"Hhng~ I'm so tired... I'm really not in the mood for physical exercise right now. Do you think if I ask to leave, the teacher would let me?" Next to him, Tyrone yawned as he stretched, mumbling to himself while touching his chin thoughtfully.
Watching him in silence, Jonathan didn't even blink at the way he was dressed — the T-shirt tied in a knot at the front, showing his stomach, and the dark blue shorts that were supposed to reach his knees but had been rolled and folded up to his thighs, exposing most of his legs.
"You already skipped class last time, didn't you? I seriously doubt she'll let you go now," Chad said to Tyrone, who only pouted in response.
"Yeah, you're right. I don't think she'll let me get away this time."
"All right, class! You know how it goes — start running, five minutes!" the teacher said, blowing her whistle and clapping her hands.
As Jonathan began running, following behind another student in the same circular path as the others, he suddenly felt someone lightly tap his foot, throwing him off balance for a moment.
Glancing back quickly, he saw Liana staring at him with a blank expression. "What the hell was that?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"That was my revenge from earlier."
Looking past her, he saw Tyrone and Chad putting some distance between themselves, wearing conspiratorial grins.
"Look behind you, you made Chad and Tyrone back off."
"I didn't make them, I just asked nicely and they understood," she replied with a soft smile.
"Right, 'nicely,' huh?" Jonathan looked at her, clearly not believing a word. "But hey, if that's your revenge, then fine. Though I gotta say, I'm a little disappointed. Here I was thinking you'd do something more impressive."
She narrowed her eyes at that. "Are you complaining? What did you want me to do, then?"
Jonathan looked ahead again. "I don't know, I figured you'd tie my backpack to my desk or something. Maybe steal my pens and notebook."
"That's not a bad idea..." she agreed thoughtfully. "Maybe I'll do one of those, who knows?" Running beside him, she nudged him lightly with her shoulder.
But Jonathan didn't budge. He looked at her and smiled. "In that case, go ahead and try. Just don't regret it later, when I come for my revenge."
She answered with a teasing smile. "And why would I regret it?"
He narrowed his eyes. "Well, I'll start with this." Saying that, he quickly grabbed her head, pressing it against his chest, while his other hand — clenched into a fist — rubbed the top of her head.
She froze for a moment, clearly not believing what he was doing, judging by the shock on her face. Then she quickly recovered and tried to break free. "Jonathan, stop it! People are watching!"
But he ignored her, just smiling as he held her in place, fully aware of how embarrassed she was.
"Stop flirting over there! You're supposed to be running! Come on, come on!" the teacher's voice interrupted them.
Feeling all the eyes turning toward them, Liana struggled almost desperately to free herself until she finally did.
Jonathan just smiled, amused by how flustered she looked as she fixed her hair.
Trying to keep a straight face, she smacked him lightly on the arm. "Idiot." Then she ran ahead, leaving him behind.
He watched her go. Even though he wanted to keep teasing her, he decided against it — mostly because he could feel a certain pair of eyes watching him.
And indeed, when he looked, he met Marianne's gaze.
She looked at him silently before calmly turning away.
Her expression didn't show anything, but he knew she was definitely bothered.
'My greed's gonna get me stabbed in the balls one day,' he thought grimly, realizing how hard it would be to manage a harem in the future.
"Damn, Liana's one lucky bitch," Jeanne muttered as she ran alongside Diana and Rani, eyeing the earlier scene with envy.
"I wish it were me, just to feel those muscular pecs — they look amazing," she said with a perverted grin, flexing her fingers.
"Oh right, you like him, don't you? Sorry about that. But come on, he's hot, you know how it is," she added abruptly, giving Diana an apologetic pat on the shoulder.
Diana just shook her head. "It's fine. It's not like he's my boyfriend or anything. I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks that."
"Yeah, that's one of the burdens of dating a hot guy — he gets tons of attention, everyone wants him, and you've gotta have self-control like a saint." Jeanne nodded, giving a thumbs-up and a proud grin.
While Rani shot Jeanne a dry look, Diana raised an eyebrow. "And isn't it the same for you? I mean, aside from the fact that he already has a girlfriend, Tyrone's pretty attractive too. You'll need plenty of self-control yourself."
Jeanne waved dismissively. "That won't be a problem. I'll just drain him completely and keep him well-fed, so he won't have the energy to look at those plain girls." She smiled confidently, as if that solved everything.
Diana and Rani stared silently while Jeanne laughed to herself.
"Don't look at me like that — you know I'm right," Jeanne said when she saw their doubtful expressions.
