School
dark heroThree years passed.
Three years of quiet mornings, family dinners, doctors’ appointments, experiments, arguments, laughter, and countless days that slowly transformed the Brown mansion from a strange new place into something Nezu could finally call home.
And now, for the first time since becoming brother and sister, Nezu and Segu were about to enter middle school.
“Brother, come on! We’re going to be late!”
Segu stood at the bottom of the stairs, already perfectly dressed in her new school uniform. A dark blazer rested neatly over a crisp white shirt, matched with a checkered skirt that reached her knees. Black tights and simple shoes completed the uniform.
Not a single thing was out of place.
Her brother, unfortunately, was another story.
“I’m coming… wait just a little more.”
Nezu descended the stairs while attempting to straighten his blazer.
He wore the male version of the same uniform, but whatever elegance the school had intended was almost completely lost on him. His tie hung loosely around his neck, his shirt was slightly untucked, and his black hair looked as if he had fought his pillow that morning and lost.
The result was somehow both wild and clumsy.
Segu sighed.
Then smiled.
“Come here, you silly beast. Zu.”
Nezu stopped in front of her without resistance as Segu grabbed his tie and began fixing it.
“You know,” he muttered, “I could do this myself.”
“I know.”
“Then why are you doing it?”
“Because you’d do it wrong.”
Nezu considered her answer for a moment.
“…Fair.”
Waiting beside the front door was the ever-reliable Steve. Standing next to him was a woman nearing her forties, a large braid resting gently over her left shoulder.
Diana Brown.
Mother of Segu Brown.
And, for the past three years, mother of Nezu Brown as well.
After Nezu’s adoption, Diana had made a decision that had surprised almost everyone around her: she stepped away from the family business and became a full-time mother.
Financially, there was absolutely no need for it.
The Browns possessed enough wealth to employ maids, cooks, tutors, drivers, and practically anyone else required to manage their household. Diana could easily have continued travelling alongside her husband while leaving the children in the care of the finest staff money could buy.
But that was precisely what she refused to do.
She didn’t want to spend her life travelling from one business meeting to another only to wake up one day and discover that her son and daughter had grown into strangers.
Someone else could manage the house.
Someone else could help manage the Brown empire.
But nobody else was going to be their mother.
Diana approached the children and kissed each of them on the forehead.
“Have fun. Try to make some friends. And please, be safe.”
Her smile couldn’t completely hide her worry.
The first day of school was supposed to be difficult for children.
Diana suspected it was considerably worse for mothers.
For the first time, she was entrusting both of her cubs to people outside the family for most of their day.
Segu gave her one of her trademark cheerful smiles.
“Don’t worry, Mother. Brother and Uncle Steve are with me. Nothing bad can happen.”
She waved enthusiastically.
“See you later, Mom!”
“I’ll protect Sister,” Nezu added. “Nothing bad will happen on my watch. Goodbye, Mother.”
His words were confident.
His expression was not.
Nezu’s face remained strangely apathetic, the warmth that should have accompanied such a declaration barely visible.
Diana noticed.
She always noticed.
During those three years, psychologists, neurologists and specialists from around the world had examined Nezu under the supervision of Dr. Smith.
Money had never been an obstacle.
Neither had equipment.
Nor access.
If a specialist existed who might understand what was happening inside Nezu’s brain, the Browns found them.
The results had revolutionized parts of Dr. Smith’s research into the human brain.
For Nezu himself, however, they had accomplished almost nothing.
Worse, the condition appeared to be progressing.
As Nezu grew older, his emotional responses continued to weaken. Logic increasingly dominated his decisions, while fear, hesitation and emotional impulse slowly faded into the background.
If nothing changed, Dr. Smith feared that within a few years Nezu might become little more than a cold human computer.
From a purely business perspective, such a person would be terrifyingly valuable.
Fearless.
Rational.
Efficient.
Someone capable of making the most profitable decision without hesitation, regardless of how many careers, companies—or lives—might be destroyed in the process.
Some CEOs and presidents would willingly sacrifice an arm for an employee like that.
To Mr. and Mrs. Brown, the thought was horrifying.
They didn’t want an ideal heir.
They wanted their son.
And somewhere beneath all their hope rested a question neither of them liked admitting aloud.
If Nezu eventually lost the ability to value emotion entirely…
What would happen when protecting his family was no longer the logical choice?
Would he abandon his father?
His mother?
Segu?
Would even the orphanage that had raised him become nothing more than an inefficient attachment to his past?
They refused to accept that future.
“Bye, Mom!”
“Goodbye, Mother.”
The children said their goodbyes once more before leaving with Steve.
Their new school was less a school and more a private campus.
Two traditional four-storey buildings dominated the grounds, one dedicated to middle school students and the other to high school students.
Roughly three hundred metres away stood an enormous sports complex containing a running track, football field, basketball and tennis courts, an indoor gymnasium for sports such as volleyball, and even an Olympic-sized swimming pool.
Yet none of those facilities truly separated the academy from an ordinary public school.
The wall did.
A gigantic stone barrier surrounded the entire campus. The main entrance consisted of an enormous steel gate decorated with a meticulously carved crest, while guards and security systems watched everyone entering or leaving the grounds.
