章 42: Could This Work?

By the time Max entered his classroom, the lessons began moments later. During the process, he told Devon about the punishment he had received, which was to participate in a social activity.

What is this?

Basically, the debate they were assigned would be a bit more public, which had been the initial plan anyway. Because of this, Max's punishment wasn't concerning at all.

Max wanted to learn and experience something he had once wished to try, but now that feeling was suppressed by boredom.

He assumed all his energy had been quickly drained, likely due to his assistance with the new dojo—where he was a shareholder—leaving him too tired to think. Glancing around, Max observed his classmates, finding everything strikingly normal.

"Are we going to train today? We could grab some food and eat at your place after school," Max murmured softly so only Devon could hear.

Devon, who was focused on her writing, turned her head slightly to where Max was seated beside her. Without looking directly at him, she whispered, "Is training all you ever think about?"

"When you put it like that, you make my life sound weird... Although I think I was born programmed only to fight. I've always thought of it that way." Max exhaled lightly, causing the pages of Devon's book to flutter slightly.

Devon frowned but remained silent. She didn't want to draw the attention of the entire class, so she stayed quiet for a few minutes. However, after completely losing focus due to a bored and restless Max, she slid her hand under the shared long desk and jabbed him in the ribs.

"Ah!" Max yelled, alarming the entire class.

Devon jumped in surprise, looking at Max, who had let out a sudden cry.

"Is something wrong, Mr. Jones?" The teacher asked, fully aware of this student, who had represented his previous schools in international tournaments. While any school would be proud of that, he had no special privileges other than being closely monitored for potential disruptions.

"A mosquito bit me! I'm terrified of them. Sorry, ma'am," Max apologized sincerely, refocusing his attention on the lesson.

Devon, sitting beside him, turned beet red. For a moment, she feared Max would tell the teacher she had hit him, which would have been mortifying.

"Max, I'm going to kill you!" She whispered sharply.

"I hear that a lot." Max muttered under his breath.

"Did a mosquito bite you too, Miss Lee?"

Devon arched her brows and replied, shaking her head, "No, ma'am."

"Good. Then let's all focus!"

The teacher shook her head and turned back to the class. With decades of experience, she could tell this was just silly flirting between two students.

She let it slide for today, but if it happened again, she'd have no choice but to reprimand the lovestruck students.

When class ended, everyone gathered their belongings and began leaving for their next lesson.

"Is the next class history?" Max asked as he packed his bag and followed Devon down the hall.

"They just divided the topics and assigned the arguments for everyone. You'll handle human evolution in the debate, while the other teammate gets the historical impact topic," Devon explained matter-of-factly, adding, "Oh, and no more drama, please."

Max smiled and nodded. "Of course. This morning's been a rollercoaster of highs and lows."

Devon chose not to question what he could possibly consider the "highs" of being hit.

"Excuse me…"

As Max and Devon walked to their next class, a soft voice called from behind them.

Max turned and saw a thin-looking boy. "Are you talking to us?" he asked.

The boy, named Bert, gave an awkward smile and said, "We're on the debate team together. I wanted to know how you'd like to divide the arguments before the debate."

"Oh, Bert! Nice to meet you, buddy." Max smiled warmly, extending a friendly hand. "We were just talking about you. Glad you came to us first—it saves us the trouble. I've already divided the arguments, so I'll hand you the theoretical part. Get ready for the practical side."

"Ah, I'll follow whatever you decide." Bert sighed in relief. He had expected Max, whom he'd seen roughhousing, to be a bully. To his surprise, Max seemed quite the opposite.

Devon elbowed Max in the side, annoyed that he was taking all the credit when she had done the research. She said, "Here's your part. The debate might not happen today, but you should still be prepared."

"Oh, I thought we could meet after class to discuss it further if the debate isn't today." Bert spoke casually, as if Max and Devon were already his friends, but quickly corrected himself. "That is, if it's okay with you."

Max sighed, clearly about to decline. "Sorry, but we've got yoga this afternoon, so—"

Devon immediately covered his mouth with her hand and said, "Even though our afternoons are usually booked, we could consider it."

Bert, now more comfortable, smiled at the pair's peculiar dynamic. "Then let's talk during club hours. See you later!"

"At least he's not a boring idiot." Devon murmured in mild relief.

"You realize he came completely unprepared for a debate that could be happening today, right?" Max said, removing her hand as he pointed out the detail he had noticed.

"That doesn't matter. Let's get to the next class."