While they talked, a bit further ahead, a certain blonde girl with wavy hair tied in a ponytail was watching in the same direction.
Alexis stared blankly at Jonathan. Only she knew what was going through her mind at that moment.
...
Class went on as usual. After the running and exercise routines, the teacher decided to wrap it up with a dodgeball match.
With everyone split evenly, Jonathan ended up on one side with Tyrone, Chad, and Marianne.
Standing beside the girl, who looked distracted with her hands on her hips, Jonathan poked her side, making her flinch slightly. "What's wrong? Why that face?" he asked with a faint smile.
"What do you mean? What about my face? It's my usual face," she replied, turning toward him with a slightly irritated look.
"I've known you long enough to tell when something's bothering you. So, what happened?" he asked casually, glancing sideways at the teacher placing the balls on the floor.
"None of your business," she said placidly, crossing her arms.
That tone made him look back at her for a moment. Naturally, he already knew what was bothering her — himself. Unfortunately, the only way to fix that would be to give up his harem plans. Which, obviously, wasn't happening.
No matter how impossible it seemed, he was a man who never gave up.
So the only thing he could do was give her something to distract her — and that's exactly what he did. He did the same thing he'd done with Liana earlier.
"Ugh! What are you doing?! Let go!" she struggled in vain as he pressed her face against his chest. But instead of just messing up her hair, he went further — wrapping his arms around her, using his strength and height to pull her tightly against him.
"What the hell, Jonathan!" her muffled voice came from his chest as she tried to wriggle free. "Stop it, people are watching!"
But he kept ignoring her, holding her close. "If you keep squirming, you'll just draw more attention. Relax. To them, we're just siblings showing a bit of brotherly love."
Just when Marianne had resigned herself to her fate, the teacher interrupted with a loud whistle.
"All right, you brats, stop chatting and get in position!" she shouted from the middle of the court.
When Jonathan finally released her, Marianne stepped away, face flushed and hair a mess, while he just smiled at her and stayed where he was.
"Why'd it have to be dodgeball? I'm scared I'll break a nail," Tyrone muttered nearby, hand on his hip as he examined his nails.
"That's easy to fix — just let yourself get hit, then you're out and your nails are safe," Chad replied, stopping next to him.
"Unfortunately, I can't do that, or coach'll make me keep playing anyway," Tyrone answered with a sour look.
"All right, you're all in position," the teacher said, glancing around. "Good. On my signal..."
At her words, a few students got ready to sprint — Jonathan among them.
"You're actually going for the ball?" Tyrone asked, sounding almost exasperated.
Preparing beside him, Chad chuckled.
Tyrone nearly choked. "Et tu, Chad?!" He placed a hand over his chest dramatically.
Chad only laughed harder, while Tyrone rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Should I try too?"
"Better not. The way you run — like you've got baby legs — you'll get hit halfway there," Jonathan said casually.
"Hey! My legs aren't that short!"
Before Tyrone could say more, the whistle blew.
Jonathan and Chad, along with a few others, sprinted full speed toward the balls on the floor.
Reaching his target ball, Jonathan grabbed it and threw it straight at a girl running the same way.
She tried to dodge, but wasn't fast enough — the ball hit her thigh. Jonathan didn't waste time, quickly retreating and scanning around, just in time to see another girl hurl a ball in his direction.
He dodged smoothly, while Chad on the other side charged forward, grabbed a ball, and threw it at another girl — but missed.
They both retreated fast, keeping their eyes on the other side where players still had balls.
Across from them, Jeanne cackled like a cartoon villain, holding two balls. "The power is mine, you worms! Hahaha!"
Behind her, Diana and Rani stared wordlessly. "How the hell did she get another ball?" Diana muttered, glancing around nervously so she wouldn't be targeted.
"Pure luck — she caught one that was thrown at her," Rani replied, still on alert.
"Here's my gift!" Jeanne shouted, throwing one of her balls at a girl — and missing.
The girl retaliated with her own ball, but Jeanne dodged, laughing mockingly. "With that limp arm, you couldn't hit a stationary target! This is how it's done!"
Throwing her second ball, she actually managed to hit the girl's leg. The girl glared as she stepped out, while Jeanne shot her a smug look.
Then, a ball whizzed past Jeanne's head, making her drop the act instantly. "Holy shit!" she yelped.
Jonathan and the others burst out laughing — courtesy of Chad's throw. He caught another incoming ball, blocked it, then tossed it to Tyrone, who had been standing in the corner with his arms crossed.