The security wasn’t simply another display of wealth.
It was necessary.
The children studying there were the sons and daughters of prominent CEOs, politicians, aristocrats and other members of high society.
For some, kidnapping one of those children could mean millions in ransom.
For others, harming one could settle a grudge against their parents.
The academy existed as both a school and a fortress.
And if everything went according to plan, it would become Nezu and Segu’s second home for the next eight years.
The siblings entered their classroom together.
Almost immediately, something familiar happened.
A boy began walking toward them.
He slowed.
Hesitated.
Then, seemingly without knowing why, changed direction.
Another student glanced toward Segu, apparently considering introducing herself.
She stopped.
Turned around.
And joined another group instead.
Again.
And again.
The same invisible barrier that had followed Nezu and Segu throughout childhood remained with them.
Whatever strange force surrounded the siblings ensured that anyone who tried to approach them would suddenly reconsider.
Nezu watched another potential classmate retreat before gently patting Segu on the head.
“Guess it’ll still be just us, Gu.”
Segu’s smile weakened.
Her eyes dropped toward the floor.
“Yes, Brother… I guess you’re right.”
She grabbed his arm.
“Come on. Let’s at least get two desks together.”
They deliberately chose the desks furthest in the back.
If their presence made everyone uncomfortable, then there was no reason to force themselves into the middle of the classroom.
Nezu gave Segu the window seat and took the desk immediately to her right.
The two continued chatting quietly while the classroom slowly filled.
Eventually, the door opened.
Their homeroom teacher entered.
Students immediately rushed toward whatever seats remained.
Miss Fiora paused when she noticed two students had already settled in before her arrival.
For a brief moment, she seemed impressed.
Then she noticed where they were sitting.
The back.
Of course.
In Fiora’s experience, those seats inevitably attracted the same kind of students: troublemakers, sleepers, and children who had already decided that education was something to endure rather than pursue.
Her expectations immediately dropped.
“Good morning, children. I’m Miss Fiora, and I’ll be your homeroom teacher while you’re students here.”
She placed her materials on the desk.
“I expect great things from every one of you.”
Then her expression hardened slightly.
“And those of you already thinking about creating trouble should think twice.”
Her eyes moved discreetly toward the back of the classroom.
Nezu noticed immediately.
He leaned slightly toward his sister.
“I don’t think she likes us, Gu.”
Segu suppressed a sigh.
Now that’s what you call judging someone by the cover… or, in this case, by the seat.
Nezu, meanwhile, couldn’t have cared less.
“During your first days,” Fiora continued, “you’ll be tested across all subjects. These aren’t examinations you need to worry about. Their purpose is to identify your strengths and weaknesses so that we know where you may require additional support.”
She spent the remainder of the period explaining the academy’s basic rules and expectations before leaving the classroom for their first lesson.
Over the following four days, the students were evaluated in English, Arts, History, Music, and Physical Education.
At the end of the week, the results reached Fiora.
She began reviewing them one student at a time.
Eventually, she reached the name she had been expecting.
NEZU BROWN
Fiora leaned back.
Let’s see what our little back-row troublemaker managed.
INITIAL ASSESSMENT REPORT
Student: Nezu Brown
English: D Arts: F History: C Music: F Physical Education: F
Fiora stared at the page.
Her eyebrow twitched.
“What? Even P.E.? How is that possible?”
She looked again.
No mistake.
An F.
She shook her head and continued through the reports until another familiar surname appeared.
SEGU BROWN
Fiora sighed.
Here comes another disappointment.
She opened the report.
Then blinked.
INITIAL ASSESSMENT REPORT
Student: Segu Brown
English: A+ Arts: B- History: B+ Music: F Physical Education: F
“What?”
She leaned closer.
This wasn’t remotely what she had expected.
“I can understand Music. Not everyone can sing or play an instrument, but…”
Her eyes fell to the final grade.
“What’s with Physical Education? Did these siblings spend the last ten years in bed?”
Then something else bothered her.
The difference between them.
Segu was clearly an excellent student. Nezu, judging by his results, seemed to be exactly the kind of student Fiora had expected him to be.
At least according to the results in front of her.
Fiora tapped a finger against Segu’s report.
Could she be sitting in the back because of him? Maybe she’s trying to keep her brother from causing trouble…
The Brown siblings were becoming considerably more interesting than she had expected.
The weekend passed.
Monday arrived.
Far away from the academy, Diana was preparing to leave the mansion.
“Is it today, Peter?”
“Yes, Miss Diana.”
“And did you make the reservation for ten? At the tea house?”
“Yes. The ladies were all informed. They’ll be waiting for you.”
“Good.”
Diana picked up her handbag.
“I’ll be leaving, then.”
“Enjoy yourself, Miss Diana.”
She smiled and headed toward the door.
Peter watched her leave.
Only when she was gone did a faint smile appear on his face.
He had a feeling today was going to be rather amusing.
Back at the academy, two more days of assessments remained.
Science.
Mathematics.
And Applied Technology.
That morning, the students would begin with Science.
But it was the Mathematics test that would come afterward…
…that would forever enter the history of the academy.
< Previous Next >