My Rival Turn Into Lover

Chapter 2: The Old Rival Of Sebastian Del Castro

"Ahhh! I’m so sorry!" I gasped, stumbling backward from the impact.

"It's okay," a smooth, unfamiliar voice replied. A hand caught my elbow to steady me. "Miss, are you hurt?"

I blinked, looking up at the guy I had just completely plowed into. "I'm fine. I'm so sorry, I really didn't mean to hit you."

"It's alright, miss," he said, offering a polite, easygoing smile. "By the way, what are you doing running around here?"

My mind immediately flashed back to Sebastian. "Did you... did you happen to see a guy leave the clinic? The one who got bullied earlier? He has this really shiny hair and a totally cool, striking face."

The guy tilted his head, looking thoughtful. "Sorry, I didn't see anyone like that. Why do you need to find him so badly?"

"Because of this," I said, holding up the heavy backpack slung over my arm. "He left his bag behind, and I wanted to give it back to him."

"Oh, just hand it over to me," he offered smoothly, reaching out a hand. "I can be the one to give it to him."

"No way!" I immediately pulled the bag closer to my chest, giving him a suspicious glare. "I don't even know you. How can I be sure you'll actually give it to him?"

He chuckled, raising his hands in a playful surrender. "Fair point. My name is Harry de Naira. I’m twenty years old, and I actually just moved here from America. How about you? Who are you? It's a little strange seeing someone hunt down a stranger so fiercely."

"My name is Evelyn Montreyo," I replied, crossing my arms. "I'm nineteen, and I'm from Canada."

Harry’s eyes suddenly widened, his jaw practically dropping. "Evelyn...? Wait, you mean the Evelyn? The genius girl from Section 1 who keeps getting the highest grades in the entire school?!"

I blinked, totally caught off guard. "How do you even know I’m the top student in Section 1?"

"Well, I read up on this school before transferring, and your name was practically plastered all over the academic records," Harry explained with a grin.

"Oh... uh, okay. Thank you," I muttered, my cheeks warming up a bit. I looked out the window and noticed the sky turning a deep, twilight purple. "Well, it’s already getting really late, and I haven't been able to find him today. But what about his bag...?"

"Just hand it to me," Harry said, his voice reassuring. "Trust me, I’ll make sure he gets it later."

I hesitated for a second, looking from Harry to the heavy bag. "Okay, okay. Fine."

Reaching out, I handed Sebastian’s bag over to him.

"Thank you!" Harry smiled.

"You're welcome," I said, taking a step back and checking my watch. "Anyway, I really have to go now. It’s getting way too late. Bye!"

"Bye! Take care on your way home!" Harry called out, waving as I turned and hurried down the hall.

Once Evelyn’s figure disappeared around the corner, the friendly, easygoing smile on Harry's face shifted into a knowing smirk. He looked down at the backpack in his hand. "Now, let's go give this back to Sebastian."

Suddenly, a sharp vibration buzzed against Harry’s thigh. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and slid it answer.

"Get up to the fourth floor," a firm voice commanded from the other end. "We’re having a meeting. It’s strictly exclusive—just for you and the inner circle."

"Got it," Harry muttered, hanging up.

He took the stairs two at a time up to the quiet, restricted fourth floor. Stopping in front of a heavy mahogany door at the end of the hall, he gave a sharp knock before turning the handle and stepping inside.

Sitting behind the desk, looking entirely relaxed and completely unbothered by his injuries from earlier, was Sebastian.

"Come in," Sebastian said smoothly.

Harry tossed the backpack onto a nearby chair. "Here’s your bag. By the way, that girl, Evelyn? She’s a total genius. She was looking everywhere for you, but since you vanished from the clinic, she ended up handing it over to me."

Sitting on the couch across the room, James leaned forward, his expression turning serious. "Alright, Harry, now that you're here, let's get down to business. I called this meeting because there's a massive event happening next month. I want all of you to participate. And yes, that includes you, Sebastian."

Sebastian tilted his head, a bored look crossing his handsome features. "Why me? I'm not a certified genius like Evelyn."

Harry burst out laughing, leaning against the wall. "Man, he always acts like he’s some ordinary guy, but deep down he’s totally just a dumb slacker disguised as a prince, hahaha!"

Sebastian’s eyes narrowed into a glare. "What did you just say?!"

From the corner of the room, a groan came from a figure stretched out on a lounge chair. Edward shifted, pulling a baseball cap down over his eyes. "You two are so annoying. Shut up, I’m trying to sleep here."

Jacob, who was leaning against the window sill, rolled his eyes. "Edward, are you even listening to what James is trying to say?"

"Yeah, yeah, I heard it..." Edward muttered from under his cap.

James cleared his throat to regain control of the room. "As I was saying—the school participating against us next month is your previous academy. Your old enemies will be there."

The entire room went dead silent.