"I really don't wanna break a nail," Tyrone muttered, catching it.
"You can still let yourself get hit," Jonathan said before sprinting forward and throwing his own ball — missing the target.
Sighing in defeat, Tyrone ran ahead, looking around randomly, until he spotted a familiar face. Putting all his strength into it, he hurled the ball — and surprisingly, nailed the target right on the foot.
Eyes wide, Tyrone threw his arms up in celebration, turning to Jonathan and Chad. "Did you see that?! I hit one!" he cheered.
But his joy didn't last long — a ball smacked him right in the back of the head, the impact echoing as he stumbled forward.
While everyone around laughed, Tyrone clutched the back of his head, spinning around to find the culprit.
But all he saw were amused smiles. He was about to curse out loud when the teacher's voice cut through: "Tyrone, you're out!"
Stopping, he looked her way, then stormed off the court, muttering darkly about death and curses.
"He celebrated too soon," Chad said, shaking his head helplessly, while Jonathan just laughed beside him.
Turning his focus back to the other side, Jonathan waited for an incoming ball — and soon enough, one came flying straight toward his head. But with its predictable trajectory, he caught it easily.
Scanning for the thrower, he found no one, shrugged, and searched for a new target — until he spotted a familiar face.
That same person was already aiming at him.
Quickly leaning aside and lifting one leg, he dodged the ball she threw his way.
"Damn it," she cursed under her breath, realizing he'd dodged it.
With a slow smile forming on his face, Jonathan greeted, "Well, well, if it isn't Liana. How are you?"
But the girl just stared at him in silence, quickly backing away.
Taking a quick look around, Jonathan stepped closer and, without hesitation, threw the ball toward her legs — she barely dodged and caught it right after.
Jonathan stepped back quickly with short backward steps, still smiling. But his smile faded when he had to narrowly dodge a ball flying toward his face again, frowning as he searched for the culprit.
Not getting distracted for more than a moment, he turned his gaze toward the one already poised to throw another ball at him.
Stopping mid-step, Jonathan leaned forward and extended his hands, waving at her in a teasing gesture.
Liana's face twitched at that. "Take this!" she shouted, throwing the ball with all her strength.
The ball flew almost in a straight line through the air, heading right for Jonathan's stomach. And maybe that's what made it easier for him to catch it — grabbing it right as it was about to hit him.
Since he had already stopped in the middle of the court, before she could get fully away, without hesitation, he fired the ball back toward her legs.
And this time, she couldn't dodge, getting hit.
"Shit." she muttered under her breath, walking off the court with an irritated look.
"Hey, I caught what you gave me, so since I caught your 'everything,' you'll have to take my 'everything' later too, right?" Jonathan teased her, winking with his hands on his hips.
The girl froze for a moment, processing the meaning behind those words, but quickly recovered, forcing an annoyed expression and disguising it by simply flipping him off.
Laughing carefreely, knowing he had successfully provoked her, Jonathan was suddenly interrupted mid-laugh by another ball flying straight for his face.
Dodging by leaning back — already expecting something like that — he looked around irritably, trying to spot the damn culprit who had tried to hit his face three times in a row with such accuracy.
Just as he found the likely suspect, someone appeared in front of him, letting out a short sound of surprise. Looking at who it was, he found Diana, holding a ball with a somewhat uncertain expression.
Easily understanding the reason for her hesitation, Jonathan smiled kindly. "You don't have to worry. Just throw the ball."
Scratching her head for a moment, still looking doubtful, she murmured a faint "ok" before readying herself and throwing it.
However, Jonathan caught it easily, since she hadn't thrown it with much force, still hesitant.
"Uh, my bad." she apologized with an awkward smile.
Jonathan chuckled lightly. "It's fine."
She replied with a fake relaxed smile, raising her arms slightly as if waiting to be hit.
Raising an eyebrow for a second, Jonathan stared at her, easily reading her thoughts. Then, deciding to indulge the girl's little fantasy, he gave his best charming smile — the kind of smile a woman would usually give in that situation.
"Thank you." he said with a genuine smile, making the girl freeze, seemingly lost in it.
Jonathan then threw the ball lightly, hitting her leg and knocking her out of the game.
"Alright… excuse me!" she said, looking a bit flustered, even bowing before leaving the court in a quick step.
Jonathan watched her retreat with a faint smile. 'That girl's really cute.'
But, as predictably as ever, another ball flew toward his head, and once again he dodged by leaning back.
Looking toward the culprit, he found Alexis smiling brightly at him, even waving.
