POV: Rai Shinsei
"Rai!" Aria called out anxiously as I sighed, rising into a sitting position while I watched Atticus advance towards me, but behind him, I noticed Aria struggling to resist the urge of helping me as she expressed her upset with an angry pout.
This is why I wanted you to leave, Aria.
Picking myself up from the ground, I cracked my neck and directed my attention towards Atticus, who struggled to restrain his malicious desires as he approached me.
I want to believe that he's fighting me out of spite from defeating his friend, but with the way he's looking at me right now, I don't think the thought of avenging his friend even crossed his mind.
"I'm sure I haven't done anything to wrong you, so why waste your precious day on me?" I asked, curious to know the reason behind his maliciousness as I scanned the area around us to find out that several students were beginning to watch us from afar.
From his punch alone, I can tell that he's received some kind of training in boxing and that he's strong, but compared to someone like Arthur…
He's weak.
If I had to take a guess, he should be a high-ranker, meaning that if I were to fight him, the credibility I built up for being will be all for naught as there are far too many eyes watching right now.
"What if I told you that your existence alone is enough of a reason for me to fight you?" Atticus answered as he activated his Aspect and released his Aspectual Force towards me, which exuded an impressive amount of pressure as all of the students spectating from afar was affected by the intensity of his desire, but for me, I was unaffected as I remained still and watched him dashed towards me with the aim of striking my face once more.
This isn't good.
I don't know if I should dodge of block-
Indecisive of the correct action, Atticus smashed his fist into my face once more with another strike, sending me flying backwards as I crashed through the entrance of my dormitory, startling a few students as well as the attendant of the lobby, who sighed from the unnecessary destruction that he'll have to clean up as I picked myself up from the ground and wiped off the blood trickling from my nose with the sleeve of my sweater.
Now that one, I actually felt.
"What's going on here?! Classes are about to begin and yet, you're causing a ruckus! I want an explanation from you this instant!" A slim man with a scruffy face berated, but despite his condescending attitude, it was as if he became a different person as in the moment Atticus stepped into the dormitory, cold sweat enveloped his body as he stood stiff.
"A-Atticus?! Was this your doing?" The man inquired nervously as Atticus approached him and placed his hand onto the man's shoulder with a menacing glare.
"That would be correct, teach, but I'm sure I can trust you in covering this up as an accident, right, Mr. Frederick?" Atticus answered, threatening Frederick in the midst as he clenched Frederick's shoulder tightly, forcing an obedient nod from him as Atticus patted the side of his arm with a fraudulent smile while the cowardice of Frederick vexed me.
How revolting.
You're a teacher of a prestigious hero academy that produces the greatest heroes this continent has to offer and yet, you allow a mere student to command you?
Whether Atticus is blackmailing you or you're a twisted bastard who uses the name of a student for their own personal motives, nothing justifies your actions.
At the end of the day, you're nothing more than a miserable coward who doesn't have the courage to stand up for themselves.
"Pathetic." I muttered, gaining the attention of Atticus, whose eyebrows furrowed with curiosity while Frederick adjusted his glasses and glared at me with an anxious scowl.
"What did you just say?" Frederick asked as I sighed, unable to contain my composure any longer as I sharpened my gaze, causing Frederick to tense with fear as my intimidation pleased Atticus.
"I said you are pathetic." I asserted sharply as Frederick stammered on his own words while Atticus began sprinting towards me with an ear-to-ear grin.
"You know, you're becoming more and more interesting by the second!" Atticus remarked as he tried to land a spinning hook kick into my head, but to his astonishment, I weaved under his leg with minimal movement as his momentum carried him past me while I continued to glare at Frederick, who stood in trepidation, unable to utter a single word as his reluctance to change himself for the better provoked my anger further.
"As a man, aren't you ashamed of yourself?" I asked as Frederick's eyes widened, my words striking the core of his heart as I shifted my focus towards Atticus, who dashed towards me with the intention of striking my head with a decisive straight, but surprising him once more, I evaded his lunge and used his momentum to throw him over my shoulder as he landed awkwardly, stumbling backwards as I repositioned myself and hovered my extended fingers over his chest.
"You're a teacher who is supposed to be a role model for your students and yet…"
Clenching my hand into a fist, I landed a sharp one-inch punch into Atticus's solar plexus, stunning him momentarily as he struggled to gasp for air, allowing me to immediately follow up with a quick one-two, striking his face and jaw as his senses were rattled from the deadly precision of my last strike, creating an opportunity for me to end my spree of attacks with a spinning back kick into his abdomen as the impact sent him flying backwards until he slammed against the reception desk.
"You allow this scum to rule over your life as if you're nothing but his slave." I added as the few bystanders watching on the side gasped incredulously at the state of Atticus, who seemed to be on the verge of losing all rationality as an exasperating grin began to form along his face while my actions left Frederick awestruck.
Ah, I made a mistake.
I shouldn't have let my anger get the best of me.
As silence filled the room, I found myself in another predicament as I accidentally lost my composure and unintentionally humiliated Atticus in the midst of everything.
Why…
Why do I always find a way to make my life even harder?
With my headache worsening, I sighed and decided to taunt Atticus with my hand, enraging him further as he darted towards me while I remained still and waited for his arrival.
Let's just get this over with already.