"Thank you for yesterday, Teacher Rai."
"For what exactly?"
"Your choice of kitchen spices was perfect. Auntie loved them so much. I'm really grateful you helped me pick them."
Rai gave a faint, almost distracted smile at Teacher Lia, who had been circling back to yesterday's grocery trip ever since morning assembly ended.
As planned, he had gone to the store with her after school and helped her choose better spice brands. She had said she was buying them for the auntie at the house she was staying in and that they were poor and didn't know much about quality, and she didn't want to waste money on something that tasted bland.
From the way she had hesitated in front of every shelf, reading labels as if they were written in a foreign language, it had been obvious she truly had no idea what was best either.
So he chose for her.
He had picked the deeper-colored chili powder, the well-sealed cumin, the cinnamon that didn't look like dust. Small things. Basic things.
Yet she had been talking about it for the past ten minutes as if he had saved her entire household from culinary disaster.
"Teacher Lia, can you come here for a second?"
Thankfully, another teacher called her away before Rai's head could explode from her endless gratitude.
"Do I have to repeat it again?"
"There you go. You understood it well."
"You! Why is it that you're always pissing me off?"
"Well, maybe don't piss yourself?"
"Ugh! I just want to punch your ugly face."
"Really? Then why don't you? Are you scared I'll punch back?"
"I will punch you, bastard. Don't make me angry."
"Oh… so should I be scared?"
Rai stopped mid-step.
He stood a few steps away from the corridor corner, silently listening. His lips parted slightly before a quiet chuckle escaped him.
That pair again.
The same two boys he had scolded and sent back to class yesterday.
And for some reason…
They reminded him too much of himself and Zade.
The words they threw at each other, the tone, the provocation, the stubborn pride...it was almost identical. The kind of insults that sounded like hatred to outsiders but were rather complicated.
'He said he will punch me too.'
Rai's mind back to that time.
"I'll punch you, bastard! Don't fucking make me angry!"
Young Zade's school bag had been thrown to the ground, books scattered across the dusty floor. His fists were clenched so tightly his knuckles had turned white.
"Is that supposed to scare me? Nice try."
Rai had only given a lazy glance at Zade's things before smirking and walking away, even as Zade's friends grabbed him to stop him from lunging forward.
'Bastard thought I wouldn't dare throwing his bag. Heh!'
Rai glanced at the two boys, the faint ggrin still on.
These two were always at each other's throats.
Just like them.
Rai stepped forward now and stood between the boys, his mere presence enough to pause the tension for a second.
The louder one was breathing heavily, chest rising and falling fast, eyes blazing with humiliation and fury. The other stared back calmly, almost provocatively calm, as if he had calculated every word he had just said.
"It's not me this time. It's him again. He won't leave me alone."
Rai was in a better mood today. Instead of immediately scolding them, he folded his arms and observed.
Both boys were talented. Exceptionally so. Top scorers. Quick thinkers. The kind that could solve equations before he finished writing them on the board.
The only visible difference between them was background, one from a wealthy family with polished shoes and ironed uniforms, the other from a struggling one whose cuffs were always slightly worn.
At first, Rai had suspected bullying.
But that wasn't it.
They were rivals.
Fighting for first rank in class.
Now that!...that made more sense.
Rai would hate being second to Zade too.
…Well.
Second to anyone.
Tsk.
Why was he thinking about that bastard now?
"What can I do if he can't take a compliment?"
The usually quiet boy spoke up, voice steady and irritatingly composed.
"Shut up, Ron! A compliment? In what world is 'you look like a dog' a compliment?!"
"Well," the quiet boy replied dryly, a faint sarcastic smile forming, "you look like that stray dog eating the rotten food your mom throws away. You know what, Keith? Maybe that dog is your father. You once asked me who your father was, remember? Guess I found the answer before you did."
The air changed.
Before Keith could launch himself forward, Rai grabbed his shoulder firmly.
This had gone too far.
He felt the tremor in the boy's body, not just anger. Shame.
"Keith, is that your name?"
"Yes, Teacher."
"And you?"
Silence.
The other boy avoided eye contact for a few seconds, stubborn pride written all over his face. But under Rai's steady gaze, he finally answered.
"Ron."
"You two-"
But Rai didn't get to continue.
"Hey! You two!"
All three turned toward the voice.
Teacher Lia stormed toward them, heels clicking sharply against the corridor floor.
"I told you not to fight again! Did you forget? Does this look like a school or a fight club?! Idiots!"
Rai watched as Lia grabbed Ron by the arm and smacked his back harshly.
"Go to your classrooms! Now!"
She glared at Keith too before sending them off. The boys left reluctantly, throwing one last look at each other, not defeated, not afraid. Just unfinished.
"They think they can mess around. I won't let that happen here," Lia said with a proud smile, dusting her hands together as if she had just restored order to a battlefield.
Rai wasn't impressed.
Punishment wasn't the solution, at least not yet.
They needed a conversation, some advices to stop it before the punishment needed instead of telling them to stop fighting. Like they would stop just because they were told...
"Mm."
He gave a neutral hum and walked toward his classroom.
Behind him, Lia's smile slowly faded.
She had thought he would see her as strong. Decisive. Capable.
Perhaps…
'Did I scare him instead?'
The thought lingered longer than she expected.
She walked back slowly, disappointment settling in her chest like a quiet weight.
"Why does our teacher look so down? Did your boyfriend upset you?"
Lia turned sharply to the teacher beside her.
"What boyfriend?"
"Well, Teacher Arthur. Everyone's talking about how you two went on a date."
Her expression stiffened.
"It wasn't a date. We just went to the store together. That's it."
"Really? That's it? We thought you two were already together."
"No."
"Oh… but everyone's shipping you two. You look cute together."
"…Really?"
Her face remained neutral.
But for a brief second, a small, almost invisible smile appeared before she forced it away.
The tiny spark of giddiness didn't last long.
Because the moment she stepped into her classroom, she was met with chaos.
Paper balls flew across the room.
Laughter echoed off the walls.
Two boys were standing on chairs. Someone had drawn a cartoon version of her on the board with exaggerated glasses and wild hair.
Papers were scattered everywhere.
"STOP!"
Her voice cracked through the noise like a whip.
Silence followed, but only barely.
"What is wrong with you? Is this how you behave when I leave for five minutes?!"
No one answered.
She felt her frustration rising fast, faster than it should have.
The gossip. Rai's indifferent hum. The corridor incident. The constant feeling that she wasn't taken seriously.
It all poured out.
"You will clean this entire classroom. During my period. No one leaves until every piece of paper is gone!"
Groans filled the room.
"NOW!"
Chairs scraped. Students bent down reluctantly, picking up crumpled paper balls.
Lia stood at the front, arms crossed tightly, jaw clenched.
Across the building, Rai paused mid-lesson when he heard her shouting echo faintly through the walls.
His students glanced at him.
He continued writing on the board as if he hadn't heard anything.
He already knows well about her...
Even if those students hadn't done anything wrong, she would still yell at them talking about how much of a sacrifice she is doing by staying at their school.
So yeah, he didn't feel bad for her.
And spoiler; She is already in his 'don't like' list.