But giving the girl a blank look, Jonathan simply ignored her, glancing aside and finding only two people left: Chad and Marianne.
On the other side, there were only Alexis, and surprisingly, Jeanne and Rani.
A silence then filled the court as both sides analyzed each other.
Until it was broken by Jeanne's voice:
"Alright, hot guy, it's just you and me!" she called toward Chad with a confident smile, bouncing the ball in her hand, while he only raised an eyebrow at her words.
"Take my special attack: Orgasmic Explosion! Ahhn~!" she shouted without a hint of shame, throwing the ball accompanied by a moan.
Chad barely dodged it, then asked with a raised eyebrow, "Seriously? 'Orgasmic Explosion'?"
Jeanne shrugged casually. "What can I say? All my attacks are memorable. Just like me, handsome~." She winked at him, giving a thumbs-up with a grin.
He laughed at her complete lack of shame.
Meanwhile, with other students either laughing or staring speechlessly, Rani and Diana covered their faces in secondhand embarrassment, while Marianne and Jonathan exchanged the same weird look toward Jeanne.
Chad actually laughed for real, genuinely amused by her, which only made Jeanne more satisfied — right before he abruptly threw the ball in his hand.
Jeanne got hit, caught completely off guard by the sudden change.
"That was my special attack: Surprise Attack." he said, winking at her.
Blinking for a second, Jeanne quickly recovered, nodding to him with a look of respect. "Touché monsieur, touché." she murmured before leaving the court.
Shifting his focus, Jonathan looked at the caramel-skinned girl in front of him. She also seemed focused on him.
"Uh, hi." the girl said awkwardly, greeting him.
He waved back casually. "Hey. Aren't you going to throw that ball?"
"Right… I have to throw it, huh?" She scratched her head, slowly getting ready, then threw the ball.
However, Jonathan didn't even move. The ball missed by a wide margin, flying above his head. Silently watching her, the girl stayed in the same throwing pose before straightening up without saying a word.
"Well, it's the effort that counts." Jonathan comforted her lightly.
"Thanks." she replied with an awkward smile.
He nodded and quickly fired the ball toward her.
She didn't even try to dodge, letting the ball hit her thigh before quickly leaving the court.
Turning his gaze from her, Jonathan looked to the side and found only Marianne left, Chad having just been eliminated by Alexis.
Looking at the girl holding two balls and smiling carefreely, Jonathan stepped closer, picking up a ball from the floor.
"I really don't like that girl's smile. I feel like punching her face just looking at it." Marianne muttered under her breath when he stopped beside her.
"Understandable." Jonathan agreed easily.
"So, Jonathan, how's it going? Who would've thought we'd end up like this, huh?" Alexis abruptly started a conversation.
"I don't want to talk to you, Alexis. I already told you that." Jonathan replied calmly, nudging Marianne before stepping forward.
"Don't be like that, you don't have to be so cold with me." Alexis said, stepping back.
"You already know why I'm cold." Without hesitation, he threw the ball with all his strength, aiming straight for her face.
She dodged, still keeping that fake friendly smile.
"Come on, I already apologized for that! Let's leave the past in the past!" She had to dodge again as Marianne launched another ball right after.
Grabbing another ball, Jonathan threw it again toward her face, with Marianne joining the attack. Alexis dodged and blocked as best as she could.
In the end, both of them ran out of balls.
Alexis looked around before turning back to them. "Well, looks like you two are out of ammo~."
Jonathan and Marianne just stared at her without reacting.
"So, Jonathan, how about we have a little chat before continuing?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.
"Aren't you going to throw the ball?" he asked back, raising an eyebrow.
"I will, if you agree to talk to me. What do you say?"
"If that's the case, I quit." Jonathan said, turning and walking off the court.
"I quit too." Marianne shrugged, following right behind him. "Congrats, you win~." she said sarcastically, grinning mockingly at Alexis. "Heh~"
Alexis's smile twitched, not expecting to be ignored like that. That hit much deeper than just getting hit by a ball.
She lost her smile, standing in silence as she stared at Jonathan walking out of the gym.
The game ended in a weird, clearly tense way. The teacher quickly decided to wrap things up. "The winner is Alexis! Alright everyone, hit the showers!" she said, not wasting another second in that tense atmosphere.
The other students followed her lead, leaving as well. Jonathan joined Chad and Tyrone, calmly walking off the court.
In the end, Alexis stayed there, silently staring at the exit. Her face tensed, brow furrowing as she clenched her teeth and fists, glaring coldly at the door Jonathan had walked through.