The students of the Campus went back to their academic life with the start of the new semester. Their lives were made busy by the tight schedules the Campus dictated, and even Isaac had much to work on. He had the task of moving all the goods left by the students at the warehouse into Kunette and Reisha’s rooms, which were now empty. This arduous project of moving and confirming the arrival of these goods had taken nearly 10 days for him to complete.
“Guess I could drop the side business and just go on with the warehouse rental fees.”
The students of the Campus were no fools. They quickly realised that it was much cheaper to bring the goods themselves and pay the warehouse fees rather than buying it through Isaac himself. Isaac instinctively knew his disgustingly exorbitant business had ended when most of his customers had started renting the warehouses instead.
It went as planned for Isaac, but perhaps not for Gonzales. Isaac knew many people who had fallen from grace when they couldn’t adapt their expenditure with the fall of their profit, continuing their lavish lifestyle to the point of bankruptcy. Isaac didn’t want Gonzales, the first person to show him kindness in this world, to follow that path. He had given multiple warnings to him and changed the direction of their business from sales to warehouses. Profits dropped significantly, but it was still worthwhile considering the male students continued to use his overpriced business when encouraged with a hint of blackmail.
Isaac already had a solid backup plan called Mazelan, and he had already received approval from him that if things turned to the worst, he would be received as a guest in the family. Since money was no longer an issue for Isaac, he considered dropping this business entirely; but it was obvious both Gonzales and all the females in the Campus would rise up against it. In truth, it was a good way to waste time, and it was also easy on the eyes. The only downside was that it was bothersome.
With a handful of paper and a wooden board in his hand, Isaac left the lodge. Today is the day his business will start accepting orders again. Opening the business every day was too difficult, so the orders were received every 3 days but Isaac knew he’d be receiving many more requests today than normal since it’s the first day of the year.
Isaac ran his business at the field in front of the library. It was the perfect place to do business since almost every student must visit the library at least once a day to keep up with their studies.
“Ah! There he is!”
“It’s been a while.”
“Are you accepting orders from today onwards?”
“Nice to meet you.”
The mass of girls who were flocked in their own little groups greeted Isaac warmly. Isaac pulled out his business smile and tried to walk to the centre when he noticed someone was running at him from his back. As soon as Isaac tried to turn his head, he felt a heavy blow and dropped on the ground.
“Kyaa! What are you doing!”
“How could you hit someone from their back?!”
“You! Who are you? Which school are you from?”
“Are you a freshman? How barbaric of you to do something like this?!”
The screams and cries of the girls were beyond Isaac, as he was too focused on trying to get back on his feet. But he was quickly stopped from doing so with another kick on Isaac’s stomach.
“Ugh!”
“Kyaa!”
“What did this fucking retard do for all of you to make such noise?”
Isaac struggled to breath on the ground, but he was still able to hear the familiar voice and remember who it’s from.
Kaizen. He was the youngest son of the Rondart Family and the person who bullied Isaac the most. Most of the time, Kainen would usually treat Isaac as if he didn’t even exist, but when he didn’t, this asshole would actively seek out Isaac to harass him.
‘Is he already at the age to enroll?’
Since Kaizen was also a noble, he had the right to enroll in the Campus. How long he was going to survive was an entirely different matter.
Isaac took a quick glimpse at Kaizen, who was troubled by the reaction of the girls around him. It seemed he had no idea what position Isaac was in within the Campus. Isaac remembered that Kaizen had always been the all brawn and no brain kind of guy.
If he was at least good at the brawn part, it may have been okay. But in truth, he was just as pathetic when it came to fighting, and all his victories were because his opponents yielded to him in fear of his status, not his skill.
‘How did I not know he was here?’
Isaac wondered to himself, but it would have been even stranger if Isaac managed to find him in the tidal wave of students back at the port.
It had been a while since he’d felt the nostalgic sensation of pain. Isaac curled up and began to think. He knew that his life in the Campus was going to be difficult if he let Kaizen leave scot-free. None of the girls could stop Kaizen either. The only thing he knew how to do was causing a tantrum and use his fist to get what he wanted, and it was obvious he would use them to beat Isaac this time.
“I guess I have no choice.”
Isaac muttered to himself and got back on his feet.
When Kaizen noticed all the girls stopped their angered cries and flinch, he turned his head with them. In that moment, he felt a blow at the back of his head accompanied by a strong ‘thud’. Isaac quickly followed up with many kicks when Kaizen dropped on the ground.
Smack! Smack!
When a decisive kick made contact with Kaizen’s forehead, all he could do was make out a whimper as his breath became faint.
“Aaah!”
The girls could only watch in despair. Isaac had finally committed assault. No matter how much they tried to hide it, there were too many witnesses here. The rumours would spread and it meant Isaac’s expulsion, along with all the conveniences and benefits he brought with him.
“Why would you do this…”
When one of the girls begrudgingly complained to Isaac, he simply smiled and wiped the dirt that was on his shirt.
“It’s a family problem.”
“What?”
“This is Kaizen, and he is my younger brother.”
“…”
“Therefore, this is a family issue for me to deal with. I’m embarrassed to say this, but my family is not the most harmonious in the world.”
The students of the Campus were quick to figure out what Isaac was implying. An act of violence between students meant expulsion, but it was different when it was caused due to strife in the family. It was a common sight within a noble’s household after all. They all knew what position Isaac was in back in his mansion, but he was still technically the heir to his family.
“Oh, I see. It’s a family problem. Ohohoho, I guess we have no business here.”
“E, even the Campus wouldn’t stop the mature older brother from disciplining his younger siblings with some punishment.”
They warily agreed with his rationale. With some form of justification on Isaac’s side, all they had to do was ignore what was happening. It was much better to turn a blind eye than lose Isaac’s convenient service.
“Kuk! You fucker! Die!”
Kaizen finally got back up and began to swing his fists at Isaac. Isaac blocked the punch with one arm, while hitting Kaizen’s throat with his other arm.
“Uughh!”
A man’s throat was one of the most vulnerable areas. A man could die from such a blow if it was strong enough, but Isaac showed no mercy with his blow. Kaizen struggled on the ground with tears and snot covering his face. The sight was at best pitiful. All of the girls frowned and turned away from the disgusting sight they had to witness.
“Kuk! Do you think you’ll be fine after this? You’ve always been my toy!”
Kaizen shouted at the top of his lungs the moment he managed to get his breath back. But Isaac just sighed and shrugged his shoulders as if he was trying to show what he meant.
“I am embarrassed to say that is my brother. The fool is a disgrace to my family.”
“Oh dear! How true.”
“He is a disgrace to all nobles.”
“I would hate to ever associate myself with him in any way!’
“How barbaric.”
Kaizen was bewildered by the cold looks and sharp voices from the girls surrounding him. The voice in his head was telling him to rip Isaac to shreds, but the stares from the girls were stopping him from doing so.
Kaizen glared back at Isaac once more. He was innocent. He didn’t do anything wrong. All he did was beat Isaac like he normally did back at home; Isaac should be begging for mercy on his knees at this point. But now he’s hitting him back, and the girls seem to disapprove of his actions. This seemingly irrational situation had brought only confusion in his head, and he decided it was time to leave this uncomfortable situation.
“It’s not over yet! You just watch, I’m telling my brother!”
Isaac clicked his tongue as he watched the boy, who was bigger than most around his age, run away with tears in his eyes.
‘Dumbass.’
The students in the Campus were not only capable but also had a strong sense of independence due to their life away from their families. They would try to solve their problems to their best of their own abilities. Kaizen would later learn that taking off from that fight the way he did was the worst possible action he could have taken.
