Christian, hearing everything the teacher said, felt that it was all just pure bullshit. Nothing could justify the punishment he received, yet the school apparently didn't want to apologize or issue another public notice regarding him.
Since it would make them appear even more wrong after everything that had happened, the school was already forced to address his problem and concede a little, but only to avoid reopening the incident, nothing more apparently.
Christian felt a little pissed by their attitude, as if he should be the one to tolerate and endure more. However, after calming himself, he realized that in the end, it really didn't matter. Now, he could just close the incident for good anyway.
He didn't need to make the incident even bigger, giving the school more importance than they actually deserved. So, he humored the teacher in front of him, and said a few words, finding him even more of an eyesore than the previous boring class, and just wanted to return now.
"Thank you for your thoughtfulness,--"
Christian continued a little, offering his appreciation for the school and exchanging some flattering words with the teacher. But just as this charade was about to end, the door of the room opened, and in walked the math teacher, Clayton Murphy.
His face was slightly bruised, with one eye swollen and still showing a purple hue, and his right hand was bandaged—not due to a fracture, but possibly from a bruise or swelling. His expression looked tired and worn out, even carrying a hint of resignation, but the anger, fury, and madness he had shown previously were nowhere to be seen.
Upon seeing him, Christian didn't feel sorry at all. Instead, he was shocked by the sight, thinking he had broken his arm. He was sure he had heard a crack sound at that time, but it appeared it was not a fracture, as the bandage was not made of gypsum.
While Christian was shocked to see him, Clayton was even more shocked upon seeing Christian, appearing even a little fearful.
Clayton knew that the one who had beaten him was not Christian, as it was a blonde older man with no resemblance at all. Still, he couldn't help but question his situation in the face of all these misfortunes.
He questioned where things had started going wrong. Was it because he accused a student of cheating, even though he knew it was impossible—there was no one to cheat from after all? Was it because he just hated the student's attitude and wanted to teach him a lesson, then all these things happened?
Or was it when he mentioned Christian's parents, even though he knew they were dead, and he just wanted to mock him and get under his skin?
He didn't know exactly where things went wrong, but he knew it all started when he got involved with the student in front of him, Christian White. Everything in his life seemed to have gone awry after coming across him.
So, in the face of the police questioning after the second incident, he told the truth, not wanting to say anything wrong and then be pressed about where he was going at that time even more.
Being a little thankful that the most problematic thing in his life wasn't exposed, he still hoped he wouldn't get involved or see Christian again.
After spacing out for a moment from shock and thinking things through again, Christian realized that the sound he had heard must have been the bones dislocating, not a fracture. Then he felt ashamed because, due to his clumsiness, he had messed up something very simple in the end.
So, unknowingly, he shared the same feeling as Clayton Murphy—wanting to avoid seeing his own small mistake, even if only briefly.
The teacher who summoned Christian, noticing the awkward and silent atmosphere, quickly said a few words to him and then sent him on his way.
As time passed and the school day came to an end, Christian was now walking back home, still unable to shake off the lingering feelings of shame and frustration.
Not knowing where to vent his frustration—since it was out of the question to beat the math teacher again in such a short period and risk getting caught—Christian felt a sense of helplessness.
So, he decided to vent his frustration physically and started running.
For the first time in his life, Christian engaged in physical activity out of his own will rather than necessity. He felt somewhat stupid but didn't know what else to do. Characters in novels and anime often reacted this way, so he figured he could share their feelings now, at least a little.
Mustering up his resolve and courage, he even began shouting while running.
After shouting with all his might, Christian finally came to his senses and looked at his surroundings. Noticing people staring at him strangely, with some even murmuring between themselves, he felt even more shame and embarrassment.
So he ran even faster toward his home, wanting to bury himself there.
While running, he also thought that maybe he should use one of his Idle Practicing slots to develop a way to erase memories, as this kind of dark one needed to be erased after all.
Arriving near his house, and breathing a little irregularly, Christian didn't know if this moment of foolish youth would be the only one he would experience, but he still hoped it would be the sole one.
Entering his house, Christian went straight to the bathroom, took a quick cold shower, and then came out, venting a little on his pillow, much like his sister would do.
After finally calming down, Christian sat on the sofa in the living room, thinking that, fortunately, no one knew about the dark stain from today's events with the math teacher and after. Or like neither his sister nor Eva had seen that scene, so in the end, it was okay—since the others were all strangers.