It was early morning. Classes had been going on for two weeks, and the students inside the classroom were noisy—playing and shouting like children.
Four young men started spreading rumors that someone new would be joining their class today. A lunatic student who had been kicked out of his previous school.
The tallest of the four said,
"It's that guy! That fool from our village."
The others looked at each other in realization.
"Oh! That stupid fool from Belmas," said the guy with the buzz cut.
"That fool? The one who laughs like an idiot in every situation?" asked the guy sitting on the desk.
"I wonder… if we told him to drown himself in the river, he might actually do it," the tall one said.
They all burst out laughing, already plotting how to use the fool for their benefit.
A moment later, the class teacher entered. The students quickly rushed back to their seats.
"Good morning, Madam."
"We have a new student today," the teacher announced.
"Please introduce yourself—"
She glanced toward the door.
The boy stepped inside.
He wore a wide smile. His eyes wandered across the room as if scanning every corner.
"My name is Yuudie Gesar. I hope we'll get along well."
"Alright, find your seat, dear," the teacher said.
His classmates from his hometown looked at him with disgust. They blocked the empty seats with their bags, pretending they were already taken.
Yuudie stopped.
Then he simply smiled and walked to the back.
The only empty seat left was beside a boy wearing glasses.
Yuudie sat down.
After seeing how everyone treated Yuudie, the boy with glasses stared at him with quiet amazement.
Once the teacher left, several classmates immediately walked over to Yuudie's desk.
"Hey, fool. You better not say my name when I'm around campus," one of them said.
"You're a disgrace."
Two other boys nodded in agreement.
A girl nearby added, "How did he even manage to get into a college like this?"
The boy with glasses had been listening quietly. Frustrated, he suddenly stood up and shouted,
"STOP IT, YOU IDIOTS! GO BACK TO YOUR SEATS!"
They turned toward him and laughed.
"Oh wow, four-eyes acting mighty."
The boy with the buzz cut started walking toward him.
Before anything could happen, Yuudie stood up and suddenly wrapped his arm around the guy with glasses, laughing while squeezing him.
"You're a great man! Look at these pigs trying to act like pigs like me!"
He laughed uncontrollably.
The two boys behind the buzz-cut raised their fists.
Yuudie instantly walked toward them and turned his back.
"Hey," he said casually.
"My back is itchy."
He tapped his shoulder.
"If you want to scratch it, go ahead."
One of them kicked him hard.
Yuudie stumbled forward and nearly hit a desk.
"What a lunatic," the boy spat.
But Yuudie only laughed harder.
Then he turned and winked at the boy with glasses.
The boy froze.
Slowly, he lowered his head onto his desk and covered his face with a book.
When lunch break arrived. Everyone left for the canteen, the washroom, or somewhere else.
Only the fool remained in the classroom.
He quietly opened his tiffin.The metallic click made the boy with glasses lift his head.
The only person in the room was Yuudie.
Yuudie winked at him again.
"Shit… I'm scared," the boy muttered, turning his head away.
Yuudie smirked and burst into loud laughter.
After a while, he took out a packet of biscuits and placed it on the desk of the boy with glasses before leaving.
"Oi, four-eyes. Thanks for earlier," he said.
The boy with glasses muttered, "To hell with you."
When he sat up, he noticed the biscuits and stared at them.
"Ugh."
He quickly picked them up and placed them back on Yuudie's desk.
What if he comes crying and accuses me of stealing his biscuits? he thought.
He put his head down and tried to sleep again.
A while later, a couple entered the classroom and started flirting.
The boy with glasses sighed and walked outside.
Outside the classroom door, Yuudie was standing there.
Without warning, Yuudie grabbed him in a tight hug while laughing loudly.
"Did you take the biscuits?" Yuudie asked.
"Let me go!" the boy with glasses struggled.
Instead, Yuudie dragged him up the stairs until they reached the terrace.
"What are you doing?" the boy asked.
"You're not a fool, are you? Then why do you act like one?"
Yuudie smirked.
"I've found someone more foolish than me."
The boy with glasses glared at him.
"Oh my gosh… what have I gotten myself into?," he muttered.
"A four-eyes but still a fool," Yuudie said with a grin.
"HEY! Stop calling me four-eyes! My name is Damaz, you bastard!"
Yuudie gasped dramatically.
"Ah… a Dam-four-eyes!"
He burst into laughter again.
"Shut up!"
Damaz stormed back toward the classroom.
After the bell rang and class resumed, the fool returned.
During the lecture, he kept staring at Damaz.
Damaz grew irritated. He turned and shot Yuudie a sharp "What?" look.
Yuudie only winked again.
"Shit," Damaz muttered under his breath.
Does he like me or something?
Every time Damaz glanced in his direction, the fool winked again.
Finally, fed up, Damaz turned fully toward him and stared back without blinking.
The teacher noticed them immediately.
"OUTSIDE!"
Both of them were kicked out of the classroom. As they walked out, the class burst into laughter.
"That's what happens when you sit with a fool," one of the bullies mocked from behind them.
Outside, they saw the vice principal from afar, walking toward them.
Without a word, Yuudie grabbed Damaz's hand and dragged him into another empty classroom.
He placed a finger on his lips.
"Shhh."
Moments later, the vice principal stormed into their classroom.
Through the small window panel in the wooden wall separating the classrooms, they could hear him shouting. Then came the sound of students being beaten.
Yuudie leaned closer and peeked through the narrow glass panel. A quiet laugh escaped him — soft, but strangely satisfied.
Damaz felt a chill run down his spine.
He didn't even know what the class had done. But the way Yuudie laughed… it almost seemed like he had planned everything.
Even his smile looked evil.
The vice principal shouted,
"If this ever happens again, all of you will have to bring your parents!"
When the punishment finally ended, Yuudie and Damaz returned to the classroom.
One of the boys muttered,
"We should have taken the fool with us today."
Damaz grew even more confused.
He noticed everyone rubbing their hands in pain. That beating must have been terrible, he thought.
Still, he felt lucky he hadn't been there.