"What?!" Harry, Edward, Jacob, and Sebastian chorused in unison, all signs of playfulness completely vanishing.

Edward sat up straight, his sleepiness gone. "Why the hell do they want to participate in this event?"

"I thought this was a standard school-to-school tournament," Harry added, frowning.

"School-to-school means exactly that," James explained calmly. "Any registered institution in the region is allowed to enter. They qualified."

Harry rubbed the back of his neck. "Right, right. Sorry."

Jacob let out a cold, dark chuckle, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "Well... if that's what they want, then I guess we should give them exactly what they're looking for. Right, Sebastian?"

Sebastian didn't answer right away. He picked up his mug, casually taking a slow sip of his coffee. A slow, chillingly handsome smile spread across his lips. "This is going to be incredibly interesting. Don't you think so, my old rivals?"

Jacob, Edward, and Harry all smirked back. "Definitely."

"One more thing," James added, looking down at a folder on his desk. "According to the data we gathered from the faculty, all of the top-ranking academic students will be required to participate. Which means Evelyn Montreyo will be on the roster."

James closed the file with a sharp snap. "And that's all for today. But before we head out, go clean up the mess in here."

"Yes, sir," the four of them mumbled, quickly straightening up the room.

Once the office was spotless, James grabbed his coat with a grin. "Alright, who's up for the sushi restaurant? My treat."

"We're all in for that," they replied, their competitive tension instantly melting away at the mention of free food.

"Okay, okay. Are you all done cleaning?" James asked, checking the room.

"Yes, sir," they chorused.

"Let's go."

Before leaving the floor, they carefully locked every door and turned off the lights, securing the hidden student council headquarters.

"Let's head down to the car so we can beat the dinner rush," James said, leading the way to the parking lot.

"Right behind you, sir," Harry said.

A few minutes later, the five of them were cruising down the neon-lit streets. The atmosphere inside the car was a mix of intense strategy and casual teenage chaos.

Harry leaned forward from the backseat. "Our previous school is probably entering every single event lately just to recruit more people and expand their influence."

"That’s exactly what they’ve been scheming ever since we left," Sebastian countered, staring out the window at the passing city lights. "They lost their core members when we transferred, so they don't have any strong colleagues left. But still, don't underestimate them. They might have changed their tactics and gained more knowledge over the past few months."

James nodded from the driver's seat, keeping his eyes on the road. "Sebastian is correct. They've been expanding rapidly, participating in every school and regional event because they are hungry for data and knowledge. They want to reclaim their top spot."

Suddenly, a crinkling sound broke the serious silence. Edward popped open a plastic container. "Hey, who wants some cookies?"

Jacob snapped, glaring at him from the passenger seat. "Oh, layout! f**k it, Edward! We are in the middle of a serious topic and you always interrupt with food!"

Edward held out the container anyway, totally unfazed. "You don't want any? It's your literal favorite chocolate chip cookies."

"No! I don't want it!" Jacob hissed, turning back around.

Edward took a slow, loud bite. "Suit yourself. You're gonna regret it in the end when they're all gone..."

Jacob stiffened. He stared straight ahead for three seconds before slamming his hand down. "f**k! Fine! Give me some of my favorite cookies!"

James laughed, pulling the car into a brightly lit parking lot. "Alright, boys, we're here."

Sebastian squinted through the dark glass. "Open the freaking window, Harry, I can't see a thing."

"Okay, okay, hold your horses..." Harry complained, rolling the window down.

The moment the glass lowered, the stunning storefront of a high-end traditional sushi restaurant came into view, glowing with warm lanterns and sleek wooden architecture.

"Wow, this place is beautiful," they muttered in unison.

"Let's go inside and eat," James said, turning off the engine.

"Let's go!"

They piled out of the car and walked into the bustling restaurant, the rich aroma of toasted nori and fresh seafood hitting them instantly. They approached the sleek wooden counter.

"Guys, go ahead and pick whatever you want," James said generously, pulling out his wallet. "Don't worry about the price, I'll pay for everything."

Harry smiled, stepping up first. "I'll have the sake sushi with caviar on top. For my drink, a lemon juice. Oh, and can you add a little shredded cabbage on the side? Just put it in a separate bowl, please. Thank you."

Jacob scanned the menu next. "I'd like to order the nattomaki sushi, and a lemon juice for my drink as well."

Edward popped the last cookie into his mouth. "I'll take the kappamaki sushi, and a lemon juice too."

Sebastian stepped up last, his eyes dark and focused. "I'll order the negitoro, and a lemon juice."

The cashier tapped quickly on the screen, calculating the total. "That will be exactly $300 for everything, sir."

James handed over a stack of crisp bills. "Here is the money, sir."

"Thank you, here is your change," the cashier replied smoothly, handing back the receipt. "Please take a seat. Just wait for about five minutes, and your orders will be ready."

They walked over to a private booth in the back, sliding into the leather seats. While they were waiting for their food to arrive...