Rudo Surebrec & Zanka Nijiku

---

The first day you took over the class, you noticed two things very clearly.

One, this school was nothing like what you had imagined. And two, some of the students here looked at you in a way that felt nothing like how students should look at a teacher.

You stood at the podium, introducing yourself in a tone that was serious but not overly harsh. The class was fairly full, but from the moment you stepped in, you could feel two distinct gazes that set themselves apart from the rest.

One came from the very front row. A student was leaning back in his chair, legs crossed, with striking dual-toned hair and a blue tassel earring that swayed lightly as he tilted his head, sizing you up from head to toe. Zanka Nijiku. Top student in the grade, wealthy family, insufferably arrogant. You didn't need to ask to know he was measuring whether you were worth his attention.

The other came from the very back of the room, almost melting into the shadows by the window. A mask covered the lower half of his face, his hair was messy. Rudo. The student your colleagues had warned you about — quiet, always getting into fights, and never letting anyone get close.

The two of them couldn't have been more different. One was too loud, the other too silent. But the one thing they had in common was that both made you feel like your first day wouldn't be peaceful at all.

The first lesson passed in a strange, tense atmosphere. Zanka didn't take any notes. He just rested his chin on his hand and watched you, occasionally smirking when he noticed you deliberately ignoring him. Rudo kept his head down, looking like he might have been asleep — but you knew he was listening, because every now and then his ear twitched slightly when you emphasized an important point.

When class ended, you gathered your materials and were about to leave when a voice stopped you at the door.

"The new teacher's not bad."

Zanka stood leaning against the doorframe, hands in his pockets, a faint smirk on his face.

"Not as boring as I expected."

You didn't answer right away. You just looked at him for a second before asking:

"And what exactly were you expecting?"

"At least not the type who just repeats whatever's in the textbook." He tilted his head, eyes still fixed on you. "Seems like you're a little different."

"Thanks." You gave a small nod. "But next time, don't talk to me like you're evaluating me. I don't like it."

Zanka let out a short laugh and stepped aside to let you pass, but you could still feel his eyes on your back as you left.

From that day on, Zanka started appearing around you more often. Sometimes he stayed after class to ask pointless questions. Other times he walked past the faculty office slower than necessary. But he wasn't the only one.

Rudo was the same.

At first, he just came to class quietly, said nothing, caused no trouble. But gradually, you noticed something odd about him. He had a habit of showing up in places you passed by, always at a distance, as if by coincidence. But it happened so often that it could no longer be called coincidence.

One evening, you stayed late at school to prepare lesson plans. When you finally stepped out of the classroom, you found Rudo sitting alone on the stairs nearby, his eyes fixed on the school gate.

"Why haven't you gone home yet?" you asked.

He turned his head briefly, then looked away again.

"Nothing to do."

"Is everything okay at home?"

He was quiet for a moment, then stood up and brushed the dust off his pants.

"It's fine."

After that night, Rudo started talking to you more. Not much, but at least he was no longer just a wall of silence. And you began to realize he wasn't as bad as everyone said. It was just that no one had the patience to actually listen to him.

The real trouble started when the school asked you to tutor students with poor grades before finals. Rudo was on the list.

And Zanka just so happened to show up outside the classroom where you were teaching, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and a smug smile.

"I want to join too."

You looked at him in disbelief.

"You're top of the grade. You don't need tutoring."

"I don't. But I'm free." He shrugged, then glanced past you at Rudo sitting inside, his gaze sharpening slightly. "Besides, I want to see how you teach people who can't keep up."

Rudo heard him but didn't turn around. He just clenched his fist under the table.

From then on, the three of you spent time together after class. Zanka and Rudo never spoke to each other directly, but they competed in the most childish ways. Zanka purposely sat closer to your desk. Rudo slowly moved his chair forward too. Zanka said your lessons were too easy. Rudo said he thought they were fine — understanding them was enough. That kind of thing.

Then one day, things went too far.

A group of students started spreading rumors about you — saying you took bribes to inflate grades, saying you were only good at sucking up to rich students. You heard it from other teachers, but before you could even deal with it, the rumors suddenly stopped.

Later, you found out Zanka had used his family's influence to silence them. They never dared say another word.

But Rudo was different.

He said nothing. He used no power. He just quietly cornered that group behind the school and beat them without mercy. When you were called in, Rudo was already standing in the disciplinary office, his mask torn at one corner, lips bruised, but his eyes still cold as steel.

You pulled him outside, angry and worried at the same time.

"Do you have any idea what you just did?"

"Yeah." Rudo wiped the blood from his lip, his voice flat. "But I won't let anyone talk bad about you."

You fell silent. For the first time, you didn't know what to say to him.

The next day, Zanka saw Rudo's bruised lip and just laughed coldly.

"Idiot. Solving things like that only makes the teacher worry more."

Rudo didn't respond. He just glanced at him.

"Yeah, you're smart. But the teacher doesn't need what you do either."

Their eyes met, the tension between them like a wire about to snap. You stood between them and let out a long sigh.

Both of them had crossed the line between student and teacher. And you weren't sure you still wanted to pull them back.

One rainy afternoon, both of them stood outside the faculty office, one on each side of the door, like two animals guarding their territory. You stepped out, saw them both, and before you could say anything, Zanka spoke first.

"You're not walking home alone, are you? I'll call a car."

"Don't need it." Rudo stepped forward, holding an old umbrella, rain still dripping from his hair. "I'll walk with you."

Zanka let out a dry laugh, glancing at Rudo from head to toe.

"Look at yourself. You're soaked like a stray dog and you want to escort someone? A car would be warmer."

"And all you know is sitting in fancy cars. They need an umbrella, not a chauffeur."

You had to step in.

"Both of you, just go home. I can manage on my own."

But neither of them moved. They just stood there, looking at you, then at each other, neither backing down.

And that was when you realized — you were standing in the middle of a war no one had declared, but both of them had already decided you were the prize.

---