The second-year students, who were laughing and chatting a few seconds ago, fell into silence.
"But," Kaigaku said, "I can find that juniors don't have a habit of respecting seniors."
The tone wasn't loud, but it carried a sense of quiet authority that made even the drunk students stiffen.
He stepped forward.
Then, without hesitation, he reached for the sword at his side and unsheathed it.
A chill ran down Elysia's spine.
"Wait—Kaigaku, that's unnecessary," she said, stepping forward.
But before she could move closer, Edwin stepped in front of her, raising his arm to stop both Elysia and Jin.
"Don't interfere," he said and his eyes locked on Kaigaku.
Jin frowned. "Edwin, what are you doing?"
"He wants respect," he said, "but respect isn't demanded. It's earned."
With that, Edwin reached for his own sword and unsheathed it.
Kaigaku smirked, clearly intrigued. "A brave one," he said, his voice holding a hint of amusement.
