The start of University life had been significantly busier than Max had anticipated, though not for reasons that particularly interested him. The initial haze of orientation, administrative paperwork, and social pressure was a far cry from the life of a syndicate head. He had made a conscious effort to avoid almost all of the meetups and mixers organized by Jono, with the exception of that first mandatory session.
Consequently, he hadn’t really made any friends. This didn’t bother him in the slightest, as forming emotional bonds with eighteen-year-olds was never his objective. He didn’t feel the need to get close to anyone in the business department; his focus was laser-narrowed on two specific goals: infiltrating Donto Stern’s social circle and mastering the basics of the Wushu martial arts club.
The club, however, wouldn’t hold its first session until after Freshers Week concluded. Furthermore, the upperclassmen, including Donto, weren’t expected to be fully active on campus until the end of the first week. This forced Max into a period of restless waiting, but there was another complication brewing beneath the surface of the campus social scene.
During that first week, while walking near the central campus green, Rick and Aki had spotted each other. As high-ranking members of the Billion Bloodline group, both having been vetted and ranked highly by Wolf’s rigorous assessments, the two of them knew each other’s capabilities and history quite well.
Aki had decided to pull Rick aside for a private conversation, a move that didn’t go unnoticed. The guys standing around Rick were visibly amazed that a woman of Aki’s caliber would even acknowledge him, let alone seek him out. Rick, ever the stoic, brushed off their wide-eyed stares with a casual wave of his hand.
"Relax, she’s just an old friend from back home," Rick lied easily, though his tone carried a warning. "And don’t even think about asking her out, you idiots. She’s a scary one, she’ll poke your eyes out if you step out of line."
The two eventually found a nearby stone bench to sit on. Rick could immediately tell something was weighing on Aki’s mind; the usual spark in her eyes was dampened by a somber atmosphere.
"Have you seen Max recently?" Aki asked, her voice low so as not to be overheard by passing students.
"I haven’t," Rick answered with a frown. "My dorms are right next to his, so I figured I’d run into him at least once or twice by now, but it seems like he isn’t taking part in any of the Freshers events. He’s like a ghost."
"I see," Aki murmured. "Do you think he’s regretting coming here? I thought he joined to actually study, but it’s becoming clear there’s another reason he’s on this campus."
"We both know that man doesn’t need a degree to get a job," Rick said, a small smirk playing on his lips. "His path was decided a long time ago. We’re both here to support him in whatever move he’s making, right? You’re in that design course specifically to learn how to manufacture more apparel for the organization. You might think he’s avoiding you specifically, Aki, but I think he’s avoiding us as a group. If he’s keeping his distance from his own people, he must have a damn good reason for it."
Eventually, the chaos of Freshers Week drew to a close. Max decided it was time to finally re-emerge, as the campus was now flooded with students from every year and every department. This was his prime opportunity to start gathering intelligence on the Stern lineage at June Stone.
Still, to maintain his cover, he had to at least appear to be a dedicated student. He checked his schedule and made his way to the business department’s main lecture hall for his first official class of the semester.
Walking into the large, tiered room, he noticed that most students had arrived early, filled with that first-day nervous energy. As his eyes scanned the rows, he saw a few familiar faces, Jono was there, as was Steve. To be honest, they were the only two names Max had even bothered to commit to memory.
As his gaze continued to sweep across the room, it suddenly locked onto two other individuals sitting several rows away.
’Wait a second,’ Max thought, his pace slowing.
The recognition was mutual. When the two girls saw him, their eyes widened in genuine surprise.
"It’s him," Yovan whispered, leaning urgently toward Talia. "I had no idea he was actually in the business department. I thought he was just some random guy wandering the halls."
"Neither did I," Talia replied, her face heating up as she remembered their previous awkward encounters. "We didn’t see him at any of the mixers or department parties."
There was a simple reason for that, of course. Max had only attended the very first event on day one. Yovan and Talia had been delayed by their move from another city and hadn’t arrived at their dorms until the second day. Because of that slight overlap, they had remained completely unaware that they were all enrolled in the exact same course of study.
"What should I do?" Yovan asked, her previous bravado replaced by a flicker of guilt.
"You should start by apologizing for calling him a stalker," Talia whispered back firmly. "And I should at least thank him properly for returning my ID card instead of just running away."
As Max moved toward an empty seat in the far corner on the opposite side of the hall, it seemed like the opportunity for a conversation had passed. However, the two girls suddenly froze as they heard the voices of the boys sitting directly in front of them.
"Hey," Steve said to Jono, his voice hushed but carrying in the quiet room. "Do you remember what I told you before? About who that guy over there really is?"
Leaning in instinctively, Yovan and Talia found themselves suddenly intrigued, their ears straining to catch every word of the revelation about the mysterious redhead.