"Hey, Nyx... isn't that the new guy?" Ren asked.
"Yeah, I think so. That's Juno. What's he doing there?"
There was a car parked nearby, and a middle-aged man stood in front of Juno. Out of nowhere, the man slapped him across the face. Juno kept his head down, silent. The man was shouting at him harshly.
Ren and Nyx, standing at a distance, could hear bits of what the man said as they walked by.
"I'm ashamed you're my son," the man snapped. "Even in your last school, you couldn't get first place. Couldn't even become class president. My colleague's son did it all—top marks, class president, sports captain. And you? You're just a waste of money and time."
Ren and Nyx saw everything clearly, but Juno didn't notice them. He quietly walked into the school, expressionless.
The classroom was buzzing with excitement over the upcoming class election.
Nyx and Ren entered. Juno was already at his seat, silently reading, as if nothing had happened.
Ren leaned toward Nyx and said, "Should I give it to him? We're just standing for the election for fun anyway…"
Nyx nodded slightly. "It's a good idea."
Soon, the rest of the class arrived—including Yuna and Iris.
The bell rang… everyone took their places. Jensy ma'am entered the classroom holding a box and some papers.
Everyone eagerly waited for the election. The whole class fell silent. After a few seconds, Jensy ma'am spoke:
"First, we'll hear the campaign speeches of the candidates. Then I'll give you five minutes to think. After that, we'll conduct the election, okay?"
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"All right… Iris, Ren, Juno—please come to the stage," said Jensy ma'am.
They all went up.
"Who wants to go first?" she asked.
Iris raised her hand.
The whole class looked at her with anticipation.
Iris stepped forward and began:
"Good morning, I'm Iris—you already know me. I'm not someone who's really into studies, but I've never failed any subject. I manage things in my own way. I've never stood for elections before, and I've never given a speech like this…
But I'm not someone who gives up easily, so I decided to give this a try.
If I become class president, I'll make sure everyone feels free and comfortable in this school. If anything needs to be taken care of, I'll be there for you. Thank you."
Everyone applauded. Yuna and Eira clapped and told her it was a nice speech.
While returning to her seat, Iris looked at Ren. He smiled and said, "Good one." Iris smiled back.
"Good try, Iris," said Jensy ma'am. "Who's next?"
Juno raised his hand.
"Okay, come on," she said.
Juno stepped forward.
"Good morning, everyone.
Most of you don't know me—I'm Juno, new to this school. I'm a hardworking person. I work hard because I believe in it.
I'm not here to compete or fight with anyone. I just want to do my best. Even if I don't win, that's okay—but I want to try.
I believe hard work never fails.
If I become class president, I'll help students with their doubts and speak to teachers on behalf of those who want to improve their marks.
If there's anything that needs to change, I'll stand for that too. That's all. Thank you."
Everyone applauded, and the teacher also appreciated his words.
Then it was Ren's turn. He walked up and began:
"Hi everyone. You all know me well. I've always been class president every year.
But this year, things are different—we have two new candidates. So, I want to give them a chance and step aside.
Let's see what they can do. I'm not running this time."
Everyone appreciated his gesture. The teacher praised him, and Ren smiled and returned to his seat.
Suddenly, Juno stood up and said,
"Wait… I don't want to win like this.
I want a fair election. Don't favor anyone—let the students decide."
Finally, the teacher agreed to allow all three candidates to participate in the election.
She gave five minutes for everyone to think, and then the voting began. One by one, everyone cast their votes—including the three candidates themselves.
At last, Jensy ma'am took the box and said,
"Okay students, I'll announce the results in the last period today. So, wait until then. Now it's time for the next class. Prepare yourselves. Thank you."
All the students thanked her as she left the classroom.
After she left, everyone started whispering about the speeches and the possible results.
Juno immediately focused on studying, as if nothing had happened.
Iris and Yuna exchanged glances and laughed.
"What's going to happen? Let's wait and see," they said, smiling.
---
Later, during the play period…
It was playtime. Everyone headed to the playground, where the teacher was already waiting.
"This is your first play period of this academic year," he announced. "We have many new students this year—that's a good thing.
Okay students, first, all of you run three rounds around the ground. I'll be watching. If anyone cheats, they'll have to run three more rounds."
While the teacher said that, everyone looked at the size of the ground—it was huge.
They all groaned, "No, sir, please…"
But the teacher simply said, "That's final. Start running!" and blew his whistle, tapping his stick on the ground to signal the start.
Everyone started running. While running, Iris and Yuna caught up to Eira.
Iris asked, "Is there any way to escape this?"
Eira laughed. "No way… just run!"
Behind them were Ren and Nyx.
Nyx shouted, "Only looking for shortcuts, huh?" and laughed.
Iris turned and glared at him. Yuna also glanced back.
Nyx looked at Yuna but didn't say anything further.
After three rounds, everyone was exhausted. Some lay flat on the ground, others stood still, catching their breath. A few were teasing and playing. Some sat on the stairs at the front of the playground.
Iris, Yuna, and Eira lay on the ground, completely out of energy.
Nearby, Nyx, Ren, Juno, and two other boys were standing with their hands on their knees, breathing heavily.
Some students were playing around and teasing the girls. One boy had a fake lizard toy. He threw it at one of the girls, who screamed and tossed it to another girl. It became a game—throwing and shrieking, pushing each other around.
Behind them, Yuna stood talking with Iris.
Suddenly, one of the students aimed the toy again. Nyx noticed and misunderstood, thinking the lizard was being thrown at Yuna. Panicked, he rushed and forcefully pulled her shirt from the back to push her away.
Yuna stumbled forward, and her shirt tore, revealing part of her innerwear.
Everyone froze in shock.
But the toy had actually gone past Yuna to someone else.
Nyx realized his mistake instantly. He had no idea what to do.
Everyone stood stunned. Yuna was horrified.
In the blink of an eye, Juno rushed over, took off his jacket, and covered Yuna. He asked Eira to help take her inside. Iris and Eira quickly grabbed Yuna and rushed her away.
Nyx stood there, frozen, embarrassed, realizing it had all gone wrong.
Everyone stared at him as if he had done something terrible.
Ren stepped in and said, "It was just a mistake. Don't worry—we'll fix this," and pulled Nyx aside.
But Nyx couldn't shake the guilt. He only wanted to protect her—but everything went wrong.