208 Chapter 208: Schoolmates (1/2)
The moment Shun Yin stepped out of the office, he caught sight of a familiar figure leaning against the wall. That golden blond hair, that handsome face and that dignified posture…Shun Yin immediately recognized him as Glen Porter.
He lowered his head in greeting and made to step around him, but Glen stopped him with a single sentence.
”It seems my father has some expectations of you.”
”Principal Porter requested my assistance with a research project,” Shun Yin responded neutrally. He wasn't sure if Glen was jealous that the one his father chose to speak to was some random outsider student instead of his own son.
”Oh, yeah. I know. Dad has some stuff he wants to try out. If it works, it'll revolutionize combat. I look forward to seeing him succeed.”
Shun Yin stared at him, surprised. He had expected some measure of hostility, and definitely resentment, but Glen didn't seem that bothered by the meeting he had with his father. Glen must have seen the expression on his face, for he chuckled.
”Don't worry, I'm not my mother. She might disapprove…hell, most of the Porter dudes disapprove of what Dad is doing, but I'm pretty sure he'll prove them all wrong. Already his work is bearing fruit.”
”…I see.” Shun Yin felt a little relieved, but he was certain Glen didn't wait out here just to tell him that.
”Ha ha! There's no need to be on your guard. I'm not my mom. I don't care about your family lineage or bloodline. I only care about results.” Glen nodded approvingly. ”You've earned my respect. Not many mages in our generation can block my Titanic Tempest spell, yet you merely cut it down with your sword. You're pretty strong!”
”Thank you.” Shun Yin was taken aback. This was certainly not what he was expecting, especially after speaking to Henry Porter and hearing about his son earlier. ”Your spell was incredibly powerful. I almost couldn't withstand it.”
”There's no need to be humble.” Glen leaned in. ”Let's be friends.”
”…eh?”
Glen guffawed when he saw Shun Yin's shock. ”What? I'm not such a snob that I wouldn't befriend anyone not from my clan.” He dropped his voice to a whisper. ”I'll be honest…among the Porter family, my dad and I are considered…outcasts of sorts. Disgrace to the family. Why do you think my dad was posted as a principal of a high school instead of…you know, fighting on the frontlines and earning prestige? He studies too much instead of fight.”
He then scratched his head sheepishly.
”And I'm considered a black sheep in the Porter family because I insisted on learning lightning magic instead of fire magic. Dad was the only one who supported me. Even Mom was pretty upset when she learned of my decision.” He shrugged. ”She's pretty old-school. I'm lucky I have my dad, or I would have been disowned and kicked out of the Porter family.” He laughed. ”Actually, they're thinking of kicking out my dad and my entire immediate family out of the clan, but Dad has been impressing the elders with his educational reforms and research.”
Glen grinned.
”Not that we would have cared. Dad would just resume his old family name…ah, yeah. Dad married into the Porter family. That's why he's a lot more flexible than Mom, who descended directly from the Porters. But because my dad is considered somewhat of an outsider who married into the family, you can imagine the kind of discrimination he faces from the Porter clan. As his son, I sort of receive the same treatment. That's kind of why I learn lightning magic…but also because everyone else learned fire magic, and that was the only way for me to stand out. Speaking of which…”
Glen glanced around, and then lowered his voice again.
”…she's here. The princess of the Porter family, one of the most powerful fire mages of our generation.”
Glen sighed and shrugged.
”As long as she and her brother are around, I'll never be able to match them if I focus on fire magic. I'll always be overshadowed by them, unable to come out on my own. The same goes for all the other Porter and affiliated clan children enrolling in this school.”
”Right.” Shun Yin wasn't sure what to make of that. He had a feeling he knew who this Porter princess was. Glen leaned over and threw an arm over his shoulder.
”That's why I'm searching for strong comrades…I don't care where you're from, or what kind of family you're born in. We've to stick together if we want to survive in this cutthroat academy. Even with Dad here to help and reform the school, a lot of the students in the combat division still believe in that survival of the fittest or strong eat the weak nonsense. Sad to say…they are probably right for now. If you lack the strength, you'll get bullied. If you're weak, you'll get trampled upon.”
Shun Yin could sense some sort of disgust in Glen's voice, probably partially directed at his father for being so naïve.
”But looking from another way, there's strength in numbers…as long as the so-called weak band together and cooperate, there's nothing we can't do. They can try to attack us, but as long as we team up and work together, they won't be able to break us!” Glen raised a hand. ”Just like Dad said, united we stand, divided we fall. A single stick will snap easily on its own, but a bunch of sticks tied together will be more difficult to break.”
”That's right,” Shun Yin agreed, having heard of the old Chinese fable. ”But surely you don't intend to look into the combat division alone, do you?”
”I might not be my mom, but I'm not my dad either.” Glen let go of Shun Yin and began striding away. ”Strength is what matters the most to me. Of course Dad is correct in that warriors can't do everything on their own, that we must rely on support personnel and researchers to survive against monsters, but…in this school…that kind of mentality is too naïve. Accepting that fact will not make us immune to bullying and abuse. Power will.”
Shun Yin began to understand the difference between Glen and Henry. The son was practical while the father was idealistic. It was an interesting combination, to say the least. Nonetheless, he was relieved that Glen didn't turn out to be a bully. He had almost thought he was in trouble when he caught sight of Glen standing outside, especially since the guy had attacked him right before the entrance ceremony, but he didn't turn out to be such a bad guy.
Even so, Shun Yin wasn't gullible enough to trust him completely. He would play along for now and see what Glen's real motives were. As long as the Porter guy didn't intend to hurt him, then he wouldn't take action against him.
After watching Glen disappear into his father's office, Shun Yin turned away and headed home.
*
The next day, Shun Yin caught sight of Glen entering the classroom he was inside. Glen grinned when he caught sight of Shun Yin and strode over before taking the desk behind him.
”So we're in the same class, eh?”
”So it seems,” Shun Yin responded dryly. Glen laughed and shook his head.
”Well, I hope to learn from you over the next year, at least.”
”Same.”
Even as the two conversed, Shun Yin noticed that the rest of the students were giving the two of them a wide berth. At first, he found that normal. After all, he was an outsider, somebody who wasn't from the Porter clan or any of their affiliates. There was some resentment and hostility toward him from his new classmates.
What surprised him was that they were also treating Glen with the same amount of distance. A few of them were whispering as they regarded Glen. In fact, the moment Glen walked into the classroom, the attention had shifted from Shun Yin and toward the blond guy. There was no small amount of scorn in their gazes.
”They…” Shun Yin began, but Glen shook his head and placed a hand on his shoulder.
”I'm used to it. Don't worry.” He then grinned. ”And they won't dare to do anything to me because I'm from one of the main families of the Porter clan. They might not like me much, but unless they're also from the main family, they haven't got the balls to do anything about it.”
”…I see.” Shun Yin nodded, but he couldn't help but feel a little sympathetic. Not that Glen needed his sympathy.